cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sugar radicals in DNA : Isolation of neutral radicals in gamma-irradiated DNA by hole and electron scavenging

Abstract Shukla, L. I., Pazdro, R., Becker, D. and Sevilla, M. D. Sugar Radicals in DNA: Isolation of Neutral Radicals in Gamma-Irradiated DNA by Hole and Electron Scavenging. Radiat. Res. 163, 591–602 (2005). In this investigation of the radical formation and the reaction of radicals in γ-irradiated DNA, we report the isolation of putative neutral radicals by the scavenging of holes by Fe(CN)64− and of electrons by Fe(CN)63−. Experiments are performed under conditions that emphasize direct and quasi-direct effects (collectively called direct-type effects.) Samples containing Fe(CN)64− show effective scavenging of holes and the ESR spectra obtained arise principally from DNA anion radicals and neutral radicals. On the other hand, for samples containing Fe(CN)63−, electron scavenging is highly efficient, and the resulting spectra arise principally from guanine cation radicals and neutral radicals. When both Fe(CN)64− and Fe(CN)63− are present, a near complete scavenging of cation radicals and anion radical...
Reduced-Form Versus Structural Modeling in Environmental and Resource Economics

We contrast structural and reduced form empirical studies in environmental and resource economics. Both methodologies have their own context-specific advantages and disadvantages, and should be viewed as complements, not substitutes. Structural models typically require a theoretical model and explicit assumptions about structural errors in order to recover the parameters of behavioral functions. These estimates may be required to measure general equilibrium welfare effects or to simulate intricate feedback loops between natural and economic processes. However, many of the assumptions used to recover structural estimates are untestable. The goal of reduced form studies is, conversely, to recover key parameters of interest using exogenous within-sample variation with as few structural assumptions as possible—reducing reliance on these assumptions assists in establishing causality in the relationship of interest. Reduced-form studies do, however, require assumptions of their own, e.g., the (quasi) randomness...
Flexibility of the rings: Structural asymmetry in the DnaB hexameric helicase

DnaB is the primary replicative helicase in Escherichia coli and the hexameric DnaB ring has previously been shown to exist in two states in the presence of nucleotides. In one, all subunits are equivalent, while in the other, there are two different subunit conformations resulting in a trimer of dimers. Under all conditions that we have used for electron microscopy, including the absence of nucleotide, some rings exist as trimers of dimers, showing that the symmetry of the DnaB hexamer can be broken prior to nucleotide binding. Three-dimensional reconstructions reveal that the N-terminal domain of DnaB makes two very different contacts with neighboring subunits in the trimer of dimers, but does not form a predicted dimer with a neighboring N-terminal domain. Within the trimer of dimers, the helicase domain exists in two alternate conformations, each of which can form symmetrical hexamers depending upon the nucleotide cofactor used. These results provide new information about the modular architecture and domain dynamics of helicases, and suggest, by comparison with the hexameric bacteriophage T7 gp4 and SV40 large T-antigen helicases, that a great structural and mechanistic diversity may exist among the hexameric helicases.
Continuity and change (activity) are fundamentally related in DEVS simulation of continuous systems

The success of DEVS methods for simulating large continuous models calls for more in-depth examination of the applicability of discrete events in modeling continuous phenomena. We present a concept of event set and an associated measure of activity that fundamentally characterize discrete representation of continuous behavior. This metric captures the underlying intuition of continuity as well as providing a direct measure of the computational work needed to represent continuity on a digital computer. We discuss several application possibilities beyond high performance simulation such as data compression, digital filtering, and soft computation. Perhaps most fundamentally we suggest the possibility of dispensing with the mysteries of traditional calculus to revolutionize the prevailing educational paradigm.
Innovative therapies for asthma: Anti-IgE — The future?

Immunoglobulin E was identified in a series of reports by the Ishizakas1 in 1966 as the allergic skin sensitising factor previously known as reagin. Reagin had previously been used to describe the homocytoropic passively transferable substance in serum that was associated with anaphylactic allergy, allergic asthma, and allergic rhinitis. In 1993, Stadler et al.2 described that some murine monoclonal antiIgE antibodies directed against specific epitopes on the IgE molecule had the potential to prevent the biological activity of IgE without being themselves anaphylactogenic. The same group from the Institute of Clinical Immunology at the University of Bern, Switzerland, subsequently demonstrated a specific mouse monoclonal antibody against the site on the IgE molecule that binds with the high-affinity mast cell receptor (FcuRI). They found that the anti-IgE, when bound to the IgE, prevented the binding of the IgE to the mast cell. Since IgE causes disease by the antigenic bridging of IgE molecules on the mast cell with the consequent release of various mediators including histamine and leukotrienes, these investigators concluded that this could result in an antiIgE such as they had studied being a candidate for immunotherapy of IgE mediated disease.
Reconstruction of the hepatic artery using the gastroduodenal artery.

Although injury of the hepatic artery is not common during the performance of biliary and pancreatic resections, the hepatic artery if involved by tumor extension can be injured during its dissection.Several methods for reconstruction of the hepatic artery have been described and although each technique is applicable in a specific situation, autologous tissue conduits are preferable in contaminated operative fields. We report here another transposition technique to reconstruct the proper hepatic artery using the gastroduodenal artery, which may provide a local autologous artery for repair of hepatic artery damage during pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Olefin Substitution in (silox)3M(olefin) (silox = tBu3SiO; M = Nb, Ta): The Role of Density of States in Second vs Third Row Transition Metal Reactivity

The substitution chemistry of olefin complexes (silox)3M(ole) (silox = tBu3SiO; M = Nb (1-ole), Ta (2-ole); ole = C2H4 (as 13C2H4 or C2D4), C2H3Me, C2H3Et, cis-2-C4H8, iso-C4H8, C2H3Ph, cC5H8, cC6H10, cC7H10 (norbornene)) was investigated. For 1-ole, substitution was dissociative (ΔG⧧diss), and in combination with calculated olefin binding free energies (ΔG°bind), activation free energies for olefin association (ΔG⧧assoc) to (silox)3Nb (1) were estimated. For 2-ole, substitution was not observed prior to rearrangement to alkylidenes. Instead, activation free energies for olefin association to (silox)3Ta (2) were measured, and when combined with ΔG°bind (calcd), estimates of olefin dissociation rates from 2-ole were obtained. Despite stronger binding energies for 1-ole vs 2-ole, the dissociation of olefins from 1-ole is much faster than that from 2-ole. The association of olefins to 1 is also much faster than that to 2. Linear free energy relationships (with respect to ΔG°bind) characterize olefin dissocia...
Application of the fuzzy learning algorithm to kinematic control of a redundant manipulator with subtask optimization

The authors previously introduced the fuzzy learning control algorithm as a method of trajectory tracking control for robotic systems, based on conventional kinematic control methods but utilizing fuzzy regression to eliminate the need for modelling the kinematic equations of the manipulator. In this paper, the authors extend the algorithm to the case of redundant manipulators, i.e. manipulators which have more joints then degrees of freedom in which they can move. The redundant case presents additional challenges not found in the non-redundant case, namely, a kinematic equation which must be solved using least squares as opposed to matrix inversion, and the incorporation of subtask optimization for the utilization of the redundant degrees of freedom. The authors address these challenges by once again determining the main task, i.e. the "rank solution" using fuzzy regression to determine a fuzzy Jacobian matrix, and by determining a fuzzy performance index for subtask optimization using fuzzy inferencing. A simulation study is performed using a three joint planar manipulator, with singularity avoidance as the subtask. The results show that the extended fuzzy learning control algorithm causes the manipulator to satisfactorily follow the desired trajectory while keeping its configuration far from singularities. Moreover, it does so without being supplied any explicit model of the kinematics or the performance index. The former it learns through fuzzy regression, while the latter it possesses in the form of a fuzzy rule base. The disadvantages and areas of future investigation for this extension of fuzzy learning control are also discussed in this paper. >
Computer-Assisted Continuous Infusion of the Intravenous Analgesic Fentanyl During General Anesthesia-An Interactive System

A computer-assisted continuous infusion (CACI) system which would rapidly attain and maintain a constant plasma level (i.e., constant set point) of the opiod, fentanyl, was designed. This open-loop CACI system was then modified to allow the anesthesiologist (clinician) to adjust the plasma level (set point) intraoperatively (i. e., a variable set point); however, since no sensor is presently available to measure the plasma concentration of fentanyl on line, a mathematical model was implemented to simulate the plasma fentanyl concentration (PFC). This interactive system was tested in 20 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The measured PFC/CACI predicted PFC was determined to be 1.04 ±0.25 (mean ±S.D.) for the 170 samples analyzed. A correlation coefficient of 0.90 (p < 0.0001) was found between the measured PFC and the CACI system model prediction. These data indicate that the CACI system is an easy way to provide predictable constant plasma fentanyl levels during the precardiopulmonary bypass period of cardiac surgery.
Diagnostic bronchoalveolar lavage in children with AIDS

Between October, 1985 and May 1987, 29 children (mean age 22 +/- 22 months, range 2-54 months) with AIDS or ARC developed acute respiratory illness. The initial diagnostic procedure was flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy, with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). BAL was positive for Pneumocystis carinii in 14 and for respiratory syncytial virus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli in 3 additional patients. Subsequent lung tissue analysis and/or clinical course suggested no false negative lavages. Complications possibly related to the procedure occurred in two patients. We find BAL an effective diagnostic technique in these patients, offering a less invasive alternative to open lung biopsy.
Case study: visualizing classical problems in CFD

A brief example of the visualization and quantification of a complex fluid interaction is presented in order to give one a feeling for the difficulty of dealing with geometrical and topological questions in three dimensions and time. To obtain a quantitative understanding, visiometric techniques, including thresholding, object isolation, ellipsoid fitting, abstraction, vector field line generation and data juxtaposition, were used. >
A plasma drag hypervelocity particle accelerator (HYPER)

Current debris models are able to predict the growth of the space debris problem and suggest that spacecraft must employ armor or bumper shields for some orbital altitudes now and that the problem will become worse as a function of time. The practical upper limit to the velocity distribution is on the order of 40 km/s and is associated with the natural environment. The velocity distribution of the man-made component peaks at 9-10 km/s with maximum velocity in the 14-16 km/s range. Experience in space has verified that the "high probability of impact" particles are in the microgram to milligram range. These particles can have very significant effects on coatings, insulators and thin metallic layers. The surface of thick materials becomes pitted and the local debris component is enhanced by ejecta from the impact events. In this paper, the HYPER facility is described which produces a reasonable simulation of the man-made space debris spectrum in a controlled environment. The facility capability is discussed in terms of drive geometry, energetics, velocity distribution, diagnostics, and projectile/debris loading.
Resolving middle-age sibling conflict regarding parent care

Middle-age children are and will continue to be confronted with parent care decisions. It is inevitable that siblings experience varying degrees of conflict when making these decisions, as exemplified in the four case studies outlined in this article. The potential benefits and limitations of family mediation as a means of resolving such conflicts are discussed.
Breast-feeding, weaning patterns, and the risk of xerophthalmia in Southern Malawi.

A case-control study of breastfeeding and weaning patterns associated with xerophthalmia was conducted among children aged 24-71 months in Southern Malawi in 1983. 152 children with active xerophthalmia were compared to 151 clinically normal children matched for age sex and village of residence. All children were initially breast-fed; however children with xerophthalmia began weaning onto porridge and ceased breastfeeding earlier had a shorter weaning interval and were fully weaned from the breast for a longer duration than the controls. The association between earlier cessation of breastfeeding and subsequent xerophthalmia was strongest during the immediate post-weaning years. These findings imply a protective role for breastfeeding against xerophthalmia in early childhood.
A review of patients with pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents during anesthesia reported to the Departmental Quality Assurance Committee.

Abstract Study Objective Preoperative risk factors for pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents during anesthesia are well studied. There is lack of information as to factors or circumstances leading to aspiration. Design A retrospective review of cases of pulmonary aspiration reported to the Departmental Quality Assurance (QA) Committee was undertaken. Setting This study took place at a large tertiary care university hospital based in a metropolitan city. Patients The study identified all patients reported to the QA Committee as having pulmonary aspiration during January 1991 to December 1994 and July 1996 to December 2000. Interventions No interventions were done. Measurements The medical records of all patients thus identified were reviewed to see if they had pulmonary aspiration according to strict criteria. Presence of preoperative known risk factors, prophylactic measures used against pulmonary aspiration, and perioperative events were noted. Main Results A total of 47 patients were reported to the QA Committee as having pulmonary aspiration during this period. Upon review, 23 patients had pulmonary aspiration (definite aspiration, n=12; probable aspiration, n=11) and 24 patients did not meet the criteria for pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents. The incidence of pulmonary aspiration overall was 1 per 8671 anesthetics and 1 per 4385 anesthetics in patients younger than 16 years. If all 47 cases reported to QA Committee are presumed to have had pulmonary aspiration, then the overall incidence of aspiration is 1 in 4243 anesthetics. Eighteen of 23 patients had a preoperative risk factor, but preventive measures against aspiration had been used in only 4 patients. Five patients did not have any apparent preoperative risk factor. Conclusions This study confirms that pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is a rare complication during modern anesthesia. Preoperative risk factor was present in most patients who had pulmonary aspiration. A clear understanding of risk factor/s is needed to prevent further cases of pulmonary aspiration.
PAG-3, a Zn-finger transcription factor, determines neuroblast fate in C. elegans

During Caenorhabditis elegans development, the patterns of cell divisions, cell fates and programmed cell deaths are reproducible from animal to animal. In a search for mutants with abnormal patterns of programmed cell deaths in the ventral nerve cord, we identified mutations in the gene pag-3, which encodes a zinc-finger transcription factor similar to the mammalian Gfi-1 and Drosophila Senseless proteins. In pag-3 mutants, specific neuroblasts express the pattern of divisions normally associated with their mother cells, producing with each reiteration an abnormal anterior daughter neuroblast and an extra posterior daughter cell that either terminally differentiates or undergoes programmed cell death, which accounts for the extra cell corpses seen in pag-3 mutants. In addition, some neurons do not adopt their normal fates in pag-3 mutants. The phenotype of pag-3 mutants and the expression pattern of the PAG-3 protein suggest that in some lineages pag-3 couples the determination of neuroblast cell fate to subsequent neuronal differentiation. We propose that pag-3 counterparts in other organisms determine blast cell identity and for this reason may lead to cell lineage defects and cell proliferation when mutated.
Nanomechanical study of amorphous and polycrystalline ALD HfO 2 thin films

Thin films of hafnium oxide (HfO2) were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The structural properties of the deposited films were characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We investigated the effect of phase transformations induced by thermal treatments on the mechanical properties of ALD HfO2 using nanoindentation. The elastic modulus of the amorphous low temperature deposited ALD HfO2 films was measured to be 370 ± 20 GPa. Subsequent to crystallisation by annealing in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) chamber, the elastic modulus dropped to 240 ± 20 GPa. Similarly, the Meyer hardness decreased from a value of 18 ± 1 GPa for amorphous HfO2 to 15 ± 1 GPa following the transition temperature from amorphous to polycrystalline HfO2.
The first human renal transplants.

T he 2 authors are separated by a generation. One is a Nobel laureate transplant surgeon who was associated with the first successful monozygotic twin kidney transplant, the first successful dizygotic twin kidney transplant, the first successful deceased donor renal transplant and the training of scores of transplant surgeons. The other is in the autumn of a renal transplant career that has spanned 33 years at the institution where Joseph E. Murray, J. Englebert Dunphy and Clarence Hodges led the donor and recipient surgical teams for a successful kidney transplant from one 12-year-old monozygotic twin to another on October 9, 1959. The 2 authors met at the 40th anniversary of that program in Portland, Oregon and have been correspondents since. The first human renal allograft was done by Yu Yu Voronoy in the Ukraine on April 3, 1933. The patient was a 26-year-old woman with type O blood who had attempted suicide by ingesting corrosive sublimate (mercuric chloride). The donor was a 66-year-old man with type B blood whose kidney was removed 6 hours after death. With the patient under local anesthesia, the renal vessels were anastomosed to the femoral vessels and a cutaneous ureterostomy was performed. A small amount of bloodstained urine appeared but the patient died 2 days after the procedure. Although technically successful the procedure was doomed from the time of renal revascularization because of prolonged warm ischemia time and ABO blood group incompatibility. In 1945 Landsteiner, Hufnagel and Hume transplanted a human cadaver kidney to the brachial artery and cephalic vein of a young woman with acute renal failure at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. The woman’s own kidneys recovered a few hours later and the allograft was removed without demonstration of significant function. Five years later the first intra-abdominal human renal transplant was done in Chicago by a team led by Lawler. After removal of the recipient’s left polycystic kidney, a cadaver kidney’s vessels were anastomosed to her renal vessels, and a stented ureteroureterostomy was done. Her serum creatinine decreased from a preoperative value of 2.3 to 1.2 mg/dl 3 months later. An indigo carmine test on postoperative day 52 showed excretion from the side of the allograft and from
Unified commerce server architecture for large number of enterprise stores

To serve a large number of enterprise customers, enterprise supplier needs to set up many custom B2B stores, each personalized with special promotions and dedicated contracts. The custom store needs to empower business buyers to shop in the following fashions: 1) buyers visit the custom store, make direct decisions on product selection, based on entitled pricing, and check out orders; 2) buyers use their own company's procurement software, perform catalog shopping on one or more remote custom stores, return an order quote locally for approval, and subsequently send approved orders to supplier for fulfillment; 3) buyers shop with own company's procurement software, using catalog pre-loaded with product and pricing information extracted from supplier's custom stores, and then place purchase orders. This paper describes a practical implementation experience, on how these shopping paradigms can be accommodated effectively and efficiently using a unified commerce server architecture. It is explained, how one master catalog subsystem can be personalized to accommodate B2B direct catalog shopping, B2B procurement with remote catalog punchout, B2B procurement with local catalog, and entitled catalog extraction. A detailed discussion on how to build the commerce server in a 2-tier architecture is illustrated by the handling of various different punchout protocols in one common implementation. The study also reports on the issues and efficiency considerations by different approaches for real-time entitled pricing lookup vs. batch pricing extraction operation.
Molecular Phylogenetics of a Clade of Lowland Tanagers: Implications for Avian Participation in the Great American Interchange

ABSTRACT. The importance of the formation of the Panamanian land bridge for mammalian diversification in the New World is well documented; however, studies investigating the role of this land bridge in avian diversification have only recently been reported. We used mitochondrial DNA data to reconstruct the phylogeny of a group of lowland tanagers (Thraupidae) that contains species distributed in both Central America and South America. Phylogenetic analyses identified a clade that includes all 26 species in the genera Tachyphonus, Ramphocelus, Eucometis, Lanio, Trichothraupis, Coryphospingus, and Rhodospingus. Three of these species (Rhodospingus cruentus, Coryphospingus cucullatus, and C. pileatus) have traditionally been classified with the finches (Emberizidae); here, we show that they are tanagers. The genus Tachyphonus is polyphyletic, with some species more closely related to species in the genus Ramphocelus than they are to other Tachyphonus. The ancestor of the entire clade was distributed in South...
Safe anticoagulation when heart and lungs are "on vacation".

Circulation and oxygenation of blood outside the body is commonly required during complex surgical interventions involving coronary pulmonary bypass (CPB) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Both CPB and ECMO are life-supporting procedures utilizing a heart-lung machine, which subjects the blood to unphysiological conditions, potentially promoting undesirable blood coagulation. Traditionally, thrombotic complications from CPB and ECMO are resolved by heparin, an inexpensive broad spectrum anticoagulant that prevents blood clotting, but often results in bleeding. Despite hemostatic support therapy and constant monitoring, the lives of patients undergoing CPB and ECMO are often threatened by uncontrolled bleeding. There is an urgent need for novel strategies which provide safe anti-coagulation alternatives during CPB and ECMO procedures. Several non-traditional approaches, including nitric oxide donors as well as various protease and contact activation inhibitors, have been investigated and shown some success. More recently, Larsson et al . isolated a recombinant fully human (3F7) antibody inhibiting Factor XIIa. The antibody was shown to be both an efficacious and safe alternative to heparin. Below we will examine this study in more detail and offer considerations for translation of this novel concept to the clinic.
Defining the Charter: Judicial Activism and the Supreme Court of Canada

Using a dataset of over 880,000 court decisions from Canadian federal and provincial courts, we derive an empirical centrality score for case importance. We demonstrate the utility of using our score in legal scholarship in compliment the simple and popular approach based on raw topical or citation counts. The methods for constructing an empirical measure of centrality are discussed and results are compared to expert qualitative rankings. In this network context, the general nature of the court from the past 30 years is discussed; particular attention is given to determining what areas of jurisprudence the court has been focused on. It is shown that the large quantity of criminal law cases is somewhat misleading, as the most important cases generally come from other areas of law. We conclude by showing how our methodology may be used in analysing other questions in Canadian jurisprudence.
Contextual analysis and the success of translational research

The success of translational research can ultimately be judged by the degree to which it reduces the incidence and prevalence of psychological, behavioral, and physical disorders and the major factors influencing them. In our view, we currently place insufficient emphasis on assessing our impact on the social determinants of disorders. As a result, we are failing to affect the incidence and prevalence of critical disorders. Moreover, translational research fails to take into account the full range of interventions that could significantly reduce the incidence and prevalence of our most pressing disorders. These include policy changes, media, and broad cultural change movements. In this paper, we discuss the momentous achievements the tobacco prevention movement made over the last half-century, describe how the lessons gleaned from this success can apply to other prevention efforts, and contrast this success with progress made in battling other major public health concerns. We call for an expansion of the translational research agenda to develop and evaluate broader and more comprehensive strategies to affect well-being in entire populations.
Vedolizumab: an α4β7 integrin antagonist for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel diseases associated with significant morbidity. Conventional therapies for these diseases include corticosteroids, aminosalicylates, immunomodulators, and monoclonal antibodies. Over the years tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antagonists alone or in combination with other therapies have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for induction and maintenance of remission of moderate to severe UC and CD. Unfortunately, some patients with moderate to severe UC and CD are unable to attain or maintain remission with TNF-α antagonist treatment. Vedolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody, is the first integrin receptor antagonist approved that selectively antagonizes α4β7 gastrointestinal integrin receptors. US Food and Drug Administration approval is for treatment of patients with moderate to severe active UC and CD who have inadequate response with, lost response to, or are intolerant to a TNF-α antagonist or an immunomodulator; or have inadequate response with, are intolerant to, or demonstrate dependence on corticosteroids. When administered according to approved dosing in patients with moderate to severe CD and UC, vedolizumab induces clinical response rates up to 31.4% and 47.1% at week 6, and clinical remission rates up to 39% and 41.8% at week 52, respectively. Serious adverse events reported with vedolizumab include serious infections, malignancies, and anaphylaxis. Since vedolizumab is gastrointestinal selective, to date, it has not shown evidence of causing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy; however, postmarketing studies monitoring for this adverse effect are ongoing. Further assessment of vedolizumab earlier in the course of these diseases and in combination with other therapies is warranted.
Fidelity and Fairness in Marital Commitments, Covenants, and Contractual Relationships: Mulieris Dignitatem's Wisdom

In secular terms, a contract is a “promise, or set of promises, for breach of which the law gives a remedy, or the performance of which the law in some way recognizes as a duty.” In a spiritual context, the contract of marriage is both a covenant and a sacrament between a man and a woman, with inherent obligations of fidelity — the commitment to promise keeping — and to fairness — the commitment to giving from one spouse to the other their due and to equitably allocate the marital resources. With other covenants and contractual relationships guided by faith and reason, there too exists a similar commitment to fidelity and fairness.This chapter illuminates the clarity, wisdom, and beauty expressed in the Roman Catholic Church’s magisterium relating to marital commitments, covenants, and contractual relationships, so inspirationally expressed by His Holiness Pope John Paul II some twenty years ago in his Apostolic Letter — Mulieris Dignitatem (On The Dignity and Vocation of Women). In so doing, the Supreme Pontiff acted in his capacity as magister, or teacher, fulfilling a duty towards the people of God to enlighten them, so they might serve each other, and serve the Word itself, especially in relations between men and women, in light of (and even in contrast to) American legal traditions regarding such commitments, covenants and contractual relationships.
Drug effects upon visual signal- from-noise detection by monkeys

Monkeys’ performance on a previously learned task involving visual signal-from-noise detection was shown to be a moderately sensitive behavioral drug assay which is more specific to the effects of chlorproma-zine (CPZ) than pentobarbital (PB). Magnitude of the effect of CPZ was inversely related to the detect-ability of the visual signal.
Excitation-Induced Low Temperature Epitaxial Growth of Ge on Si(100)

The effect of laser-induced electronic excitations on the self-assembly of Ge quantum dots (QD) on Si(100)-(2x1) grown by pulsed laser deposition is studied. The experiment was conducted in ultrahigh vacuum. A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (wavelength λ = 1064 nm, 10 Hz repetition rate) was split into two beams; one used to ablate a Ge target while the other to electronically excite the substrate. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the morphology of the grown QDs. The dependence of the QD morphology on substrate temperature and ablation and excitation laser energy density was studied. Electronic excitation is shown to affect the surface morphology. For Ge coverage of 22 monolayer, it was observed that the excitation laser reduces the epitaxial growth temperature to 250 °C, a temperature at which no epitaxy is possible without excitation. Applying the excitation laser to the substrate during the growth changes the QD morphology and island density and improves the size uniformity of QDs at 390 °C. Surface diffusion measurement calculated from RHEED recovery curves show that the excitation-laser increases the surface diffusion of the Ge atoms. A purely electronic mechanism of enhanced surface diffusion of the Ge adatoms is involved.
Does Diversification Translate into Improved Livelihoods? Evidence from Pastoral Households in the Altay and Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China

Diversification is routinely promoted to improve poor rural peoples’ livelihoods. However, policy recommendations for livelihood diversification developed based on evidence from crop-cultivating sedentary rural societies may not work for the mobile pastoral communities, where socio-ecological conditions predetermine livestock herding as the preferred livelihood strategy. Using survey and semi-structured interview data collected from 159 households in the Altay and Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China, this study applies cluster analysis to identify six distinct livelihood strategies: pastoralists, agropastoralists, crop farmers, wage labourers, hired herders, and mixed smallholders. Although pastoralism is least diverse by considering sources of income, it is significantly more diverse in ecological dimensions in terms of spatial movement, land use pattern, and livestock portfolio. Patterns of livelihood diversification and their relationship with household incomes indicate that pastoralism, although preferred, is unattainable for 55 per cent of households given their meagre asset endowments and government policy pressures toward sedentarisation. The results strongly suggest that livelihood diversification does not improve welfare for pastoral households. Future development interventions should promote policies that enable households to regain flexible access to pastures and to help correct the imbalance of opportunities that exists in northern Xinjiang.
Application of ProFiBus in the Testing System for Parameter of Air-Conditioner

Based on ananlysing the ProFibus Field Bus technique, the testing system for parameter of air-conditioner based on ProFiBus-DP is designed. The system consists of a circle testing line that includes 23 trolleies, and the ProFiBus network that includes 3 layers: device controling layer, concentrate observing and controlling layer, synthesis management layer. The Startup current of air-conditioner, parameters of Cooling mode and Heating mode are tested by S7-200 PLC (CP U224) on the trolleys. 825 workstation is used in the synthesis management layer, S7-300 PLC (CPU315-2DP) is used in the network master station, S7-200 PLC + EM277 is used in the network associate station. The communicating protocol between the network master station and the network associate station is ProFiBus-DP standard protocol, the communication is implemented through the twisted-pair. The communication between the synthesis managing station and the network master station is implemented with microwave mode.
Quantitative projection of human brain penetration of the H3 antagonist PF-03654746 by integrating rat-derived brain partitioning and PET receptor occupancy

1. Unbound brain drug concentration (Cb,u), a valid surrogate of interstitial fluid drug concentration (CISF), cannot be directly determined in humans, which limits accurately defining the human Cb,u:Cp,u of investigational molecules. 2. For the H3R antagonist (1R,3R)-N-ethyl-3-fluoro-3-[3-fluoro-4-(pyrrolidin-1-lmethyl)phenyl]cyclobutane-1-carboxamide (PF-03654746), we interrogated Cb,u:Cp,u in humans and nonhuman primate (NHP). 3. In rat, PF-03654746 achieved net blood-brain barrier (BBB) equilibrium (Cb,u:Cp,u of 2.11). 4. In NHP and humans, the PET receptor occupancy-based Cp,u IC50 of PF-03654746 was 0.99 nM and 0.31 nM, respectively, which were 2.1- and 7.4-fold lower than its in vitro human H3 Ki (2.3 nM). 5. In an attempt to understand this higher-than-expected potency in humans and NHP, rat-derived Cb,u:Cp,u of PF-03654746 was integrated with Cp,u IC50 to identify unbound (neuro) potency of PF-03654746, nIC50. 6. The nIC50 of PF-03654746 was 2.1 nM in NHP and 0.66 nM in human which better correlated (1.1- and 3.49-fold lower) with in vitro human H3 Ki (2.3 nM). 7. This correlation of the nIC50 and in vitro hH3 Ki suggested the translation of net BBB equilibrium of PF-03654746 from rat to NHP and humans, and confirmed the use of Cp,u as a reliable surrogate of Cb,u. 8. Thus, nIC50 quantitatively informed the human Cb,u:Cp,u of PF-03654746.
Corrosion of Structural Concrete

This chapter describes concrete corrosion. It starts by explaining engineering alloys composition and heterogeneous nature, steel reinforcement degradation in an alkaline environment, corrosion mechanism, chloride-induced corrosion, and surface depassivation with carbon dioxide. Next, electrochemical techniques used for concrete reinforcement corrosion evaluation such as corrosion potential measurements, linear polarization, Tafel polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are explained. Ferric oxide passive film destruction, pitting, inherent steel corrosion resistance, and concrete structure parameters that control corrosion are included to show the chloride-induced corrosion mechanism. By the end, simulations using SimCorr™ illustrates corrosion initiation time and crevice life prediction as a function of concrete structural and environmental parameters.
Creating Order From Chaos Practical Interventional Targets for the Multiple Wavelets of Atrial Fibrillation

> It’s always seemed like a big mystery how nature, seemingly so effortlessly, manages to produce so much that seems to us so complex. Well, I think we found its secret. It’s just sampling what’s out there in the computational universe. > > –Stephen Wolfram, 2010 Pathogenesis of nearly all arrhythmia relies on a fundamental premise—that there exists within the cellular milieu regions of unexpected or unwanted heterogeneous conduction that may allow for initiation and propagation of wave fronts along a nonstandard pattern. The simplest paradigm for this may be atrioventricular reentrant tachycardias wherein 2 paths exist, both capable of propagating signals in either the antegrade or retrograde direction, but with fundamentally different conductive properties that ultimately allow for development of reentry with an appropriately timed stimulus. This appropriately timed stimulus, or trigger, has for the past 3 decades been the focus of electrophysiologists in the treatment of more complex arrhythmias that exist outside the ability of our modern day understanding and technology to map and ablate. Where a single circuit exists, mapping and ablation is straightforward, and we must prove it exists and that it participates in the tachycardia, identify its location, and then determine the best means by which to ablate it. However, in the case of atrial fibrillation, understanding, identifying, and determining an ideal ablative solution for the substrate is eminently more difficult. This is because the propagation and continuation of atrial fibrillation is fundamentally dependent on the continuous activity of many sites simultaneously. Thus, we have often referred to atrial fibrillation almost as chaos, throwing up arms at the seemingly inexplicable and indescribable complexity and focused instead on the elimination of triggers, whether by pulmonary vein isolation or targeting other sites, rather than the myocardial substrate responsible for arrhythmia maintenance as we would with any other simpler arrhythmia, such …
From the Cover: Teratogenic Effects of in Utero Exposure to Di-(2-Ethylhexyl)-Phthalate (DEHP) in B6:129S4 Mice

Intrauterine exposure to phthalates is known to cause disorders of male reproductive function including androgen insufficiency, decreased fertility, and germ cell defects in rodents. In this study, we set out to investigate the effects of intrauterine exposure to di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) on fetal development of the B6:129S4 mouse strain. Time-mated pregnant C57BL/6 dams were exposed to 0, 5, 250, or 500 mg/kg DEHP with corn oil as the vehicle via oral gavage from embryonic days (E)7 to 16. Survival and gross morphology of the pups were analyzed one day after the last treatment. Anogenital distance (AGD) and testicular cell functions were examined in male embryos to confirm the known effects of phthalate exposure. DEHP exposure significantly reduced the survival rate of fetuses in the 250 and 500 mg/kg dosage groups compared with the control and 5 mg/kg groups. Exposure to 250 and 500 mg/kg DEHP was teratogenic and induced exencephaly and limb malformations such as polydactyly in the B6:126S4 embryos. No gross malformations were observed in control or 5 mg/kg DEHP groups. In male embryos, exposure to both 5 and 250 mg/kg DEHP in utero was sufficient to induce the formation of multinucleated germ cells in the testes and widespread changes in mRNA expression of germ cell, interstitium and Sertoli cell-associated genes. These findings reveal that intrauterine DEHP exposure has a strong teratogenic, and lethal impact on the fetuses of B6:129S4 mouse strain.
Isolation and characterization of yeast DNA repair genes : II. Isolation of plasmids that complement the mutations rad50-1, rad51-1, rad54-3, and rad55-3.

Plasmids that complement the yeast mutations rad50-1, rad51-1, rad54-3 and rad55-3 were obtained by transforming strains that carried a leu2 marker and the particular rad mutation, with YEp13 plasmids containing near random yeast DNA inserts. Integration of these plasmids or of fragments of these plasmids was accomplished. Genetic studies using the integrants established the presence of the genes RAD51, RAD54 and RAD55 in the respective plasmids. However, a BamHI subclone of the rad50-1 complementing plasmid failed to integrate at the RAD50 locus, indicating that no homology exists between this fragment and the RAD50 gene.A BamHI fragment from the RAD54 plasmid was shown to be internal to the RAD54 gene: its integration within a wild type copy of RAD54 causes the cell to become Rad(-); its excision is X-ray inducible and restores the Rad(+) phenotype. Since cells bearing a disrupted copy of RAD54 are able to survive, we conclude that this gene is not essential.
Divine love as a model for human relationships

A common Christian belief is that God loves universally, and that the Christian believer ought, likewise, to love universally. On standard analyses of love, loving universally appears unwise, morally suspect, or even impossible. This essay seeks to understand how the Christian command to love could be both possible and morally desirable. It considers two scriptural examples: Matthew’s trilogy of parables, and the Feast of the Tabernacles in the Gospel of John. I argue that God shows love to humanity through revealed disclosure of vulnerability. In particular, God is universally willing to engage in collaborative action with human agents. I suggest that the Christian command can be satisfied by adopting an analogous willingness to share intentional actions with others.
Hotplate precipitation gauge calibrations and field measurements

Abstract. First introduced in 2003, approximately 70 Yankee Environmental Systems (YES) hotplate precipitation gauges have been purchased by researchers and operational meteorologists. A version of the YES hotplate is described in Rasmussen et al. (2011; R11). Presented here is testing of a newer version of the hotplate; this device is equipped with longwave and shortwave radiation sensors. Hotplate surface temperature, coefficients describing natural and forced convective sensible energy transfer, and radiative properties (longwave emissivity and shortwave reflectance) are reported for two of the new-version YES hotplates. These parameters are applied in a new algorithm and are used to derive liquid-equivalent accumulations (snowfall and rainfall), and these accumulations are compared to values derived by the internal algorithm used in the YES hotplates (hotplate-derived accumulations). In contrast with R11, the new algorithm accounts for radiative terms in a hotplate's energy budget, applies an energy conversion factor which does not differ from a theoretical energy conversion factor, and applies a surface area that is correct for the YES hotplate. Radiative effects are shown to be relatively unimportant for the precipitation events analyzed. In addition, this work documents a 10 % difference between the hotplate-derived and new-algorithm-derived accumulations. This difference seems consistent with R11's application of a hotplate surface area that deviates from the actual surface area of the YES hotplate and with R11's recommendation for an energy conversion factor that differs from that calculated using thermodynamic theory.
‘But Yehoshuah knew the numbers’: Reading Joshua Cohen’s Book of Numbers as Biblical Adaptation

This article considers Joshua Cohen’s 2015 Book of Numbers as an adaptation of the biblical Numbers. Drawing on personal interviews and Cohen’s novel, I trace how Cohen uses the structures and themes of the biblical Numbers to write about the contemporary technological world. By recasting the biblical source into a technological form, Cohen suggests that the digital world offers a kind of freedom, a Promised Land; yet, the freedom of the internet and new technologies is ultimately enslaving, resulting in an alienation of the self. Still, the 2015 Book of Numbers has a hopeful outlook, anticipating the survival of the ‘younger generation’.
Is chronic postsurgical pain surgery-induced? A study of persistent postoperative pain following breast reconstruction

Abstract Background Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a reported risk for women undergoing breast reconstruction, but it remains unclear that such persistent pain is induced by reconstructive surgery. To address this concern, this prospective cohort study examined the prevalence of and risk factors associated with CPSP among women undergoing breast reconstruction. Materials and methods Women (n = 1996) recruited for the Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium (MROC) Study were assessed preoperatively and at two-years postoperatively for relevant medical/.surgical variables, pain experience, body physical well-being, anxiety, depression, and reconstruction procedure type and characteristics. Results Nearly half of the entire sample reported some level of preoperative pain. At two years there were statistically significant but not clinically meaningful increases in both pain intensity and chest/upper body discomfort but a decrease in affective pain rating. Average clinical pain severity was strikingly similar for preoperative and postoperative assessments. Preoperative levels of pain, acute postoperative pain, and (marginally) level of depression held consistent relationship at two-year follow-up with all outcome measures. Autologous flap reconstruction was associated with more severe CPSP compared to TE/I reconstruction. Older age, higher BMI, bilateral reconstruction, and adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy were associated with CPSP and chest/upper body discomfort for at least one outcome measure at two years. Conclusions The substantial rate of preoperative pain and comparable prevalence of preoperative and postoperative pain ratings suggest that persistent pain after breast reconstruction may not necessarily reflect surgery-induced pain. Future research will need to determine those factors that contribute to long-term pain following breast reconstruction.
Parents, Quality, and School Choice: Why Parents in Nairobi Choose Low-Cost Private Schools over Public Schools in Kenya's Free Primary Education Era.

AbstractLow-cost private schools (LCPS) are widespread in Kenya, particularly in urban areas. This study examines the reasons that parents send children to fee-charging schools in a context of free...