cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subsidence Hazard From Limestone Mining in an Urban Setting

Subsidence, both natural and human-induced, frequently results in loss and damage to property and has the potential to cause injuries to people. Subsidence resulting from mining has caused widespread damage in many parts of the United States. In the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area, in the Midwestern United States, century-old mining of Pennsylvanian age limestone, by room-and-pillar method, has left behind numerous mine openings of various sizes, many of which progressively deteriorate resulting in subsidence. During the second half of the present century many of the abandoned mines in Greater Kansas City were converted for secondary use that includes office space, warehouse, retail business and light manufacturing. Roof bolting and pillar reinforcement are standard measures employed to ensure long-term stability of these converted mines. However, many old mines lying in a state of abandonment for several decades fail periodically. Many incidences of subsidence, occurring over a 25-year period, have been recorded in the area. Some of the recent cases of subsidence are discussed in the paper. A discussion of the hazard associated with subsidence in an urban area, with suggestions for mitigation of the hazard, is presented. A brief review of the geology of the area along with important geotechnical properties of pertinent rock units is also included.
Beyond 39 Weeks: Sustainability in Decreasing Cesarean Rates in Elective Inductions

Childbearing Poster Presentation Objective A high cesarean rate led the Perinatal Quality and Safety Committee (PQSC) to investigate opportunities for improvement. We chose to restrict elective inductions by applying evidence-based parameters for selection with the aim of decreasing the cesarean rate. Design The PQSC developed a policy restricting elective inductions to women who were at least 39 weeks gestation with a Bishop score of greater than 7. Evidence has demonstrated that infants born prior to 39 weeks gestation have an increased risk for problems leading to admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Additionally, women who are induced with a Bishop score greater than 7 have a probability of vaginal delivery that is similar to spontaneous labor. Sample Low-risk, healthy women undergoing elective induction. Methods A standardized process for booking inductions was developed, including a physician request form documenting gestational age, Bishop score, and induction indication. Education was provided and feedback was solicited from nursing and physician staff prior to implementation. Implementation Strategies Charts were audited monthly and feedback was provided to staff. Compliance with the 39-week requirement was high. In the first month, only 50% of patients induced electively had documented Bishop scores. During 2010 to 2011, compliance with the requirement to record Bishop scores fluctuated between 55% and 90%. Noncompliant physicians were referred to peer review, but this did not always improve performance. In 2012, the PQSC determined that a nurse-driven hard stop at the time of booking was required. Inductions were not booked until the request form was approved by nursing staff. Physicians were informed that if patients presented to the unit who did not meet criteria, they would not be induced. Results Since 2010 there have been no elective inductions prior to 39 weeks gestation. Compliance with the requirement to record Bishop score has improved steadily. The mean compliance per month for 2010 was 75%, and by July 2013, the rate was 96%. The cesarean rate has decreased from 24.4% 6 months prior to implementation to 12.2% post implementation. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Empowerment of the nursing staff was a significant contributing factor to the success of this initiative. Originally ambivalent, the nursing staff did not want to police the attending physicians or contribute to patient dissatisfaction. Hard stops resulted in discharged patients, and several physicians were referred for peer review, but over time compliance with the policy became the norm. Supported by leadership, nurses continue to be a driving force in our evidence-based culture of quality and safety.
Sommerfeld’s Fine Structure Constant and Born’s Reciprocity

The problem of the electronic charge distribution together with that of the nagnitude of Sommerfeld’s fine structure constant α = 2πe 2 /hc = I/I37 is reduced to a linear homogeneous integral equation for the density amplitude ψ. The kernel depends on the parameter α, and every value of α determines an eigenfunction. One eigen value α and one eigenfunction is selected by an additional condition which is, the energy balance. The results are based on a hyperbolic sine relation between the momentum measurements of an inside and an outside observer, and on a similar relation between the space measurements of the two observers. Whereas the relations in momentum space are derived from the familiar Einstein energy-momentum equation, the space geometry of the particle is obtained by an application of the principle of reciprocity of M. Born.1
Misapplications Reviews: The Capital Punishment Controversy: Part I

Few questions in the social sciences have spawned so much empirical research as whether capital punishment can deter murders. An odd collection of inquirers that includes sociologists, lawyers, economists, psychologists, statisticians, and philosophers have examined data that cross the boundaries between nations and centuries; their methods of analysis have ranged from the techniques of multivariate statistics to the recitation of juicy anecdotes. Professor Ernest Van den Haag 1 was not abusing reality when he characterized capital punishment research as a “cottage industry.” The conclusions of the studies have been almost as diverse as their methods and data sources. While a majority have discerned no significant association between execution and homicide levels, several have supported the hypothesis of strong deterrent effects. Some have argued that executions postpone some killings but do not avert them, while others claim to have shown that capital sanctions actually stimulate homicides. This last finding could make sense if, because of the death penalty, those who kill deem it urgent also to kill witnesses and to resist police capture with gunfire. An unsurprising result of this cacophony is that partisans of all positions in the capital punishment controversy can cite scholarly investigations to buttress their viewpoints.
Consolidated Bioprocessing of AFEX-Pretreated Corn Stover to Ethanol and Hydrogen in a Microbial Electrolysis Cell

The consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of corn stover pretreated via ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX-CS) into ethanol was investigated in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) driven by the exoelectrogen Geobacter sulfurreducens and the CBP bacterium Cellulomonas uda. C. uda was identified in a screening for its ethanologenic potential from AFEX-CS and for producing electron donors for G. sulfurreducens fermentatively. C. uda produced ethanol from AFEX-CS in MECs inoculated simultaneously or sequentially, with the concomitant conversion of the fermentation byproducts into electricity by G. sulfurreducens. The fermentation and electrical conversion efficiencies were high, but much of the AFEX-CS remained unhydrolyzed as nitrogen availability limited the growth of the CBP partner. Nitrogen supplementation stimulated the growth of C. uda, AFEX-CS hydrolysis and ethanologenesis. As a result, the synergistic activities of the CBP and exoelectrogen catalysts resulted in substantial energy recoveries from ethanologene...
Gay Men Becoming Fathers: A Model of Identity Expansion

ABSTRACT Based on in-depth interviews, this article proposes a six-stage model of identity development for gay men who are becoming parents. The six stages include (1) a coming out experience that assumes being gay means not parenting; (2) increased self-awareness and confidence as a gay man; (3) recognition of the strength of newly constructed gay families; (4) observation of gay families and learning about the effects of gay parents on children; (5) valuing the unique gifts a gay man has to offer a child; and (6) an integration of the gay and father components of identity, including both a narrowing and expansion of support networks. The model is compared with well-known models of gay identity and ethnic identity development. To understand this developmental transition, 10 gay men who became fathers after establishing a gay identity were interviewed. These men (four single and six in a couple relationship) described the development of their family, their understanding of their gay father identity, chall...
Root hair systems biology

Plant functional genomic studies have largely measured the response of whole plants, organs and tissues, resulting in the dilution of the signal from individual cells. Methods are needed where the full repertoire of functional genomic tools can be applied to a single plant cell. Root hair cells are an attractive model to study the biology of a single, differentiated cell type because of their ease of isolation, polar growth, and role in water and nutrient uptake, as well as being the site of infection by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This review highlights the recent advances in our understanding of plant root hair biology and examines whether the root hair has potential as a model for plant cell systems biology.
Fluorescent labeling of specific cysteine residues using CyMPL

The unique reactivity and relative rarity of cysteine among amino acids makes it a convenient target for the site-specific chemical modification of proteins. Commercially available fluorophores and modifiers react with cysteine through a variety of electrophilic functional groups. However, it can be difficult to achieve specific labeling of a particular cysteine residue in a protein containing multiple cysteines, in a mixture of proteins, or in a protein's native environment. This unit describes a procedure termed CyMPL (Cysteine Metal Protection and Labeling), which enables specific labeling by incorporating a cysteine of interest into a minimal binding site for group 12 metal ions (e.g., Cd2+ and Zn2+). These sites can be inserted into any region of known secondary structure in virtually any protein and cause minimal structural perturbation. Bound metal ions protect the cysteine from reaction while background cysteines are covalently blocked with non-fluorescent modifiers. The metal ions are subsequently removed and the deprotected cysteine is labeled specifically. Curr. Protoc. Protein Sci. 70:14.14.1-14.14.10. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: fluorescence; FRET; metal binding; cysteine modification
XTOBO, YUCATAN, MEXICO, AND THE EMERGENT PRECLASSIC OF THE NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS

Traditionally, research on the Preclassic Maya has focused on settlements found in the Southern Maya Lowlands. Apart from work at a few well-known archaeological sites in the Northern Lowlands, such as Komchen, Dzibilchaltun, and Yaxuna, the Preclassic Northern Maya had received relatively little attention from scholars. In recent years, however, many previously unreported archaeological sites with Preclassic materials have come to light. In northwest Yucatan, Mexico, a survey carried out by Proyecto Costa Maya encountered 140 sites with Preclassic components, including the site of Xtobo. Xtobo stood out from its neighboring Preclassic sites due to its extent and the size and complexity of its architecture. In addition, initial surveys of the site suggested that it was never reoccupied after the Preclassic period, thereby making it a valuable site for studying the Preclassic period in the Northern Maya Lowlands. After three seasons of fieldwork, the Proyecto Arqueologico de Xtobo was able to build substantially on the initial findings of the Proyecto Costa Maya, mapping 67 ha of settlement, including 387 structures, and carrying out a stratified sample of test pit excavations throughout the site. The project documented a dense and well-organized settlement, which included complex architectural features, such as pyramids, triadic groups, elite residences, and a ballcourt. The settlement at Xtobo shows many signs of a complex sociopolitical organization and interaction with other areas of the Maya region and Mesoamerica. The results of the Proyecto Arqueologico de Xtobo indicate that the Northern Maya Lowlands were an important and integral part of Preclassic Mesoamerica and should be considered in larger cultural reconstructions of the time period.
Linking Crisis Management and Leadership Competencies: The Role of Human Resource Development:

The problem and the solution. Most executives are aware of the negative consequences associated with an organizational crisis and focus on communications and public relations as a reactive strategy. However, many neglect the other leadership responsibilities associated with organizational crises.This may result from lack of formal training and on-the-job experiences that prepare executives to lead crises. Executives who enable their organizations to recover from a crisis exhibit a complex set of competencies in each of the five phases of a crisis—signal detection, preparation and prevention, damage control and containment, business recovery, and reflection and learning. In this article, through the use of qualitative research design and the analysis of firms in crises, we examine leadership competencies during each phase of a crisis. In addition, this article links the important role of human resource development to building organizational capabilities through crisis management activities.
Applying survival analysis to a large-scale forest inventory for assessment of tree mortality in Minnesota

Tree mortality has traditionally been assessed in forest inventories through summaries of mortality by location, species, and causal agents. Although these methods have historically constituted the majority of tree mortality summarizations, they have had limited use in assessing mortality trends and dynamics. This study proposed a novel method of applying survival analysis for the purpose of analyzing tree mortality in forest inventories. Individual tree size and growth increments were used to estimate survival and hazard functions for a forest inventory for the state of Minnesota. These estimates provided regional mortality and variance estimates by diameter at breast height (DBH) and diameter growth classes (?DBH) between successive inventories. Comparisons of survival/hazard curves for various tree populations and tests of effects of covariates on individual survival curves were conducted allowing for mortality hypothesis testing across user-defined tree populations (i.e., species, location, stand conditions, and damage agents). Survival analysis techniques, facilitated by the variables of DBH and ?DBH, may provide foresters with the ability to test tree mortality hypotheses and summarize regional tree mortality trends.
An Integrated Spatial Path-planning and Controller Design Approach for a Hover-mode Helicopter Model

The objective of this paper is to design a controller based on a nonlinear hover-mode model for a helicopter, which can be seamlessly integrated in an existing spatial path-planning approach. Unlike traditional approaches, this novel two-level hierarchical controller takes ‘ small-body forces’ explicitly into consideration. A higher level controller (HLC), with slower time-scale, controls the translational motion. This controller chooses the main rotor thrust, and a reference signal for the fuselage rotation matrix. This reference rotation matrix is then tracked by a lower level controller (LLC) at a faster time-scale, to select the two flapping angles of the tip path plane (TPP) and the tail rotor thrust. The reference rotation matrix is chosen by the HLC so as to meet the objective of local translation, specified by a local potential function. The local potential field is represented as an obstacle-free spherical region, a ‘ bubble’, in which the helicopter is constrained to fly. A string of such bubbles is generated by an existing spatial path-planning algorithm. The helicopter switches its controlling bubbles in a sequence to produce gross motion. The system is demonstrated by computer simulation, using a scaled model.
Dual-Mode Combustion of a Jet in Cross-Flow with Cavity Flameholder

The ignition and combustion stabilization location in a laboratory dual-mode ramjet/scramjet combustor was studied experimentally. The combustor consisted of a single hydrogen fuel jet injected normally into a supersonic cross∞ow upstream of a wall cavity pilot ∞ame. Experiments were performed with Mach 2.2 and 2.5 nozzles at stagnation temperatures (T0) of 1050K to 1400K, which correspond to ∞ight Mach numbers of 4.3 to 5.2. High speed imaging of the ∞ame luminosity resolved the ignition process which was found to begin in the wall cavity for all conditions. The lean ignition limit of the combustor was found to be a function of the cavity fueling rate. Increasing _ mcavfuel= _ mtotalfuel from 0.02 to 0.07 lowered the combustor lean ignition limit by approximately 15%. For ramjet operation, two distinct combustion stabilization modes were found for main fuel injection a su‐cient distance upstream of the cavity. At low T0, the combustion was anchored at the leading edge of the cavity by heat release in the cavity shear layer. At high T0, the combustion was stabilized a short distance downstream of the fuel injection jet in its wake. For an intermediate range of T0, the reaction zone oscillated between jet-wake and cavity stabilized positions with intermediate locations being unstable. Wall pressure measurements showed that cavity stabilized combustion is the steadiest, followed by wake stabilized, and the oscillatory case. For fuel injection close to the cavity, the reaction zone locations for the two stabilization modes overlapped, and cavity fueling became an important factor in the steadiness of the ∞ow fleld. Scramjet mode combustion was found to only exist in the cavity stabilized mode for the conditions studied.
In Vitro Human Memory CD8 T Cell Expansion in Response to Cytomegalovirus Requires CD4+ T Cell Help

Requirements for human memory CD8(+) T cell expansion are incompletely understood. We found that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) induced expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells in vitro without requiring intracellular viral peptide synthesis. Peptide-major histocompatibility complex class I tetramer binding confirmed expansion of cells with HCMV-peptide specificity. Expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells was completely dependent on the presence and function of CD4(+) T cells, whose "help" also could be induced by exposure to irrelevant antigen. Recombinant interleukin (IL)-2 or IL-15 could substitute for help provided by CD4(+) T cells, whereas CD8(+) T cell expansion was blocked by anti-IL-2 but not anti-IL-15 antibody. Human memory CD8(+) T cells expand dramatically in vitro in response to cross-presentation of HCMV antigens, and, in contrast to observations made in murine systems, this proliferation was critically dependent on CD4(+) T cells that provide essential IL-2. Thus, in humans, cross-presentation and expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells may be compromised in disease states that result in deficits in CD4(+) T cell numbers or function, such as may be seen in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.
Mn(III) Hexafluoroacetylacetonate as an Oxidative Agent in the Synthesis of Heterobimetallic β-Diketonates

New synthetic approach for the preparation of heterometallic β-diketonates has been developed. Three manganese-containing diketonates, InMn(hfac)3 (1), CdMn2(hfac)6 (2), and Hg2Mn2(hfac)6 (3), have been isolated in quantitative yields by employing the solid state redox reaction of Mn(hfac)3 with transition and main group metals. The heterometallic molecules are built on Lewis acid–base interactions between diketonate oxygens of the [Mn(hfac)3]− groups and “naked” metal centers that appear in the form of In+, Cd2+, and Hg 2 2+ cations. Compounds 1–3 have been shown to retain a heterometallic structure upon sublimation–deposition procedure as well as in solutions of non-coordinating solvents.
Alternative Scoring for Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE)

Background Studies assessing physical functioning with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) should be aware that the instrument may be age and culture insensitive.
The NIST speaker recognition evaluation - overview methodology, systems, results, perspective

Abstract This paper, based on three presentations made in 1998 at the RLA2C Workshop in Avignon, discusses the evaluation of speaker recognition systems from several perspectives. A general discussion of the speaker recognition task and the challenges and issues involved in its evaluation is offered. The NIST evaluations in this area and specifically the 1998 evaluation, its objectives, protocols and test data, are described. The algorithms used by the systems that were developed for this evaluation are summarized, compared and contrasted. Overall performance results of this evaluation are presented by means of detection error trade-off (DET) curves. These show the performance trade-off of missed detections and false alarms for each system and the effects on performance of training condition, test segment duration, the speakers' sex and the match or mismatch of training and test handsets. Several factors that were found to have an impact on performance, including pitch frequency, handset type and noise, are discussed and DET curves showing their effects are presented. The paper concludes with some perspective on the history of this technology and where it may be going.
Multiple Oligarchy: Aristotle and Contemporary Elite Politics

Contemporary social science and participatory theory has raised the question of whether representative government in large-scale modern states constitutes an oligarchy. Using Aristotle’s insight that oligarchy is not a single regime but a spectrum of forms of elite rule, this essay inquires into the precise character of this regime to make sense of the possible roles of participatory politics. First, I introduce Aristotle’s theory of oligarchy as a spectrum of regimes ranging from institutions that broadly favor the wealthy, to hereditary and dynastic rule. Second, using Aristotle’s framework and his account of hairesis (election or choice), I recast representative government as a regime in constant danger of degenerating toward an extreme form of elite rule that bears critical similarities to Aristotle’s hereditary oligarchy. Third, I use Aristotle’s framework to assess contemporary representative government. Finally, I argue that participatory reforms take on a new urgency once the nature of contemporary oligarchy is fully understood.
Comparison of Lecture-Based Learning vs Discussion-Based Learning in Undergraduate Medical Students

Objective To compare lecture-based learning (LBL) and discussion-based learning (DBL) by assessing immediate and long-term knowledge retention and application of practical knowledge in third- and fourth-year medical students. Design A prospective, randomized control trial was designed to study the effects of DBL. Medical students were randomly assigned to intervention (DBL) or control (LBL) groups. Both the groups were instructed regarding the management of gastroschisis. The control group received a PowerPoint presentation, whereas the intervention group was guided only by an objectives list and a gastroschisis model. Students were evaluated using a multiple-choice pretest (Pre-Test MC) immediately before the teaching session, a posttest (Post-Test MC) following the session, and a follow-up test (Follow-Up MC) at 3 months. A practical examination (PE), which tested simple skills and management decisions, was administered at the end of the clerkship (Initial PE) and at 3 months after clerkship (Follow-Up PE). Students were also given a self-evaluation immediately following the Post-Test MC to gauge satisfaction and comfort level in the management of gastroschisis. Setting University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA. Participants A total of 49 third- and fourth-year medical students who were enrolled in the general surgery clerkship were eligible for this study. Enrollment into the study was completely voluntary. Of the 49 eligible students, 36 students agreed to participate in the study, and 27 completed the study. Results Mean scores for the Pre-Test MC, Post-Test MC, and Follow-Up MC were similar between the control and intervention groups. In the control group, the Post-Test MC scores were significantly greater than Pre-Test MC scores (8.92 ± 0.79 vs 4.00 ± 1.04, p Conclusions After a single instructional session, there was a significant difference in the students' scores between the control and the intervention groups on both administrations of the PEs. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in any administration of the MC examinations. This seems to suggest that DBL may lead to better practical knowledge and potentially improved long-term knowledge retention when compared with LBL. Students in the DBL group also felt more comfortable with the management of gastroschisis and were more satisfied with the educational session.
Insertional Mutagenesis in Hematopoietic Cells: Lessons Learned from Adverse Events in Clinical Gene Therapy Trials

From an early stage in the development of retroviral vectors for gene therapy applications, there has been a concern that recombinant vectors could elicit cellular transformation by altering expression of either cellular proto-oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes that are proximal to the genomic integration site (Fig. 6.1). This phenomenon, referred to as insertional mutagenesis, was characterized as a property of wild type gammaretroviral viruses (previously known as murine oncoretroviral viruses) which are the prototype virus from which the recombinant vectors used in the majority of the clinical trials described in this chapter were derived (reviewed in [178]). Wild type retroviruses fall into two categories with regards to their transforming properties: Slow transforming and acute transforming retroviruses.
Abstract 2666: PI3K inhibition induces homologous repair defects in endometrioid endometrial cancer patient derived xenografts leading to synergistic anti-tumor activity with PARP inhibitors

Inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway has been shown to induce defective homologous repair in breast carcinoma leading to heightened sensitivity to poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Our objective was to assess the effects on DNA repair pathways following single agent and combined PI3K and PARP inhibition utilizing endometrial cancer (EnCa) patient derived xenografts (PDX) with and without identified PIK3CA mutations. Under an institutional protocol, tumors from consenting patients with endometrioid carcinoma were collected at the time of primary surgery and genotyped for common oncogenic mutations utilizing the SNaPshot® platform. NOD/SCID mice bearing xenografts derived from two primary human endometrioid endometrial tumors with and without PIK3CA gene mutations (ENCA1 & ENCA2 respectively) were divided into four arm cohorts with equivalent tumor volumes. Vehicle or NVP BKM-120 (30 mg/kg) was administered alone and in combination with veliparib (25 mg/kg) and endometrial xenograft tumor volumes were assessed. Immunoblotting was used to assess downstream PI3K pathway and DNA repair pathway alterations in post treatment samples at specific time points. While NVP BKM120 as a single agent failed to induce significant anti-tumor activity compared to vehicle in either model, decreased pAKT, RAD51 and increased γ-H2AX levels were observed in response to NVP BKM120 alone. PIK3CA mutation status did not affect these molecular alterations. Dual NVP BKM-120 and veliparib therapy significantly impeded tumor growth (p Citation Format: Bo Rueda, Celeste Digloria, Tracilyn Hall, Rosemary Foster, Darrell Borger, Whitfield Growdon. PI3K inhibition induces homologous repair defects in endometrioid endometrial cancer patient derived xenografts leading to synergistic anti-tumor activity with PARP inhibitors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2666. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2666
Acid sensing ion channels are tuned to follow high frequency stimuli

KEY POINTS Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) act as neurotransmitter receptors by responding to synaptic cleft acidification. We investigated how ASIC1a homomers and ASIC1a/2a heteromers respond to brief stimuli, jumping from pH 8.0 to 5.0, approximating the time course of neurotransmitter in the cleft. We find that ASICs deactivate surprisingly fast in response to such brief stimuli from pH 8.0 to 5.0, whereas they desensitize comparatively slowly to prolonged activation. The combination of unusually fast deactivation with slow desensitzation enables recombinant ASIC1a homomers and ASIC1a/2a heteromers, as well as native ASICs of sensory neurons, to follow trains of such brief pH 8.0 to 5.0 stimuli at high frequencies. This capacity for high-frequency signalling persists under a physiological pH of 7.4 with ASIC1a/2a heteromers, suggesting that they may sustain postsynaptic responses when other receptors desensitize. ABSTRACT The neurotransmitter-gated ion channels that underlie rapid synaptic transmission are often subjected to bursts of very brief neurotransmitter release at high frequencies. When challenged with such short duration high-frequency stimuli, neurotransmitter-gated ion channels generally exhibit the common response of desensitization. Recently, acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) were shown to act as neurotransmitter-gated ion channels because postsynaptic ASICs can be activated by the transient acidification of the synaptic cleft accompanying neurotransmission. In the present study, we examined the responses of recombinant ASIC1a homomers, ASIC1a/2a heteromers and native ASICs from sensory neurons to 1 ms acidification stimuli, switching from pH 8.0 to 5.0, as either single pulses or trains of pulses at physiologically relevant frequencies. We found that ASIC deactivation is extremely fast and, in contrast to most other neurotransmitter-gated ion channels, ASICs show no desensitization during high-frequency stimulus trains under these conditions. We also found that accelerating ASIC desensitization by anion substitution can induce depression during high-frequency trains. When using a baseline physiological pH of 7.4, the ASIC1a responses were too small to reliably measure, presumably as a result of steady-state desensitization. However, ASIC1a/2 heteromers gave robust responses when using a baseline pH of 7.4 and were also able to sustain these responses during high-frequency stimulus trains. In conclusion, we report that the slow desensitization and fast deactivation of ASIC1a/2a heteromers enables them to sustain postsynaptic responses to bursts at high frequencies at a physiological pH that may desensitize other receptors.
Jihad and Counter-Jihad in Europe: Islamic Radicals, Right-Wing Extremists, and Counter-Terrorism Responses

Aage Borchgrevink. A Norwegian Tragedy: Anders Behring Breivik and the Massacre on Utoya. Trans. Guy Puzey. Malden, MA: Polity, 2013. 300 pp., $25.00 hardcover. ISBN: 0745672205.Raffaello Pantucci....
bSUM: A bead-supported unilamellar membrane system facilitating unidirectional insertion of membrane proteins into giant vesicles

Fused or giant vesicles, planar lipid bilayers, a droplet membrane system, and planar-supported membranes have been developed to incorporate membrane proteins for the electrical and biophysical analysis of such proteins or the bilayer properties. However, it remains difficult to incorporate membrane proteins, including ion channels, into reconstituted membrane systems that allow easy control of operational dimensions, incorporation orientation of the membrane proteins, and lipid composition of membranes. Here, using a newly developed chemical engineering procedure, we report on a bead-supported unilamellar membrane (bSUM) system that allows good control over membrane dimension, protein orientation, and lipid composition. Our new system uses specific ligands to facilitate the unidirectional incorporation of membrane proteins into lipid bilayers. Cryo–electron microscopic imaging demonstrates the unilamellar nature of the bSUMs. Electrical recordings from voltage-gated ion channels in bSUMs of varying diameters demonstrate the versatility of the new system. Using KvAP as a model system, we show that compared with other in vitro membrane systems, the bSUMs have the following advantages: (a) a major fraction of channels are orientated in a controlled way; (b) the channels mediate the formation of the lipid bilayer; (c) there is one and only one bilayer membrane on each bead; (d) the lipid composition can be controlled and the bSUM size is also under experimental control over a range of 0.2–20 µm; (e) the channel activity can be recorded by patch clamp using a planar electrode; and (f) the voltage-clamp speed (0.2–0.5 ms) of the bSUM on a planar electrode is fast, making it suitable to study ion channels with fast gating kinetics. Our observations suggest that the chemically engineered bSUMs afford a novel platform for studying lipid–protein interactions in membranes of varying lipid composition and may be useful for other applications, such as targeted delivery and single-molecule imaging.
Factors Influencing the Selection of Pharmaceutical Products

This study grew out of an earlier investigation, undertaken in 1951, to describe the structure of the medical-pharmaceutical market, and to obtain a detailed picture of how physicians make their decisions about advertised therapeutic products. Although the 1951 study2 answered many questions about the structure of the market, and provided some information about the physicians' attitudes and reactions toward each of the
Electrochemical Evaluation and Enhancement via Heterogeneous Exchange of the Passivating Properties and Stability of Self-Assembled Monolayers Derived from the Rigid Rod Arenethiols, X−C6H4−C⋮C−C6H4−C⋮C−C6H4−SH (X = H and F)

The passivating properties of self-assembled monolayers derived from the chemisorption of the rigid rod arenethiols 1a−b on Au(111) have been probed by electrochemical techniques in an aqueous elec...
POLITICS AND THE STRUCTURAL DEPENDENCE OF THE STATE IN DEMOCRATIC CAPITALIST NATIONS

I explore empirically a central claim of the structural dependence thesis, namely, that capitalists' ability to disinvest fundamentally conditions policy choices in democratic capitalist systems. Utilizing time-series data for 16 affluent democracies from 1965 to 1984, I find that, indeed, low rates of business investment are associated with reductions in corporate tax burdens and that these reductions are more pronounced in periods of economic crisis. Moreover, low rates of capital formation engender cuts in personal income taxes during periods of economic stress. However, I also find that the magnitude of responsiveness of taxation to low rates of investment is relatively small and that analyses of the political context of investment and taxation indicate that governments have choices. The responsiveness of corporate tax burdens to capital formation may, under some governments, be part of a policy mix designed to maintain adequate investment and to address the demands of core constituencies.
Ovarian Thecal Metaplasia in Adrenal Glands

Wedge-shaped microscopic nodules resembling ovarian stroma or theca were found in the adrenal cortices of 14 women. Thirteen of the women were postmenopausal and one had ovarian stromal hyperplasia. The lesions were frequently multiple and bilateral and were almost always located just beneath the adrenal capsule. These nodules probably represent metaplasia of embryologically competent cells in the adrenal cortex or capsule which become transformed into ovarian tissue under the influence of unopposed pituitary gonadotropin during or after menopause. Support for this theory is found in (1) studies of human embryos that demonstrate the intimate anatomic development of ovary and adrenal gland, (2) experimental studies of mice that had morphologically similar, functional adrenal nodules following bilateral oophorectomy at birth, and (3) reports of certain human adrenal tumors. It is not known whether these nodules have functional significance in the human female.
Crowdsourcing Strategizing Communication Technology Affordances and the Communicative Constitution of Organizational Strategy

Disruptive environmental trends are forcing organizations to be more innovative in their approaches to organizational strategy generation. Rather than using a traditional top-down approach, some or...
Blind signal separation of aero-engine rotor vibration signal

Aero-engine vibration signals always include mang complicated components,but useful ones are very weak,so the SNR is low,which greatly constrains the use of existing diagnosis methods.Blind Signal Processing provide a way for it .After adopting appropriate pretreatment method according to vibration signal’s feature,Vibration signal of aero-engine is analyzied by Blind signal processing through Fastica algorithm.The result prove that Bling signal processing is effective and can be applied for vibration signal processing and fault diagnosis of aero-engine.
STUDY ON THE GERMICIDAL EFFECT AND CORROSIVITY OF A HYDROGEN PEROXIDE DISINFECTANT

Objective To observe the germicidal effect and corrosivity of a hydrogen peroxide disinfectant. Methods The function of the hydrogen peroxide disinfectan was detected by using the suspension quantitative killing test and metal corrosion test. Results The average killing logarithm values were all above 5. 00 while Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were exposed to this disinfectant containing 29. 15 g / L hydrogen peroxide for 15 min,10 min and 5 min,respectively. By using the disinfectant containing 29. 15 g / L hydrogen peroxide sprayed to the surface of food processing equipment and soaked the food processing pipes,both with a 30-minute contact time,the elimination rate of indigenous flora were 97. 33% and 99. 65%,respectively. This disinfectant containing 29. 15 g / L hydrogen peroxide had essentially no corrosive effect on stainless steel and carbon steel,but had a mild corrosive effect on the aluminum and a moderate corrosive effect on copper. Conclusion This hydrogen peroxide disinfectant has a good killing effect on vegetative forms of bacteria while it has a certain metal corrosivity.
Impact of Goal Setting and Goal Attainment Methods on Asthma Outcomes: Findings From an Asthma Self-Management Intervention for African American Women

Optimal use of goal-setting strategies in self-management efforts with high-risk individuals with asthma is not well understood. This study aimed to describe factors associated with goal attainment in an asthma self-management intervention for African American women with asthma and determine whether goal attainment methods proved beneficial to goal achievement and improved asthma outcomes. Data came from 212 African American women in the intervention arm of a randomized clinical trial evaluating a telephone-based asthma self-management program. Telephone interview data were collected to assess goals and goal attainment methods identified, asthma symptoms, asthma control, and asthma-related quality of life at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the long-term impact of goal setting and goal attainment methods on outcomes. The average age of the sample was 42.1 years ( SD = 14.8). Factors associated with goal attainment included higher education ( p < .01) and fewer depressive symptoms ( p < .01). Using a goal attainment method also resulted in more goals being achieved over the course of the intervention (Estimate [ SE] = 1.25 [0.18]; p < .001) when adjusted for clinical and demographic factors. Use of and types of goal attainment methods and goals were not found to significantly affect asthma control, quality of life, or frequency of nighttime asthma symptoms at follow-up. Using a method to achieve goals led to greater goal attainment. Goal attainment alone did not translate into improved asthma outcomes in our study sample. Further studies are warranted to assess the challenges of self-management in chronic disease patients with complex health needs and how goal setting and goal attainment methods can be strategically integrated into self-management efforts to improve health endpoints.
Atypical unilateral acute pyelonephritis initially diagnosed by scinti-studies.

AbstractA patient with vague and atypical symptoms is described in whom the radionuclide dynamic and static imaging studies proved to be more useful than a preceding excretory urogram for the diagnosis of unilateral pyelonephritis.
Role of microenvironment in trophoblastic tissue growth and invasion

Ten-day-old trophoblastic nodules resulting from grafting of fertilized mouse ova beneath the kidney capsule were retained in diffusion chambers for an additional period of up to 18 days. Under these conditions, the life-span of trophoblastic cells was prolonged to 22 days as compared to the usual 15 to 18 days in mouse placenta in situ. These observations strongly suggest that direct contact between maternal and trophoblast cells rather than some simpler humoral interaction is a factor of major importance in the destruction and death of trophoblastic tissue.
William Hazlitt (1778–1830)

The alienation of Hazlitt and Wordsworth, taking place over a short period of time, bears a disquieting resemblance to the incidents leading eventually to De Quincey’s fall from grace. (Hazlitt used the term ‘estrangement’ to characterize the shock he experienced when he discovered the human failings of a poet he had once admired greatly.)
Uni-ARBAC: A Unified Administrative Model for Role-Based Access Control

Many of the advantages of Role Based Access Control (RBAC) accrue from the flexibility of its administrative models. Over the past two decades, several administrative models have been proposed to manage user-role, permission-role and in some cases role-role relations. These models are based on different administrative principles and bring inherent advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, we present a unified model, named Uni-ARBAC, for administering user-role and permission-role relations by combining many of the administrative principles and novel concepts from prior models. For example, instead of administering individual permissions Uni-ARBAC combines permissions into tasks which are assigned to roles as a unit. Slightly differently, users are assigned to user-pools from where individual users are assigned to roles. The central concept of Uni-ARBAC is to integrate user-role and task-role administration into a more manageable unit called an Administrative Unit (AU). AUs partition roles, tasks and user-pools and they are organized in a rooted tree hierarchy. Administrative users are assigned to AUs with possibility of restricting their authority to user-role assignment or task-role assignment. While most existing models assume existence of administrative roles for managing regular roles, we present an approach for engineering AUs based on structured partitioning of roles and tasks.
Consensus, Negotiation and Mediation

Carl Wagner and I articulated a mathematical model of aggregating vectors to reach consensus which has been the subject of subsequent controversy in the literature.
Uveal Ganglioneuroma due to Germline PTEN Mutation (Cowden Syndrome) Presenting as Unilateral Infantile Glaucoma

Purpose: Uveal ganglioneuroma is a rare tumor that usually occurs in association with neurofibromatosis type 1. Here, we present a rare case of a uveal ganglioneu
Procedural outcomes of fluoroless catheter ablation outside the traditional catheterization lab.

Aims Non-ﬂuoroscopic catheter ablation is becoming routine. In experienced centres, fluoroscopy is rarely required. The use of a traditional catheterization lab (cath lab) may no longer be necessary. We began performing catheter ablations at a paediatric centre outside the traditional cardiac cath lab in 2013. The purpose of this study was to compare procedural features of paediatric catheter ablation performed outside the cath lab to those performed within a cath lab. Methods and results We prospectively looked at patients presenting to the paediatric centre with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) undergoing catheter ablation outside the cath lab in a standard operating room (OR group). We compared retrospectively to a control group matched for age, type, and location of arrhythmia who had ablations in a traditional cath lab (CL group). Catheter visualization was exclusively by electro-anatomic mapping. Fifty-nine patients with SVT underwent catheter ablation in the OR from October 2013 to December 2015. Thirty-three patients had accessory pathways, 29 were manifest, and 13 of those were left sided. Twenty-six had atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia. Transseptal puncture with transoesophageal echocardiography guidance was used for 10 left-sided pathways, whereas the other 3 had patent foramen ovales. Procedure time did not differ significantly between groups (OR group mean 131 min, range 57–408; CL group mean 152 min, range 68–376; P = 0.12). Acute success was similar in both groups [OR group: 58/59 (98.3%) and CL group: 57/59 (96.6%)]. There were no major complications in either group. There was no fluoroscopy used in either group. Conclusion Although performing paediatric catheter ablations outside the traditional cath lab is early in our experience, we produced similar outcomes and results without encountering procedural difficulties of performing ablations in a non-conventional setting. Larger multi-centred trials will be essential to determine the feasibility of this practice.
Kinetics of photodegradation and nanoparticle surface accumulation of a nanosilica/epoxy coating exposed to UV light

Temperature effect on the kinetics of photodegradation and surface accumulation of nanoparticles in an epoxy nanocoating exposed to ultraviolet light (UV) was investigated. A model epoxy coating containing 5% untreated nanosilica was selected. Exposed film specimens were removed at specified UV dose intervals for measurements of chemical degradation of the epoxy component, and nanosilica accumulation on specimen surface release as a function of UV dose for four temperatures. The chemical degradation was measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy was employed to determine the kinetics of nanosilica accumulation on the nanocoating surface during UV exposure. The temperature dependence behaviors of kinetic parameters obtained by various measurement techniques will be used to better understand the degradation mechanism and surface accumulation of nanoparticles in exterior nanocoatings.