cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longer operant lever-press duration requirements induce fewer but longer response bouts in rats.

Operant behavior is organized in bouts that are particularly visible under variable-interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement. Previous research showed that increasing the work required to produce a response decreases the rate at which bouts are emitted and increases the minimum interresponse time (IRT). In the current study, the minimum effective IRT was directly manipulated by changing the minimum duration of effective lever presses reinforced on a VI 40-s schedule. Contrary to assumptions of previous models, response durations were variable. Response durations were typically 0.5 s greater than the minimum duration threshold; durations that exceeded this threshold were approximately log-normally distributed. As the required duration threshold increased, rats emitted fewer but longer bouts. This effect may reflect an effort-induced reduction in motivation and a duration-induced facilitation of a response–outcome association.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Verge with Sigmoid Colon Metastasis.

Clinical Practice Points • The incidence of anal cancer is rising in the United States, and most anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) is associated with high-risk human papillomavirus subtypes. • Not all patients with SCCA have the typical risk factors for development of the disease. • SCCA rarely metastasizes, but most common sites are liver, lung, extrapelvic lymph nodes, peritoneum, and bone. • This is a case of a patient with SCCA that metastasized to his sigmoid colon without evidence of other distant disease. • Pembrolizumab is an option for patients with advanced SCCA that is not amenable to chemotherapy or surgical resection. It has also been recently approved for tumors with high tumor mutation burden.
Strong recovery of geometric planted matchings.

We study the problem of efficiently recovering the matching between an unlabelled collection of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ and a small random perturbation of those points. We consider a model where the initial points are i.i.d. standard Gaussian vectors, perturbed by adding i.i.d. Gaussian vectors with variance $\sigma^2$. In this setting, the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) can be found in polynomial time as the solution of a linear assignment problem. We establish thresholds on $\sigma^2$ for the MLE to perfectly recover the planted matching (making no errors) and to strongly recover the planted matching (making $o(n)$ errors) both for $d$ constant and $d = d(n)$ growing arbitrarily. Between these two thresholds, we show that the MLE makes $n^{\delta + o(1)}$ errors for an explicit $\delta \in (0, 1)$. These results extend to the geometric setting a recent line of work on recovering matchings planted in random graphs with independently-weighted edges. Our proof techniques rely on careful analysis of the combinatorial structure of partial matchings in large, weakly dependent random graphs using the first and second moment methods.
Types of potentials in a mitotic spindle.

Abstract The dynamics of a mitotic spindle is very important to understand if the functioning of mitosis has to be understood and defined very accurately. There are a number of forces involved in such a process. Despite of the fact that there have been numerous studies done on the functioning of a mitotic spindle, there is still not a very precise understanding of this system and how it behaves. This study aims at understanding and expressing all the possible potentials which might be responsible in a mitotic spindle and its mechanism.
Geometric Properties of Rational Sphere Maps

We wish to discuss areas and volumes. The main result of this chapter, Theorem 7.1, is an integral inequality. Even the one-dimensional result is interesting. We use Theorem 7.1 to show that the homogeneous map \(z^{\otimes m}\) solves a natural optimization problem. Namely, of all polynomial sphere maps of degree m, the volume of its image of the ball is maximized by \(z^{\otimes m}\). We compute this volume explicitly. To prove these results, we will require some basic properties of differential forms.
Lessons from Adaptive Management: Obstacles and Outcomes

Adaptive management was proposed as a way for resource managers to integrate scientific understanding with the management of natural resources. A major benefit of this approach has been a process that produces new and novel understandings of complex system dynamics as well as innovative policies and practices. Adaptive management provides a crucible for innovation because it maintains a focus on integrating scientific understanding, resolving and managing inherent uncertainties, and questioning assumptions, boundaries and policies.
NAPHTHOQUINONE INTERMEDIATE IN THE RESPIRATION OF BACILLUS STEAROTHERMOPHILUS.

Downey, R. J. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.). Naphthoquinone intermediate in the respiration of Bacillus stearothermophilus. J. Bacteriol. 84:953–960. 1962.—A vitamin K-like naphthoquinone has been isolated from Bacillus stearothermophilus. The compound was susceptible to light (360 mμ) and can be extracted from electron-transport particles with organic solvents. The reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPNH) oxidase and DPNH-cytochrome c reductase activities in such particles were restored to original levels by the addition of the extracted intermediate, by vitamin K1, or by menadione. Phosphorylation coupled to the oxidation of malate was restored by addition of the isolated naphthoquinone. Discrepancies in the rate of succinate oxidase and succinate-naphthoquinone reductase activities suggested the intermediate functions in a collateral pathway in the succinate oxidase system of this organism. Anaerobic and aerobic cultivation of the microorganism produced no detectible differences in the character of the intermediate. Reduction of nitrate by the thermophile was not completely dependent upon the naphthoquinone but was significantly stimulated in its presence. No evidence was obtained for the existence of a mixed quinone system in the bacillus.
Visual Exploration of Frequent Itemsets and Association Rules

Frequent itemsets and association rules are defined on the powerset of a set of items and reflect the many-to-many relationships among the items. They bring technical challenges to information visualization which in general lacks effective visual technique to describe many-to-many relationships. This paper describes an approach for visualizing frequent itemsets and association rules by a novel use of parallel coordinates. An association rule is visualized by connecting its items, one on each parallel coordinate, with polynomial curves. In the presence of item taxonomy, an item taxonomy tree is displayed as coordinate and can be expanded or shrunk by user interaction. This interaction introduces a border in the generalized itemset lattice, which separates displayable itemsets from non-displayable ones. Only those frequent itemsets on the border are displayed. This approach can be generalized to the visualization of general monotone Boolean functions on lattice structure. Its usefulness is demonstrated through examples.
Making Itself at Home: Understanding Foreign Law in Domestic Jurisprudence - The Indian Case

Recent debate concerning the use of foreign law in domestic jurisprudence in the US and elsewhere has been hampered by a fundamental misconception regarding judicial autonomy. Even in the most consolidated of democracies judges remain a part of the social and political fabric of their increasingly globalized societies, a placement that both empowers and constrains choices they make on the bench. This essay argues that the use or neglect of foreign law by judges is one aspect of these limitations: dependent upon their relationships with broader society, judges feel that they either must or must not use foreign law in their decisions. This dialectic between judge and society is fluid, explaining, at least in part, changes in the use of foreign law over time. The article examines this hypothesis via an investigation of patterns of foreign law usage in the decisions of the Indian Supreme Court, an institution similar to both the US apex court and those of many post-World War II constitutional states. Examining all judgments issued by the Court since its founding in 1950 through 2004 (approximately 15,000 cases), a clear correlation is seen between the tenor of Indian history, the growth and contraction of certain individual and group rights, and the use of foreign law. Extrapolating from the Indian case it appears that the modern use of foreign law in domestic jurisprudence in states throughout the world is not a function of simple judicial caprice - as critics have often claimed - but rather is an identifiable and predictable component of the globalization process.
Mutants of Plasmid Prophage P1 with Elevated Copy Number: Isolation and Characterization

A series of mutations of the P1 plasmid prophage that lead to increased copy number was isolated and analyzed. The copy number of the mutants was elevated at least five- to eightfold relative to wild-type P1, as determined by single-cell resistance to antibiotics, activity of enzymes, content of superhelical DNA, and reassociation kinetics. The copy number of two of the mutants was temperature dependent. Based on dominance tests, the mutants fell into two classes, cis specific and recessive. The latter class included a temperature-sensitive copy mutant. The existence of a class of recessive mutants suggests that the replication of the P1 plasmid is negatively regulated.
Reactivities of the nongravid uterine vasculatures: Effects of norepinephrine☆

Responses of the component tissues of the nonpregnant ovine uterus to intravenous administration of norepinephrine were determined with radioactively labeled microspheres under flowmeter guidance. During a mean decrease in uterine conductance to 42 per cent of control, no significant differences in the distribution of uterine blood flow to caruncles, endometrium, myometrium, or cervix occurred. These observations differ from those during the last half of gestation, when placental vascular reactivity to norepinephrine is muted. They support the concept that fundamental changes in placental vascular responses occur during placentation.
Commodifying Alternative Media Audiences: A Historical Case Study of the Jewish Daily Forward

Der forverts, or the Jewish Daily Forward, was one of the most significant and influential alternative newspapers in U.S. media history. Through an examination of archival materials, I demonstrate that the commodification of the Forward's content led to the production of its readership as a commodity audience. Key leaders at the newspaper aimed to rationalize the contradictions between maintaining a socialist newspaper central to an oppositional political movement and the need for advertising revenue. This entailed reimagining the audience as ethnic consumers rather than working-class socialists. This history highlights long-standing contradictions that the alternative media must reconcile between serving counterhegemonic interests and institutional demands within a capitalist political economy.
From Eisenstadt to Plan B

This essay sets forth the process, mechanism, and use of the birth control pill and its progeny, the statutory rules and case law currently governing this controversy, and the arguments on both sides of this important issue. It traces the development of contraception as a liberty interest and that connection or disconnection with responsible family planning and concludes that responsibility in the area of contraceptive use and dispensation will be culturally reflected in our future one way or the other.
Investigating DNA hydrogels as a new biomaterial for enzyme immobilization in biobatteries

We report the usage of DNA hydrogels for enzyme entrapment in an enzymatic biobattery. With the recent advancements in DNA nanotechnology, the incorporation of DNA materials to bioelectrocatalytic electrodes holds great promise to improve the performance of bioelectrocatalysis-based devices.
Development of global health education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: a student-driven initiative.

Global health is increasingly present in the formal educational curricula of medical schools across North America. In 2008, students at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) perceived a lack of structured global health education in the existing curriculum and began working with the administration to enhance global health learning opportunities, particularly in resource-poor settings. Key events in the development of global health education have included the introduction of a global health intersession mandatory for all first-year students; required pre-departure ethics training for students before all international electives; and the development of a clinical global health elective (Global Health Leadership Program, GHLP). The main challenges to improving global health education for medical students have included securing funding, obtaining institutional support, and developing an interprofessional program that benefits from the resources of the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing. Strategies used included objectively demonstrating the need for and barriers to more structured global health experiences; obtaining guidance and modifying existing resources from other institutions and relevant educational websites; and harnessing institution-specific strengths including the large Johns Hopkins global research footprint and existing interprofessional collaborations across the three schools. The Johns Hopkins experience demonstrates that with a supportive administration, students can play an important and effective role in improving global health educational opportunities. The strategies we used may be informative for other students and educators looking to implement global health programs at their own institutions. Keywords: global health; leadership; program planning/curriculum development; innovative educational interventions; interprofessional education (Published: 27 July 2015) Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 28632 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.28632
Generalized access control of synchronous communication

The security of modern networked applications, such as the information infrastructure of medical institutions or commercial enterprises, requires increasingly sophisticated access control (AC) that can support global, enterprise-wide policies that are sensitive to the history of interaction. The Law-Governed Interaction (LGI) mechanism supports such policies, but so far only for asynchronous message passing communication. This paper extends LGI to synchronous communication, thus providing advanced control over this important and popular mode of communication. Among the novel characteristics of this control are: the regulation of both the request and the reply, separately, but in a coordinated manner; regulated timeout capability provided to clients, in a manner that takes into account the concerns of their server; and enforcement on both the client and server sides.
Voice, Schooling, Inequality, and Scale

The rich studies in this collection show that the investigation of voice requires analysis of “recognition” across layered spatial-temporal and sociolinguistic scales. I argue that the concepts of voice, recognition, and scale provide insight into contemporary educational inequality and that their study benefits, in turn, from paying attention to social inequality.
Drag resistance of two-dimensional electronic microemulsions

Motivated by recent experiments of Pillarisetty et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 226801 (2003)], we present a theory of drag in electronic double layers at low electron concentration. We show that the drag effect in such systems is anomalously large, it has unusual temperature and magnetic field dependences associated with the Pomeranchuk effect, and does not vanish at zero temperature.
Missed abortion versus delayed miscarriage

The conventional terms which describe problems in early pregnancy are threatened abortion, incomplete abortion etc’. The need to avoid the word abortion when speaking to patients, since it is often con- fused in the mind of the public with termination of pregnancy and criminal abortion, has been recognised*. However, even in the most recent medical textbooks where the word miscarriage is used to replace abortion3, the term
Principles for Insurance Regulation: An Evaluation of Current Practices and Potential Reforms

The recent financial crisis and its cascading effects on the global economy have drawn increased attention to the regulation of financial institutions including insurance companies. While many observers would argue that insurance companies were not significant contributors to the crisis, the role of insurance companies in the financial economy and their potential vulnerability to systemic risk have become matters of considerable interest to policy-makers and regulators. In this context, this paper examines the basic economic principles that should govern the regulation of insurance and employs these principles in assessing current regulatory practices and potential reforms. Specifically, it articulates the basic rationale for insurance regulation, which is the remediation of market failures where regulation can enhance social welfare. In insurance, the principal market failures that warrant regulatory intervention are severe asymmetric information problems and principal-agent conflicts that could lead some insurance companies to incur excessive financial risk and/or engage in abusive market practices that harm consumers. This provides an economic basis for the regulation of insurers’ financial condition and market conduct. At the same time, the regulatory measures that are employed to correct market failures should be efficient and effective. Judged against these principles, the systems for solvency and market conduct regulation in the United States warrant significant improvement. There appears to be little or no justification for regulating insurance rates in competitive markets and the states should move forward with full deregulation of insurance prices. The EU appears to be much farther ahead in terms of implementing best practices in the regulation of insurers’ financial condition under its Solvency II initiative. It is also much closer to the desirable goal of full price deregulation than the United States.
Transfusion Errors: Causes and Effects

HUMAN error is an ubiquitous accompaniment of human activity. In the vast majority of daily circumstances the results of error are, at most, annoying or inconvenient. Some classic examples are leaving car keys in the ignition or wearing mismatched socks. However, in such errorcritical fields as aviation, nuclear power, and medicine, even though the vast majority of errors are benign and contained, they have a greater potential for catastrophic results. It has been estimated that as many as one medication error per patient per day occurs in hospitals in the United States. I Most of these errors do not affect patients ar lengthen the duration of their hospitalization, although some do have serious, and even fatal effects. In transfusion medicine, there is a similar preponderance of "benign" error. However, because of preformed antibodies in the ABO system, and their potential for an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, an active error such as misidentification of the patient or specimen has a magnified potential for harm because of its possible combination with the pervasive potential of blood group incompatibility . The term latent error is used in contrast to the term active error, the effects of which are immediately appreciated. 2 The latent error may exist within the system for varying periods, typically dormant and unnoticed unti!, when combined with another factor, such as an active error, it causes an accident. Active errors are most often committed by line personnel. Latent errors reflect the environment in which an error occurs. They are characteristically managerial in origin and are often caused by policy decisions or system design. Recognition that incompatible blood can cause a serious or even fatal reaction dates to the early days of transfusion. In fact, the earliest report of a transfusion reaction is attributed to Denys in 1667,3 long before identification of blood groups enabled the procedure to be performed on a routine basis. In 1942, Kilduffe and DeBakey published data collating the collective experience of several investigators over the 24-year period of 1917 to 1941, citing a risk for hemolytic transfusion reaction of 1 in 541 transfusions (80/43,284), and a mortality rate for transfusion reaction of 58%, leading to a risk of death from transfusion of 1 in
Aerosol Direct, Indirect, Semidirect, and Surface Albedo Effects from Sector Contributions Based on the IPCC AR5 Emissions for Preindustrial and Present-day Conditions

The anthropogenic increase in aerosol concentrations since preindustrial times and its net cooling effect on the atmosphere is thought to mask some of the greenhouse gas-induced warming. Although the overall effect of aerosols on solar radiation and clouds is most certainly negative, some individual forcing agents and feedbacks have positive forcing effects. Recent studies have tried to identify some of those positive forcing agents and their individual emission sectors, with the hope that mitigation policies could be developed to target those emitters. Understanding the net effect of multisource emitting sectors and the involved cloud feedbacks is very challenging, and this paper will clarify forcing and feedback effects by separating direct, indirect, semidirect and surface albedo effects due to aerosols. To this end, we apply the Goddard Institute for Space Studies climate model including detailed aerosol microphysics to examine aerosol impacts on climate by isolating single emission sector contributions as given by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) emission data sets developed for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR5. For the modeled past 150 years, using the climate model and emissions from preindustrial times to present-day, the total global annual mean aerosol radiative forcing is -0.6 W/m(exp 2), with the largest contribution from the direct effect (-0.5 W/m(exp 2)). Aerosol-induced changes on cloud cover often depends on cloud type and geographical region. The indirect (includes only the cloud albedo effect with -0.17 W/m(exp 2)) and semidirect effects (-0.10 W/m(exp 2)) can be isolated on a regional scale, and they often have opposing forcing effects, leading to overall small forcing effects on a global scale. Although the surface albedo effects from aerosols are small (0.016 W/m(exp 2)), triggered feedbacks on top of the atmosphere (TOA) radiative forcing can be 10 times larger. Our results point out that each emission sector has varying impacts by geographical region. For example, the single sector most responsible for a net positive radiative forcing is the transportation sector in the United States, agricultural burning and transportation in Europe, and the domestic emission sector in Asia. These sectors are attractive mitigation targets.
The concentration and isotopic composition of hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen in carbonaceous meteorites☆

Concentrations and isotopic compositions were determined for H_2, N_2 and C extracted by stepwise pyrolysis from powdered meteorites, from residues of meteorites partially dissolved with aqueous HF, and from residues of meteorites reacted with HF-HCl solutions. The meteorites treated were the carbonaceous chondrites, Orgueil, Murray, Murchison, Renazzo and Cold Bokkeveld. Data determined for whole rock samples are in approximate agreement with previously published data. Acidification of the meteorites removed the inorganic sources of H_2, so that H_2 in the HF-HCl acid residues came primarily from insoluble organic matter, which makes up 70–80% fraction of the total carbon in carbonaceous meteorites. The δD in the organic matter differs markedly from previously determined values in organic matter in meteorites. The δD values of organic matter from acid residues of C1 and C2 carbonaceous chondrites range from +650 to + 1150%. The acid residues of the Renazzo meteorite, whose total H_2 has a δD of +930‰, gave a δD value of +2500‰. Oxidation of the HF-HCl residue with H_2O_2 solution removes the high δD and the low δ^(15)N components. The δ^(13)C values range between −10 and −21 and δ^(15)N values range between +40 and −11. The δ^(15)N of Renazzo is unusual; its values range between +150 and −190. There is good correlation between δD and the concentration of H_2 in the acid residues, but no correlation exists between δD, δ^(13)C and δ^(15)N in them. A simple model is proposed to explain the high δD values, and the relationships between δD values and the concentration of H_2. This model depends on the irradiation of gaseous molecules facilitating reaction between ionic molecules, and indicates that an increase in the rate of polymerization and accumulation of organic matter on grains would produce an increase in the deuterium concentration in organic matter.
Lognormal Simulation of Pore Size Distributions in Cementitious Materials

The pore size distributions in cement pastes and mortars, over the range of pore sizes determined by high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), can be described in terms of a multimodal distribution by using lognormal simulation. The pore size distribution may be regarded as a mixture of lognormal distributions. Such a mixture is defined by a compound density function: p(x) =Σfip(x, μi, σi), Σfi= 1, where x is the pore diameter, fi, is the weighting factor of the ith lognormal subdistribution of pore sizes, p(x, μi, σi), and μi and σi are the location parameter and the shape parameter of the ith subdistribution, respectively. It may indicate that different origins and formation mechanisms exist for pores in different size ranges in cementitious materials. A graphical method is proposed to estimate the parameters for the compound distribution. Applications of this model to prediction of permeability are discussed.
What is the oxygen exposure time of laterally transported organic matter along the Washington margin

Abstract Organic matter preservation along the Washington margin is correlated with its oxygen exposure time (OET). OET is calculated in situ ( is OET) using oxygen penetration depth and sediment accumulation rate estimates. Values for is OET along the Washington margin range from 35–750 years. is OET estimates do not take into account any lateral input of organic matter that had been previously aged elsewhere, and it is unknown whether the transport-related OET ( t OET) is a significant component of the overall OET. Based on the available literature on sediment transport and pollutant dispersion, a best-guess is that t OET≤ is OET. Conversely, t OET≥ is OET when we use Δ 14 C estimates for organic matter present just below the sediment–water interface as a proxy to define the potential range of transport OET values across the margin. Using this approach, t OET values are as great as 8000 years depending on the assumptions made about how much material is laterally advected. Assuming ‘most reasonable’ criteria, t OET values are roughly equal to is OET, and range from 0 to 1800 years. t OET may, in fact, effectively double the overall OET ( Σ OET) for the organic matter in the process of being transported and deposited. Offshore decreases in OC/SA correlate more linearly with t OET than they do with is OET or Σ OET. This is consistent with the lateral transport of oxygen sensitive organic material with a slow degradation rate constant, and suggests that the OET hypothesis can be extended to include laterally transported organic matter.
Bond Formation By Wood Surface Reactions Part Iv Analysis of Furfuryl Alcohol, Tannin and Maleic Acid Bridging Agents

Abstract Solid wood panels (Acer saccharum Marsh.) were bonded with various bridging materials following nitric acid activation. These chemical bridging materials included tannin, furfuryl alcohol and mixtures of the two with and without maleic acid. High shear strengths were achieved with a tannin-furfuryl alcohol-maleic acid mixture (T-F-M) with or without the nitric acid activation. The curing reactions of the bridging material were examined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furfuryl alcohol was found to be the most reactive component of the T-F-M. Results from both the bonding work and the DSC analysis showed little effect of open assembly time or pot-life. The furfuryl alcohol appeared to be nitrated by the nitric acid catalyst. The nitrated material apparently degraded at high temperature (180 C) in a violent reaction detected by DSC. While these reactions were not observed with the panels the possibility of violent reactions during pressing must be considered.
Compensatory renal hypertrophy is mediated by a cell cycle-dependent mechanism

Compensatory renal hypertrophy is mediated by a cell cycle-dependent mechanism. Background Two mechanisms exist for inducing renal proximal tubule hypertrophy. One is characterized by regulation of the G 1 cell cycle kinase (cell cycle-dependent mechanism), while the other mechanism involves an imbalance between rates of protein synthesis and degradation, and occurs independently of cell cycle kinase regulation (cell cycle-independent mechanism). The present studies examined whether the compensatory proximal tubule growth following uninephrectomy is mediated by the cell cycle-dependent or -independent mechanism. Methods Studies were done in both rats and C57Bl6 mice on tissue harvested from sham-operated or uninephrectomized animals. The magnitude of BrdU incorporation was used as the hyperplasia marker, while the proximal tubule protein: DNA ratio was used as the hypertrophy marker. Cdk4/cyclin D and cdk2/cyclin E kinase activities were assayed on renal cortex (rat studies) or isolated proximal tubules (mouse studies) using an in vitro kinase assay. Results In both rats and mice, compensatory proximal tubule growth was hypertrophic, not hyperplastic, evidenced by an increase in the protein:DNA ratio without a change in BrdU incorporation. In mice, cdk4/cyclin D kinase activity progressively increased between days 4 and 7, while cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity was decreased at both 4 and 7 days. In rats the development of hypertrophy was associated with an increase in cdk4/cyclin D kinase at days 4, 7, and 10, and an increase in cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity at days 2, 4, and 7. Roscovitine, a cdk2/cyclin E kinase inhibitor, inhibited cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity in both sham and nephrectomized rats; however, it did not prevent the development of proximal tubule hypertrophy. Conclusions Uninephrectomy-induced compensatory proximal tubule growth is a hypertrophic form of growth that is mediated by a cell cycle-dependent mechanism.
Seasonal hydrologic predictions of low-flow conditions over eastern USA during the 2007 drought

A seasonal streamflow monitoring and forecasting component is implemented into the Drought Monitoring and Prediction System (Luo and Wood, 2007a), which supplements the existing soil-moisture-based analysis framework by providing real-time streamflow monitoring and forecasting up to 6 months lead time. Evaluations were conducted over four basins in eastern USA to understand the forecast skill of the system for the extensive hydrologic droughts in 2007. Consistent with the agricultural drought forecasts reported by Luo and Wood (2007a), the streamflow subsystem can forecast low-flow conditions for up to three months in advance, with Brier scores ranging from 0.10 to 0.49. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Potential effects on rural economies of conversion to sustainable farming systems

Conversions from conventional to sustainable farming systems could affect local rural economies either positively or negatively, by several means: changes in income of agricultural households; backward linkages to input supply firms; forward linkages to transportation, processing, and marketing firms; and changes in consumer expenditures by agricultural and other households. We estimated these effects for five local rural economies in South Dakota, representing different agroclimatic and population settlement patterns. Whole-farm economic models of case study conventional and sustainable farms in each area were used to estimate differences in input purchase and marketing patterns. We found declines in on-farm personal income (returns to farm labor and management) in four of the five case comparisons under a conversion to sustainable farming systems if organic price premiums are ignored; we found increases in three of five cases if applicable organic premiums are included. In all five study areas, total off-farm personal income drops in the portions of local economies connected to farming through backward linkages. It also drops in four of the five study areas in the portions of local economies connected through forward linkages if organic premiums are ignored (all five if organic premiums are included). However, net forward linkage effects are usually much smaller than net backward linkage effects, and on-farm personal income effects are substantially greater than either backward or forward off-farm linkage effects in most cases. The total (on-and off-farm) personal income effect of converting to sustainable systems is positive in only one area without organic premiums, and in one additional area with premiums. The ratio of total to on-farm personal income effects within local economies, considering only first round effects on backward- and forward-linked firms, averages 1.2 without organic premiums, or 0.6 with them. Taking account of more complete multiplier effects, which also consider changes in consumer expenditures and changes in expenditures for supplies by backward- and forward-linked firms, the average is 1.8 without organic premiums, or 0.8 with them. With more time for changes in sustainable production techniques and in the structure of farms and the rural economy, the overall economic effects of conversions to sustainable farming are likely to be more positive than our estimates.
Differential regulation of parvocellular neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus following single vs. repeated episodes of water restriction-induced drinking

Acute activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis releases glucocorticoids to maintain homeostasis, whereas prolonged exposure to elevated glucocorticoids has deleterious effects. Due to the potential benefits of limiting stress-induced glucocorticoid secretion, the present study uses drinking in dehydrated rats as a model to delineate mechanisms mobilized to rapidly inhibit HPA activity during stress. Using Fos expression as an indicator of neuronal activation, the effect of a single or repeated episode of dehydration-induced drinking on the activity of magnocellular and parvocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus was examined. Adult male rats underwent a single episode or repeated (six) episodes of water restriction and were sacrificed before or after drinking water in the AM. Plasma osmolality, vasopressin (AVP), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone were elevated by water restriction and reduced after drinking in both models. Fos expression was elevated in AVP-positive magnocellular PVN neurons and AVP- and corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)-positive parvocellular PVN neurons after water restriction. Fos expression was reduced in magnocellular AVP neurons after both models of restriction-induced drinking. In contrast, Fos expression did not change in AVP and CRH parvocellular neurons after a single episode of restriction-induced drinking, but was reduced after repeated episodes of restriction-induced drinking. These data indicate that drinking-induced decreases in glucocorticoids in dehydrated rats involve multiple factors including reduction in magnocellular release of vasopressin and reduction in parvocellular neuronal activity. The differential inhibition of PVN parvocellular neurons after repeated rehydration may reflect a conditioned response to repeated stress reduction.
Testing theories of quark and lepton masses via B meson physics

Abstract Grand unified theories of quark and lepton masses are used to predict tan β, mt, Vcb, ms, ms/md, mu/md, Vub and the amount of CP violation J. These predictions are presented, together with experiments which will test them.
Inhibition of Laminin-5 Production in Breast Epithelial Cells by Overexpression of p300

The transcriptional coactivator p300 is essential for normal embryonic development and cellular differentiation. We have been studying the role of p300 in the transcription of a variety of genes, and we became interested in the role of this coactivator in the transcription of genes important in breast epithelial cell biology. From MCF-10A cells (spontaneously immortalized, nontransformed human breast epithelial cells), we developed cell lines that stably overexpress p300. These p300-overexpressing cells displayed reduced adhesion to culture dishes and were found to secrete an extracellular matrix deficient in laminin-5. Laminin-5 is the major extracellular matrix component produced by breast epithelium. Immunofluorescence studies, as well as experiments using normal matrix, confirmed that the decreased adhesion of p300-overexpressing cells is due to laminin-5-deficient extracellular matrix and not due to loss of laminin-5 receptors. Northern blots revealed markedly decreased levels of expression of two of the genes (designated LAMA3 andLAMC2) encoding the α3 and γ2 chains of the laminin-5 heterotrimer in the cells that overexpress p300, whereasLAMB3 mRNA, encoding the third or β3 chain of laminin-5, was not markedly reduced. Transient transfection experiments with a vector containing a murine LAMA3 promoter demonstrate that overexpressing p300 down-regulates theLAMA3 promoter. In summary, overexpression of p300 leads to down-regulation of laminin-5 production in breast epithelial cells, resulting in decreased adhesion.
The Synergistic Influence of Light Rail Stations and Zoning on Home Prices

Part of the attraction of modern rail investment is the potential for such investment to influence property values and generate development impacts. The occurrence of such impacts relies upon the existence of land-use policy that permits the desired development. A hedonic price model with interaction terms is used to empirically explore the synergistic impact of proximity to light-rail stations and permissive zoning regulations on home prices in San Diego, CA. The model results provide evidence that the premium value associated with rail proximity is conditional upon permissive zoning regulation. At the same time, it is found that permissive zoning has a harmful influence on home prices except in the area immediately surrounding rail stations.
Identifying Children with Learning Disabilities: A Comparison of Diagnostic Procedures across School Districts.

Diagnostic procedures used to identify children (grades K-6) with learning disabilities in 14 school districts were studied and compared. The degree of uniformity in procedures for initial referral, testing, and diagnostic criteria, as well as differences in the selection of testing instruments by various districts were examined. Information was gathered through individual interviews with school personnel involved in the assessment of learning disabled children within each district. Although some similarities existed between districts, uniformity was lacking in important areas such as test selection, extent of testing, and cutoff scores on intelligence and other tests. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the reliability of diagnoses across districts, as well as their meaning for researchers in the field.
Model-Based Comparison of the Normal and Fontan Circulatory Systems: Part I: Development of a General Purpose, Interactive Cardiovascular Model.

Background:Every year, approximately 1,000 Fontan operations are performed in the United States. Transplant-free, 30-year survival is only 50%. Although some performance characteristics may be universal among Fontan survivors, others may be patient specific and tunable; in either case, a quantitatively rigorous understanding of the Fontan circulatory arrangement would facilitate improvements in patient surveillance and management.Methods:To create a computational model of a normal two-year-old and a two-year-old patient with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) following staged surgical palliations, we extensively modified the lumped parameter model developed by Clark, a multicompartment model of both pulmonary and systemic circulations.Results:With appropriately scaled parameter values, we achieved a maximum relative error (against target values for clinically realistic hemodynamic variables for the normal two-year-old) of 2.8% and an average relative error of 0.9%. Employing the model of a Fontan oper...
Does transcription factor induced pluripotency accurately mimic embryo derived pluripotency

When Takahashi and Yamanaka first demonstrated that just four transcription factors could reprogram a fibroblast to a pluripotent state, the first wave of data to emerge focused on how similar these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were to embryo-derived pluripotent stem cells (ESCs) [1]. The next wave of data focused on determining the degree of difference between iPSCs and ESCs [2]. Now the focus is on tweaking the process to generate iPSCs that are more similar to ESCs [3,4]. Because transcription factor based reprogramming allows for nearly any type of cell to be created from any donor cell, there is obviously enormous interest in this technique as a tool for both basic developmental biology and for clinical applications. In this review, I will attempt to summarize the data that serve to distinguish these types of pluripotent stem cells and speculate on the ramifications of any differences.
Thermodynamic model of staging transformation in intercalated graphite

A simple, thermodynamic model of intercalated graphite which allows for variation of in-plane intercalant density, and takes explicit account of volume variation, is presented. Assuming random occupation of intercalant atoms pressure-temperature-concentration phase diagrams are calculated. The model is capable of explaining pressure-induced staging transformation, the appearance of fractional stage at high pressure, and other experimentally observed effects in alkali-metal-graphite compounds.
Broadband epsilon-near-zero metamaterials with steplike metal-dielectric multilayer structures

The concept of the broadband epsilon-near-zero meta-atom consisting of layered stacks with specified metallic filling ratio and thickness is proposed based on the Bergman spectral representation of the effective permittivity. The steplike metal-dielectric multilayer structures are designed to achieve realistic broadband epsilon-near-zero meta-atoms in optical frequency range. These meta-atoms can be integrated as building blocks for unconventional optical components with exotic electromagnetic properties over a wide frequency range, such as the demonstrated broadband directional emission and phase front shaping.
Tryptophan fluorescence monitors multiple conformational changes required for glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase interdomain signaling and catalysis.

Single tryptophan residues were incorporated into each of three peptide segments that play key roles in the structural transition of ligand-free, inactive glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) amidotransferase to the active enzyme−substrate complex. Intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and fluorescence quenching were used to monitor changes in a phosphoribosyltransferase (PRTase) “flexible loop”, a “glutamine loop”, and a C-terminal helix. Steady state fluorescence changes resulting from substrate binding were used to calculate binding constants and to detect the structural rearrangements that coordinate reactions at active sites for glutamine hydrolysis and PRTase catalysis. Pre-steady state kinetics of enzyme·PRPP and enzyme·PRPP·glutamine complex formation were determined from stopped-flow fluorescence measurements. The kinetics of the formation of the enzyme·PRPP complex were consistent with a model with two or more steps in which rapid equilibrium binding of PRPP is followed by a slow enzyme isom...
Role for antibodies in heterosubtypic immunity: the link between innate and adaptive immunity

Abstract Infection with one serotype of the influenza A virus confers a certain level of heterosubtypic immunity (HSI) to infection with influenza A virus of a different serotype. Effective HSI is thus predicated on prior sensitization of the host, implicating that adaptive immunity plays a vital role. It had been proposed that HSI is mediated by serotype cross-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), but more recent studies suggest a principal role for antibodies (Abs) in HSI. Our results from microarray analysis of gene expression suggest a role for complement (C) in HSI. Accordingly, we found that complement protein C3 is required for induction of antigen-specific Ab responses and subsequent complete HSI. In addition, complement per se may play a role in effector mechanisms in HSI. These findings suggest that both adaptive and innate immunity are required for protective HSI.
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 131I Radioguided Surgical Management of Thyroid Cancer:

Objective. To describe a technique that assists in the surgical management of recurrent local regional well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC).Study Design. Case series with chart review.Setting. Two academic health centers from 2001 to 2009.Subjects and Methods. Patients operated upon by the senior surgeon (BCS) for recurrent WDTC.Results. Thirteen patients with recurrent WDTC were operated upon with radioguided surgical (RGS) technique to indentify recurrence for excision. Eight patients had iodine avid disease and were candidates for RGS with 131I. The remaining 5 patients had cancer with a proven loss of iodine avidity and were, therefore, operated upon with a fluorodeoxygluocose (FDG) RGS technique.Conclusion. RGS is a feasible approach to identify recurrent disease in an operated field and ensure its successful excision. Although focal disease may be identified with this technique, this is not a tool for limited excisions (“berry picking”).