cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fourier Transform Infrared Study of A C18 Modified Quartz Surface

Abstract In reversed-phase liquid chromatography the separation mechanism depends on the solute-stationary phase and solute-solvent interactions. These interactions can be studied under near-normal chromatographic conditions by total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) spectroscopy. Quartz crystals chemically modified with n-octadecyl-substituted-silanes, which are common derivatizing reagents used to modify chromatographic surfaces, can be used as a model stationary phase in TIRF studies. To facilitate study of the separation mechanisms using TIRF, surfaces of quartz crystals were chemically modified with silylating reagents and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Susceptibility tests of the modified surfaces were performed using protic and aprotic solvents. Siloxane bonds were formed, between the reagent and the quartz surface, at high reaction temperature in the absence of any solvent. Siloxane bond formation in the presence of organic solvent at room temperature was o...
The actions of tetraethylammonium on dispersed acini from guinea pig pancreas.

Abstract In dispersed acini from guinea pig pancreas, replacing extracellular sodium by tetraethylammonium (1) abolished carbamylcholine-stimulated amylase secretion but did not alter the increase in amylase secretion caused by the C-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin, bombesin, ionophore A23187, vasoactive intestinal peptide or 8-bromoadenosine 3′:5′ monophosphate, (2) caused a parallel rightward shift in the dose-response curve for carbamylcholine-stimulated amylase secretion and (3) inhibited binding of N-[ 3 H]methyl scopolamine to muscarinic cholinergic receptors. Detectable inhibition of carbamylcholine-stimulated amylase secretion and binding of N-[ 3 H]methyl scopolamine occurred with 300 μM tetraethylammonium, and half-maximal inhibition of these functions occurred with 1–2 mM tetraethylammonium. Replacing extracellular sodium by Tris did not alter the stimulation of enzyme secretion caused by any secretagogue tested. These results indicate that the tetraethylammonium is a muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist and that enzyme secretion from pancreatic acini does not depend on extracellular sodium.
La Psicología Positiva: Investigación y aplicaciones

Construir y mantener una buena vida son objetivos compartidos por todos los individuos y sociedades. La buena vida es feliz, saludable, productiva y con significado, e implica mas que la mera ausencia de enfermedades, trastornos y problemas. Los enfoques tradicionales de la psicologia se centran principalmente en identificar y reducir los problemas. Esos enfoques son utiles hasta cierto punto, pero muestran limitaciones al abordar la cuestion de como construir y mantener una buena vida, lo cual requiere capacidades y condiciones adicionales. Resulta por tanto necesario un nuevo tipo de ciencia y practica que amplie y complemente los enfoques centrados en los problemas y el nuevo campo de la psicologia positiva tiene el potencial para cubrir esta necesidad. En este articulo, ofrecemos una descripcion de la psicologia positiva, sus conceptos principales, los resultados de las investigaciones actuales y las implicaciones practicas para la construccion de una buena vida.
Closure of the pelvic and perineal wounds after removal of the rectum and anus.

Between January 1975 and July 1977, 26 patients, who underwent combined synchronous removal of the rectum and anus, were managed within guidelines aimed at achieving primary closure and healing of their operative wounds. The guidelines include preoperative mechanical and luminal antibiotic bowel preparation, perioperative systemic chemoprophylaxis, a combined synchronous ablative procedure in Lloyd-Davies position, short-term sump drainage of the presacral space, meticulous hemostatis, and primary closure of both the pelvic defect above (utilizing an omental pedicle graft to obliterate the pelvic dead space) and the perineal defect below (by primary suture or with gracilis myocutaneous flap). All wounds healed totally within the first six weeks postoperatively, with a mean time to healing of 3.5 weeks in the six patients whose wounds failed to heal primarily. There were no instances of late wound breakdown with follow-up from six months to two years.
The interpretation of parity-violating electron-scattering experiments

Abstract The theoretical interpretation of several prospective intermediate-energy parity-violating (p.v.) electron-scattering experiments is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the interplay of various sources of theoretical hadronic-physics uncertainties. It is argued that these uncertainties may render high-precision, p.v. electron scattering less suitable for standard-model tests than atomic parity-violation experiments. However, p.v. electron scattering offers a unique window on various aspects of nucleon and nullear structure, such as the presense of strange quarks in the nucleon. In particular, it is found that a series of measurements on the protoon could provide interesting constraints on the two strangeness vector-current form factors, although not to the degree needed to permit a 1% extraction of the weak mixing angle. The prospects for further tightening these constraints with elastic scattering from the ( J π , T ) = ( o + , 0) targets and from the deuteron are evaluated in detail. Associated, unresolved theoretical issues are highlighted, and the relationship between theoretical interpretability and experimental doability is analyzed. These considerations are applied to three recent proposals for experiments at CEBAF. A treatment of quasielastic p.v. electron scattering is also given, including a reanalysis of the recent Mainz 9 Be( e , e′) measurement to account for radiative-correction uncertainties in the quoted value of the weak mixing angle. For each case considered, the kinematic conditions are identified for which interpretability of a prospective experiment might be optimized.
Properties and morphology of doped polycrystalline Na-β″-alumina electrolytes

Abstract The effect of trace concentrations of metal oxides, Zn, Mg, Nb and Ge, on the intermediate temperature resistivity of Na-β″-alumina electrolytes was investigated. The presence of the dopant oxides resulted in lowered resistivity values over the temperature range of 20 to 350°C. When the resistivities of the doped electrolytes were normalized to account for increased grain size relative to undoped samples, it appeared that the most effective additions for improving electrolyte conductivity were MgO and Nb 2 O 5 . The resistivity of the magnesia-doped samples at 170°C was as low as for that of the undoped electrolyte at 290°C, implying that magnesia doping of lithia-stabilized β″-alumina electrolytes may improve the low temperature performance of β″-alumina-ba batteries.
[TpRe(bpy)]: a novel pentaaminerhenium system that stabilizes both high and low oxidation states (Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate; bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl).

The complexes [TpRe(bpy)(Cl)]OTf and TpRe(bpy)(η2-cyclopentene) can be prepared from TpRe(Cl2)(OPMe3). The stability of rhenium in both low and high oxidation states is attributed to the flexible e...
Women and Homelessness in Ireland

Over the past decade the number of homeless people has grown rapidly and the homeless population has changed both in Ireland and in the United States. As well as the traditional isolated, older, alcoholic males there arc now more homeless women and children. The majority of homeless Irish women and girls report that they left home to escape violence and or sexual abuse. Because of this factor there is a strong need for skilled psychological counselling. Ireland, because of its powerful Catholic tradition, creates a unique situation for homeless women. This paper provides a needs assessment and evaluation of current services provided for homeless Irish women.
Bubbles in Japan's urban land market: An analysis

Abstract In Japan, half of the population lives on less than 15 percent of the land. The overcrowding in the metropolitan areas resulted in skyrocketing urban land prices through the last four decades. Land accounts for more than half of the gross household wealth. Dwellings are financed by mortgages. Yet land-price inflation is seen to be insensitive to the mortgage rate. This is in sharp contrast to corporate stock prices which are inversely related to the nominal interest rate. This paper gives a simple demand-and-supply model of the urban land market, and attributes the phenomenon to the role of land-price inflation expectations. It shows how easily a “bubble“ can occur in the land market such as those experienced in the early 1970s and the late 1980s in Japan.
Structure of the Cytosolic Part of the Subunit b-Dimer of Escherichia coli F0F1-ATP Synthase ☆ ☆☆

The structure of the external stalk and its function in the catalytic mechanism of the F0F1-ATP synthase remains one of the important questions in bioenergetics. The external stalk has been proposed to be either a rigid stator that binds F1 or an elastic structural element that transmits energy from the small rotational steps of subunits c to the F1 sector during catalysis. We employed proteomics, sequence-based structure prediction, molecular modeling, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy using site-directed spin labeling to understand the structure and interfacial packing of the Escherichia coli b-subunit homodimer external stalk. Comparisons of bacterial, cyanobacterial, and plant b-subunits demonstrated little sequence similarity. Supersecondary structure predictions, however, show that all compared b-sequences have extensive heptad repeats, suggesting that the proteins all are capable of packing as left-handed coiled-coils. Molecular modeling subsequently indicated that b2 from the E. coli ATP synthase could pack into stable left-handed coiled-coils. Thirty-eight substitutions to cysteine in soluble b-constructs allowed the introduction of spin labels and the determination of intersubunit distances by ESR. These distances correlated well with molecular modeling results and strongly suggest that the E. coli subunit b-dimer can stably exist as a left-handed coiled-coil.
Electronic packaging of sensors for lower limb prosthetics

Millivolt level signals generated in residual muscles can be used to control sophisticated upper limb prosthetics. The low level voltages known as surface-electromyogram (sEMG) signals have seldom been applied in lower limbs due to moisture, large pressure, and shear forces which induced anomalies, and in particular triboelectric interference. An electronic module, known as a multi-sensor unit or MSU incorporates a multiplicity of sensors which promises to overcome the problems with sEMG in lower limbs. By incorporating a multiplicity of signals from what is physically happening in terms of pressure, temperature, and surface shear, it is anticipated that the sEMG signals can be corrected. Testing of the MSU with able bodied personnel and amputees is currently under way at Clarkson University. The MSU, which is totally potted is soft silicone rubber, measures sEMG, pressure, axial and tangential shear, and temperature. The 35×65×6.5mm electronic module is thin enough to be comfortably inserted between the liner of the prosthetic and the residual lower limb. As part of the program, a unique MEMS shear sensor, capable of being totally encased in silicone rubber, was developed. The temperature and pressure sensor are based on commercial off-the-shelf sensors. The design of the shear sensors is based on bonding a glass ball to a commercial off-the-shelf pressure sensor, thus avoiding the costly development of a custom shear sensor. The final MSU is both waterproof and rugged. Preliminary test results are briefly presented.
Michael Walzer's Concept of 'Supreme Emergency'

Abstract This paper critically examines Michael Walzer's famous efforts to integrate a 'supreme emergency' exemption into the ordinary restraints of jus in bello. The author argues that, while Walzer raises valid points about the felt responsibilities of leaders of political communities under extreme pressure, it is a mistake philosophically and prudentially to think of supreme emergency as granting moral permission to violate the jus in bello rules. Instead, the author argues, any violations of ordinary restraints should remain violations. However, by analogy, with exoneration from penalty for violations of criminal law in extreme circumstances, one might imagine political leaders' decisions to violate just war restraints to be (in very rare and extreme circumstances) forgivable but not permissible in advance.
CO2 Reduction at Low Overpotential on Cu Electrodes Resulting from the Reduction of Thick Cu2O Films

Modified Cu electrodes were prepared by annealing Cu foil in air and electrochemically reducing the resulting Cu2O layers. The CO2 reduction activities of these electrodes exhibited a strong dependence on the initial thickness of the Cu2O layer. Thin Cu2O layers formed by annealing at 130 °C resulted in electrodes whose activities were indistinguishable from those of polycrystalline Cu. In contrast, Cu2O layers formed at 500 °C that were ≥ ∼3 μm thick resulted in electrodes that exhibited large roughness factors and required 0.5 V less overpotential than polycrystalline Cu to reduce CO2 at a higher rate than H2O. The combination of these features resulted in CO2 reduction geometric current densities >1 mA/cm2 at overpotentials <0.4 V, a higher level of activity than all previously reported metal electrodes evaluated under comparable conditions. Moreover, the activity of the modified electrodes was stable over the course of several hours, whereas a polycrystalline Cu electrode exhibited deactivation within...
Oxidative stability of soybean oils with altered fatty acid compositions

The oxidative stabilities of one canola oil and six soybean oils of various fatty acid compositions were compared in terms of peroxide values, conjugated dienoic acid values and sensory evaluations. Two of the soybean oils (Hardin and BSR 101) were from common commercial varieties. The other four soybean oils were from experimental lines developed in a mutation breeding program at Iowa State University that included A17 with 1.5% linolenate and 15.2% palmitate; A16 with 2% linolenate and 10.8% palmitate; A87-191039 with 2% linolenate and 29.6% oleate; and A6 with 27.5% stearate. Seed from the soybean genotypes was cold pressed. Crude canola oil was obtained without additives. All oils were refined, bleached and deodorized under laboratory conditions with no additives and stored at 60°C for 15 days. The A17, A16, A87-191039 and A6 oils were generally more stable to oxidation than the commercial soybean varieties and canola oil as evaluated by chemical and sensory tests. Canola oil was much less stable than Hardin and BSR 101 oils by both chemical and sensory tests. The peroxide values and flavor scores of oils were highly correlated with the initial amounts of linolenate (r=0.95, P=0.001). Flavor quality and flavor intensity had negative correlations with linolenate, (r=−0.89, P=0.007) and (r=−0.86, P=0.013), respectively.
SU-GG-I-04: Effect of CT Scan Parameters on Adult and Pediatric CT Dose When Using Automatic Tube Current Modulation

Purpose: To develop pediatric CT protocols by characterizing effects of CT parameters on adult and pediatric CT dose using automatic tube‐current modulation (ATCM). Method and Materials: Adult and 10‐year‐old (10yo) ATOM (CIRS) phantoms were scanned on a 16‐channel CT system (Emotion 16, Siemens) using ATCM (CareDose4D) to characterize the relationships between CT scan parameters and patient dose. The scan parameters investigated include scan‐kVp, reference‐mAs, scout‐kVp, patient‐size selection (adult/pediatric), and rotation‐time. Effective‐mAs delivered by ATCM was extracted from the DICOM header of each CTimage.Results: Effective‐mAs delivered by ATCM varied with patient‐size selection, relative to reference‐mAs, it decreased for adult but increased for pediatric. Using ATCM the average effective‐mAs for 80, 100, 130 scan‐kVp changed by 81%&124%, 61%&110%, 55%&103% relative to reference‐mAs for the adult&10yo phantoms. However, when the 10yo was selected as adult, the average effective‐mAs decreased to 34%, 29%, and 26% of reference‐mAs. When selected as adult, dose decreased for all anatomical regions but when selected as pediatric, dose increase was observed for abdomen and pelvis (120–155%). ATCM effective‐mAs per slice scaled linearly (1±0.06) with input reference‐mAs. However, the minimum mA limited the modulation of effective‐mAs at low reference‐mAs. For both phantoms, 80 kVp scouts reduced the effective‐mAs by 5–7% on average (up to 20% for thorax) compared to 130 kVp scouts. For identical reference‐mAs, ATCM increased effective‐mAs for lower scan‐kVp; however, patient dose also decreased for lower scan‐kVp. For the adult&10yo phantoms, average dose at 80 and 110 scan‐kVp was 42%&39% and 72%&72% of that at 130 scan‐kVp, respectively. Conclusion: Patient dose with ATCM decreased for adult and increased for pediatric patients. The scout‐kVp affects ATCM schema with lower effective‐mAs for lower scout‐kVp. ATCM effective‐mAs is linear with input reference‐mAs. Net patient dose is reduced despite increased effective‐mAs at lower scan‐kVp using ATCM.
Incommensurate Spin-Density Wave Order in Electron-Doped BaFe 2 As 2 Superconductors

Neutron diffraction studies of $\mathrm{Ba}({\mathrm{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Co}}_{x}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ reveal that commensurate antiferromagnetic order gives way to incommensurate magnetic order for Co compositions between $0.056lxl0.06$. The incommensurability has the form of a small transverse splitting (0, $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}ϵ$, 0) from the commensurate antiferromagnetic propagation vector ${\mathbf{Q}}_{\mathrm{AFM}}=(1,0,1)$ (in orthorhombic notation) where $\mathbit{ϵ}\ensuremath{\approx}0.02\ensuremath{-}0.03$ and is composition dependent. The results are consistent with the formation of a spin-density wave driven by Fermi surface nesting of electron and hole pockets and confirm the itinerant nature of magnetism in the iron arsenide superconductors.
Picosecond absorption studies on the photodissociation of alpha- and beta-nitrosyl hemoglobin monomers

Transient absorption studies of the pump-probe type were performed on the NO forms of the alpha- and beta-monomers of hemoglobin using a Nd3+ phosphate-glass laser. A second harmonic 531-nm, 8-ps fwhm pulse pumped the Q-band while a delayed continuum generated pulse was used to monitor pi pi* Soret absorption changes in the 410–453-nm region. Photodissociation of nitrosyl alpha- and beta-monomers was found to differ markedly from the tetramer in what we believe to be the formation of a five-coordinate HbNO (with proximal imidazole detached) photoproduct within the first 50 ps after photon absorption.
The Listeria monocytogenes prfAP2 promoter is regulated by sigma B in a growth phase dependent manner.

Listeria monocytogenes prfA, encoding positive regulatory factor A, is transcribed from three promoters (prfAP1, prfAP2, and PplcA). The prfAP2 promoter was previously proposed to be sigma B (σB)-dependent. This hypothesis was tested by creating prfA promoter-gus transcriptional fusions in both L. monocytogenes wild-type (wt) and ΔsigB backgrounds and then measuring (i) β-glucuronidase (GUS) activities; (ii) gus mRNA transcript levels; and (iii) the presence or absence of GUS in cells by immunofluorescence staining. prfAP2-directed expression increased as the wt L. monocytogenes strain entered stationary phase, whereas prfAP2-directed expression was greatly reduced in the ΔsigB strain, confirming both growth phase- and σB-dependent transcription of prfAP2. We conclude that prfAP2 is directly regulated by σB.
The Declining Hegemony Thesis

In the late 1960s, a number of Americans began to suspect that the United States might be losing its grip as the major power in the international system. Domestic conflict, the intractable problem of the Vietnam War, and crises in financial and commodity markets created in turn a domestic crisis of confidence in American power. This situation provided fertile ground for what might be called the "declining hegemony thesis," the idea that U.S. power had peaked at some time during the years spanning the Eisenhower and Johnson administrations, and that a prudent U.S. foreign policy should be directed toward maintaining waning U.S. power to cushion our inevitable fall from dominance. Belief in the declining hegemony thesis guided the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations, and underlay policies like the Nixon Doctrine, detente, and the rapprochement with China, all designed to project U.S. power abroad at the lowest possible cost. The unilateral devaluation of the dollar, and the end of the system of fixed exchange rates that had governed international financial relations among market economies since the end of World War II, was initially viewed as another prudent move to offset U.S. economic weakness, but it has proven to be one of the instruments President Reagan has used to reassert U.S. hegemony under his leadership (Nau, 1984/85). Reagan has steadfastly refused to believe in the declining hegemony thesis and has tried with some success to persuade others that he is correct. Both of the books examined here were written under the pall of the declining hegemony thesis. Among other things, their authors hoped to elucidate the mechanisms by which U.S. power and the stability of the current world order could be extended farther into the future. Both authors express concern at the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict should the present world order become destabilized enough to push the system to a hegemonic war. As the best way to avert this prospect, each advocates the preservation of some version of the international status quo under U.S. leadership, and indicates what, in his eyes, is the best way to achieve this. Robert Gilpin's War and Change in World Politics offers a comprehensive theory of what he calls "systemic change . .. changes in the international distribution of power, the hierarchy of prestige, and the
The concept of human rights

First published in 1985. In this study, Donnelly distinguishes between "having a right" and "being right" and elaborates the distinction with great subtlety to show that rights have to be understood as action and not as a possession. This is done with such clarity and good sense that he is able to cast light on all aspects of the often confusing discussions of the natures and usages of "right". He illuminates an astonishing range of issues, from the limitations of Thomist and utilitarian conceptions of right to the confusions of many present-day defenders of rights, both in the West and the Third World. As importantly, Donnelly is centrally concerned with the human aspect of "human rights". He is thus able to rest his discussion of rights on a plausible philosophical anthropology as well as an appreciation of an historical dimension to human rights, and, at the end of his book, is able to open the door towards potential new developments in the discussion of human rights. Down the path he points us lies a reconciliation of the notion of individual rights with that of political community. This title will be of great interest to students of politics and philosophy.
Post-Keynesian Economics and Politics: Toward an Expectationist Theory of Democracy?

Recent economic theory places growing emphasis on the importance of psychological expectations in economic behavior and policy implementation. This article reviews four recent books on political economy which analyze failures in Keynesian macroeconomic management in light of social and political pressures in advanced democratic nations (especially Britain and the United States). Public choice theories focusing on the myopic behavior of voters and structuralist interpretations stressing class or corporatist conflict are discussed; but the author concludes that political as well as economic response to uncertain conditions is best understood in terms of how future expectations shape current preferences. James Alt's pioneering research on British public opinion suggests that expectational adaptation may hold the key to democratic stability as well as economic adjustment.
Social, Political, and Institutional Setting: Water Management Problems of the Rio Grande

This paper discusses various water management issues facing federal, state, and local agencies charged with managing the water resources of the Rio Grande River Basin and its major tributaries. The Rio Grande—3,058 km ( =1,900 mi ) long—is the fourth longest river in the United States. The river's basin is 870,236 km2 ( =336,000 mi2 ) and for roughly two-thirds of its length it forms the United States–Mexican border. It is a major recreational resource providing world class trout fishing near its headwaters in Colorado's San Juan Mountains and shoreline, angling, and boating opportunities near the Colorado–New Mexico border. The Rio Grande is the principal tourist attraction of Big Bend National Park and flows through downtown Albuquerque and El Paso. Many reaches are wide and broad, but almost all are relatively shallow and not navigable by commercial ships. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important renewable water resources of the southwestern United States and North America. The issue of the “man...
FORMATION BY HYDROGEN PEROXIDE OR 254 nm RADIATION OF A NEAR‐UV CHROMOPHORE FROM PEPTIDE‐BOUND CYSTEINE

Treatment of glutathione or N-acetylcysteinamide in water with hydrogen peroxide, or with 254 nm radiation together with molecular oxygen, results in the formation of a near-UV chromophore having maximal absorption at 305 nm. From examination of related compounds, it is apparent that the N-acylcysteinamide residue is the key element required for generation of the 305 nm chromophore. The structure of this near-UV chromophore is stable to base but unstable in aqueous acid, is relatively sensitive to oxidation by hydrogen peroxide but is only very slowly reduced by sodium borohydride and displays good thermal stability at 50°C.
Breast cancer prevention with Morinda citrifolia (noni) at the initiation stage

Background : It has been reported that noni has multiple health benefits for over 2000 years. In this study, the cancer preventive effects of Tahitian noni® juice (TNJ) at the initiation stage on DMBA-induced mammary tumorigenesis in female SD rats was investigated. Objective : We took advantage of the DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenic model to study the preventive effects of TNJ at the initiation stage of mammary carcinogenesis in female SD rats by using clinical observation, pathological examination, and 32P-postlabeling assay. Methods : One hundred and sixty female SD rats were divided into eight groups with 20 rats in each group. Three doses of TNJ or placebo was given to the animals at the age of 35 days until the end of the experiment. When the animals were 55 days old, 25 mg/kg DMBA was fed to the animals in the DMBA group, placebo, and TNJ groups. The 20 rats were kept at age-matched controls. Palpable tumors were examined twice a week after DMBA administration in each group by an experienced professional. The size of tumor was measured by a graduated caliper. A piece of tumor, vascularization area, and mammary glands in the thoracic and abdomen areas of each rat were dissected respectively and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for light microscope examination. The DMBA-DNA adduct formation in mammary tissues was detected by 32P-postlabeling assay. Results : The tumor latency in TNJ groups was delayed about 60-90 days when compared with positive controls. The number of palpable tumors per group was significantly reduced by 73%, 72% and 80% in 3%, 5%, and 10% TNJ groups respectively when compared with positive controls at the end of 330 days after DMBA administration. The number of palpable tumors in the placebo groups was slightly reduced in the early stage, but much less than that in the TNJ groups. The multiplicity and malignancy of lesions were significantly reduced and the survival rate of animals in the TNJ groups was significantly increased compared with positive controls at different time points. Histological examination showed that the malignancy of lesions in TNJ groups did not show a significant change when compared with that in positive and placebo groups. Conclusion : In conclusion, this is the first study which indicates that TNJ possesses a cancer preventive effect at the initiation stage of chemical carcinogenesis induced by DMBA in female SD rates. Key words : Morinda citrifolia, Tahitian noni® juice, breast cancer, cancer prevention
Religious Participation and Mortality Risk Among the Oldest Old in China

Objective Rapid population aging in China calls for more research into social factors responsible for health and well-being among older adults. This article adds to this line of inquiry by examining the relationship between religious participation and mortality, as well as the potential pathways linking these factors and subgroup variations among oldest old Chinese. Methods Using two waves (1998 and 2000) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, I estimated Cox proportional hazards models for a nationwide sample of Chinese aged 80 to 105. Result Controlling for a wide range of covariates, I found religious participation to be significantly associated with lower risk of mortality for oldest old women and for individuals in poor health. Engaging in leisure activities and exercises partially accounted for this association. Discussion Findings suggest that (a) religious participation, associated with other socially integrated and cognitively stimulating activities, predicts mortality risk among oldest old Chinese; and (b) religious participation offers psychosocial resources that are likely to compensate for the increased mortality risk associated with disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions of certain vulnerable groups such as women and individuals in poor health.
Spectroscopic identification of protective and non-protective corrosion coatings on steel structures in marine environments

Corrosion research, and the need to fully understand the effects that environmental conditions have on the performance of structural steels, is one area in which Mossbauer spectroscopy has become a required analytical technique. This is in part due to the need to identify and quantify the nanophase iron oxides that form on and protect certain structural steels, and that are nearly transparent to most other spectroscopic techniques. In conjunction with X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman analyses, the iron oxides that form the rusts on steels corroded in different marine and other environments can be completely identified and mapped within the rust coating. The spectroscopic analyses can be used to determine the nature of the environment in which structural steels have been, and these act as a monitor of the corrosion itself. Mossbauer spectroscopy is playing an important role in a new corrosion program in the United States and Japan in which steel bridges, old and new, are being evaluated for corrosion problems that may reduce their serviceable lifetimes. Mossbauer spectroscopy has been used to characterize the corrosion products that form the protective patina on weathering steel, as well those that form in adverse environments in which the oxide coating is not adherent or protective to the steel. Mossbauer spectroscopy has also become an important analytical technique for investigating the corrosion products that have formed on archeological artifacts, and it is providing guidance to aid in the removal of the oxides necessary for their conservation.
Antioxidant Properties of Far Infrared-treated Rice Hull Extract in Irradiated Raw and Cooked Turkey Breast

: The antioxidant effect of far infrared-treated rice hull (FRH) extracts in irradiated turkey breast meat was compared with that of sesamol and rosemary oleoresin. The FRH extracts significantly decreased thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances values and volatile aldehydes (hexanal, pentanal, and propanal) and was effective in reducing the production of dimethyl disulfide responsible for irradiation off-odor in irradiated raw and cooked turkey meat during aerobic storage. The antioxidant activity of FRH extracts (0.1%, wt/wt) was as effective as that of rosemary oleoresin (0.1%). However, the addition of FRH extracts increased red and yellow color intensities and produced an off-odor characteristic to rice hull in raw and cooked meat.
Latent variables, causal models and overidentifying constraints

Abstract When is a statistical dependency between two variables best explained by the supposition that one of these variables causes the other, as opposed to the supposition that there is a (possibly unmeasured) common cause acting on both variables? In this paper, we describe an approach towards model specification developed more fully in our book Discovering Causal Structure, and illustrate its application to the aforementioned question. Briefly, the approach is to determine constraints satisfied by the variance-covariance matrix of a sample, and then to conduct a quasi-automated search for the causal specifications that will best explain those constraints.
Root versus suffix accent in the Germanic present indicative

The present paper is initially concerned with a rather minor problem in comparative Germanic morphology: the shape of the consonant in certain present active indicative endings. There are discrepancies among the early attested dialects in this matter, and the traditional explanation has been that one group of Germanic dialects generalized present forms with Indo-European root accent, the other group forms with Indo-European suffix accent. I show that this solution, which is widely accepted, is deficient in several respects, and I demonstrate that the problem has a correct solution with interesting consequences for historical linguistics provided we concentrate on the rules and their order of application in the grammars of the different dialects, that is, provided we attack the problem from within the framework of generative phonology.
Slave Cocoa and Red Rubber: E. D. Morel and the Problem of Ethical Consumption

Over the last two decades, consumption, consumerism, and the idea of consumer agency have attracted a great deal attention from scholars across a number of disciplines. Among historians, the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have been identified as a crucial period for consumption, one in which consumers emerged as an influential group of political, economic, and social agents. Historians of the English-speaking world have advanced bold claims about the prominence and impact of consumers during this period. Consumer movements were conspicuously absent in two major scandals of the early twentieth century, however. This article uses these commodity-centered cases—of rubber in the Congo Free State, and cocoa in the Portuguese colonies of Sao Tome and Principe—to question the salience of “consumerism” in turn-of-the-century political thought. By tracing the career of British journalist and humanitarian activist E. D. Morel through the “red rubber” and “slave cocoa” scandals, the article demonstrates that consumers were only one of many influences along the commodity chain of production and consumption.
Mothering during war and postwar in Bosnia.

The study aim was to describe displaced Bosnian mothers' experiences caring for their children during and immediately after the war (1992-1995). Mothers described their progression into war, through war, and into vastly changed lives. Using ethnographic methods, narrative data were collected near Sarajevo, Bosnia, from 14 displaced women who participated in one to three interviews each between 1996 and 1999. Data from the semistructured interviews were analyzed to determine patterns in participants' descriptions of mothering during war. Four common themes of mothering were identified in the data: “on the move,” “I have to feed them,” “living somewhere in between,” and “still living the war inside.” As care providers and policy makers develop initiatives to improve the health of women and children during complex humanitarian emergencies, there is much to learn from the narratives of Bosnian women about their extraordinary struggle to protect the lives of their children amid violence and loss.
Oscillating supersonic/hypersonic wings at high incidence

An approximate analytic method is developed for predicting the aerodynamic stability of oscillating supersonic/hypersonic flat wings at a mean angle of attack. It uses the known exact unsteady unified supersonic/hypersonic flow solution for a two-dimensional flat plate plus the strip theory approximation to obtain the formulas for the stability derivatives. They are applicable for wings of arbitrary planform shape at arbitrary angles of attack provided the shock wave is attached to the leading edge of the wing. Good agreement is obtained with existing theories in various special cases. The formulas for stability derivatives given here become exact in the Newtonian limit.
Underwater acoustic sparse aperture system performance: Using transmitter channel state information for multipath & interference rejection

Today's situational awareness requirements in the undersea environment present severe challenges for acoustic communication systems. Acoustic propagation through the ocean environment severely limits the capacity of existing underwater communication systems. Specifically, the presence of internal waves coupled with the ocean sound channel creates a stochastic field that introduces deep fades and significant intersymbol interference (ISI) thereby limiting reliable communication to low data rates. In this paper we present a communication architecture that optimally predistorts the acoustic wave via spatial modulation and detects the acoustic wave with optimal spatial recombination to maximize reliable information throughput. This effectively allows the system to allocate its power to the most efficient propagation modes while mitigating ISI. Channel state information is available to the transmitter through low rate feedback. New results include the asymptotic distribution of singular values for a large number of apertures. Further, we present spatial modulation at the transmitter and spatial recombination at the receiver that asymptotically minimize bit error rate (BER). We show that, in many applications, the number of apertures can be made large enough so that asymptotic results approximate finite results well. Additionally, we show that the interference noise power is reduced proportional to the inverse of the number of receive apertures. Finally, we calculate the asymptotic BER for the sparse aperture acoustic system.
Laparoscopic and robotic adrenal surgery: transperitoneal approach.

Recent advances in technology and the need to decrease surgical morbidity have led a rapid progress in laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) over the past decade. Robotics is attractive to the surgeon owing to the 3-dimensional image quality, articulating instruments, and stable surgical platform. The safety and efficacy of robotic adrenalectomy (RA) have been demonstrated by several reports. In addition, RA has been shown to provide similar outcomes compared to LA. Development of adrenal surgery has involved the description of several surgical approaches including the anterior transperitoneal, lateral transperitoneal (LT) and posterior retroperitoneal (PR). Among these, the most frequently preferred technique is LT adrenalectomy, primarily due to the surgeon’s familiarity of the operative field, wider working space and visibility. The LT technique is suitable for the resection of larger, unilateral tumors and in scenarios where conversion to an open transperitoneal approach is warranted, it offers a lesser burden. Also, the larger view of the entire abdominal cavity and excellent exposure of both adrenal glands and surrounding structures provided by the LT technique render it safe and feasible in pediatric and pregnant individuals.
Oxidative Stress Under Ambient and Physiological Oxygen Tension in Tissue Culture

Oxygen (O2) levels range from 2-9% in vivo. However, cell culture experiments are performed at atmospheric O2 levels (21%). Oxidative stress due to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells cultured at higher than physiological levels is implicated in multitude of deleterious effects including DNA damage, genomic instability and senescence. In addition, oxidative stress activates redox sensitive transcription factors related to inflammatory signaling and apoptotic signaling. Furthermore, several chromatin-modifying enzymes are affected by ROS, potentially impacting epigenetic regulation of gene expression. While primary cells are cultured at lower O2 levels due to their inability to grow at higher O2, the immortalized cells, which display no such apparent growth difficulties, are typically cultured at 21% O2. This review will provide an overview of issues associated with increased oxygen levels in in vitro cell culture and point out the benefits of using lower levels of oxygen tension even for immortalized cells.
Hepatitis B Virus Core Protein Phosphorylation Sites Affect Capsid Stability and Transient Exposure of the C-terminal Domain

Hepatitis B virus core protein has 183 amino acids divided into an assembly domain and an arginine-rich C-terminal domain (CTD) that regulates essential functions including genome packaging, reverse transcription, and intracellular trafficking. Here, we investigated the CTD in empty hepatitis B virus (HBV) T=4 capsids. We examined wild-type core protein (Cp183-WT) and a mutant core protein (Cp183-EEE), in which three CTD serines are replaced with glutamate to mimic phosphorylated protein. We found that Cp183-WT capsids were less stable than Cp183-EEE capsids. When we tested CTD sensitivity to trypsin, we detected two different populations of CTDs differentiated by their rate of trypsin cleavage. Interestingly, CTDs from Cp183-EEE capsids exhibited a much slower rate of proteolytic cleavage when compared with CTDs of Cp183-WT capsids. Cryo-electron microscopy studies of trypsin-digested capsids show that CTDs at five-fold symmetry vertices are most protected. We hypothesize that electrostatic interactions between glutamates and arginines in Cp183-EEE, particularly at five-fold, increase capsid stability and reduce CTD exposure. Our studies show that quasi-equivalent CTDs exhibit different rates of exposure and thus might perform distinct functions during the hepatitis B virus lifecycle. Our results demonstrate a structural role for CTD phosphorylation and indicate crosstalk between CTDs within a capsid particle.
Molecular characterization of a novel androgen receptor transgene responsive to MicroRNA mediated post-transcriptional control exerted via 3′-untranslated region

Androgen Receptor (AR) gene is associated with Prostate cancer (PCa) and hence targeting androgen-and AR-signaling axis remains the most promising primary therapeutic option to treat the disease. The AR mRNA has a 6.8 kb long 3'-untranslated region (UTR) which harbors several experimentally validated and numerous predicted miRNA binding sites. AR 3'-UTR is likely to positively or negatively regulate AR expression by interacting with miRNAs and possibly other trans-acting auxiliary factors including 3'-UTR RNA binding proteins. In this context, systematic understanding of the regulatory role of AR 3'-UTR in intrinsic post-transcriptional control of AR gene expression is of significance to understand AR related diseases including PCa.In this study, we have constructed a heterologous reporter system in which Firefly luciferase and AR expression is experimentally influenced by the presence of AR 3'-UTR and its interactions with ectopically expressing miRNA.The expression of AR 3'-UTR containing reporters, including the Firefly luciferase and the AR open reading frame (ORF) were repressed by the overexpression of miR-488* mimics. In addition, the AR expressed from 3'-UTR containing expression vectors was fully functional in its transactivation function as determined by a prostate specific antigen (PSA) reporter assay. Further, by using confocal microscopy we also demonstrate that AR can translocate to the nucleus upon DHT activation confirming the functional ability of AR.AR transgenes with AR 3'-UTR fragments closely resemble the endogenous AR expression than any other previously characterized AR expression constructs. The 3'-UTR containing AR expression system is amiable to post-transcriptional manipulations including miRNA mediated repression of AR expression. This AR reporter system has the potential to be used in determining specificity of AR targeting miRNAs and their role in AR functional regulatory networks. Prostate 76:834-844, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Developing an Interdisciplinary Language for Human-Agent Team Training Research

In this paper we explore a set of constructs across three diverse disciplines that have addressed the topic of intelligent agents. We explore how Computer Science, Psychology, and Philosophy discuss certain concepts in either convergent or divergent ways. These concepts are analyzed through their etymology as well as by their present usage to illustrate how this use has developed and to outline the similarities and differences that have emerged. We first describe a set of the concepts/terms found within this literature and then describe the implications of this analysis for research in human-agent teams.
Contact Ion Pair Formation between Hard Acids and Soft Bases in Aqueous Solutions Observed with 2DIR Spectroscopy

The interaction of charged species in aqueous solution has important implications for chemical, biological, and environmental processes. We have used 2DIR spectroscopy to study the equilibrium dynamics of thiocyanate chemical exchange between free ion (NCS(-)) and contact ion pair configurations (MNCS(+)), where M(2+) = Mg(2+) or Ca(2+). Detailed studies of the influence of anion concentration and anion speciation show that the chemical exchange observed with the 2DIR measurements results from NCS(-) exchanging with other anion species in the first solvation shell surrounding Mg(2+) or Ca(2+). The presence of chemical exchange in the 2DIR spectra provides an indirect, but robust, determinant of contact ion pair formation. We observe preferential contact ion pair formation between soft Lewis base anions and hard Lewis acid cations. This observation cannot be easily reconciled with Pearson's acid-base concept or Collins' Law of Matching Water Affinities. The anions that form contact ion pairs also correspond to the ions with an affinity for water and protein surfaces, so similar physical and chemical properties may control these distinct phenomena.
Original Verbal Images of Children as a Function of Time

87 children between 8 and 11 yr. were identified as high, moderate and low creatives on a measure of verbal originality and presented 5 onomatopoeic words 4 times with time deadlines of 10 sec., 20 sec., 30 sec. and unlimited time. All three groups needed some time press although highly creative boys and girls generally needed more than their less creative peers.
Analysis on Fluoride Pollution in Fluoride Industrial Park of Changshu City

[Objective]To understand the fluoride pollution on atmosphere and food in Changshu City by fluorine chemical enterprise.[Methods]One town in which fluoride industrial park located and 1 town without chemical enterprise were selected.Filter membrane method and ion selective electrode method were adopted to conduct air sampling and fluorine measurement in air and food,respectively.[Results]Fluorine content in the air was 0.46 μg/m3,that in vegetables and aquatic products was 1.54 mg/kg and 2.24 mg/kg,respectively which exceeded standards.Fluoride concentrations in river 〔(1.64±1.64)mg/L and vegetables(1.54±1.27)mg/L〕were higher than those in control areas〔(0.65 ± 0.30)mg /L and(0.62 ± 0.25)mg /L〕.[Conclusion]Fluoride concentration in the air between the 2 areas do not exceed the standard,and there is no significant difference;but the differences of fluoride concentration in vegetables and river are significant between them.