cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human platelet α2-adrenergic receptors: Labeling with 3H-yohimbine, a selective antagonist ligand

Abstract 3 H-Yohimbine, a potent and selective pharmacological antagonist of α 2 -adrenergic receptors, labeled human platelet membrane α 2 -receptors with high affinity. Binding was rapid and reversible at 25°C. Both saturation and kinetic experiments indicated a single order of binding sites, with an equilibrium K D value of 1.0–1.5 nM. Low Mg 2+ concentrations increased the K D for 3 H-yohimbine without altering the B max . The 3 H-yohimbine site exhibited α 2 -receptor specificity: (−)-norepinephrine and (−)-isoproterenol were 4.8 and 330 times less potent than (−)-epinephrine; (−)-catecholamines were 17–35 times more potent than corresponding (+)-catecholamines; the selective α 1 -antagonist prazosin was 340 times less potent than yohimbine. Catecholamine agonists exhibited shallow curves in inhibiting 3 H-yohimbine binding, with pseudo-Hill coefficients (n H ) of less than 1.0, whereas the n H of antagonists was 1.0. No specific binding of 3 H-prazosin to platelet membranes was observed, indicating the absence of α 1 -receptors. 3 H-Yohimbine labeled fewer platelet sites than did 3 H-dihydroergocryptine under identical conditions (80 vs 130 receptors/ cell), and may be a more specific and useful antagonist probe of platelet α 2 -receptors than 3 H-dihydroergocryptine.
Leukocyte phagocytosis and alterations in microvascular integrity elicited by FITC-dextran 150 and epi-illumination in the microcirculation of the hamster cheek pouch

Fluorescein-labeled dextran MW 150K (FITC-Dx 150) is commonly utilized as a macromolecular fluorochrome in inflammatory studies. We examined the influence of FITC-Dx 150 on leukocyte activity as assessed by adherence to cheek pouch microvessels. Transcapillary exchange was evaluated as fluorochrome clearance (Cl). Few leukocytes adhered to the microvascular wall in venous segments prior to and immediately following administration of the dextran fluorochrome. Spontaneous leukocyte adhesion to venous endothelium ensued within 30 min in epi-illuminated, FITC-Dx 150-loaded vessels. However, the Cl of FITC-Dx 150 (1.75 +/- 0.68 nl/min) remained unaltered (2.21 +/- 1.83 nl/min). Hamsters pretreated with FITC-Dx 150 (a minimum of 7 hr prior to experimentation) and subsequently exposed to epi-illumination showed marked leukocyte adhesion in small venules and an impressive pool of marginating leukocytes in large venules. Leukocyte aggregation, thrombus formation, lymphatic distension, and leukocyte adherence to arteriolar endothelium also ensued as a consequence of epi-illumination. Uptake of FITC-Dx 150 by extravascular phagocytes was evident. Some hamsters pretreated with FITC-Dx 150 developed spontaneous leaky sites upon epifluorescent stimulation. Focal accumulation of interstitial phagocytes was suggestive of fluorochrome uptake and elicitation by FITC-Dx 150. These effects were not observed in control animals treated with FITC-albumin. The results of this study suggest caution in employing FITC-Dx 150 as a permeability probe for studies involving inflammatory processes, especially those dependent on neutrophil/endothelial interactions and prolonged circulation time of fluorochrome.
Second harmonic conical refraction

Abstract Second harmonic intensity patterns generated in α-iodic acid have been observed. Free and forced conical patterns occur, when the fundamental wave vector lies along a second harmonic or fundamental optic axis, respectively.
Residual distribution finite element method for convection-dominated problems

Abstract In this paper, we present a new stabilized finite element method for the simulation of nonlinear convection-dominated systems of PDEs. We seek to combine the robustness of upwind finite-volume methods for the discretization of strongly shocked flows with the ease and accuracy of C 0 finite element reconstruction. This is achieved by exploiting the similarities between traditional SUPG method and finite volume residual distribution schemes. By constructing the finite element analog of finite-volume fluctuation-splitting schemes, we combine the ability to simulate PDEs with strongly discontinuous solutions of upwind finite-volume methods with the reliable accuracy of finite element reconstruction, which traditional finite-volume methods often lack on unstructured grids. Finally, we test the proposed algorithm with challenging problems drawn from hypersonic compressible flow and semiconductor device simulation.
Stray Light Lessons Learned from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Optical Navigation Camera

The Optical Navigation Camera (ONC) is a technical demonstration slated to fly on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005. Conventional navigation methods have reduced accuracy in the days immediately preceding Mars orbit insertion. The resulting uncertainty in spacecraft location limits rover landing sites to relatively safe areas, away from interesting features that may harbor clues to past life on the planet. The ONC will provide accurate navigation on approach for future missions by measuring the locations of the satellites of Mars relative to background stars. Because Mars will be a bright extended object just outside the camera’s field of view, stray light control at small angles is essential. The ONC optomechanical design was analyzed by stray light experts and appropriate baffles were implemented. However, stray light testing revealed significantly higher levels of light than expected at the most critical angles. The primary error source proved to be the interface between ground glass surfaces (and the paint that had been applied to them) and the polished surfaces of the lenses. This paper will describe troubleshooting and correction of the problem, as well as other lessons learned that affected stray light performance.
Training Models in Counseling Psychology: Scientist-Practitioner Versus Practitioner-Scholar

Considerable discussion has occurred through the years regarding models of training. With the recent accreditation of counseling psychology programs espousing the practitioner-scholar model, the importance of reexamining the merits of this as well as the traditional scientist-practitioner is now very important for the future of the field. This article consists of two positions: One pro practitioner-scholar and the other pro scientist-practitioner and con practitioner-scholar. The first position (first part of the article) by Biever, Patterson, and Welch argues for inclusion of the practitioner-scholar model as an alternative for training in counseling psychology. The second position (in the second part of the article) by Stoltenberg, Pace, and Kashubeck reviews concerns with two competing models. These authors conclude that the scientist-practitioner model is a better fit for training in counseling psychology. Recommendations for training within models are presented.
Using the Continuous Plankton Recorder to investigate the absence of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from the Roseway Basin foraging ground

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were absent from Roseway Basin, located off southeastern Nova Scotia, for a 7-year period (1993–1999). The objective of this study was to examine the availability of the right whale's main prey, Calanus finmarchicus, in Roseway Basin during those 7 years to determine if the whales’ absence was due to inadequate prey resources. Since we had no historical data on zooplankton abundances at depth on the Scotian Shelf, near-surface zooplankton abundance data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder were used to infer water-column abundances. In addition, environmental parameters that are often correlated with high zooplankton concentrations were examined. The hypotheses tested were that changes in these parameters would be detectable between three time periods: pre-1993, 1993–1999 and post-1999. Calanus finmarchicus abundance was found to be lowest during 1993–1999, suggesting that right whales were not foraging in Roseway Basin because of the near-absence of their main prey species. Decreased in situ salinity and density proved to be indicators of the changes in circulation in the 1990s that may have affected the advection of C. finmarchicus onto the Scotian Shelf.
Media Advocacy and Public Education in the Community Intervention Trial To Reduce Heavy Smoking (COMMIT).

The Community Intervention Trial (COMMIT) is designed to reduce the rate of heavy smoking in eleven pairs of North American communities over an eight-year period. The intervention, consisting of a minimum of fifty-one activities, is being implemented through local community boards and task forces. This article describes the goals and activities for the public education task force with a specific focus on “media advocacy,” an innovative use of mass media that follows more closely political activist models than traditional public service models. Two brief case studies are presented to illustrate some applications of media advocacy. The reasons for relatively infrequent use of media advocacy are discussed.
MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION OF DOSE-RESPONSE PARAMETERS FOR THERAPEUTIC OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC (TOC) ANALYSIS OF CARCINOMA OF THE NASOPHARYNX

Abstract A Therapeutic Operating Characteristic (TOC) curve for radiation therapy plots, for all possible treatment doses, the probability of tumor ablation as a function of the probability of radiation-induced complication. Application of this analysis to actual therapeutic situations requires that dose-response curves for ablation and for complication be estimated from clinical data. We describe an approach in which “maximum likelihood estimates” of these dose-response curves are made, and we apply this approach to data collected on responses to radiotherapy for carcinoma of the nasopharynx. TOC curves constructed from the estimated dose-response curves are subject to moderately large uncertainties because of the limitations of available data. These TOC curves suggest, however, that treatment doses greater than 1800 ret may substantially increase the probability of tumor ablation with little increase in the risk of radiation-induced cervical myelopathy, especially for T1 and T2 tumors.
Comparative assessment of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles based on comprehensive well-to-wheels efficiency analysis

One of the major issues surrounding the research and development work involving hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles (HEVs and FCVs) is their overall efficiency of converting the input fuel into actual work at the wheels of the vehicle. The main idea behind efficiency comparisons between HEVs and FCVs is the analysis of their respective well-to-tank (WTT) and tank-to-wheels (TTW) efficiencies, the product of which reveals the well-to-wheels (WTW) efficiency, which is one of the deciding factors for technology acceptance. This paper primarily aims at presenting critical comparative issues with regards to the overall efficiencies of the most popularly proposed HEV and FCV topologies. Finally, the overall efficiency analysis performed in this paper will lay down the foundation for a concrete conclusive comparison between advanced vehicular topologies of the future.
Microchip for the regulation of skeletal muscle differentiation

This paper reports the use of a microchip containing microfabricated electrode arrays for investigation of in vitro differentiation process of skeletal myoblasts. The microelectrodes array was designed and fabricated to generate controllable electric fields to skeletal myoblasts during their proliferation and differentiation processes. The results showed that the electric signals with low amplitude and high frequency have a phenomenal effect in directing skeletal myoblasts into multinucleated, and myosin heavy chain (MHC) positive myotubes. The morphology of the myotubes heavily depends on the electric signals. This work holds the promise to facilitate the use of electric field for skeletal muscle repair. It is also expected to provide a powerful tool for the investigation of mechanisms that governs the intercellular and intracellular events responsible for biological-electric coupling at cellular levels.
Experimental evaluation of fishway modifications on the passage behaviour of adult Chinook salmon and steelhead at Lower Granite Dam, Snake River, USA

Previous studies of Pacific salmonid passage over Snake River dams indicated slowed passage at transition pools, the transition area between the fishway entrance and the fish ladder. In 2001 and 2002, we conducted an experiment to determine if modified weirs affected adult salmon and steelhead passage times and route selection through the Lower Granite Dam transition pool. Fish attraction flows through the lower ladder weirs were experimentally increased using removable panels. During the experiment we monitored radio-tagged adult Chinook salmon and steelhead to determine passage routes and times through the transition pool. The weir treatment increased the number of spring–summer Chinook salmon passing straight through the transition pool compared to those exiting the transition pool to the collection channel or tailrace. Mean passage times through the transition pool differed among routes and were significantly lower during treatment periods for the exit-to-collection channel route in spring-summer Chinook salmon, but not for other routes. Passage times among routes differed in steelhead, but there was no evidence of treatment effects on route use or passage time. Fall Chinook exhibited similar trends in route use and passage time to spring–summer Chinook, but differences were not significant, perhaps because of relatively small sample size. Total dam passage times did not differ by treatment or route for any run. Fish depth during passage of the transition pool suggested that most fish passed through submerged orifices and supported the hypothesis that increased water velocity through these orifices caused the increase in straight-through passage in spring–summer Chinook. Collectively, the results suggested the weir modifications provided improvement to passage through the transition pool for spring–summer Chinook and no evidence of negative effects on other runs. The results from this study were used to develop new design criteria and modifications of the Lower Granite Dam fishway. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
IONIC REGULATION IN THE BROWN TROUT (SALMO TRUTTA L.)

1. The osmotic and ionic regulatory abilities of adults of the euryhaline brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) have been studied in experiments roughly duplicating the stresses of migration from fresh water to the sea. Brown trout will survive indefinitely in full sea water if acclimatized to it at rates inversely related to the temperature. 2. Blood serum samples have been analysed for Na, K, Cl, total P and δ; muscle samples for Na, K, Cl and total solids. Changes in the concentrations of these constituents following transfers from fresh water to 50% and 100% sea have been studied. Transfers were made throughout the year and at temperatures of 10° C. and 20° C. 3. Following transfers to 50% sea water at 20° C. blood concentrations rose significantly above fresh-water levels, but returned very nearly to these levels after about a week. Transfer from 50% sea water to 100% sea water at 20° C. caused the same sequence of changes. Transfer to 100% sea water at 20°C. was fatal, and associated with very high serum concentrations. Many fish survived transfer to 100% sea water at 10°C., however, and showed evidence of internal concentrations returning to fresh-water levels after 10 days. The brown trout is strongly homoiosmotic on a long-term basis. 4. Both survival and regulatory ability were lower during the summer. There were also seasonal variations in the blood and muscle concentrations of fish in a given state of acclimatization. 5. Muscle concentration changes closely paralleled blood changes. Extracellular volume remained constant, so muscle concentration changes were attributable to changes in intracellular water. The muscles did not act as storage sites for sodium and potassium.
Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) tasting, genetics, and depression

Twenty-three (23) females who satisfied the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) DSM-III criteria for Major Depression were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRS), the genetically based phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste test, and each subject provided a family history of depression. Results show that, compared with PTC nontasters, the tasters suffered deeper depressions, longer periods of sadness, symptoms that resembled "endogenous depression," and the tasters reported more family members afflicted with depression. The PTC taste test accounted for 20% of the variance on the BDI and on the HRS.
Kinetics of phase transition of waxy corn starch at extrusion temperatures and moisture contents.

Thermal energy effect on the phase transition of a waxy corn starch, Amioca, with different amount of water was evaluated by using differential scanning calorimetry. For water content less than 40% (w/ w), the kinetics of the conversion of starch followed the pseudo-zeroth order. An activation energy of 33.78 kcal/mol for 80% Amioca and that of 44.25 kcal/mol for 75% Amioca in the Amioca-water system were obtained from the Arrhenius relation. A useful correlation between the rate constant of conversion and a nondimensional temperature parameter, T/Tp, was found from various sources and with various moisture contents.
Longwave-IR optical parametric oscillator in orientation-patterned GaAs pumped by a 2 µm Tm,Ho:YLF laser

We demonstrate longwave infrared (LWIR) generation with an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on quasi-phasematched orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OPGaAs). The OPGaAs OPO was directly pumped with a Q-switched λ = 2.054 μm Tm,Ho:YLF laser. OPGaAs samples representing three different grating periods were used to explore the LWIR OPO performance yielding outputs ranging from λ = 2.5-2.7 μm (signal) and λ = 8.8-11.5 μm (idler). Slope efficiencies for the combined signal and idler outputs reach as high as 26% while slope efficiencies for only the idler reached 8%. Spectral measurements of OPO output confirm good agreement with theoretical calculations.
Trust and transforming medical institutions.

Medicine needs our trust. We need to be able to rely on individual clinicians and researchers, and we need to be able to have confidence in hospitals and clinics. Yet the organization of our healthcare institutions is not designed to promote that trust. In fact, the structure of our medical institutions seems to undermine our faith.
The nonspecific pulmonary function test: Longitudinal follow-up and outcomes

Background The nonspecific (NS) pulmonary function (PF) pattern refers to a PF test with a normal total lung capacity (TLC), normal FEV1/FVC ratio, and a low FEV1, a low FVC, or both. Currently, no information is available regarding the long-term stability of the NS pattern or variables that predict changes in subjects with an initial NS PF pattern. Methods From 1990 to 2005 we identified 1,284 subjects with an NS pattern on initial PF testing with one or more follow-up PF tests 6 months or more after the initial NS test result. Lung volumes, diffusing capacity, and spirometry data were analyzed. A multivariate, multinomial logistic regression model was used to study the association between different variables and the final PF pattern. Results Overall, 3,674 PF tests were performed in 1,284 subjects over a median follow-up period of 3 years. At last follow-up, 818/1,284 (64%) subjects continued to show the NS pattern, whereas 208/1,284 (16%) showed a restrictive pattern, 191/1,284 (15%) an obstructive pattern, 42/1,284 (3%) a normal pattern, and 25/1,284 (2%) a mixed pattern. The multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that increasing values for specific airway resistance and the difference between TLC and alveolar volume were predictors of a change to an obstructive pattern on follow-up. Conclusions The NS pattern is a distinct and stable PF test pattern with roughly two-thirds of patients continuing to show this pattern on follow-up testing. Current interpretation guidelines erroneously label the NS pattern as representing obstruction and need to be changed to reflect these data.
Azotetrazolylfurazan and Nitrogenous Salt Derivatives

The synthesis of (E)-1,2-bis(4-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-1,2,5-oxadiazol-3-yl)diazene (AzTF) and its high nitrogen salts is described. Compounds were tested for sensitivity to impact, spark, and friction and heats of formation were determined through bomb calorimetry. The calorimetry results coupled with density measurements by gas pychnometry were used to predict explosive output using the Cheetah thermochemical code. Of the four compounds tested AzTF itself has the most promise as an explosive due to TATB-like performance and high thermal stability, while the triaminoguanidinium salt (TAG2AzTF) may find favor as a high-nitrogen gas generant in regard to the low overall sensitivity and very high nitrogen content of the molecule.
Effect of dietary phytase and high available phosphorus corn on broiler chicken performance

Two trials were conducted to determine the effects on broiler chicken performance and health of reducing dietary phosphorus levels by treating feed with the enzyme phytase, formulating diets using high available phosphorus (HAP) corn, or when diets were formulated with HAP corn and treated with phytase. Cobb x Cobb male broiler chickens were placed in an experimental design consisting of four dietary treatments with six replicate pens of 50 broilers per pen. The dietary treatments consisted of untreated control feed, phytase-supplemented feed (500 U/kg), diets prepared with HAP corn, and diets prepared with HAP corn and supplemented with phytase. The chickens were maintained on these dietary treatments from 1 to 49 d of age with feed and water made available for ad libitum consumption. When the two trials were combined, there was a significant (P < or = 0.05) increase in body weight in the broilers fed the phytase treated diets at 49 d of age. The serum activity of alkaline phosphatase was significantly decreased in the diets supplemented with phytase, and serum cholesterol was significantly decreased in the diets prepared with HAP corn. These data indicate that total phosphorus can be reduced by at least 11% in diets prepared with HAP corn, or in diets supplemented with phytase, without affecting the performance or health of broiler chickens. When diets are prepared with HAP corn and supplemented with phytase, the dietary addition of total phosphorus can be reduced by at least 25% without affecting broiler chicken performance or health.
Improving Human Judgments by Decontaminating Sequential Dependencies

For over half a century, psychologists have been struck by how poor people are at expressing their internal sensations, impressions, and evaluations via rating scales. When individuals make judgments, they are incapable of using an absolute rating scale, and instead rely on reference points from recent experience. This relativity of judgment limits the usefulness of responses provided by individuals to surveys, questionnaires, and evaluation forms. Fortunately, the cognitive processes that transform internal states to responses are not simply noisy, but rather are influenced by recent experience in a lawful manner. We explore techniques to remove sequential dependencies, and thereby decontaminate a series of ratings to obtain more meaningful human judgments. In our formulation, decontamination is fundamentally a problem of inferring latent states (internal sensations) which, because of the relativity of judgment, have temporal dependencies. We propose a decontamination solution using a conditional random field with constraints motivated by psychological theories of relative judgment. Our exploration of decontamination models is supported by two experiments we conducted to obtain ground-truth rating data on a simple length estimation task. Our decontamination techniques yield an over 20% reduction in the error of human judgments.
When whales are cast ashore: the conversion to relevancy of American universities and basic science

This article suggests that the conversion of defense to civilian R&D and the movement to make universities and federal laboratories more responsive to industrial needs are threatening the nation's basic science capabilities. The roles of the federal government, industry, and universities in the support, production and utilization of basic research are analyzed. The article concludes that due to declining federal support for academic research, universities are under pressure to find alternative sources of funding. Industry's effort to outsource research provides universities with some financial relief. The two trends combine to threaten the university's function as the main supplier of basic science. The article recommends federal and industrial science policies that increase funding levels of basic research in order to relieve pressures on universities. Emphasis should also be placed on improving mechanisms for commercialization of results from basic research between universities and industry, and within the within the companies themselves. >
The scourge of opiates: The illicit narcotics trade in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This study seeks to provide an overview of drug trafficking in Iran, particularly as it relates to the Iran–Afghan and Iran–Pakistan border regions. Data were obtained from a systematic review of the academic literature and from open sources, including media reports and official documents. The Iranian government is credited with dedicating substantial resources to combating the drug trafficking. Despite these efforts, Iran continues to be the most significant transit country for opium and heroin from Afghanistan. Several factors are identified that help to explain why Iran, despite its efforts, continues to play a central role in the international drug trade.
A Curricular-Sampling Approach to Progress Monitoring: Mathematics Concepts and Applications

Progress monitoring is an important component of effective instructional practice. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is a form of progress monitoring that has been the focus of rigorous research. Two approaches for formulating CBM systems exist. The first is to assess performance regularly on a task that serves as a global indicator of competence at the relevant grade level. The second approach is to systematically sample the year-long curriculum so that each skill is represented and receives the same emphasis on each alternate form. In this article, the systematic curriculum sampling approach is illustrated for monitoring progress in mathematics concepts and applications systems. A description of the system's components, background, and technical properties is provided. Then, a sample case explains how the CBM system can be used in a special education setting to monitor progress, plan instruction, and enhance communication.
Assessing Intrinsic Side Chain Interactions between i and i + 4 Residues in Solvent-Free Peptides: A Combinatorial Gas-Phase Approach†

Ion mobility measurements and molecular modeling techniques have been used to survey the gas-phase structures of a series of alanine-rich peptides. The peptides, examined as [M + 2H]2+ ions, have the general forms NH2−(Ala)7−Xxx−(Ala)3−Yyy−(Ala)3 and Ac−(Ala)7−Xxx−(Ala)3−Yyy−(Ala)3, where residues 8 and 12 are randomized. In total, 160 different peptide ions (80 related NH2-terminated and -acetylated sequences) have been studied. Substitutions of residues 8 and 12 permit an assessment of the influence of specific interactions between residues in an adjacent helical turn. The formation of helices and globular structures in the gas phase appears to be sensitive to specific interactions between amino acid side chains. A preliminary discussion of these results in terms of what is currently known about helix formation in the gas phase and in solution is given. Overall, it appears that this combinatorial approach to studying sequence-to-structure interactions that are intrinsic to the peptide is a viable strate...
Electronic transport and magnetoresistance in polycrystalline and epitaxial CrO2 nanowires

wires is strongly dependenton the linewidth. Below a critical temperature, a transition from a positive to a negative temperature coefﬁcientof resistivity is observed, which we attribute to a competition between the scattering of the conduction elec-trons inside the grains and scattering across the grain boundaries. Using a simple model based on grainboundary scattering, we can separate and quantify each type of scattering, and based on this, we estimate amean transmission probability through the grain boundaries to be on the order of 10
The Use of Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes to Study Watershed Erosion Processes

Tracer studies are needed to better understand watershed soil erosion and calibrate watershed erosion models. For the first time, stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) and the carbon to nitrogen atomic ratio (C/N) natural tracers are used to investigate temporal and spatial variability of erosion processes within a sub-watershed. Temporal variability was assessed by comparing δ 15 N, δ 13 C, and C/N of eroded-soils from a non-equilibrium erosion event immediately following freezing and thawing of surface soils with two erosion events characterized by equilibrium conditions with erosion downcutting. Spatial variability was assessed for the equilibrium events by using the δ 15 N and δ 13 C signatures of eroded-soils to measure the fraction of eroded-soil derived from rill/interrill erosion on upland hillslopes as compared to headcut erosion on floodplains. In order to perform this study, a number of tasks were carried out including: (1) sampling source-soils from upland hillslopes and floodplains, (2) sampling eroded-soils with an in situ trap in the stream of the sub-watershed, (3) isotopic and elemental analysis of the samples using isotope ratio mass spectrometry, (4) fractioning eroded-soil to its upland rill/interrill and floodplain headcut end-members using an unmixing model within a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework, and (5) evaluating tracer unmixing model results by comparison with process-based erosion prediction models for rill/interrill and headcut erosion processes. Results showed that finer soil particles eroded during the non-equilibrium event were enriched in δ 15 N and δ 13 C tracers and depleted in C/N tracer relative to coarser soil particles eroded during the equilibrium events. Correlation of tracer signature with soil particle size was explainable based on known biogeochemical processes. δ 15 N and δ 13 C were also able to distinguish between upland rill/interrill erosion and floodplain headcut erosion, which was due to different plant cover at the erosion sources. Results from the tracer unmixing model highlighted future needs for coupling rill/interrill and headcut erosion prediction models.
Testing for intransitivity of preferences predicted by a lexicographic semi-order

A classic paper by Tversky (Tversky, A. (1969). Intransitivity of preferences. Psychological Review, 76, 31–48.) reported that some people systematically violated transitivity of preference when choosing between specially constructed risky gambles. This conclusion remained controversial because his statistical analysis did not allow each participant to have a different true preference order. Recently, however, it has been argued that an inherently intransitive process governs risky decision making. This paper uses a relatively new statistical technique for testing transitivity and analyzes two new experiments in which hundreds of participants made choices among the same gambles studied by Tversky. It was found that very few people repeated intransitive patterns. The incidence of violation of transitivity was slightly higher when probability was displayed graphically without numerical information, but even in this condition few participants were intransitive. Furthermore, even among those few who appeared to be intransitive, most showed dimension interaction, contrary to implications of the lexicographic semi-order. These results cast doubt on a lexicographic semi-order as a descriptive theory of risky decision making.
Enhanced Photocurrent Production by Photosystem I Multilayer Assemblies

The long-term success of photosynthetic organisms has resulted in their global superabundance, which is sustained by their widespread, continual mass-production of the integral proteins that photocatalyze the chemical processes of natural photosynthesis. Here, a fast, general method to assemble multilayer films composed of one such photocatalytic protein complex, Photosystem I (PSI), onto a variety of substrates is reported. The resulting films, akin to the stacked thylakoid structures of leaves, consist of a protein matrix that is permeable to electrochemical mediators and contain a high concentration of photoelectrochemically active redox centers. These multilayer assemblies vastly outperform previously reported monolayer films of PSI in terms of photocurrent production when incorporated into an electrochemical system, and it is shown that these photocatalytic properties increase with the film thickness. These results demonstrate how the assembly of micron-thick coatings of PSI on non-biological substrates yields a biohybrid ensemble that manifests the photocatalytic activity of the film’s individual protein constituents, and represent significant progress toward affordable, biologically-inspired renewable energy conversion platforms.
Beyond Style and Function: A View from the Middle Paleolithic

Chipped stone artifacts are a significant, and often the only available, record of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. The assemblages from four Middle Paleolithic sites in the Iberian peninsula form the basis of a study that addresses the behavioral significance of the variability in these objects. Artifact edges form the primary focus of this analysis, and permit morphology to be quantitatively characterized. Variability is generally continuous for the morphological features examined. Additionally, both edge and tool morphology seem primarily a function of the intensity of edge use and rejuvenation, and whether edge use was linearly extensive or concentrated in small areas. This suggests that retouched artifacts are more the result of the extent and nature of the use of their various edges than preconceived tools. The implications of these results for the study of the Middle Paleolithic and for the interpretation of lithic variability in general are discussed.
Severe Salt-Losing 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Deficiency: Treatment and Outcomes of HSD3B2 c.35G>A Homozygotes.

Context: 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B2) deficiency accounts for less than 5% of congenital adrenal hyperplasia worldwide, but is relatively common among the Old Order Amish of North America due to a HSD3B2 c.35G>A founder mutation. Objective: We review clinical presentation, disease course, treatment, and outcomes of a genetically homogenous population of HSD3B2-deficient patients. Design and Participants: This was a retrospective case series: anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical data from 16 (six male) affected subjects (age, 7.2 ± 6.4 y) were compared to reference data from 12 age-matched unaffected siblings. Setting: The setting was the Clinic for Special Children, a nonprofit rural community health center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measures were growth, skeletal maturation, sexual development, blood pressure, glucocorticoid dose, pituitary-adrenal homeostasis, and long-term morbidity. Results: Exogenous glucocorticoid requirement was dichotomous...
Channel Stabilization on the Arkansas River

Reach of river from Wilsons Rock, Okla, to Fort Smith, Ark, was selected as prototype test reach in which various types of structures would be installed to establish stable channel suitable for navigation; structures used and work accomplished on this reach are described, as well as those on reach from Short Mountain to Wilsons Rock.
A domain specific language based approach for generating deadlock-free parallel load scheduling protocols for distributed systems

In this dissertation, the concept of using domain specific language to develop error-free parallel asynchronous load scheduling protocols for distributed systems is studied. The motivation of this study is rooted in addressing the high cost of verifying parallel asynchronous load scheduling protocols. Asynchronous parallel applications are prone to subtle bugs such as deadlocks and race conditions due to the possibility of non-determinism. Due to this non-deterministic behavior, traditional testing methods are less effective at finding software faults. One approach that can eliminate these software bugs is to employ model checking techniques that can verify that non-determinism will not cause software faults in parallel programs. Unfortunately, model checking requires the development of a verification model of a program in a separate verification language which can be an error-prone procedure and may not properly represent the semantics of the original system. The model checking approach can provide true positive result if the semantics of an implementation code and a verification model is represented under a single framework such that the verification model closely represents the implementation and the automation of a verification process is natural. In this dissertation, a domain specific language based verification framework is developed to design parallel load scheduling protocols and automatically verify their behavioral properties through model checking. A specification language, LBDSL, is introduced that facilitates the development of parallel load scheduling protocols. The LBDSL verification framework uses model checking techniques to verify the asynchronous behavior of the protocol. It allows the same protocol specification to be used for verification and the code generation. The support to automatic verification during protocol development reduces the verification cost post development. The applicability of LBDSL verification framework is illustrated by performing case study on three different types of load scheduling protocols. The study shows that the LBDSL based verification approach removes the need of debugging for deadlocks and race bugs which has potential to significantly lower software development costs.
Chapter 5 Purification and Characterization of Dictyostelium discoideum Plasma Membranes

Publisher Summary Highly purified plasma membranes can be prepared either as large sheets with both membrane surfaces exposed to exogenous reagents or as vesicles sealed to small molecules. Sealed vesicles, produced by sonication, do not retain the native orientation of cell surface and cytoplasmic components however contain mixed orientations of these components within each vesicle. The chapter presents a comparison of the three representative plasma membrane preparations and discusses a characterization of the purest of the preparations with respect to membrane form, permeability, and sidedness. An ideal plasma membrane preparation (1) contains only plasma membranes as judged by electron microscopy and by comparison of surface-labeled and Coomassie blue-stained gel profiles, (2) contains no proteolyzed polypeptides detectable on gels or by comparative peptide mapping, and (3) contains all subsets of the intact plasma membrane as monitored by recovery of cell surface label.
See Jane Rock: Using Popular Music in Political Science and Women''s Studies Classes

This presentation will discuss the role that popular music can play in teaching difficult subject matter, such as racism in U.S. politics and domestic violence in Women's and Gender Studies. Songs discussed will include Strange Fruit, Hound Dog, Black Eye Blues, and (He Hit Me)It Felt Like a Kiss.
Wczesne rozpoczęcie intensywnego leczenia insuliną u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2: dostępne dowody naukowe

Cukrzyca typu 2 to progresywna choroba, ktorej cechą jest stopniowe pogarszanie sie czynności komorek beta, az do ich calkowitej niewydolności, w związku z czym po pewnym czasie niemal u wszystkich pacjentow jest konieczne stosowanie insuliny. Coraz wiecej dowodow naukowych wskazuje, ze wczesna intensywna kontrola glikemii ogranicza odlegle powiklania naczyniowe oraz moze spowodowac przedluzenie czasu przezycia i czynności komorek beta. Celem niniejszego artykulu jest przegląd wynikow badan potwierdzających wplyw wczesnego rozpoczecia insulinoterapii na zahamowanie progresji cukrzycy i ograniczenie odleglych powiklan oraz omowienie ich w kontekście praktyki klinicznej.
BNCT Beam Quality Maximization

The Beam Shaping Assembly (BSA) optimization code SWAN is applied for establishing (1) the maximum attainable beam quality dependence on the BSA thickness; (2) the tradeoff between the maximum attainable beam quality and the dose-equivalent delivered, per source neutron, to the tumor; (3) the sensitivity of the above characteristics to the BSA optimization criterion used; and (4) the maximum beam quality attainable from four different neutron sources: 7Li(2.5MeV p, n), Be(19MeV p, n), D-D and D-T. It is found that: (1) The thicker the BSA is, the higher can be the beam quality. However, (2) the specific beam intensity drops nearly exponentially with the BSA thickness. (3) Hard spectrum neutron sources can provide as good a beam quality as soft spectrum neutron sources. (4) For a given beam quality, the 7Li(2.5MeV p, n) source can deliver the highest dose-equivalent per source neutron while the Be(19MeV p, n) source can deliver the highest dose-equivalent per beam ion as well as per beam power. (5) When accounting for constraints imposed by state-of-the-art technology, the beam quality which could be provided by both proton accelerator systems considered is, practically, the same for the same treatment time. The beam quality attainable from the state-of-the-art fusion neutron sources considered is significantly lower. (6) Technological improvements which are anticipated within the next few years are predicted to bring the beam quality attainable from the 7Li(2.5 MeV p, n), Be(19 MeV p, n) and D-T sources to, essentially, the same value for the same treatment time. Hence (7) the choice of the best neutron source to use for BNCT should be determined by economic considerations. (8) The optimal BSA composition varies with the BSA thickness, brain conditions and optimization criterion. (9) The most desirable BSA optimization criterion appears to us to be maximizing the dose-equivalent delivered per source neutron to the tumor for a given beam quality. (10) The definition of the figure-of-merit to be used can have a significant effect on the outcome of the BSA optimization. The constraint on the maximum permissible skin dose has also a significant impact on the optimization outcome. (11) Al/AlF3 may, or may not be the most effective primary neutron slowing down material for the BSA of a 7Li(2.5 MeV p, n) neutron source; under certain conditions 7LiF and MgF2 may be preferable.
‘English Vinglish’ and Bollywood: what is ‘new’ about the ‘new woman’?

AbstractBollywood’s transnational mechanisms offer a unique space to study gendered subjectivity. My article studies a specific Bollywood movie, English Vinglish (2012) to draw out the profile of the ‘new woman.’ Persistently, I question the ‘new-ness’ to the construction of women when the ‘new’ reiterates the values of tradition, nation, and family. The ‘new’ seems to exist as a particular and unique transaction between local traditions and the global spread of populations that make limiting conceptions of woman, nation, or family, anomalies in a world propelled by expanding market needs and demands. The ‘new’ while offering possibilities for women, concomitantly carries different exclusions based on class, religion, language, and other identities. Understanding the formation of gender under contemporary conditions of transnationalism requires attentiveness to an insidious partnership of possibilities and exclusions that makes it simplistic to think in terms of progress or regress.
Microwave spectra, molecular structure, and aromatic character of 4a,8a-azaboranaphthalene.

The microwave spectra for seven unique isotopologues of 4a,8a-azaboranaphthalene [hereafter referred to as BN-naphthalene] were measured using a pulsed-beam Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. Spectra were obtained for the normal isotopologues with (10)B, (11)B, and all unique single (13)C and the (15)N isotopologue (with (11)B), in natural abundance. The rotational, centrifugal distortion and quadrupole coupling constants determined for the (11)B(14)N isotopologue are A = 3042.712 75(43) MHz, B = 1202.706 57(35) MHz, C = 862.220 13(35) MHz, DJ = 0.06(1) kHz, 1.5χaa ((14)N) = 2.5781(61) MHz, 0.25(χbb - χcc) ((14)N) = - 0.1185(17) MHz, 1.5χaa (11B) = - 3.9221(75) MHz, and 0.25(χbb - χcc) ((11)B) = - 0.9069(24) MHz. The experimental inertial defect is Δ = - 0.159 amu A(2), which is consistent with a planar structure for the molecule. The B-N bond length from the experimentally determined structure is 1.47 A, which indicates π-bonding character between the B and N. The measured quadrupole coupling strengths provide important and useful information about the bonding, orbital occupancy, and aromatic character for this aromatic molecule. Extended Townes-Dailey analyses were used to determine the B and N electron sp(2)-hybridized and p-orbital occupations. These results are compared with electron orbital occupations from the natural bond orbital option in theoretical calculations. From the analyses, it was determined that BN-naphthalene has aromatic character similar to that of other N-containing aromatics. The results are compared with similar results for B-N bonding in 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine and BN-cyclohexene. Accurate and precise structural parameters were obtained from the microwave measurements on seven isotopologues and from high-level G09 calculations.
Ethnographic Reform: A technical turn:

This article explores a recent technical turn – an interest in the interrogation of the technical means through which the world becomes and is arranged – in ethnographic practice through discussion of three key methodological challenges found in recent ethnographic fieldwork: collaboration, linguistic competence, and temporal immersion. In alliance with posthumanist perspectives and through an interest in the techniques and practices of knowledge production, what at first blush appear as limitations are becoming resources for new sets of questions and approaches. Ethnographic reform requires rethinking the traditional relationships between ethnographer, empiricism and information, and the subjects and objects of data.
Cornification of Vaginal Epithelium of Ovariectomized Rat Produced by Smearing

The histological examination of the vaginae of a number of spayed rats showing an unexpected response to the examination of the vagina by the smear method revealed that smearing alone, without the injection of an estrogenic hormone, may produce, under certain conditions, full cornification of the vaginal epithelium. The results of some of our experiments are summarized in Table I.The spayed rats which were neither smeared nor injected presented a thin, smooth vaginal epithelium usually 2 cell layers in thickness with leucocytes migrating into the lumen. When the animals were smeared once, twice, and 3 times daily the typical section from the vagina showed a progressive thickening of the epithelium up to 12 or more layers with the usual desquamation of the surface cells, thus presenting a picture very similar to that obtained after the administration of estrogenic material.1, 2The vaginal smear picture3 likewise underwent a progressive change when the animals were examined once, twice, and 3 times daily. T...
Toward a Mathematics Major for the 1980's

(1974). Toward a Mathematics Major for the 1980's. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 81, No. 8, pp. 891-899.