cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algerian energy strategy in the context of sustainable development (Legal framework)

Abstract The Algerian energy strategy is decidedly towards sustainable development by integrating the promotion of renewable energy. The legislative and regulatory framework adopted in recent years testifies to this irreversible commitment. Three major laws govern the field of renewable energy and state incentives enjoyed by this sector. The law on energy management enacted in 1999 provides for the creation of a National Fund for Energy Management (NFEM) which helps to finance renewable energy projects. As part of the implementation of the law on electricity and public distribution of gas by pipeline passed in 2002, executive decree on the costs of diversification of electricity production promulgated in 2004 provides for the granting of premium for green electricity up to 300% of normal rate. The law on the promotion of renewable energy in the context of sustainable development provides a national program to promote renewable energy and incentives for developing renewable energy. The implementing regulations are still pending. Some projects for electrification of rural villages in the sun have been made in Great South of Algeria. Currently, Algeria is engaged in two major projects that provide a place for solar and wind energy, hybrid gas-solar plant of Hassi R’Mel a capacity of 150 MW and wind farm in Tindouf. Other future projects are planned. In Algeria, despite a considerable potential, the share of renewable energies in the energy balance is still low especially in electricity generation. The rise of renewable energies in Algeria can not be conceived without the realization of a phased program of projects to produce electricity more important and connected to national grid electricity.
Cropping Sequence and Nitrogen Fertilization Impact on Surface Residue, Soil Carbon Sequestration, and Crop Yields

Published in Agron. J. 106:1231–1242 (2014) doi:10.2134/agronj14.0026 Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ABSTRACT
Microleakage between light-cured composites and repairs

M icrofilled composites are subject to fracture, especially at the incisal edge.’ More leakage occurs with microfilled composites than with conventional or combination particle resins.’ Bond strength of microfilled composites to etched enamel is less than conventional composites perhaps because of difference in proportional limit and elastic modulus of the material.3 This finding tends to support the clinical increase in incisal fractures.’ Repair of fractured composites is an acceptable practice. However, after repair it is possible that fracture of the additional material may occur if a different material is added to the original composite or if the fractured surface is inadequately prepared. This study investigated whether microleakage, hence lower bonding capability, occurs when a light-cured microfilled composite and a fine particle resin is added to l-week-old composites. In addition, the study included the feasibility of repairing the fractured composite with a different product. Various methods of treating the fractured surface to reduce the microleakage were investigated.
Construction and expression of chimeric receptors to understand the structure-function relationships in adrenergic receptors

Studying the functional properties of chimeric adrenergic receptors has helped to define the domains responsible for ligand binding specificity and coupling to G-proteins. Of the methods available for the construction of chimeric genes, the linker-adapter approach is the simplest and often the most rapid technique; however, in practice this method is not always feasible. The advent of polymerase chain reaction technique made possible rapid construction of chimeric genes by splicing at virtually any site. The functional properties of chimeric proteins can be studied by expressing the chimeric genes in Xenopus oocytes or in mammalian cell lines such as COS and Raji cells. Mammalian cells are also useful for immunocytochemical localization studies because major incompatibility among the structural domains from the two parent receptors often results in misfolding and retention of the chimeric protein in the endoplasmic reticulum.
Spin trap evidence for production of superoxide radical anions by purified NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase

Abstract Previous evidence for superoxide radicals as initial reduction products of oxygen by NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase has been indirect. In this paper a technique is described to spin trap radicals produced in incubations of oxygen and reductase. Reference spin trap adducts were synthesized by adding phenyl- t -butyl nitrone (PBN) to superoxide radicals (PBN-OOH) or to hydroxyl radicals (PBN-OH). Both PBN adducts are stable in water or ethyl acetate for hours. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectra measured in N2-saturated ethyl acetate allow clear resolution of the hyperfine extrema of PBN-OH and PBN-OOH (2.1 and 4.5 G splitting, respectively). Comparison of EPR spectra from reductase and oxygen incubations with those of synthetic PBN-OOH suggest that superoxide radicals are the major primary reduction product of oxygen.
Physical Properties of Solid Particle Thermal Energy Storage Media for Concentrating Solar Power Applications

Abstract Solid ceramic particles have proven to be an effective heat transfer and thermal storage media for central receiver power production for a heat input temperature up to 1000 °C. In the directly illuminated solid particle receiver, a cascade of ∼0.1-1 mm diameter particles is directly heated within a receiver cavity by concentrated solar energy. The efficiency of this approach, with respect to the energy balance on the receiver itself, is dependent on the physical properties of the particles. In this work, the radiative properties, solar weighted absorptance and thermal emittance, have been measured for several commercially available particle candidates both in the as-received state and after thermal exposure to simulate extended operation at elevated temperature in air between 700∘C-1000∘C. Heating the particles is shown to significantly reduce the solar weighted absorptance of as-received particles within 24 hours of exposure to air at 1000 °C, while heating at 700 °C in air has relatively little effect. In the as-received state, solar weighted absorptance can be as high as 93%, dropping to 84% after 192 hours at 1000∘C. Particle stability is better at 700∘C, and the solar absorptance remains above 92% after 192 hours of exposure. Analysis using x-ray diffraction (XRD) shows evidence of multiple chemical transformations in the sintered bauxite particle materials, which contain oxides of aluminum, silicon, titanium, and iron, following heating in air. However, the XRD spectra show only small differences between as-received and heat treated particles leaving open the possibility that the observed change in radiative properties results from a change in oxidation state without a concomitant phase change. Regardless of the specific degradation mechanism, t he solar weighted absorptance of the particles can be increased beyond the as-received condition by chemically reducing the particles in forming gas (5%H2 in N2 or Ar) above 700 °C, providing a possible means of periodically rejuvenating degraded particles in situ.
Situational factors and behavioral self-predictions in the identification of clients at high risk to drop out of psychotherapy.

Two hundred and eight adults who requested outpatient treatment at a community mental health center were asked to complete brief questionnaires immediately prior to and after their first therapy session. Questionnaires contained items that pertained to self-predicted length of stay in psychotherapy, situational barriers to regular attendance, and past behavior in similar situations (e.g., appointment-keeping with other health care professionals). Therapists also were asked to make predictions with regard to client length of stay. Questionnaire data were analyzed via a series of double cross-validated multiple regression and discriminant function equations, and results indicated that client and therapist predictions of length of stay in therapy were the most stable and consistent correlates of attendance behavior.
Evaluating Programmatic Use of a Community Resource: The Zoo

(1982). Evaluating Programmatic Use of a Community Resource: The Zoo. The Journal of Environmental Education: Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 19-26.
H-NST induces LEE expression and the formation of attaching and effacing lesions in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

Background Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli are important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These enteric pathogens contain a type III secretion system (T3SS) responsible for the attaching and effacing (A/E) lesion phenotype. The T3SS is encoded by the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island. The H-NS-mediated repression of LEE expression is counteracted by Ler, the major activator of virulence gene expression in A/E pathogens. A regulator present in EPEC, H-NST, positively affects expression of H-NS regulon members in E. coli K-12, although the effect of H-NST on LEE expression and virulence of A/E pathogens has yet-to-be determined. Results We examine the effect of H-NST on LEE expression and A/E lesion formation on intestinal epithelial cells. We find that H-NST positively affects the levels of LEE-encoded proteins independently of ler and induces A/E lesion formation. We demonstrate H-NST binding to regulatory regions of LEE1 and LEE3, the first report of DNA-binding by H-NST. We characterize H-NST mutants substituted at conserved residues including Ala16 and residues Arg60 and Arg63, which are part of a potential DNA-binding domain. The single mutants A16V, A16L, R60Q and the double mutant R60Q/R63Q exhibit a decreased effect on LEE expression and A/E lesion formation. DNA mobility shift assays reveal that these residues are important for H-NST to bind regulatory LEE DNA targets. H-NST positively affects Ler binding to LEE DNA in the presence of H-NS, and thereby potentially helps Ler displace H-NS bound to DNA. Conclusions H-NST induces LEE expression and A/E lesion formation likely by counteracting H-NS-mediated repression. We demonstrate that H-NST binds to DNA and identify arginine residues that are functionally important for DNA-binding. Our study suggests that H-NST provides an additional means for A/E pathogens to alleviate repression of virulence gene expression by H-NS to promote virulence capabilities.
Review of Martha Gever, Entertaining Lesbians: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Self-Invention

As her characteristically witty title suggests, in her new book Martha Gever "entertains" lesbians from a number of perspectives: she discusses lesbians in entertainment industries; she addresses how lesbians have entertained a variety of audiences, including lesbians; and she provides an overview of the ways popular culture has entertained the idea of lesbian celebrity since the early twentieth century. Her project, however, is to offer neither a "portrait gallery of lesbian celebrities" nor a "blanket characterization of the transformations of popular culture" that lesbian celebrity may have effected (p. 191). Instead, she is concerned with lesbian celebrities' "self-invention, which is intimately related to opportunities for self-display, as well as the continual monitoring and adjustment of self-image". This review is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/116
Neural networks: applications in industry, business and science

Just four years ago, the only widely reported commercial application of neural network technology outside the financial industry was the airport baggage explosive detection system [27] developed at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Since that time scores of industrial and commercial applications have come into use, but the details of most of these systems are considered corporate secrets and are shrouded in secrecy. This hastening trend is due in part to the availability of an increasingly wide array of dedicated neural network hardware. This hardware is either in the form of accelerator cards for PCs and workstations or a large number of integrated circuits implementing digital and analog neural networks either currently available or in the final stages of design
Antiviral B cell and T cell immunity in the lungs

Respiratory viruses are frequent causes of repeated common colds, bronchitis and pneumonia, which often occur unpredictably as epidemics and pandemics. Despite those decimating effects on health and decades of intensive research, treatments remain largely supportive. The only commonly available vaccines are against influenza virus, and even these need improvement. The lung shares some features with other mucosal sites, but preservation of its especially delicate anatomical structures necessitates a fine balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory responses; well-timed, appropriately placed and tightly regulated T cell and B cell responses are essential for protection from infection and limitation of symptoms, whereas poorly regulated inflammation contributes to tissue damage and disease. Recent advances in understanding adaptive immunity should facilitate vaccine development and reduce the global effect of respiratory viruses.
Efficacy of inhaled nitric oxide in oleic acid-induced acute lung injury

Objective: To assess the efficacy of inhaled nitric oxide in improving pulmonary hypertension and gas exchange following oleic acid-induced acute lung injury. Design: Prospective, pharmacologic study. Setting: Surgical research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Subjects: Instrumented, intubated pigs weighing 16 to 27 kg. Interventions: Intravenous oleic acid and inhaled nitric oxide. Measurements and Main Results: All pigs treated with intravenous oleic acid (0.11 mUkg) developed a severe lung injury with pulmonary hypertension, accompanied by impaired oxygenation, intrapulmonary shunting, and increased extravascular lung water (p <.05 compared with baseline). Following nitric oxide inhalation, although pulmonary hypertension decreased in a dose-dependent fashion, no amelioration in pulmonary gas exchange was observed, as reflected by Pao 2 and intrapulmonary shunt. Plasma nitrite and nitrate concentrations, the stable end products of nitric oxide metabolism, did not increase following nitric oxide exposure in this model of severe lung injury. Conclusions: The effect of inhaled nitric oxide, restricted to relieving pulmonary vasoconstriction in this model of lung injury, may have limited benefit in improving pulmonary gas exchange when diffusion is impaired by severe lung injury and inflammatory thickening of the alveolar-capillary barrier. Nitric oxide inhalation may have better results when used at an earlier, less severe stage of acute lung injury.
Effects of incubation time and organism density on the bioaccumulation of soil-borne p,p'-DDE by the earthworm, Eisenia fetida.

Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to assess the influence of incubation time and organism density on bioaccumulation of weathered p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE) from soil by the earthworm Eisenia fetida. Bioaccumulation was measured after 14, 28, 42, and 56 days of exposure. Tissue concentration increased with incubation time and steady state was not reached until at least 42 days. Organism density had no effect on the bioaccumulation of weathered p,p′-DDE. Ratios of 10, 20, 40, and 80 earthworms/350 g of soil led to the same tissue concentrations in test organisms. Risk assessments of contaminated soil should account for these experimental variables.
Elastic Coefficients of Porous Rocks as Function of Effective Stresses: ABSTRACT

An elastic energy pulse is generated in a pressure chamber (triaxial system) containing a cylindrical rock sample. The dynamic elastic coefficients of the porous rock are determined by analyzing the first arrivals and the later events of elastic energy. The pulse durations are less than one microsecond. By changing the effective pressures in the triaxial system the elastic coefficients of the rock sample are varied. The variation of the elastic coefficients have been measured as a function of effective stresses. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1776------------
Heterogeneous reactions of soot aerosols with nitrogen dioxide and nitric acid: atmospheric chamber and Knudsen cell studies

Abstract Heterogeneous chemical processes involving trace atmospheric gases with solid particulates, such as carbonaceous aerosol, are not well understood. In an effort to quantify some relevant carbon aerosol systems, the heterogeneous chemistry of NO2 with both commercial and freshly prepared hexane soot was investigated in an atmospheric reaction chamber. At approximately an atmosphere of total pressure (760 Torr) and under dry conditions (relative humidities⩽1%), kinetic measurements gave an uptake coefficient of (2.4±0.6)×10−8 for n-hexane soot when referenced to the BET surface area of the sample. Commercial carbon black samples were found to yield a similar uptake coefficient. The reaction of HNO3 with commercial carbon black was also investigated and gas phase NO2 was detected as a reaction product. Low-pressure Knudsen cell experiments were carried out to facilitate a quantitative comparison between the two different techniques. The agreement between our current results and previously reported values of the uptake coefficient, with different soot samples and under varied pressure and surface coverage conditions, are discussed along with the possible implications for atmospheric chemistry.
Immunodosages des stéroïdes : testosterone, progestérone et cortisol chez les animaux

Resume Nous avons developpe des dosages de steroides (testosterone, progesterone, cortisol) pour differentes especes animales (souris, rat, cobaye, lapin, chien, singe, porc, bceuf, agneau et cheval). L'approche utilisee permet de s'affranchir de la difference de matrice serique qui existe d'une espece a l'autre et qui affecte de facon non negligeable l'exactitude du dosage. Les resultats presentes montrent que les qualites analytiques des trousses ainsi developpees sont equivalentes a celles des trousses utilisees pour l'homme. Ils montrent aussi qu'il y a une excellente correlation entre les dosages obtenus par ces trousses et ceux obtenus par radioimmunoessais apres extraction des steroides et par chromatographie gazeuse couplee a la spectrometrie de masse ( R = 0,99). Les trousses RIA veterinaires ainsi developpees offrent donc une methode fiable et exacte de determination directe des steroides circulants chez les animaux.
Reentry Issues Upon Returning From Study Abroad Programs

The impact of returning from studying abroad was surveyed in 669 college students. Students who studied abroad scored significantly higher on a Reentry Shock scale, reflecting skepticism toward U.S. culture, than those who did not. They were also more likely to consume alcohol. Study abroad had no detectable influence on students' romantic relationships. Women who had studied abroad reported being less able to cope with anxieties, feeling more "blue," being less relaxed, and having more stress in their relationships with a significant other. Focus groups during which students are invited to discuss their experiences after study abroad could provide students a venue for exploring any reentry difficulties they may encounter, make valuable contributions to the knowledge base, and point toward topics that deserve deeper study.
Two decades of pediatric lung transplant in the United States: Have we improved?

Objective Since 1988, approximately 1100 pediatric lung transplants have been performed worldwide with consistent improvement in survival. Similarly, survival for pediatric heart transplant has increased over the years; however, in this cohort improvement in survival is exclusively a result of increased early (1-year) survival. To observe if this same phenomenon exists in pediatric lung transplants, the United Network for Organ Sharing database was analyzed to evaluate and characterize how pediatric lung transplant survival has changed in the past 2 decades. Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried for patients aged 18 years or less who underwent lung transplantation from May 1988 to May 2008. Analysis included 959 pediatric lung transplants. Results Age groups were infants (≤1 years) (n = 106 [11%]), children (2–12 years) (n = 299 [31%]), and adolescents (≥13 years) (n = 554 [58%]). A total of 546 (57%) were girls. Kaplan–Meier survival was significantly better in the late era (2002–2008) than in all other eras (1988–1994 and 1995–2001) ( P P = .3) among the eras. Gender, age, diagnosis, prolonged ischemic time, and cytomegalovirus mismatch did not significantly affect overall patient or graft survival. Chronic preoperative steroid dependence ( P = .02), preoperative ventilatory dependence ( P 001), and retransplantation ( P = .02) were associated with decreased survival. Conclusions Survival in pediatric lung transplant has increased significantly over the years, but this improvement primarily reflects improvement in early survival. Survival in pediatric lung transplant after the first posttransplant year has not changed in more than 2 decades.
Pattern Generation for Understanding Timing Sensitivity to Power Supply Noise

Timing prediction has become more and more difficult with shrinking technology nodes. Combining the pre-silicon delay model with post-silicon timing measurements has the potential to improve the accuracy of timing analysis. In this work, we address the problem of automatic test pattern generation for understanding circuit timing sensitivity to power supply noise (PSN) during post-silicon validation. Long paths are selected from a pseudo functional test set to span the power delivery network. To determine the sensitivity of timing to on-chip noise, the patterns are intelligently filled to achieve the desired PSN level. Our previous PSN control scheme is enhanced to consider both spatial and temporal information for better correlation with functional PSN. These patterns can be used to understand timing sensitivity in post-silicon validation by repeatedly applying the path delay test while sweeping the PSN experienced by the path from low to high.
Does generosity beget generosity? The relationships between transfer receipt and formal and informal volunteering

This paper examines whether receipt of public or private assistance is associated with recipients’ own generosity in the form of formal and informal volunteering. Using matched data from the 2007–2011 American Time Use Survey and the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, this paper finds that receipt of private assistance from friends and relatives is negatively associated with the time women spend caring for non-household adults and the time men spend caring for non-household children. Receipt of public assistance is found to be negatively associated with men’s care of non-household adults. No associations are found between either type of assistance and time spent volunteering for a formal organization.
Voluntary Disclosure of Free Cash Flow Information

Modern finance texts have long advocated a focus on “free cash flow” rather than on earnings for evaluating firm performance. While U.S. GAAP does not require firms to disclose free cash flow (FCF) information, some firms voluntarily report and emphasize FCF in their financial statements. FCFs are discussed and used in some finance texts, analysts' reports, and financial press articles, yet little theoretical and conceptual guidance exists on how to compute FCF. Hence, the SEC and the FASB have expressed concern about the comparability, consistency, and transparency of these reported measures. This study provides empirical evidence on a set of firms that voluntarily disclose FCF information in their 10‐K and 10‐Q reports filed between 1994 and 2004. The number of firms disclosing FCF information is small but has grown in recent years. We document that FCF definitions vary widely, limiting comparability of FCF disclosures across firms. Our results also indicate that FCF firms are less profitable and more l...
Development of the concept of immunologic specificity: IV.

Abstract We have attempted, in this series of essays on the development of the concept of immunologic specificity, to trace the history of one of the most central ideas in immunology (and indeed in biology in general). The result must be viewed as preliminary and incomplete and as an invitation to others to add, to amend, and even to disprove. Nevertheless, several interesting conclusions may be drawn, which reveal much about the workings of immunology in particular, and perhaps science in general. First, the roots of any important scientific concept (such as that of immunologic specificity) do not grow in isolation; they draw nourishment from many other disciplines. Similarly, the growth of an important concept within a given discipline will have far-reaching implications and fruits for other fields of science. Second, we may note a marked change in the manner in which immunology is currently practiced, compared with that of the end of the last century. The quantum leaps forward in funding, in numbers of scientists, and in masses of crucial data have not been without a certain cost—the substantial reduction in elegant personal style that characterized so many of our scientific forebears, and that makes so pleasant the reading of their reports. Finally, we see again and again how much his philosophical bases and disciplinary upbringing determine a scientist's approach, the questions that he asks, and the type of answers he will accept. Throughout much of immunology's history, as Jerne put it so well (44), cis- and trans-immunologists hardly spoke to one another. Or rather, a cis-immunologist sometimes spoke to a trans-immunologist, but the latter rarely answered! Fortunately, one of the attributes of scientific progress is a merging of these disparate languages, and eventual mutual comprehension.
A generalization of the Amann-Zehnder theorem to nonresonance problems with jumping nonlinearities

We obtain nontrivial solutions of semilinear boundary value problems with jumping nonlinearities that interact with the Fucik spectrum.
Some effects of gamma-irradiation on dilute solutions of chymotrypsinogen.

SummaryChymotrypsinogen-A was irradiated as a dilute solution. After tryptic digestion a D37 of 7 krads was estimated for the produced δ-chymotrypsin. At this dose, approximately two tryptophan residues/molecule of chymotrypsinogen were destroyed. Thus the zymogen was shown to be more sensitive to irradiation than δ- and α-chymotrypsin.When irradiated chymotrypsinogen was fragmented, the two tryptophan residues/molecule affected at D37 were from the outer portion of the molecule. When irradiated α-chymotrypsin was similarly treated, four tryptophan residues per molecule were affected at D37. The loss of two was measurable immediately after irradiation: two more were damaged in a manner only revealed during preparation for the tryptic fragmentation.
Erratum to “The effects of averaging on the enhancement factor for absorption of light by carbon particles in microdroplets of water” [JQSRT 72 (2002) 765]

In my previous publication [1], I have argued that the average enhancement factor hGi for absorption of light by carbon inclusions in microdroplets of water can be as large as hGi 25, which is significantly larger than was previously reported [2,3]. This enhancement was attributed in Ref. [1] to the narrow morphologydependent resonances in microspheres. It was concluded that the integral effect of such resonances is not small. However, the numerical results that supported this conclusion have been affected by a programming error. After this error was corrected, I have performed new simulations under the conditions identical to those of Ref. [1], and have found that the average enhancement factor is much smaller. For example, the correct numerical data analogous to those shown in Fig. 3 of Ref. [1] are presented in Fig. 1. Thus, the conclusion of Ref. [1] is not confirmed. Note that the same programming error has also affected the results of an earlier publication [4]. Although the simulations of Ref. [1] proved to be incorrect, the question of the influence of the narrow morphology-dependent resonances on the absorption enhancement factor averaged over a wide range of size parameters should not be closed. It is known that the internal field coefficients cl and dl can, in principle, become very large, so that jcl j; jdl jb1 (note that the squared amplitudes of the scattering coefficients al and bl are bounded above by unity). For example, Grandy provides an example of a TM resonance for l 1⁄4 100 and the refractive index m 1⁄4 1:45 which occurs at x 74:89 [5]. The line width of this resonance (considering x as a spectral variable) was estimated to be 1:38 10 , while the amplitude jc100j to be 4:89 10. The integral weight of this resonance is clearly not small. Thus, the internal field coefficients may become quite large at certain points in the two-dimensional plane of x and m (assuming that m is real). In Ref. [1], averaging over size parameters was performed for a fixed value of the refractive index, m 1⁄4 1:33. However, proper averaging must take into account variations in m, either due to the dispersion, or to the changes in the environment.
Fourth Ventricle Central Neurocytoma: Case Report

Objective and importance Central neurocytomas (CNs) are typically located in the lateral ventricle. Primary origins in the fourth ventricle are very rare. We discuss the clinical symptoms, imaging findings, and microscopic features of these rare tumors. Clinical presentation We report a case of a fourth ventricle CN in a 35-year-old male patient with the initial symptoms of progressive headaches and blurred vision for more than 2 months. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a slightly enhanced tumor in the fourth ventricle, with obstructive hydrocephalus. Intervention Total surgical removal of the tumor was performed. The tumor was initially diagnosed as an oligodendroglioma. The final definitive diagnosis as a CN was made after special immunohistochemical studies. Conclusion CNs located in the fourth ventricle are extremely rare. Immunohistochemical stains and transmission electron microscopy can provide useful diagnostic information. Total tumor excision is associated with favorable prognoses. Postoperative radiotherapy may be considered for cases of subtotal excision, anaplastic histological variants, or recurrent tumors.
Procedural Breakdown and Deadlock in the Russian State Duma: The Problems of an Unlinked Dual-channel Institutional Design

ONLY THREE MONTHS after T-72 tanks bombed the Russian Supreme Soviet into the past, the Russian electorate adopted a new Constitution and elected a new legislature in December 1993.1 In spite of all the change, though, it may appear that little has changed for Russia's legislature. The new State Duma shares many of its unfortunate predecessor's characteristics: its large membership is dispersed among roughly two dozen committees, ambiguity persists in its triangular relations with government and president, and its leadership body is even called a 'soviet'.2 One significant change, however, has held dramatic consequences for Russian legislative processes. The Supreme Soviet excluded partisan factions from its institutional design but, like most legislatures, the Duma has a dual-channel design with both committees and partisan factions.3 In spite of the weakness, instability and lack of societal roots of Russia's post-communist partisan organisations, the Duma's creators essentially grafted a faction-based structure onto the Supreme Soviet's non-partisan, committee-centred design. With most other environmental and institutional variables remaining constant, this affords an unusual opportunity to examine the effects of institutional design on legislative behaviour. What are the implications of increasing party strength in legislatures in states with high levels of political fragmentation? The Duma's experience vividly demonstrates that including partisan organisations does not solve a legislature's problem of managing conflict. How they are integrated relative to legislative committees determines the combination of incentives and constraints that will either compel legislators to pursue conflict-management strategies or leave them unconstrained in the exercise of individual discretion even if this means confrontation and deadlock. The Duma has an unlinked, dual-channel design, in which partisan factions and legislative committees are parallel, autonomous channels of organisation. The lack of links between the channels leaves deputies unconstrained to pursue strategies of competition, conflict and sabotage in the Duma's internal, legislative process. It renders the Russian legislature unable to manage internal conflict on legislative issues. Committees fight each other, effectively blocking each others' initiatives. Factions
Stereoselective antagonism of phencyclidine's discriminative properties by adenosine receptor agonists

Rats trained to discriminate between phencyclidine and saline vehicle were used to test various agents for their ability to mimic or block the phencyclidine cue. ketamine, dexoxadrol, tiletamine, and phencyclidine analogs were found to mimic phencyclidine's behavioral effects. Treatment with the adenosime receptor agonists N6-cyclohexyladenosine and L-phenylisopropyladenosine blocked the discriminative properties of phencyclidine. These results suggest that adenosine receptor agonists might be useful in treating phencyclidine-induced psychosis.
Shadow programming: reasoning about programs using lexical join point information

The expressiveness of AspectJ's dynamic join point model has been shown in many useful applications, while the static join point model (also called lexical shadows) has been studied less. We propose a notion of shadow programming that exposes a program's adapted lexical shadow information to compile time language constructs to enable customized static analysis and more expressive join point selection mechanisms. In particular, within the framework of the AspectJ language and compiler, we have designed and implemented two compile time language constructs, called Statically Executable Advice and Pointcut Evaluator respectively, to show how the lexical shadow information can be used.
Portable digital lock-in instrument to determine chemical constituents with single-color absorption measurements for Global Health Initiatives

Innovations in international health require the use of state-of-the-art technology to enable clinical chemistry for diagnostics of bodily fluids. We propose the implementation of a portable and affordable lock-in amplifier-based instrument that employs digital technology to perform biochemical diagnostics on blood, urine, and other fluids. The digital instrument is composed of light source and optoelectronic sensor, lock-in detection electronics, microcontroller unit, and user interface components working with either power supply or batteries. The instrument performs lock-in detection provided that three conditions are met. First, the optoelectronic signal of interest needs be encoded in the envelope of an amplitude-modulated waveform. Second, the reference signal required in the demodulation channel has to be frequency and phase locked with respect to the optoelectronic carrier signal. Third, the reference signal should be conditioned appropriately. We present three approaches to condition the signal appropriately: high-pass filtering the reference signal, precise offset tuning the reference level by low-pass filtering, and by using a voltage divider network. We assess the performance of the lock-in instrument by comparing it to a benchmark device and by determining protein concentration with single-color absorption measurements. We validate the concentration values obtained with the proposed instrument using chemical concentration measurements. Finally, we demonstrate that accurate retrieval of phase information can be achieved by using the same instrument.
Autophagy side of MB21D1/cGAS DNA sensor

The MB21D1/cGAS (Mab-21 domain-containing 1/cyclic GMP-AMP [cGAMP] synthetase), acts as an intracellular pattern recognition receptor (PPR) to sense cytosolic pathogen DNAs and subsequently generates the second messenger cGAMP to initiate the TMEM173/STING pathway for interferon (IFN) production. Intriguingly, we have recently demonstrated crosstalk between the intracellular DNA sensing pathway and autophagy machinery by demonstrating a direct interaction between the MB21D1 DNA sensor and the BECN1/Beclin 1 autophagy protein. This interaction not only suppresses MB21D1 enzymatic activity to halt cGAMP production, but also enhances the autophagy-mediated degradation of cytosolic microbial DNAs. This demonstrates that MB21D1 is the molecular link between the intracellular DNA sensing pathway and the autophagy pathway, ultimately developing well-balanced immune responses against pathogens.
Channel saturation and conductance quantization in single-atom gold constrictions

It is shown that the finite elasticity of atomic-sized gold constrictions allows for a continuous and reversible change in conductance. This is achieved by superposition of atomic-scale or subatomic-scale mechanical oscillations on a steadily retracting/approaching gold tip against a gold substrate. Through these perturbation studies, we report the direct observation of channel saturation and conductance quantization in stable, single-atom gold constrictions. In addition, the origin of peaks in conductance histograms is explained, and the peaks alone are shown to be insufficient in evaluating the stability of atomic configurations.
Abodes for life in carbonaceous asteroids

Thermal evolution models for carbonaceous asteroids that use new data for permeability, pore volume, and water circulation as input parameters provide a window into what are arguably the earliest habitable environments in the Solar System. Plausible models of the Murchison meteorite (CM) parent body show that to first-order, conditions suitable for the stability of liquid water, and thus pre- or post-biotic chemistry, could have persisted within these asteroids for tens of Myr. In particular, our modeling results indicate that a 200-km carbonaceous asteroid with a 40% initial ice content takes almost 60 Myr to cool completely, with habitable temperatures being maintained for � 24 Myr in the center. Yet, there are a number of indications that even with the requisite liquid water, thermal energy sources to drive chemical gradients, and abundant organic ‘‘building blocks’’ deemed necessary criteria for life, carbonaceous asteroids were intrinsically unfavorable sites for biopoesis. These controls include different degrees of exothermal mineral hydration reactions that boost internal warming but effectively remove liquid water from the system, rapid (1–10 mm yr � 1 ) inward migration of internal habitable volumes in most models, and limitations imposed by low permeabilities and small pore sizes in primitive undifferentiated carbonaceous asteroids. Our results do not preclude the existence of habitable conditions on larger, possibly differentiated objects such as Ceres and the Themis family asteroids due to presumed longer, more intense heating and possible long-lived water reservoirs.
Consolidation Settlement of a Soil with an Impervious Top Surface

An investigation is made of the consolidation settlement for a soil whose top surface is impervious and loaded uniformly on an infinite strip of constant width. The settlement under the load is accompanied by considerable swelling of the unloaded area on both sides of the load.
Effect of intravenous endotoxin on blood cell profiles of broilers housed in cages and floor litter environments

Commercial broilers are constantly exposed to airborne microorganisms and endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS). It has been shown that microbial contamination of the air was higher in broiler houses using floor litter than in broiler houses using netting-type floors. The current study evaluated the effect of housing conditions on blood leukocyte profiles and tested the hypothesis that, when compared to broilers reared in clean stainless steel cages (Cage group), broilers raised on floor litter (Floor group) should experience a higher environmental challenge and have a desensitized immune system that may exhibit better tolerance/resistance to subsequent intravenous LPS challenge. Hematological parameters were evaluated prior to and following i.v. administration of 1 mg/kg BW Salmonella typhimurium LPS (dissolved at 1 mg/0.25 mL in PBS) or i.v. injection of 0.25 mL/kg BW PBS alone. The results showed that prior to LPS/PBS injection, broilers in the cage group had higher heterophil and monocyte concentrations, a higher B cell percentage within the lymphocyte population, and a higher heterophil to lymphocyte (H:L) ratio in the blood. The i.v. LPS injection resulted in 25% mortality in the cage group and 42% mortality in the floor group within 8 h post-injection. LPS reduced the concentrations of total white blood cells (WBC) and all differential WBC except eosinophils and increased thrombocyte concentrations within 1 h post-injection in both groups. All of these values returned to their respective pre-injection levels within 48 h post-injection in the surviving birds. The two groups exhibited similar overall hematological changes after LPS injection except that the cage group showed a higher H:L ratio at 8 h post-injection and a lower B-cell percentage within the lymphocyte population at 48 h post-injection when compared with the floor group. We concluded that the immune systems of broilers reared on floor litter were desensitized and exhibited less pronounced leukocyte responses to i.v. LPS when compared with those of broilers reared in clean stainless steel cages. However, such desensitization of the immune system did not help broilers survive subsequent i.v. LPS challenge.
Earth Observing System - The earth research system of the 1990's

The Earth Observing Systems' objective of comprehensively studying the earth's change leads to an array of technological and implementational challenges. Included in those challenges are in the in-orbit maintenance of fifty instruments through periodic servicing and the development of an international ground information system which permits rapid access to high quality data. The paper describes these challenges and also discusses potential contributions from international and USA agencies, mission design and payload groupings strategies, as well as design approaches to the spacecraft itself.
Functional and developmental identification of a molecular subtype of brain serotonergic neuron specialized to regulate breathing dynamics.

Summary Serotonergic neurons modulate behavioral and physiological responses from aggression and anxiety to breathing and thermoregulation. Disorders involving serotonin (5HT) dysregulation are commensurately heterogeneous and numerous. We hypothesized that this breadth in functionality derives in part from a developmentally determined substructure of distinct subtypes of 5HT neurons each specialized to modulate specific behaviors. By manipulating developmentally defined subgroups one by one chemogenetically, we find that the Egr2-Pet1 subgroup is specialized to drive increased ventilation in response to carbon dioxide elevation and acidosis. Furthermore, this subtype exhibits intrinsic chemosensitivity and modality-specific projections—increasing firing during hypercapnic acidosis and selectively projecting to respiratory chemosensory but not motor centers, respectively. These findings show that serotonergic regulation of the respiratory chemoreflex is mediated by a specialized molecular subtype of 5HT neuron harboring unique physiological, biophysical, and hodological properties specified developmentally and demonstrate that the serotonergic system contains specialized modules contributing to its collective functional breadth.
Sylow subgraphs in self-complementary vertex transitive graphs

Abstract A graph is self-complementary if it is isomorphic to its complement. A graph is vertex transitive if for each choice of vertices u and v there is an automorphism that carries the vertex u to v . The number of vertices in a self-complementary vertex-transitive graph must necessarily be congruent to 1 mod 4. However, Muzychuk has shown that if p m is the largest power of a prime p dividing the order of a self-complementary vertex-transitive graph, then p m must individually be congruent to 1 mod 4. This is accomplished by establishing the existence of a self-complementary vertex transitive subgraph of order p m , a result reminiscent of the Sylow theorems. This article is a self-contained survey, culminating with a detailed proof of Muzychuk's result.
Exploring optimum growth for high quality InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices

Abstract Fundamental material issues in the growth of InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice (SL) structures using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been addressed. The effect of starting substrate surface morphology on buffer and SL layers was studied using a 51 A InAs/40 A GaSb SL structure. Epi-ready wafers from various manufacturers had significantly different influence on the quality of buffer and SL layers. Intrinsic defects in the substrate from different manufacturing processes formed unique defects in the buffer layer that propagated into and through the SL structure. The growth temperature of a buffer layer was an important factor especially in reducing the defect level in the SL structure as studied by transmission electron microscopy. Correlations of SL layer quality with photoresponse signal strength were made. During a strain balancing process, a dramatic structural degradation was observed with InSb interfaces (IFs) thickness beyond 1.0 monolayer. SL layers with poor structural quality caused by excessive InSb IFs showed zero photoresponse. High quality micron thick, InAs/GaSb SLs with a reduced lattice mismatch were routinely obtained by optimizing growth conditions.
Site characteristics affecting operation of triple left-turn lanes

The growth of traffic flow in urban areas has resulted in increased installation of triple left-turn lanes with the aim of reducing vehicle delays, queue lengths, and vehicle storage bay lengths by dividing the left-turn queue demand among three lanes. The study reported here analyzed the influence of a number of geometric factors found at 15 triple left-turn lane sites in Florida on saturation flow, lane usage, and lane utilization. A total of 2,395 lane cycles and 38,023 vehicles were observed. The observed saturation flows yielded a mean saturation flow of 1,859 passenger cars per hour of green per lane (pc/h/ln) with the 95% confidence interval of 1,810 pc/h/ln to 1,907 pc/h/ln. The Fisher least significant difference test and the Hsu multiple comparison with the best test were used to determine the statistical significance of the variables' influence on saturation flows. The results showed that triple left-turn lanes on downgrades and with an angle of turn less than 90 degrees were the two characteristics that most contributed to high saturation flow, and triple left-turn lanes located on one-way streets and on curved approaches had the lowest saturation flow. Lane utilization was dependent on the geometrics of the intersections: shadowed left-turn lanes had lower utilization of the innermost lane compared with unshadowed lanes.