cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Freight rates and shipping costs in the English coastal coal trade: A reply

In my article on shipping productivity in the coal trade between the north east and London, shipping costs were calculated by taking the London pool price, and subtracting the price of coal in the north east and the coal tax. These figures were then analysed as if they were equivalent to freight rates.' Armstrong is correct to say that this methodology led me to overestimate 'freight rates' at the end of the period substantially.2 The most serious consequence of this was an underestimation of productivity change in shipping (as measured by the inverse of the freight rate index) from around i875 to i890, the period during which the adoption of large steam colliers had an obvious impact on the trade. Armstrong's figures, based on published freight rates, are superior to my estimates, but he has missed a freight rate series by Harley that uses sources similar to his, but extended from i838 to I9I3.3 When combined with figures published in Parliamentary Papers, a direct series for freight rates can be extended back to i8i8. Figure i presents this series along with my calculated series. In most years my figures are higher than the freight rate figures, and they are more volatile.4 Table i compares estimates of annual growth rates for the two series. Overall, the freight rate series falls 2.5 times faster than mine, but most of this discrepancy can be attributed to the years from about i875 to I890.5 For the period covered by Armstrong, the rate of decline in the two series is nearly identical. My series differs from the freight rate series for two reasons: first, my calculated series almost certainly contains measurement errors; second, my series measures more than just bare freight costs. The most troublesome aspect of putting together the various series that comprised coal prices in
Winter Feeding Sites of Hay in Round Bales as Major Developmental Sites of Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) in Pastures in Spring and Summer

Abstract The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), historically has been a pest of livestock in confined operations but seldom of animals on pastures or rangelands. In the past two decades, however, S. calcitrans has become a major pest of cattle and horses on pastures in the midwestern United States. Although there usually is an overabundance of diverse stable fly and house fly, Musca domestica L., larval habitats in confined livestock operations, no larval habitat for stable flies has been clearly identified in the pasture–range environment. Because the winter feeding of hay in round bales results in significant amounts of hay wastage that when mixed with manure, might develop into suitable larval habitats, this study evaluated these areas as developmental sites for the abundant stable flies in pastures. There was a trend for fly traps placed in the vicinity of hay feeding sites to catch more stable flies than those placed distant from these sites. Estimates of stable flies emerging from these sites ran...
Experimental demonstration of two-photon Mueller matrix second-harmonic generation microscopy

We present the first experimental demonstration of two-photon Mueller matrix second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for the extraction of representative Mueller matrices. Individual SHG images of porcine sample sets are divided into subimages, and the local nonlinear two-photon Mueller matrices (M(2)) and degree of polarization (p) are determined. Results of the two-photon Mueller matrices from different sample types and the effects of thickness on the mean p distribution per polarization basis are investigated. We find that the p distribution shape changes and an associated bimodal mean difference (μd) increases with thickness. Our approach has potential as a quantitative imaging technique and can be applied to other multiphoton coherent imaging modalities.
CANCER OF THE CORPUS UTERI: INCREASING INCIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES, 1970–1975

1296 hospital discharges in the years 1970-75 with diagnosis of cancer of the uterine corpus were selected for study from a 1% stratified sample of hospital discharges in the United States. The 1296 cases were cross tabulated by patients age (in 5-year intervals) year of occurrence and U.S. census region of occurrence. Women in their 50s and 60s had very large increases in their risk of uterine corpus cancer between 1970 and 75 while women under 50 years and over 70 years experienced little net change with rates not significantly affected by regional variation. The highest incidence of uterine corpus cancer for all ages from 50-69 years was found in the West with peak rates occurring among older women in high risk regions and younger women in low risk regions. Reports of association between estrogen therapy and uterine cancer may have led to a decrease in use of these drugs. If the decrease is sizable and if the relationship is causal the incidence of uterine cancer in the coming years may decline.
Structure Activity Relationship Study of Diimine PtII Catalysts for H/D Exchange

This report describes a comparison of the reactivity of a series of diimine PtII complexes as catalysts for H/D exchange between benzene and RCO2D. Substitution at the 2- and 6-positions of the N-aryl group and especially incorporation of halogens at these sites lead to significant increases in catalyst reactivity. Interestingly, marked differences in the structure activity relationship were observed in this catalytic study compared to previously reported stoichiometric investigations of C–H activation at PtII diimine complexes.
Production of J ( ψ ) in p p scattering

The hypothesis of a heavy-quark-antiquark meson (orthocharmonium) for the 3.1-GeV resonance leads, in the context of a general peripheral model, to predictions for the cross sections (and their energy dependence) for $J(\ensuremath{\psi})$ production. The ${p}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ dependence is predicted to be quite different from that of the pion. At higher energies, charmed particles are expected to be produced in conjuction with each $J(\ensuremath{\psi})$. Related problems are discussed.
Social Organization in Two Species of Costa Rican Heteromyid Rodents

The social organization of two species of Costa Rican heteromyid rodents, Liomys salvini and Heteromys desmarestianus , was investigated using both laboratory and field techniques. Results of one-to-one encounters between strangers of the same sex in a neutral arena indicated that individuals of L. salvini were less tolerant of conspecifics than those of H. desmarestianus . In the laboratory, levels of aggression differed intraspecifically only in L. salvini , and levels of male activity, but not aggression, varied seasonally. Dominance in one-to-one encounters was positively related to size in both sexes of L. salvini but not in H. desmarestianus . Indices of home range overlap in marked field populations indicated that ranges were more likely to be clumped in H. desmarestianus than in L. salvini in which repulsion between adult ranges of the same sex was observed in the nonbreeding season. Populations of both species did not appear to contain wideranging dominant males. However, in L. salvini larger, presumably more dominant males were surrounded by more potential mates prior to the breeding season than were smaller males, and these males survived better during the breeding season. On a year-to-year basis, population levels in both species were stable in 1970 to 1972, which suggests that the populations are strongly regulated. It is suggested that behavioral interactions are important in population regulation in both species, but field experiments are needed to test this hypothesis.
Aqueous Phase Hydrogenation of Acetic Acid and Its Promotional Effect on p-Cresol Hydrodeoxygenation

A systematic study of the comparative performances of various supported noble metal catalysts for the aqueous phase hydrogenation of acetic acid (as a model carboxylic acid in bio-oils) by itself and in combination with p-cresol (as a model phenolic compound in bio-oils) is presented. It was found that Ru/C catalyst shows the highest activity for acetic acid hydrogenation among the tested catalysts, followed by Ru/Al2O3, Pt/C, Pt/Al2O3, Pd/Al2O3, and Pd/C. CH4 and CO2 were observed to be the major products on all of these catalysts at typical hydroprocessing temperatures (∼300 °C). A systematic study on parametric effects with the Ru/C catalyst shows that the product distribution is dependent upon the temperature and presence of water. At low temperatures (∼150 °C), acetic acid hydrogenation is favored with higher selectivity to ethanol, while at high temperatures (∼300 °C), acetic acid decomposition and ethanol reforming/hydrogenolysis dominate with CO2 and CH4 as the major products. When water is replac...
Analysis of Lipid Phase Behavior and Protein Conformational Changes in Nanolipoprotein Particles upon Entrapment in Sol–Gel-Derived Silica

The entrapment of nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) and liposomes in transparent, nanoporous silica gel derived from the precursor tetramethylorthosilicate was investigated. NLPs are discoidal patches of lipid bilayer that are belted by amphiphilic scaffold proteins and have an average thickness of 5 nm. The NLPs in this work had a diameter of roughly 15 nm and utilized membrane scaffold protein (MSP), a genetically altered variant of apolipoprotein A-I. Liposomes have previously been examined inside of silica sol–gels and have been shown to exhibit instability. This is attributed to their size (∼150 nm) and altered structure and constrained lipid dynamics upon entrapment within the nanometer-scale pores (5–50 nm) of the silica gel. By contrast, the dimensional match of NLPs with the intrinsic pore sizes of silica gel opens the possibility for their entrapment without disruption. Here we demonstrate that NLPs are more compatible with the nanometer-scale size of the porous environment by analysis of lipid p...
Abstract 4479: Polymorphisms in the nucleotide excision repair genes, ERCC1 and ERCC2/XPD and carcinogen DNA adducts in human lung

Objectives Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) and excision repair cross-complementing group 2/xeroderma pigmentosum group D (ERCC2/XPD) in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathways that removes DNA damage caused by tobacco smoking carcinogen such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, no studies have examined their role in DNA adducts in target human lung tissue, a dosimeter for lung cancer risk. Therefore, we investigated whether the polymorphisms in SNPs in NER pathways associated with the DNA adduct formation in human lung tissue. We further analyzed these relationship divided by adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, main type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The study population consisted of 135 lung cancer patients from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Genotyping was completed for SNPs in ERCC1 [C8092A (rs3212986) and C118T (rs11615)] and ERCC2/XPD [Asp312Asn (rs1799793) and Lys751Gln (rs1052559)] using PCR-RFLP method and the PCR with fluorescent allele-specific oligonucleotide probes (TaqMan method). DNA adduct levels were measured as relative adduct levels per 1010 nucleotides by 32P-postlabeling in the lung. Multiple regression models were used to estimate adjusted percent change in DNA adduct levels associated with genotypes of the NER genes ERCC1 and ERCC2/XPD. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, DNA adduct levels in lung increased by 73.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), –22.6 to 288.9] for the ERCC2/XPD rs1799793AA genotype and by 43.7% (95% CI, –30.0 to 194.6) for ERCC2/XPD rs1052559GG genotype compared with their corresponding wild type homozygous genotypes in overall lung cancer patients, but it did not reach statistical significance. We found that DNA adducts levels in lung increased by 166.6% (95% CI, –5.0 to 648.3, P = 0.07) for ERCC2/XPD rs1799793AA genotype in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and the trend was borderline significant (P for trend = 0.06). Conclusions Polymorphisms of DNA repair genes, ERCC2/XPD Asp312Asn, may affect increased level of DNA adducts in the lung. Further large scale studies are needed to confirm our findings. Supported by NIH grants CA074386, CA092824, and CA90578. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4479. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4479
Assessments and improvements in methods for monitoring seafood safety in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

As a result of the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, sensory testing protocols were established for reopening closed seafood harvest areas. In order to improve this method and quantitatively assess petrochemical taint, a new method using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and a 5975T transportable GC/MS was developed. This method can analyze 40 samples per instrument per day and could be an alternative to the human sensory panel. In seafood samples collected from supermarkets in the Washington D.C. area and the Gulf of Mexico, all compounds related to petrochemical taint were below the method detection limit (MDL) (0.14–2.6 ng/g). Additionally, to address consumer concerns regarding the presence of n-alkanes and iso-alkanes in seafood, these compounds were investigated in samples purchased in the Washington D.C. area and the Gulf of Mexico. Concentrations in Gulf of Mexico finfish ranged from 0.066 to 1.2 mg/kg, which is within the same background range of iso- and n-alkanes measured in seafood samp...
CRT-200.61 Temporal Changes in Kidney Injury Rates Following Percutaneous Coronary Interventions. Data From A Single Center Registry Between 2000-2014

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The current definitions limit its occurrence to 48-hour following the procedure which may cause underestimation of the real-life incidence of kidney injury following PCI. We analyze the data of
Compression molding of algae fiber and epoxy composites: Modeling of elastic modulus:

The demand for natural fiber composites in the automotive industry in both Europe and the United States has been forecasted to increase in the coming years. The natural fiber composites based on hi...
Small Groups: Reflections of and Building Blocks for Social Structure

Our lives are tightly bound up in small groups. From families, friends, and peer groups, to athletic teams, voluntary associations, and work units, small groups constitute much of the fabric of our daily lives. In this chapter, we argue that small groups are important for sociologists to understand because they serve as building blocks of society, offering settings in which rudimentary forms of social structure can emerge. Small groups provide a place – usually the first place – where individuals learn to negotiate hierarchies, conform to or deviate from social norms, develop group boundaries, and where they develop and disseminate bits of culture. We organize the chapter around these five structure-producing social processes: status, power, identity, influence and social norms, and group cultures, and illustrate how these processes operate in small groups. In doing so, we illustrate the diversity of theories that have focused on small groups as the unit of anlysis. We also speculate about the reasons why sociological interest in small groups has declined over time, and suggest ways in which small groups researchers can further contribute to and play a larger role in sociology.
Patient perceptions of physician-documented quality care in epilepsy

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to compare physician encounter documentation with patient perceptions of quality of epilepsy care and examine the association between quality and patient assessment of provider communication. Methods We identified 505 adult patients with epilepsy aged 18 years or older over a 3-year period in two large academic medical centers. We abstracted individual, clinical, and care measures from 2723 electronic clinical notes written by physicians. We then randomly selected 245 patients for a phone interview. We compared patient perceptions of care with the documented care for several established epilepsy quality measures. We also explored the association of patient's perception of provider communication with provider documentation of key encounter interventions. Results There were 88 patients (36%) who completed the interviews. Fifty-seven (24%) refused to participate, and 100 (40%) could not be contacted. Participants and nonparticipants were comparable in their demographic and clinical characteristics; however, participants were more often seen by epilepsy specialists than nonparticipants (75% vs. 61.9%, p Conclusions The association between the patient's recollection of counseling during the visit and his/her positive perception of the provider's communication skills highlights the importance of spending time counseling patients about their epilepsy and not just determining if seizures are controlled.
Elastomeric liners for people with transtibial amputation: Survey of prosthetists' clinical practices.

Background:A diverse range of elastomeric liner products are available to people with transtibial amputation. However, little information is available about how prosthetists select the product best...
Designing node and edge weights of a graph to meet Laplacian eigenvalue constraints

We consider agents connected over a network, and propose a method to design an optimal interconnection such that the gap between the largest and smallest Laplacian eigenvalues of the graph representing the network is minimized. We study ways of imposing constraints that may arise in physical systems, such as enforcing lower bounds on connectivity and upper bounds on gain as well as network cost. In particular, we show that node and edge weights of a given graph can be simultaneously adjusted via convex optimization to achieve improvements in its Laplacian spectrum.
Induction of Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylase Activity in Various Cell Cultures by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

The kinetics of aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase induction by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. (TCDD) among 10 established cell lines, as well as fetal primary cultures derived from hamster, rat, chick, rabbit, and four inbred strains of mice, and cultured human lymphocytes, is very similar to the time course of hydroxylase induction by 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) as the inducer. The TCDD-inducible process is sensitive to actinomycin D and cycloheximide at levels of inhibitor similar to those previously reported with MC in culture. The induced enzyme activity in cells treated with TCDD plus MC is not greater than that in cells exposed to either inducer alone. There exists no relationship between cytotoxicity by TCDD and the level of inducible hydroxylase activity in culture. Estimated ED50 values for the hydroxylase induction by TCDD range from about 0.12 nM in C57BL/6N mouse cultures and 0.23 nM in the H-4-II-E cell line to more than 100 nM in the VERO and HTC cell lines. No hydroxylase activity is detectable in the control, MC-, or TCDD-treated LB82 cell line. In several cell lines and in primary cultures, the responsiveness of hydroxylase induction to TCDD is between 250 and 900 times greater than that to MC. The responsiveness of hydroxylase induction to TCDD in C57BL/6N mouse-derived cultures is about 16 times greater than the responsiveness to TCDD in DBA/2N mouse-derived cultures; this difference in responsiveness to TCDD is very similar to that seen in these two mouse strains in vivo. A bioassay with H-4-II-E cells is suggested for the detection of minute (10-14 mole) levels of TCDD.
Using Writing Strategies in Math to Increase Metacognitive Skills for the Gifted Learner

Metacognition is vital for a student’s academic success. Gifted learners are no exception. By enhancing metacognition, gifted learners can identify multiple strategies to use in a situation, evalua...
Viewing word expert parsing as linguistic theory

The Word Expert Parser is a computer program that analyzes fragments of natural language text in order to extract their meaning in context. The construction of the program has led to the development of a linguistic theory based on notions orthogonal to those traditionally found at the heart of such theories. Word Expert Parsing explains the understanding of textual fragments containing highly idiosyncratic elements, such as idioms, collocations, cliches, and colligations, as well as lexical sequences that contain interesting structural phenomena. The theory perceives the individual word of language as the organizing unit for linguistic knowledge, and views understanding as consisting of lexical Interactions among procedural word experts. This paper describes four classes of lexical interaction required to explain the understanding of sentences in context, Idiosyncratic Interaction, linguistic Interaction, discourse interaction, and logical interaction. The paper purposely avoids programming details in order to focus on Word Expert Parsing as linguistic theory.
Stability of the Nanoporous Bismuth Oxide Photoanodes for Solar Water Splitting

Bismuth oxide has well-dispersed valence bands that show enhanced mobility of charge carriers, high refractive index, and large dielectric constant. These properties are attractive for photocatalysis. Bismuth oxide has widely been investigated for photo degradation of dyes for safeguarding the environment. However, not much work has been reported on bismuth oxide as a photo electrode material for solar water splitting. Photo decomposition of Bi2O3 is a concern when used as a photo cathode. However, Bi2O3 can be obtained as an n-type semiconductor by stabilizing other polymorph: β-Bi2O3, which is a metastable phase. Thin films of nanoporous bismuth oxide were synthesized by a simple electrochemical anodization of bismuth substrate. Annealing the anodic nanoporous Bi2O3 at 240 °C for 2 h resulted in stabilization of the β-Bi2O3 phase. Longer annealing times resulted in formation of the more stable α-Bi2O3 phase that showed monoclinic lattice structure and p-type semiconductivity. The photo stability of these materials is discussed based on the photoelectrochemical measurements.
On Fuzziness in Complex Fuzzy Systems

Abraham Kandel, one of the pioneers of fuzzy logic research, has numerous theoretical and practical contributions in the field of fuzzy systems. Mark Last’s main contribution to the field of fuzzy logic includes the introduction of fuzzy based automatic perception and info fuzzy networks. Dan Tamir has been active in the area of formalization of axiomatic fuzzy logic and in applications of fuzzy logic in pattern recognition. One of the recent research threads pursued by Kandel, Last, and Tamir is complex fuzzy logic. This chapter provides a brief review of the contribution of the authors to the field of fuzzy logic as well as a survey on current state of the theory of complex fuzzy sets, complex fuzzy classes, and complex fuzzy logic.
Book Review: Genetic Predisposition to Cancer

Genetic Predisposition to Cancer. Eeles RA, Ponder BAJ, Easton DF, Horwich A, eds. Chapman & Hall; London, UK. £60. ISBN 0412 565803.
The Cartography of In/Subordination in El sistema by Ricardo Menéndez Salmón

The final chapter explores the seeds of insurgency in the novel El sistema (The System) (2016) by Ricardo Menendez Salmon. The concept of mapping in the novel is viewed from two distinct perspectives: the first based on the term “mapping” in a military context in reference to drawing maps, taking photographs, and engaging in other forms of surveillance as a means of exerting hegemonic control, and the second related to the notion of “counter-mapping,” which is mapping utilized for combatting socioeconomic inequality. Palardy traces the progression from representations of mapping to those of counter-mapping, illustrating the tensions between dystopian and utopian visions. The spatial constructions underscore problems stemming from hegemonic relationships that foster alienation.
Abstract 248: Role of Mitochondrial Heat-Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) in Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell (VSMC) Apoptosis and Vascular Remodeling in-vivo

IntroductionApoptosis of VSMC is a common feature of vascular remodeling. Mitochondrial apoptosis is regulated by an organelle-specific network including Hsp90 family proteins. Gamitrinib (G4) is a...
CdSe(Te)/CdS/CdSe Rods vs. CdTe/CdS/CdSe Spheres: Morphology-Dependent Carrier Dynamics for Photon Upconversion

Colloidal quantum dot-hybrid nanostructures have been shown to upconvert two low-energy photons into one high-energy photon and have wide ranging applications, including in photovoltaics, where additional current in the solar cell can be generated from the absorption of upconverted light emitted from the nanostructures. Both double quantum dots (via nanorod formation) and quantum dot-quantum well structures have been studied previously, but there has been no systematic study of the dependence of carrier dynamics on nanostructure morphology. Here, we synthesize both core/multi-shell colloidal QD and core/rod complexes and use steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence to elucidate carrier separation and transfer dynamics. Understanding these dynamics provides important information for optimizing the nanostructure morphology to create more efficient photon upconversion and thus enhance net solar conversion efficiencies.
Determining Accelerated Charging Procedure from Half Cell Characterization

For implementation and consumer acceptance of electric vehicles, it is critical that the convenience of fueling internal combustion engines will not be lost for a transition to electric vehicles to be made. Although this complex issue involves many facets, ranging from recharging station infrastructure to technology development, one key component is "refueling" in a short period of time. Possible solutions would be battery replacement or recharge time comparable to that of filling a gas tank. This study provides an investigation for the development of an accelerated full-cell charge procedure through an investigation and characterization of half-cell performance. Negative and positive half-cell polarization curves at various rates were used to determine the maximum rate for each step of the lithiation process. This analysis was then applied to the LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC)/graphite full cells, charging cells to 80% state of charge in ~34 minutes and showing capacity fade over 75 cycles similar to cells cycled using conventional constant-current-constant-voltage (CCCV) charge procedure.
Experimental Facility for Progressive Edge Waves

Edge waves are one type of wave phenomena that may be an especially important factor for understanding coastal hydrodynamics. These waves are one of a class of trapped wave phenomena which can occur nearshore by wave refraction owing to the variable water depth. Edge waves propagate parallel to the shoreline with their crests pointing offshore while their amplitude is maximum at the shore and decays asymptotically to zero in the offshore direction. Thus, energy of edge waves is concentrated and confined to the near-shore region. Because edge-wave motions are boundary dominated flows, they appear to be influenced by the fluid viscosity and to deviate from the prediction of the inviscid theory (Yeh, 1985; 1986;1987).
Complete Unidirectionality in a Chemically Activated Motor

Chemically activated molecular motors that can undergo a full 360° rotation are rare. Designing such an artificial motor while preserving full directional fidelity is even more challenging. In this issue of Chem, Feringa and co-workers demonstrate that this feat can be accomplished through careful molecular design that takes advantage of point and helical chirality, combined with the dynamic nature of lactones, to induce directional motion around a biaryl C–C bond.
A Review Of European Design Protections Does Not Support The Fashion Industry Contention That Congress Should Single Out Fashion For Special Design Protection

At the 2006 hearings on the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, Jeffrey Banks called design piracy a “blight,” and asked Congress for legal protections for America’s fashion designers, arguing that the European industry was more vibrant because Europe’s fashion designers received legal protection for their designs under European design right laws. This paper argues that the proposed protection for fashion design is unnecessary and, even, harmful to the fashion industry. Copying has always been part of the creative process, and is, actually, important to the success of the fashion industry. The proposed Design Piracy Prohibition Act is far more likely to function as a “lawyer-employment bill, not a fashion-industry protection bill.” A review of European law demonstrates that it does not in practice, protect fashion design in the manner proponents of U.S. legislation imagine. Even if European design law does provide some protections not available to U.S. fashion designers, for a variety of legal and cultural reasons, these laws are rarely used by European fashion designers to prevent design copying. Finally, it is argued that Congress should consider following Europe’s lead in protecting market entry level industrial design, but the new law should focus on the needs of all design industries, as European law does, rather than single out fashion, or indeed, any other industries, for special status.
Effects of a 33-sequential beam galactic cosmic ray analog on male mouse behavior and evaluation of CDDO-EA as a radiation countermeasure

In long-term spaceflight, astronauts will face unique cognitive loads and social challenges which will be complicated by communication delays with Earth. It is important to understand the central nervous system (CNS) effects of deep spaceflight and the associated unavoidable exposure to galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). Rodent studies show single- or simple-particle combination exposure alters CNS endpoints, including hippocampal-dependent behavior. An even better Earth-based simulation of GCR is now available, consisting of a 33-beam (33-GCR) exposure. However, the effect of whole-body 33-GCR exposure on rodent behavior is unknown, and no 33-GCR CNS countermeasures have been tested. Here astronaut-age-equivalent (6mo-old) C57BL/6J male mice were exposed to 33-GCR (75cGy, a Mars mission dose). Pre-/during/post-Sham or 33-GCR exposure, mice received a diet containing a vehicle formulation alone or with the antioxidant/anti-inflammatory compound CDDO-EA as a potential countermeasure. Behavioral testing beginning 4mo post-irradiation suggested radiation and diet did not affect measures of exploration/anxiety-like behaviors (open field, elevated plus maze) or recognition of a novel object. However, in 3-Chamber Social Interaction (3-CSI), CDDO-EA/33-GCR mice failed to spend more time exploring a holder containing a novel mouse vs. a novel object (empty holder), suggesting sociability deficits. Also, Vehicle/33-GCR and CDDO-EA/Sham mice failed to discriminate between a novel stranger vs. familiarized stranger mouse, suggesting blunted preference for social novelty. CDDO-EA given pre-/during/post-irradiation did not attenuate the 33-GCR-induced blunting of preference for social novelty. Future elucidation of the mechanisms underlying 33-GCR-induced blunting of preference for social novelty will improve risk analysis for astronauts which may in-turn improve countermeasures.
Iron-wüstite revisited: A revised calibration accounting for variable stoichiometry and the effects of pressure

Abstract We present thermodynamic and empirical calculations for the iron-wustite (IW) buffer applicable from 100 kPa to 100 GPa and from 1000 to 3000 K. The thermodynamic calculation self-consistently accounts for changing stoichiometry of iron-saturated wustite as a function of temperature and pressure. In contrast to some previous models for calculating IW at high pressure, the model incorporates a thermodynamically valid representation of the free energy of stoichiometric FeO at 100 kPa. Earlier high pressure models that relied on the JANAF thermochemical tables ( Chase, 1998 ) were compromised because JANAF has erroneous values for the properties of FeO. This resulted in predicted oxygen fugacities buffered by IW that are between 0.2 and 1.1 log units too reducing at 3000 and 1000 K, respectively. The revised thermodynamic calculations indicate that iron-saturated wustite becomes more nearly stoichiometric with increasing pressure, but that this shift depends on temperature. Near-stoichiometric FeO (y
A Split-Merge MCMC Algorithm for the Hierarchical Dirichlet Process

The hierarchical Dirichlet process (HDP) has become an important Bayesian nonparametric model for grouped data, such as document collections. The HDP is used to construct a flexible mixed-membership model where the number of components is determined by the data. As for most Bayesian nonparametric models, exact posterior inference is intractable---practitioners use Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) or variational inference. Inspired by the split-merge MCMC algorithm for the Dirichlet process (DP) mixture model, we describe a novel split-merge MCMC sampling algorithm for posterior inference in the HDP. We study its properties on both synthetic data and text corpora. We find that split-merge MCMC for the HDP can provide significant improvements over traditional Gibbs sampling, and we give some understanding of the data properties that give rise to larger improvements.
Using SomaticSniper to Detect Somatic Single Nucleotide Variants

Detecting somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) is an essential component of cancer research with next-generation sequencing data. This unit describes how to run the SomaticSniper somatic SNV detector and then filter the output to eliminate most false positives. It also includes support protocols detailing the compilation of the software. Curr. Protoc. Bioinform. 45:15.5.1-15.5.8. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: next-generation sequencing; somatic variant calling; SomaticSniper
Quantitation of acute experimental ocular inflammation with 111indium-leukocytes

The cellular component of an acute ocular inflammation in rabbits was measured with autologous leukocytes exogenously labeled with /sup 111/Indium tropolonate. Inflammation was induced by intravitreal bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After 16 hr blood was removed, leukocytes separated, labeled with /sup 111/Indium tropolonate and reinjected. Three cell fractions were examined: a leukocyte rich fraction which had been prepared with Dextran; and polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leukocyte fractions which had been prepared using a discontinuous Percoll gradient. Two hours after labeled leukocytes were injected, measurements of /sup 111/Indium were made in blood, plasma, the whole eye and in ocular compartments. From these data the numbers of each leukocyte population present were estimated and compared directly to histopathologic changes. Both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leukocytes entered ocular tissues during the 2 hr period beginning 20 hr after LPS injection. Altered ocular vascular permeability was successfully measured with /sup 125/Iodine-albumin in some of these same rabbits. Both the number and type of inflammatory cell entering ocular tissues during a set period of time of the inflammatory response could thus be measured. This technique provides an opportunity to define the relationship of leukocyte infiltration and altered ocular vascular permeability in ocular tissues during the inflammatory response.
Alarm responses in the crayfishOrconectes virilis andOrconectes propinquus

Individuals of two species of crayfish (Orconectes virilis andO. propinquus) were tested in the laboratory for responses to chemicals released from physically damaged conspecifics. Individuals ofO. propinquus did not show an alarm response to crushed conspecifics. Individuals ofO. virilis responded to a water-borne substance released from crushed conspecifics by assuming an intermediate posture and ceasing movement. Similar alarm responses were shown by individuals ofO. virilis to crushed congeneric individuals (O. propinquus), and these responses were not eliminated by either freeze-thawing the crayfish used to prepare the signal or by treating freshly crushed crayfish with the enzyme trypsin. Individuals ofO. virilis showed strong feeding responses to solutions prepared from frozen fish flesh but showed a mixture of alarm and feeding responses to freshly killed fish. These results indicate that the alarm substance used byO. virilis is widespread.
RETHINKING THE CHRISTOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR'S CHRISTIAN REALISM

While Reinhold Niebuhr's realist political philosophy continues to find advocates in many quarters on account of its explanatory power, his Christian ideals have had difficulty gaining purchase in the material world. The tension between particular political interests and universal moral ideals threatens not only to undermine Niebuhr's efforts to preserve the ethical quality of politics but also his grounds for hope. The source of this problem can be traced to a weakness in the Christological foundations of Niebuhr's Christian realism—specifically to his intentional severing of classical Christology from politics in his appropriation of Augustine's realism. After examining the reasons for this rejection of classical reflections about Jesus, this article explains how the Christology of Niebuhr's favorite early Christian realist, Augustine, makes possible a theological reasoning that expands the social imagination, and promotes a deeply principled and hopeful material transformation, while not forfeiting its critical and explanatory capacity.
Inflation, Financial Development and Growth

The last decade saw an explosion in research interest on economic growth. In particular, there have been a large number of thorough empirical investigations of the differences in growth rates among countries over long periods of time. These studies tend to emphasize particular aspects or causes of the growth process. Among the important correlates of economic growth that have been studied are inflation and the extent of financial sector development. In this paper we examine the interaction between the growth-inflation and growth-finance relationships.
A performance comparison of RAID-5 and log-structured arrays

In this paper, we compare the performance of the well-known RAID-5 arrays to that of log-structured arrays (LSA), on transaction-processing workloads. LSA borrows heavily from the log-structured file system (LFS) approach, but is executed in an outboard disk controller. The LSA technique we examine combines LFS, RAID, compression and non-volatile cache. We look at sensitivity of LSA performance to amount of free space on the physical disks and to the compression ratio achieved. We also evaluate a RAID-5 design that supports compression in cache.
An estimate of risk of malignancy for a benign diagnosis in thyroid fine-needle aspirates.

BACKGROUND: The risk of malignancy for a benign diagnosis in a thyroid fine-needle aspiration is controversial because of lack of histologic follow-up. METHODS: The author reviewed the results of all thyroid aspirations with surgical resection performed during the past 13 years at Baptist Hospital of Miami and Homestead Hospital, Homestead, Florida, combined these procedures with those in the literature, and correlated risk of malignancy with percentage of biopsies performed. RESULTS: A total of 7089 aspirations and 1331 resections were performed. In the literature, the percentage of all benign cases that underwent resection ranged from 3% to 41%. Risk of malignancy decreased with an increased percentage of resections. The risk of malignancy for series with <8% of all benign aspirates resected was significantly higher than the risk for series with ≥8% of cases biopsied (15.1% vs 5.9%, P = .02). Logarithmic and linear estimates of risk of malignancy if 100% of cases were biopsied were 3% and 2.5%. CONCLUSIONS: The best estimate of the risk of malignancy for a benign diagnosis in a thyroid fine-needle aspiration is 2.5%-3%. This level of risk is affected by the percentage of benign cases that are resected. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Low energy electron diffraction studies of high index crystal surfaces of platinum

Abstract Several high Miller Index crystal surfaces of platinum have been examined by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and have been shown to consist of low index (111) or (100) terraces of constant width, linked by steps of monatomic height. The ordered stepped surfaces were found to be stable in ultra-high vacuum up to 1500 K, and the reasons for this remarkable stability are discussed. The presence of ordered atomic steps may be considered as a general structural property of high index surfaces regardless of the chemical bonding in the crystal. A nomenclature is suggested to identify the surface structures of stepped surfaces.
Universal patterns or the tale of two systems? Mathematics achievement and educational expectations in post-socialist Europe

Although communist ideology claimed to destroy former class stratification based on labour market capitalist relationships, de facto during socialism one social class hierarchy was substituted for another that was equally unequal. The economic transition during the 1990s increased stratification by wealth, which affected educational inequality. This study examines the relationships among parental education, gender, educational expectations and mathematics achievement of youths in five post-socialist Eastern European countries, comparing them with three Western countries. We employed the 8th-grade data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1995 and 2007. The findings point to the universal associations between parental education and student outcomes, whereas gender comparisons present interesting East-West differences. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed.
The cardiocirculatory changes caused by intravenous Dilantin and its solvent

Abstract Disturbances of cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, and alterations of the ECG are produced by propylene glycol, the solvent for parenteral Dilantin. Many of these phenomena are prevented by the Dilantin itself. The proportion of Dilantin to solvent, the rate at which each acts upon the heart, and the rate of administration may determine the consequences in any particular patient. A unique change in the forms of the ECG, namely, augmentation of all amplitudes, is produced by propylene glycol. This phenomenon has not yet been explained.
The nature behind the preferentially embrittling effect of impurities on the ductility of tungsten

Abstract It is well known that the ductility of tungsten is very sensitive to impurities while the ductility of tantalum is tolerant to them. However, the fundamental reason behind this preferential effect still remains elusive. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we demonstrated that impurities in tungsten are more likely to segregate into the investigated grain boundary region and the vicinity of straight screw dislocation core than in tantalum, thus having more chances to decrease the ductility. In turn, the presence of impurities, if deemed undesirable, will cause a greater reduction in the grain boundary separation energy for tungsten. The analyses of the chemical and mechanical effects of impurities based on an elegant model suggest that, for the deleterious impurities that have similar binding behavior with tantalum and tungsten, if their effect is repulsive at all relevant site, tungsten is more sensitive to them due to its low lattice constant and high elastic modulus despite other possible causes.
Neural correlates of altered pain response in women with posttraumatic stress disorder from intimate partner violence.

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common causes of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women. Women with IPV-related PTSD often experience comorbid chronic pain and pain-related disability. Despite the high comorbidity between PTSD and chronic pain, recent evidence suggests that male veterans with combat-related PTSD report decreased sensitivity to experimental pain. The aim of this study was to examine the neurobehavioral correlates of experimental pain in women with IPV-related PTSD. Methods Functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging data were collected during an event-related experimental pain paradigm that was administered twice to 23 women with IPV-related PTSD and 15 age-, race- and education-comparable nontraumatized control women. Brief thermal heat stimuli were repeatedly applied to the left volar forearm, and subjects rated the perceived temperature intensity with a button-box. Results Women with IPV-related PTSD relative to nontraumatized control women showed: 1) increased activation of right middle insula and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during initial painful stimulation, and 2) subsequent decrease in subjective intensity ratings with repeated exposure to pain, which was accompanied by attenuation of activation within right anterior insula that was associated with avoidance symptoms of PTSD. Conclusions These results suggest that women with IPV-related PTSD show dysregulated functional brain activity during pain processing, which might drive maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as avoidance and numbing.
Independent Trafficking of KATP Channel Subunits to the Plasma Membrane

KATP channels are unique in requiring two distinct subunits (Kir6.2, a potassium channel subunit) and SUR1 (an ABC protein) for generation of functional channels. To examine the cellular trafficking of KATP channel subunits, green fluorescent protein (GFP) was tagged to the cytoplasmic N or C terminus of SUR1 and Kir6.2 subunits and to the C terminus of a dimeric fusion between SUR1 and Kir6.2 (SUR1-Kir6.2). All tagged constructs generated functional channels with essentially normal properties when coexpressed with the relevant other subunit. GFP-tagged Kir6.2 (Kir6.2-GFP) showed perinuclear and plasma membrane fluorescence patterns when expressed alone or with SUR1, and a very similar pattern was observed when channel-forming SUR1-Kir6.2-GFP was expressed on its own. In contrast, whereas SUR1 (SUR1-GFP) also showed a perinuclear and plasma membrane fluorescence pattern when expressed alone, an apparently cytoplasmic fluorescence was observed when coexpressed with Kir6.2 subunits. The results indicate that Kir6.2 subunits traffic to the plasma membrane in the presence or absence of SUR1, in contradiction to the hypothesis that homomeric Kir6.2 channels are not observed because SUR1 is required as a chaperone to guide Kir6.2 subunits through the secretory pathway.
Hamiltonian as a Hessian on the Hibert space, eigenvectors as critical points, and their relation to topological invariants in the variation method

If a quantum vector varies in the Hilbert space, as trial functions do in the variational method, a vector field gets defined whose critical points are the eigenvectors of the Hamiltonian. The numbers of each type of critical point (minima, maxima, saddle points of various “indices”) are related to the topology of the compact variety, the closed multidimensional surface on which the trial vectors wander when they are restricted to unit normalization. The “global” results from that approach are compared with those of the “local” theory in which the type of each critical point is obtained from the Hessian on the Hilbert space whose eigenvalues are derived in terms of those of the Hamiltonian involved in the vector field. In a configuration-interaction (CI) problem for example, the type of saddle point each “excited state” represents is determined.