cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inorganic characterization of switchgrass biomass using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract The inorganic characterization of 74 samples of switchgrass using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was undertaken. Determination of ash and inorganic elements content in biomass materials is vital for feedstock screening for bioconversion processes. Hierarchical models using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square analysis (PLS) were used to determine the presence of specific elemental micronutrients that are important in determining plant health for robust biomass production. LIBS uses a 532 nm laser with 45 mJ of laser power to excite the samples of switchgrass plant material and the emission of all the elements present in the plant samples were recorded in single spectra with a wide wavelength range of 200–800 nm. The results were compared to the laboratory standard technique, e.g., ICP-OES technique, to determine the true values for major micronutrients such as, silicon (Si), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). Our objectives were: 1) To determine the spectral features of switchgrass containing different amounts of these elements and 2) To examine the viability of this technique for determining the quality of the feedstock in terms of its inorganic composition. Cross-validation results showed that the broad-based model developed is promising for inorganics prediction in switchgrass. The LIBS validation prediction for the micronutrient elements mentioned here have been obtained. The regression coefficients for Si, were obtained to be 0.995, 0.994 for calibration and validation respectively, in case of Ca the regression coefficients were, 0.994 and 0.992 for calibration and validation. Similarly, in the case of Mg and K these were calculated to be 0.992 and 0.985, and 0.994 and 0.993 respectively. The regression coefficients are not as good as those for the elements mentioned, in case of the two elements S and P. They are 0.957, and 0.878, and 0.952 and 0.894 respectively for calibration, validation for the two elements. This demonstrates that LIBS-based techniques are inherently well suited for diverse environmental applications. Furthermore, LIBS along with PLS model can show capability in determining the viability of switchgrass as a biomass in the production of biofuels and survivability of switchgrass in processes associated with climate change. LIBS can help determining which switchgrass would be appropriate for a specific conversion process that favors low ash content overall or low value of specific inorganics.
The Evolution of Darwinism: Selection, Adaptation and Progress in Evolutionary Biology

Introduction Part I. Selection: 1. Darwin and natural selection 2. The group selection controversy 3. For whose good does natural selection work? Part II. Adaptation: 4. Darwin (and others) on biological perfection 5. Adaptation after Darwin 6. Adaptation(ism) and its limits Part III. Progress: 7. Darwin on evolutionary progress 8. Evolutionary progress from Darwin to Dawkins 9. Is evolution progressive? 10. Human physical and mental evolution Epilogue.
Flight and Ground Safety: Comparing Teaching and Business Practices

This study investigates how UAA affiliated aviation programs safety course content compares to the safety programs and concerns of the airline industry. Airlines have experienced very few flight safety accidents and incidents during the past 5 years. During the same period airline employees experienced ground related injuries at a very high rate compared to other industries. The research concludes that UAA educational programs should be reviewed to ensure adequate attention is being given to ground safety topics.
Lifting Based Wavelet Transforms on Graphs

We present a novel method to implement lifting based wavelet transforms on general graphs. The detail and approximation coefficients computed from this graph transform can be interpreted similarly to their counterparts in standard signal processing process. Our approach is based on partitioning all nodes in the graph into two sets, containing "even" and "odd" nodes, respectively. Then, as in standard lifting, nodes of one parity are used to predict/update those of the other. We discuss the even-odd assignment problem on the graph and provide a solution that is well suited to construct the transform. As an example we discuss how our transform could be used in a denoising application. I. I NTRODUCTION
Drug policy and families: Casualties of the war

This paper explores the consequences of drug policies, especially punitive criminal sanctions, for the families of offenders. Mandatory minimum sentences and certain legal developments have created substantial growth in the prison industry with a likely increase in the number and intensity of harms to drug offenders and their families. Negative outcomes include at-risk developmental pathways for children, uncertain quality of care and parenting, family dissolution, and weakened communities. The evidence suggests that punitive drug policies come at great social and economic cost with minimal benefits. Harm-reduction is offered as a framework for change in relation to drug offenders and their families. Recommendations for family preservation and sentencing reform are discussed.
Enhanced anxiety in the male offspring of sires that self-administered cocaine.

We previously showed that paternal cocaine exposure reduced the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine in male offspring. Here, we sought to determine whether paternal cocaine experience could also influence anxiety levels in offspring. Male rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (controls received saline passively) for 60 days and then were bred with naive females. Measures of anxiety and cocaine-induced anxiogenic effects were assessed in the adult offspring. Cocaine-sired male offspring exhibited increased anxiety-like behaviors, as measured using the novelty-induced hypophagia and defensive burying tasks, relative to saline-sired males. In contrast, sire cocaine experience had no effect on anxiety-like behaviors in female offspring. When challenged with an anxiogenic (but not anorectic) dose of cocaine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.), anxiety-like behavior was enhanced in all animals to an equal degree regardless of sire drug experience. Since anxiety and depression are often co-morbid, we also assessed measures of depressive-like behavior. Sire cocaine experience had no effect on depression-like behaviors, as measured by the forced swim task, among male offspring. In a separate group of naive littermates, select neuronal correlates of anxiety were measured. Male offspring of cocaine-experienced sires showed increased mRNA and protein expression of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 in the hippocampus. Together, these results indicate that cocaine-experienced sires produce male progeny that have increased baseline anxiety, which is unaltered by subsequent cocaine exposure.
Unfair Competition in Ideas and Titles

DEAS ARE weapons, they are the soil on which we grow, they are the lifeblood of competition, and the theft of ideas is the lifeblood of unfair competition. Many a new indus ry and many a fortun has been built upon a properly exploited id a. But what protection does the law give to the idea itself? Unfortuna ly, very little. Take, for example, the nterprising life insurance salesman with a rural territory.' He could never get his farm r prospe ts to give him enough time o expound up n the i tues of his company's policy. The farmer would always excuse himself beca se it was either milking, weeding o plowing time. The agent got a br instorm. He took an all-around hired man with hi and whenever a farmer tried to excuse himself, the agent would send the hired ma to do the fa mer's chores. With his new-found leis re, the farme had no alternative and the agent then launch d into his sales talk. The idea was a success. Now suppose another gent tried to do the same t ing. Could our enterprising salesman prev nt him from capitalizing on hat approach? The answer is no. Take another exa ple. The late Clarence Saunders, the founder of the Piggly Wiggly Stores, conceived a new selfservic supermarket. C uld he stop a competitor from establishi g a store at which customers serve themselves and pay n the way out? Again the answer is no.
Tests of a 2-Stage, Axial-Flow, 2-Phase Turbine

A two phase flow turbine with two stages of axial flow impulse rotors was tested with three different working fluid mixtures at a shaft power of 30 kW. The turbine efficiency was 0.55 with nitrogen and water of 0.02 quality and 94 m/s velocity, 0.57 with Refrigerant 22 of 0.27 quality and 123 m/s velocity, and 0.30 with steam and water of 0.27 quality and 457 m/s velocity. The efficiencies with nitrogen and water and Refrigerant 22 were 86 percent of theoretical. At that fraction of theoretical, the efficiencies of optimized two phase turbines would be in the low 60 percent range with organic working fluids and in the mid 50 percent range with steam and water. The recommended turbine design is a two stage axial flow impulse turbine followed by a rotary separator for discharge of separate liquid and gas streams and recovery of liquid pressure.
Tungsten bronze Sr1−xBaxNb2O6: a case history of versatility

Abstract We review the chronological development of ferroelectric tungsten bronze Sr1-x Ba x Nb2O6 (SBN) single crystals in terms of crystal growth and applications ranging from pyroelectric to surface acoustic wave (SAW) to nonlinear optics, with specific emphasis on the compositions SBN:60, SBN:75 and SBN:50. In addition to a number of bulk crystal applications, these crystals are also now being used as substrates for the growth of various lattice-matched thin films, including ferroelectric and superconducting oxide materials.
Monitoring of Complex Visual Displays— II. Effects of Visual Load and Response Complexity on Human Vigilance1:

A vigilance experiment was performed on the characteristics of visual monitoring behavior in complex tasks like those found in modern semi-automatic systems. The activationist hypothesis, which contends that human alertness is a function of stimulation level, served as framework for the experiment. Under investigation were sources of environmental and response-produced stimulation that might he related to hitman alertness. A. simulated semi-automatic air defense surveillance task was used. Environmental stimulation was manipulated by requiring six or thirty-six visual stimulus sources to be monitored for a 3-hr observation period. Response-produced stimulation was a function of response complexity. No vigilance decrement was found for per cent of signals correctly detected. Response latency declined significantly, but slightly, for groups that had simple response conditions but not for groups with complex response requirements. Results were discussed in terms of issues in operationally defining sources of...
Simultaneous anterior dislocation of the shoulder and fracture of the ipsilateral humeral shaft. Two case reports

Two patients with anterior dislocation of the shoulder and ipsilateral fracture of the shaft of the humerus have been studied and the mechanism of their injuries has been documented. Closed reduction of the dislocations was performed under anaesthesia during surgery for humeral fixation with a dynamic compression plate. The fractures and dislocations healed without any problems at 6 to 9 months postoperatively. At recent follow-up, one patient had returned to work and regained normal mobility. The other patient had the sequelae of a brachial plexus injury. The literature on this subject is reviewed.
Timing of first sexual intercourse in a relationship: Expectations, experiences, and perceptions of others

We investigated 242 college students’ expectations about when sexual intercourse would first occur within different types of relationships. Participants reported their personal expectations, experi...
Surfactant flood process design for Loudon

In this paper laboratory steps required to design a successful surfactant flooding process for the high-quality Loudon oil field are described. These steps involved phase-behavior tests to identify two synthetic surfactant components; Berea coreflood tests to establish the desirability of incorporating polymer in the microemulsion and to optimize blend ratio, microemulsion salinity, drive-water salinity, and bank size; and Loudon rock corefloods to provide a final check in reservoir core material. The process recovered significant quantities of residual oil in two 1-acre pilot tests without the use of a cosurfactant, a cosolvent alcohol, or a low-salinity preflush.
4E-BP Extends Lifespan upon Dietary Restriction by Enhancing Mitochondrial Activity in Drosophila

Dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan in multiple species. To examine the mechanisms of lifespan extension upon DR, we assayed genome-wide translational changes in Drosophila. A number of nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes, including those in Complex I and IV of the electron transport chain, showed increased ribosomal loading and enhanced overall activity upon DR. We found that various mitochondrial genes possessed shorter and less structured 5′UTRs, which were important for their enhanced mRNA translation. The translational repressor 4E-BP, the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein, was upregulated upon DR and mediated DR dependent changes in mitochondrial activity and lifespan extension. Inhibition of individual mitochondrial subunits from Complex I and IV diminished the lifespan extension obtained upon DR, reflecting the importance of enhanced mitochondrial function during DR. Our results imply that translational regulation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial gene expression by 4E-BP plays an important role in lifespan extension upon DR.
Bounds on the total particle number for species governed by reaction-diffusion equations in the infinite spatial domain

Differential inequality methods are developed for establishing upper and lower bounds on the total particle numberN(t)=∫θ(x,t) d3 x associated with solutions to nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations of the form ∂θ/∂t=D∇2θ+fθ-gθ n+1 , whereD(>0),n(>0),f andg are constant parameters. If finite in a neighborhood oft=0,N(t) is bounded below for allt≥0 by a certain derived function oft for equations withg≥0. An upper bound onN(t) is obtained for equations withn=1,f<0 andg<0. These results provide general preservation and extinction criteria for the total particle number.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Signaling in Hypoxia and Inflammation

Infection, cancer and cardiovascular diseases are the major causes for morbidity and mortality in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control. The underlying etiology that contributes to the severity of these diseases is either hypoxia induced inflammation or inflammation resulting in hypoxia. Therefore, molecular mechanisms that regulate hypoxia-induced adaptive responses in cells are important areas of investigation. Oxygen availability is sensed by molecular switches which regulate synthesis and secretion of growth factors and inflammatory mediators. As a consequence, tissue microenvironment is altered by re-programming metabolic pathways, angiogenesis, vascular permeability, pH homeostasis to facilitate tissue remodeling. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is the central mediator of hypoxic response. HIF regulates several hundred genes and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the primary target genes. Understanding the regulation of HIF and its influence on inflammatory response offers unique opportunities for drug development to modulate inflammation and ischemia in pathological conditions.
Transcervical endoscopic approach for removal of parapharyngeal space masses

The transcervical approach to the parapharyngeal space is the preferred approach for excision of parapharyngeal space masses. Limitations of this approach are overcome by the application of endoscopic visualization and dissection techniques. Primary indications for endoscopic-assisted transcervical approach include salivary gland tumors, metastatic retropharyngeal lymphadenopathy, and lateral extension of nasopharyngeal tumors. Endoscopy provides improved visualization with better resection margins and preservation of normal neural and vascular structures. Examples of applications of this approach are provided.
Hernia repair with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene

Prostheses of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE) were used to repair 89 abdominal wall defects in which primary closure would produce undue tension on tissue. Over a 52-month period (median follow-up: 24 months), we observed three wound infections, one in a clean wound, and four hernia recurrences. No other complications were noted. Twenty-one e-PTFE grafts were placed directly over intraperitoneal viscera without clinical evidence of adhesions leading to intestinal obstruction. In grafts inspected postoperatively, no apparent evidence of fatigue or fragmentation was observed. Histologic findings concurred with experimental data obtained during animal trials revealing the creation of a new mesothelial lining. These results encourage the use of e-PTFE prostheses for the repair of abdominal wall hernias, particularly when the parietal peritoneum is absent.
Multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of rectally administered acetaminophen in term infants.

Objective To investigate pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of rectally administered acetaminophen (INN, paracetamol) in term neonates directly after birth. Methods In this prospective clinical trial, term neonates wtih painful conditions or who were undergoing painful procedures received multiple-dose acetaminophen. Serum concentrations were determined serially with an HPLC method, and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. Pain assessment was performed by means of a validated pain score. Results Ten consecutive term neonates received four rectal doses of acetaminophen, 20 mg/kg body weight, every 6 hours. Mean peak serum concentrations (±SD) during multiple-dose administration were 10.79 ± 6.39 mg/L, 15.34 ± 5.21 mg/L, and 6.24 ± 3.64 mg/L for the entire group, boys, and girls, respectively. There was a significant difference between the boys and the girls (P = .01). No serum concentrations associated with toxicity (>120 mg/L) were found. Median time to peak serum concentration was 1.5 hours after the first dose and 15 hours for multiple doses. Mean (±SD) half-life was 2.7 ± 1.4 hours in eight patients. There was no correlation between dose and serum concentration or between pain score and serum concentration. There was a significant inverse relationship between the preceding pain score and peak serum concentrations. Conclusions In term neonates, multiple rectal doses of acetaminophen, 20 mg/kg body weight, led to widely varying serum concentrations but did not result in therapeutic concentrations in all infants. Boys had higher peak concentrations. Because accumulation was not found, a dose of 30 mg/kg followed by doses of 20 mg/kg at 6- to 8-hour administration intervals are appropriate to reach therapeutic concentrations. A concentration–effect relationship could not be determined. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1999) 66, 509–515; doi:
The right tools for the right jobs: developing a student management system

Many campus IT organizations rely heavily on student employees and part-time employees in HelpDesks, Labs and other work groups. Though each type of group may be managed differently, managers face some common tasks: • Hiring a traditionally high-turnover work force • Tracking employee training and expertise • Scheduling part-time employees • Tracking time worked by part-time employees • Keeping records of employee performance • Managing how part-time employees can swap shifts with others • Doing it all cheaply and effectively without taking up a lot of time This presentation will describe how Cornell has met these challenges by implementing a student management system that can be used by multiple groups on campus with minimal cost. Relying on open source solutions including Linux, Apache, PHP and MySQL, Cornell has successfully deployed a modular student management system that allows departments to pick and choose which modules they use, including: • On-line job applications and hiring processes • Employee information tracking • Setting a “standard” employee schedule • A tool allowing employees to swap shifts • On-line management of schedule parameters (hours of operation, number of employees, etc.) • Employee performance records The presentation will also describe the issues involved in designing and implementing a student management system and how Cornell addressed them, deploying the system with a web interface within 10 weeks of the project’s inception. It will illustrate how various “home-grown” administrative tools were combined and shared across departments, saving staff time, standardizing and streamlining administrative processes.
Conserved nonplanar heme distortions in cytochromes c

A nonplanar distortion of the heme ofc-type cytochromes is conserved in the proteins isolated from diverse species based upon a comprehensive analysis of available highresolution X-ray crystal structures. This distortion is induced through the cysteine thioether linkages between the porphyrin pyrrole groups and the polypeptide and results in an asymmetric pyrrole distortion. This asymmetry in the heme distortion is also conserved. For other heme proteins which lack these covalent bonds, nearly planar porphyrins are observed. Resonance Raman evidence indicates that nonplanar distortion of porphyrins containing metals, like iron, with large core sizes (≳2.00 A) is energetically unfavorable and can occur only in the presence of significant environmental perturbations. Further, energy minimization and dynamics calculations on the ferric form of yeast iso-1-cytochromec, starting from the crystallographic coordinates and using a molecular mechanics force field which accurately reproduces nonplanar distortions in metalloporphyrins, suggest that this distortion is indeed maintained by the protein tertiary structure. It is proposed that this protein-linked heme distortion modulates electron transfer function through modification of redox potentials of the porphyrin ring and the protein binding properties ofc-type cytochromes.
An Integrated Circuit Analyzer-Counter-Ratemeter and Position Device for Nuclear Spectroscopy Studies

An inexpensive, integrated circuit single channel analyzer, counter and ratemeter with a logic unit to drive a stepping motor for positioning a device such as a grating of a monochrometer or varying an applied voltage is described. In addition to the analyzer and counter, the circuitry includes a time base for control functions, circuits for synchronous counting to subtract photomultiplier or detector "dark" noise, a serial integrator for weak signals and a rate meter for larger signals, and the stepping motor logic. The system has been applied to studies of optical spectra produced in a gas proportional scintiallation counter, where single photon counting was utilized with a 3/4 meter monochrometer.
Dissipative particle dynamics simulations of polymer-protected nanoparticle self-assembly.

Dissipative particle dynamics simulations were used to study the effects of mixing time, solute solubility, solute and diblock copolymer concentrations, and copolymer block length on the rapid coprecipitation of polymer-protected nanoparticles. The simulations were aimed at modeling Flash NanoPrecipitation, a process in which hydrophobic solutes and amphiphilic block copolymers are dissolved in a water-miscible organic solvent and then rapidly mixed with water to produce composite nanoparticles. A previously developed model by Spaeth et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 134, 164902 (2011)]10.1063/1.3580293 was used. The model was parameterized to reproduce equilibrium and transport properties of the solvent, hydrophobic solute, and diblock copolymer. Anti-solvent mixing was modeled using time-dependent solvent-solute and solvent-copolymer interactions. We find that particle size increases with mixing time, due to the difference in solute and polymer solubilities. Increasing the solubility of the solute leads to larger ...
Adding Zoledronic Acid to Endocrine Therapy in the Adjuvant Treatment of Hormone-Sensitive Breast Cancer in Premenopausal Women: A New Care Standard or a Provocative Idea?

The optimum adjuvant treatment of hormone receptorpositive breast cancer in premenopausal women has been the subject of controversy between American and European physicians for some time. In many European countries, the standard of care consists of ovarian suppression alone or in addition to tamoxifen therapy. The use of chemotherapy, although considered the standard by most American oncologists, is not considered by many European oncologists. Although there seems to be little question that ovarian suppression, with or without tamoxifen, is therapeutically equivalent to chemotherapy alone, the equivalence of ovarian suppression plus tamoxifen to chemotherapy plus tamoxifen remains a persistent, unanswered research question. In this setting, if one assumes that ovarian suppression plus hormonal therapy is an acceptable form of treatment, two issues come to mind. First, if aromatase inhibitors are superior to tamoxifen in reducing the risk of recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, will the same superiority translate into a premenopausal age group who are rendered menopausal through ovarian suppression? Second, will the addition of zoledronic acid to the treatment regimen also reduce the risk of recurrence? Zoledronic acid, although used primarily in medical oncology to reduce morbidity from skeletal-related events in patients with established bone metastases from breast cancer, is believed, based on preclinical data, to have inherent antitumor properties that may render it useful in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.
Investigation of piezoceramic flexure elements for the transfer of tactile information

The paper discusses the optimum size of a piezoceramic flexure element used in a vibro-tactile array producing mechanical vibrations against the skin. The critical characteristics of the piezoceramic element are investigated and an electro-mechanical model given. The results provide a first evaluation of the pieaoceramic bender to replace the electromechanical transducer.
Tau Lepton properties

The status of selected tau properties determined from published experimental papers is presented. Emphasis is placed on topics which illustrate the recent advances in precision of experimental measurements of tau properties. The impact of the new measurements on the 1994 Particle Data Group fit to tau branching fractions is discussed.
High performance speech recognition using consistency modeling

The primary goal of this project is to develop acoustic modeling techniques that advance the state-of-the-art in speech recognition, focusing on those techniques that relax the hidden Markov model's improper independence assumptions. Such techniques should both improve robustness to systematic variations such as microphone, channel, and speaker, by conditioning state's acoustic output distributions on long-term measurements, as well as improve general acoustic calibration by removing improper short-term (e. g. frame to frame) independence assumptions.
The role of synaptic proteins in Alzheimer's disease.

: Synaptic damage is an early event common to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is the best correlate to the cognitive impairment found in these patients. Recent studies have shown that several of the molecules involved in neurodegenerative disorders are in fact synaptic proteins with amyloidogenic potential (SPWAP). Here we propose a unified theory to explain the neurodegenerative process in AD based on the idea that abnormal folding and/or aggregation of these molecules leads to cell death. The most important predictions of this hypothesis are that: (1) there are other yet unknown SPWAP that might be involved in AD, and their identity can be predicted by defining what makes a protein amyloidogenic; (2) there are endogenous anti-amyloidogenic molecules that regulate the aggregation state of SPWAP; and (3) there might be forms of the disease associated with decreased production of endogenous anti-amyloidogenic molecules or with unbalance of pro- versus anti-amyloidogenic factors.
4D-CT motion estimation using deformable image registration and 5D respiratory motion modeling

Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) imaging technology has been developed for radiation therapy to provide tumor and organ images at the different breathing phases. In this work, a procedure is proposed for estimating and modeling the respiratory motion field from acquired 4D-CT imaging data and predicting tissue motion at the different breathing phases. The 4D-CT image data consist of series of multislice CT volume segments acquired in cine mode. A modified optical flow deformable image registration algorithm is used to compute the image motion from the CT segments to a common full volume 3D-CT reference. This reference volume is reconstructed using the acquired 4D-CT data at the end-of-exhalation phase. The segments are optimally aligned to the reference volume according to a proposed a priori alignment procedure. The registration is applied using a multigrid approach and a feature-preserving image downsampling maxfilter to achieve better computational speed and higher registration accuracy. The registration accuracy is about 1.1 +/- 0.8 mm for the lung region according to our verification using manually selected landmarks and artificially deformed CT volumes. The estimated motion fields are fitted to two 5D (spatial 3D+tidal volume+airflow rate) motion models: forward model and inverse model. The forward model predicts tissue movements and the inverse model predicts CT density changes as a function of tidal volume and airflow rate. A leave-one-out procedure is used to validate these motion models. The estimated modeling prediction errors are about 0.3 mm for the forward model and 0.4 mm for the inverse model.
Self-image, the long view and archaeological engagement with film: an animated case study

Abstract Academic engagement with popular constructions of archaeology in film is often in the style of analysing the self-image of archaeologists and archaeology. Two distinctive types of this narcissistic approach are identified in the current literature: a negative and defensive approach and a positive and forgiving approach. Both of these approaches have yielded substantial insights about the public perception of archaeology and will undoubtedly continue to be fruitful avenues of inquiry. In this paper a third mode of engagement is outlined that is motivated by the unique ability of archaeology to provide a long-term view on things that matter to us now. The 2008 Pixar film Wall-E is used as a case study to show how this long-term view can relate to films that are not directly about archaeology. The case study of Wall-E shows that a counter-narcissistic approach can be an insightful and non-judgmental method of media analysis by decoding the popular appeal of an artwork and revealing new opportunities...
A new freeze-drying technique applied to the analysis of the molecular structure of mitochondrial and chloroplast membranes.

For the analysis of the molecular structure of cellular components by means of electron microscopy, a resolution of at least 10 A was considered required. Only very thin sections of material embedded in plastic offer sufficiently thin specimens for attaining this resolution. The problem of transferring cells and tissues from an aqueous environment to a plastic without producing extensive conformational changes requires an elaborate use of means to stabilize protein conformation and to reduce the tendency for unfolding of peptide chains until the material is locked in in a solid plastic. The method that was developed involved freeze-drying and embedding at a low temperature. The material was first stabilized by means of brief cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (minimum time), partially dehydrated with 30% ethylene glycol to prevent ice crystallization, rapidly frozen at −180° in propane, dried through vacuum distillation at −80°C and infiltrated by an embedding medium, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, at −30°C followed by polymerization by means of uv irradiation at −27°C. All steps in the procedure are discussed in detail in the light of present physical chemical and biochemical knowledge. Further improvements of the technique are proposed. The development of a new embedding medium is of crucial importance. Some results from applying the method to an analysis of mitochondrial and chloroplast membranes are reported. These results confirm those obtained earlier by Sjostrand and Barajas (46) and by Kretzer (16,) with cross-linking, ethylene glycol dehydration and Vestopal embedding. The observations are related to the membrane model proposed originally by Sjostrand in 1965 and further developed by Sjostrand and Barajas (46, 47), and to the models proposed later by Singer and Nicholson (36) and Packer (23).
Differential Passive and Active Biaxial Mechanical Behaviors of Muscular and Elastic Arteries: Basilar Versus Common Carotid

Cerebrovascular disease continues to be responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. There is, therefore, a pressing need to understand better the biomechanics of both intracranial arteries and the extracranial arteries that feed these vessels. We used a validated four-fiber family constitutive relation to model passive biaxial stress-stretch behaviors of basilar and common carotid arteries and we developed a new relation to model their active biaxial responses. These data and constitutive relations allow the first full comparison of circumferential and axial biomechanical behaviors between a muscular (basilar) and an elastic (carotid) artery from the same species. Our active model describes the responses by both types of vessels to four doses of the vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (10(-10)M, 10(-9)M, 10(-8)M, and 10(-7)M) and predicts levels of smooth muscle cell activation associated with basal tone under specific in vitro testing conditions. These results advance our understanding of the biomechanics of intracranial and extracranial arteries, which is needed to understand better their differential responses to similar perturbations in hemodynamic loading.
Loss of radioactive 2-deoxy-D-glucose-6-phosphate from brains of conscious rats: implications for quantitative autoradiographic determination of regional glucose utilization.

Abstract Radioactive glucose and 2-deoxy- d -glucose (deoxyglucose) were compared as tracers for estimating the rate of rat brain glucose utilization after an intravenous injection. The [brain] : [blood] ratio of deoxyglucose content was twice as large as that of glucose at 5 min, 3 times at 45 min, and 13 times at 240 min. While [2- 14 C]glucose accounted for about 20% of total brain 14 C (acid soluble) at 10 min, labeled deoxyglucose took 45 min to fall to comparable levels. Labeled 2-deoxy- d -glucose-6-phosphate (deoxyglucose phosphate) did not accumulate after 10 min despite the fact that deoxyglucose was available continuously for phosphorylation. This resulted from loss of deoxyglucose phosphate, which was in proportion to its concentration. The disappearance of deoxyglucose phosphate was probably catalyzed by glucose-6-phosphatase, which reacts with deoxyglucose phosphate and which is present in brain. Since the [brain]: [blood] ratio of labeled deoxyglucose increases as time passes and since deoxyglucose phosphate is lost from brain at an appreciable rate, its use for quantitative determination of the rate of rat brain glucose utilization is much more complex than previously realized. Approximately 45 min are necessary to reduce background contamination to acceeptable levels for autoradiography during which time substantial amounts of deoxyglucose phosphate may be lost. The primary reason for using deoxyglucose to measure glucose utilization by the brain is the assumption that deoxyglucose phosphate is lost very slowly from the brain. In view of the fact that loss of deoxyglucose phosphate cannot be ignored, the advantage of labeled deoxyglucose over labeled glucose is open to question.
Seasonal and ontogenetic changes in movement patterns of sixgill sharks.

Background: Understanding movement patterns is fundamental to population and conservation biology. The way an animal moves through its environment influences the dynamics of local populations and will determine how susceptible it is to natural or anthropogenic perturbations. It is of particular interest to understand the patterns of movement for species which are susceptible to human activities (e.g. fishing), or that exert a large influence on community structure, such as sharks. Methodology/Principal Findings: We monitored the patterns of movement of 34 sixgill sharks Hexanchus griseus using two large-scale acoustic arrays inside and outside Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Sixgill sharks were residents in Puget Sound for up to at least four years before making large movements out of the estuary. Within Puget Sound, sixgills inhabited sites for several weeks at a time and returned to the same sites annually. Across four years, sixgills had consistent seasonal movements in which they moved to the north from winter to spring and moved to the south from summer to fall. Just prior to leaving Puget Sound, sixgills altered their behavior and moved twice as fast among sites. Nineteen of the thirty-four sixgills were detected leaving Puget Sound for the outer coast. Three of these sharks returned to Puget Sound. Conclusions/Significance: For most large marine predators, we have a limited understanding of how they move through their environment, and this clouds our ability to successfully manage their populations and their communities. With detailed movement information, such as that being uncovered with acoustic monitoring, we can begin to quantify the spatial and temporal impacts of large predators within the framework of their ecosystems.
Selling Women Short: A Research Note on Gender Differences in Compensation on Wall Street

Some research has suggested that, once all forms of segregation are controlled, there is no gender gap in earnings. However, other research suggests that substantial barriers to gender equality persist even within occupations. I suggest that institutional norms and market forces that determine compensation practices are likely to produce different results across professions. I hypothesize that gender inequality will persist on Wall Street even when men and women hold identical job titles. Using a cohort sample of securities professionals with highly similar human capital characteristics, I find statistically significant gender differences in 1997 earnings, controlling for background characteristics, human capital, and segregation by area of finance. I offer possible explanations for variation among professions, emphasizing the importance of institutional practices within the securities industry.
Challenges and Opportunities in Smart Grid: A Position Article

This introductory article overviews the concepts and purpose of the Smart Grid and the important role of communications technology in its development. It identifies some of the challenges and opportunities that are explored in more detail in the articles that comprise this special issue.
Corpus Callosum Volume and Neurocognition in Autism

The corpus callosum has recently been considered as an index of interhemispheric connectivity. This study applied a novel volumetric method to examine the size of the corpus callosum in 32 individuals with autism and 34 age-, gender- and IQ-matched controls and to investigate the relationship between this structure and cognitive measures linked to interhemispheric functioning. Participants with autism displayed reductions in total corpus callosum volume and in several of its subdivisions. Relationships were also observed between volumetric alterations and performance on several cognitive tests including the Tower of Hanoi test. These findings provide further evidence for anatomical alterations in the corpus callosum in autism, but warrant additional studies examining the relationship of this structure and specific measures of interhemispheric connectivity.
Benzene and carbon monoxide adsorbed on Pt(111): A LEED intensity analysis

The structure of the Pt(III)-(2√3×4)rect-2C 6 H 6 +4CO coadsorption system has been analyzed with dynamical calculations of low-energy electron diffraction intensities. The benzene molecules are oriented with their carbon rings parallel to the surface, centered over bridge sites with local C 2v symmetry. A large carbon ring expansion is found, with possible differences in C-C bond lengths within the same ring. The carbon ring is planar within ∼0.05 A. There are probably two carbon monoxide molecules for each benzene molecule within the unit cell. Their likely locations are also bridge sites.
A Census of State Portal and Agency Homepage Design in the United States

This study reports on the results of a census of design trends of 300 state government portal and agency homepages within the United States. The results can be used by government web designers to aid web design decisions and improve usability, researchers wishing to compare the findings with other populations, and future researchers who wish to study changes in homepage design over time. The study has found a limited number of design elements were common in state portal and state agency homepages. In addition, it found that state portal and agency homepage design is lacking in terms of design principles such as screen length, navigation principles such as in use of search boxes, site indexes, and site maps, providing of communication options, and inclusion of multimedia and Web 2.0 technologies.
Immunotherapy with natural interleukins and/or thymosin α1 potently augments T-lymphocyte responses of hydrocortisone-treated aged mice

Abstract Cytokines and thymic hormones are thought to play critical roles in the regulation of T-lymphocyte development and function. In an effort to determine the effectiveness of such agents in an immunotherapeutic strategy, we employed aged mice in a hydrocortisone treatment model to generate an immunodeficient state and to study its reconstitution. Mice were given five daily injections of a natural cytokine mixture (NCM), recombinant interleukins (rIL-1, rIL-2) or their combination, thymosin α1 or fraction 5 (Tα1, TF5), or the combinations of NCM plus Tα1 and of NCM plus TF5. Spleen and thymus weights were obtained and the cellular responses to stimulation in vitro with NCM, IL-1, IL-2 and mitogens (PHA and Con A) were assayed. Both NCM and Tα1 in vivo treatment augmented thymocyte and splenocyte in vitro responses to both interleukins and mitogens. Neither treatments with equivalent doses of rIL-1, rIL-2 nor their combination, nor TF5 achieved similar results. Of all the treatments, only NCM plus Tα1 augmented spleen weight; none augmented thymus weight. Surface marker analyses of T-lymphocytes and subsets indicate that treatment of mice with NCM plus Tα1 increased spleen T-cell numbers of both CD4 and CD8 positive cells significantly. These data indicate that NCM and Tα1 alone and in combination may be therapeutically useful to restore T-lymphocyte number or function in secondary immunodeficiency.
Natural hair color and the incidence of endometriosis.

Objective To investigate a previously hypothesized relation between natural hair color and endometriosis. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses' Health Study II with 10 years of follow-up. Participant(s) A total of 90,065 women, 25–42 years old, who had never been diagnosed with endometriosis, infertility, or cancer at baseline in 1989. Main Outcome Measure(s) Incidence of laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis according to natural hair color. Result(s) During 379,422 person-years of follow-up, 1,130 cases of laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis were reported among women with no past infertility. After adjusting for age, calendar time, parity, race, and body mass index at age 18, we observed no association overall. However, compared with women with any other hair color, we observed an increased rate of endometriosis among women with naturally red hair who had never been infertile (incidence rate=1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0–1.7), but a decreased rate among women with naturally red hair among women who were infertile (incidence rate=0.4, 95% CI=0.2–1.2); P value, test for heterogeneity=.03. Conclusion(s) Overall, we did not observe a significant relation between red hair color and the rate of endometriosis, however this prospective cohort study suggests that the relation may differ by infertility status.
Rapid Measurement of Capillary Permeability Using the Early Part of the Dynamic Gd-DTPA MRI Enhancement Curve

Three fast, simple methods for measuring the permeability surface area product per unit volume, k, from the early part of the gadolinium-DTPA enhancement curve in blood-brain barrier and blood-retina barrier lesions are presented and evaluated by computer simulation. All use a minimum of scanning time, and the scanning and computing procedures are easy to implement. The first, using the initial slope of the enhancement vs time curve, is subject to errors of 17-26% from failure of the signal to rise linearly with time, caused by decay of plasma concentration, filling of leakage space, T2 losses, and signal nonlinearity with 1/T1. The second, the early enhancement method, takes account of all nonlinearities, and its accuracy is limited only by lack of prior knowledge of the size of the leakage space; some iterative computation is required. For brain lesions the error is 11%, with an imaging time of 3-10 minutes. The third, the simplified early enhancement method, appropriate for retinal lesions, takes account of plasma decay only and requires simpler computation. The maximum error is 10%, with an imaging time of 12-45 minutes.
CHEMICAL PROTECTION AGAINST EARLY RADIATION MORTALITY OF THE YOUNG CHICKEN.

The protective capacity of AET against early mortality in the young chicken was investigated. The results showed that AET given fifteen minutes prior to radiation exposure acts to protect the acutely irradiated chick from injuries leading to death in the early (0-48 hr) period, producing an effective dose reduction of approximately 200 r. Two distinct phases of mortality were seen within 48 hr of exposure. The first period, 3-9 hr post-exposure, was characterized by an approximately linear dose-mortality response above 750 r. In the second phase (17-30 hr) approximately 40% of the animals irradiated with 750 r died, no increase being observed with higher radiation doses.
Evolution of the electronic states of polyaniline: an ab initio analysis of the orbital states of PAni synthons

Abstract In this work, ab initio computations performed using the B3LYP hybrid density functional are applied to describe the full electronic character of polyaniline (PAni) in terms of its logical structural subunits and/or its synthons. A complete description of bonding, redox states, and spectroscopic terms is obtained from this analysis, suggesting that structural and electronic properties of PAni are attributable to its synthons; aniline, p -phenylene diamine, and N , N ′-bis(4′-aminophenyl)-1,4-quinonediimine. Though previous modeling attempts with semi-empirical or simple Hartree–Fock methods have provided useful qualitative data, the ab initio/DFT approach used here has been shown to be quantitatively accurate. The general approach to understanding properties of complex materials in terms of its smaller structural units and synthons will be generally useful for polymers and complex clusters.