cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
No Difference in Conventional Polyethylene Wear Between Yttria-stabilized Zirconia and Cobalt-chromium-molybdenum Femoral Heads at 10 Years:

BackgroundConcerns have arisen regarding deterioration of wear properties of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) femoral head on conventional polyethylene (PE) bearings due to YSZ phase transformation...
Reliability of quantum well and quantum dot lasers for silicon photonics (invited)

After discussing the reliability issues limiting existing quantum well InP-based lasers, and the past reliability challenges of lasers grown on silicon substrates, we will show the recent reliability test results of a number of different types of quantum dot lasers grown on different silicon-substrate templates.
Sex differences in adolescent ethanol drinking to behavioral intoxication

Rodent models have been especially useful for investigating adolescent ethanol exposure. However, there is a paucity of studies examining sex differences in behavioral intoxication from adolescent ethanol drinking. Here, we used an ethanol drinking model to investigate if adolescent rats of both sexes readily drink ethanol to measurable behavioral intoxication, indicated by increased impulsive action and motor incoordination. Beginning on postnatal day (P) 28, male and female Long-Evans rats were given 30-min access to a solution of sucrose (20%) or sweetened ethanol (20% sucrose +15% ethanol) every other day until P60 and once after 2 weeks of forced abstinence (on P75). On alternate (nondrinking) days, rats were reinforced with a food pellet for making a cued nosepoke response. Beginning on P56, rats were tested in this task after drinking sessions to assess ethanol-induced changes in impulsive action, defined as premature responding prior to cue presentation. Motor coordination was assessed before and after drinking sessions using an incline plane test. Adolescent male and female rats readily consumed ethanol to behavioral intoxication, measured as reduced motor coordination. Following forced abstinence, females displayed greater ethanol-induced impulsive action. These studies provide evidence for sex differences in behavioral intoxication following adolescent ethanol drinking.
Magnetic Nanoparticles for MR Imaging

The combination of a nonmaterial, magnetic nanoparticles, with magnetic resonance imaging, is yielding major advances in diverse areas of biology and medicine. This review will present a short history of iron oxide based nanoparticles, and review important new developments in the fields of magnetic nanoparticles and MRI. Magnetic nanoparticles are currently used in approved MRI contrast agents for imaging hepatic metastases and show considerable potential in clinical testing for imaging nodal metastases. New applications of magnetic nanoparticles include (i) ex-vivo labeling of cells with nanoparticles, followed by MR imaging in vivo, (ii) magnetic nanoparticles as biosensors termed magnetic relaxation switches, to measure a wide range of analytes in vitro, (iii) magneto/optical nanoparticles providing a fluorescent signal in addition to their magnetic character and (iv) biomolecule targeted magnetic nanoparticles for the imaging of specific molecular targets by MRI. This review will cover each of these diverse developments.
A Review of State Procurement and Contracting

Are states effectively managing contracting and procurement activities? Are they striking the right balance between central administrative control and empowerment through delegation? How effective is training and monitoring? How do these practices compare to the principles of best practice? What role will information technology play in the future for procurement and contracting? As part of the Government Performance Project, budget, procurement, and contracting managers in 48 states were surveyed, providing descriptions of their procurement and contracting practices. There are numerous developments that speak to the practical details of contemporary public management. Five key findings are (1) information technology needs are challenging states, with some responding well, but others struggling, (2) in most states staff training needs to be improved, (3) restrictions prohibiting “best value” purchasing need to be removed, (4) states can learn from and improve practices by partnering with other governments and private organizations, and (5) most states use a hybrid of both centralized and decentralized management structures when it comes to contracting and procurement.
Has Imran Khan's Political Tsunami Hit Pakistani Shores?

This is a review essay on Imran Khan’s Pakistan: A Personal Narrative (London: Bantam Press, 2011). Imran Khan leads a political party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, that is committed to pulling Pakistan out of America’s so-called global war against terrorism and ending the depredations of Pakistan’s corrupt elites. The appearance of this political memoir is timely, since it coincides with a recent surge in the Tehreek’s popularity. In this book, Imran Khan seamlessly weaves his life’s story into the history of Pakistan; he was born only a few years after the country’s founding and since a young age, first as a cricketer and later as charity organizer and politician, he has observed with growing concern the country’s elites betray its founding principles. The life of politics has not come easily to Imran Khan, but he has forced himself into this mould because this is what he had resolved to do. Among other things, this essay examines the Tehreek's program, the gaps in this program, and Imran Khan's political prospects in the next elections.
Ethnic diversity and attitudes towards refugees

The recent surge in refugee arrivals to Europe has underscored the importance of identity concerns, with politicians and ordinary citizens alike expressing fear that admitting foreigners may result...
Maternal Epidural Steroids to Prevent Neonatal Exposure to Hyperthermia and Inflammation.

Background Epidural analgesia is associated with a fourfold increased rate of intrapartum fever. The likely pathophysiology is a noninfectious maternal inflammatory activation. Safe interventions to reduce maternal and neonatal exposures to intrapartum fever and inflammation are needed. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if prophylactic epidural steroids decrease fetal exposure to hyperthermia and inflammatory cytokines following epidural analgesia. Study Design This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial. Term nulliparous women requesting epidural analgesia received 80 mg methylprednisolone or preservative-free normal saline via the epidural catheter at placement. The primary outcome was maternal temperature >100.4°F. Secondary outcomes included fetal exposure to inflammation as assessed by cord blood interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and rates of funisitis. Power analysis estimated a sample size requirement of 276, but new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations advising a black box warning on epidural steroids resulted in early study termination. Results A total of 116 subjects were enrolled: 58 treatments and 58 placebos. There was no difference in the rate of maternal intrapartum fever or cord blood IL-6 levels between treatment arms. No complications listed in the FDA warning occurred. Conclusion Prophylactic epidural methylprednisolone was not effective in reducing intrapartum fever or neonatal inflammation following epidural analgesia. Alternate mechanisms and preventative strategies should be considered.
Review of the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA)

AbstractThe American Sexual Health Association is a reliable resource for anyone looking for answers, general information, educational materials, healthcare policy, or help regarding sexual health....
Can Transitional Justice Improve the Quality of Representation in New Democracies

Can transitional justice enhance democratic representation in countries recovering from authoritarian rule? The authors argue that lustration, a policy that reveals secret collaboration with the authoritarian regime, can prevent former authoritarian elites from extorting policy concessions from past collaborators who have been elected as politicians in the new regime. Absent lustration, former elites can threaten to reveal information about past collaboration unless the politicians implement policies these elites desire. In this way, lustration policies enable politicians to avoid blackmail and to be responsive to their constituents, improving the quality of representation. The authors show that whether lustration enhances representation depends on its severity and the extent to which dissidents-turned-politicians would suffer if the skeletons in their closets were revealed. The authors also find that the potential to blackmail politicians increases as the ideological distance between authoritarian elites and politicians decreases. They test this theory with original data from the Global Transitional Justice Dataset, which spans eighty-four countries that transitioned to democracy since 1946.
Ode to the Complex Numbers a+ib [Focus on Education]

They have two parts! They're numbers with two parts! But be careful-the + doesn't mean we should or even are allowed to add the parts. We're not. The parts are always kept apart; that's the function and the irony of the +: it keeps the parts together, hooked together but apart, like a marriage.
Phronesis y complejidad

This essay explores two aspects of the Greek concept of «phronesis». On the one hand, it is closely tied to the Aristotelian concept of «virtue» — and is in effect a kind of «meta-virtue». On the other hand, the concept arises in theories of practice, and of practical reasoning more generally. I argue that these two aspects are closely related, and can be understood as two versions of the same thing. This relationship becomes especially clear when we explore the question of how phronesis is learned. Finally, our understanding of phronesis is deepened when we consider how it is enacted in contexts of complexity.
Race may not impact endocrine therapy-related changes in breast density

Background: Reduction in breast density may be a biomarker of endocrine therapy (ET) efficacy. Our objective was to assess the impact of race on ET-related changes in volumetric breast density (VBD). Methods: This retrospective cohort study assessed longitudinal changes in VBD measures in women with estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast cancer treated with ET. VBD, the ratio of fibroglandular volume (FGV) to breast volume (BV), was measured using Volpara software. Changes in measurements were evaluated using a multivariable linear mixed effects model. Results: Compared to white women (n=191), black women (n=107) had higher rates of obesity (mean±SD BMI 34.5±9.1 kg/m2 versus 30.6±7.0, p<0.001) and pre-menopausal status (32.7% versus 16.7%, p=0.002). Age- and BMI-adjusted baseline FGV, BV, and VBD were similar between groups. Modeled longitudinal changes were also similar: during a follow-up of 30.7±15.0 months (mean±SD), FGV decreased over time in pre-menopausal women (slope -0.323 cm3, SE 0.093, p=0.001), BV increased overall (slope 2.475 cm3, SE 0.483, p<0.0001), and VBD decreased (pre-menopausal slope -0.063%, SE 0.011; post-menopausal slope -0.016%, SE 0.004, p<0.0001). Race was not significantly associated with these longitudinal changes, nor did race modify the effect of time on these changes. Higher BMI was associated with lower baseline VBD (p<0.0001). Among pre-menopausal women, VBD declined more steeply for women with lower BMI (time X BMI p=0.0098). Conclusions: Race does not appear to impact ET-related longitudinal changes in VBD. Impact: Racial disparities in ER+ breast cancer recurrence and mortality may not be explained by differential declines in breast density due to ET.
A Chip-First Microwave Package Using Multimaterial Aerosol Jet Printing

We show in this article two fully additively manufactured microwave packages with integrated active and passive components. Packages were constructed using a chip-first approach where package substrates (dielectrics) and interconnects (conductors) are built up around power amplifier bare die attached to carriers. Bypass capacitor dielectrics were printed using multimaterial aerosol jet printing, where aerosols of barium titanate and polyimide inks are mixed in place to fabricate a high dielectric constant polymer matrix nanocomposite film. The material properties of the film are characterized using three printed capacitors. We present S-parameter measurements to characterize small-signal performance, as well as load–pull measurements at the saturated output power. Finally, we demonstrate package performance after power cycling and temperature cycling to show the effect of aging on the part and the robustness of this packaging strategy. We measured a maximum packaged gain of 21.7 dB and a saturated output power of 21.9 dBm for a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) medium power amplifier specified to have a gain of 22 dB and a saturated output power of 22 dBm. The printed package-level performance is compared with the published bare die performance and a measured COTS packaged amplifier.
Keap1ing an eye on Slc33A1

KEAP1 is a tumor suppressor encoded by a gene commonly mutated in lung cancer. A systematic search for Keap1-mutant cancer vulnerabilities now reveals that Slc33a1 is a context-specific essential gene that represents a promising new anti-cancer target.
Comparison of Three Macroinvertebrate Sampling Methods for Use in Assessment of Water Quality Changes in Flashy Urban Streams

The unique challenges associated with sampling of macroinvertebrates in flashy urban streams create a methods gap. These streams form isolated pools for much of the year, interspersed with spates that scour and deposit excessive amounts of sediment. Commonly used stream grab sampling methods, such as nets and Hess and Surber fixed-area samplers, work well in wadable streams with perennial flow. Deployed samplers (Hester-Dendy, gravel tray) can be used in waters with or without flow. We evaluated three methods which don’t require stream flow: modified Hester-Dendy (MHD), gravel tray, and bucket (a type of cylinder grab sample method), for their potential use in bioassessment of a project involving daylighting of a 180-m culvert on Congress Run, a flashy urban tributary to Mill Creek in Cincinnati, Ohio. Method efficacy was measured using three criteria: usability (level of effort and recoverability of samplers), variability, and community retrieval completeness. The bucket method required the lowest level of effort and had the highest sample recovery. The bucket sampler had the lowest variability for most metrics, including the critical metric of taxa richness, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 20.9%. The MHD and tray samplers had taxa richness CVs of 42.9% and 53.9%, respectively. The bucket sampler also had the lowest CV (27.4%) for a multi-metric index. The bucket sampler performed best with respect to community retrieval completeness, with higher pooled and average taxa richness. The total number of taxa collected from all the replicate bucket grab samples (42) was greater than that collected by the HD and tray samplers combined (27). Multivariate analyses showed significant grouping with respect to methods and location. This study supports the bucket grab sampler method as a candidate for sampling of flashy urban streams.
Boats, Burials, and Beehives: Seeking the Subaltern in the Fortifications at Isthmia, Greece

Erected in the first decades of the fifth century CE, a fortification wall spanning the Isthmus in Greece, now known as the Hexamilion, is commonly seen as part of an empire-wide response to the growing threat of “barbarian” invasion. Careful study of this monument since the 1960s, especially near the site of Isthmia, has revealed several features that defy an easy explanation in terms of the defensive goals of the project. Some, such as graffiti etched into the still wet mortar between stones in the wall, date to the time of construction, while others, such as blocking walls that sealed off the main gates, occurred in the decades that followed the completion of the project. In adopting a postcolonial approach informed by the work of the subaltern studies group, this study argues that such aberrant details may be better interpreted as evidence of intentionally ambivalent local acts of resistance to a building project that negatively impacted local communities in its effort to achieve larger imperial goals.
Novel insights into sarcomere regulatory systems control of cardiac thin filament activation

Our review focuses on sarcomere regulatory mechanisms with a discussion of cardiac-specific modifications to the three-state model of thin filament activation from a blocked to closed to open state. We discuss modulation of these thin filament transitions by Ca2+, by crossbridge interactions, and by thick filament-associated proteins, cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C), cardiac regulatory light chain (cRLC), and titin. Emerging evidence supports the idea that the cooperative activation of the thin filaments despite a single Ca2+ triggering regulatory site on troponin C (cTnC) cannot be considered in isolation of other functional domains of the sarcomere. We discuss long- and short-range interactions among these domains with the regulatory units of thin filaments, including proteins at the barbed end at the Z-disc and the pointed end near the M-band. Important to these discussions is the ever-increasing understanding of the role of cMyBP-C, cRLC, and titin filaments. Detailed knowledge of these control processes is critical to the understanding of mechanisms sustaining physiological cardiac state with varying hemodynamic load, to better defining genetic and acquired cardiac disorders, and to developing targets for therapies at the level of the sarcomeres.
Reoperative Total Arch Repair Using a Trifurcated Graft and Selective Antegrade Cerebral Perfusion.

Abstract Background This study reviews the outcomes of our reoperative total arch repair technique using a trifurcated graft and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion. Methods Fifty patients underwent reoperative total arch repair from January 2005 to September 2020, with either a one-stage repair (n = 9) or two-stage repair (n = 41). The two-stage technique includes minimal dissection of the mediastinal structures, an arch-first technique using a trifurcated graft, and construction of a classical elephant trunk through a partial transverse incision distally in the old graft or in the aorta just distal to the old graft. Results The median age was 63 years. Chronic dissection was the most frequent indication (88%), and 98% had undergone a previous proximal aortic repair at a median interval of 3 years. The median cardiopulmonary bypass, myocardial ischemic, selective antegrade cerebral perfusion, and lower body circulatory arrest times were 226, 103, 97, and 98 minutes, respectively. The minimum nasopharyngeal and bladder temperature were 16.5°C and 20.0°C, respectively. Operative mortality was 2%, the incidence of stroke was 2%, and the incidence of spinal cord injury was 0%. Stage II repair was performed in 37 patients (open, 33 patients; endovascular, 4 patients), with 2 mortalities and no spinal cord injury. The median duration between stage I and II was 63 days. Survival and aortic event free rates at 3 years were 88.4% ± 4.9%, and 89.8% ± 5%, respectively. Conclusions We report a reoperative total arch repair technique that minimizes dissection of the cardiac structures, simplifies the distal anastomosis, and protects vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and spinal cord.
Fabrication strategies and supramolecular interactions of polymer-lipid complex nanoparticles as oral delivery systems

Oral administration of nutrient/drug is the most common and preferred route. However, a number of barriers are encountered after ingestion, limiting efficient oral nutrient/drug absorption. Both lipid-based (e.g., nanoemulsion, solid lipid nanoparticles) and polymer-based (e.g., protein and polysaccharide nanoparticles) nanoscale delivery systems have demonstrated capability to overcome some of these physiological barriers during transportation and metabolism stages. To better deal with those barriers, polymer-lipid complex nanoparticles are being explored and developed to merge the beneficial features and overcome the respective shortcomings of lipid-based and polymer-based nanoparticles. This paper aims to provide an overview of the various preparation strategies and supramolecular interactions of orally administered polymer-lipid complex nanoparticles by reviewing recent studies. Two types of polymer-lipid complex nanoparticles have been developed, i.e., lipid core with polymer shell nanoparticles and polymer core with lipid shell nanoparticles (lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles). Besides, both natural and synthetic polymers used for fabrication are discussed and their advantages and disadvantages are highlighted. Further research work is needed to optimize the fabrication and scaling up processes, so that these versatile polymer-lipid complex nanoparticles could have a significant impact on the oral delivery of nutrient/drug.
What is an organic substance

No exact definition of an “organic” substance has been agreed upon by the chemical community and textbook definitions vary substantially. The question of what exactly constitutes an “organic” substance is explored in this paper. Various carbon-containing substances that have been by some considered to be “inorganic” are examined in an attempt to ascertain whether carbon in these compounds display different chemical behavior than what is expected of carbon in an “organic” substance. Types of substances considered are carbon allotropes, carbides, carbonates and bicarbonates, cyanide and cyanate ions, carbido clusters, carbon oxides, and compounds without hydrogen.
Can We Distinguish between Different Longitudinal Models for Estimating Nonlinear Trajectories

Substantive theory rarely provides specific enough information to guide our selection of the optimal model for longitudinal data. Instead, researchers are more likely to rely on models common to th...
Not by genes alone: How culture transformed human evolution.

Humans are a striking anomaly in the natural world. While we are similar to other mammals in many ways, our behavior sets us apart. Our unparalleled ability to adapt has allowed us to occupy virtually every habitat on earth, and our societies are larger, more complex, and more cooperative than any other mammal's. In "Not by Genes Alone", Peter J. Richerson and Robert Boyd argue that only a Darwinian theory of cultural evolution can explain these unique characteristics. "Not by Genes Alone" offers a radical interpretation of human evolution, arguing that our ecological dominance and our singular social systems stem from a psychology uniquely adapted to create complex culture. Richerson and Boyd consider culture to be essential to human adaptation, as much a part of human biology as bipedal locomotion. Drawing on work in the fields of anthropology, political science, sociology, and economics - and building their case with such fascinating examples as kayaks, clever knots, and yams that require twelve men to carry them - Richerson and Boyd convincingly demonstrate that culture and biology are inextricably linked. In abandoning the nature-versus-nurture debate as fundamentally misconceived, "Not by Genes Alone" is a truly original and groundbreaking theory of the role of culture in evolution and a book to be reckoned with for generations to come.
“Formalism, Puritanicalism, Traditionalism: Approaches to Islamic Legal Reasoning in the 19th-Century Russian Empire”

As early as the 1730s, the Russian imperial state sought to incorporate its Muslim subjects into the tsarist bureauacracy, first by co-opting Muslim legal scholars, and later, beginning in 1788, by placing the whole of the ulama under government control. This led to a marginalization of Islamic legal institutions and a transformation of Islamic legal practice under Russian rule. In the early 19th century, ulama sought ways to adapt Islamic law to these institutional changes, and vibrant debates about the purpose and function of legal theory represented an important part of the religious discourse among these Muslim communities. This paper addresses the approaches of three scholars, Abu Nasr Qursawi (1776–1812), ῾Abd al-Rahim Utiz-Imani (1754–1834) and Fath Allah Uriwi (1767–1843), who strongly disagreed regarding issues such as the use of usul and furu῾, the permissibility of ijtihad, and the relationship between the ulama and the community. I argue that while each scholar puts forward a different approach to the law — which I term, respectively, formalism, puritanicalism and traditionalism — each of these positions represents a response to their communities' shifting circumstances under Russian rule and a way for the discursive tradition of Islamic law to continue despite the marginalization of legal institutions.
Race, Neighborhood Poverty, and Participation in Voluntary Associations.

This paper examines racial differences in participation in voluntary associations. It extends past research by accounting for the influence of neighborhood poverty on participation. Using unique data from the 1993–94 Los Angeles Survey of Urban Inequality (LASUI), the analysis reveals that neighborhood poverty influences the number of associations to which individuals belong, even when considering differences in personal and other residential characteristics. Moreover, once the negative influence of neighborhood poverty is taken into account, blacks participate in more voluntary associations than do whites and other groups, while Asians participate the least. Evidence supports the ethnic community theory of blacks' greater participation, as blacks living in black communities participate in more organizations, particularly in ones that are political, than blacks who do not.
Optical microresonators as single-molecule spectrometers

A new approach is described for sensing and spectroscopy of single non-luminescent nano-objects which combines the spatial and spectral selectivity of laser microscopy with the tremendous sensitivity of ultrahigh-quality factor optical microresonators.
Discharge Monitoring Report Quality Assurance Results and Follow-Up by Region VIII U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a national quality assurance program known as the Discharge Monitoring Report Quality Assurance Program (DMRQA). Facilities holding permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) have been sent two sets of audit samples to analyze for permit-required parameters. EPA Region VIII permittees have performed on the average better than other permittees participating nationally in DMRQA Studies One and Two. Follow-up on DMRQA Study One included phone calls, letters, and inspections. Permittee performance in Study Two has improved as a result of Study One follow-up activities. Study Two follow-up will be more extensive than Study One and is currently underway. 4 references, 3 tables.
Host cell factor 1 inhibits SKN‐1 to modulate oxidative stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans

Summary Host cell factor-1 (HCF-1) is a conserved regulator of the longevity and stress response functions of DAF-16/FOXO. SKN-1 transcription factor is an evolutionarily conserved xenobiotic stress regulator and a pro-longevity factor. Here, we demonstrate that SKN-1 contributes to the enhanced oxidative stress resistance incurred by hcf-1 mutation in C. elegans. HCF-1 prevents the nuclear accumulation of SKN-1 and represses the transcriptional activation of SKN-1 specifically at target genes involved in cellular detoxification pathways. Our findings reveal a novel and context-specific regulatory relationship between two highly conserved longevity and stress response factors HCF-1 and SKN-1.
Continuity of Care Document (CCD) Enables Delivery of Medication Histories to the Primary Care Clinician

Introduction: The goal of the Enhanced Medication History (EMH) project is to provide medication histories to ambulatory primary care practices in the Indiana Network for Patient Care.
Teachers' Awareness of the Learner–Teacher Interaction: Preliminary Communication of a Study Investigating the Teaching Brain

A new phase of research on teaching is under way that seeks to understand the teaching brain. In this vein, this study investigated the cognitive processes employed by master teachers. Using an interview protocol influenced by microgenetic techniques, 23 master teachers used the Self-in-Relation-to-Teaching (SiR2T) tool to answer “What are you focusing your mind on throughout the process of teaching?” A number of emergent themes were identified in participants' responses and one, awareness of interaction, is discussed here. This theme refers to teachers' recognition of the learner–teacher (L-T) relationship as a separate entity or system. Within interaction, at least three types of awarenesses emerged in teachers' responses: (1) connection, (2) collaboration, and (3) mutual effects. Furthermore, some teachers described a sense of synergy with their students due to this L-T interaction. The results suggest that a teacher's awareness of interaction plays an important role in the teaching brain, and support the implications of the proposed teaching brain framework.
Rapid extension in an Eocene volcanic arc: Structure and paleogeography of an intra-arc half graben in central Idaho

A study of extension, volcanism, and sedimentation in the middle Eocene Panther Creek half graben in central Idaho shows that it formed rapidly during an episode of voluminous volcanism. The east-southeast–tilted Panther Creek half graben developed across the northeast edge of the largest cauldron complex of the Challis volcanic field and along the northeast-trending Trans-Challis fault zone. Two normal fault systems bound the east side of the half graben. One fault system strikes northeast, parallel to the Trans-Challis fault zone, and the other strikes north to northwest. The geometry of the basin-fill deposits shows that movement on these two normal fault systems was synchronous and that both faults controlled the development of the Panther Creek half graben. Strikes of the synextension volcanic and sedimentary rocks are similar throughout the half graben, whereas dips decrease incrementally upsection from as much as 60° to less than 10°. Previous K-Ar dates and a new 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau date from the youngest widespread tuff in the basin suggest that most of basin formation spanned 3 m.y. between about 47.7 Ma and 44.5 Ma. As much as 6.5 km of volcanic and sedimentary rocks were deposited during that time. Although rates of extension and subsidence were very high, intense volcanic activity continually filled the basin with ash-flow tuffs, outpacing subsidence and sedimentation, until the end of basin development. After the abrupt end of Challis volcanism, locally derived pebble to boulder conglomerate and massive, reworked ash accumulated in the half graben. These sedimentary rocks make up a small part of the basin fill in the Panther Creek half graben and were derived mainly from Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks uplifted in the footwall of the basin. The east-southeast tilt of the sedimentary rocks, their provenance and coarse grain size, and the presence of a gravity slide block derived from tilted volcanic rocks in the hanging wall attest to continued tectonism during conglomerate deposition. Provenance data from the sedimentary rocks imply that the highland in the footwall of the Panther Creek half graben was never thickly blanketed by synextension volcanic rocks, despite intense volcanic activity. Analysis of the Panther Creek half graben and other intra-arc rift basins supports previous interpretations that relative rates of volcanism and subsidence control the proportion of volcanic rocks deposited in intra-arc rifts.
High-Coverage Point-to-Point Transit: Electric Vehicle Operations

Electric vehicles (EVs) have substantial potential for fleet applications as energy-efficient vehicles with fewer carbon-based emissions. However, EV utilization brings other concerns related to limited vehicle ranges and battery-charging issues, and thus the recharging infrastructure needs to be carefully designed and financially supported. This study focuses on the use of an EV fleet for an innovative transportation alternative called high-coverage point-to-point transit (HCPPT), which involves a sufficient number of deployed small vehicles that respond to real-time desires for point-to-point travel of individual travelers. As large-scale fleet operation of EVs and the HCPPT system are both envisaged only as future transportation alternatives, the benefits of combining these options have to be modeled and studied. Possible infrastructure investment benefits could result for both systems when transfer-hub locations of HCPPT are used as electric-charging locations. This paper studied the performance resul...
In situ Raman spectroscopic investigation of chromium surfaces under hydrothermal conditions

Abstract Three chromium coupons were exposed to air-saturated water at pressures of ca. 25 MPa and temperatures up to 545°C in an optically accessible flow cell. In situ Raman spectra were collected at different temperatures as the coupons were heated and then cooled. Coupons were also characterized ex situ with Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. Coupons heated to either 374 or 505°C exhibited the same corrosion product, tentatively identified as α-CrOOH that originated as corrosion product released from the optical cell and/or flow system. A coupon heated to 545°C exhibited a variety of Cr III , mixed chromium valence Cr III /Cr VI , and/or Cr VI species during heating. During cooling, the same corrosion product was observed at all temperatures on this coupon and was tentatively identified as Cr 2 O 3 with Cr VI incorporated into the Cr 2 O 3 Cr III –oxygen network. The difference in observed corrosion processes among the three coupons was attributed to a difference in water purity to which they were exposed.
Biological Limitations on the Length of Highly Repetitive DNA Sequences that May be Stably Maintained within Plasmid Replicons in Escherichia coli

By following a logical set of selection rules, a dodecadeoxyribonucleotide with potentially unique coding properties was designed and synthesized. This dodecamer is palindromic throughout 2/3 of its length, it self–anneals to generate multimers with 4bp single–stranded extensions, and, upon treatment with DNA ligase, it can be covalently joined to any double–stranded DNA molecule previously digested with EcoRI. The presence within our polymerized dodecamer of cleavage sites for endonucleases HaeIII and Bal I facilitated the monitoring of polymerization, ligation, and cloning. The polymerized dodecamer was positioned downstream from the lac UV5 promoter in a frameshift plasmid, pPCφ1, chosen to ensure that a particular translational reading frame would be utilized. Cloned, synthetic palindromic DNA was stable in vivo, but only when its size did not exceed 120 bp. The apparent lack of viability of cells harboring plasmids with inserts longer than 120 bp appears to be solely attributable to the palindromic character of the DNA. An alternative approach that has shown promise as a way of increasing the cellular content of a highly palindromic sequence is to interrupt the sequences with nonpalindromic DNA. This strategy was used to construct stable plasmids with 30–90 copies of a palindromic sequence that would not otherwise persist in E. coli.
Top 10 Research Questions Related to Children Physical Activity Motivation.

Physical activity is critical to healthy development of children. It is well documented that helping children develop and sustain a physically active lifestyle requires children to become motivated. Many studies have been conducted in the past 2.5 decades on determinants and correlates for children and adolescents' physical activity motivation. The findings have informed researchers and practitioners about motivation sources for children and effective strategies to motivate children in given physical activity settings. Built on the extensive knowledge base and theoretical platforms formed by these research studies, the purpose of this article is to take a look at the current research landscape and provide subjective thoughts about what we still need to know about children's physical activity motivation. The product of this subjective thinking process rendered 10 potential questions for future research on children's physical activity motivation in both in-school and out-of-school settings. These topics enc...
“Zero” drain-current drift of inversion-mode NMOSFET on InP (111)A surface

InP is a commonly used compound semiconductor with wide applications in electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic devices. Compared to GaAs, InP is widely believed to be a more forgiving material with respect to Fermi level pinning and has a higher electron saturation velocity (2.5×107 cm/s) as well. It could be a viable channel material for high-speed logic applications if a high-quality, thermodynamically stable high-k dielectric could be found. [1] It is of great importance for the understanding of high-k/InP interfaces since InP is identified as a transition layer for ALD high-k/InGaAs quantum well transistor in state-of-the-art devices. [2] Motivated by previous work on surface orientation studies of GaAs [3] and InGaAs [4], we have systematically studied NMOSFETs, MOSCAPs, and interfacial chemistry on two different crystalline surfaces: InP (100) and (111)A (In-rich). With ALD Al 2 O 3 in direct contact as gate dielectric, a record high drain current of 600 µA/µm is obtained for an InP inversion-mode MOSFET on the (111)A surface with a gate length of 1µm, which is a factor of 2.6 enhancement compared to the (100) surface at the same V G -V T condition. The smoother Al 2 O 3 /(111)A interface and a shift of the charge-neutrality-level (CNL) [5] on InP(111)A toward the conduction band edge is identified as the origin of this drain current enhancement in spite of the extracted interface trap density (D it ). [6] In this paper, we report on “zero” drain-current drift on InP (111)A MOSFETs which is a major issue to prevent commercializing InP MOSFET technology on (100) surface in 1980s. [7]
The interaction between reaction and deformation: an experimental study using a biotite + plagioclase + quartz gneiss

Metamorphic reactions commonly accompany ductile deformation of crustal rocks. We performed an experimental study to determine: (i) the effect of syn-deformation reaction on strain weakening and localization, and (ii) the effect of crystal plastic deformation on reaction extent and distribution. Experiments were conducted on a fine-grained gneiss (58 vol.% quartz, forming the interconnected matrix, 13 vol.% biotite, 28 vol.% plagioclase and 1 vol.% garnet/Fe-Ti oxides). General shear experiments were performed at 745 and 800 °C, 1.5 GPa, two strain rates, and shear strain (γ) from 0.6 to 5, yielding three suites with initial phase strength contrast between the matrix quartz and weak biotite of 45×, 25× and 10×; hydrostatic experiments were performed on cores and powders at 750 and 800 °C and 1.5–2 GPa for the same times. At these conditions, biotite reacts with plagioclase and quartz to form garnet, K-feldspar and water (no melt was observed). Greater reaction extent was observed in deformed samples than in equivalent hydrostatic samples, because of the increased surface area and internal strain energy. In all of the deformed samples, reaction contributes to strain weakening, due principally to a switch to grain boundary sliding in the fine-grained reaction products. The degree to which syn-deformational reaction causes strain weakening and localization in this polyphase aggregate depends on the phase strength contrast and how it evolves. In samples with low-phase strength contrast, strain and reaction are homogeneously distributed; however, in samples with high-phase strength contrast, ductile strain and reaction interact positively to produce a narrow ductile shear zone. Similar concentration of reaction is observed in some natural ductile shear zones.
Repair of the Major Lesion Resulting from C5′-Oxidation of DNA

Oxidation of the C5′-position of DNA results in direct strand scission. The 3′-fragments produced contain DNA lesions at their 5′-termini. The major DNA lesion contains an aldehyde at its C5′-position, but its nucleobase is unmodified. Excision of the lesion formed from oxidation of thymidine (T-al) is achieved by strand displacement synthesis by DNA polymerase β (Pol β) in the presence or absence of flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1). Pol β displaces T-al and thymidine with comparable efficiency, but less so than a chemically stabilized abasic site analogue (F). FEN1 cleaves the flaps produced during strand displacement synthesis that are two nucleotides or longer. A ternary complex containing T-al is also a substrate for the bacterial UvrABC nucleotide excision repair system. The sites of strand scission are identical in ternary complexes containing T-al, thymidine, or F. UvrABC incision efficiency of these ternary complexes is comparable as well but significantly slower than a duplex substrate containing a bul...
The effects of oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor on reprocessing silicon carbide inert matrix fuels by corrosion in molten potassium carbonate

Abstract The molten salt reaction/dissolution method for reprocessing silicon carbide based inert matrix fuels (IMF) is further developed in this paper through comparison of the corrosion rate in multiple gases and gas mixtures. Water vapor was firstly introduced in the SiC/K 2 CO 3 corrosion system. The SiC corrosion rate in the H 2 O atmosphere was dramatically enhanced 3–4-fold compared to the rate under an O 2 atmosphere. The corrosion rates in different atmospheres of O 2 , CO 2 , O 2 /CO 2 , H 2 O, O 2 /H 2 O and CO 2 /H 2 O with various partial pressures were compared in order to determine the optimal reaction atmosphere and to better understand the reaction mechanism. The SiC pellets with 5 wt.% of CeO 2 , a surrogate for PuO 2 were fabricated. CeO 2 was successfully separated from the SiC matrix by using the molten salt reaction/dissolution strategy.
Hedgehog and Wingless stabilize but do not induce cell fate during Drosophila dorsal embryonic epidermal patterning

A fundamental concept in development is that secreted molecules such as Wingless (Wg) and Hedgehog (Hh) generate pattern by inducing cell fate. By following markers of cellular identity posterior to the Wg- and Hh-expressing cells in the Drosophila dorsal embryonic epidermis, we provide evidence that neither Wg nor Hh specifies the identity of the cell types they pattern. Rather, they maintain pre-existing cellular identities that are otherwise unstable and progress stepwise towards a default fate. Wg and Hh therefore generate pattern by inhibiting specific switches in cell identity, showing that the specification and the patterning of a given cell are uncoupled. Sequential binary decisions without induction of cell identity give rise to both the groove cells and their posterior neighbors. The combination of independent progression of cell identity and arrest of progression by signals facilitates accurate patterning of an extremely plastic developing epidermis.
Molecular analysis of glomerular diseases in renal biopsies

Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of gene expression of type IV collagen alpha chains in several chronic human glomerular diseases using micro dissected glomeruli and assessment of mRNA by competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After showing that the level of a2 type IV collagen mRNA was elevated in sclerotic glomeruli isolated from nephrectomies, we undertook a preliminary cross-sectional study of type IV collagen alpha chain mRNA in renal biopsies in two of the leading causes of glomerulosclerosis: (i) diabetic nephropathy; and (ii) membranous glomerulopathy. We found that glomerular type IV collagen mRNA levels alterations were disease-specific. the relative levels of the individual α-chains of type IV collagen depended on the anatomic site of the glomerular lesions. the α-2IV/α-3IV collagen mRNA ratio was high in diabetes mellitus, but not in membranous glomerulopathy. These data, coupled with that obtained in experimental animals, suggest that a defective basement collagen synthesis is associated with progressive glomerular scarring. If these conclusions are verified in studies of repeat biopsies, the risk of progressive glomerulosclerosis in individual patients could be estimated, leading to the means to assess therapeutic responses.
A NEW PETTALUS SPECIES (OPILIONES, CYPHOPHTHALMI, PETTALIDAE) FROM SRI LANKA WITH A DISCUSSION ON THE EVOLUTION OF EYES IN CYPHOPHTHALMI

Abstract A new species of Cyphophthalmi (Opiliones) belonging to the Sri Lankan genus Pettalus is described and illustrated. Characterization of male and female genitalia and SEM illustrations are included, representing the first such analysis for the genus. This constitutes the first species of Pettalus to be described since 1897, although information on other morphospecies recently collected in Sri Lanka indicates that the number of species on the island is much higher than previously thought. The presence of eyes in pettalids is illustrated for the first time and the implications of the presence of eyes outside of Stylocellidae are discussed.
The IKKβ Subunit of IκB Kinase (IKK) is Essential for Nuclear Factor κB Activation and Prevention of Apoptosis

The IκB kinase (IKK) complex is composed of three subunits, IKKα, IKKβ, and IKKγ (NEMO). While IKKα and IKKβ are highly similar catalytic subunits, both capable of IκB phosphorylation in vitro, IKKγ is a regulatory subunit. Previous biochemical and genetic analyses have indicated that despite their similar structures and in vitro kinase activities, IKKα and IKKβ have distinct functions. Surprisingly, disruption of the Ikkα locus did not abolish activation of IKK by proinflammatory stimuli and resulted in only a small decrease in nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. Now we describe the pathophysiological consequence of disruption of the Ikkβ locus. IKKβ-deficient mice die at mid-gestation from uncontrolled liver apoptosis, a phenotype that is remarkably similar to that of mice deficient in both the RelA (p65) and NF-κB1 (p50/p105) subunits of NF-κB. Accordingly, IKKβ-deficient cells are defective in activation of IKK and NF-κB in response to either tumor necrosis factor α or interleukin 1. Thus IKKβ, but not IKKα, plays the major role in IKK activation and induction of NF-κB activity. In the absence of IKKβ, IKKα is unresponsive to IKK activators.
Optimality conditions and duality for a class of continuous-time programming problems with nonlinear operator equality and inequality constraints

Abstract Using a minmax approach, we establish saddle point optimality conditions and Lagrangian duality relations under generalized convexity hypotheses for a class of continuous-time programming problems with nonlinear operator equality and inequality constraints. We also discuss the implications of these results for differentiable problems.