cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting and Managing Spillover Water for Reservoirs in Semi Arid Islands: The Case of the Kouris Reservoir in Cyprus

More than 97% of precipitation on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus falls between October and April. During the rest of the year, the streams on the island dry out, and the inflow to the reservoirs is negligible. On the other hand, the highest water demand is in the summer months, due to irrigation and tourist industry needs. During rainy years, some of these reservoirs may spill over at the end of the rainy season. Most of this spill over water ends up to the sea, and is considered wasted. If the volume of spillover water could be predicted a few months in advance, this water could be used for a ‘’low value’’ purpose, like groundwater recharging. A model that can be used for estimating, on a real time basis, the exceedance probabilities of future spilling volumes, is proposed. The model is based on historical reservoir inflow and evaporation data and the predictions are on a monthly basis. The model predictions are updated at the end of each month, based on inputs of the inflow of the previous month and the current storage of the reservoir, enabling the operator to revise the reservoir release policy, taking into account the new information. Two water release optimization strategies that utilize the model predictions are proposed. The first method is based on a target reliability analysis, while the second one is based on a benefit cost analysis.
Comparison of stratum corneum and hair fibrous proteins.

The Tris-urea-mercaptoethanol (pH 9) soluble fibrous proteins of hair and stratum corneum have been compared in a number of animals. The 2 tissues show different urea (pH 8.3) and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns and vary in amino acid composition. Cyanogen bromide cleavage was done on human stratum corneum and hair fibrous proteins and found to give different fragements by electrophoresis. Antibodies to stratum corneum protein did not react with hair protein and vice versa. Although the 2 types of fibrous proteins have the same helical structure as shown by x-ray diffraction analysis, their differences in composition may be important for specific interactions with other macromolecules.
Effect of bioturbation on metal-sulfide oxidation in surficial freshwater sediments

Recent studies have demonstrated the role of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) in controlling the bioavailability of several cationic metals in anoxic sediments. However, metal-sulfide complexes can be relatively labile with respect to oxidation associated with factors such as seasonal changes in rates of oxidation/production of AVS. Another potentially important mechanism of AVS oxidation in surficial sediments is bioturbation. We used different densities of the burrowing oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus in a series of laboratory experiments to evaluate the effect of bioturbation on oxidation of AVS and subsequent bioavailability of cadmium and zinc spiked into freshwater sediments. Metal bioavailability was determined directly by bioaccumulation in the test organisms and indirectly through analysis of interstitial (pore) water metal concentrations. In our studies, horizon-specific sediment analyses were conducted to assess spatial differences in AVS and pore-water metal concentrations specifically related to organism activity. Burrowing activity of the oligochaete significantly reduced AVS concentrations in surficial sediments in a density-dependent manner and resulted in elevated interstitial water concentrations of cadmium but not zinc. Concentrations of cadmium in pore water from deeper horizons (below the zone of active burrowing) were consistently lower than those in the surficial sediments. The bioaccumulation of cadmium and zinc by L. variegatus was reflective of pore-water concentrations of the two metals, i.e., there was significant accumulation of cadmium, but not zinc, by the oligochaetes. Overall, our results indicate that bioturbation can enhance the bioavailability of some cationic metals in surficial sediments, via oxidation of AVS, and demonstrate the importance of analyzing surficial sediments when assessing bioavailability of metals in sediments.
Retinoic acid administration is associated with changes in the extracellular matrix and cardiac mesenchyme within the endocardial cushion.

Retinoic acid has been associated with a number of cardiac defects, some of which seem to be related to changes in the endocardial cushions. Studies in mice and older chick embryos have suggested that these defects may be associated with a decrease in mesenchymal cell formation within the cushion. In a previous report we showed that retinoic acid lowered the number of mesenchymal cells in a culture bioassay of mesenchyme formation and that this response was due to retinoic acid modifying the production of particulate matrix from the myocardium. In this study, we have extended these observations to the embryo by implanting a retinoic acid coated bead into the embryo and examined the effect on cardiac mesenchyme formation and in the production of the particulate matrix. In all cases the addition of retinoic acid resulted in a decrease in the number of mesenchymal cells invading the endocardial cushions. In addition retinoic acid increased the production of hLAMP-1 and fibronectin but not transferrin, confirming our earlier report. Finally, we measured the volume of the cushion and calculated the cell density of both the inferior and superior cushions. The results suggest that the superior cushion is more sensitive to retinoic acid treatment than the inferior cushion. Collectively, these results support our earlier work that suggests that the mechanism of retinoic acid cardiac abnormalities involves a disruption in the production of particulate matrix from the myocardium and a subsequent decrease in cardiac mesenchyme cells that results in a malformed cardiac cushions. Anat Rec 263:53–61, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phase diagrams and crystal growth of pseudobinary alloy semiconductors

Abstract The ternary ZnCdTe and pseudobinary CdTeCdSe and PbTePbSe phase diagrams have been determined by thermal and X-ray analysis and analysed in terms of thermodynamic theories of liquid and solid solutions. The phase diagram data for two of the investigated systems has then been applied to the selection and application of two different techniques for growing pseudobinary alloy crystals: diffusional freezing and solution zoning.
Negative Feedback Defining a Circadian Clock: Autoregulation of the Clock Gene Frequency

The frequency (frq) locus of Neurospora crassa was originally identified in searches for loci encoding components of the circadian clock. The frq gene is now shown to encode a central component in a molecular feedback loop in which the product of frq negatively regulated its own transcript, which resulted in a daily oscillation in the amount of frq transcript. Rhythmic messenger RNA expression was essential for overt rhythmicity in the organism and no amount of constitutive expression rescued normal rhythmicity in frq loss-of-function mutants. Step reductions in the amount of FRQ-encoding transcript set the clock to a specific and predicted phase. These results establish frq as encoding a central component in a circadian oscillator.
Examination of brain injury under impact with the ground of various stiffness

Abstract In this study, the finite element (FE) method is implemented in order to examine the reaction of the brain under a fall and impact loading. The head and its constituent parts are designed by three-dimensional (3-D) FEs. Soft tissues and the brain are modeled as viscoelastic material and assembled by various types of elements. In the analysis, the ground is regarded as the impactor and is also simulated by 3-D FEs. The fall, or accident, is assumed to happen under different heights, or velocities. Such scenarios are considered to represent the realistic falls, or accidents, which might occur in sports, or in other situations. The impacting ground might be of different material, rigidity and stiffness. In this study, the sensitivity of the injury in the brain is studied using different materials, different heights of the fall and different velocities. The materials used for the ground are wood, polymer carpet, soil and concrete slabs. The intracranial coup pressure, contrecoup pressure and shear stresses in the brain and skull are monitored during the impact and are recorded for the analysis. Under each impact, the coup pressure and shear stress peaks in the brain are observed. Such results are proportional functions to the stiffness of the ground and the velocity of the head. The computational results of this FE head model are consistent with the cadaveric experiments of previous studies.
Design considerations of form birefringent microstructures

Diffraction characteristics of high-spatial-frequency (HSF) gratings are evaluated for application to polarization-selective computer-generated holograms by the use of two different approaches: second-order effective-medium theory (EMT) and rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA). The reflectivities and the phase differences for TE- and TM-polarized waves are investigated in terms of various input parameters, and results obtained with second-order EMT and RCWA are compared. It is shown that although the reflection characteristics can be accurately modeled with the second-order EMT, the phase difference created by form birefringence for TE- and TM-polarized waves requires the use of a more rigorous, RCWA approach. The design of HSF gratings in terms of their form birefringence and reflectivity properties is discussed in conjunction with polarization-selective computer-generated holograms. A specific design optimization example furnishes a grating profile that provides a trade-off between the largest form birefringence and the lowest reflectivities.
Characterization of reticuloendotheliosis virus isolates obtained from broiler breeders, turkeys, and prairie chickens located in various geographical regions in the United States

Nine reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) isolates obtained from broiler breeders, turkeys, and prairie chickens located in three different geographical regions in the USA, and three isolates obtained from known contaminated live-virus vaccines were characterized using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) assays. All isolates were propagated in chicken embryo fibroblasts obtained from a specific pathogen free breeder flock. PCR analysis of all 12 isolates resulted in the amplification of the 291-bp REV long-terminal repeat region (LTR); none of the isolates exhibited a different pattern or shift from the expected PCR product of REV LTR. The subtype of the REV isolates was determined by IFA using REV-specific monoclonal antibodies, 11B118.22, 11C237.8, and 11D182. Results from sub-typing indicated that all nine isolates from broiler breeders, turkeys, and prairie chickens belonged to subtype 3, and are antigenically related to the chick syncytial virus (CSV) strain of REV, the...
Primary carcinoma of the lung

Abstract 1. 1. Primary cancer of the lung is a frequently occurring tumor and is particularly common in the male. 2. 2. Bronchoscopy will be negative in approximately 40 per cent of the cases of early carcinoma of the lung. 3. 3. Mass examination of our male population over the age of forty, using the miniature roentgen film technic, is suggested as a means to diagnose early cancer of the lung. 4. 4. Pulmonary symptoms appearing in a male forty years of age or older should be considered due to carcinoma of the lung until proved otherwise. 5. 5. Exploratory thoracotomy is a safe surgical procedure and should be the method of choice to establish the diagnosis when the other diagnostic procedures are equivocal. 6. 6. Pneumonectomy, with removal of the mediastinal lymph-nodes, is the only treatment for early carcinoma of the lung. 7. 7. The present results in the treatment of cancer of the lung can be greatly improved by earlier diagnosis of the disease.
Comparison of the local binding motifs in the imidazolium-based ionic liquids [EMIM][BF4] and [EMMIM][BF4] through cryogenic ion vibrational predissociation spectroscopy: Unraveling the roles of anharmonicity and intermolecular interactions.

We clarify the role of the critical imidazolium C(2)H position (the central C between N atoms in the heterocycle) in the assembly motif of the [EMIM][BF4] ionic liquid by analyzing the vibrational spectra of the bare EMIM+ ion as well as that of the cationic [EMIM]2[BF4]+ (EMIM+ = 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, C6H11N2+) cluster. Vibrational spectra of the cold, mass-selected ions are obtained using cryogenic ion vibrational predissociation of weakly bound D2 molecules formed in a 10 K ion trap. The C(2)H behavior is isolated by following the evolution of key vibrational features when the C(2) hydrogen, the proposed binding location of the anion to the imidazolium ring, is replaced by either deuterium or a methyl group (i.e., in the EMMIM+ analogue). Strong features in the ring CH stretching region of the bare ion are traced to Fermi resonances with overtones of lower frequency modes. Upon incorporation into the EMIM+ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ BF4− ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ EMIM+ ternary complex, the C(2)H oscillator strength is dramatically incr...
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF JOB SELECTION METHODS ON SIZE, PRODUCTIVITY, AND PAYROLL COSTS OF THE FEDERAL WORK FORCE: AN EMPIRICALLY BASED DEMONSTRATION

In this study, job performance increases resulting from improved selection validity were measured empirically rather than estimated from the standard linear regression utility equations. Selection utility analyses based on these empirical measurements were carried out for most white-collar jobs in the federal government. Results indicate that selection of a one-year cohort based on valid measures of cognitive ability, rather than on non-test procedures (mostly evaluations of education and experience), produces increases in output worth up to $600 million for each year that the new employees remain employed by the government. Newly hired federal employees remain with the government an average of approximately 13 years, resulting in a total gain in output of almost $8 billion over this period. This gain represents a 9.7% increase in output among new hires. If total output is held constant rather than increased, new hiring can be reduced by up to 20,044 per year (a 9% decrease), resulting in payroll savings of $272 million for every year the new cohort of employees remains on the job. The percentage of new hires in the bottom decile of the non-test-selected job performance distribution
On computation of solutions of fully nonlinear elliptic problems

Abstract We present an explicit monotone scheme for solving boundary value problems for fully nonlinear elliptic equations. We replace the discretized elliptic problems by their parabolic versions, with initial data being either super- or subsolution. For sufficiently fine meshes we obtain monotone iterations, for which convergence can often be proved.
Spinal dorsal horn neuron response to mechanical stimuli is decreased by electrical stimulation of the primary motor cortex

Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) has been used clinically as a tool for the control for central post-stroke pain and neuropathic facial pain. The underlying mechanisms involved in the antinociceptive effect of MCS are not clearly understood. We hypothesize that the antinociceptive effect is through the modulation of the spinal dorsal horn neuron activity. Thirty-two wide dynamic range spinal dorsal horn neurons were recorded, in response to graded mechanical stimulation (brush, pressure, and pinch) at their respective receptive fields, while a stepwise electrical stimulation was applied simultaneously in the motor cortex. The responses to brush at control, 10 V, 20 V, and 30 V, and recovery were 11.5+/-1.6, 12.1+/-2.6, 11.1+/-2.2, 10.5+/-2.1, and 13.2+/-2.5 spikes/s, respectively. The responses to pressure at control, 10 V, 20 V, and 30 V, and recovery were 33.2+/-6.1, 22.9+/-5.3, 20.5+/-5.0, 17.3+/-3.8, and 27.0+/-4.0 spikes/s, respectively. The responses to pinch at control, 10 V, 20 V, and 30 V, and recovery were 37.2+/-6.4, 26.3+/-4.7, 25.9+/-4.7, 22.5+/-4.3, and 35.0+/-6.2 spikes/s, respectively. It is concluded that, in the rat, electrical stimulation of the motor cortex produces significant transient inhibition of the responses of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons to higher intensity mechanical stimuli without affecting their response to an innocuous stimulus.
Cortisol production rate. VI. Hypoglycemia in the neonatal and postneonatal period, and in association with dwarfism

Cortisol production rates were estimated in patients with transient neonatal hypoglycemia, postneonatal hypoglycemia, and hypoglycemia with dwarfism. In the first group, four low-birth-weight males had abnormally low rates. In the second group, cortisol production rates were in the normal range. Low to low-normal rates were found in the group of dwarfs. Three of five older dwarfs had a history of low birth weight for gestational age. Of these, two were the smaller members of two sets of twins; one had documented neonatal hypoglycemia. These three patients may have had hypopituitarism in utero. Of the entire group of 23 patients, only one was above the fiftieth percentile in height, and 19 were below the twenty-fifth percentile. Growth failure in most of these patients with hypoglycemia is unexplained.
Treatment of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy with high-dose systemic corticosteroid therapy

Dear Editor, I was interested to read the study by Rebolleda et al. [1] dealing with treatment of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) with high-dose systemic corticosteroid therapy. In their study, the treated group comprised ten eyes of ten patients with NA-AION, and an untreated non-contemporary cohort of 27 patients with NA-AION. The authors concluded that: (i) high-dose systemic steroid treatment did not show any beneficial effect on visual outcome, (ii) it caused serious complications in “a third of the treated patients”, and (iii) corticosteroid treatment could predispose to the development of NA-AION in fellow eyes. All these statements are misleading, and require comments to put them in proper perspective. I investigated the role of high-dose corticosteroid therapy prospectively in a cohort of consecutive 613 patients (696 eyes) in a “patient randomised study”, where 312 patients (364 eyes) voluntarily opted for systemic corticosteroid therapy and 301 (332 eyes) for no treatment [2]. My study [2] showed that NAAION eyes with 20/70 or worse visual acuity, treated with high-dose corticosteroid therapy within 2 weeks of onset, had a significantly higher probability of improvement in visual acuity (p00.001) and visual field (p00.005) compared to the untreated group. This is in sharp contrast to the findings of Rebolleda et al. [1] in their ten eyes. Justifying their conclusions, Rebolleda et al. [1] made the following critical comments about my study: “Hayreh recently reported a large retrospective non-randomized study” and that there was “higher prevalence of vascular risk factors in the untreated group”. This is a mischaracterization of my study, and requires response to put the comments in proper perspective, and the facts are also relevant to the different outcome of the two studies. Rebolleda et al. [1] are incorrect for the following reasons:
Pt-free, LaMnO3 based lean NOx trap catalysts

Conventional lean NOx trap (LNT) catalysts require high loadings of Pt in order to oxidize NO to NO2, a critical step in LNT applications. This paper presents a concept study of using LaMnO3 perovskite as a substitute to Pt in LNT catalyst. The structure, morphology and redox property of LaMnO3 perovskite were probed by TPR, XRD and its performance on NO oxidation to NO2was also evaluated. A LaMnO3 based, PGM free LNT showed good NO oxidation activity and NOx storage capability under lean conditions, but it did not have sufficient NOx reduction activities during LNT regeneration. With the addition of Pd/Rh to provide NOx reduction activities, a LaMnO3-based, Pt-free LNT showed high NOx storage/reduction activities under lean and rich cycling conditions.
Public support to private innovation in multi-level governance systems: An empirical investigation

This paper explores the distinct distributive nature of innovation programs by government levels. The research setting is a European region actively involved in regional, national, and supra-national (EU)level programs. The results suggest that sub-national programs lead to changes in firms’ attitudes towards product and process innovation. The impacts of national and supra-national programs are different: nationally supported firms are more likely to accelerate their path towards product (but not to process) innovations; supra-national supported businesses gain in greater sales due to incremental innovative products. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that lower levels of government could alleviate entry barriers into technological activities while upper-level programs improve the economic performance of pre-existing innovators.
Measurement of the charge-density-wave correlation length in NbSe3 by high-resolution x-ray scattering.

We have measured the correlation length of the ${\mathbf{q}}_{1}$ charge-density wave in ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$ using high-resolution x-ray scattering. For a heavily Ta-doped crystal having a residual resistivity ratio ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{R}}$ of 10, the T=77 K correlation lengths parallel and transverse to the quasi-one-dimensional ${\mathbf{b}}^{\mathrm{*}}$ direction are ${\mathit{l}}_{\mathit{b}}^{\mathrm{*}}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}0.9 \ensuremath{\mu}m and ${\mathit{l}}_{\mathit{a}}^{\mathrm{*}}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}0.1 \ensuremath{\mu}m, respectively. For an undoped crystal (${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{R}}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}300), we obtain lower bounds ${\mathit{l}}_{\mathit{b}}^{\mathrm{*}}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}2.5 \ensuremath{\mu}m and ${\mathit{l}}_{\mathit{a}}^{\mathrm{*}}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}1.9 \ensuremath{\mu}m, the latter value being comparable to the thickness of typical crystals. These results are in excellent agreement with a recent weak-impurity-pinning analysis of finite-size effects observed in transport properties.
On the optimal design of tandem queueing systems with finite buffers

We consider tandem queueing systems that can be formulated as a continuous-time Markov chain, and investigate how to maximize the throughput when the queue capacities are limited. We consider various constrained optimization problems where the decision variables are of one or more of the following types: (1) expected service times, (2) queue capacities, and (3) the number of servers at the respective stations. After surveying our previous studies of this kind, we open up consideration of three new problems by presenting some numerical results that should give some insight into the general form of the optimal design.
Enhanced Transmucosal Transport Using Osmolyte-Mediated Fluid-Matrix Interaction

Various drug delivery systems are developed to deliver therapeutic and diagnostic agents to tissues covered with mucus, such as airways, nasal cavity, or oral cavity [1]. However, the mucus, which present for protection of the tissues, significantly hinders the transport of these agents and ultimately mitigates their efficacy [2]. Several studies have been performed to improve the transmucosal transport by studying the transport rates of polymeric nanoparticles with various sizes and surface chemistry [3–5]. However, drug delivery systems with improved transmucosal transport capability are still highly desired.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Lidocaine attenuates anisomycin-induced amnesia and release of norepinephrine in the amygdala

When administered near the time of training, protein synthesis inhibitors such as anisomycin impair later memory. A common interpretation of these findings is that memory consolidation requires new protein synthesis initiated by training. However, recent findings support an alternative interpretation that abnormally large increases in neurotransmitter release after injections of anisomycin may be responsible for producing amnesia. In the present study, a local anesthetic was administered prior to anisomycin injections in an attempt to mitigate neurotransmitter actions and thereby attenuate the resulting amnesia. Rats received lidocaine and anisomycin injections into the amygdala 130 and 120 min, respectively, prior to inhibitory avoidance training. Memory tests 48 h later revealed that lidocaine attenuated anisomycin-induced amnesia. In other rats, in vivo microdialysis was performed at the site of amygdala infusion of lidocaine and anisomycin. As seen previously, anisomycin injections produced large increases in release of norepinephrine in the amygdala. Lidocaine attenuated the anisomycin-induced increase in release of norepinephrine but did not reverse anisomycin inhibition of protein synthesis, as assessed by c-Fos immunohistochemistry. These findings are consistent with past evidence suggesting that anisomycin causes amnesia by initiating abnormal release of neurotransmitters in response to the inhibition of protein synthesis.
Glucagon increases hepatic mRNA concentrations of ureagenic and gluconeogenic enzymes in early-lactation dairy cows

Exogenous glucagon increases hepatic glucose synthesis in part by increasing hepatic extraction of amino acids from blood for conversion to glucose. To examine the role of glucagon in orchestrating gene expression of gluconeogenic and ureagenic enzymes, we determined the mRNA concentrations of key hepatic ureagenic and gluconeogenic enzymes at d 11, 15, and 22 postpartum in multiparous Holstein cows that received 0 or 5 mg of glucagon in 60 mL of saline by subcutaneous injection every 8 h for 14 d starting on d 8 postpartum. On d 11 postpartum, glucagon increased the hepatic mRNA concentrations for all measured ureagenic enzymes (carbamoylphosphate synthetase I, ornithine transcarbamylase, and argininosuccinate synthetase) and gluconeogenic enzymes (pyruvate carboxylase and cytosolic and mitochondrial forms of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) and increased or tended to increase mRNA concentrations of gluconeogenic enzymes on d 15 postpartum but not on d 22. The effect of glucagon to increase mRNA concentrations of ureagenic and gluconeogenic enzymes was limited to times when concentrations of plasma insulin were not increased. Our results suggest that hepatic gene expression of key ureagenic and gluconeogenic enzymes in early-lactation dairy cows is responsive to hormonal regulation by glucagon.
Genetic polymorphisms of adrenergic receptors.

Recent advances in molecular biology have enhanced the understanding of adrenergic receptors. They have allowed the characterization of the several subtypes of adrenergic receptors expressed and have expanded the research about the potential physiologic functions they mediate. Furthermore, variant forms, orpolymorphisms, of the genes that code for these receptors are being identified. These genetic variants may or may not result in functional differences in the receptors they encode. There is obvious interest in determining the physiologic and clinical relevance of these polymorphisms. The purpose of this review is to describe these polymorphisms and the often contradictory literature pertaining to their clinical significance. Progress in this area is being made at a rapid pace. As the allele-disease relations become less equivocal, it might be possible to predict individual differences in susceptibility to a disease, disease prognosis, and response to treatment.
FoxP2 Brainstem Neurons Project to Sodium Appetite Regulatory Sites

The transcription factor Forkhead box protein 2 (FoxP2) is expressed in two cell groups of the brainstem that have been implicated in sodium appetite regulation: the pre-locus coeruleus (pre-LC) and parabrachial nucleus--external lateral-inner subdivision (PBel-inner). Because the connections of these two groups are unknown, neuroanatomical tracing methods were used to define their central projections. The pre-LC outputs were first analyzed using an anterograde axonal tracer--Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHAL) to construct a brain map. Next, we examined whether the FoxP2 immunoreactive (FoxP2+) neurons of the pre-LC contribute to these projections using a retrograde neuronal tracer--cholera toxin β-subunit (CTb). CTb was injected into selected brain regions identified in the anterograde tracing study. One week later the rats were killed, and brainstem sections were processed by a double immunohistochemical procedure to determine whether the FoxP2+ neurons in the pre-LC and/or PBel-inner contained CTb. FoxP2+ pre-LC neurons project to: (1) ventral pallidum; (2) substantia innominata and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; (3) paraventricular, central medial, parafascicular, and subparafascicular parvicellular thalamic nuclei; (4) paraventricular (PVH), lateral, perifornical, dorsomedial (DMH), and parasubthalamic hypothalamic nuclei; and (5) ventral tegmental area (VTA), periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), dorsal and central linear raphe nuclei. FoxP2+ PBel-inner neurons project to the PVH and DMH, with weaker connections to the LHA, VTA, and PAG. Both the pre-LC and PBel-inner project to central sites implicated in sodium appetite, and related issues, including foraging behavior, hedonic responses to salt intake, sodium balance, and cardiovascular regulation, are discussed.
Key NAD+-binding residues in human 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase.

Abstract NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family, catalyzes the first step in the catabolic pathways of prostaglandins and lipoxins, and is believed to be the key enzyme responsible for the biological inactivation of these biologically potent eicosanoids. The enzyme utilizes NAD+ specifically as a coenzyme. Potential amino acid residues involved in binding NAD+ and facilitating enzyme catalysis have been partially identified. In this report, we propose that three more residues in 15-PGDH, Ile-17, Asn-91, and Val-186, are also involved in the interaction with NAD+. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to examine their roles in binding NAD+. Several mutants (I17A, I17V, I17L, I17E, I17K, N91A, N91D, N91K, V186A, V186I, V186D, and V186K) were prepared, expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion enzymes in Escherichia coli, and purified by GSH–agarose affinity chromatography. Mutants I17E, I17K, N91L, N91K, and V186D were found to be inactive. Mutants N91A, N91D, V186A, and V186K exhibited comparable activities to the wild type enzyme. However, mutants I17A, I17V, I17L, and V186I had higher activity than the wild type. Especially, the activities of I17L and V186I were increased nearly 4- and 5-fold, respectively. The kcat/Km ratios of all active mutants for PGE2 were similar to that of the wild type enzyme. However, the kcat/Km ratios of mutants I17A and N91A for NAD+ were decreased 5- and 10-fold, respectively, whereas the kcat/Km ratios of mutants I17V, N91D, V186I, and V186K for NAD+ were comparable to that of the wild type enzyme. The kcat/Km ratios of mutants I17L and V186A for NAD+ were increased over nearly 2-fold. These results suggest that Ile-17, Asn-91, and Val-186 are involved in the interaction with NAD+ and contribute to the full catalytic activity of 15-PGDH.
Histamine: A Role in Normal Drinking

Little is known about the physiological mechanisms that control normal drinking and, in particular, drinking around mealtime. This problem has recently been penetrated by experiments evaluating a role for histamine in drinking elicited by eating. This work supports the hypothesis of a preabsorptive, pregastric, vagally-mediated, histaminergic component of drinking elicited by eating in the rat.
Bootstrapping toponym classifiers

We present minimally supervised methods for training and testing geographic name disambiguation (GND) systems. We train data-driven place name classifiers using toponyms already disambiguated in the training text --- by such existing cues as "Nashville, Tenn." or "Springfield, MA" --- and test the system on texts where these cues have been stripped out and on hand-tagged historical texts. We experiment on three English-language corpora of varying provenance and complexity: newsfeed from the 1990s, personal narratives from the 19th century American west, and memoirs and records of the U.S. Civil War. Disambiguation accuracy ranges from 87% for news to 69% for some historical collections.
Disparities in Smoking and Acute Respiratory Illnesses Among Sexual Minority Young Adults

Morbidity and mortality from cigarette smoking remain major public health issues. Particularly, smoking has been associated with increased risk of acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs). Literature indicates that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (i.e., sexual minority) persons smoke more than the general population. Additionally, young adulthood is the second-most prevalent period of smoking uptake. Given this constellation of risk correlates, the authors examined whether sexual minority young adults experience increased odds of ARIs (i.e., strep throat, bronchitis, sinus infection, and asthma). Using cross-sectional data from the Spring 2006 National College Health Assessment, prevalence estimates of smoking were generated among young adult (age range, 18–24 years) lesbian/gay, bisexual, unsure, and heterosexual college students (n = 75,164). Nested logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether smoking status mediated the risk of ARIs among sexual orientation groups. Compared with heterosexual smokers, gay/lesbian smokers were more likely to have had strep throat, and bisexual smokers were more likely to have had sinus infection, asthma, and bronchitis. Whereas smoking mediated the risk of ARI, sexual minorities still showed higher odds of ARIs after adjustment for smoking. Sexual minority young adults may experience respiratory health disparities that may be linked to their higher smoking rates, and their higher rates of smoking lend urgency to the need for cessation interventions. Future studies are needed to explore whether chronic respiratory disease caused by smoking (i.e., lung cancer, COPD, emphysema) disproportionately affect sexual minority populations.
Optical Properties Of Microcrystalline CVD Diamond

Diamond has many properties that make it a promising candidate for demanding optical applications. Recently, it has become possible to grow polycrystalline diamond films at relatively low temperature and pressure using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques with growth rates exceeding 50 μm per hour. This development may make diamond optical elements economically feasible. Unfortunately, CVD diamond films are rough on optical length scales, which causes considerable surface scattering. The surface roughness must be eliminated before meaningful optical measurements can be performed.
Natural products as antimicrobial agents

The use of natural antimicrobial compounds in food has gained much attention by the consumers and the food industry. This is due primarily to two major factors. First, the misuse and mishandling of antibiotics has resulted in the dramatic rise of a group of microorganisms including foodborne pathogens that are not only antibiotic resistant but also more tolerant to several food processing and preservation methods. In addition, increasing consumers' awareness of the potential negative impact of synthetic preservatives on health versus the benefits of natural additives has generated interest among researchers in the development and use of natural products in foods. This has prompted the food industry to look for alternative preservatives that can enhance the safety and quality of foods. Compounds derived from natural sources have the potential to be used for food safety due to their antimicrobial properties against a broad range of foodborne pathogens. This article reviews the antibacterial activity of natural components from different sources including plants, animals, bacteria, algae and mushrooms, and their potential use in food systems.
Faithful daughter, murdering mother: transgression and social control in colonial Namibia.

In 1938 or 1939, an uninitiated and unwed girl named Nangombe living in the Uukwaluudhi district of Ovamboland, northern Namibia, became pregnant. If mission and colonial accounts are to be believed, it was not an unusual occurrence at this time, but it had profound consequences for Nangombe and those close to her. By the 1930s, the belief that pre-initiation pregnancies boded ill fortune for clan, chief and community was highly contested, but it was far from extinct. When the chief discovered the pregnancy, he expelled Nangombe. She took refuge in a neighboring society and bore a daughter. While such infants were often killed at birth, Nangombe's was not. Mother and daughter returned home within the year. The chief, enraged by their reappearance, then expelled the entire family.The problems created by Nangombe's child caused tension in her household and the family was driven to begging for food. Nangombe's mother, seeing the catastrophes already caused by the presence of her illegitimate granddaughter and fearing that worse would come, urged her daughter to kill the child. Nangombe refused, while her mother continued to offer dire predictions that their lineage would be destroyed if the child were left alive. Finally, in July 1941, Nangombe gave into her mother's pressure and strangled her daughter. Her father and the local chief reported her act to colonial officials. The colonial government of South West Africa investigated and sent her to trial with her mother, who was charged as an accessory to murder.The nature of the case changed abruptly in the colonial capital of Windhoek. Instead of trying Nangombe for murder, the Supreme Court convened to decide whether she was insane, despite testimony from her village asserting that she was sane and that the murder had been a rational act. Her mother was transformed from a co-defendant to a witness to her daughter's physical and mental health. Nangombe was diagnosed as epileptic and, on this basis, committed to a native asylum in Fort Beaufort, South Africa. She remained there until 1946, when she was released and returned home. She lived out the rest of her life in relative anonymity, little noticed in the communities where she lived and invisible to the colonial administration – a far cry from the scrutiny and public interventions which attended her young adulthood.
PITFALLS IN THE MODELING OF DEVELOPMENTAL SYSTEMS

Computational models of development aim to describe the mechanisms that underlie the acquisition of new skills or the emergence of new capabilities. The strength of a model is judged by both its ability to explain the phenomena in question as well as its ability to generate new hypotheses, generalize to new situations, and provide a unifying conceptual framework. Although often constructed using traditional engineering methodologies, evaluating the performance of a computational model of development in terms of traditional perspectives is a flawed approach. This paper addresses the fundamental issues that confound quantitative analysis of computational models of developmental systems. In particular, we focus on the following recommendations: (i) do not equate the success of a developmental model with its peak performance at some task; (ii) do not employ purely subjective or vague measures of model fitness; and (iii) do not hide or reject variation as found in the computational model. Along the way, we discuss the aspects of computational models of development that lead to the requirements for specialized methods of analysis.
Assessing Scientific Practices Using Machine-Learning Methods: How Closely Do They Match Clinical Interview Performance?

The landscape of science education is being transformed by the new Framework for Science Education (National Research Council, A framework for K-12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2012), which emphasizes the centrality of scientific practices— such as explanation, argumentation, and communication—in science teaching, learning, and assessment. A major chal- lenge facing the field of science education is developing assessment tools that are capable of validly and efficiently evaluating these practices. Our study examined the efficacy of a free, open-source machine-learning tool for evaluating the quality of students' written explanations of the causes of evolutionary change relative to three other approaches: (1) human-scored written explanations, (2) a multiple- choice test, and (3) clinical oral interviews. A large sample of undergraduates (n = 104) exposed to varying amounts of evolution content completed all three assessments: a clinical oral interview, a written open-response assessment, and a multiple-choice test. Rasch analysis was used to compute linear person measures and linear item measures on a single logit scale. We found that the multiple-choice test displayed poor person and item fit (mean square outfit (1.3), while both oral interview measures and computer- generated written response measures exhibited acceptable fit (average mean square outfit for interview: person 0.97, item 0.97; computer: person 1.03, item 1.06). Multiple- choice test measures were more weakly associated with interview measures (r = 0.35) than the computer-scored explanation measures (r = 0.63). Overall, Rasch analysis indicated that computer-scored written explanation mea- sures (1) have the strongest correspondence to oral inter- view measures; (2) are capable of capturing students' normative scientific and naive ideas as accurately as human-scored explanations, and (3) more validly detect understanding than the multiple-choice assessment. These findings demonstrate the great potential of machine-learn- ing tools for assessing key scientific practices highlighted in the new Framework for Science Education.
Evolution of Kinetically Limited Lattice Relaxation and Threading Dislocations in Temperature-Graded ZnSe/GaAs (001) Metamorphic Heterostructures

We have investigated the evolution of strain and threading dislocation density in metamorphic temperature-graded ZnSe buffer layers. Mismatched semiconductor heterostructures may be designed to take advantage of temperature grading to allow control over the relaxation process. To study temperature grading, we have applied a plastic flow model which predicts nonequilibrium strain relaxation as well as misfit and threading dislocation densities by accounting for the time evolution of kinetically limited and equilibrium strain relaxation, thermal activation of glide, and misfit–threading dislocation interactions. We considered ZnSe/GaAs (001) heterostructures comprising a convex-down (type A), linear (type B), and convex-up (type C) temperature grading profile. The thermal budget available for relaxation in these types of structures is controlled by the temperature grading profile, which consists of combinations of linear ramp-down and/or constant temperature growth; the temperature is varied from T 0 (400°C to 600°C) at the substrate interface to T F = 300°C at the surface. We show that structures with a higher thermal budget exhibit a greater extent of relaxation (lower strains). At lower thicknesses, the dislocation density is dominated by the extent of relaxation, whereas at greater thicknesses, it is controlled by annihilation and coalescence mechanisms.
An efficient downstream box fusion allows high-level accumulation of active bacterial beta-glucosidase in tobacco chloroplasts.

Production of enzymes for lignocellulose hydrolysis in planta has been proposed as a lower-cost alternative to microbial production, with plastid transformation as a preferred method due to high foreign protein yields. An important regulator of chloroplast protein production is the downstream box (DB) region, located immediately downstream of the start codon. Protein accumulation can vary over several orders of magnitude by altering the DB region. Experiments in bacteria have suggested that these differences in protein accumulation may result from changes in translation efficiency, though the precise mechanism of DB function is not known. In this study, three DB regions were fused to the bglC ORF encoding a β-glucosidase from the thermophilic bacterium Thermobifida fusca and inserted into the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plastid genome. More than a two order of magnitude of difference in BglC protein accumulation was observed, dependent on the identity of the DB fusion. Differential transcript accumulation explained some the observed differences in protein accumulation, but in addition, less 3′ degradation of bglC transcripts was observed in transgenic plants that accumulated the most BglC enzyme. Chloroplast-produced BglC was active against both pure cellobiose and against tobacco lignocellulose. These experiments demonstrate the potential utility of transplastomic plants as a vehicle for heterologous β-glucosidase production for the cellulosic ethanol industry.
The importance of strong motion seismology in India

The high seismicity of portions of the Indian peninsula, together with the high density of population and industrial growth, results in a significant seismic risk in many parts of the subcontinent. Large construction projects throughout the peninsula require an adequate basis for earthquake-resistant design. Thus, as well as strong scientific arguments, there are major practical reasons why a substantial programme to record strong seismic ground motion should be carried out in India. This paper first reviews the history of strong motion instrumental recording, beginning with the important accelerograms obtained in the Koyna earthquake of 11 December 1969 through the recent increase in strong motion instrumentation, particularly in association with construction of large dams. It is argued that there is a pressing need for further extension of strong motion accelerograph coverage of India, especially along the seismically active regional thrust faults of the Himalayan region. Such programme expansion should follow deliberate strategies of site selection, designed to optimize the scientific and practical returns, given the requirements of minimum costs, reliable maintenance and accessible data.
Control of Liquid Impingement With Electrical Field

An initial experimental study was performed to better understand the effect of various operating and geometrical parameters on mode transition in EHD spray impingement. Detailed experimental data is provided for the different modes observed with ethanol. Previous research has focused on the effects of applied voltage and volume flow rate with limited experimental data. Using high-speed digital video imaging, details of eight different spray modes are presented.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Squamous cell carcinoma masquerading as focal myositis of the tongue

The diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is not usually a problem for the otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon. However, we describe a patient whose ultimate diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma required 16 months and eluded several clinicians, despite an aggressive diagnostic regimen. The diagnostic difficulty was due to the fact that the small, centrally located tumor was surrounded by an intense inflammatory reaction that histologically mimicked a recently described rare entity of the head and neck, focal myositis. Our purpose is to make the otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon aware of this previously unreported presentation of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue; to review the pertinent findings associated with focal myositis; and to reinforce the need to maintain a constant vigil for the diagnosis of cancer, in spite of negative pathologic confirmation, when dictated by the clinical situation.