cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A survey of some second-order difference schemes for the steady-state convection-diffusion equation

SUMMARY This paper presents a survey of several finite difference schemes for the steady-state convectiondiffusion equation in one and two dimensions. Most difference schemes have O(h2) truncation error. The behaviour of these schemes on a one-dimensional model problem is analysed in detail, especially for the case when convection dominates diffusion. It is concluded that none of these schemes is universally second order. One recently proposed scheme is found to yield highly inaccurate solutions for the case of practical interest, i.e. when convection dominates diffusion. Extensions to two and three dimensions are also discussed.
Magnetic resonance imaging determination of gliomatosis cerebri

Gliomatosis cerebri is a rare condition characterized by diffuse overgrowth of large portions of the brain and spinal cord by glial cells in varying stages of differentiation. The tumor process is primarily an infiltrative, rather than a destructive one. Hence, pre-operative diagnosis by traditional imaging studies, including computed tomography (CT), has been difficult. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with its unique sensitivity for cerebral pathology, is an ideal modality for demonstrating this lesion. We present three cases of gliomatosis cerebri in which high-field MRI clearly delineates the extent of the pathologic process.
Hyperfine interactions in amorphous Tm-Cu Alloys

Hyperfine interactions in sputtered amorphous TmxCu1−x, with x=0.70, 0.50, and 0.33, have been measured over a temperature range from 1.7 K to room temperature using the Mossbauer effect in169Tm. At low temperatures each spectrum shows a well resolved six-line hyperfine pattern indicative of magnetic order and a superimposed quadrupole doublet. The relative spectral weight of the magnetic component increases with increasing Tm concentration and decreases with increasing temperature. The magnetic component persists at unexpectedly high, temperatures with no decrease in overall splitting and no evidence of electronic relaxation. For all three concentrations, the magnetic splitting is the same as that of Tm metal at low temperatures, nearly the free-ion limit. The electric quadrupole shift of the magnetic component is the same for the three samples, but is significantly less than that of Tm metal (hexagonal) and much larger than that of crystalline TmCu (cubic). The non-magnetic doublets have quadrupole splittings that are very nearly the same for the three concentrations and show considerable asymmetry, a typical effect of electronic relaxation, which persists at temperatures above where the magnetic component disappears.
Forward-propagating surface-enhanced Raman scattering and intensity distribution in photonic crystal fiber with immobilized Ag nanoparticles

A 30 cm long solid-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with immobilized and discrete Ag nanoparticles was used to obtain forward-propagating surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of 2 μM Rhodamine 6G (R6G) aqueous solution filled in the cladding air channels. The intensity distributions of characteristic Raman vibrational bands of silica and R6G in PCF were mapped for the first time to our knowledge by hyperspectral Raman imaging. We show that the measured SERS intensity arises exclusively from the forward-propagating core mode as a result of evanescent-field interaction with R6G in the innermost ring of the cladding air channels.
Realizing cell-like maps in Euclidean space

Abstract Suppose X and Y are locally compact finite dimensional metric spaces and f:X ↠ Y is a map. Then we say that the map f can be realized in Euclidean space of dimension k if there exist closed embeddings g:X → Ek and g :Y → E k and a closed map h: E k ↠ E k such that hg = gf and h|Ek⧹g(X) is a homeomorphism of Ek⧹g(X) onto E k ⧹ g (Y) . Our main result is that closed cell-like maps can be realized. In particular we show, for a closed embedding g:X → En, how to obtain a realization of f for k = n + dim Y + 1. This yields an extension theorem for cell-like maps on closed subsets X of Euclidean space, where we require that the extension be a homeomorphism on the complement of X. Some applications are given in shape theory, the primary of which is that cell-like maps on finite dimensional metric compacta are shape preserving. As a tool, we use the notion of completely regular mappings as applied to upper semicontinuous decompositions of manifolds. Some of the results obtained here may be of interest in their own right.
Characterization of Mammalian Ecm29, a 26 S Proteasome-associated Protein That Localizes to the Nucleus and Membrane Vesicles

In addition to its thirty or so core subunits, a number of accessory proteins associate with the 26 S proteasome presumably to assist in substrate degradation or to localize the enzyme within cells. Among these proteins is ecm29p, a 200-kDa yeast protein that contains numerous HEAT repeats as well as a putative VHS domain. Higher eukaryotes possess a well conserved homolog of yeast ecm29p, and we produced antibodies to three peptides in the human Ecm29 sequence. The antibodies show that Ecm29 is present exclusively on 26 S proteasomes in HeLa cells and that Ecm29 levels vary markedly among mouse organs. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy localizes Ecm29 to the centrosome and a subset of secretory compartments including endosomes, the ER and the ERGIC. Ecm29 is up-regulated 2-3-fold in toxinresistant mutant CHO cells exhibiting increased rates of ER-associated degradation. Based on these results we propose that Ecm29 serves to couple the 26 S proteasome to secretory compartments engaged in quality control and to other sites of enhanced proteolysis.
A scanning electron microscope study of the surface features of HeLa S3 suspension-culture cells treated with methylmercury(II).

HeLa S3 suspension-culture cells were exposed for 12 hr to varied concentrations of CH3Hg(II) and the changes in their surface features that accompany the exposure observed with the aid of a scanning electron microscope. Also investigated in the presence of CH3Hg(II) was the cells' ability to incorporate suitable radioactive-labeled precursors into DNA, RNA, and protein and to prevent trypan blue stain from entering the cell interior. Investigated further was the cells' ability to recover from the effects of the methylmercury treatment once the chemical had been removed from the medium. The results show that suitable concentrations of CH3Hg(II), within a narrow range, inhibit intracellular DNA, RNA, and protein syntheses abruptly, followed as abruptly by a decline in cell viability. At the ultrastructural level, the metabolic inhibition is characterized by extensive cellular “bubbling,” yielding a multitude of cellular shapes and surface structures, by the thinning out and ultimate disappearance of microvilli, and, in cell death, by a seeming collapse of the exoplasmic bubbles due, presumably, to osmotic shock. At CH3Hg(II) concentrations below a certain threshold, the cells recover completely as shown by a rate of precursor incorporation and by surface features that are both indistinguishable from those of the control. In general, the surface features of the cells are considerably more sensitive towards the effects of the methylmercury treatment than are, for instance, intracellular activities such as DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis.
WHAT THE OCCULT REVEALS

Where does occultism fit on the map of modernity? Frank Miller Turner proposed an intriguing answer in his 1974 study Between Science and Religion: The Reaction to Scientific Naturalism in Late Victorian England . The book examined the lives and struggles of six Victorian men: the philosophers Henry Sidgwick and James Ward, the scientists Alfred Russel Wallace and George John Romanes, and the writers Frederic W. H. Myers and Samuel Butler. Of the six, three cultivated a serious and sustained interest in the occult. Sidgwick and Myers engaged in psychical research, while Wallace immersed himself in phrenology and spiritualism. Raised as Christians, all of them came to find Christian belief inadequate. Yet the scientific naturalism that might have provided an alternative pole for their allegiance, that was the alternative pole of allegiance for much of their generation, failed to entice them. All had ethical qualms about its refusal to comment on God's existence or on life after death. All, too, wondered about the soul and bemoaned the reluctance of scientists to investigate the immaterial and subjective aspects of human nature. Caught between the Christianity of their upbringing and the scientific naturalism of their adulthood, Turner argued, these men “came to dwell between the science that beckoned them and the religion they had forsaken.”
Selective extractability of noncollagenous proteins from chicken bone

Quantitative analyses of a wide variety of different solvents used for the extraction of several of the noncollagenous proteins of fully mineralized chicken bone powder were carried out to compare both the effectiveness of various procedures and the distribution of specific proteins which were solubilized. Extraction procedures included solutions of 6 M guanidine-HCl, pH 7.0, 0.5 M EDTA, pH 7.4, 0.3 N citric acid, 0.3 N HCl, 0.3 N formic acid, and 0.3 N acetic acid. Chelation of calcium ions by EDTA and dissolution of the mineral phase by acid extraction released 95% or more of the total calcium content of the bone powder by 48 hours, guanidine-HCl released less than 20% or less of the total calcium content even when extraction was carried out by 168 hours. Moreover, although guanidine-HCl solubilized a significant amount of collagen as gelatin, essentially none of the phosphoproteins, osteocalcin, or the proteoglycan decorin were solubilized, as detected by immunological techniques. In contrast, extraction of the mineralized bone powder by HCl and formic acid was very efficient in selectively solubilizing osteocalcin and osteopontin, while bone sialoprotein was selectively released by EDTA, and solubilized to a lesser extent by formic acid. Similarly, EDTA selectively removed decorin compared with HCl, formic, acetic, or citric acids. Only small amounts of osteopontin and osteocalcin were detected in the acetic acid extracts. These results provide methods for the selective solubilization of several different major, noncollagenous proteins from mineralized bone which should significantly aid in maximizing the amount of the specific protein recovered, and the ease with which the various proteins can be purified. The data also provide some insight into the intrinsic solubility characteristics of collaten, the specific noncollagenous proteins, and their potential association with each other and the mineral phase.
Emergent Conformational Preferences of a Self-Assembling Small Molecule: Structure and Dynamics in a Tetrameric Capsule

Herein we report the synthesis of a molecule that self-organizes through hydrogen bonds into discrete tetrameric capsular species, encapsulating large polycyclic guest molecules. The unique folded structure of the assembled state is determined by correlation spectroscopy in conjunction with molecular modeling. Pendant methoxyl groups are essential for the assembly process and convey their influence through both electronic pathways and surface interactions. Spin polarization transfer experiments show that the capsule undergoes rapid guest-exchange processes while being itself kinetically stable at elevated temperatures.
The effect of medroxyprogesterone on cells of the pituitary pars distalis.

The action of medroxyprogesterone (MAP) on the pituitary par distalis was studied in young female rats receiving doses twice daily ranging from 0.5-1.5 mg/100 g body weight (b.w.) for 14-28 days. Pituitary glands were stained with aledhyde fuchsin and Masson and differential cell counts were done. Immunochemical staining of sections taken from various regions of the gland were made with peroxidase-labeled antibody procedure used with rabbit antisera for rat prolactin human growth hormone porcine corticotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin. Due to questionable specificity of anti-HCG for LH these cells were called gonadotropic cells. MAP had no effect on weight of the body or thyroid glands but reduced the weight of the hypophysis adrenals ovaries and uterus. Treatment of 4 weeks or greater caused marked degranulation and reduction in size of prolactin cells; 0.5 mg/100 g b. w. was as effective as 1.5 mg/100 g b. w. Growth hormone cells were enlarged to a greater extent at the higher dose. Percentage increase of number of growth hormone cells (1.5 mg dose) at 4 weeks compared to controls was significant (p less than 0.01). Effect on gonadotropic cells was less clear: their numbers were reduced in the central and medial areas of the lateral lobes but many were enlarged and more intensly stained than controls. Corticotropic cells were not affected significantly. Conflicting results with earlier studies suggest differences in cells identified as prolactin cells and in the amount of progestational activity exerted by the compounds used. A brief comparison is made to norethynodrel.
Feasibility of using natural zeolites to remove sodium from coal bed methane-produced water

Coal bed methane (CBM) is naturally occurring methane, contained in coal seams saturated with water. In order to extract the CBM, large quantities of water must be pumped from the coal seams. CBM water, produced in some areas of New Mexico, contains low total dissolved solids, which can potentially be used for rangeland irrigation. The water, however, has a high sodium adsorption ratio, which can result in severe deterioration of soil permeability with repeated irrigation. The St. Cloud zeolites exhibit a low selectivity of Na+ over Ca2+ (Vanselow selectivity coefficients of 0.26 and usable Na+ exchange capacity of 0.1 meq∕g ) at the ionic strength of Na+ -laden CBM waters (0.035 M) . Nevertheless, given the availability and low cost of natural zeolites, ion exchange experiments were conducted using packed columns to estimate a treatment cost. The operation and maintenance cost of the zeolite system was estimated to be about $3 per barrel (one barrel =159 liters) compared with $0.75–$4∕bbl for deep well i...
A Balloonborne Instrument for the Measurement of Vertical Profiles of Supercooled Liquid Water Concentration.

Abstract A vibrating wire placed in the humidity duct of a standard U.S. rawinsonde is used to measure vertical profiles of the concentration of supercooled liquid water in clouds. The natural frequency of vibration varies according to the mass of ice accumulated by contact freezing. By monitoring the natural frequency and the airspeed relative to the wire, the supercooled liquid water concentration can be found. Suitable electronics are developed for both individual expendable rawinsonde units and a ground-based receiver so that the vibration frequency can be recorded. Calibration of the frequency change versus mass accumulation is done theoretically along with measurements made in a wind tunnel with supercooled water present. Further verification is found by the use of paint, uniformly sprayed on the “upwind” side of an exposed wire. For exposition of the instrument, a sample sounding is described.
A porcine epistaxis model: hemostatic effects of octylcyanoacrylate

OBJECTIVE: To develop a standardized porcine epistaxis model and evaluate the hemostatic effects of octyl-cyanoacrylate (OCA).STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Twenty-four standardized full-thickness wound...
Utility of the Demand Character Concept: Its Application to the Results of the Allen and Potkay AGT-Significant Events Study.

(1979). Utility of the Demand Character Concept: Its Application to the Results of the Allen and Potkay AGT-Significant Events Study. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 108, No. 1, pp. 133-134.
Separation of catalase from phenylalanine hydroxylase: Use of a Sepharose anti-catalase IgG affinity matrix

Summary A recently described purification of rat-liver phenylalanine hydroxylase ( S. Webber and J. M. Whiteley (1980) Anal. Biochem. 106, 63–72) required 0.04 mg/ml catalase to protect the enzyme during purification. To determine certain physical properties of the hydroxylase it was necessary to remove the catalase, therefore this report describes the synthesis of a rabbit IgG anti-catalase Sepharose matrix containing 34 mg IgG/g dry Sepharose, which was used for the efficient extraction of the catalase contaminant. Enzymatic activity was retained after catalase removal by employing 0.01 M tris(hydroxymethyl)methylaminopropane sulfonic acid, 0.1 M sodium chloride, 0.1% Triton X-100, 50 μM EDTA, and 15% glycerol at pH 8.5 as the storage buffer.
Can the local enzyme scaffold act as an H-donor for a Co(I)H bond formation? The curious case of methionine synthase-bound cob(I)alamin.

Abstract The density functional calculations and analysis of the existing X-ray crystallographic data have been carried out to gain mechanistic insight into the reactivation cycle of methionine synthase (MetH) enzyme. The calculations were carried out on the cobinamide-type model complexes of cob(I)alamin (Co(I)Cbx) testing H2O and PhOH as possible β-axial ligands. The PhOH motif was used to mimic the tyrosine (Y1139) residue that has been found in the active site of the MetH-bound cob(II)alamin (Co(II)Cbx). The calculations indicate that the β-axial PhOH ligand forms stronger Co(I) H bonds than H2O ligand due to its better H-donor capacity. The calculated redox tuning of Co(I) H interactions on the reduction potential of Co(II)/Co(I) couple (60–800 mV vs standard hydrogen electrode (SHE)), irrespective of the β-axial ligand considered, is significantly higher than the biological redox gap between the reduction potential of Co(II)/Co(I) couple and that of the biological reducing agents (50 mV vs SHE). The analysis of existing crystallographic data for the reactivation conformation of MetH enzyme ( 1K7Y (@3.0 A); 1K98 (@3.8 A) and 3IVA (@2.7 A)) indicates that the Y1139 residue and the β-axial H2O ligand in the MetH-bound Co(II)Cbx complex are equidistant from the Co(II) ion (Y1139 Co(II) = 3.97 A; H2O Co(II) = 3.96 A). Taking into account that the Y1139-induced Co(I) H linkages are thermodynamically more stable than the H2O-induced ones, the present calculations suggest that the Y1139 residue may serve as the β-axial ligand in the reactivation conformation of MetH enzyme.
Use of the Avance® NPWT system: wound care and learning disabilities

Over the past two decades, topical negative pressure wound therapy has gained wide acceptance as a genuine strategy in the treatment algorithm for a wide variety of acute and chronic wounds (Bovill et al, 2008) and over 1000 peer-reviewed publications describing the clinical efficacy and safety of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for all wound types have been published over this period (Vig et al, 2011). Wound care and learning disabilities are very rarely discussed as joint issues. This case study aims to highlight the successful use of topical NPWT on a patient with moderate learning disabilities and examines how wound management should be individualised to meet the needs of the patient.
Directing NGF's actions: it's a Rap.

Epidermal growth factor and nerve growth factor (NGF) lead to significantly different temporal patterns of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase activation, and differential regulation of Ras and Rap1 have been implicated in mediating this temporal specificity. Now Sasagawa et al. derive a computational model that incorporates the known signalling interactions and identifies key points of regulation that control these processes.
Standardized treatment planning for high dose rate vaginal cuff brachytherapy

The purpose of this study was to establish the efficacy of standardized treatment planning for high dose rate (HDR) vaginal cuff brachytherapy in order to simplify and shorten the brachytherapy procedure. Two separate but related studies are presented. The first examined the reproducibility of treatment planning by assessing interoperator variability. This provided a baseline assessment of variability to evaluate standardized treatment planning in the second study. The second study examined interpatient variability in which the treatment plans of 20 patients were investigated by two different treatment methods. The first method used the dosimetry of the first insertion for the next insertion, while the other method utilized a standardized plan for all insertions dependent upon ovoid size. The dose was prescribed to the vaginal surface using either applicator points or dose points. Based on multiple calculations, a graph of distance vs. dose was generated to determine the dose to the bladder and rectum for a given implant. In the first study, interoperator variability was acceptable with a standard deviation of 0.4% of the prescribed dose using dose points for the worst case. Applicator points were less reproducible with a worst-case standard deviation of 2.1% of the prescribed dose. In the second study, implementing initial dosimetric plans for the second implant for an individual patient yielded a worst-case standard deviation of 2.4% of the prescribed dose. The use of standardized treatment plans for all implants was also efficacious with a worst-case standard deviation of 1.7% of the prescribed dose. Treatment plans were always more reproducible when calculated to dose points rather than applicator points. Analysis of maximum bladder and rectal doses provided acceptable late tissue doses as predicted by the linear quadratic model. In conclusion, standardized dosimetry plans for vaginal cuff insertion are feasible and reliable in producing precise delivery of vaginal surface doses. The use of dose vs. distance curves facilitates rapid planning by providing a close approximation of the maximum bladder and rectal doses. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Taste/taste potentiation as a function of age and stimulus intensity

Bouton, Dunlap, and Swartzentruber (1987) and Davis, Best, and Grover (1988) have shown that the aversion conditioned to a target taste can be enhanced or potentiated by the presence of a second taste during the conditioning episode. In the present experiment, groups of young (80-day-old) and old (150-day-old) rats were exposed to a CS composed of one or two tastes, respectively, prior to lithium-induced toxicosis. The results indicated that taste potentiation was shown by the younger subjects only when weaker fluid concentrations were employed. However, the effect was shown by the older animals under both weak and strong concentrations.
Inherited dysgammaglobulinemia of chickens: reduced incidence of disease in parabiotic chimeras.

Abstract University of California, Davis (UCD) line 140 chickens develop a dysgammaglobulinemia characterized as selective 7S immunoglobulin (Ig) deficiency with elevated serum IgM levels. To study the role of bursal development on the expression of dysgammaglobulinemia in these birds, we examined the effect of bursacyte transfer to line 140 birds and parabiosis between UCD 140 and a control line of chickens on changes in serm IgM and 7S Ig levels. Bursacyte transfer was performed by injecting 18-day UCD 140 embryos (which had been cyclophosphamide treated on Day 15) with bursacytes from major histocompatability complex B-matched control line (11 × 58) F 1 birds. This transfer produced little change in the incidence of dysgammaglobulinemia in UCD 140 transfer birds (56%) compared to unmanipulated line 140 birds (60%). These data reflect a failure of line 140, rather than technique, because successful reconstitution was seen using line 11 × 58 birds injected with 11 × 58 bursacytes. In contrast, the generation of UCD 140/line 11 × 58 chimeras significantly reduced the incidence of dysgammaglobulinemia in line UCD birds. Indeed, fusion of the chorioallantoic vascular system (parabiosis) of UCD 140 and 11 × 58 embryos on Day 15 decreased the frequency of dysgammaglobulinemia of UCD 140 parabionts to 14% compared to 66% in unmanipulated line 140 controls. The success of parabiosis was 83% as determined by demonstrating chimerism with allogeneic blood groups. Moreover, the frequency of dysgammaglobulinemia in the 17% of parabionts that did not reveal chimerism was similar to unmanipulated UCD 140 chickens.
Transit of Rat Uterine Stromal Cells through G1 Phase of the Cell Cycle Requires Temporal and Cell-Specific Hormone-Dependent Changes on Cell Cycle Regulators

Progesterone pretreatment increases the number of synchronously proliferating stromal cells in the ovariectomized rat uterus, but estrogen is necessary to stimulate reentry into the cell cycle. To investigate the mechanisms underlying differential hormone actions, sexually mature ovariectomized rats were injected with progesterone (2 mg) for three consecutive days. Estradiol 17-β (0.6 μg) was administered to initiate cell proliferation. Uterine samples were collected at timed intervals. Cell entry into DNA replication was monitored by injecting 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (1 mg/100 g body weight) 2 h before necropsy. Demicolchicine (400 μg) was injected 30 min before necropsy to assess transit into M phase. Temporal progress through G1 was determined by spatial changes in cyclin D1/D3 proteins. Total cyclin D1/D3 protein and mRNA was measured by Western and Northern blotting. Estrogen increased the number of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine-positive stromal cells (P < 0.05), compared with the number in rats treated wi...
A DFT/TDDFT Study of Group 4A Metal Porphyrins

Electronic structure, molecular structure, and electronic spectra for unligated and ligated Group 4A metal porphines MP and MP(C1)2, M = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb are investigated in detail using a DFT/TDDFT method. All the divalent MP's, including SiP and GeP, are non-planar with the metal atom considerably out of the porphyrin plane. Each MP has a closed-shell (3a1)2 ground state, but the HOMO 3a1 is not a metal-npz orbital as proposed in the literature based on the EHMO results. For PbP the HOMO (3a1) is almost made up of the porphyrin 2a2u orbital, which accounts for the fact that PbP undergoes initial oxidation at the ring. For the second oxidation step of [PbP]+ → [PbP]2+, the electron is removed initially from the HOMO, and then an internal redistribution of electrons takes place, i.e. two electrons transfer from the metal to the ring: Pb11 → PbIV. According to the TDDFT results, the 3a1 → π∗ transition has the lowest excitation energy; the B1 and B2 bands assigned early in the experimental spectra of SnII an...
Effects of age on the neural correlates of retrieval cue processing are modulated by task demands

The electrophysiological correlates of retrieval orientation-the differential processing of retrieval cues according to the nature of the sought-for information-were investigated in healthy young (18-20 years old) and older (63-77 years old) adults. In one pair of study-test cycles, subjects studied either words or pictures presented in one of two visually distinct contexts, and then performed a yes/no recognition task with words as test items. In another pair of study-test cycles, subjects again made recognition judgments, but were required, in addition, to signal the study context for each item judged "old." Young subjects' event-related potentials (ERPs) for new (unstudied) test items were more negative-going when the study material was pictures rather than words, and this effect varied little between the two retrieval tasks. Replicating a previous report [Morcom, A. M., & Rugg, M. D. Effects of age on retrieval cue processing as revealed by ERPs. Neuropsychologia,42, 1525-1542, 2004], the effects of study material on the ERPs of the older subjects were attenuated and statistically nonsignificant in the recognition task. In the source retrieval task, however, material effects in the older group were comparable in both onset latency and magnitude with those of the young subjects. Thus, the failure of older adults to demonstrate differential cue processing in tests of recognition memory likely reflects the adoption of a specific retrieval strategy rather than the incapacity to process retrieval cues in a goal-directed manner.
Fish and Wildlife Contingency Planning for Oil Spills: The Need for A National Wildlife Plan1

ABSTRACT If responders believe preplanning will help them become more successful during an oil spill, a recent survey shows that they are not very successful at wildlife protection and response preplanning in Area Contingency Plans (ACPs), at least here on the Atlantic Coast. Wildlife planners in a few states, such as California and Alaska, have committed considerable resources to develop statewide goals, best practices, and standards for wildlife planning and have also described tactical implementation for wildlife protection. In most areas of the United States, however, planning for protection and rehabilitation of wildlife is limited to listing the name and phone number of the regional wildlife volunteer organization. How is “success” achieved for wildlife protection and rehabilitation? Wildlife Resource Management Agencies have a responsibility to support the ACP planning process as well as to tell industry what they expect them to accomplish during an oil spill. Without goals and some tangible defini...
Physical and biological controls on trace gas fluxes in semi-arid urban ephemeral waterways

Rapid increases in human population and land transformation in arid and semi-arid regions are altering water, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles, yet little is known about how urban ephemeral stream channels in these regions affect biogeochemistry and trace gas fluxes. To address these knowledge gaps, we measured carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) before and after soil wetting in 16 ephemeral stream channels that vary in soil texture and organic matter in Tucson, AZ. Fluxes of CO2 and N2O immediately following wetting were among the highest ever published (up to 1,588 mg C m−2 h−1 and 3,121 μg N m−2 h−1). Mean post-wetting CO2 and N2O fluxes were significantly higher in the loam and sandy loam channels (286 and 194 mg C m−2 h−1; 168 and 187 μg N m−2 h−1) than in the sand channels (45 mg C m−2 h−1 and 7 μg N m−2 h−1). Factor analyses show that the effect of soil moisture, soil C and soil N on trace gas fluxes varied with soil texture. In the coarser sandy sites, trace gas fluxes were primarily controlled by soil moisture via physical displacement of soil gases and by organic soil C and N limitations on biotic processes. In the finer sandy loam sites trace gas fluxes and N-processing were primarily limited by soil moisture, soil organic C and soil N resources. In the loam sites, finer soil texture and higher soil organic C and N enhance soil moisture retention allowing for more biologically favorable antecedent conditions. Variable redox states appeared to develop in the finer textured soils resulting in wide ranging trace gas flux rates following wetting. These findings indicate that urban ephemeral channels are biogeochemical hotspots that can have a profound impact on urban C and N biogeochemical cycling pathways and subsequently alter the quality of localized water resources.
Thermo-mechanical properties of silicon, germanium, diamond, beryllium and silicon carbide for high heat load x-ray optics applications

Increased thermal power of the x-ray beams produced at synchrotron radiation facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory requires improvements in the thermal management of the components with which the beams interact. Crystals of silicon, germanium, diamond, beryllium, and silicon carbide are important substrate materials in this regard. Accurate physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of these materials, especially at cryogenic temperatures, are needed in the analysis and design of high heat load x-ray components. In this paper, we present a collection of the relevant data, and include curve fits, when possible, for ease of use in the analysis.
Modeling the effects of cold‐dense and hot‐tenuous plasma sheet on proton ring current energy and peak location

[1] We have run kinetic ring current simulations with different plasma boundary conditions, but preserving a constant plasma pressure, during a “test” time interval conducive to a storm. Although the energy density of the injected plasma is kept constant, the resulting proton ring current energy is significantly increased as the injected plasma is colder and denser. Investigation of the separate effects of density and temperature shows that (1) ring current strength is primarily controlled by density, and that (2) colder plasma leads to a ring current peak closer to Earth and to midnight, but density has no effect. While cold plasma may convect deeper inside the ring current region, hotter plasma is more subject to magnetic drifts and quickly drifts toward dusk with lower energization. These results support the idea that the presence of cold and dense plasma in the magnetotail may lead to increased ring current during an ensuing storm.
Constructing Energy Efficiency: Rethinking and Redesigning the Architectural Detail

AbstractEnergy-efficient building design, especially in residential construction, strongly relies on thermophysical properties of the building envelope and its materials. With increasing insulation values in construction practice, the focus turns to the prevention of thermal bridging as well as airtight construction to reduce unwanted heat transfer through the envelope. The building envelope serves multiple functions apart from heat retention that are tied to structure, safety, and visual appeal or aesthetics; and the stakeholders in the design and construction process all have different decision criteria. Supported by disciplinary education separating engineering and architecture and based on the dogma of Modern Architecture, most contemporary architects consider slender details and clear separation of architectural elements to be intrinsic to good architectural design thinking. The engineer involved in the design of the HVAC systems considers the envelope as the basis for the load calculation, whereas t...
An untold story of middleboxes in cellular networks

The use of cellular data networks is increasingly popular as network coverage becomes more ubiquitous and many diverse user-contributed mobile applications become available. The growing cellular traffic demand means that cellular network carriers are facing greater challenges to provide users with good network performance and energy efficiency, while protecting networks from potential attacks. To better utilize their limited network resources while securing the network and protecting client devices the carriers have already deployed various network policies that influence traffic behavior. Today, these policies are mostly opaque, though they directly impact application designs and may even introduce network vulnerabilities.We present NetPiculet, the first tool that unveils carriers' NAT and firewall policies by conducting intelligent measurement. By running NetPiculet on the major U.S. cellular providers as well as deploying it as a smartphone application in the wild covering more than 100 cellular ISPs, we identified the key NAT and firewall policies which have direct implications on performance, energy, and security. For example, NAT boxes and firewalls set timeouts for idle TCP connections, which sometimes cause significant energy waste on mobile devices. Although most carriers today deploy sophisticated firewalls, they are still vulnerable to various attacks such as battery draining and denial of service. These findings can inform developers in optimizing the interaction between mobile applications and cellular networks and also guide carriers in improving their network configurations.
A rationale for combination therapy in risk factor management: a mechanistic perspective

Endothelial dysfunction contributes to mechanisms of atherogenesis and its clinical manifestations, including coronary heart disease. Cardiovascular risk factors have been linked directly to a loss of endothelial function, such as endothelium-dependent nitric oxide (NO) release, resulting in abnormal vasodilation in response to various stimuli. There is evidence that multiple risk factors, including hypertension and hyperlipidemia, lead to a synergistic effect on endothelial dysfunction, likely through oxidative stress mechanisms. Damage to the endothelium leads to reduced NO bioavailability and facilitates vessel wall permeability to low-density lipoprotein. Certain agents, including the antihypertensive drug amlodipine and the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) atorvastatin, are known to influence endothelial function and NO bioavailability directly; these properties may contribute to clinical benefits. Recent experimental evidence at the cellular level indicates that these agents stimulate NO release from human endothelial cells in a highly synergistic fashion. The clinical implications of these observations are discussed in this article in the context of cardiovascular risk factor management strategies.
The place of Chabacano in the Philippine linguistic profile

This study explores the nature of Chabacano (Philippine creole Spanish) within the Philippine linguistic profile. After describing the current status of Chabacano and Spanish in the Philippines, attention is turned toward historical documentation, and the considerable ambiguity surrounding the status of earlier attestations as examples of Spanish as spoken by Filipinos, a Spanish-based servants’ pidgin, or a true creole language. Focusing on Zamboangueno, it is proposed that this Chabacano variety and possibly the Manila Bay (Cavite and Ternate) varieties as well arose gradually, as the common denominator of several Philippine languages brought together in military garrisons and trade settings. These Philippine languages had already absorbed such a high proportion of Spanish lexical items that the resulting creole language could be readily understood by speakers of a broad crosssection of Philippine languages. Chabacano later received additional accretions from Spanish as the creole dialects became stabilized in urban environments and, in Zamboanga, increasingly absorbed lexical and structural elements from neighboring Visayan languages. Thus the relationship between Chabacano and its substrate languages is somewhat different than in prototypical creolization scenarios.
Structural Communication and Control Communication: An Interactionist Perspective on Legal and Customary Procedures for Conflict Management

Law and other modes of conflict control are defined processually by the interaction of control communication and structural communication. Communication produces social order through both substantive and formal ordering processes, and control communication systems of various kinds impose forms of order congruent with their own inherent formal and substantive natures upon the structural communication subject to their operations.
RUMR: robust scheduling for divisible workloads

Divisible workload applications arise in many fields of science and engineering. They can be parallelized in master-worker fashion and relevant scheduling strategies have been proposed to reduce application markspan. Our goal is to developed a practical divisible workload scheduling strategy. This requires that previous work be revisited as several usual assumptions about the computing platform do not hold in practice. We have partially addressed this concern in a previous paper via an algorithm that achieves high performance with realistic resource latency models. In this paper we extend our approach to account for performance prediction errors, which are expected for most real-world performance and applications. In essence, we combine ideas from multiround divisible workload scheduling, for performance, and from factoring-based scheduling, for robustness. We present simulation results to quantify the benefits of our approach compared to our original algorithm and to other previously proposed algorithms.
A V3 Loop-Dependent gp120 Element Disrupted by CD4 Binding Stabilizes the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Trimer

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) entry into cells is mediated by a trimeric complex consisting of noncovalently associated gp120 (exterior) and gp41 (transmembrane) envelope glycoproteins. The binding of gp120 to receptors on the target cell alters the gp120-gp41 relationship and activates the membrane-fusing capacity of gp41. Interaction of gp120 with the primary receptor, CD4, results in the exposure of the gp120 third variable (V3) loop, which contributes to binding the CCR5 or CXCR4 chemokine receptors. We show here that insertions in the V3 stem or polar substitutions in a conserved hydrophobic patch near the V3 tip result in decreased gp120-gp41 association (in the unliganded state) and decreased chemokine receptor binding (in the CD4-bound state). Subunit association and syncytium-forming ability of the envelope glycoproteins from primary HIV-1 isolates were disrupted more by V3 changes than those of laboratory-adapted HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins. Changes in the gp120 β2, β19, β20, and β21 strands, which evidence suggests are proximal to the V3 loop in unliganded gp120, also resulted in decreased gp120-gp41 association. Thus, a gp120 element composed of the V3 loop and adjacent beta strands contributes to quaternary interactions that stabilize the unliganded trimer. CD4 binding dismantles this element, altering the gp120-gp41 relationship and rendering the hydrophobic patch in the V3 tip available for chemokine receptor binding.
Bayesian image reconstruction in SPECT: correction for photon attenuation and spatial resolution

A novel method based on a Bayesian model has been developed for SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) image reconstruction. This model uses a Poisson noise model with a priori information, introduces line sites with continuous values, and incorporates the effects of depth-dependent photon attenuation and point spread function to improve the image quality. Images reconstructed by means of this extended Bayesian approach exhibit improved signal-to-noise ratio and better reconstructed resolution than those produced by other methods. In general, the extended Bayesian approach improves the residual root mean square errors and the image contrast values of the image by about 10 to 40% over those obtained with other algorithms. >
Hadamard Instability and Frozen Coefficients

In this chapter, we are going to do a stability study of a special type in which we look for short wave instabilities with growth rates that increase without bound as the wave length tends to zero. Such instabilities are a catastrophe for numerical analysis; the finer the mesh, the worse the result.
The high-throughput protein sample production platform of the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium

We describe the core Protein Production Platform of the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) and outline the strategies used for producing high-quality protein samples. The platform is centered on the cloning, expression and purification of 6X-His-tagged proteins using T7-based Escherichia coli systems. The 6X-His tag allows for similar purification procedures for most targets and implementation of high-throughput (HTP) parallel methods. In most cases, the 6X-His-tagged proteins are sufficiently purified (>97% homogeneity) using a HTP two-step purification protocol for most structural studies. Using this platform, the open reading frames of over 16,000 different targeted proteins (or domains) have been cloned as >26,000 constructs. Over the past 10 years, more than 16,000 of these expressed protein, and more than 4400 proteins (or domains) have been purified to homogeneity in tens of milligram quantities (see Summary Statistics, http://nesg.org/statistics.html). Using these samples, the NESG has deposited more than 900 new protein structures to the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The methods described here are effective in producing eukaryotic and prokaryotic protein samples in E. coli. This paper summarizes some of the updates made to the protein production pipeline in the last 5 years, corresponding to phase 2 of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI-2) project. The NESG Protein Production Platform is suitable for implementation in a large individual laboratory or by a small group of collaborating investigators. These advanced automated and/or parallel cloning, expression, purification, and biophysical screening technologies are of broad value to the structural biology, functional proteomics, and structural genomics communities.
Fullerene-based antioxidants and neurodegenerative disorders.

Water-soluble derivatives of buckminsterfullerene (C60) derivatives are a unique class of compounds with potent antioxidant properties. Studies on one class of these compounds, the malonic acid C60 derivatives (carboxyfullerenes), indicated that they are capable of eliminating both superoxide anion and H2O2, and were effective inhibitors of lipid peroxidation, as well. Carboxyfullerenes demonstrated robust neuroprotection against excitotoxic, apoptotic and metabolic insults in cortical cell cultures. They were also capable of rescuing mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons from both MPP 1 and 6-hydroxydopamine-induced degeneration. Although there is limited in vivo data on these compounds to date, we have previously reported that systemic administration of the C3 carboxyfullerene isomer delayed motor deterioration and death in a mouse model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). Ongoing studies in other animal models of CNS disease states suggest that these novel antioxidants are potential neuroprotective agents for other neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volar locking-plate and Kirschner-wire fixation did not differ in terms of functional outcomes after dorsally displaced distal radial fracture.

Costa ML, Achten J, Parsons NR, Rangan A, Griffin D, Tubeuf S, Lamb SE; DRAFFT Study Group. Percutaneous Fixation with Kirschner Wires Versus Volar Locking Plate Fixation in Adults with Dorsally Displaced Fracture of Distal Radius: Randomised Controlled Trial. BMJ. 2014 Aug 5;349:g4807. ### Question: In patients with a dorsally displaced fracture of the distal part of the radius, how does volar locking-plate fixation compare with Kirschner-wire fixation? ### Design: Randomized (allocation concealed), blinded (data collectors and outcome assessors), controlled trial with twelve months of follow-up (Distal Radius Acute Fracture Fixation Trial [DRAFFT]). ### Setting: 18 centers in the United Kingdom. ### Patients: 461 patients ≥18 years of age (mean age, 59 years; 84% women) who had a dorsally displaced fracture of the distal part of the radius within 3 cm of the radiocarpal joint in the past 2 weeks. Exclusion criteria were a fracture extending >3 cm from the radiocarpal joint, open fracture, inability of the fracture to be reduced with indirect techniques, or contraindication to anesthesia. 416 patients (90%) completed follow-up. ### Intervention: Patients were allocated to volar locking-plate fixation (n = 231) or Kirschner-wire fixation (n = 230). Locking-plate fixation involved an incision over the volar …