cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Poverty reduction through geographic targeting: How well does it work?

Abstract Simulated transfer schemes using household data for Venezuela, Mexico and Jamaica indicate that geographic targeting is a useful mechanism for transferring benefits to the poor. Poverty can be significantly reduced when compared with transfer schemes involving no targeting, such as general food subsidies. Of the various techniques used to identify priority regions for a targeted program, outcomes proved to be fairly similar. The level of geographic unit does, however, seem to have a notable impact on targeting outcomes. In the case of Mexico, the more narrowly defined the geographic region, the greater was the reduction in poverty. These findings have obvious implications for program design.
Size-change and deposition of conventional and composite cigarette smoke particles during inhalation in a subject-specific airway model

Abstract In light of the established health risks of cigarette smoking, less harmful cigarettes (or potential reduced exposure products (PREPs)) have been marketed. Thus, it is of interest to analyze and compare the inhaled droplet dynamics of conventional and new composite cigarette smoke particles (CSPs). Inhalation pattern, hygroscopic growth and deposition of different composite cigarette smoke particles (CSPs) have been simulated numerically in a subject-specific human respiratory airway model from the mouth to generation G9. The validated computer model has been developed to consider the interaction of different deposition mechanisms, including impaction, sedimentation, diffusion, hygroscopic growth, coagulation, as well as possible cloud motion under different exposure and steady breathing conditions (e.g., puffing, post-puffing and two-step inhalation). The computer simulation results are consistent with numerous in-vivo and in-vitro studies as well as whole-lung modeling for deposition of conventional CSPs including hygroscopic growth and cloud motion. It is demonstrated that changes in cigarette composition significantly influence the hygroscopic growth of CSPs. In general, the growth rate of new composite CSPs is larger than the conventional one if the initial water mole-fraction is lower in the droplet. Hygroscopic growth of the new composite CSPs is not a significant mechanism leading to elevated deposition in the oral and tracheobronchial (TB) airways, provided that the relative humidity in the lungs does not exceed 99.5% and the droplet size does not exceed 3 μm; however, enhanced deposition may occur if the particles can grow over 3 μm. In this case, the deposition patterns of CSPs may be controlled by changing the primary composition, especially the initial ratio of water and glycerol. The simulation data with cloud diameters of 0.15–0.2 cm in the oral cavity and 0.5–0.6 cm in the trachea closely match the in-vivo lung deposition measurements of highly dense (conventional) CSPs. Specifically, preferred deposition occurs in the upper airway region, i.e., from the oral cavity to the second bifurcation, with deposition fractions of about 13–22% from the oral cavity to the larynx and 40–57% in the TB airways. This study is helpful for quantitatively evaluating the dose-exposure and subsequent health effects of both conventional and potentially less-harmful cigarettes.
Late Quaternary slip rate of the southern Elsinore fault, Southern California: Dating offset alluvial fans via 230Th/U on pedogenic carbonate

[1] To understand how strain is accommodated along the Pacific-North American plate boundary and to assess the associated seismic hazard, estimates of long-term (103–105 year) slip rates for strands of the San Andreas fault system are needed. The mean slip rate over the past ∼40 kyr for the southernmost Elsinore fault, one of the principal strands of the San Andreas fault system in Southern California, was determined using offset alluvial fans dated by U-series on pedogenic carbonate. Two displaced fans, correlated with their source drainages using distinctive gravel-clast assemblages, define offsets of 60 ± 20 and 83 ± 31 m. Milligram-size samples of dense carbonate clast-coatings from fan soils provide 230Th/U-based ages of 39.1 ± 5.3 and 46.4 ± 5.3 kyr (all errors are 2σ), respectively, for the offset fans. Our results indicate that the Elsinore fault near its southern terminus slipped at a mean rate of 1.6 ± 0.4 mm/yr over the past ∼40 kyr. However, slip associated with the most recent earthquake on the southern Elsinore fault increases northward from the study area, and if this pattern has repeated through time, the peak slip rate on the southern Elsinore fault may significantly exceed our measured rate.
Some Phenomena in CdTe/CdS Thin Film Solar Cells Made by Close-Spaced Sublimation

CdTe/CdS heterojunction thin film solar cells of 11.7% efficiency have been made by close-spaced sublimation of CdTe. Some results regarding the influence of the CdCI2 treatment and contacting are given stressing the requirement of more in-depth analysis of the CdTe cells made by different processes in order to understand the common and basic mechanisms better.
A unified formulation of the construction of variational principles

The use of variational principles as a calculational tool is reviewed, with special emphasis on methods for constructing such principles. In particular, it is shown that for a very wide class of problems it is possible to construct a variational principle (VP) for just about any given quantity $Q$ of interest, by routine procedures which do not require the exercise of ingenuity; the resultant VP will yield an estimate of $Q$ correct to second order whenever the quantities appearing in the VP are known to first order. The only significant requirement for application of the routine procedures is that the entities which enter into the definition of $Q$ be uniquely specified by a given set of equations; the equations may involve difference or differential or integral operators, they may be homogeneous or inhomogeneous, linear or nonlinear, self-adjoint or not, and they may or may not represent time-reversible systems. No numerical calculations are presented, but procedures for the construction of VP's are illustrated for numerous quantities $Q$ of physical interest, particularly those $Q$ arising in quantum-mechanical scattering and transition probability calculations. For pedagogical purposes VP's are also derived for several problems in classical and (simple) mathematical physics which the authors hope will prove instructive and perhaps even amusing. The quantum-mechanical quantities $Q$ whose VP's are examined include various matrix elements and the quantum-mechanical eigenfunctions themselves. Topics examined include some points which have not always been appreciated in the literature, such as the necessity for properly specifying the phase when complex eigenfunctions are involved, and the importance of avoiding, wherever possible, formulations requiring the inversion of singular operators. The basic element of the technique is the recognition that the defining equations of a system can be incorporated into the VP as constraints through the use of (generalized) Lagrange multipliers; these can be constants, scalar, vector, or tensor functions of one or more variables, operators, etc. In the typical problem, these Lagrange multipliers $\mathcal{L}$ serve as a new set of adjoint functions or entities, and the construction of the VP simultaneously provides well-defined equations for the $\mathcal{L}$. Moreover, these $\mathcal{L}$ often have ready physical significance themselves; for example, they often may be regarded as generalized Green's functions. The construction of the VP also readily yields so-called variational identities for the quantity $Q$ of interest; these identities give explicit (if formal) expressions for the error in the variational estimate of $Q$. In some cases this error can be shown to have a definite sign, so that the VP actually is an extremum principle, that is, that it yields an upper or lower variational bound for $Q$; however, our routine procedures for constructing VP's do not routinely yield extremum principles.
Clinical Indication as an Ethical Appraisal: The Example of Imaging before Middle Ear Surgery

Purpose of the Study: Asking whether imaging is indicated before middle ear surgery requires us to examine the question of indication more generally. Procedures:
The Development of American Physics

I had an informal understanding with our Secretary that my address was to cover the growth of physics in the last fifty years, But, now that the program is out, I see that the title has been changed to read, The Development of American Physics. I happen to be one of those who never went along with the idea of a distinctly racial or regional attitude toward our science, even when put forth by such eminent authorities as Hitler or Goebbels. I think it would be provincial of me consciously to stress the American side of the story, although this will undoubtedly happen because we are all products of our environment.
Recent advancements in mechanical reduction methods: Particulate systems

AbstractThe screening of new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has become more streamlined and as a result the number of new drugs in the pipeline is steadily increasing. However, a major limiting factor of new API approval and market introduction is the low solubility associated with a large percentage of these new drugs. While many modification strategies have been studied to improve solubility such as salt formation and addition of cosolvents, most provide only marginal success and have severe disadvantages. One of the most successful methods to date is the mechanical reduction of drug particle size, inherently increasing the surface area of the particles and, as described by the Noyes-Whitney equation, the dissolution rate. Drug micronization has been the gold standard to achieve these improvements; however, the extremely low solubility of some new chemical entities is not significantly affected by size reduction in this range. A reduction in size to the nanometric scale is necessary. Bottom-up...
Cost containment as professional challenge

Cost containment by means of prospective payment and other mechanisms is widely seen as a challenge to modern medicine; but the challenge is seldom articulated clearly in terms of core professional values and the moral content of a claim to professionalism. Medical ethics, as it has evolved as a field of study in the past twenty years, has contributed little to the concept of professionalism in medicine. For an investigation of professionalism in the face of cost containment to evolve fruitfully, several things must occur. The true nature of today's challenge to medicine must be appreciated. The balance between tradition and response to social change in defining a professional value system must be appreciated. Physician income must be explicitly addressed as a moral issue. And practical strategies for investigating and affirming core professional values must be developed for health delivery systems and medical education settings.
A Transport Acceleration Scheme for Multigroup Discrete Ordinates with Upscattering

We have developed a modification of the two-grid upscatter acceleration scheme of Adams and Morel. The modified scheme uses a low-angular-order discrete ordinates equation to accelerate Gauss-Seide...
Collection selection and results merging with topically organized U.S. patents and TREC data

We investigate three issues in d istributed information retrieval, considering both TREC data and U.S. Patents: (1) topical organization o f large text collections, (2) collection ranking and selection with topically organized collections (3) results merging, particularly document score normalization, with topically organized collections. We find that it is better to organize collections topically, and that topical collections can be well ranked using either INQUERY’s CORI algorithm, or the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL), but KL is far worse than CORI for non-topically organized collections. For r esults merging, collections organized b y topic require global idfs for the best performance. Contrary to results found elsewhere, normalized scores are not as good as global idfs for merging when the collections are topically organized.
Defect-Oriented and Time-Constrained Wafer-Level Test-Length Selection for Core-Based Digital SoCs

Product cost is a major driver in the consumer electronics market, which is characterized by low profit margins and the use of core-based system-on-chip (SoC) designs. Packaging has been recognized as a significant contributor to the product cost for such SoCs. To reduce packaging cost and the test cost for packaged chips, wafer-level testing (wafer sort) is used in the semiconductor industry to screen defective dies. However, since test time is a major practical constraint for wafer sort, even more so than for package test, not all the scan-based digital tests can be applied to the die under test. We present an optimal test-length selection technique for wafer-level testing of core-based SoCs. This technique, which is based on a combination of statistical yield modeling and integer linear programming, allows us to determine the number of patterns to use for each embedded core during wafer sort such that the probability of screening defective dies is maximized for a given upper limit on the SoC test time. Simulation results are presented for five of the ITC'02 SoC Test benchmarks.
Directional Selectivity Is Formed at Multiple Levels by Laterally Offset Inhibition in the Rabbit Retina

The excitatory and inhibitory inputs to directionally selective (DS) ganglion cells are themselves directionally selective. Directionality is achieved because excitation is reduced during null-direction movement along a GABAergic pathway. Inhibition is reduced during preferred-direction movement along a pathway that includes cholinergic synapses. Both excitation and inhibition are made directional by laterally offset inhibitory signals similar to the spatial offset of the direct inhibitory input to the DS cell dendrites. Thus, spatially offset lateral inhibition generates directionality at three different levels in the DS circuitry. We also found that for stimuli falling within the dendritic field, cholinergic input is delivered to the OFF but not the ON dendrites. Cholinergic pathways from outside the dendritic field reach both ON and OFF dendrites, but both of these pathways are normally inactivated by GABAergic synapses.
Exceptions to the Rule: The Effects of Remorse, Status, and Gender on Decision Making1

One of several general rules suggested by past work is that it is advantageous to exhibit remorse when one has committed a transgression. A pair of experiments searched for the boundary conditions of this rule. In Experiment 1, mock jurors rated a remorseful defendant as more guilty when the law was fair than when the law was unfair. In contrast, an unremorseful defendant was viewed as equally guilty under both fairness levels. Study 2 conceptually replicated this result, and revealed a 3-way interaction among remorse, status, and gender. It is argued that these findings illustrate the importance of violation of expectations on evaluation and judgment, inside the courtroom and elsewhere.
The role of the COPS Office in community policing

This paper explores the relationship between community‐policing and grants provided by the Office of Community‐Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) in the US Justice Department. Community policing data were gathered via a survey of 700 municipal and county law enforcement agencies employing more than 100 full‐time sworn officers/deputies. Grant data were gathered on the same agencies via a Freedom of Information Act request filed with the COPS Office. Census data were used for control purposes. General findings suggest that COPS funding is strongly associated with community‐policing. Specific findings are: first, hiring grants were more associated with community‐policing than grants designed to promote innovative programs and second, agencies with several COPS grants were more likely to report community‐policing programs than agencies with fewer COPS grants.
LOS PARAMENTOS DE LA NARRATIVA ARGENTINA DURANTE "EL PROCESO DE REORGANIZACION NACIONAL"

Ante a necessidade de sobrepujar as cisoes entre os argentinos que se foram durante o Processo de Reorganizacao Nacional (1976-1983) e os que ficaram, passa-se em revista os frutos da narrativa argentina que, apesar do aparato de repressao, da censura e da desagregacao operada pela tirania, puderam ser levados a cabo. Enfoca-se a dinâmica expressiva de uma serie de autores que souberam abordar temas vinculados diretamente com a vida nacional sob a ditadura em formas tanto alegoricas quanto testemunhais e documentais: Enrique Medina, Marta Lynch, Ana Maria Shua, Martha Mercader, Ricardo Piglia, Oscar Hermes Villordo, Jorge Asis. O que se desprende deste panorama e que, apesar do aparato repressivo, a narrativa argentina escrita e publicada duranee o Processo soube encontrar a maneira de perseguir contestadoramente a incumbencia do narrador de escrever honradamente sobre a encruzilhada historica que lhe toca viver.
SPONTANEOUS MUTATORS IN BACTERIA: Insights into Pathways of Mutagenesis and Repair

Mutators are cells that have a higher mutation rate than the wild type. Such mutators have been extensively studied in bacteria, and this has led to the elucidation of a number of important DNA repair pathways, as well as revealing new pathways of mutagenesis. Repair defects in humans that lead to mutator phenotypes are responsible for a number of cancer susceptibilities. In some cases, these repair systems are the close counterparts of the equivalent bacterial repair system. Therefore, characterizing bacterial mutators and the repair systems that are deficient can aid in discovering the human homolog of these systems.
ROZZIE AND HARRIET? Gender and Family Patterns of Lesbian Coparents

In this article the author explores the ways in which lesbian coparents divide household, child care, and paid labor to learn whether, and the degree to which, they adopt egalitarian work and family arrangements. Informed by a brief overview of U.S. gay liberation and family politics, and the theoretical and empirical work on the household division of labor by gender, this qualitative analysis of 34 Northern California families suggests that equitable practices—a pattern of equal sharing—among these lesbian coparents are the norm. Less frequently, the Rozzie and Harriet pattern of primary breadwinner/primary caregiver emerges, apparently in relation to differences in parents' relative income and their desire to offer children a “sense of family.” The experience of this minority of couples reveals a division of labor that mimics modern heterosexual expectations and highlights the powerful negative effect of economic dependency on women who are full-time caregivers.
Vaccination against anthrax with attenuated recombinant strains of Bacillus anthracis that produce protective antigen.

The protective efficacy of several live, recombinant anthrax vaccines given in a single-dose regimen was assessed with Hartley guinea pigs. These live vaccines were created by transforming ΔANR and ΔSterne, two nonencapsulated, nontoxinogenic strains of Bacillus anthracis, with four different recombinant plasmids that express the anthrax protective antigen (PA) protein to various degrees. This enabled us to assess the effect of the chromosomal background of the strain, as well as the amount of PA produced, on protective efficacy. There were no significant strain-related effects on PA production in vitro, plasmid stability in vivo, survival of the immunizing strain in the host, or protective efficacy of the immunizing infection. The protective efficacy of the live, recombinant anthrax vaccine strains correlated with the anti-PA antibody titers they elicited in vivo and the level of PA they produced in vitro.
Shared mental models in improvisational theatre

This article presents our currents findings from an empirical study of the cognition employed by performers in improvisational theatre. Improvised theatrical performance is an activity in which one or more individuals create a dramatic or comedic performance in real-time and is an interesting example of creative, real-time, collaborative problem solving. Unlike other forms of creative problem solving, improvisers are constrained from explicitly coordinating with the other improvisers on stage or revising their decisions after the fact. This article focuses on the means by which a group of improvisers converge on a shared understanding (i.e. a shared mental model) of what a scene is about and how it should proceed. We present our findings on how improvisers build shared mental models during a performance and discuss our applications of these findings to the design and development of improvisational intelligent agents.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with posterior spinal reconstruction for the resection of upper lobe lung tumors involving the spine

Abstract Background context Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is associated with less morbidity and recovery time compared with traditional open thoracotomy (OT) for the resection of early stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Local invasion of NSCLC into adjacent vertebrae confers a TNM T status of T4. Anatomical lobectomy by VATS with simultaneous posterior spinal reconstruction (PSR), as a single procedure, offers advantages to selected patients judged as suitable candidates for resection. Purpose To report the preliminary results of a novel, multidisciplinary surgical technique for the treatment of upper lobe lung cancers with direct extension to the spine. Study design Consecutive case series. Patient sample Eight adults who underwent PSR with either VATS or OT for the treatment of a T4 (vertebral body invasion) NSCLC. Outcome measures Total operative time, estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis, survival, reoperations, and any other intraoperative or postoperative complication. Methods Eight consecutive patients who underwent instrumented PSR with corpectomy for the treatment of an upper lobe NSCLC at a single institution were identified. Either VATS (n=4) or OT (n=4) was performed at the time of the reconstruction in each patient. All tumors were stage III NSCLC without metastasis. Results Patients who underwent VATS and OT were aged 54±11 and 54±2.9 years, respectively. Mean operative time and blood loss were similar between the groups: VATS: 367±117 minutes versus OT: 518±264 minutes; VATS: 813±463 mL versus OT: 1,250±1,500 mL. Mean follow-up was 16±13 months after surgery. Complications occurred in all eight patients. One OT patient had wound dehiscence requiring a tissue flap, and another suffered from a septic shock. No wound complications developed after VATS. Death secondary to tumor recurrence occurred once in each group. For the six surviving patients, 23±15 months (range, 4.5–43 months) have elapsed since surgery. Conclusions Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with PSR is a novel and viable method for the complete resection of T4 NSCLC.
Post-translational Regulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (eNOS) by Estrogens in the Rat Vagina

Introduction Estrogens control vaginal blood flow during female sexual arousal mostly through nitric oxide (NO). Although vascular effects of estrogens are attributed to an increase in endothelial NO production, the mechanisms of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) regulation by estrogens in the vagina are largely unknown.
Initial melting in alkali feldspar-plagioclase-quartz systems

The beginning of melting of mineral assemblages of alkali feldspar, plagioclase and quartz in the system Ab-Or-Q-An cannot be treated in terms of eutectic points in subsystems which are defined on the basis of the ratio Ab/An. Such subsystems do not exhibit unique melting temperatures or unique compositions of the first liquid produced. It is shown theoretically and demonstrated experimentally that these three minerals may coexist with liquid over a considerable portion of the melting range.
Applying a model of configuration complexity to measure security impact on IT procedures

IT security has become over the recent years a major concern for organizations. However, it doesn't come without large investments on both the acquisition of tools to satisfy particular security requirements and complex procedures to deploy and maintain a protected infrastructure. The scientific community has proposed in the recent past models and techniques to measure the complexity of configuration procedures, aware that they represent a significant operational cost, often dominating total cost of ownership. However, despite the central role played by security within this context, it has not been subject to any investigation so far. To address this issue, we apply a model of configuration complexity proposed in the literature in order to be able to estimate security impact on the complexity of IT procedures. Our proposal has been materialized through a prototypical implementation of a complexity scorer system called security complexity analyzer (SCA). To prove concept and technical feasibility of our proposal, we have used the SCA to evaluate real-life security scenarios.
An approach to conceptual feedback in multiple viewed software requirements modeling

Software requirements analysis and specification is concerned with the exploratory phases of software development: namely, defining a problem and its domain, followed by the process of identifying what features and constraints must be embodied in any software that is expected to solve the problem. A multiple viewed requirements technique deals with requirements analysis based on having available diverse multiple descriptions of software requirements. Multiple views originate from the various people, perspectives and purposes involved in a system. Because these multiple descriptions are often expressed in differing notation schemes based on differing underlying paradigms and methodologies, the problem of consistency and completeness is a significant impediment to obtaining a reliable set of requirements. Although each view by itself may be demonstrated to be internally consistent and coherent, one view is not usually formally integrated with another. This paper outlines part of an approach to these multiple-viewed requirements that provides some structure for integrating and validating multiple views.
The Benefits and Savings from Publicly Funded Clinical Trials of Prescription Drugs

The current system of financing for clinical drug trials creates numerous perverse incentives. Since the trials are typically performed or controlled by the company who owns the patent, it has enormous incentives to report positive findings and conceal results that indicate the drug might be ineffective or even harmful. In addition, the large patent rents earned by drug companies are justified by the need to recoup research costs, approximately half of which are attributable to clinical trials. This article outlines a system of publicly financed clinical trials under which all results are fully available to the public. The system would be financed by paying lower drug prices under the Medicare drug program and other public health care programs.
Identification and sequence analysis of cDNAs encoding a 110-kilodalton actin filament-associated pp60src substrate.

Abstract Transformation of chicken embryo cells by oncogenic forms of pp60src (e.g., pp60v-src or pp60527F) is linked with a concomitant increase in the steady-state levels of tyrosine-phosphorylated cellular proteins. Activated forms of the Src protein-tyrosine kinase stably associate with tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, including a protein of 110 kDa, pp110. Previous reports have established that stable complex formation between pp110 and pp60src requires the structural integrity of the Src SH2 and SH3 domains, whereas tyrosine phosphorylation of pp110 requires only the structural integrity of the SH3 domain. In normal chicken embryo cells, pp110 colocalizes with actin stress filaments, and in Src-transformed cells, pp110 is found associated with podosomes (rosettes). Here, we report the identification and characterization of cDNAs encoding pp110. The predicted open reading frame encodes a polypeptide of 635 amino acids which exhibits little sequence similarity with other protein sequences present in the available sequence data bases. Thus, pp110 is a distinctive cytoskeleton-associated protein. On the basis of its association with actin stress filaments, we propose the term AFAP-110, for actin filament-associated protein of 110 kDa. In vitro analysis of AFAP-110 binding to bacterium-encoded glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins revealed that AFAP-110 present in normal cell extracts binds efficiently to Src SH3/SH2-containing fusion proteins, less efficiently to Src SH3-containing proteins, and poorly to SH2-containing fusion proteins. In contrast, AFAP-110 in Src-transformed cell extracts bound to GST-SH3/SH2 and GST-SH2 fusion proteins. Analysis of AFAP-110 cDNA sequences revealed the presence of sequence motifs predicted to bind to SH2 and SH3 domains, respectively. We suggest that AFAP-110 may represent a cellular protein capable of interacting with SH3-containing proteins and, upon tyrosine phosphorylation, binds tightly to SH2-containing proteins, such as pp60src or pp59fyn. The potential roles of AFAP-110 as an SH3/SH2 cytoskeletal binding protein are discussed.
Evaluation of absolute number densities by diode laser atomic absorption spectroscopy

A simple method of evaluating absolute number densities in atom reservoirs is described. It consists of measuring the difference in the integrated absorption signals obtained from a reference cell and an analytical cell with a frequency-modulated diode laser as primary source. The evaluation of the number density of atoms in the analytical cell is straightforward and, in optically thin conditions both in the vapor cell and in the analytical cell, does not even require the knowledge of the absorption oscillator strength of the transition. Conversely, for a given, known value of the atomic density, the number density in the analytical cell can be obtained.
Channel Complementarity Theory and the Health Information-Seeking Process: Further Investigating the Implications of Source Characteristic Complementarity

The contemporary information-seeking environment is marked by the presence of more information sources than perhaps ever before. Moreover, in the context of health information, evidence suggests that information seekers utilize multiple sources—such as health care providers, print media, and online support groups—in the process of acquiring information. Two studies were conducted to investigate the role of information sources in the health information-seeking process and test Ruppel and Rains’s (2012) extension of channel complementarity theory. Four complementarity characteristics of sources, which are argued to serve as a basis for source use during information seeking, were examined: access to medical expertise, tailorability, anonymity, and convenience. Taken together, the results from both studies offer some evidence that sources are used systematically during health information seeking based on each of the four complementarity characteristics.
Politics, Power, and U.S. Policy in Iran, 1950–1953

Explanations that focus on norms, ideology, and domestic sources of foreign policy are increasingly popular in studies of international politics during the Cold War. This article finds that U.S. policy in the early 1950s was driven chiefly by structural factors, especially the changing balance of power. What appeared to be a radical shift in policy toward Iran initiated by Eisenhower was, in fact, largely a continuation of the policies of the Truman administration, with new options made possible by the huge U.S. military buildup of the early 1950s. Rethinking the Role of Ideology in International Politics During the Cold War
1 Beyond Belief: The Archaeology of Religion and Ritual

Untilrecently,thestudyofreligionandritualbyarchaeologistswastypicallyfoundamongthosestudying“world religions,”particularlythosewiththebenefitoftexts.Buildinguponarenewedinterestinarchaeologicalexplorations of ancient religion and sacred ritual, the authors in this volume construct new understandings of the material forms of religion through the combination of multiple perspectives and differing methodological approaches. By using a variety of strategies applied to widely divergent regions and time periods, these scholars demonstrate how the archaeological study of ancient religion and ritual is methodologically and theoretically valid. [religion, ritual, materiality, theory, practice]
Isolated sequences from the linked Myf-5 and MRF4 genes drive distinct patterns of muscle-specific expression in transgenic mice

In developing mouse embryos, MyoD family regulatory genes are expressed specifically in muscle precursors and mature myofibers. This pattern, taken together with the well-established ability of MyoD family members to convert a variety of cell types to skeletal muscle, suggests a significant role for these genes in regulating skeletal myogenesis. The possibility that expression of these genes may be causally associated with segregation of the myogenic lineage from other mesodermal derivatives, or with the subsequent maintenance of muscle phenotypes at later times, raises the issue of how MyoD family genes are themselves regulated during development. In this work, we have initiated studies to identify DNA sequences that govern Myf-5 and MRF4 (herculin, myf-6) transcription. Myf-5 is the first of the MyoD family to be expressed in the developing mouse embryo, while MRF4 is the most abundantly expressed myogenic factor in postnatal animals. In spite of their strikingly divergent patterns of expression, Myf-5 and MRF4 are tightly linked in the mouse genome; their translational start codons are only 8.5 kilobases apart. Here, the 5' flanking regions of the mouse Myf-5 and MRF4 genes were separately linked to a bacterial β-galactosidase (lacZ) gene, and these constructs were each used to produce several lines of transgenic mice. Transgene expression was monitored by X-gal staining of whole embryos and by in situ hybridization of embryo sections. For the Myf-5/lacZ lines, the most intense transgene expression was in the visceral arches and their craniofacial muscle derivatives, beginning at day 8.75 post coitum (p.c.). This correlates with endogenous Myf-5 expression in visceral arches. However, while Myf-5 is also expressed in somites starting at day 8 p.c., transgene expression in the trunk is not observed until day 12 p.c. Thus, the Myf-5/lacZ construct responds to early Myf-5 activators in the visceral arches but not in the somites, suggesting that myogenic determination in the nonsomitic head mesoderm may be under separate control from that of the somitic trunk mesoderm. MRF4/lacZ lines displayed an entirely different pattern from Myf-5. Transgene expression appeared in muscles starting at day 16.5 p.c. and became increasingly prominent at later times. However, an early wave of myotomal expression that is characteristic of the endogenous MRF4 was not recapitulated by the transgene.
Long wavelength multimode fiber transmissions for high speed data center applications

We review new options for long wavelength multimode fibers for high speed transmission at 25Gbps and present recent results for different transceivers using these new multimode fibers or operating using modal dispersion compensating multimode fibers.
Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma of the Colon: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background: Colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) is the third leading cause of death in the United States. One of the histologic subtypes of CRC is signet-ring cell ca
Introduction and Source Materials

Sands and clastic sediments, in general, differ from the igneous and other crystalline rocks in possessing a framework of grains — a framework stable in the earth’s gravitational field. Unlike the grains of the igneous and related rocks which are in continuous contact with their neighbors, the grains in a sand are generally in tangential contact only and thus form an open, three-dimensional network. As a consequence, sands have a high porosity — have a fluid-filled pore system. The unequal distribution of stress along grain boundaries may lead to solution at points of pressure and deposition elsewhere increasing the surfaces of contact and decreasing the pore space. Such action, coupled in some cases with the introduction of cementing materials, leads to the ultimate end-product — a rock with grains in continuous contact and without porosity. In this manner, a sand with tangential contacts and a porosity of 35 to 40 percent is converted to an interlocking crystalline mosaic with zero porosity.
The role of grain boundary energy in grain boundary complexion transitions

Abstract Recent findings about the role of the grain boundary energy in complexion transitions are reviewed. Grain boundary energy distributions are most commonly evaluated using measurements of grain boundary thermal grooves. The measurements demonstrate that when a stable high temperature complexion co-exists with a metastable low temperature complexion, the stable complexion has a lower energy. It has also been found that the changes in the grain boundary energy lead to changes in the grain boundary character distribution. Finally, recent experimental observations are consistent with the theoretical prediction that higher energy grain boundaries transform at lower temperatures than relatively lower energy grain boundaries. To better control microstructures developed through grain growth, it is necessary to learn more about the mechanism and kinetics of complexion transitions.
Optical Control of Mechanical Mode-Coupling within a MoS2 Resonator in the Strong-Coupling Regime

Two-dimensional (2-D) materials including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are an exciting platform for ultrasensitive force and displacement detection in which the strong light-matter coupling is exploited in the optical control of nanomechanical motion. Here we report the optical excitation and displacement detection of a ∼ 3 nm thick MoS2 resonator in the strong-coupling regime, which has not previously been achieved in 2-D materials. Mechanical mode frequencies can be tuned by more than 12% by optical heating, and they exhibit avoided crossings indicative of strong intermode coupling. When the membrane is optically excited at the frequency difference between vibrational modes, normal mode splitting is observed, and the intermode energy exchange rate exceeds the mode decay rate by a factor of 15. Finite element and analytical modeling quantifies the extent of mode softening necessary to control intermode energy exchange in the strong coupling regime.
Polymeric infrared compatible microfluidic devices for spectrochemical analysis.

An innovative fabrication method is presented that affords the combination of polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) microfluidic technology with vibrational spectroscopy. PDMS devices are produced with unif...
The regulation of protein synthesis in the liver of rats. Mechanisms of dietary amino acid control in the immature animal.

Weanling (23-day-old) rats were fed either on an amino acid-deficient diet (6% of casein, which in effect represents an ;amino acid-deficient' diet) or on a diet containing an adequate amount of protein (18% of casein) for 28 days. The hepatic cells from the animals fed on the low-protein diet were characterized by low amino acid content, almost complete inhibition of cell proliferation and a marked decrease in cell volume, protein content and concentration of cytoplasmic RNA compared with cells from control rats. The lower concentration of cytoplasmic RNA was correlated with a decreased ribosomal-RNA content, of which a larger proportion was in the form of free ribosomes. The protein-synthetic competence and messenger-RNA content of isolated ribosomes from liver cells of protein-deprived animals were 40-50% of those noted in controls. At 1hr. after an injection of radioactive uridine, the specific radioactivity of liver total RNA was greater in the group fed on the low-protein diet, but the amount of label that was associated with cytoplasmic RNA or ribosomes was significantly less than that noted in control animals. From these data it was concluded that dietary amino acids regulate hepatic protein synthesis (1) by affecting the ability of polyribosomes to synthesize protein and (2) by influencing the concentration of cytoplasmic ribosomes. It is also tentatively hypothesized that the former process may be directly related to the concentration of cellular free amino acids, whereas the latter could be correlated with the ability of newly synthesized ribosomal sub-units to leave the nucleus.
Analytical Ultracentrifuge Studies of a Cytokine, Soluble Receptor Interaction: Comparison of Simulations and Experiments

There is a long tradition in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) to perform simulation studies to investigate the utility of new data analysis methods or to verify the reliability of established approaches to complex systems. Here we compare the use of sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium methods for a heterogeneous associating system involving a trimeric cytokine complex (TNFα) and the stepwise binding of three soluble receptors (TNFR1). We will outline the methods for simulating velocity and equilibrium experimental data using the AUC analysis program SEDANAL corresponding to a titration of the ligand to a fixed concentration of trimer. We then outline the methods for analyzing the velocity and equilibrium data and compare the ability to extract the equilibrium constants for the system. The results suggest that complex hetero-associating systems can be successfully analyzed by sedimentation velocity approaches and that velocity analysis may be preferable to sedimentation equilibrium approaches for some complex hetero-reaction mechanisms. A detailed discussion of error analysis by Bootstrap with replacement, Monte Carlo and Fstat is presented in order to establish criteria for comparing and selecting velocity or equilibrium approaches. Experimental data are also compared to simulated data to present the additional challenge of experimental complexity, including sample purity, sample aggregation, and the presence of additional reaction modes. (Funded by UMC AUC Facility.)
My Production Facility, My Laboratory of Discovery

By exercising of one’s curiosity, in combination with a lot of persistence, it is possible to solve some seemingly intractable problems. Many readers of this journal will have spent much, if not all of their careers, in university laboratories. In such settings there is an understandable emphasis on understanding underlying reasons. In other words, one is expected to focus on “why things happen” rather than just getting results. But if such an approach works well at the university, how about applying it at the production facility? This editorial features the stories of a man who was brave enough to spend his career asking “why” questions while working to improve the operations of paper mills.
Reuse of cardiac implantable electronic devices to improve and extend lives: a call to action

A dramatic increase in the heart disease burden has taken place in the last several decades. Cardiovascular disease is no longer the disease of the affluent world alone. According to WHO, at least three-quarters of the world’s deaths from cardiovascular disease occur in low/middle-income countries (LMICs).1 Patients in those countries, especially the poorest of the poor, experience enormous obstacles in access to essential medical care. Furthermore, disability from cardiovascular disease contributes to poverty through loss of income and high out-of-pocket expenditures. The World Bank views health as a developmental issue, having direct and indirect effects on economic growth.2 The Institute of Medicine has issued a call to action for partnership and collaboration among a range of public and private sector entities to address the crisis of rising cardiovascular disease.3 According to the report, inadequate access to advanced cardiovascular technologies is one of the major contributors to cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in LMIC. The cost of pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices (CRTs), commonly referred to as cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), presents a grave challenge to strained public and individual finances. In many parts of the world, CIEDs are too expensive relative to the economic output to be available to large segments of society. Medical societies, governments and non-governmental organisations have been toiling on ways to extend costly care to the neglected …
Role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can be a devastating complication for as many as a third of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). A role for myeloid cells in the amplification of GVHD has been demonstrated; however, less is understood about a potential regulatory role that myeloid cells play or whether such cells may be manipulated and applied therapeutically. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a naturally occurring immune regulatory population that are engaged and expand shortly after many forms of immune distress, including cancer, trauma, and infection. As MDSCs are often associated with chronic disease, inflammation, and even the promotion of tumor growth (regarding angiogenesis/metastasis), they can appear to be predictors of poor outcomes and therefore, vilified; yet, this association doesn't match with their perceived function of suppressing inflammation. Here, we explore the role of MDSC in GVHD in an attempt to investigate potential synergies that may be promoted, leading to better patient outcomes after allo-HCT.
Evaluation of Early Childhood Home Visiting to Prevent Medically Attended Unintentional Injury.

Study objective We evaluated the influence of home visiting on the risk for medically attended unintentional injury during home visiting (0 to 3 years) and subsequent to home visiting (3 to 5 years). Methods A retrospective, quasi-experimental study was conducted in a cohort of mother-child pairs in Hamilton County, OH. The birth cohort (2006 to 2012) was linked to administrative home visiting records and data from a population-based injury surveillance system containing records of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Cox proportional-hazard regression was used to compare medically attended unintentional injury risk (0 to 2, 0 to 3, and 3 to 5 years) in a home-visited group versus a propensity score–matched comparison group. The study population was composed of 2,729 mother-child pairs who received home visiting and 2,729 matched mother-child pairs in a comparison group. Results From birth to 2 years, 17.2% of the study population had at least one medically attended unintentional injury. The risk for medically attended unintentional injury from aged 0 to 2 and 0 to 3 years was significantly higher in the home-visited group relative to the comparison group (hazard ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.35; hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.00 to 1.31, respectively). Additional injuries in the home-visited group were superficial, and the increased risk for medically attended unintentional injury was observed for ED visits and not hospitalizations. Conclusion Home-visited children were more likely to have a medically attended unintentional injury from birth to aged 3 years. This finding may be partially attributed to home visitor surveillance of injuries or greater health care–seeking behavior. Implications and alternative explanations are discussed.