cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kerr-McGee and the NRC: From Indian country to silkwood to Gore

By focusing upon the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's appraisal of the Kerr-McGee Corporation's safety record in the Four Corners area and at two facilities in Oklahoma, this article examines the political economy of nuclear regulation in American society. Particular attention is given to the agency's response to intervenor groups which protested various operations at Kerr-McGee facility in Gore, Oklahoma, both prior to and following the accidental rupture of a cylinder containing uranium hexafluoride. Despite a consistent record of violations and nuclear mishaps by Kerr-McGee, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission permitted the company to essentially monitor its own activities. Rather than protecting workers and the public from the hazards of the nuclear industry, state regulation attempts to legitimize and defuse public opposition to its endeavors.
A perspective on lyssavirus emergence and perpetuation

Rabies is propagated globally by viruses in the Family Rhabdoviridae, Genus Lyssavirus. These RNA viruses utilize the mammalian central nervous system as their ultimate niche, and exploit routine social mechanisms, as well as host behavioral alterations, to facilitate transmission by neural transport and innervations of the salivary glands, and ultimately excretion via the saliva, towards circulation thereafter in host populations. All mammals are susceptible to infection, but lyssavirus reservoirs are represented by several species of Carnivora, with viral global diversity and distribution in toto driven by a wide variety of the Chiroptera. Pathogen diversity is maintained by multiple faunas, and facilitated by pronounced host vagility, as exemplified by the ease of routine daily and seasonal movements by bats. Viral 'ensembles', or subpopulations associated with productive transmission events, emerge locally in vivo through a combination of naive host infections in some individuals versus acquired immunity by others, using complex metapopulation dynamics. Enhanced surveillance, improved diagnostics, increased pathogen detection, and an integrated One Health approach, targeting human, domestic animal and wildlife interfaces, provide modern insights to the ecology of bat lyssaviruses to augment future prevention and control.
Genomic profiling identifies alterations in TGFβ signaling through loss of TGFβ receptor expression in human renal cell carcinogenesis and progression

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a major health issue. Whereas localized disease can be cured surgically, there is no effective therapy for metastatic disease. The development of an effective therapy will require an understanding of the pathways that are important in RCC carcinogenesis and progression. Using genomic profiling of patient-matched tissue, we have identified aberrations in the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathway in RCC. We observed loss of type III TGFβ receptor (TBR3) expression in all RCC samples. This suggests that TBR3 loss is an early event in RCC carcinogenesis and plays a sentinel role in the acquisition of a tumorigenic phenotype. We also observed subsequent loss of type II TGFβ receptor (TBR2) expression in metastatic RCCs. We propose that loss of TBR3 is necessary for RCC carcinogenesis, and that loss of TBR2 leads to acquisition of a metastatic phenotype. To this end, we have identified a human renal cell carcinoma line (UMRC6) that is representative of localized, nonmetastatic RCC, reflecting a loss of TBR3, but not TBR2 expression. Another cell line, UMRC3, is highly metastatic, having lost TBR3 and TBR2 expression. We demonstrate functional loss of TGFβ responsiveness in these cell lines as observed through phenotypic and transcriptional responsiveness to exogenous TGFβ. Restoring TBR2 and TBR3 expression in UMRC3 cells attenuates cell proliferation, completely restores TGFβ-mediated transcriptional responses, and completely blocks anchorage independent-growth: while restoration of TBR2 partially restores TGFβ-mediated signaling. Based on these data, we propose that dysregulation in TGFβ signaling, through stepwise loss in receptor expression, plays a prominent role in RCC carcinogenesis and progression. In addition, these studies unequivocably demonstrate a link between loss of TBR3 and a human disease.
Understanding Judgments of Fairness in a Real-World Political Context: A Test of the Value Protection Model of Justice Reasoning

Current theories of justice emphasize social identity reasons for why people care about justice to the relative neglect of personal identity concerns, that is, people’s need to express, defend, and live up to personal moral standards. The authors present a value protection model that predicts that self-expressive moral positions or stands (“moral mandates”) are important determinants of how people reason about fairness. Hypotheses were tested and supported in the context of a natural experiment: reactions of a national random sample of adults to the Elian Gonzalez case pre-raid, post-raid, and then post-resolution of the case. Models that included strength of moral mandates, but not pre-raid judgments of procedural fairness, best predicted reactions to the raid and post-resolution judgments of both procedural and outcome fairness and were associated with expressions of moral outrage and attempts to morally cleanse.
Fraction representations of non-linear systems and non-additive state feedback

Abstract The problem of constructing right-coprime fraction representations is considered for non-linear discrete-time systems possessing a continuous realization. It is shown that, given a static, possibly non-additive, state feedback that stabilizes the input/state part of the realization, a right-coprime fraction representation of the entire system can be constructed. The resulting coprime fraction representation has a particularly simple factorization space, and can be used to derive stabilizing controllers for the original system without state access. The construction of appropriate static state feedbacks is described in a companion paper (Hammer 1989 b).
Outcomes of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection undergoing cardiovascular surgery in the United States.

Introduction Advances in highly active antiretroviral therapy have dramatically improved the lifespan of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We sought to examine the impact of HIV status on outcomes in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Methods We identified 5,621,817 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve, aortic, or other cardiovascular surgery between 1998 and 2009 from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Of these, 9771 (0.17%) patients were seropositive for HIV. Using multivariable logistic regression modeling and 1:1 propensity-score matching, we determined the influence of HIV infection on outcomes. Results The percentage of HIV+ patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery increased significantly from 0.09% to 0.23%. HIV+ patients were more often male, black, younger than 55 years of age, and on Medicaid, and they were more likely to undergo valve and other cardiovascular surgeries, but less likely to have CABG. Among propensity-matched pairs, patients with HIV were at no increased risk for in-patient mortality. HIV+ patients were more likely to receive a blood transfusion and have any postoperative complication. Patients with HIV were less likely to have a postoperative stroke. Rates of pneumonia, renal complications, and wound infection were similar between the groups. The median length of stay and mean total cost were not different between the groups. Factors that predicted in-hospital death in HIV+ patients included metastatic cancer, coagulopathy, renal failure, and aortic, other, or combined surgical procedure. Conclusions Cardiovascular surgery can be performed safely on patients with HIV with no increased hospital mortality and only minimal increased need for blood transfusion.
Earliness-tardiness scheduling problems with a common delivery window

This paper deals with the scheduling of n jobs on a single machine to minimize the sum of weighted earliness and weighted number of tardy jobs given a delivery window. Penalties are not incurred if jobs are completed within the delivery window. The length of this delivery window (which corresponds to the time period within which the customer is willing to take deliveries) is a given constant. We consider two cases of the problem; one where the position of the delivery parameter (restricted window case). We present some optimal properties, prove that the problem (even for the unrestricted window case) is NP-complete, and present dynamic programming algorithms for both cases.
Linguistic representation of default values in frames

It is suggested that the default values associated with the slots in the construct of frames can be represented by possibility distributions. This idea is then used to help in the validation of a frame under observation of data.
Promoter methylation of HIN-1 in the progression to esophageal squamous cancer.

HIN-1 (High in normal-1) is a tumor suppressor gene that is highly expressed in many epithelial tissues, including breast lung, trachea, pancreas, prostrate, and salivary gland. Inactivation of HIN-1 expression by promoter methylation is frequent in many epithelial carcinomas and carcinoma-in-situ, including breast, lung, and nasopharyngeal. Because HIN-1 silencing commences at an early stage of malignant transformation in these tissues, it may be a useful marker for tumor presence. The status of HIN-1 regulation in esophageal cancer has not been previously reported. Thus, we analyzed 18 esophageal cancer cell lines for HIN-1 expression and methylation by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and methylation specific PCR (MSP). HIN-1 gene silencing and promoter methylation was present in 13 (72%) of the cell lines. Bisulfite-treated sequencing confirmed the methylation status in cell lines and demonstrated dense methylation of HIN-1 throughout the promoter region. Epigenetic changes of HIN-1 were examined th...
Process Qualification for a Mobile Robotic Welding System Through Manipulability

Advances in mobile robotics make these systems viable alternatives for developing new methods and techniques for manufacturing processes such as welding. When considering welding as a manufacturing process, the ability of the equipment to conduct the weld process must be verified. This step is called weld process validation and is generally conducted when a new machine or technique is introduced to the weld process. Traditionally, the weld validation process has focused on the electro-thermal aspects of the weld process, while the (human) welder qualification provides a certification step to ensure that an operator can perform the motion-control aspects of the weld operation while welding. The lack of industry standards for mechanized welding makes it difficult to introduce mobile robotic welding systems with validated performance in the market place. This paper will propose one approach to consider the motion control portion of the weld process validation for welding systems based on mobile robotic platforms. In particular, this paper will consider a skid-steer type mobile robot that is able to weld in flat, horizontal and vertical orientations. The paper will consider the motion-control portion of the weld validation process and will suggest a method that compares a mobile-robot-based welding process to a baseline (fixed-base track system) welding process through spanning manipulability ellipses. This approach allows general topologies of a mobile robotic welding system to be considered in a general way as a step to making mobile robotic welding a viable welding process.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Self-initiation mechanism in spontaneous thermal polymerization of ethyl and n-butyl acrylate: a theoretical study.

In this study, the mechanism of self-initiation in spontaneous thermal polymerization of ethyl and n-butyl acrylate is explored using first-principles calculations. Density functional theory (with ...
Interest rate volatility, exchange rates, and external contagion

US interest rate volatility and contagion effects (propagation of crises) are investigated using GARCH equations over the period 1993.01–1998.12. The period includes two main financial crises: the 1994 Mexican peso crisis and the 1997 Japanese yen crisis. Contagion is more likely to occur in cointegrated markets with available open channels. The purchasing power and interest parities' channels suggest that the domestic inflation rate reflects some influence of the foreign exchange rate. The results indicate that, although the bulk of the US interest volatility is idiosyncratic, spillovers from Mexican exchange rate changes are more likely to induce contagion effects on US interest rates than Japanese exchange rates, possibly because of increased capital flows after NAFTA. Further, unlike the floating rate of Japan, the Mexican fixed exchange rate encourages international capital flows.
A Bayesian mixed shrinkage prior procedure for spatial-stochastic basis selection and evaluation of gPC expansions

We propose a new fully Bayesian method to efficiently obtain the spectral representation of a spatial random field, which can conduct spatial-stochastic basis selection and evaluation of generalized Polynomial Chaos (gPC) expansions when the number of the available basis functions is significantly larger than the size of the training data-set. We develop a fully Bayesian stochastic procedure, called mixed shrinkage prior (MSP), which performs both basis selection and coefficient evaluation simultaneously. MSP involves assigning a prior probability to the gPC structure and assigning conjugate priors to the expansion coefficients that can be thought of as mixtures of Ridge-LASSO shrinkage priors, in augmented form. The method offers a number of advantages over existing compressive sensing methods in gPC literature, such that it recovers possible sparse structures in both stochastic and spatial domains while the resulting expansion can be re-used directly to economically obtain results at any spatial input values. Yet, it inherits all the advantages of Bayesian model uncertainty methods, e.g. accounts for uncertainty about basis significance and provides interval estimation through posterior distributions. A unique highlight of the MSP procedure is that it can address heterogeneous sparsity in the spatial domain for different random dimensions. Furthermore, it yields a compromise between Ridge and LASSO regressions, and hence combines a weak ( l 2 -norm) and strong ( l 1 -norm) shrinkage, in an adaptive, data-driven manner. We demonstrate the good performance of the proposed method, and compare it against other existing compressive sensing ones on elliptic stochastic partial differential equations.
Optical cavities for free electron lasers

Abstract Most early free electron laser (FEL) designs used simple optical cavities consisting of two concave dielectric mirrors. This type of optical cavity, though appropriate for proof of principle experiments, does not take advantage of the unique features of the FEL gain medium such as broadband tunability, high peak and average power and access to previously inaccessible wavelength ranges. This article will discuss various approaches which have been demonstrated or are under development to take advantage of these aspects of the FEL gain medium. The prospects and problems for each approach will be discussed. Broadband cavities have been demonstrated using holes in the mirrors, Brewster plate output coupling and a suspended intracavity mirror. High power designs using ring resonators and grazing incidence mirrors are now being developed. Access to the soft X-ray region may be accomplished using a whispering gallery ring resonator. The gain medium of the FEL does not store energy. Because of this fact, the peak power can only be increased by cavity dumping. Several techniques will be discussed which accomplish this. Interferometric and dispersive cavities are being studied to tailor the spectral or temporal behavior of the laser to a given specification. Finally, several new schemes will be presented which hold promise as future optical cavities for FELs.
Flavonol Content, Oil%, and Fatty Acid Composition Variability in Seeds of Teramnus Labialis and T. Uncinatus Accessions with Nutraceutical Potential

ABSTRACTTeramnus labialis and T. uncinatus are both underutilized legume species. Teramnus labialis is used as food in India while T. uncinatus has potential use in pasture mixes. Photoperiod-sensitive Teramnus accessions were grown in the greenhouse from 2010 to 2011 and evaluated for flavonol content, oil%, and fatty acid compositions. Significant variations for seed numbers produced, flavonol content, oil%, and fatty acid compositions were detected. Seed numbers ranged from 16 to 3,792 in both species. Teramnus accessions produced more quercetin (ranging from 0.615 to 2.228 mg/g) in their seeds than the other flavonols. However kaempferol and isorhamnetin content ranged from 0 to 0.066 and 0 to 0.086 mg/g (dry seed weight basis), respectively among all accessions. Oil% ranged from 2.65 to 5.64% and more oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids ranging from 6.69 to 25.97, 31.82 to 41.44, and 17.7 to 32.66%, respectively, were produced among all Teramnus accessions. The seeds from all Teramnus accessions als...
Managing Service Demand at the Point of Delivery

The component processes by which demand management at the point of delivery might be accomplished are presented. Overemphasis of the “professionalism” of service production and delivery can lead a service operation to miss important opportunities for increasing both efficiency and effectiveness. Demand management through “deprofessionalization” processes—including routinization, decoupling, delegation, and mechanization—involves a bidirectional matching process. The process is defined by three elements (customers, services, and delivery modes) and three functions (matching, segmenting, and channeling.)
The role of natural glasses as analogues in projecting the long-term alteration of high-level nuclear waste glasses: Part 1

The common observation of glasses persisting in natural environments for long periods of time (up to tens of millions of years) provides compelling evidence that these materials can be kinetically stable in a variety of subsurface environments. This paper reviews how natural and historical synthesized glasses can be employed as natural analogues for understanding and projecting the long-term alteration of high-level nuclear waste glasses. The corrosion of basaltic glass results in many of the same alteration features found in laboratory testing of the corrosion of high-level radioactive waste glasses. Evidence has also been found indicating similarities in the rate controlling processes, such as the effects of silica concentration on corrosion in groundwater and in laboratory leachates. Naturally altered rhyolitic glasses and tektites provide additional evidence that can be used to constrain estimates of long-term waste glass alteration. When reacted under conditions where water is plentiful, the corrosion for these glasses is dominated by network hydrolysis, while the corrosion is dominated by molecular water diffusion and secondary mineral formation under conditions where water contact is intermittent or where water is relatively scarce. Synthesized glasses that have been naturally altered result in alkali-depleted alteration features that are similar to those found for more » natural glasses and for nuclear waste glasses. The characteristics of these alteration features appear to be dependent on the alteration conditions which affect the dominant reaction processes during weathering. In all cases, care must be taken to ensure that the information being provided by natural analogues is related to nuclear waste glass corrosion in a clear and meaningful way. « less
Breast cancer after severe burn injury: coincidence or consequence?

: Malignant neoplasms arising in burn scars are well known but rarely encountered. We discuss personal experience with two patients, both female, who were diagnosed with advanced breast cancer many years after severe thermal injury to their breasts. Our experience, similar to the scant previously published data, reinforces that burn scars demand a high index of suspicion for the presence of an underlying malignant neoplasm. The literature and our study suggest that breast cancer may occur after severe thermal injury. Breast lesions in this or a similar clinical scenario should be considered malignant until proven otherwise, and a tissue diagnosis must be pursued without delay.
The effect of local and landscape-level characteristics on the abundance of forest birds in early-successional habitats during the post-fledging season in western Massachusetts.

Many species of mature forest-nesting birds (“forest birds”) undergo a pronounced shift in habitat use during the post-fledging period and move from their forest nesting sites into areas of early-successional vegetation. Mortality is high during this period, thus understanding the resource requirements of post-fledging birds has implications for conservation. Efforts to identify predictors of abundance of forest birds in patches of early-successional habitats have so far been equivocal, yet these previous studies have primarily focused on contiguously forested landscapes and the potential for landscape-scale influences in more fragmented and modified landscapes is largely unknown. Landscape composition can have a strong influence on the abundance and productivity of forest birds during the nesting period, and could therefore affect the number of forest birds in the landscape available to colonize early-successional habitats during the post-fledging period. Therefore, the inclusion of landscape characteristics should increase the explanatory power of models of forest bird abundance in early-successional habitat patches during the post-fledging period. We examined forest bird abundance and body condition in relation to landscape and habitat characteristics of 15 early-successional sites during the post-fledging season in Massachusetts. The abundance of forest birds was influenced by within-patch habitat characteristics, however the explanatory power of these models was significantly increased by the inclusion of landscape fragmentation and the abundance of forest birds in adjacent forest during the nesting period for some species and age groups. Our findings show that including factors beyond the patch scale can explain additional variation in the abundance of forest birds in early-successional habitats during the post-fledging period. We conclude that landscape composition should be considered when siting early-successional habitat to maximize its benefit to forest birds during the post-fledging period, and should also be included in future investigations of post-fledging habitat use by forest birds.
Sequential parathyroid hormone/alendronate therapy for osteoporosis--robbing Peter to pay Paul?

Although we currently have multiple Food and Drug Administration-approved antiresorptive therapies for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, the gains in vertebral bone mass approach only 6 ‐7% over 3 yr with single-agent antiresorptive therapy (1‐3) and up to 8 ‐9% over 3 yr with two antiresorptive agents given simultaneously (4). Because bone mass has often decreased an average of 30% when postmenopausal women experience fractures and greater increases in bone mass are associated with greater vertebral fracture reduction (5), investigators have, therefore, searched for an ideal agent(s) to increase bone formation while suppressing or maintaining the rate of bone resorption. Previous studies have shown that PTH stimulates both bone formation and resorption with a greater net impact on bone formation, resulting in an increase in bone mass, particularly in trabecular bone (6). However, the “presentation” of PTH is crucial. When PTH is given as a constant infusion to animals or in disease states such as hyperparathyroidism where the levels are constantly elevated, the result is a loss of bone, especially at cortical sites (6 ‐ 8). In contrast, like many other endocrine systems, when the hormone is presented in a pulsatile or intermittent fashion, it stimulates a net increase in bone mass at mainly trabecular sites. However, one concern with the anabolic agent PTH, when given as an intermittent injection, has been the potential trade-off of “robbing Peter to pay
Adult Age and Gender Differences in Perceptions of Facial Attractiveness: Beauty is in the Eye of the Older Beholder

ABSTRACT The authors examined ratings of facial attractiveness, rankings of faces, and reasons given by young, middle-aged, and older men and women for young, middle-aged, and older male and female face attractiveness. No support for predictions derived from similarity, interest, and cohort hypotheses was obtained. In support of the expertise hypothesis, young and middle-aged adults rated younger faces as more attractive than old faces, whereas older adults rated all aged faces equally. In support of the crone hypothesis, older female faces were rated the lowest of all faces. Theoretical implications and real-world applications are discussed.
Experimental effects of finite transmitter apertures on scintillations

The use of large transmitter apertures has been theoretically predicted to result in a substantial reduction of laser-beam scintillations under certain conditions. Experiments have been conducted on transmitter-aperture effects through turbulence, including photographic studies for qualitative interpretation, and measurements of log-amplitude variance, covariance, probability distributions, and the spectra of scintillations. It was found that the predicted reduction imposes strict requirements on transmitter optical adjustments, and will not be realized in the presence of significant beam wander. In the case of either transmitter misadjustment or strong turbulence, the beam at the receiver plane consists of a proliferation of transmitter-diffraction-scale patches, with large attendant scintillations. The theory suggests a novel means of reducing scintillations arising from a thin layer of turbulence at the tropopause in earth-to-space systems. Comparisons of the beam-wave analyses with results from a recent theory of reciprocity suggest a limited range of validity for the analytical predictions.
Is Putin the New de Gaulle? A Comparison of the Chechen and Algerian Wars

An expert on the conflict in Chechnya explores the parallels between France's Algerian war and Russia's war in Chechnya to understand why the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Chechen war have appeared so elusive. Using histories of the conflict, interviews, the accounts of journalists and participants, and scholarly analyses, comparisons are made on several dimensions, including the colonial histories of the two regions, new leaders' approaches to the conflicts, and gendered aspects of the wars. Possibilities for a peaceful resolution in Chechnya are considered in the context of the complex issues of how civil wars end.
Stories and Lives

Kirin Narayan. Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels: Folk Narrative in Hindu Religious Teaching. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989. xi. 285 pp. $39.95 (cloth); $12.95 (paper). Winner of the Victor Turner Prize for Ethnography, 1990.
An oxygen‐mediated positive feedback between elevated carbon dioxide and soil organic matter decomposition in a simulated anaerobic wetland

We examined the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on soil carbon decomposition in an experimental anaerobic wetland system. Pots containing either bare C4-derived soil or the C3 sedge Scirpus olneyi planted in C4-derived soil were incubated in greenhouse chambers at either ambient or twice-ambient atmospheric CO2. We measured CO2 flux from each pot, quantified soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization using δ13C, and determined root and shoot biomass. SOM mineralization increased in response to elevated CO2 by 83–218% (P<0.0001). In addition, soil redox potential was significantly and positively correlated with root biomass (P= 0.003). Our results (1) show that there is a positive feedback between elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations and wetland SOM decomposition and (2) suggest that this process is mediated by the release of oxygen from the roots of wetland plants. Because this feedback may occur in any wetland system, including peatlands, these results suggest a limitation on the size of the carbon sink presented by anaerobic wetland soils in a future elevated-CO2 atmosphere.
Measurement of the diffractive cross section in deep inelastic scattering using ZEUS 1994 data

The DIS diffractive cross section, $d\sigma^{di\!f\!f}_{\gamma^* p \to XN}/dM_X$ , has been measured in the mass range $M_X < 15$ GeV for $\gamma^*p$ c.m. energies $60 < W < 200$ GeV and photon virtualities $Q^2 = 7$ to 140 GeV $^2$ . For fixed $Q^2$ and $M_X$ , the diffractive cross section rises rapidly with $W$ , $d\sigma^{di\!f\!f}_{\gamma^*p \to XN}(M_X,W,Q^2)/dM_X \propto W^{a^{diff}}$ with $a^{diff} = 0.507 \pm 0.034 (stat)^{+0.155}_{-0.046}(syst)$ corresponding to a t-averaged pomeron trajectory of $\overline{ \alpha_{_{{\mathbb P}}} } = 1.127 \pm 0.009 (stat)^{+0.039}_{-0.012} (syst)$ which is larger than $\overline{ \alpha_{_{{\mathbb P}}} }$ observed in hadron-hadron scattering. The W dependence of the diffractive cross section is found to be the same as that of the total cross section for scattering of virtual photons on protons. The data are consistent with the assumption that the diffractive structure function $F^{D(3)}_2$ factorizes according to $x_{_{{\mathbb P}}} F^{D(3)}_2 (x_{_{{\mathbb P}}},\beta,Q^2) = (x_0/ x_{_{{\mathbb P}}})^n F^{D(2)}_2(\beta,Q^2)$ . They are also consistent with QCD based models which incorporate factorization breaking. The rise of $x_{_{{\mathbb P}}} F^{D(3)}_2$ with decreasing $x_{_{{\mathbb P}}}$ and the weak dependence of $F^{D(2)}_2$ on $Q^2$ suggest a substantial contribution from partonic interactions.
Atomic refinement with correlated solid-state NMR restraints

Abstract The orientation data provided by solid-state NMR can provide a great deal of structural information about membrane proteins. The quality of the information provided is, however, somewhat degraded by sign degeneracies in measurements of the dipolar coupling tensor. This is reflected in the dipolar coupling penalty function used in atomic refinement, which is less capable of properly restraining atoms when dipolar sign degeneracies are present. In this report we generate simulated solid-state NMR data using a variety of procedures, including back-calculation from crystal structures of α-helical and β-sheet membrane proteins. We demonstrate that a large fraction of the dipolar sign degeneracies are resolved if anisotropic dipolar coupling measurements are correlated with anisotropic chemical shift measurements, and that all sign degeneracies can be resolved if three data types are correlated. The advantages of correlating data are demonstrated with atomic refinement of two test membrane proteins. When refinement is performed using correlated dipolar couplings and chemical shifts, perturbed structures converge to conformations with a larger fraction of correct dipolar signs than when data are uncorrelated. In addition, the final structures are closer to the original unperturbed structures when correlated data are used in the refinement. Thus, refinement with correlated data leads to improved atomic structures. The software used to correlate dipolar coupling and chemical shift data and to set up energy functions and their derivatives for refinement, CNS-SS02, is available at our web site.
In vivo incorporation of acetate-1-C14 into cholesterol and fatty acids following testosterone propionate administration.

The administration of testosterone propionate for three weeks resulted in an increased incorporation of sodium acetate-1-C14 into cholesterol and fatty acids. This increased conversion was evident in both the plain-mash and the atherogenic-diet cockerels. Thus, the hypocholesterolemic effect of testosterone propionate is not the result of a decreased synthesis of cholesterol and/or fatty acids. In addition, a trend towards lowering of the plasma and tissue cholesterol levels of the atherogenic-diet animals is indicated.
A simple and fast method to study the hydrodynamic size difference of protein disulfide isomerase in oxidized and reduced form using gold nanoparticles and dynamic light scattering

The hydrodynamic dimension of a protein is a reflection of both its molecular weight and its tertiary structures. Studying the hydrodynamic dimensions of proteins in solutions can help elucidate the structural properties of proteins. Here we report a simple and fast method to measure the hydrodyamic size of a relatively small protein, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), using gold nanoparticle probes combined with dynamic light scattering. Proteins can readily adsorb to citrate-capped gold nanoparticles to form a protein corona. By measuring the average diameter of the gold nanoparticles before and after protein corona formation, the hydrodynamic diameter of the protein can be deduced from the net particle size increase of the assay solution. This study found that when the disulfide bonds in PDI are reduced to thiols, the reduced PDI exhibits a smaller hydrodynamic diameter than the oxided PDI. This finding is in good agreement with the X-ray diffraction analysis of PDI in single crystals. In comparison with other techniques that are used for protein hydrodynamic size analysis, the current method is easy to use, requires a trace amount of protein samples, with results obtained in minutes instead of hours.
Biological Information and Natural Selection

What is ’biological information’? And how is it related to ‘complexity’? Is the ‘complexity’ of a cell the same thing as the ’complexity’ of a hurricane, or are there two kinds of complexity in nature, only one of which involves the transmission of ’information’? An account of biological information as a set of simplifying conventions used to coordinate the division of labor within cells is offered, and the question of why natural selection might tend to produce such systems of conventions is considered. The somewhat paradoxical role of mutations as occasionally-informative noise is considered, and a very simple formal model of the relationship between natural selection, complexity and information is developed and discussed in relation to adaptive landscapes. The question of whether we should expect evolution to slow down or speed up as the things that are evolving get more complicated is raised and dealt with. Finally, an epistemological moral is drawn, and briefly applied to the case of cancer.
THE STIMULATION OF BONE GROWTH BY VENOUS STASIS

1. Reports are presented from the literature which show that fractures with delayed union may be healed by venous stasis hyperaemia. 2. Cases are presented to confirm these reports. 3. Experiments are recorded which demonstrate accelerated union of bone in the presence of venous stasis.
Fast Sparse Cholesky Decomposition and Inversion using Nested Dissection Matrix Reordering.

Here we present an efficient, yet nonlinear scaling, algorithm for the computation of Cholesky factors of sparse symmetric positive definite matrices and their inverses. The key feature of this implementation is the separation of the task into an algebraic and a numeric part. The algebraic part of the algorithm attempts to find a reordering of the rows and columns which preserves at least some degree of sparsity and afterward determines the exact nonzero structure of both the Cholesky factor and its corresponding inverse. It is based on graph theory and does not involve any kind of numerical thresholding. This preprocessing then allows for a very efficient implementation of the numerical factorization step. Furthermore this approach even allows use of highly optimized dense linear algebra kernels which leads to yet another performance boost. We will show some illustrative timings of our sparse code and compare it to the standard library implementation and a recent sparse implementation using thresholding....
Time-resolved temperature measurements of laser- designated, microwave driven ignition

Measurements of the temperature field resulting from the interaction of laser-initiated, microwave driven plasma filaments in both air and nitrogen are presented. The evolution of the temperature field for single shot energy deposition by subcritical microwaves result in an energy deposition estimate of about 10 mJ—approximately twenty percent of the available energy of the microwave pulse. Temperatures of 1000 K are observed over a well-defined, and well-localized region corresponding to the designation by focusing of femtosecond laser pulses for the initiation of microwave energy deposition. Additionally, controlled energy deposition in multiple filaments is demonstrated. Remote energy addition through a combination of an ionizing seed laser pulse and subcritical microwave pulse offers the potential for remote ignition and external flow field modification.
Marni Goldman Tribute: Contributions to Materials Science Education

This symposium is a memorial to Dr. Marni Goldman. Although she never walked and had only limited use of her arms, Marni’s academic and professional accomplishments placed her in elite company. She obtained two bachelors degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of California at Berkeley. Even with a heavy course load, she was involved in educational outreach during her studies. She started her career as a Research Associate (Education Director) in Stanford’s NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies in 2000 and retained those responsibilities until her death in 2007. During this period she rapidly added the responsibilities as Education Director for Stanford’s Nanofabrication Facility and was ultimately named Associate Director of Stanford’s Office of Science Outreach. Marni was a dynamo whose activities at Stanford included a large summer undergraduate internship program, a Research Experiences for Teachers program (local and national activities), a program to bring community college students (especially minority students) to the campus, public science (San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation, San Francisco Exploratorium), outreach to high schools with high minority populations, and a program with summer internships for students with disabilities. Marni’s achievements are thanks in no small part to her extraordinary family, to her own intelligence and tenacity, and to a wide and loving circle of friends, drawn to her by the spirit of her determination and the unmistakable largeness of her heart.
Pb2+ reduces PKCs and NF-κB in vitro

The mechanism of lead (Pb2+)-induced neurotoxicity has not yet been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Pb2+ on several protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms and the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)–I-κB kinase-alpha (IKK-α) axis in cultured neuronal cells. Neurons were isolated from rat fetal brain at the 18th day of gestation of pregnant Sprague Dawley rats and cultured for 10 days before use. Neurons were exposed to Pb2+ at concentrations of 10−10, 10−9, 10−8, and 10−7 mol/L for 14 h and antigens of typical PKC-α,β,γ; novel PKC (e, δ), atypical PKC (λ), NF-κB (p50), and IKK-α were enriched by immunoprecipitation and determined by western blotting. Total, calcium-dependent and independent PKC activities were also determined by counting the transferred γ-32 P in the substrate-histone. The results indicated that inorganic Pb2+ significantly reduced all PKC isoforms (α,β,γ, e, λ) except δ, inhibiting the total, calcium-dependent and calcium-independent PKC activities in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, Pb2+ gradually reduced NF-κB (p50) and IKK-α protein levels. This suggests that Pb2+ exhibits varying preference for individual PKC isoforms but reduces the NF-κB–IKK-α axis to a similar extent.
Influence of Climate on Gypsy Moth Defoliation In Southern New England

Weather records in Massachusetts and Connecticut were compared with annual gypsy moth defoliation areas to isolate weather factors influencing the size of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), outbreaks using multiple regression and autoregression techniques. Warmer daily minimum temperatures around egg hatch (the first of May) and droughts in October during the preceding generation were significant predictors for higher overall acreages defoliated.
Time for a Different Approach to Lyme Disease and Long-Term Symptoms

The condition of most patients with Lyme disease improves after initial antibiotic therapy; however, 10 to 20% of treated patients may have lingering symptoms of fatigue, musculoskeletal pains, disrupted sleep, and lack of customary mental functions. The plausible idea that additional antimicrobial therapy for potentially persistent bacterial infection would foster improvement has been a touchstone of hope in the 40 years since discovery of the disease in the mid-1970s. Patients with long-standing symptoms and well-documented, previously treated Lyme disease have been the focus of a number of randomized, placebo-controlled studies in North America that assessed whether additional antibiotic therapy offers . . .
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor crosses the placenta and stimulates fetal rat granulopoiesis

We studied the effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) administration to pregnant rats upon fetal and neonatal myelopoiesis. Pregnant rats were treated with rhG-CSF twice daily for 2, 4, and 6 days before parturition. rhG-CSF crossed the placenta and reached peak fetal serum concentrations 4 hours after administration. Peak fetal serum levels were 1,000-fold lower than levels detected in the dam. Hematopoietic effects of rhG-CSF were assessed by cytologic analysis of the newborn blood, spleen, bone marrow, thymus, and liver. White blood cell counts were increased twofold to fourfold in newborns. This increase was due to circulating numbers of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). rhG-CSF induced a myeloid hyperplasia in the newborn marrow consisting of immature and mature myeloid cells in the day-2 and day-4 treated pups. Bone marrow of pups treated for 6 days contained mostly hyper-segmented PMN with little or no increase in myeloid precursors. An increase in the number of postmitotic (PMN, bands, and metamyelocytes) and mitotic (promyeloblasts, myeloblasts, and metamyeloblasts) myeloid cells in the spleen of neonates was observed. No change was detected in splenic lymphocytes or monocytes. No effect of rhG-CSF was noted in the newborn liver or thymus. These results demonstrate that maternally administered rhG-CSF crosses the placenta and specifically induces bone marrow and spleen myelopoiesis in the fetus and neonate. The significant myelopoietic effects of rhG-CSF at low concentrations in the fetus suggest an exquisite degree of developmental sensitivity to this cytokine and may provide enhanced defense mechanisms to the neonate.
Introduction to How Cities Will Save the World: Urban Innovation in the Face of Population Flows, Climate Change, and Economic Inequality

Cities are frequently viewed as passive participants to state and national efforts to solve the toughest urban problems. But the evidence suggests otherwise. Cities are actively devising innovative policy solutions and they have the potential to do even more. In “How Cities Will Save the World: Urban Innovation in the Face of Population Flows, Climate Change, and Economic Inequality” (Routledge, 2016), of which this work is the Introduction, a collection of authors examine current threats to communities across the U.S. and the globe. They draw on first-hand experience with, and accounts of, the crises already precipitated by climate change, population shifts, and economic inequality. This volume is distinguished, however, by its central objective of traveling beyond a description of problems and a discussion of their serious implications. Each of the thirteen chapters frame specific recommendations and guidance on the range of core capacities and interventions that 21st century cities would be prudent to consider in mapping their immediate and future responses to these critical problems. "How Cities Will Save the World" brings together authors with frontline experience in the fields of city redevelopment, urban infrastructure, healthcare, planning, immigration, historic preservation, and local government administration. They not only offer their ground level view of threats caused by climate change, population shifts, and economic inequality, but they provide solution-driven narratives identifying promising innovations to help cities tackle this century’s greatest adversities.
The Monitor of Pathogenic Differentiation of Verticillium.Dahliae from Cotton in Xinjiang

The paper focused on cultural character , pathogenic differentiation and vegetative compatibility of 35 strains from the main cotton productive regions in Xinjiang and 5 standard strains .According to the results of identification host' test, 35 strains can be divided into three pathotypes: strong, mild, and weak. The mild type is main. According to VCG test, all tested strains in Xinjiang, except two, can be assigned to one vegetative compatibility group which is nondefoliating type. And the two strains can be compatible with defoliating strains. So there are defoliating Verticillium.dahliae strains in Xinjiang.
Self-Assessment Cases: Advanced

The reader should now be familiar with the technical principles behind image acquisition and should understand the general guidelines regarding interpretation of noncardiac findings during SPECT MPI. Section IV contains 36 challenging cases that the reader can use for reinforcement of learned knowledge and application of interpretative skills. Within this self-assessment section, there are three chapters, each with 12 cases, which have increasing levels of complexity and difficulty: basic (Chap. 27), intermediate (Chap. 28), and advanced (Chap. 29).
Do pyrethroid-resistant Hyalella azteca have greater bioaccumulation potential compared to non-resistant populations? Implications for bioaccumulation in fish

The recent discovery of pyrethroid-resistant Hyalella azteca populations in California, USA suggests there has been significant exposure of aquatic organisms to these terrestrially-applied insecticides. Since resistant organisms are able to survive in relatively contaminated habitats they may experience greater pyrethroid bioaccumulation, subsequently increasing the risk of those compounds transferring to predators. These issues were evaluated in the current study following toxicity tests in water with permethrin which showed the 96-h LC50 of resistant H. azteca (1670 ng L-1) was 53 times higher than that of non-resistant H. azteca (31.2 ng L-1). Bioaccumulation was compared between resistant and non-resistant H. azteca by exposing both populations to permethrin in water and then measuring the tissue concentrations attained. Our results indicate that resistant and non-resistant H. azteca have similar potential to bioaccumulate pyrethroids at the same exposure concentration. However, significantly greater bioaccumulation occurs in resistant H. azteca at exposure concentrations non-resistant organisms cannot survive. To assess the risk of pyrethroid trophic transfer, permethrin-dosed resistant H. azteca were fed to fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) for four days, after which bioaccumulation of permethrin and its biotransformation products in fish tissues were measured. There were detectable concentrations of permethrin in fish tissues after they consumed dosed resistant H. azteca. These results show that bioaccumulation potential is greater in organisms with pyrethroid resistance and this increases the risk of trophic transfer when consumed by a predator. The implications of this study extend to individual fitness, populations and food webs.