cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water Appropriation Systems for Adapting to Water Shortages in Iraq

Climate variability and population growth have intensified the search internationally for measures to adapt to fluctuations in water supplies. An example can be found in the lower part of the transboundary Tigris-Euphrates Basin where water shortages in 2008-2009 resulted in high economic costs to irrigation farmers. Losses to irrigators in the lower basin have made a compelling case to identify flexible methods to adapt to water shortage. Few published studies have systematically examined ways to enhance the flexibility of water appropriation systems to adapt to water shortage. This article addresses an ongoing challenge in water governance by examining how profitability at both the farm and basin levels is affected by various water appropriation systems. Four water appropriation systems are compared for impacts on farm income under each of three water supply scenarios. Results show that a (1) proportional sharing of water shortages among provinces and (2) unrestricted water trading rank as the top two appropriation systems. The shadow price of water for irrigation rises from zero at a full water supply level to US$93/1,000 m3 when supply falls to 20% of full levels. Similar methods could be used to analyze challenges facing the design or implementation of water appropriation systems in the world's irrigated regions.
The Love of Invention: Augustine, Davidson, and the Discourse of Unifying Belief

Postmodernism typically questions metaphysical foundations and then assumes that because no common ground beyond linguistic and cultural codes can be discovered, discursive agreement is necessarily contingent. Questioning the efficacy of such codes, causal theories erase the distinction between words and the worlds, and so invent strategies to direct interlocutors' attention toward causal conditions they can share rather than find codes they already share. A comparison of two proponents of causal meaning, St. Augustine and Donald Davidson, reveals a common set of logical and attitudinal constraints to interpretive understanding that rejects linguistic and cultural incommensurability and therefore inventive contingency.
Regulation of Rat Glucagon Receptor Expression

This report describes the isolation of a cDNA for the rat glucagon receptor by using the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor cDNA as a probe. Northern blot analysis using the cDNA clone showed that the message encoding the receptor is approximately 2.3 kb in size and is expressed only in liver and kidney among seven tissues tested. To study how glucagon receptor expression is regulated in vivo, the levels of hepatic glucagon receptor mRNA were measured in diabetic mouse model, db/db and control (db/+) mice. Interestingly, the receptor mRNA levels were similar between diabetic and control mice. In contrast, the number of hepatic glucagon receptors in diabetic mice measured by binding assays was significantly higher than that found in normal mice. These results suggest that the major regulation in hepatic glucagon receptor expression in vivo is at the posttranscriptional level.
Histocompatibility types and measles antibodies in multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis.

Histocompatibility typing was performed on 56 patients with multiple sclerosis, 30 patients with optic neuritis, and 100 controls. The prevalence of HL-A3 was significantly increased in the multiple sclerosis group but not in the optic neuritis group. Thus, multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis are not synonymous. Anti-measles antibody titers in our multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis and control populations did not differ significantly. An increase (P < 0.1) in measles antibodies was observed in subjects bearing HL-A3 whether they suffered from multiple sclerosis or not. It is suggested that the small increases in measles antibody levels found by some observers in multiple sclerosis may reflect the increased prevalence of HL-A3 in this population rather than a direct association with multiple sclerosis.
I feel like a fraud and it depresses me: The relation between the imposter phenomenon and depression

Are the negative thought patterns and self-doubt associated with the Imposter Phenomenon similar to the negative thought patterns and self-doubt that many individuals who have mild depression experience? If so, it is reasonable to believe that a relation between depression and the Imposter Phenomenon (IP) exists. The relation between the IP and depression among college students was examined. Results of a Pearson product-moment correlation yielded a positive correlation between the IP and BDI-II scores. Additionally, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) using the IP scores and BDI scores as the dependent variables, with sex serving as the independent variable, revealed that men and women differ significantly on the combined dependent variables of IP and BDI scores. More specifically, the main effect between sex and IP score indicates that women have higher IP scores than men. However, the effect between sex and BDI was not statistically significant. Lastly, the implications of these findings are discussed.
Sequential shrinkage estimation of independent normal means with unkown variances

The Paper considers estimation of the p(> 3)-variate normal mean when the variance-covariance matrix is diagonal with unknown diagonal elements. A class of James-Stein estimators is developed, and is compared with the sample mean under an empirical minimax stopping rule. Asymptotic risk expansions are provided for both the sequential sample mean and the sequential James-Stein estimators. It is shown that the James-Stein estimators dominate the sample mean in a certain asymptotic sense.
Certain characteristics of the human servo

AUTOMOBILES, SHIPS, AIRPLANES, certain radars, and gun fire control systems are examples of complex devices built for human operation. As these machines are developed and improved they tend to become more automatic, with the man doing less to make them work. However, men will continue to play an important role in such activities for some years to come. So long as they do serve as controlling links in the electromechanical devices which they construct for their business, pleasure, or destruction, it will be necessary to understand how they operate as a part of these devices.
Optimization of solvent composition for high performance thin-layer chromatography

Abstract The methodology of mixture experiments has been applied to optimize the multicomponent solvent composition for high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). In this study, a mixture of five solvents for the mobile phase was maximized for the separation of twelve structurally related B(a)P metabolites on normal phase HPTLC plates. Volume fractions (rather than absolute quantities) of the mobile phase solvents were constrained by upper bounds by considering solvent strength. These restrictions defined an experimental region that is an irregular polyhedron formed from a truncated 4-dimensional simplex. The optimization of the expected separation response over the experimental region was based on a second-order Scheffe polynomial estimated from twenty-five experimental runs. Six functions for measuring separation based on Rf values were evaluated. A new response function is proposed that overcomes the difficulties of previously published criteria.
Polarization control and tomography for nonlinear microscopy

In optical microscopy, the polarization state of the focal field strongly influences formed images due to its interactions with the sample and the effective focal spot size. We demonstrate experimentally that control over the spatial profile of the focal field polarization state improves spatial resolution in laser-scanning third harmonic generation (THG) microscopy. The focal field is manipulated by imaging a spatial light modulator to the focal plane of a moderate-numerical aperture microscope. The resolution enhancement arises from exploiting the suppression, in isotropic media, of THG for circularlypolarized field polarization. By synthesizing a focal field whose polarization state changes from linear at the beam center to circular beyond radius rs, we quench THG beyond rs. A transverse spatial resolution of up to 2 times is demonstrated. Targeted manipulation necessitates measurement techniques that allow us to determine of the focal field polarization state. We develop two such techniques to characterize the field. We use a nano-particle with known third-order susceptibility to localize THG scattering to a small focal volume. Scanning this nano-probe through the focal volume of the microscope allows for complete reconstruction of the vector point spread function. Under moderate focusing conditions, where the recorded THG signal is dominated by the incident paraxial polarization component, the spatial polarization state is determined non-iteratively via three linear-polarization projection THG measurements. Under tight focusing conditions, polarization scrambling occurs such that the input and focal fields are dissimilar, and we introduce an algorithm for focal field retrieval through the collection of far-field THG images.
Correlations of chemical mass shifts of para-substituted acetophenones and benzophenones with brown’s σp+ constants

Relationships between chemical mass shifts and physiochemical properties of ions are sought by examining substituted acetophenones, benzophenones, and pyridines in a modified ion trap mass spectrometer. Systematic changes in chemical mass shift occur with changes in substituent in the acetophenones and the benzophenones. Brown’s σ+ constant, which is a measure of electronic effects of substituents in reactions that involve positive charge development, is shown to correlate linearly with chemical mass shifts in para-substituted acetophenones and benzophenones. Brown’s σ+ constant also correlates with the ease of dissociation of the ions via a correlation with ionization energy. It is suggested that ease of dissociation is the underlying factor in determining chemical mass shifts. The experimental results also suggest that dissociative collisions between ions and buffer gas make a much greater contribution to chemical mass shifts than do elastic collisions.
Refereed articles: Lattice-based enforcement of Chinese Walls

The Chinese Wall policy was identified and so named by Brewer and Nash. This policy arises in the financial segment of the commercial sector, which provides consulting services to other companies. Consultants naturally have to deal with confidential company information for their clients. The objective of the Chinese Wall policy is to prevent information flows which cause conflict of interest for individual consultants. Brewer and Nash develop a mathematical model of the Chinese Wall policy, on the basis of which they claim that this policy ''cannot be correctly represented by a Bell-LaPadula model.'' In this paper we demonstrate that the Brewer-Nash model is too restrictive to be employed in a practical system. This is due to their treatment of users and subjects as synonymous concepts, with the consequence that they do not distinguish security policy as applied to human users versus security policy as applied to computer subjects. By maintaining a careful distinction between users, principals and subjects, we show that the Chinese Wall policy is just another lattice-based information policy which can be easily represented within the Bell-LaPadula framework.
Predicting Crop Yields with the Agricultural Reference Index for Drought

A generic agricultural drought index, called Agricultural Reference Index for Drought (ARID), was designed recently to quantify water stress for use in predicting crop yield loss from drought. This study evaluated ARID in terms of its ability to predict crop yields. Daily historical weather data and yields of cotton, maize, peanut and soybean were obtained for several locations and years in the south-eastern USA. Daily values of ARID were computed for each location and converted to monthly average values. Using regression analyses of crop yields vs. monthly ARID values during the crop growing season, ARID-yield relationships were developed for each crop. The ability of ARID to predict yield loss from drought was evaluated using the root mean square error (RMSE), the Willmott index and the modelling efficiency (ME). The ARID-based yield models predicted relative yields with the RMSE values of 0.144, 0.087, 0.089 and 0.142 (kg ha � 1 yield per kg ha � 1 potential yield); the Willmott index values of 0.70, 0.92, 0.86 and 0.79; and the ME values of 0.33, 0.73, 0.60 and 0.49 for cotton, maize, peanut and soybean, respectively. These values indicated that the ARIDbased yield models can predict the yield loss from drought for these crops with reasonable accuracy.
The folly of fools: The logic of deceit and self-deception in human life

Trivers, R. (2011). The folly of fools: The logic of deceit and self-deception in human life. New York, NY: Basic Books. pp. 397. ISBN 978-0-4650275502. $28.00 US It's an intriguing evolutionary pu...
Using Fractal Scaling and Two-Dimensional Particle Size Spectra to Calculate Coagulation Rates for Heterogeneous Systems☆

Fractal scaling is usually presented as a relationship between aggregate mass and length. Such scaling can also be expressed as a relationship between the lengths of two particles that collide and the length of the resulting aggregate. Emphasizing fractal scaling as a geometric property allows the extension of fractal description to aggregates composed of more than one type of source particle. In particular, it allows the development of more complete models of the role of coagulation in marine ecosystems. The classical aggregation equations can be modified to accommodate a two-dimensional particle size spectrum. This two-dimensional set of equations can be solved using a modification of the sectional approach. Because moving to two-dimensions vastly increases the number of possible interactions and makes solution more computationally costly, simplifications that decrease the allowable interactions considerably speed up the calculations for relatively little loss of accuracy.
Abstract P3-14-14: Activation of SRC and MAPK Mediates Resistance to Lapatinib in ER-/ERBB2+ Breast Cancer

Background Resistance to lapatinib represents a significant problem in the treatment of ERBB2+ breast cancer, especially after failure of prior trastuzumab therapy. A number of resistance mechanisms have been identified in recent years that limit the anti-tumor effects of lapatinib. These mechanisms include the activation of ERα signaling, and sustained activation of AKT either through coexpression of receptor tyrosine kinases (IGF-IR, AXL, MET, ERBB3), loss of PTEN or activating mutations in PIK3CA. However, these mechanisms have been shown to confer resistance primarily in ER+/ERBB2+ breast cancer cells; the mechanisms of resistance to lapatinib in ER-/ERBB2+ breast cancer (∼ 50% of ERBB2+ breast cancers) remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that resistance to lapatinib in ER-/ERBB2+ breast cancer cells can be mediated by activation of alternative signaling pathways which bypass the PI3K/AKT signaling axis. Materials and Methods To investigate the mechanisms of acquired resistance to lapatinib we generated ER-/ERBB2+ and ER+/ERBB2+ breast cancer cells resistant to lapatinib at the clinically relevant concentration of 2.6 uM (SK-lapR and BT-lapR). Resistance to lapatinib was achieved by exposure of SKBR3 and BT474 cells to increasing concentrations of the drug, and resistant cells were selected through serial passage. The activation status of multiple signaling pathways in lapatinib sensitive and resistant cells was determined by western blot analysis, and the role of individual signaling pathways in promoting resistance to lapatinib was investigated in cell proliferation assays using selective small molecule inhibitors. Results and Discussion Consistent with previous studies, we show that inhibition of ERα signaling using 100 nM fulvestrant in combination with lapatinib restored lapatinib sensitivity and effectively leads to growth arrest and cell death in ER+/ERBB2+ BT-lapR cells (P Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-14-14.
γ-Aminobutyric acid, catecholamine and indoleamine determinations from the same brain region by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Abstract A new procedure for the measurement of γ-aminobutyric acid, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from the same brain region was developed. In general, two separate high-performance liquid chromatographic runs were performed, one for the γ-aminobutyric acid determination and one for the determination of the monoamines. The electrochemical detection of γ-aminobutyric acid was determined by a new procedure that utilized a small aliquot of the brain sample prepared for monoamine measurement. This assay was linear and parallel between 6 and 200 ng per 20-μl injection with 5-aminovaleric acid utilized as an internal standard. Inter-assay variability averaged 5% throughout the assay with γ-aminobutyric acid values in the gerbil hypothalamus of 344 μg/g. The catecholamine assay has been characterized previously and utilizes 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine as an internal standard with less than 5% variability. Norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels in the gerbil hypothalamus averaged 2922, 729, 797 and 272 ng/g, respectively. This new protocol allows a wide range of neurochemicals to be determined and evaluated from the same brain region.
Heel response to external pressure: is it the same in healthy community-dwelling adults and in hip surgery patients?

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to determine whether the interface pressure created when the heel is in contact with the bed surface reduced healthy adults' heel oxygen delivery (transcutaneous oxygen [TcO2]) and raised heel skin temperature. We also determined whether there was a hyperemic response to pressure relief on 3 consecutive days, and compared data from healthy adults to that from hip surgery patients. DESIGN A 1-group, prospective, repeated-measures design guided data collection and analysis. SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS Eighteen subjects were age (±5 years) and gender-matched with a previous study on hip surgery patients. The mean age of study participants was 57.3 ± 15.75 (mean ± SD) years and half were men (n = 9). METHODS Oxygen and temperature sensors were placed on the plantar surface of each foot, close to the heels. Measures were taken when the heels were (1) suspended above the bed surface (preload), (2) on the bed surface for 15 minutes (loading), and (3) again suspended above the bed surface for 15 minutes (unloading).Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. RESULTS When compared with preload, both loading and unloading on all 3 days resulted in a statistically significant bilateral reduction in heel TcO2 (P < .001) and a bilateral increase in heel skin temperature (P = .001). There was a significant bilateral heel hyperemic response (during the first 3 minutes of immediate heel unloading) on all 3 days. There were significant changes in heel TcO2 (P = .008) and heel skin temperature (P < .001) in both legs when pressure was relieved. The hyperemic response was not apparent in the operative leg in our prior hip surgery group. When comparing one of the legs of the healthy adults with the operative leg of the prior hip surgery patients, heel TcO2 in both groups decreased (P < .001) while heel skin temperature increased during both loading and unloading in all 3 days (P < .001). CONCLUSION Heel TcO2 fell while heel skin temperature increased with both the application and removal of external pressure in healthy adults. The fall in TcO2 and the rise in heel skin temperature were also apparent in the operative leg of the hip surgery group. The brief period of hyperemia, measured by abrupt changes in heel TcO2 and heel skin temperature, was present only in healthy subjects. This raises the question of whether heel pressure ulcer development is related to a blunted hyperemic response in subjects with hip surgery. Further studies are needed that explore the effects of varying the duration of pressure on the hyperemic response as a strategy to understand heel pressure ulcer prevention. Since heel TcO2 fell in both groups after a brief pressure application of 15 minutes, nurses should keep heels off-load at all times to ensure adequate heel skin oxygenation.
Cotton Color Grading with a Neural Network

It is well known that disagreements about cotton color grades between high volume instruments and classers are substantial, and these machine-classer disagreements deter full acceptance of machine grading of cotton color. This paper provides first a quantitative analysis of the distributions of these disagreements across all the color grades, both major and subcolor categories. The study proves that the disagreements can be both systematic and random, and further analyzes the possible sources for them. Second, the paper introduces a novel design of a neural network classifier for cotton color classification. This classifier consists of multiple networks performing a two-step classification that identifies major and subcolor categories separately. The classifier can be trained by any desirable data. In this research, it is trained using a set of classers' grades, and it exhibits good generalization for the new testing data. The classifier seems to reduce machine-classer disagreements to a minimal level, wh...
CRM1-Mediated Nuclear Export Is Present During Porcine Embryogenesis, but Is Not Required for Early Cleavage

Regulated movement of cellular factors between the cytoplasm and nucleus is required for fundamental cellular processes ranging from cell cycle control to transcriptional regulation. CRM1 is a nuclear export factor whose function is to actively transport nuclear cargos that bear nuclear export sequences to the cytoplasm. Because CRM1 likely plays a role in the intracellular regulation of many cellular processes, we set out to characterize CRM1 function during early mammalian embryogenesis. A series of embryo culture experiments that employed a specific inhibitor of CRM1, leptomycin B, indicated that CRM1 function is not required for development until after the 4-cell stage of porcine embryo development. Immunolocalization of CRM1 in fixed embryos revealed that CRM1 is localized in a unique pattern during the period of time when the embryo does not have a developmental requirement for CRM1. Despite these findings, a microinjection assay showed that CRM1 function persists during this period of development. This demonstrates that although CRM1 is present in a functional form throughout mammalian embryo development, its function is not required for early cleavage.
A passive RF sensor platform for chemical-biological sensors

This research introduces a new type of chemical-biological sensor platform. This sensor platform detects different types of chemical or biological agents without the use of probes, wires, active components, or a battery. An interrogator transmits power through radio frequency waves to the embedded device. The embedded device sends back a portion of the power through radio frequency waves with altered amplitude and phase. The characteristics of the received signal contain the information about the agent of interest. The sensor device has a functionalized surface which aids in selectivity to the analyte of interest.
Management Strategies for Patients with Low-Risk Chest Pain in the Emergency Department

There is abundant evidence to guide the management of chest pain patients with a confirmed or reasonably suspected diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). But when it comes to the low-risk chest pain patient in the emergency department, there is limited evidence to support one approach over another. As a result, the evaluation of low-risk chest pain represents a distinct challenge for the emergency physician. Missing a diagnosis of ACS is certainly undesirable. However, the overuse of technology can result in misleading test results in populations with a low incidence of coronary disease. In this article, we dispel several myths surrounding low-risk chest pain and put forward a number of common-sense recommendations. We endorse taking a focused but thorough chest pain history; encourage the use of serial electrocardiogram, particularly for patients with ongoing or changing symptoms; comment on the interpretation of cardiac biomarkers in the era of highly sensitive troponin assays, drawing a distinction between myocardial injury and myocardial infarction; discuss the role of coronary computed tomography angiography as a test for coronary artery disease, rather than for ACS; and caution against the reflexive use of provocative testing in low-risk chest pain patients.
Maternal autoantibodies and congenital heart block: mediators, markers, and therapeutic approach☆

i i n m g v t c FTER THE SEMINAL observation in the late 1970s that sera from nearly all mothers of hildren with isolated congenital heart block (CHB) ontain specific autoantibodies (1,2), this disease, reviously of interest only to the disciples of cardilogy, became an important model of passively acuired autoimmunity. It is now widely accepted that eart block detected before or at birth, in the absence f structural abnormalities, is almost always accomanied by maternal autoantibodies to SSA/Ro and/or SB/La ribonucleoproteins, independent of whether he mother has systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), jogren’s syndrome (SS), or is totally asymptomatic 3,4). Cardiac injury occurs in a previously normal etus and is presumed to arise from the transplacental assage of maternal immunoglobulin (Ig) G autoanibodies that result from an autoimmune process in he mother (5). Autoimmune-associated CHB does ot occur randomly during fetal development, but ather is most often detected between 18 and 24 eeks of gestation (6). In some cases, there may be n associated myocarditis/endocarditis (7,8). One of he most intriguing aspects of CHB is that it is an njury unique to some phase(s) of development. Depite the presence of identical antibodies in the maernal circulation, conduction defects have not been
The Fine-Structural Localization of Phosphatases in Neurosecretory Cells Within the Ganglia of Certain Gastropod Snails

The neurosecretory cells in the cerebral ganglia of the snail, Planorbis trivolvis , have been examined for structural details and distribution of phosphatase activities. A more preliminary study on the localization of phosphatases in the neurosecretory cells of Helix aspersa has also been made. These neurons in both species contain typical elementary neurosecretory granules which appear to be elaborated or condensed in the Golgi saccules. Immature elementary granules are identifiable as “primary lysosomes” in that they contain acid phosphatase activity as well as nucleoside phosphatases. The mature elementary granules display no phosphatase activity. Some saccules of the Golgi are also reactive for several nucleoside phosphatases, including thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase). In Planorbis , TPPase is also present in the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum. Larger, membrane bound, electron-dense bodies (lipochondria) are found in close spatial association with the Golgi region. These also possess acid phosphatase; in addition, they contain nucleoside diphosphatases and ( in Planorbis ) adenosine triphosphatase. Their content of acid phosphatase and the features of their fine structure indicate that they are lysosomes akin to the dense bodies of vertebrate neurones. The significance and implications of these results are considered, as are other details of the neuronal and glial structure in Planorbis .
Beyond the photograph: a graphic history of lynching

This paper studies the 2008 graphic novel Incognegro in conjunction with the surviving lynching photographs. It argues that Johnson and Pleece’s work gives us a behind-the-scenes documentation of lynching – an ‘inside view’ that the photographs, despite their claimed reliance on a facticist projection of ‘objective reality’, often fail to do. To the extent that the period’s white-sponsored lynching photographs follow a carefully coded if unwritten convention and aesthetics of representation, they tend in fact to elide and gloss over the ‘whole truth’, or distract from immediate and direct enregisterment of the full and utter horror of the violence being perpetrated; this, despite the presence of the ‘strange fruit’ that grotesquely and ominously hangs from the itinerant scaffolds dotting the lynchtime landscape. In this backdrop of history and representation, Incognegro may be understood as an interventionist text in the long and innovative narrative of America’s visual culture; a first-order intervention...
Probabilistic discrimination learning of a sequential reinforcement pattern

Predictions of the Burke-Estes probabilistic discrimination model were verified in a situation in which reinforcement probabilities varied from.90 to.10 on alternate trials. Fifty college student Ss were able to discriminate between the stimulus traces of reinforcing events of preceding trials in a two-choice light guessing situation. The.90-.10 probabilistic alternation pattern was about three times more difficult to learn than a “pure” 1.00-.00 alternation pattern, based on estimates of the discrimination parameter from the data.
Phase-selective synthesis of bornite nanoparticles

Nanoparticles of the copper iron sulfide phase bornite (ideally Cu5FeS4) have been synthesized phase selectively. Either the low or high bornite phase can be obtained through alteration of reactant ratios or reaction temperature, revealing a phase-selectivity that results from distinct rates of formation. The phase, shape, size, and composition of these novel nanomaterials are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The light absorption behaviour was investigated using ultra-violet/visible/near-infrared spectroscopy (UV/vis/NIR), revealing direct band gaps that are phase-dependent (low bornite, Eg = 0.86 eV and high bornite, Eg = 1.25 eV). The band gap exhibited by high bornite nanoparticles lies in the range of optimal solar energy conversion efficiency for a single-junction photovoltaic, making it a potentially useful light absorber consisting of inexpensive, abundant elements. Lastly, the selective formation of bornite nanoparticles, as opposed to the copper sulphides, chalcocite (Cu2S) and digenite (Cu1.80S), or chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is demonstrated, suggesting solid solution formation between bornite and digenite nanoparticles.
Update in pulmonary diseases.

This year's Update in Pulmonary Diseases incorporates articles on mechanical ventilation, obstructive lung disease, and pulmonary infection.
Follow-Up Studies of Cortisone Teratogenicity in CD1 Strain Mice

The present study was done to evaluate the incidence of cortisone-induced cleft palate in the offspring of CD1 strain mice whose mothers had been injected with cortisone during their own pregnancy. The incidence of induced cleft palate was as high as the incidence of cortisone-induced cleft palate reported previously for the CD1 strain, indicating that the predisposition of CD1 mice to the teratogenic effects of cortisone is not altered significantly when the F2 generation is treated in utero with the same teratogenic agent.
Analysis of crack growth in a 3D Voronoi structure: a model for fatigue in low density trabecular bone.

Both creep and crack growth contribute to the reduction in modulus associated with fatigue loading in bone. Here we simulate crack growth and subsequent strut failure in fatigue in an open-cell, three-dimensional Voronoi structure which is similar to that of low density, osteoporotic bone. The model indicates that sequential failure of struts leads to a precipitous drop in modulus: the failure of 1% of the struts leads to about a 10% decrease in modulus. A parametric study is performed to assess the influence of normalized stress range, relative density, initial crack size, crack shape and cell geometry on the fatigue life. The fatigue life is most sensitive to the relative density and the initial crack length. The results lead to a quantitative expression for the fatigue life associated with crack growth. Data for the fatigue life of trabecular bone are compared with the crack growth model described in this paper, as well as with a previous model for creep of a three-dimensional Voronoi structure. In our models, creep dominates the fatigue behavior in low cycle fatigue while crack growth dominates in high cycle fatigue, consistent with previous observations on cortical bone. The large scatter in the trabecular bone fatigue data make it impossible to identify a transition between creep dominated fatigue and crack growth dominated fatigue. The parametric study of the crack growth model indicates that variations in relative density among specimens, initial crack size within trabeculae and crack shape could easily produce such variability in the test results.
Photographic cures for dermatologic disorders.

Pictures never lie. True or false? The truth is that photographs of cutaneous conditions, unless great care is taken, can be deceptive. Many variables determine the final photograph, and control of these variables will determine how accurately the clinical features are documented. The first variable is the film used. Not only must the same type of film be used throughout a study, but the same emulsion batch must also be used. The number of the emulsion batch is seen on the outside of the film box. Different film types or emulsion batches can result in a different display of grain, color, hues, and contrasts. If a study is being done to show the difference in red hues as in the treatment of hemangiomas or port-wine stains, it is important to maintain a constant color rendition. As important as constancy of film type is the processing of both color and black-and-white
A secure and reliable monitor and control system for remote observing with the Large Millimeter Telescope

Remote access to telescope monitor and control capabilities necessitates strict security mechanisms to protect the telescope and instruments from malicious or unauthorized use, and to prevent data from being stolen, altered, or corrupted. The Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) monitor and control system (LMTMC) utilizes the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) middleware technology to connect remote software components. The LMTMC provides reliable and secure remote observing by automatically generating SSLIOP enabled CORBA objects. TAO, the ACE open source Object Request Broker (ORB), now supports secure communications by implementing the Secure Socket Layer Inter-ORB Protocol (SSLIOP) as a pluggable protocol. This capability supplies the LMTMC with client and server authentication, data integrity, and encryption. Our system takes advantage of the hooks provided by TAO SSLIOP to implement X.509 certificate based authorization. This access control scheme includes multiple authorization levels to enable granular access control.
Ethnicity and conditional breast cancer survival in Hawaii

The conditional survival experience of 4502 female breast cancer cases diagnosed in Hawaii between 1960 and 1983 was studied. The calculation of conditional survival is based on patients who have already survived for a specified time period. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the effect of ethnicity, stage at diagnosis, and menopausal, marital, and socioeconomic statuses on conditional survival prognosis. Native Hawaiian and Filipino women showed a significantly higher risk of dying from breast cancer than any other ethnic group, followed by Chinese and Caucasian women, while Japanese women had the lowest risk. The ethnic pattern of breast cancer survival changed and ethnic survival differences decreased from 17 to 4% as time progressed. Conditional survival varied greatly with stage at first diagnosis. For localized, regional, and distant disease, the conditional survival rate increased from 92, 71, and 24% after diagnosis to 95, 85, and 65% 5 years after diagnosis, respectively, indicating that stage at diagnosis becomes less important in determining survival as time progresses. Being married and of a high socioeconomic status increased survival probability. These results suggest that considering time effect, the conditional survival rate is an informative tool to assess clinical outcome of breast cancer among ethnic groups over a long follow-up period.
Crafting the language of consensus

In summary, the consensus process provides a necessary set of procedures and standards that provide the essential foundation for reaching mutually supported settlement of disputes. Adjudicatory or voting processes are antithetical to the very nature of the consensus process. When voting takes place, “winners” and “losers” are explicitly defined. This can lead to lessened support for implementation of solutions—and even to the “losers” preferring that implementation fail.
Flight times of africanized and European honey bee drones (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Flight activities of Africanized honey bee ( Apis mellifera L.) drones were compared with those of two color morphs of European drones in Venezuela. European drones departed from colonies 19 ± 2 ( x ± SEM) min earlier, and flight times were more variable than those of Africanized drones. Mean flight time differences decreased as the drones aged and were similar whether drones were flying from Africanized or European colonies. Overlap of their flight distributions was >70%, which suggests that interbreeding of the two types of bees will be substantial under most natural conditions. Black and yellow European drones flew at similar times with similar variances, which precludes the idea that flight time differences are due to body color.
Hydrogen bonding Part 60. Thermodynamics of dissociation of decamethonium halide dihydrates

Abstract Infrared studies have demonstrated that decamethonium iodide dihydrate, bromide dihydrate, and chloride dihydrate, all of which contain planar C2h(H2O·X−)2 clusters, are apparently isomorphous, as are anhydrous decamethonium iodide and bromide. Contrary to our previous report, decamethonium chloride has a structure different from the iodide and bromide. Since lattice enthalpy changes should be similar in the dehydration of the iodide and bromide dihydrates, the difference in the dissociation enthalpy should directly reflect differences in HOH ⋯ X− hydrogen bond strength. The value of 5.15 kcal mol−1 per HOH ⋯ I− hydrogen bond broken in dehydration of the iodide dihydrate is too high relative to the other dihydrates to be accounted for by electronegativity, proton affinity, or ionic potential considerations. Vapor pressure vs. H2O content studies demonstate that the dihydrate is the only hydrate formed by decamethonium iodide and bromide. The infrared spectrum of decamethonium chloride containing 1 mole H2O shows a mixture of the dihydrate and anhydrous material; thus the chloride also only forms a dihydrate.
Synthesis of diuridine 3′,5′-boranophosphate: H-phosphonate approach

Abstract Diuriine 3′,5′-boranophosphate, the RNA analogue of boranophosphate nucleic acids, was synthesized by a new approach via the H-phosphonate. Two diastereomers of diuridine 3′,5′-boranophosphate were separated by reverse phase HPLC.
Neutrino and antineutrino proton scattering data and the ratio of down to up quarks in the proton

Abstract New data on the x-dependence of the ratio of down to up quarks in the proton are presented from neutrino and antineutrino experiments using the Fermilab 15-foot bubble chamber filled with hydrogen. The new data are in good agreement with existing data from electron scattering experiments performed at SLAC but are not accurate enough at large x to discriminate between the QCD prediction and a (1 − x) behavior as x → 1.
A transferable interatomic potential for crystalline phases in the system MgO−SiO2

A central interatomic potential model is presented for compounds in the binary system MgO-SiO2. The potential, of a simple form which consists of a Coulombic term, a Born repulsive term, and a Van der Walls term for oxygen-oxygen interactions, is designed to predict the properties of magnesium silicates containing Si in octahedral and tetrahedral coordination. This is achieved by fitting simultaneously to forsterite and MgSiO3 ilmenite crystal structure data, and fixing the partial ionic charges using elastic data for forsterite. The potential is found to transfer successfully to γ-Mg2SiO4 and MgSiO3 perovskite. The potential results in local structural errors around the bridging oxygen ions in clinoenstatite and β-Mg2SiO4. The predicted structure for MgSiO3 garnet is similar to the experimentally measured structure of the MnSiO3 analogue. Calculated elastic constants average to K=2.41 Mbar and μ=1.44 Mbar for the bulk and shear moduli of MgSiO3 perovskite, and K=1.87 Mbar and μ=1.10 Mbar for the bulk and shear moduli of MgSiO3 garnet.
“How much change do you get from 40$?” – Analyzing and addressing failed questions on social Q&A

Online question-answering (Q&A) services are becoming increasingly popular among information seekers. While online Q&A services encompass both virtual reference service (VRS) and social Q&A (SQA), SQA services, such as Yahoo! Answers and WikiAnswers, have experienced more success in reaching out to the masses and leveraging subsequent participation. However, the large volume of content on some of the more popular SQA sites renders participants unable to answer some posted questions adequately or even at all. To reduce this latter category of questions that do not receive an answer, the current paper explores reasons for why fact-based questions fail on a specific Q&A service. For this exploration and analyses, thousands of failed questions were collected from Yahoo! Answers extracting only those that were fact-based, information-seeking questions, while opinion/advice-seeking questions were discarded. A typology was then created to code reasons of failures for these questions using a grounded theory approach. Using this typology, suggestions are proposed for how the questions could be restructured or redirected to another Q&A service (possibly a VRS), so users would have a better chance of receiving an answer.
Circulating transferrin receptors and assessment of iron status

Abstract A soluble form of the transferrin receptor is uniformly detectable in human sera. Biochemical studies have shown that this soluble material consists of the extracellular domain of the intact receptor with a truncation site between arginine (100) and leucine (101). Cell biologic models have demonstrated that the serum receptor is produced by proteolytic cleavage at the surface of the exosome within the multivesicular endosome. The cleavage is produced by a membrane-associated serine protease at a site distinct from that produced by trypsin. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the serum transferrin receptor concentration correlates with the number of red cell precursors in the bone marrow in various hematologic disorders and with the deficit in functional iron in patients with iron deficiency. The latter finding has led to a significant refinement in the assessment of iron status. By employing the serum ferritin determination as a measure of body iron stores and the serum transferrin receptor as an index of tissue iron deficiency, it is possible to evaluate the entire spectrum of body iron status. Measurement of the serum transferrin receptor has been particularly useful in detecting iron deficiency in pregnancy and in distinguishing iron deficiency anemia from the anemia of chronic disease. (J. Nutr. Biochem. 5:322–330, 1994.)
Purification of uterine myosin and synthetic filament formation.

Abstract Rabbit uterine myosin was purified by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. The purified myosin was shown to be free from contamination with actin or other impurities by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. It was also shown to have two light chains with molecular weights of 22,000 and 17,000. The C protein normally found in crude, rabbit skeletal muscle myosin was not found in crude, rabbit uterine myosin. On reducing the ionic strength of a solution of rabbit uterine myosin, the myosin molecules first aggregated to form short, tapered bipolar filaments with bare zones. These were observed in the presence or absence of 10 m m -magnesium. These filaments ranged in length from 0.3 μm to 0.6 μm. On reaching 0.1 m -KCl, and only if 10 m m -magnesium was present, the filaments grew in length by linear overlap of the tapered bipolar filaments and obliteration of the bare zone regions. These filaments ranged in length from 0.7 μm to 1.2 μm.
Quantum Imaging by Coherent Enhancement

Center for Ultracold Atoms, Research Laboratory of Electronics, and Department of Physics,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA(Dated: September 30, 2014)Conventional wisdom dictates that to image the position of ﬂuorescent atoms or molecules, oneshould stimulate as much emission and collect as many photons as possible. That is, in this classicalcase, it has always been assumed that the coherence time of the system should be made short, andthat the statistical scaling ∼ 1/√t deﬁnes the resolution limit for imaging time t. However, here weshow in contrast that given the same resources, a long coherence time permits a higher resolutionimage. In this quantum regime, we give a procedure for determining the position of a single two-levelsystem, and demonstrate that the standard errors of our position estimates scale at the Heisenberglimit as ∼ 1/t, a quadratic, and notably optimal, improvement over the classical case.
Differences in peripheral endocannabinoid modulation of scratching behavior in facial vs. spinally-innervated skin.

Cannabinoids suppress nocifensive behaviors in rodents. We presently investigated peripheral endocannabinoid modulation of itch- and pain-related behaviors elicited from facial vs. spinally-innervated skin of rats. Intradermal (id) injection of the pruritogen serotonin (5-HT) elicited significantly more hindlimb scratch bouts, and longer cumulative time scratching, when injected in the rostral back compared to the cheek. Pretreatment of skin with inhibitors of degrading enzymes for the endocannabinoids anandamide (URB597) or 2-arachidonoylglycerol (JZL184) significantly reduced scratching elicited by 5-HT in the rostral back. These effects were prevented by co-treatment with antagonists of the CB1 (AM251) or CB2 receptor (AM630), implicating both receptor subtypes in endocannabinoid suppression of scratching in spinally-innervated skin. Conversely, pretreatment with either enzyme inhibitor, or with AM630 alone, increased the number of scratch bouts elicited by id 5-HT injection in the cheek. Moreover, pretreatment with JZL184 also significantly increased pain-related forelimb wipes directed to the cheek following id injection of the algogen, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC; mustard oil). Thus, peripheral endocannabinoids have opposite effects on itch-related scratching behaviors in trigeminally- vs. spinally-innervated skin. These results suggest that increasing peripheral endocannabinoid levels represents a promising therapeutic approach to treat itch arising from the lower body, but caution that such treatment may not relieve, and may even exacerbate, itch and pain arising from trigeminally-innervated skin of the face or scalp.