cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urban flood hazard and its mitigation

Publisher Summary Urban flood disasters are caused by natural geophysical events as well as man-made incidents. Mitigation means can be technical and nontechnical, or structural and nonstructural. The most frequent urban floods are rain-induced catchment flooding. Structural means of constructing sewers and channels were the main approach of flood mitigation. Today, ponding and non-structural measures, particularly real-time operation, have evolved to become viable alternatives. However, the traditional concept of return period for rainfall prediction and the associated design peak discharge is inadequate for the nonstructural operation and real-time forecasting. Information on temporal distribution of rain is needed for producing a runoff hydrograph and flood volume. Reliability analysis is a better alternative to the return period for urban storm-water management. A new method is now available for determining the channel/sewer capacity under backwater conditions, which allows the separation of hydraulics from hydrology in flood analysis and provides the potential for improvement in flood analysis for storm-water management and flood mitigation.
Prevention of surface recombination by electrochemical tuning of TiO2-passivated photocatalysts

We present a systematic study of photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy of TiO2-passivated GaAs as a function of electrochemical potential in an ionic liquid solution. We observe a 7X increase in the PL intensity as the GaAs transitions from accumulation to depletion due to the applied potential. We attribute this to the excellent control over the surface Fermi level enabled by the high capacitance of the electrochemical double layer and TiO2. This allows us to control the surface carrier concentration and corresponding non-radiative recombination rate. In addition to photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, we also measured the capacitance-potential (i.e., C-V) characteristics of these samples, which indicate flat band potentials that are consistent with these regimes of ion accumulation observed in the photoluminescence measurements. We have also performed electrostatic simulations of these C-V characteristics, which provide a detailed and quantitative picture of the conduction and valence band profiles and ch...
Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Nuclear Physics

Abstract University of Dallas (UD) physics majors are offered a variety of undergraduate research opportunities in nuclear physics through an established program at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (UKAL). The 7-MV Model CN Van de Graaff accelerator and the neutron production and detection facilities located there are used by UD students to investigate how neutrons scatter from materials that are important in nuclear energy production and for our basic understanding of how neutrons interact with matter. Recent student projects include modeling of the laboratory using the neutron transport code MCNP to investigate the effectiveness of laboratory shielding, testing the long-term gain stability of C6D6 liquid scintillation detectors, and deducing neutron elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections for 12C. Results of these student projects are presented that indicate the pit below the scattering area reduces background by as much as 30%; the detectors show no significant gain instabilities; and new insights into existing 12C neutron inelastic scattering cross-section discrepancies near a neutron energy of 6.0 MeV are obtained.
Season of the year influences infection rates following total hip arthroplasty.

AIM To research the influence of season of the year on periprosthetic joint infections. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of the entire Medicare files from 2005 to 2014. Seasons were classified as spring, summer, fall or winter. Regional variations were accounted for by dividing patients into four geographic regions as per the United States Census Bureau (Northeast, Midwest, West and South). Acute postoperative infection and deep periprosthetic infections within 90 d after surgery were tracked. RESULTS In all regions, winter had the highest incidence of periprosthetic infections (mean 0.98%, SD 0.1%) and was significantly higher than other seasons in the Midwest, South and West (P < 0.05 for all) but not the Northeast (P = 0.358). Acute postoperative infection rates were more frequent in the summer and were significantly affected by season of the year in the West. CONCLUSION Season of the year is a risk factor for periprosthetic joint infection following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Understanding the influence of season on outcomes following THA is essential when risk-stratifying patients to optimize outcomes and reduce episode of care costs.
Prolonged Exposure of CBA/Ca Mice to Moderately Loud Noise Can Cause Cochlear Synaptopathy but Not Tinnitus or Hyperacusis as Assessed With the Acoustic Startle Reflex.

Hearing loss changes the auditory brain, sometimes maladaptively. When deprived of cochlear input, central auditory neurons become more active spontaneously and begin to respond more strongly and s...
Täuschen ist ein Teil unserer Natur

Fur Dan Ariely von der Duke University in Durham (USA) steht fest: Luge und Tauschung wurzeln tief im menschlichen Denken. Der Verhaltensokonom erklart, warum der Hang zur Verstellung aus unserem Leben nicht wegzudenken ist.
Cytologic/Histologic Correlation for Quality Control in Cervicovaginal Cytology: Experience With 1,582 Paired Cases

For quality-control purposes, federal regulations require cytology laboratories to compare Papanicolaou smear and cervical biopsy reports, if available, and determine the cause of any discrepancies. The authors reviewed 56,497 cervicovaginal smears, of which 1,582 (2.8%) had a subsequent cervical biopsy or endocervical curettage within 2 months. A total of 175 discrepancies (11%) were identified, and biopsies and smears from these cases were reviewed at a weekly conference. In the majority of cases, the diagnosis of the smear and biopsy was confirmed on review, and the discrepancy was attributed to sampling error (n = 159; 91%). Six cases (3.4% of all discrepant cases) were errors in cytologic diagnosis. Five of these were interpretation errors, and one case was a screening error. There were 10 errors in the evaluation of cervical biopsies (5.7% of all discrepant cases): five biopsies were undercalled, and five were overdiagnosed as a squamous intraepithelial lesion. The results of testing for human papillomavirus DNA by in situ hybridization were helpful in arbitrating some diagnostic disagreements.
Cytokines in vitreous humor: interleukin-6 is elevated in proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

PURPOSE To measure the levels of interleukins (IL) 1 beta, 6, and 8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) in the vitreous of patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), vitreous hemorrhage, and macular pucker. METHODS Vitreous samples were collected, undiluted, from patients with PVR, PDR of varying severity, and miscellaneous lesions (vitreous hemorrhage from trauma, macular degeneration, vein occlusion, and non-PVR patients with giant tear, retinal detachment, and macular pucker). Immunoreactive levels of the cytokines, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF alpha were determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays, and samples were analyzed for protein and hyaluronic acid content using standard assays. RESULTS The levels of TNF alpha were below detection limits of the assay (< 3 pg/ml). In 45 of the 47 samples tested, IL-1 beta levels also were below detection limits of the assay (< 3 pg/ml). IL-6 levels ranged from < 30 to 5487 pg/ml, with the highest values observed in the PVR patients. IL-8 levels ranged from < 20 to 1900 pg/ml, and were consistently high in the miscellaneous group. Some of the PVR patients with C2 and C3 level severity also exhibited IL-8 levels exceeding 100 pg/ml. In a second study, IL-6 content of vitreous from miscellaneous and PVR patients was compared. In this study, significantly elevated levels of IL-6 were observed in the PVR patients (91.5 +/- 18 pg/ml) compared to the miscellaneous group (10.3 +/- 3.7 pg/ml) CONCLUSIONS Elevated levels of IL-6 in the vitreous occur in PVR, implicating a role for this cytokine in the pathogenesis of this ocular disorder.
Operative Treatment of Arthritis

Pain not relieved by other treatments is the most common indication for operative treatment of arthritis. Loss of joint function is a less common indication for surgical treatment because function restoration is usually less predictable than pain relief. Operative treatments include joint debridement, synovectomy, osteotomy, soft tissue arthroplasty, resection arthroplasty, fusion, and joint replacement. In addition, people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may benefit from tenosynovectomy and repair or reconstruction of ruptured tendons.
Enhanced void swelling in NiCoFeCrPd high-entropy alloy by indentation-induced dislocations

ABSTRACTThe role of dislocations on ion irradiation-induced void formation is studied in a high-entropy alloy (HEA) NiCoFeCrPd. Despite previous observations that show high-entropy alloys are swelling resistant due to a high defect recombination rate, the swelling is enhanced with increasing density of pre-existing dislocations at low strain levels that shortened transient duration before the onset of void swelling. Under certain irradiation conditions, a high density of dislocations may carry the material closer to the sink-dominated regime. Compared to another HEA NiCoFeCrMn, NiCoFeCrPd has a smaller loop size and higher loop density due to the stronger lattice distortion.
Honourable spoils? The Iraq War and the American hegemonic system’s eternal and perpetual interest in oil

Abstract Oil is the most important extractive industry and the United States has dominated its global development, creating the modern petrochemical-based era. This article explains how oil shaped US hegemony and US controlling influence in the Middle East as conventional reserves on US territory dwindled after World War Two. Critical review of hegemonic theory accounts for the US role in the Middle East and the Iraq War in new depth, while defining how the US operates its hegemonic system with allied yet subordinate British and Dutch actors. US pursuit of relative autonomy and power maximization has yielded twin US policy objectives of pursuing North American energy autonomy and dominance over the Middle East so as to influence others’ energy consumption. These simultaneous US policy objects are specified amidst an assessment of how the reserves and exports of Iraqi oil and global gas are advancing US control of the world’s future energy system as it moves toward natural gas and unconventional oils in similar path dependent ways as did the conventional oil era.
To Coordinate with or Differentiate from Your Neighbor: The Adoption of Electronic Medical Records by U.S. Hospital Systems

This paper seeks to understand the incentives of affiliated hospitals in choosing health information technology (IT) vendors. By adopting a system popular in the local market, hospitals may benefit from complementarities but also worry about losing patients. If benefits outweigh the competitive pressure, the adoption decision is further characterized by the tradeoff between scale economies from system uniformity and external local market complementarities, when the choice of the chain differs from that in the market. I develop and estimate a discrete-choice model to study these dynamics in the adoption decision based on a nationwide sample of hospitals from 2005 to 2013. To control for unobservables at the market and chain levels, I construct instruments, exploiting the spillover related to chains operated in multiple markets. I find that, overall, affiliated hospitals appreciate a vendor's prevalence at both the market and chain levels, with the latter to a greater extent, but their assessment of these two factors varies by different types of hospital chains. The results offer empirical insights on the balance between standardization and adaptation in the strategic management of chains, and have potentially important policy implications to improve the coordination of adopting health IT.
The 2018 US-China trade conflict after forty years of special protection

In 2018, the United States suddenly increased tariffs on nearly 50 percent of its imports from China. China immediately responded with tariff retaliation covering more than 70 percent of imports fr...
An Astronomer Too Excellent: Simon Marius, the Telescope, and the Problem of the Stars During the Copernican Revolution

Simon Marius argued in his 1614 Mundus Iovialis that telescopic observations of stars supported Tycho Brahe over Copernicus. Prior to the advent of the telescope, Brahe’s was a powerful voice against the Copernican theory. Brahe used observations and calculations regarding the sizes of stars to produce what, at the time, appeared to be a formidable scientific case against Copernicus. The advent of the telescope raised questions about the true sizes of stars. Marius appears to have been the first astronomer to argue that the telescope supported Tycho. Today Marius’s support for Tycho might seem to have been an error. Yet it in fact illustrates Marius’s skill as an astronomer. It also contrasts Marius favorably with Galileo, who also made telescopic studies of stars but did not share all his results. The tricky nature of telescopic observations of stars in the early seventeenth century, and why Marius was right, even though he was wrong (while Galileo was wrong, even though he was right), will be the focus of this paper.
Heat Stress in Crops: Driver of Climate Change Impacting Global Food Supply

Climate change may cause hindrance in progress toward a vision of world without hunger. Anthropogenic activities have increased emissions of greenhouse gases with subsequent changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, and perhaps severity of extreme weather. Agriculture is inherently sensitive to climate variability. The most remarkable driver of climate change affecting agriculture is the increase of global temperature. Increase of global temperature may have a significant influence on agricultural productivity along with other consequences related to severity of the high temperature such as drought and salinity.
Biomimetic O2 adsorption in an iron metal-organic framework for air separation.

Bio-inspired motifs for gas binding and small molecule activation can be used to design more selective adsorbents for gas separation applications. Here, we report an iron metal-organic framework, Fe-BTTri (Fe3[(Fe4Cl)3(BTTri)8]2·18CH3OH, H3BTTri = 1,3,5-tris(1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)benzene), that binds O2 in a manner similar to hemoglobin and therefore results in highly selective O2 binding. As confirmed by gas adsorption studies and Mossbauer and infrared spectroscopy data, the exposed iron sites in the framework reversibly adsorb substantial amounts of O2 at low temperatures by converting between high-spin, square-pyramidal Fe(ii) centers in the activated material to low-spin, octahedral Fe(iii)-superoxide sites upon gas binding. This change in both oxidation state and spin state observed in Fe-BTTri leads to selective and readily reversible O2 binding, with the highest reported O2/N2 selectivity for any iron-based framework.
Non-Stationary Reinforcement-Learning Based Dimensionality Reduction for Multi-objective Optimization of Wetland Design

This paper outlines a method of non-stationary reinforcement-based learning for feature selection. The method was developed for the Watershed REstoration using Spatio-Temporal Optimization of REsources (WRESTORE) system, which is a decision support system used for wetland design on the Eagle Creek Watershed, northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana. Our results show measurable impact for maximizing reward efficiently for the feature selection task. This work describes the existing WRESTORE system, provides an overview of related work in reinforcement learning and dimensionality reduction, and shows the impact of our work in the multi-objective optimization process of WRESTORE. The contribution of this work is the application of an RL-based feature selection technique in interactive optimization of watershed design.
Implementing a Graphic Organizer Active Learning Exercise with an Interactive Lesson Template.

Objective: To describe a systematic approach to active learning using a lesson template with a graphic organizer activity. Innovation: The authors describe a tool that can be used to incorporate a graphic organizer activity into a traditional lecture class to promote active learning. This interactive template offers a step-by-step process to plan and implement a graphic organizer activity. The graphic organizer was used in a contact dermatitis lecture as part of a Nonprescription Medicines course for first year pharmacy students. Critical Analysis: A survey of students immediately after the activity identified that students agreed they were interested in the activity, were engaged with the activity, and perceived an understanding of the course material. An instructor reflection revealed that students were excited and identified some instructor challenges to executing the activity. Next Steps: Instructors interested in using graphic organizers in lectures can refer to this approach for guidance. In addition to a graphic organizer, the structure of this template can be applied to different active learning activities, thus creating consistency in delivering active learning. Article Type: Note
The early life education of the immune system: Moms, microbes and (missed) opportunities

The early life immune system is characterized by unique developmental milestones. Functionally diverse immune cells arise from distinct waves of hematopoietic stem cells, a phenomenon referred to as 'layered' immunity. This stratified development of immune cells extends to lineages of both innate and adaptive cells. The defined time window for the development of these immune cells lends itself to the influence of specific exposures typical of the early life period. The perinatal immune system develops in a relatively sterile fetal environment but emerges into one filled with a multitude of antigenic encounters. A major burden of this comes in the form of the microbiota that is being newly established at mucosal surfaces of the newborn. Accumulating evidence suggests that early life microbial exposures, including those arising in utero, can imprint long-lasting changes in the offspring's immune system and determine disease risk throughout life. In this review, I highlight unique features of early life immunity and explore the role of intestinal bacteria in educating the developing immune system.
Understanding and predicting forest mortality in the western United States using long-term forest inventory data and modeled hydraulic damage

Global warming is expected to exacerbate the duration and intensity of droughts in the western United States, which may lead to increased tree mortality. A prevailing proximal mechanism of drought-induced tree mortality is hydraulic damage, but predicting tree mortality from hydraulic theory and climate data still remains a major scientific challenge. We used forest inventory data and a plant hydraulic model (HM) to address three questions: can we capture regional patterns of drought-induced tree mortality with HM-predicted damage thresholds; do HM metrics improve predictions of mortality across broad spatial areas; and what are the dominant controls of forest mortality when considering stand characteristics, climate metrics, and simulated hydraulic stress? We found that the amount of variance explained by models predicting mortality was limited (R2 median = 0.10, R2 range: 0.00-0.52). HM outputs, including hydraulic damage and carbon assimilation diagnostics, moderately improve mortality prediction across the western US compared with models using stand and climate predictors alone. Among factors considered, metrics of stand density and tree size tended to be some of the most critical factors explaining mortality, probably highlighting the important roles of structural overshoot, stand development, and biotic agent host selection and outbreaks in mortality patterns.
An evolutionary perspective of DNA methylation patterns in skeletal tissues using a baboon model of osteoarthritis

Epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, play an influential role in the development of the degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis (OA). These molecular mechanisms have been heavily studied in humans, and although OA affects several other animals in addition to humans, few efforts have taken an evolutionary perspective. This study explores the evolution of OA epigenetics by assessing the relationship between DNA methylation variation and knee OA development in baboons (Papio spp.) and by comparing these findings to human OA epigenetic associations. Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns were identified in bone and cartilage of the right distal femora from 56 pedigreed, adult baboons (28 with and 28 without knee OA) using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Several significantly differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and regions were found between tissue types. Substantial OA-related differential methylation was also identified in cartilage, but not in bone, suggesting that cartilage epigenetics may be more influential in OA than bone epigenetics. Additionally, some genes containing OA-related DMPs overlap with and display methylation patterns similar to those previously identified in human OA, revealing a mixture of evolutionarily conserved and divergent OA-related methylation patterns in primates. Overall, these findings reinforce the current etiological perspectives of OA and enhance our evolutionary understanding of epigenetic mechanisms associated with OA. This study further establishes baboons as a valuable nonhuman primate model of OA, and continued investigations in baboons will help to disentangle the molecular mechanisms contributing to OA and their evolutionary histories.
Yelp Review Rating Prediction: Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models.

We predict restaurant ratings from Yelp reviews based on Yelp Open Dataset. Data distribution is presented, and one balanced training dataset is built. Two vectorizers are experimented for feature engineering. Four machine learning models including Naive Bayes, Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Linear Support Vector Machine are implemented. Four transformer-based models containing BERT, DistilBERT, RoBERTa, and XLNet are also applied. Accuracy, weighted F1 score, and confusion matrix are used for model evaluation. XLNet achieves 70% accuracy for 5-star classification compared with Logistic Regression with 64% accuracy.
A Single-Timescale Stochastic Bilevel Optimization Method

Stochastic bilevel optimization generalizes the classic stochastic optimization from the minimization of a single objective to the minimization of an objective function that depends the solution of another optimization problem. Recently, stochastic bilevel optimization is regaining popularity in emerging machine learning applications such as hyper-parameter optimization and model-agnostic meta learning. To solve this class of stochastic optimization problems, existing methods require either double-loop or two-timescale updates, which are sometimes less efficient. This paper develops a new optimization method for a class of stochastic bilevel problems that we term Single-Timescale stochAstic BiLevEl optimization (STABLE) method. STABLE runs in a single loop fashion, and uses a single-timescale update with a fixed batch size. To achieve an $\epsilon$-stationary point of the bilevel problem, STABLE requires ${\cal O}(\epsilon^{-2})$ samples in total; and to achieve an $\epsilon$-optimal solution in the strongly convex case, STABLE requires ${\cal O}(\epsilon^{-1})$ samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first bilevel optimization algorithm achieving the same order of sample complexity as the stochastic gradient descent method for the single-level stochastic optimization.
Combined Central Retinal Vein and Cilioretinal Artery Occlusion in the Setting of Intravenous Immunoglobulin Administration

Purpose:This work reports a case of combined vascular occlusion in the setting of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) administration.Methods:The authors describe a case of combined central retinal ve...
Life After Demolition: The Absented Presence of Montreal’s Negro Community Centre

In 2014, The Negro Community Centre (NCC) located in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood of Montreal was demolished after being closed for nearly 25 years. As one of the first organizations of social...
Gut and vaginal microbiomes on steroids: implications for women’s health

This review discusses the interactions of steroids with the gut and vaginal microbiomes within each life phase of adult women and the implications for women's health. Each phase of a woman's life is characterized by distinct hormonal states which drive overall physiology of both host and commensal microbes. These host-microbiome interactions underlie disease pathology in disorders that affect women across their lifetime, including bacterial vaginosis, gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), anxiety, depression, and obesity. Although many associations between host health and microbiome composition are well defined, the mechanistic role of the microbiome in women's health outcomes is largely unknown. This review addresses potential mechanisms by which the microbiota influences women's health and highlights gaps in current knowledge.
Digitizing death: commodification of joss paper on Chinese online cemetery

This article explores the digitalization of traditional funeral joss paper into digital commodities through the case study of the Chinese online cemetery 00tang.com. Joss paper are paper replicas o...
Whole egg consumption and cognitive function among US older adults.

BACKGROUND Eggs are an affordable food providing many shortfall nutrients with the potential to improve cognitive health. We assessed the relationship between whole egg consumption and cognitive functioning among a US nationally representative sample of older adults. METHODS Individual-level data (2816 adults, aged ≥ 60 years) were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 waves. Cognitive assessments included the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Word List Learning Test (CERAD-WL), Word List Recall Test (CERAD-DR), Animal Fluency Test (AF) and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). A composite cognitive z-score was constructed based on the individual tests to represent one's overall cognitive functioning. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were performed to examine the effect of whole egg consumption on cognitive functioning, adjusting for individual characteristics and survey design. RESULTS Approximately 57% of older adults consumed whole eggs, with an average daily intake of 34 g of whole egg equivalent among consumers. The average z-scores of the CERAD-WL, CERAD-DR, AF and DSST tests were -0.08, 0.23, 0.37 and 0.42, respectively, and the overall composite cognitive z-score was 0.24 among older adults. Regression analyses found that neither whole egg consumption status, nor daily intake quantity was associated with cognitive test scores. CONCLUSIONS No association was found between whole egg consumption and cognitive functioning among US older adults. Study limitations included cross-sectional study design and measurement errors. Future studies with longitudinal or experimental design are warranted to examine the possible link between egg consumption and cognition in older adults.
When Technology Changes the Physical Workplace: The Creation of a New Workplace Identity

In recent decades, there have been many advances in digital media and technologies that have disrupted professions traditionally rooted in physical and print media as their core competency. Often, digital transformations of such professions not only change the way these professionals collectively define themselves, but also dramatically alter the physical work environment in which they have formally shaped their work roles and interactions with physical and print media (e.g., photographers increasingly work with photo editing software rather than in darkrooms, journalists increasingly work in electronic rather than print platforms, etc.). In this new digital era, how do these professionals adapt and define themselves? Drawing upon preliminary data analysis from a longitudinal case study of a group of library professionals who transitioned to an all-electronic library building (i.e., a library without physical books), we propose an emerging process model of workplace identity creation in order to address this question.
Designing MPP Systems to Optimize Time-To-Solution Performance

The primary purpose of Cray Research computer systems is the timely solution of complex problems in science and engineering. A few examples illustrate that the CRAY Y-MP/C90 is currently the world’s most powerful tool for computational science. To complement the vector-parallel architecture of the CRAY Y-MP/C90. Cray Research is developing a massively parallel processor, die CRAY T3D. The salient characteristics of this machine will be described.
FLC/VLSI as a smart pixel technology

Summary form only given. Although FLC/VLSI technology is used with success in the construction of spatial light modulators it seems that few "smart pixel" systems are being progressed beyond the stage of small scale demonstrations. It is now reasonable to ask whether this materials system is well suited to the type of systems which are now described as containing smart pixels.
Post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV) from lamb kidney: Purification and some enzymatic properties

Post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (dipeptidylpeptide hydrolase, EC 3.4.14.1), also known as glycylprolyl beta-naphthylamidase or dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV, was isolated and purified in an overall yield of 20% from autolyzed extracts of lamb kidney by CM-cellulose and column chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and Sephadex G-200. Purified enzyme was homogeneous by disc gel electrophoresis and ultracentrifugal analysis and was most active at pH 7.8 using Gly-Pro beta-napthylamide as substrate. The Km values for Gly-Pro beta-naphthylamide and Ala-Ala beta-naphthylamide were 0.63 and 0.77 mM, respectively. The proline-containing peptides were hydrolysed more than 10-fold faster. By isoelectric focusing a pI of 4.9 was determined. The enzyme was estimated to be 230 000 +/- 15 000 by the sedimentation equilibrium method and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicating that the enzyme is composed of two identical subunits with molecular weights of 115 000. It was inhibited by the active-site directed, irreversible inhibitor diisopropylphosphorofluorofluoridate. Post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase, in contrast to the endopeptidase post-proline cleaving enzyme [9,10] (Walter R. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 422, 138-158, and Koida, M. and Walter, R. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 7593-7599) exhibits no endopeptidase activity. Instead it is an exopeptidase with a high specificity for NH2-terminal-free peptides containing a proline residue in the penultimate position and releases the dipeptide with proline being the COOH-terminal moiety. The name "post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase" is suggested.
Beta-adrenergic effects on carbohydrate metabolism in the unweighted rat soleus muscle

The effects of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism in atrophied rat soleus muscle are increased after unweighting by tail-cast suspension. This work has been extended by testing the effect of unweighting on the response of carbohydrate metabolism to isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist. Isoproterenol promoted glycogen degradation more in the unweighted than in the weight-bearing soleus but showed no differences in the extensor digitorum longus, which is unresponsive to hindlimb unweighting. In soleus muscles depleted of glycogen, to avoid varied inhibitory effects of glycogen on glycogen synthesis, isoproterenol inhibited this process more in the unweighted muscle. Isoproterenol did not have a greater inhibitory effect on net uptake of 2-deoxy-D[1,2-3H]glucose by the unweighted muscle. Measurements of intracellular 2-deoxy-[3H]glucose 6-phosphate and 3-O-methyl-D-[1-3H]glucose, which cannot be phosphorylated, showed that isoproterenol inhibited glucose phosphorylation but not transport. This effect could be explained by an increase of glucose 6-phosphate, an inhibitor of hexokinase. At 100 microU insulin/ml but not at a lower amount (10 microU/ml), isoproterenol inhibited hexose phosphorylation more in the control than in the unweighted muscle. This result may be explained by greater insulin antagonism in the unweighted muscle owing to increased insulin sensitivity. However, insulin antagonism of isoproterenol stimulation of glycogenolysis or inhibition of glycogenesis was not altered by unweighting. Therefore, for some aspects of carbohydrate metabolism, the unweighted muscle has an increased response to beta-adrenergic activation, just as this muscle shows increased responses to insulin.
The Emergence of International Terrorism and Technological Changes: Have These Changes Made the Law of Armed Conflict Obsolete?

ABSTRACT The Geneva Conventions of 1949, the primary basis of the present Law of Armed Conflict, are primarily a reaction to past wars, including World War II. Since 1949, armed conflict had evolved from large armies controlled by nations to fighting by nations, groups, and organization, and are fought both nationally and internationally. This article explores some of the difficulties as a result of these changes.
Bile duct epithelium: frontiers in transport physiology

The bile duct epithelium is known to modify hepatic bile by both secretory and absorptive processes. However, identification and characterization of the transport systems that carry out these physiological functions at the cellular and molecular level have been slow compared with progress in understanding hepatic bile production. Recently, techniques have been developed that enable bile duct cells to be isolated in substantial number and purity and as intact polarized units that can be studied in vitro. These newer preparations have enabled classic physiological approaches to be performed directly with the bile duct epithelial tissues. Progress in this important area of biliary physiology is now rapid and forms the basis for this review.
The “strong leadership” of George W. Bush

This paper further explores the phenomenon of the “strong leader” by presenting an account of President George W. Bush, whose early conduct in the White House seemed far from strong, but who rose to the challenge of the terrorist attacks on the US of September 11, 2001 and began to preside with authority and assertiveness over an administration that went to great lengths to put its stamp on the national and international policy agendas, but was intensely controversial in the policies it advanced. The paper provides a three dimensional account of Bush, reviewing his early years, political rise and presidential performance, and then analyzes his leadership style in terms of six criteria that have proven useful for characterizing and assessing earlier chief executives – emotional intelligence, cognitive style, effectiveness as a public communicator, organizational capacity, political skill, and the extent to which the president is guided by a realistic policy vision. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lipidic Antagonists to SNARE-mediated Fusion

SNARE proteins mediate the fusion of lipid bilayers by the directed assembly of coiled-coil domains arising from apposing membranes. We have utilized inverted cone-shaped lipids, antagonists of the necessary membrane deformation during fusion to characterize the extent and range of SNARE assembly up to the moment of stalk formation between bilayers. The inverted cone-shaped lipid family of acyl-CoAs specifically inhibits the completion of fusion in an acyl-chain length-dependent manner. Removal of acyl-CoA from the membrane relieves the inhibition and initiates a burst of membrane fusion with rates exceeding any point in the control curves lacking acyl-CoA. This burst indicates the accumulation of semi-assembled fusion complexes. These preformed complexes are resistant to cleavage by botulinum toxin B and thus appear to have progressed beyond the "loosely zippered" state of docked synaptic vesicles. Surprisingly, application of the soluble domain of VAMP2, which blocks SNARE assembly by competing for binding on the available t-SNAREs, blocks recovery from the acyl-CoA inhibition. Thus, complexes formed in the presence of a lipidic antagonist to fusion are incompletely assembled, suggesting that the formation of tightly assembled SNARE pairs requires progression all the way through to membrane fusion. In this regard, physiologically docked exocytic vesicles may be anchored by a highly dynamic and potentially even reversible SNAREpin.
Collective modes in the d -density-wave state of the cuprates

Using a functional integral formulation, we analyze the collective modes in the d-density-wave state. Since only discrete symmetries are broken, no massless phase mode is present. The only relevant fluctuation is the amplitude fluctuation of the order parameter, which is treated at the Gaussian level above the long-range order. These fluctuations give rise to a massive mode, the analog of the $\mathrm{U}(1)$ Higgs mode, or amplitude mode at wave vector $(\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi}).$ Neutrons in inelastic neutron scattering experiments couple to this mode via the orbital currents and are likely to produce direct measurements of this amplitude boson.
Passive transfer of adjuvant-induced arthritis and allergic encephalomyelitis in rats using thoracic duct lymphocytes.

SUSPENSIONS of cells derived from lymph nodes or the spleen have been used to transfer adjuvant-induced arthritis1,2 and allergic encephalomyelitis3,4 in rats. We have now successfully transferred both these experimental diseases in rats using cells obtained from the thoracic duct.
PREDICTING PELVIC LYMPH NODE INVOLVEMENT IN CURRENT-ERA PROSTATE CANCER

Purpose The Roach formula [2/3 × prostate-specific antigen + (Gleason score – 6) × 10], derived in 1993 during the early prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening era, has been used to predict the risk of pelvic lymph node involvement in patients with prostate cancer. In the current era of widespread PSA screening with a shift to earlier disease stages, there is evidence to suggest that the Roach score overestimates risk of nodal metastasis. This study retrospectively reviews the validity of this formula as a prediction tool. Methods and Materials We conducted a retrospective institutional review including men with clinical T1c–T3 prostate cancer, with baseline PSA levels and biopsy-obtained Gleason scores who underwent radical prostatectomy with pelvic node dissection from 2001 through 2009 ( N = 1,022). The predicted risk of nodal involvement was calculated for each patient using the Roach formula and then compared with actual rates following surgery. Results The study included 1,022 patients; 99.6% had clinical T1c/T2 disease, with a mean of 10.3 lymph nodes surgically evaluated. Overall, 42 patients (4.1%) had nodal metastasis. For every range of scores, the Roach formula overestimates the risk of nodal involvement. Observed nodal positivity was 1%, 6.3%, 10%, 15.2%, and 16.7% for Roach scores ≤10%, >10%–20%, >20%–30%, >30%–40%, and >40%, respectively. The Roach score overestimates the risk by approximately 4.5-fold in patients with scores ≤10%, by 2.5-fold for all scores between 10% and 40%, and by 4-fold for scores >40%. Conclusion The Roach formula overpredicts the risk of pelvic nodal involvement in current-era prostate cancer patients undergoing regular PSA screening and with mainly T1c/T2 disease. Contemporary patients are much less likely to have nodal involvement for a given PSA and Gleason score.
Compression of digital color images based on the model of spatiochromatic multiplexing of human vision

SRI International has developed a new technique for compression of digital color images on the basis of its research of multiplexing processes in human color vision. The technique can be used independently, or in combination with standard JPEG or any other monochrome procedure, to produce color image compression systems that are simpler than conventional implementations. Specific applications are currently being developed within four areas: (1) simplification of processing in systems that compress RGB digital images, (2) economic upgrading of black and white image capturing systems to full color, (3) triplication of spatial resolution of high-end image capturing systems currently designed for 3-plane color capture, and (4) even greater simplification of processing in systems for dynamic images.
Studies of selected enzymes of phospholipid metabolism in the dystrophic human muscle

Proceeding from deviations of the phospholipid pattern in the muscle in progressive muscular dystrophy, the activities of a number of enzymes of phospholipid metabolism in the normal and dystrophic human muscle were measured. Twelve cases of the Duchenne type and four of the Becker-Kiener type were studied. The activities of CDP-choline:diglyceride-P-cholinetransferase, of CDP-choline:ceramide-P-cholinetransferase and of phosphatidylcholine degradation were determined in normal and dystrophic human muscle. A significant difference in enzyme activities between normal and dystrophic muscle could not be established. The activities of a phosphatidylethanolaminemethyltransferase and a transfer of P-choline directly from phosphatidylcholine to sphingomyelin could be excluded for normal human muscle. The significance of these results for the integration of phospholipid findings in ideas about pathogenesis of progressive muscular dystrophy is discussed.
A Candidate's Perspective: A Review of Impossible Training: A Relational View of Psychoanalytic Education by Emanuel Berman

The author reviews Emanuel Berman's book Impossible Training from the perspective of a candidate in psychoanalytic training at The William Alanson White Institute in New York. The author relates aspects of her training experience to issues Berman raises in his article, focusing on and expanding a discussion of key problematic aspects of psychoanalytic training.
Alcohol Extraction Technique for In-Situ Determination of Resident Water Saturation and Resident Brine Salinity

Water saturation and formation water salinity are 2 quantities that traditionally have been difficult to determine in reservoirs existing at irreducible water saturation conditions. An approach to the problem has been developed in the form of a single-well in situ extraction technique which can determine both quantities simultaneously. A mathematic model describing the technique was written and subsequently used to predict the behavior of a series of laboratory experiments. The experiments were performed on Berea Sandstone cores existing at a variety of water saturations and brine salinities. The predicted and observed production profiles are in excellent agreement.
Theory of photoinduced twisting dynamics in polar solvents: application to dimethylaminobenzonitrile in propanol at low temperatures

Abstract A new microscopic theoretical model of the twisted intramolecular charge transfer mechanism responsible for the dual flourescence of dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) in polar solvents is developed. It is applied to give a quantitative description of experimental measurements describing the dynamics of this process for DMABN in propanol at T = 223 K.
Characterization of the rat mesangial cell type 2 sulfonylurea receptor

Characterization of the rat mesangial cell type 2 sulfonylurea receptor. Background Sulfonylurea receptors are classified as either high-affinity type 1 (SUR1) or low-affinity type 2 receptors (SUR2), and the gene expression of SURs has recently been demonstrated in kidney. However, functional data regarding a renal SUR are lacking. We previously demonstrated that mesangial cell (MC) gene and protein expression of extracellular matrix components were up-regulated by the sulfonylurea, tolazamide. After noting this biological response, we next sought to investigate the presence of a sulfonylurea receptor in rat MCs. Methods Equilibrium binding studies employing [ 3 H]glibenclamide as a ligand were performed on crude MC membrane preparations. Gene expression for SUR was explored by Northern analysis of cultured MCs and whole kidney tissue. The effect of sulfonylurea on intracellular Ca 2+ in MCs was assayed by spectrofluorometry, and glibenclamide-induced changes in the contractility of MCs were assessed. Results MCs bound [ 3 H]glibenclamide with a K D of 2.6 μm and a B max of 30.4 pmol/mg protein as determined by Scatchard analysis. Three SUR2 transcripts were detected in MCs. A major transcript was detected at 5.5kb and minor transcripts at 7.5 and 8.6kb. Following sulfonylurea treatment of MCs, real-time videomicroscopy revealed intense MC contraction, coinciding with oscillatory increments of intracellular Ca 2+ concentration. Further evidence of sulfonylurea-induced MC contraction was demonstrated by glibenclamide-induced deformation of a silicone rubber substrate. Conclusions These results demonstrate that SUR2 resides on MCs. Functional activation of this receptor by sulfonylurea induces Ca 2+ transients that result in MC contraction.
Shortstopping and jet mixers in preventing runaway reactions

Abstract Runaway reactions are continuing to be a major problem in the chemical industry (26% of major accidents). One of the main reasons for runaways is power failure. Runaway reactions could be inhibited in two ways: by the addition of cold diluents and by the addition of an inhibitor (chemical reaction stopper). This technology is called shortstopping. After a power failure, the process of adding an inhibiting agent and mixing it with the reactor contents becomes a major problem in the shortstopping process. Jets or impellers, driven by a small generator, however, can be used for mixing the inhibitor with the reactor contents. Dakshinamoorthy et al. [2006. CFD simulations of shortstopping runaway reactions in vessels agitated with impellers and jets. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 19, 570–581] compared the efficiency of using jet mixers versus impeller stirred vessels in shortstopping runaway reactions. On the basis of equal power consumption, this comparative study showed that jet mixers are ineffective when used for shortstopping. One needs to identify additional factors, to effectively shortstop when using jet mixers. Due to the hazardous nature of runaway reactions, these factors cannot be determined with lab scale or pilot plant scale experiments. Recent developments with CFD make it possible to carry out virtual experiments. The computational model is solved using FLUENT. Shortstopping studies via the addition of a reaction inhibitor and cold diluent are discussed in detail. The results reported in this study identify the major and minor factors, which contribute to effective shortstopping; i.e., power requirements, locations for adding the inhibitor, the quantity of inhibitor added, rate of the inhibition, the use of cold diluent and the use of multiple nozzles. These results especially demonstrate the value of using CFD simulations in situations that are experimentally prohibitive.