cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of hardening mechanisms and size effects in proton-irradiated HT-9 steels

Abstract Ferritic/martensitic steels, such as HT-9, are known for their complex microstructural features and mechanical properties. In this paper, in-situ micro-tensile tests and traditional fractography methods were utilized to study the fracture behavior of proton-irradiated HT-9 steels. First, to evaluate the viability of micro-tensile tests for nuclear material qualification process, meso‑tensile tests on as-received HT-9 steels were performed. Fracture mechanisms of unirradiated HT-9 steels at both length scales were compared and underlying mechanisms discussed. The direct comparison of micro- and meso‑scale data shows a distinctive size effect demonstrated by the increase in yield stress (YS). Upon completion of initial assessment, specimens were irradiated with 4 MeV+ protons to three fluences, all of which were lower than 0.01 displacements per atom (dpa). As expected, the YS increases with irradiation. However, at 7 × 10−3 dpa, the reversal of the trend was observed, and the YS exhibited sharp decline. We demonstrate that at lower length scales, grain structure has a more profound impact on the mechanical properties of irradiated materials, which provides information needed to fill in the gap in current understanding of the HT-9 fracture at different length scales.
Far Infrared Emission Diagnostics on Tokamak Alcator C.

Measurements of electron cyclotron radiation on the Tokamak Alcator C show a degree of polarization, extraordinary to ordinary mode, of approximately 2 to 1, similar to Alcator A. A rapid scan Michelson interferometer provides up to 32 interferograms per plasma pulse and transformed spectra are available immediately afterward. Electron temperature profiles are determined from the second harmonic emission in each spectrum.
An online survey study of the association between tinnitus and hyperacusis using validated questionnaires.

Objective To investigate the association between the highly comorbid tinnitus and hyperacusis conditions using standard questionnaires. Design A cross-sectional internet-based survey consisted of general demographic questions, questions about hearing and emotional status, Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (TPFQ), and Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ). Study sample Six hundred sixteen completed surveys were obtained primarily from students and staff in a large university. Results About 6% of the respondents could be classified as having hyperacusis based on the criterion of HQ scores ≥ 28 and had significantly increased odds of reporting having tinnitus (OR 10.11; 95% CI 3.76-35.3). Tinnitus severity (TPFQ) and HQ scores were correlated regardless of the hearing loss status. When predicting TPFQ scores, after controlling for demographic factors and affective states, hyperacusis status became an insignificant predictor. In contrast, both affirmative answers to having anxiety and depression, together with hearing loss status and tinnitus were significant predictors of HQ scores. Conclusions Having hyperacusis did not appear to contribute significantly to tinnitus severity, but having tinnitus contributed to the likelihood of having hyperacusis. Our findings provide a nuanced view of how tinnitus and hyperacusis conditions co-occur and influence each other, which may be valuable to clinicians and researchers.
Saliency Guided Experience Packing for Replay in Continual Learning.

Artificial learning systems aspire to mimic human intelligence by continually learning from a stream of tasks without forgetting past knowledge. One way to enable such learning is to store past experiences in the form of input examples in episodic memory and replay them when learning new tasks. However, performance of such method suffers as the size of the memory becomes smaller. In this paper, we propose a new approach for experience replay, where we select the past experiences by looking at the saliency maps which provide visual explanations for the model's decision. Guided by these saliency maps, we pack the memory with only the parts or patches of the input images important for the model's prediction. While learning a new task, we replay these memory patches with appropriate zero-padding to remind the model about its past decisions. We evaluate our algorithm on diverse image classification datasets and report better performance than the state-of-the-art approaches. With qualitative and quantitative analyses we show that our method captures richer summary of past experiences without any memory increase, and hence performs well with small episodic memory.
Hepatocyte-Specific Deletion of Yes-Associated Protein Improves Recovery From Acetaminophen-Induced Acute Liver Injury.

Overdose of acetaminophen (APAP) is the major cause of acute liver failure in the Western world with very limited treatment options. Previous studies from our groups and others have shown that timely activation of liver regeneration is a critical determinant of transplant free survival of APAP-induced acute liver failure (ALF) patients. Here we report that hepatocyte specific deletion of Yes associated protein (Yap), the downstream mediator of the Hippo Kinase signaling pathway results in faster recovery from APAP-induced acute liver injury (ALI). Initial studies performed with male C57BL/6J mice showed a rapid activation of Yap and its target genes within first 24 hours after APAP administration. Treatment of hepatocyte specific Yap knockout mice (Yap-KO) with 300 mg/kg APAP resulted in equal initial liver injury but a significantly accelerated recovery in Yap-KO mice. The recovery was accompanied by significantly rapid hepatocyte proliferation supported by faster activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Furthermore, Yap-KO mice had significantly earlier and higher pro-regenerative inflammatory response following APAP overdose. Global gene expression analysis indicated that Yap-KO mice had a robust activation of transcription factors involved in response to ER stress (XBP1) and maintaining hepatocyte differentiation (HNF4α). In conclusion, these data indicate that inhibition of Yap in hepatocytes results in rapid recovery from APAP overdose due to an earlier activation of liver regeneration.
Chapter 20 Pre-School, Day Care, and After-School Care: Who's Minding the Kids?

Abstract The majority of children in the US and many other high-income nations are now cared for many hours per week by people who are neither their parents nor their school teachers. The role of such pre-school and out-of-school care is potentially two-fold: First, child care makes it feasible for both parents or the only parent in a single-parent family to be employed. Second, early intervention programs and after school programs aim to enhance child development, particularly among disadvantaged children. Corresponding to this distinction, there are two branches of literature to be summarized in this chapter. The first focuses on the market for child care and analyzes factors affecting the supply, demand and quality of care. The second focuses on child outcomes, and asks whether certain types of programs can ameliorate the effects of early disadvantage. The primary goal of this review is to bring the two literatures together in order to suggest ways that both may be enhanced. Accordingly, we provide an overview of the number of children being cared for in different sorts of arrangements; describe theory and evidence about the nature of the private child care market; and discuss theory and evidence about government intervention in the market for child care. Our summary suggests that additional research is needed in order to better characterize interactions between government programs and market-provided child care.
SpheriCAD: An AutoCAD program for analysis of structural orientation data

Abstract SpheriCAD is an AutoCAD ™add-in program developed to facilitate regional structural analysis. Its culminating feature is the ability to plot equal-area projections (/ldstereonets”) of structural orientation data by outlining an area on a map. SpheriCAD also handles the preliminary steps of digitizing field stop locations from paper maps and plotting attitude symbols from lists of structural measurements. The program is particularly useful for areas of complex structure, where many iterations are commonly required to define domains of locally uniform structural orientation.
Choice vs. Interaction in Public Choice Theory: Discerning The Legacy of the Calculus of Consent

This essay explores the legacy of James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock as it pertains to the establishment of public choice as a field of scholarly inquiry. The Calculus of Consent is surely the Ur-text for capturing that legacy, yet that legacy can be discerned in two distinct directions. One direction is of a simple or equilibrated political economy as represented by median voter models. The other direction is of a complex or emergent political economy. The choice between these directions is similar to the choice between the Laspeyres and Paasche approaches to the construction of index numbers. This paper argues for the superiority of the Paasche approach when applied to intellectual history, and so locates the legacy of Buchanan and Tullock in terms of interactive or emergent political economy as against choice-theoretic political economy.
A Place to Stand: Politics and Persuasion in a Working‐Class Bar.

A Place to Stand: Politics and Persuasion in. Working-Class Bar Julie Lindquist Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002 viii. 204 pp.
Managing with Incomplete Inventory Information (i3)

Abstract A critical assumption in the vast literature on inventory management has been that the current level of inventory is known to the decision maker. Some of the most celebrated results such as the optimality of base-stock policies have been obtained under this assumption. Yet it is often the case in practice that the decision makers have incomplete or partial information about their inventory levels. The reasons for this are many: Inventory records or cash register information differ from actual inventory because of a variety of factors including transaction errors, theft, spoilage, misplacement, unobserved lost demands, and information delays. As a result, what are usually observed are some events or surrogate measures, called signals, related to the inventory level. These relationships can provide the distribution of current inventory levels. Therefore, the system state in the inventory control problems is not the current inventory level, but rather its distribution given the observed signals. Thus, the analysis for finding optimal production or ordering policies takes place generally in the space of probability distributions. The purpose of this paper is to review some recent developments in the analysis of inventory management problems with incomplete information.
On the predictions of critical heat flux in rod bundles at low flow and low pressure conditions

Abstract At low flow and low pressure conditions, critical heat flux (CHF) data for rod bundle geometry are very limited, and applicable design correlations are almost nonexistent. This paper investigates the applicability of recent CHF correlations developed for uniformly heated vertical annuli (for water mass flux ≤250 kg/m2 s, and pressure of 0.118 MPa) to nonuniformly heated rod bundles. Results show that annuli correlations could be used to predict the CHF occurring at the same flow-regime transition in uniformly heated rod bundles. Also, the results demonstrate that the global conditions hypothesis (GCH), in conjunction with the annuli CHF correlations, may be used to predict CHF in nonuniformly heated rod bundles at low flow and low pressure conditions.
Early B-cell factor 1 is an essential transcription factor for postnatal glomerular maturation

The coordination of multiple cytokines and transcription factors with their downstream signaling pathways has been shown to be integral to nephron maturation. Here we present a completely novel role for the helix–loop–helix transcription factor Early B-cell factor 1 (Ebf1), originally identified for B-cell maturation, for the proper maturation of glomerular cells from mesenchymal progenitors. The expression of Ebf1 was both spatially and temporally regulated within the developing cortex and glomeruli. Using Ebf1-null mice, we then identified biochemical, metabolic, and histological abnormalities in renal development that arose in the absence of this transcription factor. In the Ebf1 knockout mice, the developed kidneys show thinned cortices and reduced glomerular maturation. The glomeruli showed abnormal vascularization and severely effaced podocytes. The mice exhibited early albuminuria and elevated blood urea nitrogen levels. Moreover, the glomerular filtration rate was reduced >66% and the expression of podocyte-derived vascular endothelial growth factor A was decreased compared with wild-type control mice. Thus, Ebf1 has a significant and novel role in glomerular development, podocyte maturation, and the maintenance of kidney integrity and function.
Effect of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation on Viral Aerosols

Ultraviolet (UV) germicidal air disinfection is an engineering method used to control the airborne transmission of pathogenic microorganisms in high-risk settings. Despite the recent emergence of respiratory viral pathogens such as SARS and avian influenza viruses, UV disinfection of pathogenic viral aerosols has not been examined. Hence, we characterized the UV disinfection of viral aerosols using the bacteriophage MS2, adenovirus, and coronavirus. Our objectives were to characterize the effect of nebulization and air sampling on the survival of important viral pathogens, quantitatively characterize and estimate the UV susceptibility of pathogenic viral aerosols, and evaluate the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the susceptibility of viral aerosols, to 254 nm UV-C. The viruses were aerosolized into an experimental chamber using a six-jet Collison nebulizer, exposed to 254 nm UV, and sampled using an AGI-30 liquid impinger. Both the MS2 and adenovirus aerosols were very resistant to UV air disinfection, with a reduction of less than 1 logarithm in viable viral aerosols at a UV dose of 2608 microW s/cm2. The susceptibility of coronavirus aerosols was 7-10 times that of the MS2 and adenovirus aerosols. Unlike bacterial aerosols, there was no significant protective effect of high RH on UV susceptibility of the tested viral aerosols. We confirmed that the UV disinfection rate differs greatly between viral aerosols and viruses suspended in liquid.
Lysophosphatidic Acid Regulates Trafficking of β2-Adrenergic Receptors THE Gα13/p115RhoGEF/JNK PATHWAY STIMULATES RECEPTOR INTERNALIZATION

Lysophosphatidic acid is an important lipid ligand regulating many aspects of cell function, including proliferation and migration. Operating via heterotrimeric G proteins to downstream effectors, lysophosphatidic acid was shown to regulate the function and trafficking of the G protein-coupled β2-adrenergic receptor. C3 exotoxin, expression of dominant negative RhoA, and inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase blocked the ability of lysophosphatidic acid to sequester the β2-adrenergic receptor, whereas expression of constitutively active Gα13, p115RhoGEF, or RhoA mimicked lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) action, stimulating the internalization of the Gαs-coupled β2-adrenergic receptor. This study revealed a novel cross-talk exerted from the LPA/Gα13/p115RhoGEF/RhoA pathway to the β2-adrenergic receptor/Gαs/adenylyl cyclase pathway, attenuating the ability of β-adrenergic agonists to act following stimulation of cells by LPA as may occur during β-adrenergic therapy of an inflammatory response.
The 3' untranslated region of prohibitin and cellular immortalization.

Abstract We have been studying the role of the evolutionarily conserved prohibitin gene in cellular immortalization and tumor suppression. Immortalized human cells are classified into four complementation groups (A, B, C, and D) based on the ability of fusion hybrids to become senescent. The present study expands our preliminary evidence showing that the antiproliferative activity of prohibitin is only effective in immortalized Group B cells and normal cells. Data presented here show that the expression of a prohibitin mRNA with a long 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) and prohibitin protein is elevated in immortalized cells from all complementation groups. However, all immortalized cells classified in complementation Group B, and no cell lines in any of the other groups, are sensitive to the antiproliferative activity of wild-type prohibitin transcripts. All Group B cells are also homozygous for one of two human prohibitin alleles that are distinguishable by two distinct intron polymorphism restriction sites. Interestingly, sequence analysis of the prohibitin gene from representatives of each of the complementation groups showed that the 3′UTR from Groups A, C, and D matched wild type; however, the sequence from all four Group B cell lines differed from wild type. Functional inhibition assays on truncated wild-type mRNA transcripts as well as 3′UTR specific wild-type and mutated transcripts show that the antiproliferative activity of prohibitin resides, at least in part, in the 3′UTR. These data suggest that the prohibitin 3′UTR may function as atrans-acting regulatory RNA (riboregulator) whose tumor suppressor activity has been inactivated by mutation in Group B cells.
The effect of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase genotype on in vitro specific activity and in vivo flux in Mytilus edulis.

Four samples of the musselMytilus edulis were taken between 1984 and 1987 from Stony Brook, New York, and used to study the glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) polymorphism in this species.In vitro specific activity andin vivo flux measured in the same animals were found to be significantly correlated. A significant effect of GPI genotype on flux was observed in one of the samples; overall, significant evidence of effect of genotype on enzyme activity was also obtained. GPI activities of common genotypes tend to deviate less from the population mean than those of rare (frequency less than 5%) genotypes. This suggests the possibility that rare GPI genotypes are rare as a consequence of having biochemical properties that deviate from an optimum level and, therefore, having a lower fitness. In support of this hypothesis, we found in one of our samples that shell length is a concave function of GPI activity with an intermediate optimum activity level.
Evaluating Fluctuations in Human Atrial Fibrillatory Cycle Length Using Monophasic Action Potentials

Objective: To study fluctuations in intracardiac atrial fibrillation (AF) cycle length (CL). Background: Sites of short AF CL may be good ablation targets, and cycle lengthening predicts ablation success. However, the optimum method for measuring AF CL, and its stability, are unclear. We hypothesized that autocorrelation better estimates AF CL than spectral dominant frequency (DF), which is susceptible to double counting, using monophasic action potentials (MAPs) to separate atrial activation from artifact. Methods: In 28 patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF, we analyzed 49 AF epochs using MAPs at the high (HRA) and low (LRA) right atrium. We estimated AF CL over 2 seconds, 10 seconds, and 2 minutes using spectral DF and autocorrelation in MAPs and filtered bipoles. Results: In the HRA, manually measured CL was 167 ± 25 ms. Spectral DF poorly estimated AF CL in bipolar signals (R = 0.31; P = NS), due to double counting, but accurately estimated MAP CL (R = 0.73, P < 0.001). Autocorrelation estimated MAP (R = 0.92; P < 0.001) and bipolar (R = 0.83; P < 0.001) CL, with lower errors than spectral DF (P < 0.0001). Over time, changes in DF consistently preceded reciprocal changes in organization (P < 0.001). Finally, excluding inaccurate spectra, DF and AF organization differed between HRA and LRA over 2 seconds, but correlated over 10 seconds and 2 minutes (P < 0.05). Conclusions: AF CL is better estimated by autocorrelation than spectral DF, particularly for bipoles, and stable when measured for >10 seconds. Notably, changes in AF CL preceded reciprocal changes in organization, yet changes in organization did not precede changes in AF CL. These results may help to interpret AF CL fluctuations.
Feedback — A determiner of forgetting in short-term motor memory

Abstract The retention of discrete movements was examined under augmented and minimal feedback conditions. The augmented condition was presented for both the criterion and recall movements and consisted of providing visual, auditory, and heightened proprioceptive cues with each movement. Under minimal conditions, no visual, auditory or heightened proprioceptive cues were provided. Absolute and constant error revealed that under augmented conditions recall accuracy was improved. The retention interval x feedback condition interaction failed significance for both sources of error indicating that there was no evidence of differential decay rates. Variable error appeared to be an informative index of forgetting. The results were interpreted to be in support of the view that a memory trace is imprinted with feedback from all modalities and that the amount of such feedback determines memory trace strength.
Analysis of the predictors of five eco-sensitive behaviours

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine five different types of eco-sensitive behaviours separately and understand if determinants of these behaviours vary depending on the type of action being performed. Design/methodology/approach – The study investigates factors influencing five different eco-sensitive behaviours by empirically testing the effects of socio-economic status (SES), gender, age and environmental values. Theoretically guided hypotheses and models were formulated and tested with multiple linear regression models by employing a data set from the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) 2010 General Social Survey. Findings – Results conclude that different types of behaviour have different predictors. While age differences only explain recycling cans and bottles, gender difference explains buying pesticide-free fruits/vegetables and avoiding environmentally harmful products. Values, on the other hand, predict all five eco-behaviours. Driving less and saving water for environmental rea...
Digestion, absorption, transport and storage of fat during the last larval stadium of Manduca sexta. Changes in the role of lipophorin in the delivery of dietary lipid to the fat body

Abstract Using radiolabeled triolein, it was shown that in Manduca sexta larvae dietary triacylglycerol was hydrolyzed completely to free fatty acid in the midgut before absorption into midgut cells. Subsequently, the fatty acids enter the midgut cell where they are found in phospholipid, di- and triacylglycerol and leave the midgut as diacylglycerol and are transported by lipophorin. In feeding larvae, lipophorin diacylglycerol was rapidly cleared from the hemolymph and most of the label was found in fat body triacylglycerol. In contrast, diacylglycerol was cleared very slowly from wanderer hemolymph and only a very small amount was taken up by the fat body. In vitro studies showed that these differences in uptake of diacylglycerol from lipophorin were a result of alterations in properties of fat body during development. Further in vitro studies showed that when lipophorin was incubated with feeding stage fat body more than 95% of the diacylglycerol was taken up by the fat body but none of the lipophorin protein entered the fat body.
An atmospheric dust recorder

Abstract An apparatus is described for recording general atmospheric dust. The full-scale range of the present model of approximately 120 × 10 6 particles per cubic foot of air may be increased or decreased as desired. The dust concentrations measured are far below smoke concentrations. The method is to impinge dust on a slowly moving strip of transparent film, and to measure the deposit by a comparison of two beams of light, one passing through the dusty film, the other through clean film. The decrease in transmitted light due to the dust is balanced automatically by a motor-driven optical wedge in the unobstructed beam. The position of this wedge is recorded on a chart. Dusty air is sampled continuously for long periods. Rapid fluctuations of a few minutes in length are registered. In this, and in the fact that it is direct-reading, without tedious laboratory quantitation, the recorder offers distinct advantages over the present dust determinators, almost all of which take momentary samples. A different calibration is needed for different dusts. The machine may be adapted to laboratory or field use. In factories, auxiliary blowers may be operated through relays, when the dustiness exceeds a specified level.
Economics and the Idea of Natural Laws

I. Dubious notions suggested by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century conceptions of the "laws of nature" are being discarded from natural sciences, and should be discarded from economics, 1. — II. Evolution of the idea of natural laws, since the seventeenth century; in the natural sciences, "mechanical philosophy," belief in harmonious Order of Nature, fatalism, and the modern view that scientific laws may be only statistical laws, 6. — III. Corresponding evolution in economic thought. Eighteenth-century moral sciences mechanistic, but not rigidly deterministic. Economic optimism and fatalism. Modern view of the nature of economic laws, 16. — IV. Economic tendencies are toward adjustment, but not necessarily any ideal adjustment. Social welfare depends on human motives and on institutions. This was recognized in eighteenth-century philosophy of the moral "Law of Nature" (jus Naturae), accepted by Physiocrats and Adam Smith, 34.
Small worlds: normative behavior in virtual communities and feminist bookselling

La theorie du comportement normatif possede un potentiel important pour decrire le role de l'information dans les vies des communautes avec un espace culturel commun. Elle determine la facon dont les gens approchent l'information pour definir le sens de leur realite sociale. Les quatre conceptes qui constituent cette theorie - normes sociales, vision du monde, types sociaux et comportement informationnel - fournissent le cadre pour l'analyse des relations complexes entre l'information et le monde social dans lequel les individus trouvent leur place. Le present article donne un appercu de la vie des communautes virtuelles et des librairies feministes mais des etudes futures utilisant les analyses empiriques plus detaillees de ces deux mondes seront necessaires pour bien cerner la theorie et ses conceptes
Transitioning into Cohabitation Early in a Relationship: Associations With Family of Origin Assessments and Couple Outcomes

The present authors used data from 1,920 heterosexual, never-married individuals to assess the differences on couple outcomes and family of origin evaluations between early cohabiters and early daters. Early cohabiters were individuals who were living with their romantic partner in relationships that were less than 1 year old. Results suggested that once common demographic controls were factored in, the dating group was not associated with differences in couple outcomes but was significantly related to differences in family of origin variables. Early cohabiters were found to report less positive relationships with their mothers growing up compared to noncohabiting early daters. These results are discussed in light of the growing importance of considering both timing and contextual factors when investigating the causes and consequences of cohabitation.
The Concept of Personal Security

(1954). The Concept of Personal Security. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 219-236.
Synthesis and characterization of poly(para-phenylene disulfonic acid), its copolymers and their n-alkylbenzene grafts as proton exchange membranes: high conductivity at low relative humidity

Water insoluble poly(para-phenylene disulfonic acid) and its copolymers were synthesized by direct polymerization of 1,4-dibromobenzene-2,5-disulfonic acid and 4,4′-dibromobiphenyl-3,3′-disulfonic acid lithium salts using Ullmann coupling and subsequent grafting of long-tail alkylbenzene groups onto the polymer backbones. Copolymers with ion exchange capacities of 4.3 to 7.7 meq. g−1 were obtained. Polymers and copolymers prepared under optimized polymerization conditions were characterized by NMR, TGA, DSC and viscometry. The physicochemical characteristics of the copolymers were tailored by adjusting monomer compositions and by varying the grafting reaction temperature and time. These polymers could hold eight or more strongly bound water molecules per acid group, which facilitated their high conductivity. In the dry state, the polymers were very brittle. Membranes prepared from these polymers exhibited proton conductivity as much as ten times higher than that of Nafion® 212, at elevated temperature and low relative humidity.
Fast-atom-bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry for determining structures of fatty acids as their picolinyl ester derivatives

Abstract Picolinyl ester derivatives of common fatty acids can be readily desorbed by fast atom bombardment (FAB) as positive ions and then collisionally activated. Collisionally activated spectra of the (M + H) + ions of the derivatives reveal that structurally informative remote-charge-site fragmentations occur. The presence of substitutents such as double bond, branch points, cyclopropane rings, hydroxy groups, and epoxy rings interrupts the fragmentation process in such a way that the substituent can be identified and its location on the alkyl chain can be determined. This method is also applicable to the picolinyl esters of short-chain fatty acids and to the analysis of mixtures of fatty acid derivatives. The approach is advantageous becasue the epicolinyl ester derivatives are also amenable to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Therefore, the FAB-MS/MS approach developed here is complementary to GC/MS.
Some characteristics of adrenal steroidogenesis and their possible relationships to the action of the adrenocorticotropic hormone

Abstract The effects of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) on the biphasic time curve for rat adrenal mitochondrial pregnenolone synthesis, the ACTH sensitive step of steroidogenesis in the adrenal cortex, have been investigated. The observed curve is characterized by a relatively short primary rate followed by a longer, slower secondary rate. The administration of ACTH in vivo results in an increase in both rates; however, the percentage increase is greater for the secondary rate. An increase in the duration of the primary rate was also observed. Similar results were obtained when the complete steroidogenic sequence of reactions to form corticosterone were investigated in a cell-free system. Mitochondrial pregnenolone, both total and that present in the membranes, is increased by ACTH. These data make a model for ACTH action in which an inhibition by pregnenolone of its own synthesis is controlled by the rate of efflux of pregnenolone from the mitochondria unlikely. Addition of 20,22-dihydroxycholesterol, a precursor of corticosterone, results in a decrease in the duration of the primary rate. Furthermore, the extent of the decrease depends upon the concentration of 20,22-dihydroxycholesterol. This result suggests that possible involvement of an inhibitor on the duration of the primary rate of the observed biphasic rate curve. The bearing of these results on some models for ACTH action is discussed.
Fiber Optics for Evaluation of Pavement Reinforcement Materials in Resisting Reflection Cracking

A major maintenance problem of pavement is the reflection cracking of pavement overlays at the location of joints and cracks in the underlayers. Pavement reinforcement materials (PRM) are used to reinforce the asphalt concrete (AC) overlay to delay reflection cracking. Assessing the effectiveness of PRM in limiting reflection cracking can be achieved by direct measurement of strain distribution within the PRM and AC overlay. A fiber-optic sensor is the only alternative that is compatible with the fiberglass structure of the PRM used in this study and, therefore, is used to measure strain within the PRM. A program of investigation, developed at the Institute for Research in Construction of the National Research Council Canada, aims at studying the state of stress leading to joint opening in pavement layers and assessing the effectiveness of PRM in reducing such cracks through monitoring the performance of PRM using embedded fiber-optic strain sensors. The investigation involves both laboratory testing and ...
Postfabrication optimization of an autoregressive planar waveguide lattice filter

Narrow-band planar waveguide filters are sensitive to fabrication errors that make it difficult to realize multistage filters successfully and maintain tight center wavelength tolerances unless a tuning technique is available. An analysis algorithm combined with waveguide heaters has been successfully used to demonstrate that fabrication errors can be compensated in an autoregressive (AR) lattice architecture that makes it possible to concatenate conveniently multiple stages and to achieve higher-order filter functions. Compensation of fabrication errors on filter functions for a second- and third-order AR lattice filter is presented, and issues related to the application of the analysis algorithm are discussed. In combination with postfabrication tuning of the coupling ratios, the analysis algorithm will allow complete control of the filter function after fabrication.
CONCURRENT CONDITIONING OF EVALUATIVE MEANING AND IMAGERY

Research indicates that evaluative word meaning and denotative meaning (imagery) are distinct mediational mechanisms and can be conditioned. It is hypothesized that the meaning-responses can be conditioned concurrently and independently. The present study factorially varied the unconditioned stimuli for each conditioned mediational response. Results provide support for the hypotheses and additional knowledge concerning the nature of both learning mechanisms.
WE‐G‐BRA‐03: Risk of Second Malignant Neoplasms Following VMAT and Proton Arc Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: The risk of second malignant neoplasms (SMNs) following prostate radiotherapy is a concern due to the large population of survivors and decreasing age at diagnosis. It is known that parallel‐opposed beam proton therapy carries a lower risk than photonIMRT. However, a comparison of SMN risk following proton and photon arc therapies has not previously been reported. The purpose of this study was to predict the ratio of excess relative risk (RRR) of SMN incidence following proton arc therapy to that after VMAT. Additionally, we investigated the impact of margin size and the effect of risk‐minimized proton beam weighting on predicted RRR. Methods: Physician‐approved treatment plans were created for both modalities for three patients. Proton arc treatment plans were approximated with 16 equally spaced and uniformly weighted passively‐scattered proton beams, and VMAT plans were created with two 6‐MV arcs. Therapeuticdose was obtained with differential dose‐volume histograms from the treatment planning system, and stray dose was estimated from the literature or calculated with Monte Carlo simulations. Then, various risk models from the literature were applied to the total dose to span the likely dose‐risk relationship. Additional treatment plans were also investigated with varying margin size and risk‐minimized proton beam weighting, and their respective RRRs calculated. Results: The mean RRR ranged from 0.74 to 0.99, depending on risk model, suggesting a lower predicted risk of SMN following proton arc therapy. The additional treatment plans revealed that the RRR remained approximately constant with varying margin size, and that the predicted RRR was reduced by 12% using a risk‐minimized proton arc therapy planning technique. Conclusions: Proton arc therapy was found to provide an advantage over VMAT in regard to predicted risk of SMN following prostate radiotherapy. This advantage was independent of margin size and was amplified with risk‐optimized proton beam weighting.
Inhibited protective coatings based on polyurethane

We establish the synergism of inhibition of the corrosion processes in steel placed in weakly acid corrosive media by compositions of pigments based on zinc/iron phosphate and wollastonite. A mechanism of their protective action is proposed. The influence of filling of a polyurethane primer with a mixture of zinc/iron phosphate and wollastonite on its anticorrosion and physicomechanical characteristics is investigated. On the basis of the results of experimental investigations, we develop a new polyurethaneperchlorovinyl primer for protecting the problem sections of pipelines at the sites of earth–air transitions.
The promoter of the human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) gene is bidirectional

The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) gene codes for a protein that is necessary for cellular DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression. A functional promoter has been identified in the 5' flanking region of the human PCNA gene. An abbreviated promoter (from the capsite to the PvuII restriction site at -395) was found to be equally efficient in directing transcription from a linked reporter, whether placed in the correct or reverse orientation in respect to the coding sequence. The reporter used was a cDNA of human thymidine kinase (TK), and the bidirectionality of the promoter was demonstrated by its ability to confer the TK+ phenotype to TK- ts 13 cells and by the amount of specific message in RNA blots. The PvuII promoter placed between two coding sequences (the TK cDNA and the bacterial gene for neoresistance) is capable of driving transcription simultaneously in both directions. Finally, in blots of RNA from human cells, two transcripts could be detected that hybridized to a sense riboprobe from the 5' flanking region of the human PCNA gene. We conclude that the locus for the human PCNA gene contains a bidirectional promoter producing diverging transcripts.
Simulations of reactive transport and precipitation with smoothed particle hydrodynamics

A numerical model based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) was developed for reactive transport and mineral precipitation in fractured and porous materials. Because of its Lagrangian particle nature, SPH has several advantages for modeling Navier-Stokes flow and reactive transport including: (1) in a Lagrangian framework there is no non-linear term in the momentum conservation equation, so that accurate solutions can be obtained for momentum dominated flows and; (2) complicated physical and chemical processes such as surface growth due to precipitation/dissolution and chemical reactions are easy to implement. In addition, SPH simulations explicitly conserve mass and linear momentum. The SPH solution of the diffusion equation with fixed and moving reactive solid-fluid boundaries was compared with analytical solutions, Lattice Boltzmann [Q. Kang, D. Zhang, P. Lichtner, I. Tsimpanogiannis, Lattice Boltzmann model for crystal growth from supersaturated solution, Geophysical Research Letters, 31 (2004) L21604] simulations and diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) [P. Meakin, Fractals, scaling and far from equilibrium. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1998] model simulations. To illustrate the capabilities of the model, coupled three-dimensional flow, reactive transport and precipitation in a fracture aperture with a complex geometry were simulated.
Sca+CD34− murine side population cells are highly enriched for primitive stem cells

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to characterize murine side population (SP) stem cells and SP cell subpopulations for primitive stem cell capacity. Materials and Methods SP cells, characterized by a specific Hoechst dye efflux pattern, were isolated by flow cytometric analysis and sorting from murine adult whole bone marrow (WBM). Different subpopulations of SP cells were isolated by staining with anti-Sca and anti-CD34 antibodies. Primitive stem cell content of SP cells and SP subsets were determined by cobblestone area-forming cell (CAFC) frequencies. Results Measurement of CAFC frequencies revealed that SP cells are greatly enriched for both primitive stem cells (day-28–35 CAFC) and somewhat more mature hematopoietic cells (day-14–21 CAFC) compared to WBM. The day-28 and day-35 CAFC enrichments in SP cells vs WBM cells were 1065 and 471, respectively. Analysis of the subpopulations of SP cells revealed that SP + Sca − CD34 + cells contained almost exclusively day-7 CAFC and had little day-28–35 CAFC activity. SP + Sca + CD34 + cells had high day-7–14 CAFC frequencies, but lower day-35 CAFC frequencies compared to SP + Sca + CD34 − cells. SP + Sca + CD34 − cells contained very low day-7 CAFC activity, but nearly 2200 times the day-28–35 CAFC activity as normal bone marrow. To evaluate the influence of Hoechst dye efflux capacity, we divided the SP tail into four groups of cells. The SP cells with lowest efflux of Hoechst dye contained the highest progenitor activity (day-7–14 CAFC). The highest day-35 CAFC frequencies, nearly 6000 times those of normal marrow, were seen in the SP cells with the greatest efflux of the Hoechst dye. Conclusions Murine SP cells contain both progenitor and primitive populations of hematopoietic stem cells. The most primitive stem cells measured in the in vitro CAFC assay mark for Sca + and CD34 − and have a high ability to efflux Hoechst dye. Isolation of these cells may provide the means to directly study mechanisms of primitive stem cell damage.
Synthesis of viral DNA forms in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia protoplasts inoculated with cassava latent virus (CLV); evidence for the independent replication of one component of the CLV genome

Totipotent leaf mesophyll protoplasts of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia, Viviani were inoculated with cassava latent virus (CLV) or with full length copies of CLV genomic DNAs 1 and 2 excised from replicative forms of M13 clones. Virus specific DNAs began to appear 48-72h after inoculation with virus or cloned DNAs, coincident with the onset of host cell division. Infected cells accumulated supercoiled forms of DNAs 1 and 2 as well as progeny single-stranded (ss) virion (+) sense DNAs representing each component of the genome. Both supercoiled and ss molecules were synthesised by cells inoculated with cloned DNA 1 alone but DNA 2 failed to replicate independently.
The Third Crisis in Economics

This presidential address to the Association for Evolutionary Economics was delivered at the annual meeting in San Diego, California, on January 5, 2013.
Crisis Contracting–A Case Study

ABSTRACTThe effectiveness of various contract types for responding to unplanned workload resulting from natural disasters is reviewed. Government contracting procedures used to initiate recovery efforts after the destruction caused by Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew and the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo are analyzed, and recommendations and precautions regarding specific contract types are provided. This case study is based on a review of available contract data from the cited natural disasters, interviews with contract administrators, and personal experience as a contracting officer following the Mount Pinatubo eruption. Emphasis is given to effectiveness as measured subjectively by required level of effort contrasted with results for various contract types in disaster recovery operations.
Hyaluronan Promotes Signaling Interaction between CD44 and the Transforming Growth Factor β Receptor I in Metastatic Breast Tumor Cells

In this study we have examined the interaction between CD44 (a hyaluronan (HA) receptor) and the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) receptors (a family of serine/threonine kinase membrane receptors) in human metastatic breast tumor cells (MDA-MB-231 cell line). Immunological data indicate that both CD44 and TGF-beta receptors are expressed in MDA-MB-231 cells and that CD44 is physically linked to the TGF-beta receptor I (TGF-betaRI) (and to a lesser extent to the TGF-beta receptor II (TGF-betaRII)) as a complex in vivo. Scatchard plot analyses and in vitro binding experiments show that the cytoplasmic domain of CD44 binds to TGF-betaRI at a single site with high affinity (an apparent dissociation constant (K(d)) of approximately 1.78 nm). These findings indicate that TGF-betaRI contains a CD44-binding site. Furthermore, we have found that the binding of HA to CD44 in MDA-MB-231 cells stimulates TGF-betaRI serine/threonine kinase activity which, in turn, increases Smad2/Smad3 phosphorylation and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) production (well known downstream effector functions of TGF-beta signaling). Most importantly, TGF-betaRI kinase activated by HA phosphorylates CD44, which enhances its binding interaction with the cytoskeletal protein, ankyrin, leading to HA-mediated breast tumor cell migration. Overexpression of TGF-betaRI by transfection of MDA-MB-231 cells with TGF-betaRIcDNA stimulates formation of the CD44.TGF-betaRI complex, the association of ankyrin with membranes, and HA-dependent/CD44-specific breast tumor migration. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that CD44 interaction with the TGF-betaRI kinase promotes activation of multiple signaling pathways required for ankyrin-membrane interaction, tumor cell migration, and important oncogenic events (e.g. Smad2/Smad3 phosphorylation and PTH-rP production) during HA and TGF-beta-mediated metastatic breast tumor progression.
The Nagging Question of the Function ofN-Acetylaspartylglutamate

Abstract N -Acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is a neuropeptide found in millimolar concentrations in brain that is localized to subpopulations of glutamatergic, cholinergic, GABAergic, and noradrenergic neuronal systems. NAAG is released upon depolarization by a Ca 2+ -dependent process and is an agonist at mGluR3 receptors and an antagonist at NMDA receptors. NAAG is catabolized to N -acetylaspartate and glutamate primarily by glutamate carboxypeptidase II, which is expressed on the extracellular surface of astrocytes. The levels of NAAG and the activity of carboxypeptidase II are altered in a regionally specific fashion in several neuropsychiatric disorders.
Adrenergic and cholinergic receptors of cerebral microvessels

The presence of alpha- and beta-adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in cerebral microvessels of the rat and pig was assessed by ligand binding techniques. The results demonstrate the presence of specific binding to alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic receptors but no appreciable specific binding to alpha 1-adrenergic or muscarinic cholinergic receptors. beta-Adrenergic receptors of pig cerebral microvessels are similar to those of the brain and other organs in their binding characteristics to the tritiated ligand and in their stereospecificity of binding to the biologically active isomers of beta-adrenergic agonists. Further evidence derived from the differential potency of binding displacement by the various beta-adrenergic agonists and selective beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic antagonists indicates that beta-adrenergic receptors of pig cerebral microvessels are mostly of the beta 2-subtype.