cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The search for the Higgs boson in the four-jet channel at LEP

Abstract The four-jet channel played an important role in the search for the Higgs boson at LEP during its second phase at centre-of-mass energies above the WW threshold, from 1996 until 2000. In an outstanding last year of running, LEP delivered a substantiell integrated luminosity above 206 GeV, and first hints of a Higgs boson with mass 115 GeV/c 2 might have been observed. Unfortunately this search could not reach a definite conclusion. A review of the salient features of the analysis in the four-jet channel and the robustness of the exciting results found in this topology in 2000 is given.
Alleviation of short-term forgetting: Effects of the CS− and other conditioning elements in prior cueing or as context during test ☆

Abstract Exposure to a nonreinforced stimulus (CS−) from the same stimulus dimension as the target or reinforced stimulus (CS+) has been shown to facilitate the acquisition of a conditioned aversion to either a visual or olfactory CS+ that has been paired with footshock. The present series of experiments examined the influence of CS− exposure during conditioning on subsequent retention of the conditioned aversion. Experiment 1 established circumstances in which subjects expressed equivalent aversions to the CS+ immediately following training regardless of whether they were exposed to a CS− at the time of conditioning or testing. Experiment 2 indicated that when the interval between conditioning and testing was lengthened, a conditioned aversion to the CS+ was evident only in subjects exposed to the CS− at the time of conditioning and at testing. Experiment 3 indicated that the CS− served as an extremely effective cue for retrieval of the conditioning episode; exposure to the CS− prior to testing resulted in the expression of conditioning that was otherwise not evident. Collectively, these results provide general information about the necessary and sufficient conditions for the alleviation of forgetting, and establish specifically that the CS− is important not only in the acquisition of the aversion to the CS+, but also in retention and forgetting of this aversion.
A decision-theoretic model of selection modulated intra-host antigenic variation for multi-strain pathogens

A decision-theoretic approach to modeling the response of multi-strain pathogens to humoral defense is investigated in this paper. The reported theory of language-measure theoretic optimal control is used to compute the optimal response of the invading pathogen. The model is validated by comparison of simulation results with in-vivo observations and contrasted with prominent existing modeling approaches.
Geothermal studies in the San Juan Basin and the Four Corners area of the Colorado Plateau I. Terrestrial heat-flow measurements

Abstract Twenty-five new heat-flow measurements are presented for the San Juan Basin and the Four Corners area of the Colorado Plateau in the southwestern United States. Temperature gradients at most sites are calculated from temperature logs at depths between 1 km and 2 km. Resulting heat-flow values appear to be locally less variable than shallower data. These new data develop smooth, uniform trends consistent with the regional geology. As such, it is reasonable to suggest that these data may be somewhat less influenced by near surface perturbations to heat flow than are shallower data in the area; i.e., local hydrologie movement, weathered conductivity samples, topographic variations, and paleoclimate effects. Heat-flow increases going from the Four Corners area into the northern San Juan Basin; a trend consistent with other geophysical studies. Heat flow also increases as the San Juan Basin is traversed south to north, approaching the San Juan volcanic field. This observation suggests a unique thermal anomaly associated with the San Juan volcanics. Heat flow in areas of the San Juan Basin, quite away from extensive volcanics, is 70 mW/m 2 ; suggesting a small but statistically valid difference between regional heat flow in the non-volcanic regions of the San Juan Basin and in some of the other non-volcanic regions of the Colorado Plateau where the mean heat flow is 65 mW/m 2 . Again, this conclusion seems consistent with other geophysical data.
2,3-Dioxo-5-indolinesulfonic acid, a new highly specific reagent for modification of tryptophan in peptides and proteins.

Abstract A new reagent, 2,3-dioxo-5-indolinesulfonic acid (DISA), has been investigated for its specificity to react with tryptophan and tryptophan residues in peptides and proteins. On reaction of 19 amino acids with 1 M excess of DISA in 0.1 M acetic acid (pH 2.9), considerable (50%) modification of tryptophan was obtained within 50 min and no other amino acid was modified. After reaction for 5 h, only proline showed very slight (7%) modification. On reaction in the presence of 5 M excess of DISA, tryptophan was very rapidly modified. Modification of proline became appreciable in the presence of this molar excess of reagent and cysteine modification, although much smaller, became detectable (12 h, 7%). However, proline modification was completely prevented when this amino acid was engaged in a peptide linkage, even after reaction for 45 h in the presence of 5 or 10 M excess of DISA per proline residue. Reaction of egg albumin with 50 M excess of DISA was entirely specific for tryptophan and showed no modification of proline or cysteine residues. The reagent offers the advantages of stability, easy handling, high water solubility and high specificity. It affords protein and peptide derivatives that are completely water soluble because of the polar nature of the added group. The yellow color ( λ max , 367 nm) of the derivatives offers advantages of easy determination of the extent and location of the modification.
Buried paleoindian-age landscapes in stream valleys of the central plains, USA

Abstract A systematic study of late-Quaternary landscape evolution in the Central Plains documented widespread, deeply buried paleosols that represent Paleoindian-age landscapes in terrace fills of large streams (> 5th order), in alluvial fans, and in draws in areas of western Kansas with a thick loess mantle. Alluvial stratigraphic sections were investigated along a steep bio-climatic gradient extending from the moist-subhumid forest-prairie border of the east-central Plains to the dry-subhumid and semi-arid shortgrass prairie of the west-central Plains. Radiocarbon ages indicate that most large streams were characterized by slow aggradation accompanied by cumulic soil development from ca. 11,500 to 10,000 14C yr B.P. In the valleys of some large streams, such as the Ninnescah and Saline rivers, these processes continued into the early Holocene. The soil-stratigraphic record in the draws of western Kansas indicates slow aggradation punctuated by episodes of landscape stability and pedogenesis beginning as early as ca. 13,300 14C yr B.P. and spanning the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary. The development record of alluvial fans in western Kansas is similar to the record in the draws; slow aggradation was punctuated by multiple episodes of soil development between ca. 13,000 and 9000 14C yr B.P. In eastern Kansas and Nebraska, development of alluvial fans was common during the early and middle Holocene, but evidence shows fan development as early as ca. 11,300 14C yr B.P. Buried soils dating between ca. 12,600 and 9000 14C yr B.P. were documented in fans throughout the region. In stream valleys across the Central Plains, rapid alluviation after ca. 9000 14C yr B.P. resulted in deeply buried soils that may harbor Paleoindian cultural deposits. Hence, the paucity of recorded stratified Paleoindian sites in the Central Plains is probably related to poor visibility (i.e., deep burial in alluvial deposits) instead of limited human occupation in the region during the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene. The thick, dark, cumulic A horizons of soils, representing buried Paleoindian-age landscapes, are targets for future archaeological surveys.
Airborne laser-induced oceanic chlorophyll fluorescence: solar-induced quenching corrections by use of concurrent downwelling irradiance measurements

Airborne laser-induced (and water Raman-normalized) spectral fluorescence emissions from oceanic chlorophyll were obtained during variable downwelling irradiance conditions induced by diurnal variability and patchy clouds. Chlorophyll fluorescence profiles along geographically repeated inbound and outbound flight track lines, separated in time by approximately 3-6 h and subject to overlying cloud movement, were found to be identical after corrections made with concurrent downwelling irradiance measurements. The corrections were accomplished by a mathematical model containing an exponential of the ratio of the instantaneous-to-average downwelling irradiance. Concurrent laser-induced phycoerythrin fluorescence and chromophoric dissolved organic matter fluorescence were found to be invariant to downwelling irradiance and thus, along with sea-surface temperature, established the near constancy of the oceanic surface layer during the experiment and validated the need for chlorophyll fluorescence quenching corrections over wide areas of the ocean.
Hospice research: the importance of program participation.

Hospice research is needed in order to understand the complex phenomena of holistic carefor terminally ill persons and their families. Hospice program participation is key to future hospice research efforts. The purpose of this article is to encourage hospice programs to participate in hospice research. The discussion includes why research is done, who undertakes a research project, the role of institutional review boards in assuring rights of human subjects and potential strategies for recruitment of research subjects. The authors use their experiences with conducting hospice research to illustrate potential recruitment strategies.
An autoradiographic study of the utilization of tritiated uridine by osteoblasts of young mice.

The uptake and turnover of 3H-uridine by periosteal and endosteal osteoblasts were assessed autoradiographically. Five-week old mice were injected with 5 mCI of 3H-uridine (Sp. Act. 21 Ci/mM) per gram of body weight and killed at intervals varying from 15 minutes to one month post-injection. Femora were processed histologically and autoradiographs were prepared from 5 mm decalcified sections exposed for 36 days. Autoradiographic grains were counted over the nucleus and the cytoplasm of 600 periosteal and 600 endosteal osteoblasts per time period. 3H-Uridine was initially rapidly incorporated into the nucleus attaining peak activity one hour after injection. Incorporation of label into cytoplasmic RNA was maximum at one to two days. At one month grain counts were at minimum values. The loss was more gradual from the nucleus than from the cytoplasm. At earlier time periods the nucleus showed a higher label than the cytoplasm. At 8 to 16 hours the label was evenly distributed and at later time periods the cytoplasm exhibited a higher grain count. Dia-physeal periosteal osteoblasts and metaphyseal endosteal osteoblasts differed in both the quantity of label and the rate of utilization. Endosteal cells exhibited almost twice the activity. RNA biosynthesis appears to be significantly higher in endosteal cells than periosteal cells thus reflecting differences in protein synthesis by these two cell compartments.
Evolution and Impact of Subclonal Mutations in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Clonal evolution is a key feature of cancer progression and relapse. We studied intratumoral heterogeneity in 149 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cases by integrating whole-exome sequence and copy number to measure the fraction of cancer cells harboring each somatic mutation. We identified driver mutations as predominantly clonal (e.g., MYD88, trisomy 12, and del(13q)) or subclonal (e.g., SF3B1 and TP53), corresponding to earlier and later events in CLL evolution. We sampled leukemia cells from 18 patients at two time points. Ten of twelve CLL cases treated with chemotherapy (but only one of six without treatment) underwent clonal evolution, predominantly involving subclones with driver mutations (e.g., SF3B1 and TP53) that expanded over time. Furthermore, presence of a subclonal driver mutation was an independent risk factor for rapid disease progression. Our study thus uncovers patterns of clonal evolution in CLL, providing insights into its stepwise transformation, and links the presence of subclones with adverse clinical outcomes.
NISO Webinar: The Future of Integrated Library Systems: Part 1: RDA & Cataloging

This column's offerings cover late spring through summer to fall of 2011: NISO Webinar: The Future of Integrated Library Systems: Part 1: RDA & Cataloging (May 11); American Library Association Annual Conference (June 23–28); Association of College and Research Libraries New England Serials and Electronic Resources Interest Group Summer Program: Current Trends in E-Journals (August 18); Kentucky Library Association/Kentucky School Media Association Joint Conference (September 28–October 1); American Society for Information Science and Technology Annual Meeting (October 9–12); Great Lakes E-Summit Conference (October 10–11); and Potomac Technical Processing Librarians Annual Meeting (October 21).
A rubric to characterize inquiry in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory

Consensus does not exist among chemists as to the essential characteristics of inquiry in the undergraduate laboratory. A rubric developed for elementary and secondary science classrooms to distinguish among levels of inquiry was modified for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Both peer-reviewed experiments in the literature and commercially available experiments were evaluated using the rubric, revealing a diversity of uses for the word inquiry. The modified rubric provides a valid and reliable standard of measure for chemists to examine their laboratory curriculum. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2007, 8 (2), 212-219.]
GROWTH PLASTICITY WITH CHANGING DIET IN THE LAND SNAIL PATERA APPRESSA (POLYGYRIDAE)

Diets of most snail species are unstudied, but the diets of non-native snails are of special interest because these species may be pests or compete with native species. We tested whether the apparent leaf-litter diet of a colony of the non-native land snail Patera appressa from a plant nursery was adequate to support growth, and whether growth rate could be altered by changing diet. Growth was tested in two laboratory experiments using combinations of leaf litter and live plant matter (romaine lettuce). In the first experiment, snails were given a diet of litter, lettuce or both. In the second experiment, the snails from the first experiment were all given both litter and lettuce, and additional colony snails were given only litter (i.e. loss of lettuce). Snails showed rapid growth with live plant material and stunted growth on a diet of only leaf litter, indicating that leaf litter alone is not a good diet and that the snails are likely consuming live plants at the nursery. Changing the diet revealed growth plasticity. The addition of live plant material reversed the previously stunted growth on a litter-only diet, and the stunted snails caught up in size with non-stunted snails. Under conditions of changing food resources, growth plasticity enables large size at maturity, which likely has fitness consequences.
Adaptive binary arithmetic coding for multi-media applications

An adaptive binary arithmetic coder serves as a universal component for data compression when coupled with an appropriate model structure or context-selection for conditional probability distributions. Appropriate model structures have been developed for files of 8-b/byte data for digital gray-scale images, for binary images, and for digitized speech. The flexibility of arithmetic coding allows the modeling of the data to be done independently. With Huffman coding, statistical models must be selected in view of coding limitations. Moreover, arithmetic coding permits the adaptive determination of both the contexts and the statistics based on the changing statistics of the source data. >
β-Cell Dysfunction Due to Increased ER Stress in a Stem Cell Model of Wolfram Syndrome

Wolfram syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in WFS1 and is characterized by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness. To investigate the cause of β-cell failure, we used induced pluripotent stem cells to create insulin-producing cells from individuals with Wolfram syndrome. WFS1-deficient β-cells showed increased levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress molecules and decreased insulin content. Upon exposure to experimental ER stress, Wolfram β-cells showed impaired insulin processing and failed to increase insulin secretion in response to glucose and other secretagogues. Importantly, 4-phenyl butyric acid, a chemical protein folding and trafficking chaperone, restored normal insulin synthesis and the ability to upregulate insulin secretion. These studies show that ER stress plays a central role in β-cell failure in Wolfram syndrome and indicate that chemical chaperones might have therapeutic relevance under conditions of ER stress in Wolfram syndrome and other forms of diabetes.
Directional coupling antennas applied to absorber lined chambers and OATS problems

A measurement method for reflections on OATS or anechoic chambers is presented. Reflection coefficients of absorbing materials are shown. The method is based on directional coupling antennas and can be used for different incident angles.
POLITICAL MANIPULATION OF URBAN SPACE: THE RAZING OF DISTRICT SIX, CAPE TOWN

District Six was a mixed-race residential area located in the heart of Cape Town. Although physically run down and overcrowded, it was prized for the sense of place and belonging it gave to its occupants. Under the provisions of apartheid's Group Areas legislation, the area was proclaimed in 1966 for settlement exclusively by white people. Amid unprecedented opposition, during the ensuing two decades some 55,000 people were displaced, being moved to the distant, custom-built townships established on the Cape Flats for so-called "coloureds." The redeveloped District Six landscape reflects a prolonged and bitter contest over the political domination of urban space.
Improving Reading Comprehension and Fluency Outcomes for Adolescents With Emotional-Behavioral Disorders: Recent Research Synthesized

As the reading difficulties experienced by students with emotional-behavioral disorders (EBD) receive more attention, the corresponding call for evidence-based practices has become more pronounced. We conducted a systematic review of comprehension and fluency interventions for middle and high school students with EBD served outside of the general education classroom in the years since the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). This literature synthesis represents a response to previous reviews to provide an updated state of the field regarding reading intervention research for students with EBD. The nine studies meeting inclusion criteria, all of which employed a single-subject design, contained a variety of intervention procedures and practices. Results indicated an increased amount of research involving middle and high school students with EBD. Effect sizes are reported, in addition to implications and recommendations for school-based practitioners and directions for future rese...
Economics Of Freedom: An Empirical Analysis

Human freedom, and therefore, quality of life in many countries of the world have been restricted and diminished. Economic freedom and a controversial issue of interrelationship between economic and political freedom are empirically examined here. In several empirical estimations, embodying 155 countries of the world, some tight as well as statistically significant relationships are detected between economic freedom, on the one hand, and civil liberties, political rights, and political freedom, on the other.
Synthesis of poly(4‐hydroxystyrene)‐based block copolymers containing acid‐sensitive blocks by living anionic polymerization

Living anionic polymerization of an acetal protected 4-hydroxystyrene monomer, (4-(2-tetrahydropyranyloxy)styrene) (OTHPSt), and the chain extension of the poly(OTHPSt) anion with a variety of monomers including styrene, 4-tert-butylstyrene, methacryloyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MAPOSS) and hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane is demonstrated. The P(OTHPSt) homopolymer has a glass transition temperature well above room temperature, which facilitates handling and purification of the protected poly(4-hydroxystyrene) (PHS). The resulting diblock copolymers have narrow dispersities <1.05. Chemoselective mild deprotection conditions for the P(OTHPSt) block were identified to prevent simultaneous degradation of the MAPOSS or dimethylsiloxane (DMS) block, thus allowing for the first reported synthesis of P(HS-b-DMS) and P(HS-b-MAPOSS). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1458–1468
Neural substrates of discriminative avoidance learning and classical eyeblink conditioning in rabbits: a double dissociation

In a previous study, lesions of the deep cerebellar nuclei blocked classical eyeblink conditioning, but did not impair discriminative avoidance learning in rabbits. Here, as also found previously, lesions of the anterior and medial dorsal thalamic nuclei severely impaired discriminative avoidance learning. However, these lesions had no impact on discriminative eyeblink conditioning or reversal learning. These results complete the demonstration of a double dissociation, indicating distinct neural substrates for the acquisition of these learned behaviors. It is proposed that the two learning circuits identified by these studies mediate, respectively, acquisition of specific adaptive reflexes and whole-body, voluntary goal-directed movements.
Optimal placement of training for channel estimation and tracking

The problem of training symbol placement for the estimation of a block-fading channel is first considered. The channel is frequency selective with correlated random taps. The Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) on the mean square error (MSE) of channel estimators is derived and minimized with respect to the pilot symbols and their placement. It is shown that, among all orthogonal pilot sequence placements, the minimum CRB is achieved by concentrating pilot and data powers in the middle of the packet. The placement of training for tracking time-varying channels is then addressed. Both flat and frequency selective fading environments are considered. We optimized training by minimizing the MSE of channel estimators chosen from optimal and sub-optimal tracking algorithms.
Surface chemistry of hydrazine on Pt(111)

Abstract The thermal decomposition of hydrazine, N2H4, adsorbed on a Pt(111) surface at 60 K has been investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD), high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and temperature programmed secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TPSIMS). Condensed multilayer and chemisorbed states of hydrazine can be distinguished. Submonolayer hydrazine coverages start to decompose between 150 and 200 K by dissociation of NH, not NN, bonds. In TPD, H2, NH3, and N2 all peak near 310 K. N2 and NH2 desorb in processes limited by the rates of the reactions forming them. N2 is formed by an intramolecular process. No nitrogen containing species are detected above 400 K in HREELS or XPS. Depending on the surface coverage and temperature, dihydrogen desorption is probably limited by both the recombination rate and the rate of NH cleavage. We propose that: (1) the low temperature NH bond cleavage and the retention of NN bonds are facilitated by the chemisorption of N2H4 through both nitrogen atoms, and (2) relative to the N-metal bond, the H-metal bond is stronger on Pt(111). As a result, the barrier to NH cleavage is lowered much more than the barrier to NN cleavage, and the former is preferred.
Prognostic significance of the diameter of perineural invasion in radical prostatectomy specimens.

We assessed whether the quantification of cancer invasion into the perineural space influences the prognosis of patients treated with radical prostatectomy. We conducted a retrospective study of clinical and pathologic features in 640 consecutive patients with clinical stage Tla-T3bNXM0 prostate cancer who were treated with radical retropubic prostatectomy by the same surgeon between 1989 and 1995. None had received preoperative hormonal therapy or radiotherapy. Detailed pathologic analysis, including the presence and maximum diameter of perineural invasion (PNI), was performed by 2 pathologists. Treatment failure was defined as either a serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level > 0.4 ng/mL and rising or initiation of adjuvant therapy. The median follow-up time was 48 months (range, 1 to 111 months). Overall, PNI was detected in 477 patients (75%). The progression-free 5-year probability rate after prostatectomy for patients with PNI was 70% +/- 3% compared with 94% +/- 2% for patients without PNI (P or =0.75 mm (P =.002) were free of progression. In a Cox proportional hazard analysis, the PNI diameter was an independent predictor of prognosis. These results support that the measurement of the PNI diameter, easily recorded from prostatectomy specimens, could add important information to the prognosis of prostate cancer patients. Controversy regarding the significance of PNI may result from the lack of quantitative assessment of PNI in previous studies.
MRI analysis of sulcation morphology in polymicrogyria

Polymicrogyria (PMG) is a malformation of cortical development in which the process of normal cortical development is interrupted during the late stages of neuronal migration and during the stages of cortical organization; the result is the abnormal development of the deeper layers of the cerebral cortex and the formation of multiple small gyri. Patients with polymicrogyria may present with developmental delay, focal neurologic signs and symptoms, or epilepsy, depending upon the portion(s) of brain involved. Affected patients may be micro-, normo-, or macrocephalic (Dobyns et al., 2008). Polymicrogyria may be associated with congenital infection (Barkovich and Linden, 1994, Wright et al., 1997), in utero ischemia (Hallervorden, 1949), or chromosomal mutations (Kuzniecky, 1994, Bingham et al., 1998, Leventer et al., 2001, Piao et al., 2002, Villard et al., 2002, Roll et al., 2006, Dobyns et al., 2008). No difference in neurologic manifestations has been detected in patients who have polymicrogyria of different causes (Guerrini et al., 1992, Barkovich and Linden, 1994, Barkovich and Kjos, 1992), but the severity of the clinical presentation depends upon the extent of cortical involvement; bilateral involvement and involvement of more than half of a single hemisphere are poor prognostic indicators, portending moderate to severe developmental delay and significant motor dysfunction (Barkovich and Kjos, 1992). Polymicrogyria has a range of histologic appearances, all having in common a derangement of the normal six-layered lamination of the cortex (Evrard et al., 1989), with an associated derangement of sulcation. Thus, it would seem likely that the gross morphologic appearance of polymicrogyria might vary, as well, perhaps depending upon the underlying cause or the pattern of distribution of the anomalous sulcation within the brain. However, this topic has not heretofore been addressed in the literature. We report the imaging characteristics of a large number of patients with polymicrogyria and attempt to determine specific sulcation patterns and their variability.
The Old Public Administration is the New Jurisprudence

"The principles of administration," long discredited in public administration, have found a new home: constitutional law. The jurisprudence of the Burger-Rehnquist Court, which appears incoherent to many legal scholars, is actually quite coherent with the "old public administration's" principles. This article reviews major cases in several different areas of the law, including due process, search and seizure, and separation of powers to demonstrate this coherence and explores its normative significance. Particular attention is given to the question of official immunity.
An economical electronic point-of-sale/updating system

A major trend in the business world is toward more complete record keeping of business performance. The demands of government (federal, state and municipal) are ever increasing for purposes of tax evaluations. In addition, business executives are interested in obtaining more complete information, within the shortest delay period, pertaining to their company's financial operations. For the past half century one of the basic tools used in businesses to record transaction data is the cash register. Throughout these years, the cash register has kept pace with the times, offering improved features to meet the business demands. However, this mechanical device has serious inherent limitations in its totalling and counting capabilities and its means of communicating with data processing systems.
Liquid Optical Fibers

A small-diameter jet of a transparent liquid having a refractive index greater than the surrounding medium can entrap a light beam and act as an optical fiber. The liquid stream can be bent through quite large angles and will still retain the light. Electrically controlled bending of the liquid stream, and hence the light beam, has been achieved directly by means of electrostatic forces and indirectly by the use of hydraulic devices and associated transducers. Several ways have been demonstrated for separating the light from the liquid stream. The liquid optical fiber principle can be used for building both analog and digital one- or two-dimensional light deflectors.
Forsterite dissolution and magnesite precipitation at conditions relevant for deep saline aquifer storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide

The products of forsterite dissolution and the conditions favorable for magnesite precipitation have been investigated in experiments conducted at temperature and pressure conditions relevant to geologic carbon sequestration in deep saline aquifers. Although forsterite is not a common mineral in deep saline aquifers, the experiments offer insights into the effects of relevant temperatures and PCO2 levels on silicate mineral dissolution and subsequent carbonate precipitation. Mineral suspensions and aqueous solutions were reacted at 30 °C and 95 °C in batch reactors, and at each temperature experiments were conducted with headspaces containing fixed PCO2 values of 1 and 100 bar. Reaction products and progress were determined by elemental analysis of the dissolved phase, geochemical modeling, and analysis of the solid phase using scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The extent of forsterite dissolution increased with both increasing temperature and PCO2. The release of Mg and Si from forsterite was stoichiometric, but the Si concentration was ultimately controlled by the solubility of amorphous silica. During forsterite dissolution initiated in deionized water, the aqueous solution reached supersaturated conditions with respect to magnesite; however, magnesite precipitation was not observed for reaction times of nearly four weeks. Magnesite precipitation was observed in a series of experiments with initial solution compositions that simulated extensive forsterite dissolution. The precipitation of magnesite appears to be limited by the process of nucleation, and nucleation requires a critical saturation index between 0.25 and 1.14 at 95 °C and 100 bar PCO2. Magnesite precipitation is fastest in the presence of an initial magnesite seed. Although magnesite precipitates do form on the surfaces of forsterite particles, the presence of the forsterite surface does not significantly accelerate magnesite precipitation relative to solid-free systems.
Topic neutrality and the parity thesis: a surrejoinder to Williams

In an important paper, Clifford Williams advanced a Lockean-style argument to justify the parity thesis, viz., that there is no intellectual advantage to Christian physicalism or Christian dualism. In an article in Religious Studies I offered a critique of Williams's parity thesis and he has published a rejoinder to me in the same journal centring on my rejection of topic neutrality as an appropriate way to set up the mind–body debate. In this surrejoinder to Williams, I present his three main arguments and respond to each: (1) The dualist rejection of topic neutrality is flawed because it expresses a conceptual approach to the mind–body problem instead of the preferable empirical approach. The latter favours physicalism and, in any case, clearly supports topic neutrality. (2) If the dualist rejects the first argument, then a second parity thesis can be advanced in which an essentialist view of soul and the brain are presented in which each is essentially a thinking and feeling entity. Thus, an essentialist parity thesis is preserved. (3) If the dualist rejects the second argument, a new topic neutrality emerges in the dialectic, so topic neutrality is unavoidable. Against the first argument, I claim that Williams makes two central confusions that undermine his case and that he fails to show how the mind–body debate can be settled empirically. Against the second argument, I claim that it leaves Williams vulnerable to a topic-neutral approach to God and it merely proffers a verbal shift with a new dualism between normal and ‘special’ matter. Against the third argument, I point out that it misrepresents the dualist viewpoint and leads to two counterintuitive features that follow from topic neutrality.
Boswellia carterii Extract Inhibits TH1 Cytokines and Promotes TH2 Cytokines In Vitro

Traditional herbal formulas used to treat inflammatory arthritis in China and India include Boswellia carterii or Boswellia serrata. They both contain boswellic acids (BAs) which have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic properties. This study tests the hypothesis that mixtures of BAs derived from B. carterii have immunomodulatory properties. B. carterii plant resin obtained from China was prepared as an ethanol extract, and the presence of seven BAs was confirmed by column chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and UV laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectroscopy. The extract was then tested for its ability to alter in vitro production of TH1 cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2] and gamma interferon) and TH2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) by murine splenocytes. Delivery of the resin extract using ethanol as a solvent resulted in significant cellular toxicity not seen with the addition of ethanol alone. By contrast, delivery of the resin extract using a sesame oil solvent resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of TH1 cytokines coupled with a dose-dependent potentiation of TH2 cytokines. These results indicate that a purified mixture of BAs from B. carterii plant resin exhibits carrier-dependent immunomodulatory properties in vitro.
International leadership in the control of biological weapons.

Ambassador Richard Butlera This discussion focuses on international control of biological weapons. I’ve spent more than a quarter of a century of my professional career involved in international efforts to control and reduce weapons of mass destruction (WMDS). However, I do have to enter this disclaimer: I am not a biologist. As I glitteringly display to you my ignorance of the subject of which probably 99.9% of you are the experts, please forgive me. My reason for accepting this invitation is because I deeply believe in the business of controlling WMDs, and I know enough about their biological expression to know they constitute the greatest threat to us that is visible today and will be with us for some time. When I was asked, therefore, to come to this truly important conference and talk about the international aspects of controlling biological weapons, my first response was, “Are you sure? Don’t you want a real biologist?” They said, “No, we want you to talk about what you’ve done and where you’ve been.” I said, “Well, because your cause is just and the subject is so crucial, I’ll have a shot at it.” That’s my extended apology and introduction. You’re all now suitably primed. So I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. Those are notes. It’s not a set speech. I’m going to open my heart to you and tell you some stuff that I believe and know from personal experience to be true, and I’m going to chance it with you. It’s my gift and tribute to you because of who you are and what you’re doing. I’m going to chance with you for the first time anywhere some ideas that I’ve been working on regarding how we might try and cut this terrible knot that we face with respect to the biological weapons convention. I preface this discussion with a true story from my time in Iraq, because this story, apart from being interesting, has some of the key elements and problems with which we are all dealing regarding biological weapons. This story starts in 1991, when, after Iraq’s ejection from Kuwait, the Security Council required that any biological weapons Iraq had created and the means with which to make them be taken away. The language in Resolution 687, which is international law under Article 25 of the charter, was that these things must be “destroyed, removed, or rendered harmless.” All biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons were specified, but I’m talking about biology, all biological
Description of the occlusion of the spinal cord lumen in early human embryos.

Previous studies of both chick and human embryos have shown that the brain enlarges rapidly once the neural tube becomes a closed, fluid-filled system. Prior to such enlargement, the medial walls of the spinal cord appear fused, occluding the lumen. This study describes occlusion of the lumen in terms of its incidence, location along the neuroaxis, time of occurrence, duration of occurrence, and morphology in human embryos. Eighty-two human embryos (stages 9-15) from the Carnegie Collection were analyzed. Occlusion first occurs (and is most prevalent) in stage 11 embryos and is absent in embryos older than stage 13. In all cases examined, the neuroaxis demonstrated uninterrupted occlusion from the level of the third pair of somites to at least the ninth pair (i.e., approximately 60% of the neuroaxis was occluded). The appearance of the occluded neural tube in cross sections is similar to that of a soda straw that has been pinched between one's fingers.
Organized ambivalence: when sickle cell disease and stem cell research converge

Objective. This article analyzes sickle cell patient families’ responses to stem cell transplant recruitment efforts. It identifies key dynamics that explain why sickle cell patient families are not undergoing stem cell transplants at the rate of other patient populations. It challenges the conventional focus on ‘African-American distrust’ as a set of attitudes grounded in collective memories of past abuses and projected on to current initiatives, by examining the sociality of distrust produced daily in the clinic and reinforced in broader politics of health investment. Design. It draws upon a two-year multi-sited ethnography of a US-based stem cell research and cures initiative. Fieldwork included participant observation in a state stem cell agency, a publicly-funded stem cell transplant program, a sickle cell clinic, and semi-structured, open-ended interviews with caregivers and stem cell research stakeholders, all of which were subject to qualitative analysis. Findings and implications. This paper find...
Magnetism of Nanoclusters and Nanocluster-Assembled Thin Films

The new nanomaterials is synthesized by controlling independently the incident cluster size, concentration and nanostructures to have a wide variety of controlled optical, electronic, magnetic, mechanical and chemical properties for many technological applications. Cluster size distribution and nanocrystalline structures have been studied by TOF, AFM, SEM and HRTEM. Magnetic properties of nanoclusters and nanocluster-assembled materials have been investigated by SQUID and MFM. The dependence of magnetization is found on the cluster size and the volume fraction of Co (or Fe) clusters in Cu, SiO2 and Fe (or Co). First-principle calculations are used to analyze the experimental data in terms of the cluster-matrix interface effects and the intercluster exchange interactions. For further understanding the nature of these cluster-assembled films, magnetic X-ray circular dichroism (MXCD) measurements have been performed. A more enhanced magnetic moment and and orbital moment will be discussed.
In Silico Predictive Modeling of CRISPR/Cas9 guide efficiency

The CRISPR/Cas9 system provides unprecedented genome editing capabilities; however, several facets of this system are under investigation for further characterization and optimization, including the choice of guide RNA that directs Cas9 to target DNA. In particular, given that one would like to target the protein-coding region of a gene, hundreds of guides satisfy the basic constraints of the CRISPR/Cas9 Protospacer Adjacent Motif sequence (PAM); however, not all of these guides actually generate gene knockouts with equal efficiency. Leveraging a broad set of experimental measurements of guide knockout efficiency, we introduce a state-of-the art in silico modeling approach to identify guides that will lead to more effective gene knockout. We first investigated which guide and gene features are critical for prediction (e.g., single- and di-nucleotide identity of the gene target), which are helpful (e.g., thermodynamics), and which are predictive but redundant (e.g., microhomology). We also investigated evaluation measures for comparing predictive models in the present context, suggesting that Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve is not ideal. Finally, we explored a variety of different model classes and found that use of gradient-boosted regression trees produced the best predictive performance. Pointers to our open-source software, code, and prediction server will be available at http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/azimuth.
Isolated Anomalies in Westerly Jet Streams: A Unified Approach

Abstract A weakly nonlinear theory is presented that may explain the persistence of the two main types of low-frequency anomalies observed in the midlatitude jet stream by Dole and Gordon (1983). The theory describes how nonlinearity can balance dispersion effects for both split jet stream anomalies (which resemble blocking flows) and for jet intensification anomalies. It is shown that the variation of the potential or refractive-index function ≡ dq/dψ across the jet stream is crucial for determining which types of anomaly will tend to persist. Although the theory is only weakly nonlinear it is argued that the same dynamical mechanisms will remain important in the high-amplitude regime particularly for the intense-jet anomalies. In the split anomalies the potential vorticity contours can easily become closed at high amplitude hence trapping air parcels (this is the origin of the strongly nonlinear modon solutions). However, even for very strong intense-jet anomalies the potential vorticity contours may re...
The Impact of Lifelong Learning on Communities

Development, like so many other words in the discourse surrounding adult learning, sounds on the surface unobjectionable, even benign. Education, learning, training, change, development – these can only be good, only improving, can’t they? My position is that these terms are always problematic; that is, that although they seem on the surface to be empirically neutral, when they are employed in speech and used to justify action they are always normatively based, always representing a set of interests deemed to be inherently desirable by those holding them. In this chapter, I want to explain more fully how normative and empirical elements are always interwoven in understandings of community development. I also want to argue that the concept of community development can be reframed in a way that grounds it in the normative pursuit of true democracy – a democracy that is participatory and economic. As part of this reframing I need to examine the learning tasks facing adults that this notion of community entails. These are learning to develop a worldview in which individual and collective well-being are seen as fundamentally interwoven, learning to develop agency, and learning to develop collective forms of association, communication and production.
DSM in Philosophyland: Curiouser and Curiouser

In this chapter I cover three topics areas of conceptual importance in the development of a psychiatric nosology. The first is the epistemological status of psychiatric diagnoses. Do the diagnostic constructs represent a realistic representation of the psychopathology they attempt to depict? Or are they simply social constructs developed by the nosologists that bare no relation to the real world? Or, finally, are they constructs that attempt to depict the world of psychopathology, and that do so in a flawed, uncertain way? I argue for the third alternative, and against the purely realist and the purely constructivist versions of our diagnostic constructs. In the second part of the paper I take up the question of definition of mental illness. None of the efforts at formulating a satisfactory definition, including that of my own DSM-IV, have succeeded in this effort, but we need the definition and should live with our best effort. Finally, I discuss the question of whether, in the construction of the DSM-5, we should take a conservative or aggressive approach toward making changes in the new manual. For DSM-5 I argue for the approach we assumed with DSM-IV. Since the science is still not in place to justify major changes in the new manual, we should be quite conservative in the matter of introducing change.
Elevated glucose and oligomeric β-amyloid disrupt synapses via a common pathway of aberrant protein S -nitrosylation

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increase risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The molecular mechanism for this association remains poorly defined. Here we report in human and rodent tissues that elevated glucose, as found in MetS/T2DM, and oligomeric β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide, thought to be a key mediator of AD, coordinately increase neuronal Ca2+ and nitric oxide (NO) in an NMDA receptor-dependent manner. The increase in NO results in S-nitrosylation of insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), thus inhibiting insulin and Aβ catabolism as well as hyperactivating mitochondrial fission machinery. Consequent elevation in Aβ levels and compromise in mitochondrial bioenergetics result in dysfunctional synaptic plasticity and synapse loss in cortical and hippocampal neurons. The NMDA receptor antagonist memantine attenuates these effects. Our studies show that redox-mediated posttranslational modification of brain proteins link Aβ and hyperglycaemia to cognitive dysfunction in MetS/T2DM and AD.
Cadherin Junctions in Mammary Tumors

Cadherins are the transmembrane component of adherens junctions found between interacting cells in tissues. The cadherins bind cells to one another in a specific manner and link to the actin cytoskeleton through intracellular catenins. In addition to promoting strong cell-cell adhesion, cadherins appear to initiate and modify intracellular signaling pathways. The loss of E-cadherin function in epithelial cells is thought to be an important step in tumorigenesis. Moreover, anomalous expression of inappropriate cadherins in epithelial cells alters their behavior and may contribute to the tumorigenic phenotype. For breast cancer the decreased expression of E-cadherin alone may have limited value as a prognostic indicator; however, examining the repertoire of cadherins and catenins expressed by tumors may provide useful prognostic information.