cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Frequent Mowing on Survival and Persistence of Forbs Seeded into a Species‐Poor Grassland

Many early attempts at tallgrass prairie reconstruction failed to achieve the high species diversity of remnant prairies, and instead consist primarily of C4 grasses. We hypothesized that frequent mowing of established prairie grasses could create sufficient gaps in the aboveground and belowground environment to allow for the establishment of native forbs from seed. We studied forb seedling establishment in a 25-year-old prairie planting in northern Iowa that was dominated by native warmseason grasses. In winter 1999, 23 species of native forbs were broadcast into the recently burned sod at a rate of 350 viable seeds/m 2 . Treatment plots were mowed weekly for either one or two growing seasons, and control plots were unmowed. Mowed plots had greater light availability than controls, especially when warm-season grasses began to flower. Overwinter seedling mortality was 3% in mowed treatments compared to 29% in the controls. Forbs in mowed plots had significantly greater root and shoot mass than those in control plots in the first and second growing seasons but were not significantly more abundant. By the fourth growing season, however, forbs were twice as abundant in the mowed treatments. No lasting negative impacts of frequent mowing on the grass population were observed. Mowing a second year influenced species composition but did not change total seedling establishment. Experimental evidence is consistent with the idea that mowing reduced competition for light from large established grasses, allowing forb seedlings the opportunity to reach sufficient size to establish, survive, and flower in the second and subsequent years.
Motion segmentation via robust subspace separation in the presence of outlying, incomplete, or corrupted trajectories

We examine the problem of segmenting tracked feature point trajectories of multiple moving objects in an image sequence. Using the affine camera model, this motion segmentation problem can be cast as the problem of segmenting samples drawn from a union of linear subspaces. Due to limitations of the tracker, occlusions and the presence of nonrigid objects in the scene, the obtained motion trajectories may contain grossly mistracked features, missing entries, or not correspond to any valid motion model. In this paper, we develop a robust subspace separation scheme that can deal with all of these practical issues in a unified framework. Our methods draw strong connections between lossy compression, rank minimization, and sparse representation. We test our methods extensively and compare their performance to several extant methods with experiments on the Hopkins 155 database. Our results are on par with state-of-the-art results, and in many cases exceed them. All MATLAB code and segmentation results are publicly available for peer evaluation at http://perception.csl.uiuc.edu/coding/motion/.
“Space-time evolution of nucleus-nucleus collisions measured by intensity interferometry”☆

Abstract New results about the production of multifragment final states and the information content of two-particle correlation functions will be presented.
Removing an invasive shrub (Chinese privet) increases native bee diversity and abundance in riparian forests of the southeastern United States

1. Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.) was removed from riparian forests in the Piedmont of Georgia in November 2005 by mulching with a track-mounted mulching machine or by chainsaw felling. The remaining privet in the herbaceous layer was killed with herbicide in December 2006. 2. Bee (Hymentoptera: Apoidea) abundance, diversity and community similarity in the forests were measured for 2 years after shrub removal and compared with heavily invaded controls and with non-invaded forests (desired future condition) using pan traps. 3. In 2006, control plots averaged 8.8 species and 34.8 bees per plot. Privet mulching resulted in 32.5 bee species and 418.3 bees per plot, and privet felling plots had 29 species and 259 bees per plot. In 2007, control plots averaged only10 species per plot and 32.8 bees per plot, while mulched and felled plots had 48 and 38 species per plot and 658.2 and 382.5 bees per plot, respectively. 4. The bee community on untreated control plots was dissimilar from the communities on privet felling, mulched and desired future condition plots during both years; however, by 2007, desired future condition, felling and mulched plots had similar bee communities. 5. Removal of an invasive shrub provided immediate benefits for native pollinators and resulted in bee communities similar to non-invaded forests even without further restoration of native plant communities.
A study of fracture in fiber-reinforced cement-based composites using laser holographic interferometry

Micromechanisms of matrix fracture in Portland cement-based fiber composites were studied by means of reflection holographic interferometry and quantitative image analysis. An experimental investigation was conducted with different volume concentrations of polypropylene fibers. Uniaxial tensile specimens were loaded within a strain range of up to three percent. The deformation history was recorded as interference holograms. The holograms were acquired in an image-analysis system. After enhancement, they were analyzed for crack density, length, opening profile, and spacing. The evolution of microcracks, their propagation, distributed microcracking and the material response beyond the characteristic damage state are also discussed.
Gender Influences Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in Normal and Gamma Interferon-Mutant Mice

Gender influences the incidence and severity of some bacterial and viral infections and autoimmune diseases in animal models and humans. To determine a gender-based difference, comparisons were made between male and female mice inoculated with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) by the corneal route. Mortality was higher in the male mice of the three strains tested: 129/Sv//Ev wild type, gamma interferon (IFN-γ) knockout (GKO), and IFN-γ receptor knockout (RGKO). Similarly, in vivo HSV-1 reactivation occurred more commonly in male mice, but the male-female difference in reactivation was restricted to the two knockout strains and was not seen in the 129/Sv//Ev control. Comparison among male mice of the three strains showed a higher mortality of the RGKO mice and a higher reactivation rate of the GKO and RGKO mice than of the 129/Sv//Ev males. In contrast, female RGKO and GKO mice did not differ from female 129/Sv//Ev controls in either mortality or reactivation. HSV-1 periocular and eyelid disease was also more severe in male and dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated female mice than in control female mice. These results show a consistent gender difference in HSV-1 infection, with a worse outcome in male mice. In addition, the results comparing GKO and RGKO mice to controls show differences only in male mice, suggesting that some effects of IFN-γ, a key immunoregulatory molecule, are gender specific.
Anatomy and regulation of the optical nerve blood flow

The arterial supply to the optic nerve has been widely investigated; however, the precise anatomy of the anterior optic nerve microvasculature remains difficult to ascertain. Detailed assessment of this anatomy is limited by its small vessel caliber, its complex three-dimensional structure, and the relative inaccessibility of the microvascular bed. The major branches of the ophthalmic artery include vessels to each of the extraocular muscles, the central retinal artery (CRA), and the posterior ciliary arteries (PCAs). The CRA and the short PCAs provide the blood supply to the optic nerve head (ONH). The evaluation of ocular hemodynamics continues to improve with the development of new imaging technologies. This article summarizes the vascular anatomy of the ONH, retina, and choroid, the regulation of blood flow in the ONH, and several imaging techniques used to measure blood flow in the eye.
Fatty acid uptake by the brain V. incorporation of [1-14c]linolenic acid into adult rat brain

Abstract Linolenic acid seems to have special importance in the brain lipids since the ω-3 polyunsaturated acids are predominant brain fatty acids. Thus [I-14C]linolenic acid was fed to adult rats to investigate its passage from blood to the brain. Unlike palmitic and oleic acids that are present in large amounts linolenic acid is present in only trace amounts but its product docosahexaenoic acid is present in large amounts. Label distribution in brain docosahexaenoic acid 4 and 24 h after feeding linolenic acid showed the percentage of the total radioactivity in the carboxyl carbon was 23% and 12.4%, respectively, compared to 70.2% and 81.9% when [I-14C]acetate was injected. This pattern of distribution clearly shows that the fed material, [I-14C]linolenic acid, was incorporated into the brain lipids and directly converted into docosahexaenoic acid without appreciable oxidation to acetate. It was surprising to note that cerebrosides had a rather high specific activity when linoleic or linolenic acid were fed but not when acetate was injected.
Conclusion: Detachment and Engagement in Conservatism and Pragmatism

William James, in his Pragmatism, offered the idea that one’s temperament guided one’s philosophical commitments. The tough-minded thinker is committed to empiricism, concrete facts, particulars, and plurality, while the tender-minded is committed to rationalism, abstract concepts, universals, and unity.1 Similarly, Ralph Waldo Emerson described the opposition of the temperaments of Conservatism and Innovation. Emerson postulates that the opposition between these is so old as to have its seat in human constitution itself: “It is the opposition of Past and Future, of Memory and Hope, of the Understanding and the Reason.”2 Conservatism is founded on human limitations and circumstance, while reform supposes human infinitude and power. Conservatism is social, believing that men’s temper governs them, while reform is “individual and imperious” and more trusting of principle. Emerson claims that only taken together are these two metaphysical antagonists worthy of praise. I have ventured to fuse these adversaries in an articulation of hopefully praiseworthy methodology.3
Commentary on: Micro-Needling Depth Penetration, Presence of Pigment Particles, and Fluorescein-Stained Platelets: Clinical Usage for Aesthetic Concerns.

Micro-needling is a relatively novel technique that uses needles ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm in order to create micro-wounds or channels in the skin. The microneedles are designed to penetrate the stratum corneum without traveling into the nerve fibers of the skin. In doing so, micro-needling can create micro channels in the skin relatively painlessly. The channels allow for delivery of macromolecules through the skin, and, while healing, promote collagen production in the skin. As a result, micro-needling is an effective tool for treating aesthetic skin concerns such as wrinkling, as well as delivering transdermal medications and vaccines. The author aimed to determine average depth penetration of microneedles, as well as the optimal time of topical application to achieve maximum depth of macromolecule dissemination through the skin after micro-needling treatment.1 In studies I, II, and III, the study utilized low sample sizes of only facial skin excised from Caucasian patients aged 72, 73, and 62, respectively. The use of only these pre-auricular skin strips from a narrow ethnic background limits the study's broader applications. …
Pink camouflage: Reshaping the gendered nature of hunting in the twenty-first century

Women hunters are a significant portion of the hunting population in North America. The increasing attention to this demographic group requires further investigation and analysis. This article introduces qualitative data to investigate women hunters by examining how women hunt, why women hunt, how gender identities are negotiated in a male-dominated sport, and their relationships with men who have often introduced them to the sport. This study suggests women use hunting as a way to reinforce their roles in their male relationships (be it romantic, familial, or friendly) and their family, while also performing domestic gender roles by providing food for their family. Recognizing the culture and motives of women hunters is paramount to understanding how women successfully pervade a social space traditionally occupied by men.
Misunderstanding of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men: Public Health and Policy Implications.

Abstract Purpose: Street markets in antiretroviral medications for HIV have been documented, but sources of demand are not well understood. We report unexpected findings from qualitative research suggesting that some demand is for informal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Methods: Focus groups with young men who have sex with men (N = 31) yielded information on their understanding and use of PrEP. Results: Of those who had heard of it, few understood PrEP to be a physician-prescribed regimen; most believed it to be a pill taken before and/or after sex and acquired on the street or through HIV-positive friends. Conclusion: Implications for PrEP rollout and public health policy are discussed.
Training collar-sensed gestures for canine communication

We describe how we trained two dogs to perform precise gestures to be sensed from an inertial measurement unit worn on a dog's collar as part of a larger research effort. These gestures could then be used to relay specific alerts to humans through a companion smartphone application. For example, a guide dog could use a set of two gestures to alert between obstacles requiring a human to 'wait' or 'go around'.
Drugs with anti-oxidant properties can interfere with cell viability measurements by assays that rely on the reducing property of viable cells

Cell viability assays such as Cell Titer Blue and Alamar Blue rely on the reducing property of viable cells to reduce the reagent dye to a product which gives a fluorescent signal. The current manufacture-recommended protocols do not take into account the possibility of the reagent substrate being reduced directly to the fluorescent product by drugs with an anti-oxidant property. After suspecting spurious results while determining the cytotoxic potential of a drug of interest (DOI) with known anti-oxidant property against a renal cell cancer (RCC) cell line, we aimed to establish that drugs with anti-oxidant property can indeed cause false-negative results with the current protocols of these assays by direct reduction of the reagent substrate. We also aimed to counter the same with a simple modification added to the protocol. Through our experiments, we conclusively demonstrate that drugs with anti-oxidant properties can indeed interfere with cell viability measurements by assays that rely on the reducing property of viable cells. A simple modification in the protocol, as elaborated in the manuscript, can prevent spurious results with these otherwise convenient assays.Laboratory Investigation advance online publication, 27 February 2017; doi:10.1038/labinvest.2017.18.
Murine diet-induced obesity remodels cardiac and liver mitochondrial phospholipid acyl chains with differential effects on respiratory enzyme activity

Cardiac phospholipids, notably cardiolipin, undergo acyl chain remodeling and/or loss of content in aging and cardiovascular diseases, which is postulated to mechanistically impair mitochondrial function. Less is known about how diet-induced obesity influences cardiac phospholipid acyl chain composition and thus mitochondrial responses. Here we first tested if a high fat diet remodeled murine cardiac mitochondrial phospholipid acyl chain composition and consequently disrupted membrane packing, supercomplex formation and respiratory enzyme activity. Mass spectrometry analyses revealed that mice consuming a high fat diet displayed 0.8-3.3 fold changes in cardiac acyl chain remodeling of cardiolipin, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Biophysical analysis of monolayers constructed from mitochondrial phospholipids of obese mice showed impairment in the packing properties of the membrane compared to lean mice. However, the high fat diet, relative to the lean controls, had no influence on cardiac mitochondrial supercomplex formation, respiratory enzyme activity, and even respiration. To determine if the effects were tissue specific, we subsequently conducted select studies with liver tissue. Compared to the control diet, the high fat diet remodeled liver mitochondrial phospholipid acyl chain composition by 0.6-5.3-fold with notable increases in n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturation. The remodeling in the liver was accompanied by diminished complex I to III respiratory enzyme activity by 3.5-fold. Finally, qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated an upregulation of liver mRNA levels of tafazzin, which contributes to cardiolipin remodeling. Altogether, these results demonstrate that diet-induced obesity remodels acyl chains in the mitochondrial phospholipidome and exerts tissue specific impairments of respiratory enzyme activity.
Autoacceleration of clinoform progradation in foreland basins: theory and experiments

Understanding the relationship between sedimentation and tectonics is critical to the analysis of stratigraphic evolution in foreland basins. Previous models of foreland basins have explained stratal development, but were done generally under the assumption that steady allogenic forcing produces a steady stratigraphic response. They did not consider autogenic shoreline behaviour during the development of the subsidence pattern characteristic of foreland basins. We present a mathematical model and flume experiments that explore how subsidence and sediment-supply rates control the shoreline trajectory and the stratal patterns that fill foreland basins. Through these models, we found differing autogenic responses in the rate and direction of shoreline migration, and these generated three distinct styles of stratal architecture, despite the constant external forcing (i.e. constant sediment discharge and basin substrate tilting). The first response was ‘autoretreat’, where shoreline migration switched from initial progradation to retrogradation. The second response was progradation followed by constant aggradation of the shoreline. The third response was maintained progradation with a markedly accelerating rate. We termed this latter newly observed autogenic behaviour ‘shoreline autoacceleration’. These three modes of shoreline behaviour and their accompanying stratal architecture provide a basic framework for the relationship between sedimentation and tectonic activity in foreland basins under the simplified conditions presented here.
Potential implications of practice effects in Alzheimer's disease prevention trials.

Abstract Introduction Practice effects (PEs) present a potential confound in clinical trials with cognitive outcomes. A single-blind placebo run-in design, with repeated cognitive outcome assessments before randomization to treatment, can minimize effects of practice on trial outcome. Methods We investigated the potential implications of PEs in Alzheimer's disease prevention trials using placebo arm data from the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study donepezil/vitamin E trial in mild cognitive impairment. Frequent ADAS-Cog measurements early in the trial allowed us to compare two competing trial designs: a 19-month trial with randomization after initial assessment, versus a 15-month trial with a 4-month single-blind placebo run-in and randomization after the second administration of the ADAS-Cog. Standard power calculations assuming a mixed-model repeated-measure analysis plan were used to calculate sample size requirements for a hypothetical future trial designed to detect a 50% slowing of cognitive decline. Results On average, ADAS-Cog 13 scores improved at first follow-up, consistent with a PE and progressively worsened thereafter. The observed change for a 19-month trial (1.18 points) was substantively smaller than that for a 15-month trial with 4-month run-in (1.79 points). To detect a 50% slowing in progression under the standard design (i.e., a 0.59 point slowing), a future trial would require 3.4 times more subjects than would be required to detect the comparable percent slowing (i.e., 0.90 points) with the run-in design. Discussion Assuming the improvement at first follow-up observed in this trial represents PEs, the rate of change from the second assessment forward is a more accurate representation of symptom progression in this population and is the appropriate reference point for describing treatment effects characterized as percent slowing of symptom progression; failure to accommodate this leads to an oversized clinical trial. We conclude that PEs are an important potential consideration when planning future trials.
Topical Acne Therapy

Topical therapy for acne has now reached a level of sophistication and therapeutic efficacy that permits the clinician to direct treatment toward specific factors in the pathogenesis of this disease. The appropriate use of one or more of the therapeutic agents described in this article (retinoic acid, benzoyl peroxide, topical antibiotics, salicylic acid, resorcinol, and sulfur) can produce significant and dramatic clinical improvement in many patients and reduce or eliminate the need for systemic treatment. A section is also included on the office treatment of lesions.
James A. Graaskamp, Richard T. Ely, and the Tradition of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics at the University of Wisconsin

This chapter provides an historical perspective by placing the teaching and research of James A. Graaskamp at the University of Wisconsin in the context of the pioneering contributions of Richard T. Ely, Ernest M. Fisher, Frederick M. Babcock, Coleman Woodbury, Morton Bodfish, A. D. Theobald, Mary L. Shine, Arthur J. Mertzke, Horace F Clark, Helen C Monchow, Herbert B. Dorau, Harlean James, Albert G Hinman, William N. Loucks, Rosalind Tough, Homer Hoyt, Herbert D. Simpson, Frank B. Williams, John E. Burton, Gertrude Harley, Richard U Ratcliff Richard B. Andrews, and many others to the field of real estate and urban land economics since the 1890s at Madison and through the Institute for Research in Land Economics and Public Utilities. The chapter describes eight key areas where James Graaskamp, as an academic and a professional consultant, advanced the state of the art in the field of real estate and urban land economics: institutional approach, conceptual framework, social context, public policy orientation, market research and analysis, critique of appraisal theory and practice, interdisciplinary scholarship, and education for real estate development. The common thread from Ely to Graaskamp is the strong commitment to utilizing the framework of institutional economics to define, analyze, and solve practical real estate problems.
Molecular Interlayers and the Mechanism of Abrasive Wear of Ultrathin Metal Films

Striking differences have been observed in the deformation modes associated with nanoscratch events on ultrathin Cu layers deposited on SiOx with and without a dendrimer interlayer. In the absence of the dendrimer monolayer significant lateral deformation and distinct ridge formation along the wear track indicative of plowing and wedge formation are observed. By contrast, dendrimer monolayer-mediated films exhibit restricted lateral deformation yielding ridgeless scratches apparently formed in a nearly pure cutting mode.
Impact of delivery method on the efficacy of biological control agents and the virulence of Fusarium root rot pathogens in the greenhouse

Biological control methods are now more valuable as a plant disease management strategy and are a particularly promising method for managing fusarium root rot, an economically important soilborne d...
Integrated Cell Culture-Mass Spectrometry Method for Infectious Human Virus Monitoring

Tools for detecting infectious human viruses in environmental samples are essential for protecting human health. Here, we developed an Integrated Cell Culture-Mass Spectrometry (ICC-MS) method that detects infectious viruses by identifying viral proteins that replicate in cell cultures. The ICC-MS method was first validated and optimized with murine hepatitis viruses (MHV) spiked in culture media and wastewater concentrates and then applied to detect human viruses in untreated and treated wastewater samples. Reoviruses were detected in wastewater samples when the method was applied with Vero, BGMK, and BSC-1 cell lines. Strain-specific viral peptides from reovirus type 1, type 2, and type 3 were detected in primary influent, secondary effluent (pre-UV treatment), and UV-treated effluent. We propose that the ICC-MS method is a promising technique for directly detecting infectious human viruses in environmental samples without the need for primer design. This method can be expanded in future work to detect ...
Enantioselective Synthesis and Antiproliferative Properties of an Ilmofosine Analog, 2‘-(Trimethylammonio)ethyl 3-(Hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)propyl Phosphate, on Epithelial Cancer Cell Growth

An asymmetric synthesis of the 1-alkyloxy analog of the thioether phosphocholine ilmofosine (BM 41.440, rac-1), 2'-(trimethylammonio)ethyl 3-(hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)propyl phosphate (2), is described. Stereoselectivity was obtained in an asymmetric hydroboration-oxidation sequence carried out on a 2,2-disubstituted 1-alkene, 3-(hexadecyloxy)-2-(methoxymethyl)-1-propene (9), which was prepared by starting with either ethyl acrylate or ethyl alpha-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate (3). (R)- and (S)-2 and rac-1 were highly effective in inhibiting the proliferation of the breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7 (IC50, 2 microM), moderately effective against A549 (non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma) (IC50, 8-10 icroM), and less effective against A427 (large cell lung carcinoma) (IC50, approximately 20 microM). The in vitro cytotoxicity against the three epithelial cancer cell lines was independent of the configuration about C-2 of the glycerol backbone of 2 and was also not altered by substitution of oxygen for sulfur in the sn-1 ether linkage of ilmofosine.
Sampling rare fluctuations of discrete-time Markov chains

We describe a simple method that can be used to sample the rare fluctuations of discrete-time Markov chains. We focus on the case of Markov chains with well-defined steady-state measures, and derive expressions for the large-deviation rate functions (and upper bounds on such functions) for dynamical quantities extensive in the length of the Markov chain. We illustrate the method using a series of simple examples, and use it to study the fluctuations of a lattice-based model of active matter that can undergo motility-induced phase separation.
World of code: an infrastructure for mining the universe of open source VCS data

Open source software (OSS) is essential for modern society and, while substantial research has been done on individual (typically central) projects, only a limited understanding of the periphery of the entire OSS ecosystem exists. For example, how are tens of millions of projects in the periphery interconnected through technical dependencies, code sharing, or knowledge flows? To answer such questions we a) create a very large and frequently updated collection of version control data for FLOSS projects named World of Code (WoC) and b) provide basic tools for conducting research that depends on measuring interdependencies among all FLOSS projects. Our current WoC implementation is capable of being updated on a monthly basis and contains over 12B git objects. To evaluate its research potential and to create vignettes for its usage, we employ WoC in conducting several research tasks. In particular, we find that it is capable of supporting trend evaluation, ecosystem measurement, and the determination of package usage. We expect WoC to spur investigation into global properties of OSS development leading to increased resiliency of the entire OSS ecosystem. Our infrastructure facilitates the discovery of key technical dependencies, code flow, and social networks that provide the basis to determine the structure and evolution of the relationships that drive FLOSS activities and innovation.
Frankliniella fusca and Frankliniella occidentalis response to thrips-active Cry51Aa2.834_16 Bt cotton with and without neonicotinoid seed treatment

Abstract Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) and F. occidentalis (Pergande) are economically important thrips species in cotton production. In the Southeast and Mid-South, F. fusca is an early season seedling pest. In the West, F. occidentalis is a sporadic pest of seedling cotton and a predator of other cotton pests. A novel Bt toxin, Cry51Aa2.834_16 expressed in MON 88702 cotton, has activity against thrips and plant bugs, and will likely become an important management tool for early season pests in cotton. Determining its utility in cotton pest management requires understanding its effects on F. fusca and F. occidentalis. Individual adult female F. fusca and F. occidentalis were exposed to cotyledon disks cut from greenhouse-grown cotton expressing Cry51Aa2.834_16 (MON 88702) or a near-isoline (non-Bt) with or without an imidacloprid seed treatment. Insects were exposed for 72 h and mortality evaluated. Next, individually caged seedlings were infested with five adult female F. fusca or F. occidentalis and egg numbers counted after 72 h. Larval establishment determined after 10 days for F. fusca or 7 days for F. occidentalis. Exposure to MON 88702 in the absence of the imidacloprid seed treatment caused significant adult mortality in F. occidentalis. Exposure to the imidacloprid seed treatment caused significant adult mortality in both species on both MON 88702 and non-Bt cotton plants. Oviposition and larval establishment were reduced by both MON 88702 as well as imidacloprid seed treatment in both species, but the effect size differed between species. In F. fusca, the imidacloprid seed treatment caused the greatest reductions, whereas in F. occidentalis, MON 88702 had the greater effect.
Luminescence study of reduced samarium in barium lithium nonaborate and barium sodium nonaborate

Abstract Samarium doped barium lithium nonaborate and barium sodium nonaborate have been generated by firing stoichiometric mixtures of a co-precipitaed Sm(III):Ba(II) borate with lithium or sodium acetate and boric acid. The formation of the two isostructural systems was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Divalent samarium formation in both systems was confirmed by emission spectroscopy. The divalent samarium emission features characteristic of the two systems are reported and compared. Although known to be isostructural, significant variations are apparent in the emission patterns obtained from the two systems. However it is suggested that variations in the intensities of emission from two specific samarium sites give rise to the observed difference. The symmetries associated with the two samarium sites in barium lithium nonaborate have been suggested to be C4v and a distorted Oh.
Mexican-Origin Family Members' Unique and Shared Family Perspectives of Familism Values and Their Links With Parent-Youth Relationship Quality

To advance understanding of parents' and adolescents' unique and shared perspectives of familism, a core cultural value in Mexican-origin families, our study addressed 2 goals. First, we identified family members' unique and shared perspectives of familism values using multitrait-multimethod confirmatory factor analysis (Kenny & Kashy, 1992). Second, we examined links between family members' unique and shared perspectives of familism values and mother-youth and father-youth warmth and conflict. Participants were mothers, fathers, and 2 siblings (Mage = 15.48 years for older and Mage = 12.55 years for younger siblings) from 246 Mexican-origin families who were interviewed in their homes on 2 occasions over 5 years. Results indicated that familism values operated as an individual-level process more so than a family-level process and that youth's familism values were most consistently linked to parent-youth relationship quality. These findings provide novel insights into investigating family system dynamics involving familism values, suggest that youth's familism values may keep them connected to their families during adolescence, and highlight potential implications for prevention and intervention programs geared toward Mexican-origin families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Real-time Location Based Shared Smart Parking System

With the growth in population, traffic congestion and parking have become a serious problem. There is the explosive growth of the per capita amount of vehicles. In this paper, a Location-Based Shared Smart Parking System is proposed to solve the parking problem. This system is designed for both private and public parking areas. This system helps the user to find the nearest possible parking area and gives the information related to the availability of parking slots in that respective parking area. The main focus of this system is to reduce the time for finding the parking slot and also avoids unnecessary travelling through occupied parking slots in a parking area. The proposed system is designed using IoT technology, WSN(IR sensors), QR code and RFID technology. IR sensors are used to detect the presence of the car in the parking slot and QR code is used to authenticate the user in the public parking area, RFID technology is used to authenticate the user in private parking area. The system is expected to reduce traffic problems, fuel consumption which results in reduces carbon footprints in an atmosphere.
Strategies for Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require resources on a very large scale, as well as a holistic, flexible, and learning-oriented approach to development.
A bioluminescent reporter for the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii

Haloarchaea have evolved to thrive in hypersaline environments. Haloferax volcanii is of particular interest due to its genetic tractability; however, few in vivo reporters exist for halophiles. Haloarchaeal proteins evolved characteristics that promote proper folding and function at high salt concentrations, but many mesophilic reporter proteins lack these characteristics. Mesophilic proteins that acquire salt-stabilizing mutations, however, can lead to proper function in haloarchaea. Using laboratory-directed evolution, we developed and demonstrated an in vivo luciferase that functions in the hypersaline cytosol of H. volcanii.
The Name is the Same, But the Facts Have Been Changed to Protect the Attorneys: Strickland, Judicial Discretion, and Appellate Decision-Making

The gap between historical events and the way courts recount them in appellate decisions is highlighted by the differences in fact descriptions offered in the same case: Strickland v. Washington. The Supreme Court's majority decision ignores or recasts facts found in the lower courts in this case. Paul Ricoeur, the leading philosopher of narrative, provides a framework that explains how legal facts are malleable and subject to distortion in his work on non-fiction narratives. He lays out instabilities inherent in any use of language and then broadens his inquiry to show that the transition from the oral to the written word can profoundly change the intended meaning of a text. What becomes central in this shift is the reader's understanding rather than the author's intent. Ricoeur explains the three phases of writing non-fiction narratives: 1) the documentary phase, 2) the explanatory phase, and 3) the narrative phase. The key for understanding judicial discretion is the second or explanatory phase. Here Ricoeur explains the uncertainty that emerges as parties try to adjust their rendering of facts to come to agreement. By ignoring or embellishing facts in the record, courts may obscure explanatory chains that undergird settled decisions in lower courts. Therefore, appellate courts may do what previous theorists suggested: base decisions on factual descriptions that have little to do with historical events. Applying Ricoeur's insights to the Strickland line of cases, the holdings in Wiggins and Rompilla rest on factual considerations considered irrelevant in Strickland. The upshot is startling: representation by counsel in Strickland, who did very little, was found constitutionally effective; representation by counsel in these two later cases, who did a great deal, was found ineffective. Although the Court continues to use the legal formula announced in Strickland, it has changed the law in that case by changing the way it recounts facts found in the lower courts.
Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma Co-Secreting Multiple Steroid Hormones

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare disease which may be complicated by co-secretion of multiple steroid hormones. Clinical Case: A 53- year-old female was discovered to have 1 cm left and 1.7 cm right adrenal nodules by Chest CT scan in 2004. She had a follow-up abdominal CT scan in 2011 revealing enlargement of the left adrenal mass to 5.7 cm and a stable 1.8 cm right adrenal nodule. A laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed in 2012 and the surgical pathology diagnosis was benign adrenal hyperplasia. In 5/2016 the patient developed left abdominal pain and a CT scan revealed a 1.7 cm mass in the left adrenalectomy surgical bed, a 1.4 cm nodular density adjacent to the left diaphragm and the stable 1.8 cm right adrenal nodule. 6/2016 lab tests: 24 hr urinary cortisol 15 ug/24 hr (<50 μg/24hr), aldosterone 8.7 ng/dL (<31 ng/dL), renin activity 0.7 ng/ml/hr (0.5–4 ng/mL/hr) and DHEA-S 94 ug/dL (32–240 μg/dL). A re-examination of the 2012 surgical pathology resulted in an addendum diagnosis of an adrenal cortical neoplasm of indeterminate malignant potential. In 1/2018 she underwent an exploratory laparotomy with surgical resection of the 1.7 cm mass in left paracolic gutter and biopsy of numerous small retro-peritoneal and multiple liver lesions. Pathology revealed metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma with low grade mitotic activity (3 mitoses per 10 HPF) and intermediate grade Ki-67 (15–25%). 5/2018 lab results: 1. aldosterone 20 ng/dL, 2. renin activity 0.2 ng/mL/hr and 3. testosterone 34 ng/dL (<75 ng/dL). Mitotane was started in 06/2018 but was discontinued in 9/2018 due to side effects. In 3/2020 she was hospitalized for generalized weakness and was discovered to be severely hypokalemic K+ 1.5 mmol/L (3.6–5.2 mmol/L) with an aldosterone of 300 ng/dL and renin activity of 0.1 ng/mL/hr. She was treated with IV KCl to correct her hypokalemia and was discharged on oral KCl 20 meq bid and spironolactone 50 mg bid. She was readmitted to the hospital on 10/12/2020 after a near-syncopal event and lab tests revealed a K+ of 1.4, aldosterone 508 ng/dL, renin activity 0.7 ng/mL/hr, AM cortisol 13.6 μg/dL (5–20 ug/dL), testosterone 161 ng/dL, and DHEA-S 377 ug/dL, indicating co-secretion of multiple steroid hormones. Her hypokalemia was treated with IV KCl and her spironolactone dose was increased to 100 mg bid. Conclusion: This case report details the rare occurrence of an adrenocortical carcinoma which was hormonally silent but eventually metastasized and became hormonally active, co-secreting multiple steroid hormones with a predominance of aldosterone. Serial adrenal hormone lab profiles are important for optimal management of patients with this disease.
Chemistry and Turbulence of Gaseous Fuels

In the previous chapter we introduced some of the properties of turbulent flow and briefly examined some of its characteristics. Specifically, we looked at computational methods for predicting the mean velocity field with the aid of turbulence closure schemes. In combusting flows the picture is greatly complicated by the interactions between the chemistry and the turbulence. The chemical reactions occurring locally in these flow fields add many complexities to the overall physicochemical process.
Neurolinguistic Processing of Psychological Verbs

Psychological verbs are used to communicate how we feel by describing mental states such as ‘love,’ ‘amuse,’ and ‘bother.’ These verbs denote a particular class of concepts and have been found across many languages to have unique syntactic and semantic properties that offer a window in to how meaning is grammatically encoded. Aphasiology, electrophysiology, and neuroimaging studies have leveraged the unique conceptual and grammatical properties of these verbs to shed light on neural mechanisms involved in representing concepts, identifying argument roles, and building complex compositional meanings. A recurring theme across this diverse field is the challenge of linking the representational properties of these verbs, which remain debated in linguistics, with specific neurobiological mechanisms.
Fourier and Other Mathematical Transforms

The article contains sections titled: 1 Introduction 2 The Fourier Transform 3 Continuous versus Discrete Transforms 4 Some Common Transforms 5 The Laplace Transform 6 Convergence Conditions 7 Why Transforms are Useful 8 Fields of Application 9 The Hartley Transform 10 The Fast Fourier Transform 11 The Fast Hartley Algorithm 12 The Mellin Transform 13 The Hilbert Transform 14 Multidimensional Transforms 15 The Hankel Transform 16 The Abel Transform 17 Tomography and the Radon Transform 18 The Walsh Transform 19 The Z Transform 20 Convolution 21 Summary Keywords: convolution; Fourier transform; Abel transform; integral; Laplace transform
Reassessing Cultural Evaluations in Geriatrics: Insights from Cultural Psychiatry

Current cultural competency models in geriatrics represent positive developments but may focus disproportionately on group-level information without attending to intracultural, individual variations. This article reviews these limitations and introduces the cultural formulation from psychiatry as a more-thorough assessment strategy. By focusing on the patient's relationships with cultural identity, illness explanations, social networks, and the physician, a cultural formulation designed for geriatrics may help clinicians plan treatment and follow-up in a more-comprehensive and -patient-centered way. Detailed case studies illustrate its potential applications within geriatrics.
Perfusion of human ovaries in vitro with artificial medium: metabolism and steroidogenesis.

Abstract A study was made of ovaries perfused in vitro with a liquid fluorocarbon that was stabilized in emulsion by a nonionic detergent to which tissue culture medium was added. A pulsatile flow was used in an organ preservation system under aseptic conditions. Glucose was utilized and lactate produced at a fairly constant rate for as long as 20 hours of perfusion. 14 C-progesterone and 14 C-17αOH-progesterone were synthesized from 14 C-acetate and estradiol was secreted. The production of these steroids by the perfused ovary appears to be responsive to gonadotropins.
Biochemistry of vaccinia-infected mouse fibroblasts (strain L-M). I. Effects on nucleic acid and protein synthesis.

Abstract When vaccinia (IHD) was added to exponentially growing suspension cultures of mouse fibroblasts (strain L-M), mitosis was inhibited by 3 hours and virtually ceased 7 hours post inoculation (PI). The capacity of the vaccinia-treated cells to incorporate for 10 minutes uridine-H 3 into RNA, and for 1 hour thymidine-H 3 into DNA, was markedly inhibited one hour PI and was reduced to about 25% of the uninfected cells at 6 hours PI. The incorporation of alanine-2-C 14 into cell protein was reduced 21% at 1 hour PI and 56% at 7 hours PI. Thymidine-H 3 uptake into DNA was likewise depressed by vaccinia in 5- or 10-day-old monolayer cultures of L-M cells or HeLa cells and in 10-day-old LL-B cells. Thymidine-H 3 uptake into DNA was drastically inhibited when L-M suspension cultures were incubated in the presence of deoxyadenosine. DNA synthesis was reduced in vaccinia infected cells, but was lowest in infected cells which had been pretreated with deoxyadenosine. The 12–21-hour yields of vaccinia were partially reduced in deoxyadenosine-treated L-M cells. Vaccinia inhibited the incorporation of uridine-H 3 into the ribosomal-transfer RNA (RNA which may be extracted from cells by saline-phenol solutions) and into nucleolar-chromosomal RNA (residual, nonextracted fraction). Vaccinia virus which was completely inactivated by heat treatment or ultraviolet light (UV) partially inhibited labeling of DNA by thymidine-H 3 , but the inhibition was considerably less than that due to active vaccinia. Mitosis, incorporation of uridine-H 3 into RNA and of alanine-2-C 14 into protein were not reduced significantly by heat- or UV-inactivated virus. Cells challenged with heat or UV-inactivated vaccinia manifested an unimpaired capacity to support subsequent vaccinia growth.
The Reduction of Membrane-bound Dopamine β-Monooxygenase in Resealed Chromaffin Granule Ghosts IS INTRAGRANULAR ASCORBIC ACID A MEDIATOR FOR EXTRAGRANULAR REDUCING EQUIVALENTS?

Abstract The role of internal and external reductants in the dopamine β-monooxygenase (DβM)-catalyzed conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine has been investigated in resealed chromaffin granule ghosts. The rate of norepinephrine production was not affected by the exclusion of internal ascorbate. The omission of ascorbate from the external medium drastically reduced the norepinephrine production without affecting the net rate of dopamine uptake. In the presence of the external reductant, the internal ascorbate levels were constant throughout the incubation period. The rate of norepinephrine production was not affected when ghosts were resealed to contain the DβM reduction site inhibitor, imino-D-glucoascorbate. Ghosts incubated with external imino-D-glucoascorbate reduced the norepinephrine production. The weak DβM reductant, 6-amino-L-ascorbic acid, was found to be a good external reductant for granule ghosts. The outcome of the above experiments was not altered when dopamine was replaced with the reductively inactive DβM substrate, tyramine. These results and the known topology of membrane-bound DβM disfavor the direct reduction of the enzyme by the external reductant. Our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that external ascorbate is the sole source of reducing equivalents for DβM monooxygenation and that internal soluble ascorbate (or dopamine) may not directly reduce or mediate the reduction of membrane-bound DβM in resealed granule ghosts.