cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecology of Aquaculture Ponds

It is tempting to view the production of fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic animals in ponds as an inelegant and archaic method of aquaculture. Although pond aquaculture is certainly an ancient method of growing aquatic animals, it is anything but inelegant. Pond aquaculture is generally the most profitable approach to growing aquatic animals because nature provides many of the resources needed to grow the crop. When pond aquaculture is conducted properly, the aquaculturist manages the pond in harmony with natural processes, and surprisingly high yields of food are possible with relatively little technological intervention. In fact, the only water quality management technology that is commonly used in pond aquaculture is mechanical aeration to supplement natural supplies of dissolved oxygen. It is this—the low level of technological intervention needed to obtain good levels of food production—that is the basis for the economic viability of pond aquaculture.
Effects of testosterone and erythropoietin on erythroid colony formation in human bone marrow cultures.

The effects of testosterone and erythropoietin (ESF) on erythroid colony formation in normal human bone marrow cultures were studied in vitro using a methyl cellulose gel system. Testosterone was found to produce a significant increase in erythroid colony formation at concentrations of 10–4–10-4M in vitro. In this system, the numbers of erythroid colonies formed per plate increased in direct proportion to the increase in the number of erythroid precursors inoculated as well as to the increase in the dose of ESF in vitro. In addition, a synergistic effect of a combination of testosterone and ESF on erythroid colony formation was seen when ESF was present at high concentrations. These data suggest that a greater number of erythropoietin-responsive cells are available for ESF to differentiate into the nucleated erythroid cell line in the presence of testosterone, indicating that the effect of a combination of testosterone and ESF is greater in enhancing erythropoiesis than the additive effects of either agent alone.
A paper-based chemiresistive biosensor employing single-walled carbon nanotubes for low-cost, point-of-care detection.

Abstract Paper-based biosensors are promising for low-cost diagnostics. However, its widespread use has been hampered due to a lack of sensitive detection methods that can be easily implemented on paper substrates. On the other hand, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) -based chemiresistive biosensors are gaining popularity as label-free, highly sensitive biosensors. However, traditional SWNT-based chemiresistors need to be more affordable for use in resource-limited settings. In this study, we report fabrication, optimization and analytical characterization of a chemiresistive biosensor on paper for label-free immunosensing. We synthesized a water-based ink using pyrene carboxylic acid (PCA) through non-covalent π-π stacking interaction between PCA and SWNTs. The PCA/SWNTs ink concentration can reach ~4 mg mL−1 and was stable at room temperature for one month. We introduced a combination of wax printing and vacuum filtration to fabricate the hydrophilic channels and the well-defined PCA/SWNTs ink deposition on paper in a facile manner requiring no additional masks or stencils. Specific antibodies were then functionalized on the PCA/SWNTs. Quantitative and selective detection of human serum albumin (HSA) is demonstrated with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 pM. This low LOD is attributed to the porous structure of the paper surface, which can accommodate more SWNTs. Furthermore, the hydroxyl group-containing cellulose fibers help connect the SWNTs into an electrical network. The paper-based chemiresistive biosensor proposed here is easy to fabricate, and designed for rapid, sensitive and selective detection of HSA. This work provides a potential platform for automated, disposable paper-based biosensors with multiplexed detection capability and microfluidic controls.
Workplace-Related Factors Associated With Employees' Standing Time at Work: A Research Brief.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between work-related, individual, and environmental factors and self-reported standing time during the workday.Design:Cross-sectio...
A transformation-proximal bundle algorithm for multistage adaptive robust optimization and application to constrained robust optimal control

This paper presents a novel transformation-proximal bundle algorithm for multistage adaptive robust optimization problems. By partitioning recourse decisions into state and control decisions, the proposed algorithm applies affine control policy only to state decisions and allows control decisions to be fully adaptive, thus transforming the original problem into an equivalent two-stage Adaptive Robust Optimization (ARO) problem. Importantly, this multi-to-two transformation is general enough to be employed with any two-stage ARO solution algorithms, thus opening a new avenue for a variety of multistage ARO algorithms. The proximal bundle method is developed for the resulting two-stage problem along with convergence analysis. In an inventory control application, the affine disturbance-feedback control policy suffers from a severe suboptimality with an average gap of 34.88%, while the proposed algorithm generates an average gap of merely 1.68%.
Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R): Applying a Cognitive Architecture to Neuroergonomics

For neuroergonomists who wish to apply Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) to investigate the human mind and its structure including learning, performance, and problem-solving skills, this chapter aims at providing an overview of ACT-R with an emphasis on its modules, buffers, and sub-symbolic levels. ACT-R is a high-level computational simulation of human cognitive processing and one of the cognition theories that seek to predict human performance in real-world settings. A group of previous studies on behavioral- and neural-based cognitive modeling of human cognition using ACT-R will also be discussed. Finally, this chapter presents future directions of ACT-R for neuroergonomics research.
The Effect of Increased Pork Hot Carcass Weights on Loin Quality and Palatability

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of pork hot carcass weight on loin quality and palatability of top loin chops.Materials and MethodsThe pigs in this study were raised to exceed standard market weights. Pork loins (N = 200) were collected from 4 different hot carcass weight groups: light (LT; less than 111.8 kg), medium-light (MLT; 111.8- 119.1 kg), medium-heavy (MHVY; 119.1- 124.4), and a heavy (HVY; 124.4 and greater). Prior to fabrication, purge loss percentage, instrumental color, subjective color and marbling, and pH were taken for each loin. Following fabrication, chops were assigned to fat and moisture analysis, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), consumer sensory analysis, or trained sensory analysis. For WBSF, consumer, and trained panels, chops were thawed for 24 h prior to analysis. Chops were cooked on clam-shell style grills and removed from the heat with the internal temperature rising to a peak internal temperature of 71°C. Consumers (N = 197) evaluated each sample for tenderness, juiciness, flavor like, and overall liking on 0 to 100 continuous line scales. Consumers were also able to indicate “yes” or “no” if the chop was acceptable for all palatability traits and overall. Trained panelists evaluated each sample for initial juiciness, sustained juiciness, myofibrillar tenderness, connective tissue amount, overall tenderness, pork flavor, and off flavor on similar 0 to 100 continuous line scales.ResultsLoins from all weight groups differed (P 0.05) were found for loin instrumental color, subjective color, subjective marbling, purge loss percentage, pH, WBSF, moisture percentage, fat percentage, and drip loss. Carcass weight did not affect (P > 0.05) juiciness or flavor like ratings but did affect (P 0.05) to the percentage of chops rated acceptable for flavor and overall liking. Chops from the HVY weight carcasses had the greatest (P 0.05) with greater (P < 0.05) overall tenderness ratings compared to chops from LT carcasses.ConclusionThese results indicate that as hot carcass weight increased, there were no negative effects on loin quality, and top loin chops from heavier weight carcasses had improved tenderness and juiciness compared to chops from lighter carcasses. This provides evidence that as the hot carcass weights of pigs in the United States continue to increase there will be no negative effects on quality and palatability.
Roles for lysophosphatidic acid signaling in vascular development and disease

The bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is emerging as an important mediator of inflammation in cardiovascular diseases. Produced in large part by the secreted lysophospholipase D autotaxin (ATX), LPA acts on a series of G protein-coupled receptors and may have action on atypical receptors such as RAGE to exert potent effects on vascular cells, including the promotion of foam cell formation and phenotypic modulation of smooth muscle cells. The signaling effects of LPA can be terminated by integral membrane lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPP) that hydrolyze the lipid to receptor inactive products. Human genetic variants in PLPP3, that predict lower levels of LPP3, associate with risk for premature coronary artery disease, and reductions of LPP3 expression in mice promote the development of experimental atherosclerosis and enhance inflammation in the atherosclerotic lesions. Recent evidence also supports a role for ATX, and potentially LPP3, in calcific aortic stenosis. In summary, LPA may be a relevant inflammatory mediator in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and heightened LPA signaling may explain the cardiovascular disease risk effect of PLPP3 variants.
Investigating Emotions: Understanding Landscape of Mobility and Historical Change in Colonial and Independent Dahomey

In early 1961, a team of doctors and technicians working under the auspices of the newly independent state of Dahomey descended via route into the heart of the countrys southeastern Lama Valley. After reaching a prominent local market, the unit set up a small pox vaccination campaign and started administering inoculations to local children. Soon thereafter, a group of the regions inhabitantssuspicious of the teams intentionsattacked and killed an orderly. A soldier who had accompanied the workers drew a gun in response and purportedly murdered a member of the local community. Scholars have examined in depth how landscapes of mobility like roads and pathways have impacted social and economic transformations. However, it is not merely the materiality of landscapes of mobility that serve as instruments of change. I argue that people likewise have used material spaces like roads to mediate encounters and social, political, or economic transactions. Emotional responses represent a unique part of these processes of negotiation. Analyses of varied reactions allow us to identify how historical actors enact agency in producing and imagining new ways to conceptualize emotional responses.
Initialization of Distributed Spacecraft Formations

In this paper, a solution to the formation initialization (FI) problem for N distributed spacecraft located in deep space is presented. The solution is based on a three-phase sky search procedure that reduces the formation initialization problem for N distributed spacecraft to the simpler problem of initializing a set of sub-formations. An analytical proof demonstrating that the algorithm guarantees formation initialization for N spacecraft constrained to a plane is presented. An upper bound on the time to initialize a planar formation is also provided. Finally, the FI algorithm is demonstrated in simulation using NASA’s five-spacecraft Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission as an example.
Essentialist Biases in Reasoning About Emotions.

A large literature debates whether emotions are universal and innate. Here, we ask whether reasoning about such matters is shaped by intuitive Essentialist biases that link innateness to the material body. To gauge the perception of innateness, we asked laypeople to evaluate whether emotion categories will be recognized spontaneously by hunter-gatherers who have had no contact with Westerners. Experiment 1 shows that participants believe that emotions are innate and embodied (facially and internally) and these two properties correlate reliably. Experiment 2 demonstrates that the link is causal. When told that emotions are localized in specific brain areas (i.e., embodied), participants concluded that emotions are innate. Experiment 3 shows that this naive view persists even when participants are explicitly informed that these emotions are acquired. Our results are the first to suggest that laypeople incorrectly believe that, if emotions are embodied, then they must be innate. We suggest that people's failure to grasp the workings of their psyche arises from the human psyche itself.
The Original Theory of Constitutionalism

The U.S. Constitution embodies a conception of democratic sovereignty that has been substantially forgotten and obscured in today’s commentary. Recovering this original idea of constitution-making shows that today’s originalism is, ironically, unfaithful to its origins in an idea of self-rule that prized both the initial ratification of fundamental law and the political community’s ongoing power to reaffirm or change it. This does not mean, however, that living constitutionalism better fits the original conception of democratic self-rule. Rather, because the Constitution itself makes amendment practically impossible, it all but shuts down the very form of democratic sovereignty that authorizes it. No interpretive strategy succeeds in overcoming the dilemma of a constitution that at once embodies and impedes democratic sovereignty.
Challenges and Opportunities to Alloyed and Composite Fuel Architectures to Mitigate High Uranium Density Fuel Oxidation: Uranium Mononitride

Abstract The challenges and opportunities to alloyed and composite fuel architectures designed and intended to mitigate oxidation of the fuel during a cladding breech of a water-cooled reactor are discussed in three review manuscripts developed in parallel, with the presented article focused on the oxidation performance of uranium mononitride. Several high uranium density fuels are under consideration for deployment as accident tolerant and/or advanced technology nuclear reactor fuels, including one on each: UN, U3Si2, UC and UB2. Presented here is the research motivation for the incorporation of additives, dopants, or composite fuel architectures to improve the oxidation/corrosion behavior of high uranium density nuclear fuels for use in LWRs. Furthermore, this review covers the literature on the degradation modes, thermodynamics, and oxidation performance of pure UN and UN-compounds as well as reported alloyed and composite architectures.
Differential disadvantages in the distribution of federal aid across three decades of voluntary buyouts in the United States

Abstract Voluntary home buyout programs have gained increasing popularity as a natural hazard mitigation tool over the past couple decades. However, a strong emphasis on the monetary value of disaster mitigation leaves open the possibility of inequity in distribution of the benefits of buyouts that may exacerbate social justice issues under conditions of increasing disaster damages due to climate change. Using a complete dataset of U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded buyout properties we describe the demographic makeup of neighborhoods and counties that have participated in FEMA buyout programs since the 1980s and evaluate differential disadvantages in the chances of receiving a buyout and the amount of money received by buyout participants across characteristics associated with social vulnerability. We find that urban counties with greater resources are more likely to receive funds to administer a buyout program, and that within these counties, minority homeowners are less likely to receive federal aid dollars. In addition, we identify a trend of increasing disparity specifically for Black populations. Our findings suggest that intended objectivity in how voluntary buyout dollars are distributed has led to unintentional inequities at multiple scales that may become more pronounced without changes to existing policy and highlight the growing need for social equity consideration in strategic retreat planning.
A Practical Review for Implementing Peer Assessments Within Teams.

Objective. The objective of this review is to maximize the utility of in administering peer assessments in teamwork settings in professional pharmacy curricula. Findings. There is a lack of best practices for using peer assessments in the academic setting. The studies reviewed used peer assessments of team for formative and summative assessment, assessing teamwork at limited number of time points to multiple time points; attaching student names to the assessment or being anonymous, and with explanation of why the tool was being used to no explanation. Conclusion. To get the best use of peer assessments, instructors must define the purpose for their use, explain the purpose of teamwork, orient students to the tool being used, assess teamwork over time and provide feedback, minimize grades associated with the assessment, and use partial anonymity when collecting feedback.
Stable Cell Clones Harboring Self-Replicating SARS-CoV-2 RNAs for Drug Screen

The development of antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been hampered by the lack of efficient cell-based replication systems that are amenable to high-throughput screens in biosafety level 2 laboratories. Here we report that stable cell clones harboring autonomously replicating SARS-CoV-2 RNAs without S, M, E genes can be efficiently derived from the baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cell line when a pair of mutations were introduced into the non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1) of SARS-CoV-2 to ameliorate cellular toxicity associated with virus replication. In a proof-of-concept experiment we screened a 273-compound library using replicon cells and identified three compounds as novel inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication. Altogether, this work establishes a robust, cell-based system for genetic and functional analyses of SARS-CoV-2 replication and for the development of antiviral drugs. IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 replicon systems that have been reported up to date were unsuccessful in deriving stable cell lines harboring non-cytopathic replicons. The transient expression of viral sgmRNA or a reporter gene makes it impractical for industry-scale screening of large compound libraries using these systems. Here, for the first time, we derived stable cell clones harboring the SARS-CoV-2 replicon. These clones may now be conveniently cultured in a standard BSL-2 laboratory for high throughput screen of compound libraries. This achievement represents a ground-breaking discovery that will greatly accelerate the pace of developing treatments for COVID-19.
Salinity effects on the growth, mortality and shell strength of Balanus amphitrite from the Salton Sea, California

The Salton Sea, the largest lake in California, has a salinity of around 43 g l-1 that is increasing by about 0.4 g l-1 y-1. A 15 month microcosm experiment was conducted to determined the effects of salinity (30, 39, 48, 57, and 65 g l-1) and tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus) on an assemblage of benthic and planktonic Salton Sea algae and invertebrates, including the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. Eleven months after the microcosms were established, acrylic plates containing newly settled B. amphitrite collected at the Salton Sea were placed in the microcosms to determine the effects of salinity on their growth and shell strength. The Brody-Bertalanffy growth model was fitted to the B. amphitrite growth data. Growth was fastest at 48 g l-1 and slowest at 65 g l-1. B. amphitrite grown at 39–48 g l-1 were the largest and required the greatest force to break, but the strength of the barnacle shell material declined steadily as the salinity increased. However, B. amphitrite at the higher salinities were shorter and had thicker walls relative to their diameters, which may have increased their structural stability. The effects of salinity on the mortality of adult B. amphitrite was determined in laboratory aquaria set up at 43, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90, and 100 g l-1. Salinities were achieved in two ways: by salt addition and by evaporation. Calculated 12-day LC50 values were 83 g l-1 when salinities were achieved through salt addition and 89 g l-1 when salinities were achieved through evaporation. Differences in B. amphitrite mortality between the two methods illustrate the importance of producing experimental salinity levels carefully. B. amphitrite is expected to become extinct within the Salton Sea when the salinity reaches 70–80 g l-1 and to show marked declines in abundance at salinities as low as 50 g l-1.
Economic Assimilation of African Immigrants in the United States

From 1980 to 2009, the African-born population in United States grew from just under 200,000 to almost 1.5 million (McCabe, 2011). According to the New York Times, the number of black African immigrants alone doubled in the 2000's (2014). Clearly, there has been a significant increase in the population of Africans in the U.S. A logical question to ask is what has been attracting Africans? If we agree with Barry Chiswick that "economic migrants tend on average to be more able, ambitious, aggressive, entrepreneurial, or otherwise more favorably selected than similar individuals who choose to remain in their place of origin" (1999), we may conclude that the economic returns to all these qualities must be increasing. Therefore, another question to ask, and the focus of this research, is what is the labor market experience of the workers among African immigrants, and how does it change over time in comparison to U.S. natives? If the population of Africans in the U.S is increasing significantly, it is important to conduct an empirical study of their labor market performance. The purpose of this research, therefore, is to determine the wage differential between African immigrants and U.S. natives, and study how this differential varies with time as a way of testing if African immigrants assimilate with natives. I hypothesize that ceteris paribus, African immigrants will earn lower wages than natives, but this wage differential will decrease over time. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol23/iss1/12 Economic Assimilation of African Immigrants in the United States
Differential requirements for H/ACA ribonucleoprotein components in cell proliferation and response to DNA damage

H/ACA ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) are comprised of four conserved proteins, dyskerin, NHP2, NOP10, and GAR1, and a function-specifying, noncoding H/ACA RNA. H/ACA RNPs contribute to telomerase assembly and stabilization, and posttranscriptional processing of nascent ribosomal RNA and spliceosomal RNA. However, very little is known about the coordinated action of the four proteins in other biologic processes. As described herein, we observed a differential requirement for the proteins in cell proliferation and identified a possible reliance for these factors in regulation of specific DNA damage biomarkers. In particular, GAR1 expression was upregulated following exposure to all forms of genotoxic stress tested. In contrast, levels of the other proteins were either reduced or unaffected. Only GAR1 showed an altered subcellular localization with a shift from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm after ultraviolet-C irradiation and doxorubicin treatments. Transient siRNA-mediated depletion of GAR1 and dyskerin arrested cell proliferation, whereas loss of either NHP2 or NOP10 had no effect. Finally, loss of dyskerin, GAR1, NHP2, and NOP10, respectively, limited the accumulation of DNA damage biomarkers. However, the individual responses were dependent upon the specific type of damage incurred. In general, loss of GAR1 had the most suppressive effect on the biomarkers tested. Since the specific responses to genotoxic stress, the contribution of each protein to cell proliferation, and the activation of DNA damage biomarkers were not equivalent, this suggests the possibility that at least some of the proteins, most notably GAR1, may potentially function independently of their respective roles within H/ACA RNP complexes.
Bispecific antibody complex pre-targeting and targeted delivery of polymer drug conjugates for imaging and therapy in dual human mammary cancer xenografts: targeted polymer drug conjugates for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Doxorubicin, a frontline chemotherapeutic agent, limited by its cardiotoxicity and other tissue toxicities, was conjugated to N-terminal DTPA-modified polyglutamic acid (D-Dox-PGA) to produce polymer pro-drug conjugates. D-Dox-PGA or Tc-99 m labeled DTPA-succinyl-polylysine polymers (DSPL) were targeted to HER2-positive human mammary carcinoma (BT-474) in a double xenografted SCID mouse model also hosting HER2-negative human mammary carcinoma (BT-20). After pretargeting with bispecific anti-HER2-affibody-anti-DTPA-Fab complexes (BAAC), anti-DTPA-Fab or only phosphate buffered saline, D-Dox-PGA or Tc-99 m DSPL were administered. Positive therapeutic control mice were injected with Dox alone at maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Only BT-474 lesions were visualized by gamma imaging with Tc-99 m-DSPL; BT-20 lesions were not. Therapeutic efficacy was equivalent in mice pretargeted with BAAC/targeted with D-Dox-PGA to mice treated only with doxorubicin. There was no total body weight (TBW) loss at three times the doxorubicin equivalent MTD with D-Dox-PGA, whereas mice treated with doxorubicin lost 10 % of TBW at 2 weeks and 16 % after the second MTD injection leading to death of all mice. Our cancer imaging and pretargeted therapeutic approaches are highly target specific, delivering very high specific activity reagents that may result in the development of a novel theranostic application. HER/2 neu specific affibody-anti-DTPA-Fab bispecific antibody pretargeting of HER2 positive human mammary xenografts enabled exquisite targeting of polymers loaded with radioisotopes for molecular imaging and doxorubicin for effective therapy without the associating non-tumor normal tissue toxicities.
Demographically Adjusted Groups for Equating Test Scores

In this study, I investigated 2 procedures intended to create test-taker groups of equal ability by poststratifying on a composite variable created from demographic information. In one procedure, the stratifying variable was the composite variable that best predicted the test score. In the other procedure, the stratifying variable was the composite that best indicated group membership (i.e., the propensity score). Applied to 2 groups taking the same test at different administrations, the composite that best predicted the test score reduced the ability difference by about two thirds; the composite that best indicated group membership reduced the ability difference by about half. Prescreening the predictor variables did not improve the performance of either procedure.
An Object-Oriented Effects System

An effects systems describes how state may be accessed during the execution of some program component. This information is used to assist reasoning about a program, such as determining whether data dependencies may exist between two computations. We define an effects system for Java that preserves the abstraction facilities that make object-oriented programming languages attractive. Specifically, a subclass may extend abstract regions of mutable state inherited from the superclass. The effects system also permits an object's state to contain the state of wholly-owned subsidiary objects. In this paper, we describe a set of annotations for declaring permitted effects in method headers, and show how the actual effects in a method body can be checked against the permitted effects.
Author's reply [to comments on "Nonlinear repetitive control"]

Our paper (Ghosh and Paden, "Nonlinear repetitive control", IEEE Trans. Automat. Contr., vol. 45, p. 949-54, 2000) proves Theorem 1, which establishes conditions for the stability of the nonlinear repetitive control system, and Proposition 2, which goes on to establish bounds on the steady-state error signals. These are correct as stated as they apply to repetitive controllers with a finite number of oscillators in their internal model. An issue correctly raised in the commentary (Lucibello, "Comments on 'Nonlinear repetitive control'", IEEE Trans. Automat. Contr., vol. 48, p. 1470-1, 2003) is that the conditions of Proposition 2 might be difficult to meet when the number of oscillators is large. This observation does not challenge the veracity of the proposition, but is certainly insightful. In our introductory comments of Section 11, we attempt, and fail, to make a qualitative connection to the pure time delay type repetitive control. The following statement is incorrect and should be deleted from our paper: "This justifies the fact that in the limit N /spl rarr/ /spl infin/, the above model of the repetitive controller, works as well as the ideal model in achieving perfect tracking for typical reference signals".
Spectroscopy and Laser Properties of Nd3+-Doped CaF2, SrF2, and BaF2

The optical properties of Nd3+ in CaF2, SrF2, and BaF2 have been investigated in order to determine if these materials are useful as laser-pumped amplifier media. The CaF2:Nd crystal was found to not be useful because the impurities tend to cluster at very low concentration, leading to the formation of nonluminescent centers. On the other hand, the Nd3+ centers in BaF2 exhibit unacceptably low transition strengths. SrF2:Nd appears to have adequate absorption strength, and, in addition, to have a remarkably long emission lifetime of 1280 μs. A maximum doping of 0.20 atomic % Nd3+ can be tolerated in SrF2 without the occurrence of detrimental clustering. The peak emission cross section of SrF2:Nd is 1.7 × 10−20 cm2 at 1036.5 nm. Direct measurement of the gain spectrum of SrF2:Nd3+ reveals the presence of the 4F3/2 → 2G9/2 excited state absorption lines, although the impact on the emission cross section is minor.
Altered regulation of the glnRA operon in a Bacillus subtilis mutant that produces methionine sulfoximine-tolerant glutamine synthetase.

A Bacillus subtilis mutant that produced glutamine synthetase (GS) with altered sensitivity to DL-methionine sulfoximine was isolated. The mutation, designated glnA33, was due to a T.A-to-C.G transition, changing valine to alanine at codon 190 within the active-site C domain. Altered regulation was observed for GS activity and antigen and mRNA levels in a B. subtilis glnA33 strain. The mutant enzyme was 28-fold less sensitive to DL-methionine sulfoximine and had a 13.0-fold-higher Km for hydroxylamine and a 4.8-fold-higher Km for glutamate than wild-type GS did.
Polar, non-coordinating ionic liquids as solvents for the alternating copolymerization of styrene and CO catalyzed by cationic palladium catalysts

The palladium-catalyzed copolymerization of styrene and CO in an ionic liquid solvent, 1-hexylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, gave improved yields and increased molecular weights compared to polymerizations run in methanol.
Metformin prevents renal interstitial fibrosis in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction

Unilateral ureteral obstruction causes important tubulo-interstitial fibrosis in the kidney. Metformin reduces fibrosis in mice with diabetic nephropathy. We examined the effects of metformin in a mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Expression of inflammation and fibrosis markers was studied by immunohistochemistry, immunoblot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Seven days after UUO, kidneys presented dilated tubules, expansion of the tubulo-interstitial compartment, and significant infiltration of inflammatory cells. Macrophage infiltration and inflammation markers expression were increased in obstructed kidneys and reduced by metformin. Metformin reduced expression of extracellular matrix proteins and profibrotic factor TGFβ in obstructed kidneys, measured by immunohistochemistry. Interstitial fibroblast activation was evident in obstructed kidneys and ameliorated by metformin. UUO did not affect adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) activity, but metformin activated AMPK. Our results show that metformin prevents or slows down the onset of renal inflammation and fibrosis in mice with UUO, an effect that could be mediated by activation of AMPK.
Policy Tool Interactions and the Adoption of State Renewable Portfolio Standards

We contribute to extant policy theory by focusing on interrelationships between existing policies and innovation. In particular, we call attention to the link between supply-side incentives and demand-side innovation, which has not been systematically investigated. Our research expectation is that supply-side policies generally will complement demand-side policy, leading to a positive impact on the adoption of demand-side innovations. We test this idea by examining adoptions of renewable portfolio standards (RPS), a demand-pull approach targeted to renewable energy generation by utilities, in the American states from 1991 to 2008. Event history models show that an index of supply-side financial incentives has a strong positive influence on RPS adoption. We do not find support for the hypothesis that this effect is contingent on in-state carbon-based energy generation. In conclusion, we argue that the study of policy adoption needs to give greater consideration to the interrelationships among policy instruments.
Hepatitis C Genotype 3: The Remaining Problem

Tremendous strides have been made in the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV), particularly in the last 2 years with the advent of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). DAAs achieve impressive cure rates, regardless of fibrosis stage, with minimal side effects and short durations of therapy. Prior to 2011, genotype 1 had significantly lower response rates compared to genotypes 2 and 3. Although historically grouped together, genotypes 2 and 3 are quite distinct. This difference has held true with the introduction of DAAs. HCV genotypes 1 and 2 are no longer treatment challenges. However, genotype 3, particularly in treatment-experienced patients with cirrhosis, continues to suffer suboptimal cure rates. There have been various hypotheses to explain this difference in response rates. The scientific community continues to address this ongoing disparity as preliminary results from new trials show promise. This review summarizes the unique characteristics of genotype 3, with a focus on recent data regarding treatment response in the DAA area.
Theory and Simulation of a Novel Viscosity Measurement Method for High Temperature Semiconductor Melt

The properties of molten semiconductors are good indicators for material structure transformation and hysteresis under temperature variations. Viscosity, as one of the most important properties, is difficult to measure because of high temperature, high pressure, and vapor toxicity of melts. Recently, a novel method was developed by applying a rotating magnetic field to the melt sealed in a suspended quartz ampoule, and measuring the transient torque exerted by rotating melt flow on the ampoule wall. The method was designed to measure viscosity in short time period, which is essential for evaluating temperature hysteresis. This paper compares the theoretical prediction of melt flow and ampoule oscillation with the experimental data. A theoretical model was established and the coupled fluid flow and ampoule torsional vibration equations were solved numerically. The simulation results showed a good agreement with experimental data. The results also showed that both electrical conductivity and viscosity could be calculated by fitting the theoretical results to the experimental data. The transient velocity of the melt caused by the rotating magnetic field was found reach equilibrium in about half a minute, and the viscosity of melt could be calculated from the altitude of oscillation. This would allow the measurement of viscosity in a minute or so, in contrast to the existing oscillation cup method, which requires about an hour for one measurement.
Debye-Waller Factor for Zinc-Blende-Type Crystals

The Debye-Waller factors have been calculated for a number of zinc-blende-type crystals from the eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors of the phonon states as obtained from the modified-rigidion model of lattice dynamics. On the average the contribution from the acoustic-phonon states to the mean-square displacements of the constituent atoms was found to be more significant than that from the optical-phonon states. However, the relative optical-phonon-state contribution was found to be more significant in the lighter atom, and in fact in some cases at low temperatures, it was found to exceed the acoustic-phonon-state contribution. In all the cases studied, the mean-square displacements of the lighter atom were found to be larger. Lindeman's criterion for melting was tested by evaluating the ratio of the sum of the root-mean-square displacements of the constituent atoms to the nearest-neighbor distance. This ratio is approximately constant for the zinc-blende compounds. However, the average ratio for the II-VI compounds was found to be slightly larger than that for the III-V compounds. The calculated results are discussed in relation to available experimental data.
J.J. Bonica Lecture--2000: Physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology of visceral pain.

Background and Objectives The principal objective of this report is to review recent experimental advances in our understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of visceral pain and to describe results of studies of opioid modulation of visceral nociception. Methods Results are drawn from electrophysiological studies of single pelvic nerve afferent fibers innervating the descending colon in the rat. Results The important findings include the following: identification of a subset of pelvic nerve fibers that likely function to signal acute visceral pain, sensitization of mechanosensitive pelvic nerve fibers, and documentation of the presence of silent nociceptors in the pelvic nerve. With respect to pharmacological modulation of pelvic nerve fiber responses to colonic distension, only kappa-opioid receptor agonists, and not mu- or delta-opioid receptor agonists, were effective. Conclusions All pelvic nerve fibers innervating the descending colon can be sensitized and contribute to visceral pain; their responses are modulated by kappa-opioid receptor agonists acting in the periphery.
A mathematical model of the kinetics and tissue distribution of 2-fluoro-β-alanine, the major catabolite of 5-fluorouracil

2-Fluoro-beta-alanine (FBAL) is the major metabolite of 5-fluorouracil (FUra), one of the most widely used anticancer drugs. It has been suggested previously that FBAL and/or its metabolites may have a role in the hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity resulting from FUra chemotherapy. Studies in patients and experimental animals have demonstrated that FBAL has a prolonged elimination compared with the parent drug, FUra. In the present manuscript, a mathematical model is developed for the kinetics and tissue distribution of FBAL. This model is based on recently published data from a study of the pharmacokinetics and disposition of FBAL in rats (Zhang et al., Drug Metab Dispos 20: 113-119, 1992). Satisfactory agreement was achieved between predicted and measured values, permitting an accurate evaluation of the kinetic and distribution parameters for FBAL. This model indicates that: (1) FBAL accumulates in several tissues including brain, heart, spleen, and enterohepatic system; and (2) enterohepatic circulation of FBAL and its bile acid conjugates has an important role in FBAL kinetics and distribution as demonstrated by a model in which enterohepatic circulation parameters were deleted.
Scattering kernels for the muon diffusion equation.

Diffusion of muonic hydrogen atoms in gaseous hydrogen is studied. Scattering kernels are derived from the kinematics of an inelastic binary collision. The effect of rotations of the hydrogen molecules is treated by defining and computing an effective inelastic energy transfer Q/sub eff/. The Doppler effect is taken into account by averaging the cross sections over the Maxwellian velocity distribution of the target molecules.
Characterization of epoxies cured with bimodal blends of polyetheramines

DGEBA was cured with bimodal blends of polyetheramines as well as with single molecular weight amines while maintaining stoichiometry. Glass transition temperatures (Tgs) and moduli were measured using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Fracture properties were measured using the compact tension geometry and testing was performed at both ambient and non-ambient temperatures, investigating toughness changes as a function of temperature. For constant amine average molecular weights, the addition of high molecular weight amines caused increased glassy moduli at a constant T − Tg and decreased densities while broadening the glass transition without changing the fracture toughness. The fracture behavior, specifically the slip-stick to brittle transition, was affected by the broadened transitions. Tg, breadth of Tg, and total damping were found to be proportional to the volume fraction of amine in the system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1621–1631, 2013
Pair of lice lost or parasites regained: the evolutionary history of anthropoid primate lice

The parasitic sucking lice of primates are known to have undergone at least 25 million years of coevolution with their hosts. For example, chimpanzee lice and human head/body lice last shared a common ancestor roughly six million years ago, a divergence that is contemporaneous with their hosts. In an assemblage where lice are often highly host specific, humans host two different genera of lice, one that is shared with chimpanzees and another that is shared with gorillas. In this study, we reconstruct the evolutionary history of primate lice and infer the historical events that explain the current distribution of these lice on their primate hosts. Phylogenetic and cophylogenetic analyses suggest that the louse genera Pediculus and Pthirus are each monophyletic, and are sister taxa to one another. The age of the most recent common ancestor of the two Pediculus species studied matches the age predicted by host divergence (ca. 6 million years), whereas the age of the ancestor of Pthirus does not. The two species of Pthirus (Pthirus gorillae and Pthirus pubis) last shared a common ancestor ca. 3–4 million years ago, which is considerably younger than the divergence between their hosts (gorillas and humans, respectively), of approximately 7 million years ago. Reconciliation analysis determines that there are two alternative explanations that account for the current distribution of anthropoid primate lice. The more parsimonious of the two solutions suggests that a Pthirus species switched from gorillas to humans. This analysis assumes that the divergence between Pediculus and Pthirus was contemporaneous with the split (i.e., a node of cospeciation) between gorillas and the lineage leading to chimpanzees and humans. Divergence date estimates, however, show that the nodes in the host and parasite trees are not contemporaneous. Rather, the shared coevolutionary history of the anthropoid primates and their lice contains a mixture of evolutionary events including cospeciation, parasite duplication, parasite extinction, and host switching. Based on these data, the coevolutionary history of primates and their lice has been anything but parsimonious.
P2-S3.11 STI-related risk behaviours and STI disparity between residents of Baltimore City and other urban cities in the USA

Background Baltimore City, Maryland, has experienced rates of STDs that are consistently higher than the national average. National surveillance data indicate that in 2000 the rates of gonorrhoea and Chlamydia in Baltimore City were 3.3 and 6.7 times higher than the overall US rate. Among US cities with greater than 200 000 people, Baltimore City ranked among the top four for Chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection rates. Objective To compare reports of diagnoses of gonorrhoea and Chlamydia among adults residing in Baltimore City to those in other central cities of the US and to assess whether a higher prevalence of sexual and substance use behaviours in Baltimore may account for infection disparity. Methods We utilised data collected from a cross-sectional probability telephone survey of the USA (N=1,543) and Baltimore City (N=744) adults aged 18–45 years old in 1999–2000. Respondents were asked about a wide range of STI-related risk behaviours and STI history. Bivariate analysis assessed differences in the prevalence of self-reported history of gonorrhoea and chlamydia, substance use, and sexual risk behaviours among residents of Baltimore City and other central cities of the USA Multivariate logistic regression models measured heterogeneity in self-reported history of gonorrhoea and chlamydia by location of residence, substance use and sexual history, adjusting for race and age. Results Lifetime prevalence of gonorrhoea and chlamydia was 18.2% (95% CI 14.8% to 22.1%) among Baltimore residents and 9.8% (95% CI 7.3% to 13%) among residents of other central cities (p Conclusion The higher prevalence of sexual risk behaviours among Baltimore adults is likely to accelerate STI transmission and contribute to the higher incidence of STIs in Baltimore.
Dehydration-melting of amphibolite at 10 kbar: the effects of temperature and time

We have simulated the dehydration-melting of a natural, low-K, calcic amphibolite (67.4% hornblende, 32.5% anorthite) in piston-cylinder experiments at 10 kbar and 750–1000°C, for 1–9 days. The solidus temperature is lower than 750°C; garnet appears at 850°C. The overall reaction is: Hb+P→L+Cpx+Al-Hb+Ca-Hb+Ga+Opx. Three stages of reaction are: (1) melting dominated by the growth of clinopyroxene and garnet, with little change in composition of liquid or garnet, (2) a reversal of this reaction between 875°C and 900°C, with decreases in the amounts of liquid and garnet, and (3) a large increase in liquid along with the loss of hornblende and decrease of plagioclase while clinopyroxene and garnet increase. Garnet is enriched in pyrope and zoned from Fe-cores to Mg-edges (range ∼3 mol % pyrope); liquid composition is enriched first in An (to ∼950°C) and then in Ab. The liquids are more calcic and aluminous than natural tonalites, which is attributed to the plagioclase composition (An90). The formation of peraluminous liquid from the metaluminous amphibolite is caused by anorthite — not H2O-saturated conditions. The results are consistent with an amphibolite phase diagram with relatively high solidus temperatures in the garnet-absent field (900–1000°C), but with a solidus backbend at ∼7–9 kbar, coincident with the garnet-in boundary. Hornblende breakdown due to garnet formation in a closed system must make H2O available for H2O-undersaturated melting right down to the H2O-saturated solidus, below 700°C, which defines a large low-temperature PT area where hydrous granitoid melts can be generated with residual garnet and hornblende.