cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Green Territoriality: Conservation as State Territorialization in a Resource Frontier

I explore how and in what ways global conservation projects carried out in forest frontiers under rebel authority can serve to assert state control over resource-rich territories and populations. I advance the concept of “green territoriality” to describe how conservation practiced beyond the state can serve counterinsurgency aims based on a two-year field case study in a global biodiversity hotspot under armed conflict and inhabited by Karen in south-eastern Myanmar. I analyze military-led forced displacements by economic concessions and conservation during war alongside more recent conservation projects during the ceasefire. My findings reveal how military offensives, economic concessions, and conservation activities threaten to bring state agencies, administration, and management into rebel forests where Karen fled from war but have not yet returned. These findings highlight the importance of integrating conservation activities in conflict affected areas with humanitarian assistance, land restitution, and livelihood rehabilitation.
Motor-like Properties of Nonmotor Enzymes

Abstract Molecular motors are thought to generate force and directional motion via nonequilibrium switching between energy surfaces. Because all enzymes can undergo such switching, we hypothesized that the ability to generate rotary motion and torque is not unique to highly adapted biological motor proteins but is instead a common feature of enzymes. We used molecular dynamics simulations to compute energy surfaces for hundreds of torsions in three enzymes—adenosine kinase, protein kinase A, and HIV-1 protease—and used these energy surfaces within a kinetic model that accounts for intersurface switching and intrasurface probability flows. When substrate is out of equilibrium with product, we find computed torsion rotation rates up ∼140 cycles s −1 , with stall torques up to ∼2 kcal mol −1 cycle −1 , and power outputs up to ∼50 kcal mol −1 s −1 . We argue that these enzymes are instances of a general phenomenon of directional probability flows on asymmetric energy surfaces for systems out of equilibrium. Thus, we conjecture that cyclic probability fluxes, corresponding to rotations of torsions and higher-order collective variables, exist in any chiral molecule driven between states in a nonequilibrium manner; we call this the "Asymmetry-Directionality" conjecture. This is expected to apply as well to synthetic chiral molecules switched in a nonequilibrium manner between energy surfaces by light, redox chemistry, or catalysis.
Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for increased polyhydroxyalkanoate production from lignin

Microbial conversion offers a promising strategy for overcoming the intrinsic heterogeneity of the plant biopolymer, lignin. Soil microbes that natively harbour aromatic-catabolic pathways are natural choices for chassis strains, and Pseudomonas putida KT2440 has emerged as a viable whole-cell biocatalyst for funnelling lignin-derived compounds to value-added products, including its native carbon storage product, medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA). In this work, a series of metabolic engineering targets to improve mcl-PHA production are combined in the P. putida chromosome and evaluated in strains growing in a model aromatic compound, p-coumaric acid, and in lignin streams. Specifically, the PHA depolymerase gene phaZ was knocked out, and the genes involved in β-oxidation (fadBA1 and fadBA2) were deleted. Additionally, to increase carbon flux into mcl-PHA biosynthesis, phaG, alkK, phaC1 and phaC2 were overexpressed. The best performing strain - which contains all the genetic modifications detailed above - demonstrated a 53% and 200% increase in mcl-PHA titre (g l-1 ) and a 20% and 100% increase in yield (g mcl-PHA per g cell dry weight) from p-coumaric acid and lignin, respectively, compared with the wild type strain. Overall, these results present a promising strain to be employed in further process development for enhancing mcl-PHA production from aromatic compounds and lignin.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Professional Reasoning in OT Students: A Mixed-Methods Study

Date Presented 04/05/19 In this mixed-methods study, we explored the extent to which an experiential learning course improved professional reasoning, using self-determination theory (SDT) as a frame of reference. Quantitative results indicated a statistically significant increase in professional reasoning. Findings from reflective journals indicate a pathway to professional reasoning through SDT. OT educators can utilize the results of this study to better facilitate student development of professional reasoning. Primary Author and Speaker: Tiffany Bolton Additional Authors and Speakers: Evan Dean
Environmental enrichment prevents chronic stress-induced brain-gut axis dysfunction through a GR-mediated mechanism in the central nucleus of the amygdala.

Background Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) improves quality of life of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder characterized by chronic visceral pain and abnormal bowel habits. Whether CBT can actually improve visceral pain in IBS patients is still unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether environment enrichment (EE), the animal analog of CBT, can prevent stress-induced viscero-somatic hypersensitivity through changes in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Methods Rats were housed in either standard housing (SH) or EE for 7 days before and during daily water avoidance stress (WAS) exposure (1-h/d for 7 days). In the first cohort, visceral and somatic sensitivity were assessed via visceromotor response to colorectal distention and von Frey Anesthesiometer 24 hous and 21 days after WAS. In another cohort, the CeA was isolated for GR mRNA quantification. Key results Environment enrichment for 7 days before and during the 7 days of WAS persistently attenuated visceral and somatic hypersensitivity when compared to rats placed in SH. Environment enrichment exposure also prevented the WAS-induced decrease in GR expression in the CeA. Conclusion & inferences Pre-exposure to short-term EE prevents the stress-induced downregulation of GR, and inhibits visceral and somatic hypersensitivity induced by chronic stress. These results suggest that a positive environment can ameliorate stress-induced pathology and provide a non-pharmacological therapeutic option for disorders such as IBS.
Opioid use and schizophrenia.

Purpose of review To summarize the current literature regarding comorbid schizophrenia and opioid use disorder (OUD). Recent findings Epidemiological evidence is unclear on whether patients with schizophrenia have a higher rate of OUD. Patients with OUD have been shown to have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia. However, it is clear that patients with both schizophrenia and OUD are less likely to receive standard of care including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opiate use disorder and have worse outcomes compared with patients with schizophrenia who do not abuse opioids. OUD significantly increases the risk of converting patients from prodromal schizophrenia states to schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Shared pathophysiology involving the kappa opioid receptor may help explain the relationships between schizophrenia and OUD. Second-generation antipsychotics, long-acting injectables, and MAT for OUD should be utilized in a dual-diagnosis and treatment approach for patients with schizophrenia and OUD. Summary Exploration into the relationship between schizophrenia and opiate abuse is still in its infancy and requires a significant amount of future attention to clarify the epidemiology of this comorbidity, neurobiological relationship, shared genetic underpinnings, and possible treatments for both the psychotic symptoms and substance abuse.
Spatiotemporal Network Evolution of Anthropogenic Night Light 1992-2015

Satellite imaging of night light provides a global record of lighted development from 1992 to present. Not all settlements can be detected with night light, but the continuum of built environments where a rapidly growing majority of the population lives generally can. Segmenting a continuous field into discrete spatially contiguous subsets of pixels produces a spatial network in which each contiguous segment represents a distinct network component. Representing the continuum of lighted development as spatial networks of varying spatial connectivity allows the generative conditions for power law network structure to be applied in a spatial context to provide a general explanation for similar scaling observed in settlements and other land cover types. This study introduces a novel methodology to combine complementary sources of satellite-derived night light observations to quantify the evolution of the global spatial network structure of lighted development from 1992 to 2015. Area-perimeter distributions of network components show multifractal scaling with larger components becoming increasingly tortuous. Rank-size distributions of network components are linear and well described by power laws with exponents within 0.08 of -1 for all 27 subsets of geography, year and degree of connectivity - indicating robust scaling properties. Area distributions of luminance within network components show an abrupt transition from continuously low-skewed for smaller components to discontinuous, nearly uniform luminance distributions for larger components, suggesting a fundamental change in network structure despite a continuum of size and shape. These results suggest that city size scaling, observed inconsistently for administratively-defined city populations, is more consistent for physically-defined settlement network area and can be explained more simply by a spatial network growth process.
Potential Role for Herpesviruses in Alzheimer’s Disease

Across the fields of virology and neuroscience, the role of neurotropic viruses in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has received renewed enthusiasm, with a particular focus on human herpesviruses (HHVs). Recent genomic analyses of brain tissue collections and investigations of the antimicrobial responses of amyloid-β do not exclude a role of HHVs in contributing to or accelerating AD pathogenesis. Due to continued expansion in our aging cohort and the lack of effective treatments for AD, this composition examines a potential neuroviral theory of AD in light of these recent data. Consideration reveals a possible viral "Hit-and-Run" scenario of AD, as well as neurobiological mechanisms (i.e., neuroinflammation, protein quality control, oxidative stress) that may increase risk for AD following neurotropic infection. Although limitations exist, this theoretical framework reveals several novel therapeutic targets that may prove efficacious in AD.
Inapparent hypoxemia associated with skeletal injuries.

A prospective study of 100 patients with isolated skeletal injuries revealed that seventy had inapparent hypoxemia(Pao2 ≤ eighty millimeters of mercury) and twenty-four were severely hypoxic (Pao2 ≤ seventy millimeters of mercury) as determined by arterial blood-gas analysis within thirty-six hours after injury. Patients with the highest risk of developing severe hypoxemia were those with fractures of the lower extremity. The incidence of hypoxemia was the same in patients with open and closed injuries, as well as in those who did and did not receive regional anesthesia or sedation. The hypoxemia appeared to be related to intrapulmonary shunting, possibly caused by subclinical fat emboli. Two patients had the full-blown clinical picture of fat embolism with frank pulmonary insufficiency. Serial determinations of arterial oxygen can identify patients in whom the fat embolism syndrome is likely to develop.
A nano-biomimetic transformation system enables in planta expression of a reporter gene in mature plants and seeds

Plant genetic engineering will be essential to decipher the genomic basis of complex traits, optimize crop genomics, and enable plant-based production of recombinant proteins. However, established plant transformation approaches for bioengineering are fraught with limitations. Although nanoparticle-mediated methods show great promise for advancing plant biotechnology, many engineered nanomaterials can have cytotoxic and ecological effects. Here, we demonstrate the efficient uptake of a nano-biomimetic carrier of plasmid DNA and transient expression of a reporter gene in leaves of Arabidopsis, common ice plant and tobacco, as well as in the developing seed tissues of Arabidopsis, field mustard, barley, and wheat. The nano-biomimetic transformation system described here has all the advantages of other nanoparticle-mediated approaches for passive delivery of genetic cargo into a variety of plant species and is also nontoxic to cells and to the environment for diverse biotechnological applications in plant biology and crop science.
Emerging views of statin pleiotropy and cholesterol lowering.

Over the past four decades, no class of drugs has had more impact on cardiovascular health than the HMC-CoA reductase inhibitors or statins. Developed as potent lipid-lowering agents, statins were later shown to reduce morbidity and mortality of patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease. However, retrospective analyses of some of these clinical trials have uncovered some aspects of their clinical benefits that may be additional to their lipid-lowering effects. Such "pleiotropic" effects of statins garnered intense interest and debate over its contribution to cardiovascular risk reduction. This review will provide a brief background of statin pleiotropy, assess the available clinical evidence for and against their non-lipid-lowering benefits, and propose future research directions in this field.
Julia Sets and Autonomous Differential Equations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the theory of moments of balanced measures on Julia sets and explains its connection with the study of certain autonomous ordinary differential equations. The chapter emphasizes on how, starting from a rational mapping F(z) of the complex plane into itself , under the appropriate conditions, one can construct an associated self-adjoint operator whose spectrum is a fractal related to F(z)—namely, its Julia sets. The chapter explains how simplified Hamiltonians for complicated physical systems with fractal structure might be developed. To illustrate how a fractal can be associated with an iterated rational map, the chapter considers Newton's method applied to find the zeros in the complex plane ℂ of f (z) = z 3 -z.
Characterization of Spray Formed by Liquid Jet Injected Into Oscillating Air Crossflow

This paper presents experimental results on the characteristics of spray formed by a liquid (Jet-A) jet injected into an oscillating air crossflow. Ambient air pressure is raised up to 15.86 bar, and the corresponding aerodynamic Weber number and liquid-air momentum flux ratio are up to 1000 and 25, respectively. The level of modulated crossflow velocity is kept up to 20% of its mean value. For limited cases, the air crossflow is preheated. Planar Mie-scattering measurements are utilized to visualize changes of the spray penetration and cross-sectional spray area in the oscillating air crossflow, and PDPA measurements are used to measure the mean drop size and drop size distribution. Phase-synchronized PDPA measurement of droplet size under the modulation of crossflow shows that the modulating crossflow results in preferentially larger amount of smaller and bigger droplets than average-sized droplets. Global spray response of spray to modulating crossflow is characterized by using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of Mie-scattering images and collecting (and hence determining gain of) Mie-scattering intensity of droplets at a fixed downstream distance. It is found that the dominant behavior of the spray is convective oscillation in the axial direction and the change of vertical penetration of the spray is almost negligible for the level of crossflow velocity modulation up to 20%. The gain of Mie-scattering intensity with respect to crossflow velocity modulation level gradually decreases as liquid-air momentum flux ratio increases. Also, per given momentum flux ratio and Weber number, the gain hardly varies with respect to crossflow modulation level, suggesting the response of spray increases in proportion to crossflow velocity modulation level.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Relation between structure and prognosis in cervical carcinoma under radiation treatment

Abstract It is the purpose of this study to determine the relative value of histologic structure in the prognosis of cervical carcinoma, to observe the relation between histologic structure and response to radiation and to determine the extent to which the cell type may serve as a guide to treatment. The essential criteria for a study of this type are: (1) A sufficient number of cases to permit of accurate statistical deductions; (2) a group of cases which have been observed over a sufficient period to permit of judgment as to cure; (3) satisfactory biopsy material for histologic study and classification; (4) a uniform method of treatment applied to all cases; (5) a knowledge of the clinical extent of the disease at the time the treatment was begun, in order to evaluate properly this important factor in prognosis. In our study all of these criteria are fulfilled. The material at our disposal consists of two hundred cases † †The four-year cases have been included in order to make the analysis more accurate statistically by increasing the number of cases. The percentage of recurrences during the fifth year in patients who had been free of disease for four years is so small as to be negligible. The word cure is therefore qualified to mean freedom from disease four and five years. of unmistakable carcinoma of the cervix treated in 1922 and 1923 whose present condition is known and from whom satisfactory tissue is available for microscopic study. Special emphasis is placed upon the fact that all the cases have been treated by radiation alone, the technic of which, with few exceptions, has been fairly uniform as to type and amount.
Low-income women’s experiences in outpatient psychotherapy: A qualitative descriptive analysis

Although low-income women in the United States are at elevated risk for a range of mental health difficulties, they are less likely to access mental health services and more likely to drop out prematurely than higher income women. To explain this paradox, researchers tend to emphasize practical obstacles, but attend less to how low-income women themselves experience and value psychotherapy. The present study aimed to fill this gap using a qualitative descriptive methodology to explore 10 low-income women’s subjective experiences of outpatient psychotherapy. The data that emerged from the qualitative interviews can be distilled into eight clusters, grouped within three broad domains: within the domain of Awareness, participants found therapy to be meaningful and effective when the therapist: (1) was aware of the nature of poverty and poverty-related stressors, and (2) had some sort of direct exposure to poverty. Within the domain of Practices, participants described therapy as useful when the therapist: (3...
Agenda-setting and climate change.

An agenda-setting perspective can help us understand current climate policy politics by identifying factors that will help the climate change issue rise and stay high on public and governmental agendas. Keeping climate change at the forefront of government decision agendas will be critical in the coming years because climate change is a long-term problem and governments are unlikely to ‘solve’ the climate crisis with one policy enacted at one point in time. Kingdon's multiple streams model of agenda-setting is used here to explore strategies for keeping the issue of climate change on agendas and moving it up the list of policy priorities.
Susceptibility of estuarine crab larvae to ultraviolet radiation

Abstract Estuarine crab larvae are often hatched into shallow salt marshes and may remain near the water’s surface while dispersing from shorelines. Residence in surface waters or entrapment in shallow backwaters of marshes may expose larvae to damaging ultraviolet radiation-B (UVBR, 280–320 nm). To determine the effects of UVBR exposure on larval survival, larvae of three species of salt marsh crabs, Uca pugnax (Smith, 1870), Sesarma reticulatum (Say, 1817), and Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869), were reared for 4 days in UVBR-transparent and UVBR-opaque containers that were suspended 10 and 25 cm below the sea surface in a shallow salt marsh located on Long Island, New York, USA. UVBR, UV-A radiation (UVAR, 320–400 nm) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm) were measured from the surface to the bottom of the water column during the course of five replicate trials. UVBR, UVAR and PAR were all rapidly attenuated in the turbid salt marsh. Nevertheless, UVBR decreased larval survival of all three species. Survival of Sesarma reticulatum larvae decreased as UVBR exposure increased during the course of the experiment. Survival of Uca pugnax larvae initially declined but stabilized thereafter. Survival of Dyspanopeus sayi larvae did not decline during the first day of the experiment but it decreased each day thereafter. Therefore, UVBR may quickly kill newly hatched larvae that become trapped in the marsh or remain within 1 m of the water’s surface. However, larvae in Flax Pond were released during nocturnal ebb tides, and 97.7% of newly-hatched larvae were flushed from the marsh before daybreak. Thereafter, larvae may avoid the top 1 m of the water column during the daytime ( U. pugnax and D. sayi ) or may reside at depth throughout the day ( S. reticulatum ). The two surface oriented species also may be protected from UVBR by photorepair mechanisms or mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). Though larvae remaining high in the water column may be exposed to sublethal doses of UVBR, larvae of these three species may not be killed directly by short-term exposure to UVBR while dispersing from temperate shorelines.
A method for intraoperative adjustment of sling tension: Prevention of outlet obstruction during vaginal wall sling

Abstract Objectives To describe a simple, yet effective method of adjusting intraoperative tension on the suspending sutures of a vaginal wall sling placed for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in the female patient. Methods. A cystoscope sheath is placed per urethra and inclined to approximately 20° to 30° relative to horizontal. The suspension sutures are tied down directly onto the rectus fascia but do not indent it. The sheath should easily rotate in the vertical plane within the urethral lumen, maintaining elastic mobility as the sutures are tied. Results On review of the first 160 patients who have undergone vaginal wall sling using this technique of tension adjustment, no patient has had unexpected permanent urinary retention. Preoperative urgency incontinence has remained in 10 patients (less than 7%) postoperatively; 11 patients (6.8%) have had recurrent SUI during follow-up. Conclusions Proper adjustment of suture tension during performance of a sling procedure for SUI is critical in preventing urethral obstruction. The technique described is simple, objective, reproducible, and highly effective.
High-Temperature, High-Pressurein SituReactionMonitoring of Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes underSupercritical Conditions by CIR-FTIR

Anin situcylindrical internal reflection infraredtechnique (CIR-FTIR) was developed, which permits the real timeanalysis of supercritical fluids and heterogeneous catalyticprocesses at temperatures up to 500°C and 1000 psipressure (1 psi = 6850 Pa). High-quality spectra were obtainedat both high temperatures and high pressures underin situreaction conditions. The molecular thermal transitions that a hydrocarbon undergoesin the supercritical regime, the properties of a hydrocarbonwithin the pores of a zeolite, and the interactions of ahydrocarbon with the active acid sites of the zeolite during catalyticcracking were studied by this technique. The results showedthat the stretching frequency of the C–H bonds was altered insupercritical heptane, probably due to intermolecular hydrogenbonding. IR data also demonstrated an increased heptaneconcentration within the micropores of a commercial catalyticcracking, Y-type zeolite (promoted Octacat) during catalyticcracking at supercritical conditions. This method also enableda determination of the types of hydroxyl groups containedwithin the zeolite (i.e., Bronsted acid sites in the supercagesand sodalite cages, terminal silanols, and superacid sites) andtheir relative concentration changes with increasingtemperature. Finally, the alteration of the concentrations ofthe various catalytic active sites together with the appearanceof new bands was also monitoredin situduring catalyticcracking of heptane at 475°C under subcritical andsupercritical conditions.
Theoretical study of multiquantum well avalanche photodiodes made from the GaInAs/AlInAs material system

We present numerical calculations of the electron and hole impact ionization coefficients in bulk Ga 0.47 In 0.53 As, Al 0.48 In 0.52 As and related multiquantum well structures. It is found that significant enhancement of the electron impact ionization rate over the hole impact ionization rate can be achieved by more than an order of magnitude in simple multiquantum well APD's at low applied electric fields, but only at the expense of severe carrier trapping effects. At large applied fields, ∼ 200 kV/cm, trapping becomes insignificant but the hole ionization rate increases dramatically. An alternative device that has a graded region at the end of the well, grown using a SLAM superlattice structure, is examined. In this structure electron trapping effects are eliminated, but hole trapping can still occur. It is determined that the graded structure shows an improvement over the simple multiquantum well device. The improvement may not be substantial enough to warrant the more complicated development of the graded superlattice device.
Soot morphology: An application of image analysis in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy

Interest in the fine structure of soots and carbon blacks is motivated by a variety of possible applications. The structure provides information on the origins of the particles and on their adsorptive and reactive properties. This paper describes a method for quantification of the structure of soots and carbon blacks based on direct electron microscopic observation followed by image analysis of these materials. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) provides a very detailed observation of particle structure. The differences in soot structure, because of its complexity, may not be easily quantifiable with the human eye; therefore, high-level computer software has been used to manipulate HRTEM images. This technique involves the application of fast Fourier transforms (FFT) to single particles and the measurement of characteristic parameters such as interplanar spacings and crystallite sizes from these particles. The methodology and application of this characterization technique are presented here. Results are shown for different samples obtained from soot and carbon black particles selected to illustrate the capabilities of the methodology. Quantitative information can be obtained on structural characteristics, e.g., interplanar spacing, circularity, orientation, elongation, and length distribution of lattice fringes, as well as on the fractional coverage of the extracted pattern.
Ontogeny of insulin effect in fetal sheep.

ABSTRACT: Compared with fetuses near term, midgestation fetal sheep at about 75 d of gestation have higher weight-specific glucose uptake rates, higher plasma glucose concentrations, lower plasma insulin concentrations, higher red blood cell insulin receptor concentrations and affinity, and a lower proportion of body weight accounted for by potentially insulin-sensitive skeletal muscle. Based on these observations, we measured the net rate of glucose uptake by the fetus from the utcroplacenta under basal and hyperinsulinemic conditions in eight fetal sheep at 76 d of gestation and eight fetal sheep at 132 d of gestation (term 150 d). Hyperinsulinemia (414 ± 90 pM) in the 76-d fetal sheep decreased plasma glucose concentration by 0.20 ± 0.03 mM (-13%, p < 0.01) and increased the net rate of glucose uptake (8.4 ± 2.2 μmol/min/kg, +21.3%, p < 0.05) and glucose clearance (11.4 ± 2.6 mL/min/kg, +39%, p < 0.01). In the 132-d fetuses, a comparable hyperinsulinemia (306 ± 36 pM) decreased plasma glucose concentration (-0.31 ± 0.02 mM, −26%, p < 0.05) and increased glucose clearance (16.7 ± 1.8 mL/min/kg, +73.6%, p < 0.05) to a greater extent than in the 76-d fetuses (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Net glucose uptake rate increased significantly in the 132-d fetuses (6.7 ± 1.1 μmol/min/kg, +27.5%, p < 0.05), but not differently from the 76-d fetuses (p = 0.21). These data define brisk and significant effects of insulin on glucose metabolism in fetal sheep, even as early as 50% of gestation. The midgestation fetal sheep, particularly in relation to its larger fractional content of body water and smaller fractional content of insulin-sensitive tissues, demonstrates glucose metabolic responses to insulin at least as great as those that occur near term.
Cross-linked network polymer electrolytes based on a polysiloxane backbone with oligo(oxyethylene) side chains: Synthesis and conductivity

A novel cross-linked siloxane-based solid polymer network has been synthesized by the hydrosilylation of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) partly substituted with oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether side groups and a α,ω-diallyl poly(ethylene glycol) cross-linking reagent. The ionic conductivities of the networks doped with LiTFSI are high at ambient temperature (σ = 1.33 × 10-4 S cm-1 at the optimum LiTFSI concentration EO/Li+ = 20:1). The temperature dependence of the conductivity followed the VTF form, indicating that polymer segmental motion assists the ion transport in the solid networks.
Dependence of oxygen quenching of intercalated methylene blue triplet lifetime on DNA base-pair composition.

We utilize the dynamic quenching of the triplet state of methylene blue by molecular oxygen to observe changes in the rate at which oxygen can penetrate the helix as a function of base-pair composition. The results indicate that the interior of the oligonucleotide dA-dT is more accessible than dG-dC to small molecules such as dioxygen.
Comparison of assay methods for studying O,O-diethyl, O-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (paraoxon) detoxication in vitro

Abstract Three different techniques were used to study the inactivation of paraoxon ( O , O -diethyl, O - p -nitrophenyl phosphate) by animal tissues in vitro . The first procedure (spectrophotometric technique) measures the amount of p -nitrophenol released during the hydrolysis of paraoxon (4 × 10 −4 M). The second technique estimates the hydrolysis of paraoxon (7·7 × 10 −3 M) by manometric measurement of CO 2 liberated in a bicarbonate buffer (manometric technique). The third procedure (anti-CHE technique) measures the loss of anticholinesterase (anti-CHE) activity of paraoxon (1 × 10 −7 M) after incubation with tissues. The kinetics of the reactions, tissue distributions, sex and species comparisons, the effects of calcium, magnesium and EDTA, and the effects of pretreatment in vivo with organophosphate esters were studied. The influence of these factors differed depending upon whether the inactivation of paraoxon was measured by the spectrophotometric or the anti-CHE technique. This indicated that the inactivation mechanism operating in the anti-CHE system was not the same as paraoxon hydrolysis as measured by the spectrophotometric and manometric techniques. The results of studies of the effects of incubation time, substrate concentration, dialysis, cofactors and pretreatment with organophosphate esters suggest that tissue binding of paraoxon is the principal mechanism of inactivation operating in the anti-CHE system
Memory for syntax despite amnesia.

Syntactic persistence is a tendency for speakers to reproduce sentence structures independently of accompanying meanings, words, or sounds. The memory mechanisms behind syntactic persistence are not fully understood. Although some properties of syntactic persistence suggest a role for procedural memory, current evidence suggests that procedural memory (unlike declarative memory) does not maintain the abstract, relational features that are inherent to syntactic structures. In a study evaluating the contribution of procedural memory to syntactic persistence, patients with anterograde amnesia and matched control speakers reproduced prime sentences with different syntactic structures; reproduced 0, 1, 6, or 10 neutral sentences; then spontaneously described pictures that elicited the primed structures; and finally made recognition judgments for the prime sentences. Amnesic and control speakers showed significant and equivalent syntactic persistence, despite the amnesic speakers' profoundly impaired recognitio...
Toward an infinitely reusable, recyclable, and renewable industrial ecosystem

The industrial sector in the United States consumes one-third of the nation's energy and emits one-fifth of the nation's carbon dioxide. It also consumes virgin materials at unsustainable rates and produces substantial amounts of wastes. To reverse these trends, the United States can transition to an infinitely reusable, recyclable, and renewable industrial ecosystem (IR3). The concept requires new classes of infinitely reusable materials based on advanced carbon technologies; increased recycling of standard materials such as glass and plastic; and substitution of renewable materials for non-renewable virgin materials. In combination with new emphases within our energy system, implementing the IR3 ecosystem could reduce United States carbon dioxide emissions from the industrial sector by more than 80% by 2050.
Factors Affecting the Impact of Neoadjuvant Radiation on Survival in Locally Advanced NSCLC: A SEER Database Analysis

Purpose/Objective(s): Locally advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma remains a therapeutic challenge for clinicians. Currently the standard of care is multimodality therapy, but sequencing of multimodality therapy is unclear. Population based studies suggest that neoadjuvant radiation (N-RT) offers an overall and cause-specific survival benefit over adjuvant radiation (A-RT) in the treatment of Stage III NSCLC. The goal of this study was to identify the factors which affect the survival benefit of neoadjuvant radiation in Stage III NSCLC.
Linear IgA bullous disease limited to the eye: a diagnostic dilemma: response to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy.

Abstract Purpose To report on a diagnostic dilemma and treatment challenge in a patient with chronic cicatrizing conjunctivitis without involvement of skin and other mucous membranes persisting for 6 years and not responding to topical and systemic steroids. Design Interventional case report. Methods We performed direct immunofluorescence of the conjunctiva with fluorescein-conjugated rabbit antihuman antibodies against immunoglobulin A, G, and M, complement 3 component, and fibrinogen. To investigate the presence of circulating antibodies in patient's serum, indirect immunofluorescence using normal human conjunctiva, normal human skin, and monkey esophagus as substrate was done. In addition, we did immunoblot analysis using normal human epidermis as substrate to determine the molecular weight of an antigen. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). The correlation between the titer of circulating antibodies and the activity of conjunctival inflammation at various intervals during the course of IVIg therapy was demonstrated by immunoblot assay with serial dilutions of the patient's serum. The highest dilution at which the binding was visible was considered the titer. Results Direct immunofluorescence of the conjunctiva and indirect immunofluorescence with both salt split skin and conjunctiva as substrate disclosed linear deposition of immunoglobulin A (IgA) at the epithelial basement membrane. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated the presence of IgA circulating antibodies in patient's serum directed against a 97kDa protein in human epidermis. A continuous decrease in the titer of these antibodies correlating to improvement of clinical symptoms was observed during IVIg therapy. Conclusions Use of a nonconventional diagnostic tool (immunoblot analysis), in addition to conventional immunohistologic studies, might be helpful in establishing the diagnosis of patients with chronic cicatrizing conjunctivitis. On the basis of results of these laboratory tests and clinical presentation, we believe that this patient has linear IgA bullous disease limited to the eye. IVIg therapy decreased the titer of circulating antibodies and induced a remission in this patient.
Physical activity: is it still a risk factor?

Abstract Habitual levels of occupational and leisure time physical activity vary widely between populations; the former are unrelated to population rates of coronary heart disease (CHD). The proportion of men in sedentary occupations is unrelated to 10-year incidence of CHD in the Seven Countries, for any CHD, hard CHD, or CHD deaths. Coronary heart disease rates are not significantly different between active and sedentary U.S. railroad employees on adjustment for other risk factors. Noncoronary deaths are much higher in active railroad employees. The proportion of sedentary men in populations is negatively related to 10-year deaths from all causes in the Seven Countries Study. In addition, there are wide differences in the relationship of occupational activity to CHD incidence, being unrelated in the United States, negatively related in Italy and Holland, in a U-shaped relationship in Yugoslavia, and in an inverted U-shaped relationship in Finland, where sedentary and very active men had similar coronary disease rates, and moderately active men had double their coronary disease rates. Habitual occupational activity is strongly and inversely related to deaths from all causes in Finland. None of the Seven Countries data bear on the protective effect of anaerobic exercise. “Peasants never get short of breath.” Physical activity, diet uncontrolled, can change many CHD risk factors in a “favorable” direction, i.e., weight, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and blood lipids. This provides the rationale for attempts to encourage increased activity in sedentary affluent populations. The primary prevention of elevated risk factors requires the engineering of regular activity into work and leisure time of affluent societies.
LCMV beamforming for a novel wireless local positioning system: a stationarity analysis

In this paper, we discuss the implementation of Linear Constrained Minimum Variance (LCMV) beamforming (BF) for a novel Wireless Local Position System (WLPS). WLPS main components are: (a) a dynamic base station (DBS), and (b) a transponder (TRX), both mounted on mobiles. WLPS might be considered as a node in a Mobile Adhoc NETwork (MANET). Each TRX is assigned an identification (ID) code. DBS transmits periodic short bursts of energy which contains an ID request (IDR) signal. The TRX transmits back its ID code (a signal with a limited duration) to the DBS as soon as it detects the IDR signal. Hence, the DBS receives non-continuous signals transmitted by TRX. In this work, we assume asynchronous Direct-Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) transmission from the TRX with antenna array/LCMV BF mounted at the DBS, and we discuss the implementation of the observed signal covariance matrix for LCMV BF. In LCMV BF, the observed covariance matrix should be estimated. Usually sample covariance matrix (SCM) is used to estimate this covariance matrix assuming a stationary model for the observed data which is the case in many communication systems. However, due to the non-stationary behavior of the received signal in WLPS systems, SCM does not lead to a high WLPS performance compared to even a conventional beamformer. A modified covariance matrix estimation method which utilizes the cyclostationarity property of WLPS system is introduced as a solution to this problem. It is shown that this method leads to a significant improvement in the WLPS performance.
Temperature dependence of the actions of mammalian and reptilian gonadotropins in a lizard.

Abstract 1. 1. The same marked temperature dependence is evident in the actions of both reptilian (snapping turtle) gonadotropin and mammalian gonadotropin (ovine FSH) when tested in the lizard Anolis carolinensis . 2. 2. Steroidogenic processes (androgen production) in the lizard testis is less temperature sensitive than is spermatogenesis. 3. 3. The temperature dependence of the lizard's response to gonadotropins is evidently a characteristic of the reptile's gonadal system rather than a property of the hormone's structure.
Turbulent Diffusion Flame Properties Behind a Backward-Facing Step

Experiments and analysis are reported for a subsonic combustion wind-tunnel experiment, in which a turbulent diffusion flame is stabilized behind a backward-facing step. A mixture of hydrogen—plus a diluent—is introduced through the porous floor behind the step. Velocity and temperature distributions were measured using laser Doppler velocimetry and Raman spectroscopy. The flowfleld was modeled analytically using a two-equation turbulence model with Favre-averaged equations using the conserved scalar approach. Dominant features of the flow is a flame anchored primarily in the shear layer, a relatively cool recirculation zone, and a long reattachment region, compared with that for cold flow. The intensity of the Stokes line of nitrogen is shown to be an indication of the temperature of the flow. The analysis, which gave excellent agreement with experimental results in the absence of combustion, underpredicts the extent of the recirculation zone and places the region of highest temperature closer to the floor than was observed experimentally, once a flame is present. Nomenclature c = concentration H = step height T = temperature U = axial velocity V = vertical velocity X = axial distance Y = distance above the tunnel floor Subscripts
E and Z Conformations of Esters, Thiol Esters, and Amides

Populations and free-energy differences for the E and Z conformations of S-methyl, cyclopropyl, isopropyl, and cyclopentyl thioformate were determined by low-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy, and free-energy barriers of 10.63 and 11.84 kcal/mol were obtained for interconversion of E and Z conformations of S-methyl thioformate at −52.4 °C. Populations and free-energy differences were also determined at room temperature by using 13C NMR for a series of N-substituted formamides and N-cyclopropylacetamide in 1% solutions in CD2Cl2/CH2Cl2. In both sets of compounds, electron-withdrawing groups attached to sulfur or nitrogen appear to favor the E conformations. The electronegativities of the groups are taken to increase in the order methyl < vinyl ∼ phenyl ∼ cyclopropyl < hydrogen < ethynyl. Data from the literature are discussed in these terms, including the E−Z energy differences for formic acid and its ethynyl, vinyl, and methyl esters.
Indirect spectral transmission ratio measurements of the aging crystalline lens nucleus

A new objective approach to characterize color and opalescence in the lens nucleus, using wavelength indexed transmission ratios (TR) is described. Transmission ratios, i.e. the transmissivity per unit lens thickness, for the whole visible spectral range (390-720 nm) were calculated using fast scanning spectral colorimetry (FSSC). The lowest transmission ratios values were obtained in the blue part of the spectrum in general and at 450 nm in particular. They inversely followed the subjectively determined LOCS II color grading. The difference between transmission ratios at the absorbed part of the spectrum (less than 500 nm) and the non-absorbed part (greater than 550 nm) also reflects the LOCS II color grading. The overall mean transmission ratios for all wavelengths in the spectrum gives an index that closely followed the nuclear opalescence grading of the LOCS II system. The transmission ratios are theoretically independent of the spectral characteristics of the incident light as long as it contains suprathreshold energies in the whole measured spectral range.
Laser-induced fluorescence detection of singlet CH 2 in low-pressure methane/oxygen flames

Methylene, CH2, is a chemically important intermediate in hydrocarbon combustion but has previously eluded optical detection in a combustion environment. The CH2 signal as a function of height above the burner surface in a premixed, laminar, methane/oxygen flame (5.6 Torr and fuel equivalence ratio ∼1.05) is measured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in the $$\tilde b^1 $$ B 1 − a1 A 1 electronic system. The a state which lies ∼3165 cm−1 above the ground state is populated at the high temperatures of the flame (800–1800 K). Although less than one photon for each laser pulse is detected, we can unambiguously attribute the LIF features in the region 450 to 650 nm to CH2 by both scanning the excitation laser and dispersing fluorescence. LIF temperatures and CH and OH LIF concentration profiles are also obtained for the flame. The CH2 radical concentration maximum occurs closer to the burner than that of either OH or CH, as expected from models of methane combustion chemistry.
Complications and Complexities: Reflections on Twentieth-Century European Recycling

This article offers reflections on the scholarship in the special issue. It proposes that the formation of an overall narrative of twentieth-century European recycling is a complex matter, depending on issues of gender, age, class, nationality and representation. It suggests the further complications of writing histories of everyday life, points out the various meanings of ‘recycling’ and interrogates waste as an element of consumer culture.
Biphasic adrenergic responses of rabbit aorta.

Abstract Isolated rabbit aortic strips taken from untreated or reserpinized animals and subjected to exogenous adrenergic stimulation in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate bath, with or without cocaine, can be shown to contract in a biphasic manner much like the smaller ear artery preparations. The two agonists used were metanephrine, which is not readily oxidized in solution, and norepinephrine, introduced either with or without 10 −6 M Cu 2+ . The action of the copper ions in this situation is a simple attenuation of the catecholamine which permits the fast contractile phase to proceed to completion while eliminating the secondary slow phase altogether. From these experiments it is concluded that the aortic contraction resulting from adrenergic stimulation is not really dissimilar to that of the ear artery when one takes into consideration that the different physiologic requirements demand different temporal responses. It is also likely that the apparent lack of interim relaxation between the fast and slow components is due only to the summating effects of the slowly relaxing fast contraction and rising slow contraction. Complete elimination of the interim relaxing phase is virtually assured if EDTA is used as an antioxidant.
Integrated biomedical nanosensor using guided resonance in photonic crystal structures

We present the design, simulation, and fabrication of an all-dielectric photonic crystal-based nano-sensor that detects index of refraction changes in aqueous solutions. The photonic crystal structure is designed for incorporation with an optical readout module that includes a light source, detector, and micro-optics to form a miniature integrated nanosensor. This enables reduced cost, small sample volume, and increased speed and parallelism desirable for high throughput analysis in medical diagnostics.