cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypothalamic Lesions, Growth and Body Composition of Male Chickens

Abstract INTRODUCTION HYPERPHAGIA and aphagia have been produced in many animals with appropriate lesions in the hypothalamus (Brobeck, 1946; Mayer, 1953). Previously, numerous attempts in this laboratory to produce hyperphagia in chickens by means of lesions in the ventromedial nucleus failed. As a guide, the coordinates which had been successfully used to produce hyperphagia in rats were used in placing lesions in the hypothalamus of the chickens. While hyperphagic chickens were not produced, aphagic chickens were produced (Feldman et al., 1957). The lesions that produced aphagia were in the anterior, medial or posterior hypothalamus, and not localized in a specific area of the lateral hypothalamus as they were in rats. The results indicated that aphagia was caused by the interruption of a neural circuit and this agreed with the suggestion made by Brobeck (1955). An atlas of the hypothalamus was constructed, and it indicated that hypothalamic organization of a chicken was …
Effect of pH and ions in the sample on stacking in capillary electrophoresis

Abstract Concentrating the sample on the capillary called “stacking” is a simple technique that overcomes the poor detection limits of capillary electrophoresis (CE). Understanding the factors that affect the stacking mechanism is vital. Two general stacking methods are used in CE: (1) low ionic strength buffer in the sample (LISS) and (2) stacking by inclusion of acetonitrile (AS) in the sample. As the sample volume, especially in the latter method, is greatly increased we show that the pH, buffer type and ionic strength of the sample affect greatly the plate number, resolution and migration time. Surprisingly, we find inclusion of a pH, molarity or ion type in the sample, different from that of the separation buffer, can greatly improve the resolution and the stacking for some components of the sample, especially for the acetonitrile induced stacking.
Structural effects of phenols on the photooxidative degradation of polybenzoxazines

Abstract The photooxidative behavior of a series of polybenzoxazines based on various amines with the same phenolic unit (bisphenol-A), upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation (λ>290 nm), is examined. BA-m polymer (containing methylamine) is shown to have the highest degree of substituted benzoquinone formation followed by those polymers derived from ethylamine, propylamine, cyclohexylamine, aniline, and meta-toluidene, the latter five of which had the same rate and degree of photooxidation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies suggest that the intramolecular hydrogen bonding interaction between the hydroxyl group of the phenolic unit and the nitrogen of the amine can play a key role in ionizing the oxygen of the phenolic hydroxyl group when conditions are advantageous, thus leading to high relative degrees of photooxidative degradation. In addition, model compound studies demonstrate that various degrees of non-intramolecularly bound hydrogen density around the phenolic hydroxyl group may impact upon the efficiency of the intramolecular interactions. Other model compound studies suggest that the size of the amine functionality is another critical factor influencing the degrees of photooxidation. A mechanism of UV-induced molecular modification involving contributions from the amine functionality is proposed.
Large-Scale Circulation and Production of Stratification: Effects of Wind, Geometry, and Diffusion

The combined effects of wind, geometry, and diffusion on the stratification and circulation of the ocean are explored by numerical and analytical methods. In particular, the production of deep stratification in a simply configured numerical model with small diffusivity is explored. In the ventilated thermocline of the subtropical gyre, the meridional temperature gradient is mapped continously to a corresponding vertical profile, essentially independently of (sufficiently small) diffusivity. Below this, as the vertical diffusivity tends to zero, the mapping becomes discontinuous and is concentrated in thin diffusive layers or internal thermoclines. It is shown that the way in which the thickness of the main internal thermocline (i.e., the diffusive lower part of the main thermocline), and the meridional overturning circulation, scales with diffusivity differs according to the presence or absence of a wind stress. For realistic parameter values, the ocean is in a scaling regime in which wind effects are important factors in the scaling of the thermohaline circulation, even for the single hemisphere, flat-bottomed case. It is shown that deep stratification may readily be produced by the combined effects of surface thermodynamic forcing and geometry. The form of the stratification, but not its existence, depends on the diffusivity. Such deep stratification is efficiently produced, even in single-basin, single-hemisphere simulations, in the presence of a partially topographically blocked channel at high latitudes, provided there is also a surface meridional temperature gradient across the channel. For sufficiently simple geometry and topography, the abyssal stratification is a maximum at the height of the topography. In the limit of small diffusivity, the stratification becomes concentrated in a thin diffusive layer, or front, whose thickness appears to scale as the one-third power of the diffusivity. Above and below this diffusive abyssal thermocline are thick, largely adiabatic and homogeneous water masses. In two hemisphere integrations, the water above the abyssal thermocline may be either ‘‘intermediate’’ water from the same hemisphere as the channel, or ‘‘deep’’ water from the opposing hemisphere, depending on whether the densest water from the opposing hemisphere is denser than the surface water at the equatorward edge of the channel. The zonal velocity in the channel is in thermal wind balance, thus determined more by the meridional temperature gradient across the channel than by the wind forcing. If the periodic channel extends equatorward past the latitude of zero wind-stress curl, the poleward extent of the ventilated thermocline, and the surface source of the mode water, both then lie at the equatorial boundary of the periodic circumpolar channel, rather than where the wind stress curl changes sign.
The Origins of the Market Economy: State Power, Territorial Control, and Modes of War Fighting

The origin and spread of money-based commodity markets is normally attributed to a natural evolution from barter and is usually seen as a solution to problems of exchange. I want to propose that markets to a considerable degree develop historically out of a different set of dynamics. These are concerned with the state-building tasks of territorial conquest and control, and are closely related to specific modes of war fighting. In this connection, markets develop not only to facilitate exchange per se but also to facilitate the mobilization of resources and their management across space and time. This need to manage resources geographically and temporally contributes not only to the spread of commodity markets but also to the development of markets in land and in labor.
Theory of (p, p′) and (p, n) reactions through the isobaric analogue resonances: (I). Isospin purity of the doorway function in the internal region

Abstract Results known for the case of a single open proton channel from the analysis of Lane's model are extended to the case of several open proton channels using a particle-hole description of the isobaric analogue state. This description is equivalent to Lane's model in the one open channel case. External and internal Coulomb mixing are discussed. It is shown that - in the case of two open proton channels - the wave function at resonance has three types of Coulomb admixtures in the internal region; one due to internal mixing and one due to external mixing, both of which are the same for all channels. The amplitudes of both these admixtures display a Breit-Wigner resonance. The third admixture depends on the incident channel. Aside from displaying a resonance behaviour, this amplitude vanishes at a (real) energy E> slightly above resonance. In the case when several proton channels are open, this offers a basis for explaining the asymmetries observed in (p, n) total cross sections and sometimes in (p, p′) cross sections. Ambiguities in the generalization of Lane's model to inelastic proton scattering are discussed.
Modeling Network Latency and Parallel Processing in Distributed Database Design

The design of responsive distributed database systems is a key concern for information systems managers. In high bandwidth networks latency and local processing are the most significant factors in query and update response time. Parallel processing can be used to minimize their effects, particularly if it is considered at design time. It is the judicious replication and placement of data within a network that enable parallelism to be effectively used. However, latency and parallel processing have largely been ignored in previous distributed database design approaches. We present a comprehensive approach to distributed database design that develops efficient combinations of data allocation and query processing strategies that take full advantage of parallelism. We use a genetic algorithm to enable the simultaneous optimization of data allocation and query processing strategies. We demonstrate that ignoring the effects of latency and parallelism at design time can result in the selection of unresponsive distributed database designs.
Paleoseismology and Geomorphology of the Raymond Fault, Los Angeles County, California

The Raymond fault extends for 20 km in a broad convex-to-the-south arc across the densely populated San Gabriel Valley northeast of Los Angeles. Although south-facing scarps characterize much of the fault, geomorphic and seismological evidence indicate a predominance of left-lateral motion. An apparent 3.4-km left-lateral offset of a crystalline basement ridge at the east end of the fault may approximate total slip on the fault. Data from one of our paleoseismologic trenches, in combination with published data, indicate that the most recent Raymond fault surface rupture occurred ∼1–2 ka. Estimates of fault-plane area suggest that rupture of the entire Raymond fault could generate an earthquake of M w ∼ 6.7. The similar kinematics of the Raymond fault and the Hollywood fault, along strike to the west, together with a pronounced fault-parallel gravity lineament and sparse geomorphic evidence, suggests that there may be a through-going mechanical connection between the two faults, and that they could conceivably rupture together in large earthquakes. Published data, however, indicate that the Hollywood fault ruptured to the surface most recently ∼6–9 ka, indicating that the most recent Raymond fault surface rupture apparently did not extend westward onto the Hollywood fault. Data from another of our paleoseismologic trenches yielded evidence for at least five latest Pleistocene earthquakes, including at least four surface ruptures that occurred during a brief, ≤10,000-year-long period between ∼31.5 and 41.5 ka. The ≤3300 year-long, average recurrence interval for these events is much shorter than the interval suggested for the past ∼40,000 years by the frequency of paleoearthquakes recognized in previous trenches. Thus, either the 31.5 ka to 41.5 ka events represent a temporal cluster, and the recurrence interval for the fault is highly irregular, or at least half of all Raymond fault earthquakes that have occurred since ∼31.5 ka have not yet been recognized.
From mobile phones to responsible devices

Mobile phones have evolved from simple voice terminals into highly-capable, general-purpose computing platforms. While people are becoming increasingly more dependent on such devices to perform sensitive operations, protect secret data, and be available for emergency use, it is clear that phone operating systems are not ready to become mission-critical systems. Through a pair of vulnerabilities and a simulated attack on a cellular network, we demonstrate that there are a myriad of unmanaged mechanisms on mobile phones, and that control of these mechanisms is vital to achieving reliable use. Through such vectors, mobile phones introduce a variety of new threats to their own applications and the telecommunications infrastructure itself. In this paper, we examine the requirements for providing effective mediation and access control for mobile phones. We then discuss the convergence of cellular networks with the Internet and its impact on effective resource management and quality of service. Based on these results, we argue for user devices that enable predictable behavior in a network—where their trusted computing bases can protect key applications and create predictable network impact. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Geographic variation in density-dependent dynamics impacts the synchronizing effect of dispersal and regional stochasticity

Explanations for the ubiquitous presence of spatially synchronous population dynamics have assumed that density-dependent processes governing the dynamics of local populations are identical among disjunct populations, and low levels of dispersal or small amounts of regionalized stochasticity (“Moran effect”) can act to synchronize populations. In this study we used historical spatially referenced data on gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) outbreaks to document that density-dependent processes can vary substantially across geographical landscapes. This variation may be due in part to geographical variation in habitat (e.g., variation in forest composition). We then used a second-order log-linear stochastic model to explore how inter-population variation in density-dependent processes affects synchronization via either synchronous stochastic forcing or dispersal. We found that geographical variation in direct density-dependence (first order) greatly diminishes synchrony caused by stochasticity but only slightly decreases synchronization via dispersal. Variation in delayed density-dependence (second order) diluted synchrony caused by regional stochasticity to a lesser extent than first-order variation, but it did not have any influence on synchrony caused by dispersal. In general, synchronization caused by dispersal was primarily dependent upon the instability of populations and only weakly, if at all, affected by similarities in density-dependence among populations. We conclude that studies of synchrony should carefully consider both the nature of the synchronizing agents and the pattern of local density-dependent processes, including how these vary geographically.
A Review of: “Jared Cohen. One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide.”

Jared Cohen's One Hundred Days of Silence casts a critical eye on the moral indifference, complicity in genocide, and callousness of American foreign policy towards Rwanda before and during Rwanda'...
Combining gradient-based optimization with stochastic search

We propose a stochastic search algorithm for solving non-differentiable optimization problems. At each iteration, the algorithm searches the solution space by generating a population of candidate solutions from a parameterized sampling distribution. The basic idea is to convert the original optimization problem into a differentiable problem in terms of the parameters of the sampling distribution, and then use a quasi-Newton-like method on the reformulated problem to find improved sampling distributions. The algorithm combines the strength of stochastic search from considering a population of candidate solutions to explore the solution space with the rapid convergence behavior of gradient methods by exploiting local differentiable structures. We provide numerical examples to illustrate its performance.
Quinine-Associated Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura–Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome: Frequency, Clinical Features, and Long-Term Outcomes

Quinine is a common cause of drug-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura–hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP–HUS) and can cause death and chronic renal failure. When the disorder is described as...
Workspace boundaries of in-parallel manipulator systems

An important design consideration in an in-parallel system is the reachable workspace of a reference point chosen on the end-effector. When a point is at its workspace boundary, it does not have a velocity component along the outward normal to the boundary. Starting from this simple intuition, the author determines the configurations of an in-parallel system in which the velocity of a reference point satisfies this property. Among these configurations are also the ones in which the reference point is at the boundary of the workspace. In this paper, the in-parallel systems are analyzed based on instantaneous properties of series chains as derived from the theory of screw systems. The conditions of existence of the boundary configurations are given in terms of conditions on a special screw system associated with the end-effector. >
Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of central catecholamine deficiency in Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies

Central catecholamine deficiency characterizes α-synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease. We hypothesized that cerebrospinal fluid levels of neuronal metabolites of catecholamines provide neurochemical biomarkers of these disorders. To test this hypothesis we measured cerebrospinal fluid levels of catechols including dopamine, norepinephrine and their main respective neuronal metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and dihydroxyphenylglycol in Parkinson’s disease and two other synucleinopathies, multiple system atrophy and pure autonomic failure. Cerebrospinal fluid catechols were assayed in 146 subjects—108 synucleinopathy patients (34 Parkinson’s disease, 54 multiple system atrophy, 20 pure autonomic failure) and 38 controls. In 14 patients cerebrospinal fluid was obtained before or within 2 years after the onset of parkinsonism. The Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy and pure autonomic failure groups all had lower cerebrospinal fluid dihydroxyphenylacetic acid [0.86 ± 0.09 (SEM), 1.00 ± 0.09, 1.32 ± 0.12 nmol/l] than controls (2.15 ± 0.18 nmol/l; P < 0.0001; P < 0.0001; P = 0.0002). Dihydroxyphenylglycol was also lower in the three synucleinopathies (8.82 ± 0.44, 7.75 ± 0.42, 5.82 ± 0.65 nmol/l) than controls (11.0 ± 0.62 nmol/l; P = 0.009, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001). Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was lower and dihydroxyphenylglycol higher in Parkinson’s disease than in pure autonomic failure. Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was 100% sensitive at 89% specificity in separating patients with recent onset of parkinsonism from controls but was of no value in differentiating Parkinson’s disease from multiple system atrophy. Synucleinopathies feature cerebrospinal fluid neurochemical evidence for central dopamine and norepinephrine deficiency. Parkinson’s disease and pure autonomic failure involve differential dopaminergic versus noradrenergic lesions. Cerebrospinal fluid dihydroxyphenylacetic acid seems to provide a sensitive means to identify even early Parkinson’s disease. * Abbreviations : DATATOP : deprenyl and tocopherol antioxidative treatment of parkinsonism DHPG : dihydroxyphenylglycol DOPAC : dihydroxyphenylacetic acid l-DOPA : l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine MSA : multiple system atrophy PAF : pure autonomic failure
Valvulogenesis: the moving target

Valvulogenesis is an extremely complex process by which a fragile gelatinous matrix is populated and remodelled during embryonic development into thin fibrous leaflets capable of maintaining unidirectional flow over a lifetime. This process occurs during exposure to constantly changing haemodynamic forces, with a success rate of approximately 99%. Defective valvulogenesis results in impaired cardiac function and lifelong complications. This review integrates what is known about the roles of genetics and mechanics in the development of valves and how changes in either result in impaired morphogenesis. It is hoped that appropriate developmental cues and phenotypic endpoints could help engineers and clinicians in their efforts to regenerate living valve alternatives.
The role of nickel substrates in the quench dynamics of silver coated YBCO tapes

A pair of silver coated YBCO tapes with varying degrees of electrical contact between the silver and the YBCO nickel substrate were studied to examine the impact of nickel on normal zone formation and stability. The YBCO tapes were fabricated using the rolling assisted bi-axially textured (RABiTS) method and 15-cm-long samples with 2 /spl mu/m of silver were prepared. The samples were place in a conduction cooling environment at 45 K to study quench or recovery when a series of dc transient over-current pulses were applied. We used a series of voltage taps on both the silver and nickel to characterize the nature of the contact between the silver and the nickel through the measured voltages. In as-manufactured samples and those sample with continuous contact between the nickel and silver, we found that the silver and nickel can not be treated as conductors in parallel when a normal zone is present because of current present in the nickel even while sections of the sample remains superconducting. This nonparallel contact makes stability characterization difficult although the samples with intentional contact were able to withstand larger current pulses. In addition, the samples with intentional electrical contact between the silver and nickel exhibited normal zone propagation in both the silver and the nickel with speeds between 4 mm/s and 8 mm/s.
Piecewise constant suboptimal controls for a system describing tumor growth under angiogenic treatment

A mathematical model for tumor anti-angiogenesis formulated by Ergun et al. [9] is considered as an optimal control problem with the aim of maximizing the tumor reduction achievable with an a priori given amount of anti-angiogenic agents. Optimal controls contain a segment along which the dosage follows a time-varying feedback control. With current medical technologies such a design is not realistic. In this paper the efficiency of piecewise constant, open-loop protocols with a small number of switchings is compared with the theoretically optimal solution derived earlier. It is shown that these protocols generally provide excellent suboptimal strategies, even when the times of applications are restricted to follow daily patterns.
Blockinq in simular experimental designs

The repetitive use of generated and/or recorded sequences in the model encounters comprising simular experimental designs has been a suggested technique of simulation methodology. The application of the technique has been deemed compatible with the experimental statistician's concept of blocking. The present paper verifies this compatibility, though notes that the resulting block effect must properly be interpreted as a variance component, or random block effect. A corollary to this result is a delineated procedure for selecting the random number seeds for successive encounters with a dynamic, stochastic simulation model, the procedure providing a proper measure of experimental error. The applicability of the established methodology of the design and analysis of experiments to systemic science via simulation modelling is thereby assured.
Ambiguity function display: an improved coherent processor.

A coherent optical processor for displaying a signal’s ambiguity function is described. The required time delay is realized by 45° rotations of two identical input transparencies and the Doppler shift by a 1-D Fourier transformation. The entire ambiguity function is displayed in the output (Doppler shift-time delay) plane. Examples of the optically computed ambiguity function for single and double pulse signals are shown to be in excellent agreement with theory. Advantages of this approach over other schemes and possible extension to real time processing are also discussed.
Transcriptional regulation of antioxidant and DNA repair transcript abundance in human bronchial epithelial cells

Background Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of bronchogenic carcinoma (BC), yet only 10-15% of heavy smokers develop BC and it is likely that this variation in risk is, in part, genetically determined. We previously reported a set of antioxidant genes for which transcript abundance was lower in normal bronchial epithelial cells (NBEC) of BC individuals compared to non-BC individuals. In unpublished studies of the same NBEC samples, transcript abundance values for several DNA repair genes were correlated with these antioxidant genes. From these data, we hypothesized that antioxidant and DNA repair genes are co-regulated by one or more transcription factors and that inter-individual variation in expression and/or function of one or more of these transcription factors is responsible for inter-individual variation in risk for BC. Methods The putative transcription factor recognition sites common to six of the antioxidant genes were identified through in silico DNA sequence analysis. The transcript abundance values of these transcription factors (n = 6) and an expanded group of antioxidant and DNA repair genes (n = 16) were measured simultaneously by quantitative PCR in NBEC of 24 non-BC and 25 BC individuals. Results CEBPG transcription factor was significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with eight of the antioxidant or DNA repair genes in non-BC individuals but not in BC
Ab initio studies of possible fluorine-bearing four- and fivefold coordinated Al species in aluminosilicate glasses

Ab initio NMR gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO) calculations were used to constrain assignments of resonances in 27Al NMR spectra of F-bearing alkali aluminosilicate glasses. The effect of bond angles within the range 126–150° on the chemical shift was investigated using cluster models of next-nearest atoms that are charge balanced by hydrogen atoms. GIAO calculations used geometries obtained through optimization at fixed Al-O-Si bond angles. The calculated peak positions for all of the 4-fold coordinated Al species yielded calculated 27Al NMR peak positions in good agreement with the experimental data, suggesting that any or all of the species AlF4−, AlF3O(SiH3)−, AlF2O2(SiH3)2−, and AlFO3(SiH3)3− may be present. Three of the investigated 5-fold coordinated species AlF52−, AlF3O2(SiH3)22−, and AlF2O3(SiH3)32− fit the experimental requirements well, whereas the remaining 5-fold coordinated species that were tested [AlF4O(SiH3)2−, and AlFO4(SiH3)42−] did not.
Mechanistic Studies of Catalytic Carbon–Carbon Cross-Coupling by Well-Defined Iron NHC Complexes

The mechanism of iron-catalyzed carbon–carbon cross-coupling reactions between Grignard reagents and alkyl halides has been investigated using well-defined N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) compounds. The iron(II) precatalyst, [Fe2Cl2(μ-Cl)2(IPr)2], was employed in several C–C cross coupling reactions exhibiting the ability to efficiently couple primary and secondary alkyl halides with several aryl and alkyl Grignard reagents. For selected substrates, a 2 mol % catalyst loading (4 mol % Fe) afforded conversions of >99% and were achieved with <8% homocoupling of the electrophile. The mechanism of the coupling reaction was studied by means of radical clock, radical trap, and single-turnover experiments, which support a radical-based cycle involving an Fe(II/III) redox couple. The implications of this mechanism on the efficacy of iron-NHC-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are discussed.
Cascaded half-harmonic generation of femtosecond frequency combs in the mid-infrared

There is a growing demand for frequency combs in the mid-infrared (mid-IR), also known as the “molecular fingerprint” region of the spectrum. Down-conversion of near-IR frequency combs by half-harmonic generation is a simple way to extend the wavelength coverage of stable frequency combs to this region, and has benefits such as high conversion efficiency and intrinsic phase and frequency locking to the near-IR pump. Here, we report a two-octave down-conversion of a frequency comb around 1 μm through cascaded half-harmonic generation with ∼64% efficiency in the first stage and ∼18% in the second stage. The high conversion efficiency and stable broadband operation indicate the effectiveness and potential of cascaded half-harmonic generation for the realization of intrinsically locked long-wavelength sources, which can be beneficial for numerous applications.
Efficient Implicit Model-Predictive Control of a Three-Phase Inverter With an Output LC Filter

Three-phase inverters with an output LC filter are commonly used to provide sinusoidal voltages with low-harmonic distortion. Constraint on peak filter current is often desirable to protect the components from potential damage. In case of constraints, implicit and explicit model-predictive control (MPC) are some of the feasible controller options. The conventional implicit MPC requires a large number of computations, whereas explicit MPC cannot directly incorporate real-time changes in model parameters, while still being computationally expensive than some of the other control schemes, e.g., hysteresis, dead beat control, etc. In this paper, we propose a new approach to solve the optimization problem in implicit MPC that has a computational complexity approximately five times less than that of explicit MPC. We have been able to achieve lower computational requirements by exploiting the inverter model and the structure of constraints.
A General Procedure for Estimating Consumer Preference Distributions

This article provides a general procedure for estimating consumer preference distributions without having to prespecify their forms. Using linear programming, it minimizes the sum of absolute error...
Single-Molecule Kinetics Reveals a Hidden Surface Reaction Intermediate in Single-Nanoparticle Catalysis

Detecting and characterizing reaction intermediates is not only important and powerful for elucidating reaction mechanisms but also challenging in general because of the low populations of intermediates in a reaction mixture. Studying surface reaction intermediates in heterogeneous catalysis presents additional challenges, especially the ubiquitous structural heterogeneity among the catalyst particles and the accompanying polydispersion in reaction kinetics. Here we use single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to study two complementary types of Au nanocatalysts—mesoporous-silica-coated Au nanorods (i.e., Au@mSiO2 nanorods) and bare 5.3 nm pseudospherical Au nanoparticles—at the single-particle, single-turnover resolution in catalyzing the oxidative deacetylation of amplex red by H2O2, a synthetically relevant and increasingly important probe reaction. For both nanocatalysts, the distributions of the microscopic reaction time from a single catalyst particle clearly reveal a kinetic intermediate, which is h...
Understanding the Behavior of TiO2(110)-Supported Pd7 Cluster: A Density Functional Study

TiO2(110)-supported small Pd (≤25 atoms) nanoparticles have been found capable of catalyzing CO oxidation. In the present article, the structure and activity toward CO of a small Pd7 cluster supported on TiO2(110) support were examined using density functional theory (DFT). Our results show that using TiO2(110) as a support makes a big difference for such small metal cluster compared to the gas-phase. For the gas-phase Pd7, the most stable structure is the pentagonal bipyramid in three dimensions (3D), and the transformation from the 3D to the centered hexagon structure in two dimensions (2D) is highly activated. In contrast, TiO2(110) allows the 3D → 2D transformation of the supported Pd7 with less energy cost and much lower barrier. The difference between the gas-phase Pd7 and Pd7/TiO2(110) is also observed on CO exposure. The CO adsorption at high coverage (≥3 CO molecules per Pd7 cluster) destabilizes the Pd7-3D structure on TiO2(110) and makes the 3D → 2D transformation thermodynamically favorable; w...
Substrate-Dependent rRNA Production in an Airborne Bacterium

Bacteria become aerosolized by a variety of processes and remain in the atmosphere for days. Many studies have characterized bacteria in air, but little is known regarding whether airborne bacteria are active. Here, we show that a bacterial strain previously isolated from air, Sphingomonas aerolata NW12, exhibited metabolic activity while in the airborne state. Airborne cells incubated in rotating gas phase bioreactors in the presence of known growth substrates acetic acid and ethanol in the gaseous phase had higher rRNA to rRNA gene content than airborne cells without growth substrates. This demonstrates that this species of airborne bacteria has a differential metabolic response to gaseous substrates in the aerial environment with an increasing rRNA content, suggesting that the cells have the potential to produce proteins while aloft.
A modified single degree of freedom method for the analysis of building steel columns subjected to explosion induced blast load

Abstract In this paper, a modified approach to the single degree of freedom (SDOF) analysis method of axially loaded steel columns under blast load is presented and validated. The suggested method utilizes a new non-linear resistance function of steel columns under transverse blast load. The new resistance function was derived based on a quasi-static approximation of column behaviour taking into consideration the reduction in the column transverse resistance caused by the axial compressive load. The derived resistance function has been implemented in a single degree of freedom analysis procedure to trace the full response of the steel column up to global instability failure taking into account the strain rate effects. The developed resistance functions and the SDOF method have been validated against numerical simulation results using two steel columns sections with two boundary conditions subjected to different values of the blast impulse and under different levels of axial compressive loads taken as a percentage of the column design static compressive load. The validation results have indicated the capability and feasibility of the suggested method to predict the response and failure of steel columns under transverse blast load.
Nematode Behaviour (ed. Gaugler, R. and Bilgrami, A. L.), pp. 432. CABI Publishing UK, 2004. ISBN 0 85199 818 6. £75.00 (US$140.00).

This book is dedicated to my Ph.D. advisor, Neil Croll (1941–1981), whose seminal text “The Behaviour of Nematodes” launched the field in 1970. The current effort is a thick, heavy tome when compared to Croll's slim and elegant little book, directly reflecting the explosion of interest in the topic, due in no small part to a single nematode C aenorhabiditis elegans. However, C. elegans is not the star of this book. The present effort is meant to be broad in its taxonomic scope, attempting to consolidate disparate nematode behaviours into a comprehensive up-to-date volume. Indeed, this is a formidable task in a world in which 4 out of every 5 metazoans is a nematode, and the end result is a bit uneven. To cover the taxonomic breadth, several chapters focused on simply describing proximate behaviours. Thus, Chapter 1 – Ecological and behavioural adaptations; Chapter 3 – Orientation; Chapter 4 – Feeding; Chapter 7 – Osmoregulation; and Chapter 8 – Physiological and biochemical basis of behaviour, were generally not synthetic, and read like catalogues of behaviour descriptors, often with little context on the natural history or biology of the responses. These chapters are not accessible to the non-specialist student, and their value lies primarily in their extensive literature searches. On the other hand, there are several wonderful pieces, including Chapter 5 – Reproductive behaviour and Chapter 6 – Ageing and development, whose compelling and clearly written stories cut across the artificial lines of plant, insect, animal, and parasite designations, to address the essence of our understanding of nematode behaviour. In this group, I particularly liked Chapter 2 – Locomotion, for the succinct incorporation of historical ideas into the growth of current thinking in this area. Chapter 9 – Molecular basis of behaviour, was an excellent presentation of behaviour in the C. elegans model system, and the authors did an outstanding job making the concepts and techniques in this high-tech area accessible to students of general biology. The remaining 4 chapters fell somewhere in the middle of the continuum. Overall, I think this a good effort, and I recommend this book for the shelves of every nematode biologist. It is valuable because of the sheer amount of information on nematode behaviour that it contains, and especially for the reference lists. For the 4 or 5 well-written chapters, this book is priceless!
Fast determination of urine iodine by ion chromatography

Objective:To establish a fast and simple method for analyzing urine iodine by ion chromatography with amperometric detector. Methods:The urine sample was deoxidized by 0. 1g/ml ascorbic acid after dilution and eluted on hydrophobic IonPac AS19 anion-exchange column with 65 mmol/L NaOH,finally determined using a amperometric detector. Results:The linear range was 20. 0 μg/L ~ 400 μg/L and 400 μg/L ~ 1200 μg/L. The coefficients of the linear regression equation were 0. 9995-0. 9999 and 0. 9999. The recovery rate was 85. 7%-103. 5%. The detection limit was 2 μg/L. The precision was 2. 0%. Conclusion:This method can determine urine iodine concentration simply,rapidly,safely and reliably with a low cost. It is suitable for analyzing urine iodine in urine samples in large quantities.
Study of G-Protein-Coupled Receptor-Protein Interactions Using Gel Overlay Assays and Glutathione-S-Transferase-Fusion Protein Pull-Downs

Numerous recent studies have suggested that the predicted cytosolic domains of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a surface for association with proteins that may serve multiple roles in receptor localization, turnover, and signaling beyond the well-characterized interactions of these receptors with heterotrimeric G-proteins. This chapter describes two in vitro methods for ascertaining interactions between GPCRs and various binding partners: gel overlay strategies and GST-fusion protein pull-downs.
Boosting Venue Page Rankings for Contextual Retrieval-Georgetown at TREC 2013 Contextual Suggestion Track.

We participate in the closed collection sub-track of the TREC 2013 Contextual Suggestion. The dataset that we use is an integrated collection of ClueWeb12 Category B, Wikitravel, and the city-specific sub-collection; all are from ClueWeb12. Since the Open Web is not used in our submissions, the task is essentially a retrieval task instead of a result merging task. Our system takes users’ ratings of venues in a training city as inputs, and generates titles, document identification numbers, and descriptions for venues that fit users’ interests in a new city. Ideal relevant documents for this task should be a list of Web pages each of which is a venue’s homepage, which we call a “venue page”. However, off-the-shelf search tools, such as Lemur, fail to retrieve such venue homepages from the collection. They either retrieve non-relevant documents or “yellow-page”-like pages that link to a long list of venue pages where the links are often broken and the destination pages are out of the collection. Therefore, large portions of the retrieved documents are not suitable as answers for contextual suggestion. To address this challenge, we experiment two different approaches, a precision-oriented approach and a recall-oriented approach, to boost the relevant venue pages’ ranking.
Longitudinal esophageal bands associated with esophageal aperistalsis: speculations on pathogenesis.

Abstract A 6-year-old girl with ataxia telangiectasia syndrome was found to have multiple bands longitudinally traversing her esophagus, and esophageal aperistalsis. In the past, the patient was also known to have had esophageal candidiasis. The bands may have been congenital or may have been produced when linear ulcers caused by fungal esophagitis undermined mucosal strips and then healed, leaving tissue bands attached only at their extremities to the esophageal wall. The esophageal motor dysfunction may have been attributable to esophageal candidiasis, or may have been a hitherto unrecognized component of the ataxia telangiectasia syndrome.
Prostatectomy in Patients with Bleeding Disorders

AbstractUrological surgery is becoming increasingly necessary in patients with acquired or congenital bleeding disorders. We reviewed the management of 10 such patients who required prostatectomy. The average age of the patients at operation was 65.7 years. Seven patients underwent transurethral prostatectomy and 3 underwent suprapubic prostatectomy. Postoperative bleeding occurred in 9 patients who required secondary procedures. Bleeding occurred an average of 13 days postoperatively. The mean hospital stay was 24 days. Partial thromboplastin time when determined was uniformly elevated in all patients preoperatively. The amount of factor and blood replacement is presented. Perioperative management of these patients is discussed in detail. A rational approach for the prevention of postoperative bleeding is presented.
Federalism, Democracy, and Deep Disagreement: Decentralizing Baseline Disputes in the Law of Religious Liberty

Citizens disagree vehemently about their rights. Democracies can sometimes resolve these disagreements by majority vote, but, where each side of a disagreement makes plausible arguments that their interests are fundamental, refraining from taking any official position on the dispute can reduce acrimony deleterious to political cooperation. In many areas of the law, the “state action” or “discriminatory purpose” doctrines can provide at least the illusion of such governmental neutrality even when the state’s policies have “incidental” effects on one or the other side’s positions. For some areas of the law, however, political and legal traditions foreclose such side-stepping maneuvers. In these areas, disagreements are “deep” in the sense that any governmental vindication of one side’s version of fundamental rights is a plausible violation of the other side’s version. The Religion Clauses’ doctrines provide an example of such intractably “deep” disagreements. Because such doctrines frequently rest on notions of “coercion” that resist responsibility-limiting theories of “state action” and “discriminatory purpose,” there is no way for state officials to escape choosing sides: Officials’ accommodating or failing to accommodate either religious belief or unbelief can be plausibly regarded as a violation of religious liberty. Such disputes are “reasonable and deep disagreements – “RADDs” – that pose a special threat to democratic equality in the definition of rights. This article urges that decentralization protects what Jeremy Waldron calls the “right of rights” – that is, the right to enjoy an equal share of power in defining disputed rights. Applying a presumption that religious RADDs should be decentralized, the article argues for a broad power of the states across the board either to extend or deny exemptions from regulatory burdens for religious believers in cases like Hobby Lobby and Masterpiece Cakeshop, Inc. v. Colorado and to exclude or include religious organizations in generally applicable benefits like vouchers and school charters despite cases like Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. By contrast, following the example of Catholic Bishop v. NLRB (1979) and City of Boerne v. Flores (1998), courts ought to construe narrowly the power of the federal government to define religious accommodations. Such decentralization protects state power to vary accommodations for religious believers and non-believers alike, thereby assuring equal concern and respect to both.
Thirty-Day Hospital Readmissions in the Hemodialysis Population: A Problem Well Put, But Half-Solved.

> “A problem well put is half-solved” > > (John Dewey, 1859–1952). In recent years, United States policymakers have made 30-day hospital readmission reduction a centerpiece of efforts to curb Medicare costs. In the general Medicare population, 15% of patients are readmitted to the hospital
Ecological and economic benefits of integrating sheep into viticulture production

The integration of crop and livestock systems has been recognized for its potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with agriculture and improve farmer livelihoods. However, to date, most research has focused on the integration of cattle into crop and pasture systems. Here, we examine the integration of sheep into vineyards and assess farmers’ perceived benefits and costs of the practice. Viticulture expansion has led to significant land use change in recent years and new environmental challenges, particularly with respect to herbicide use. Sheep integration into vineyards offers the potential to utilize the synergies of both systems to reduce external inputs, promote soil health, and increase farmer profit. Our study focuses in New Zealand, the world’s 15th largest wine producer, particularly in Marlborough, which produces 75% of the country’s wine. As a result, the case study is an excellent representation of New Zealand viticulture, while also providing unique insights into a novel practice. Using a semi-structured interview and survey, we interviewed fifteen farmers representing 5% of total New Zealand wine production to examine ecological and economic benefits of sheep integration in viticulture systems. We find that seasonal integration of sheep during vine dormancy is common, while integration during the growing season is rare. Overall, farmers perceive significantly more benefits than challenges with the integration of sheep into vineyards, particularly reduced mowing (100% of farmers) and herbicide use (66% of farmers). On average, farmers reported 1.3 fewer herbicide applications annually, saving US$56 per hectare. As well, farmers indicated they were doing 2.2 fewer mows annually saving US$64 per hectare. These results suggest that wide-scale adoption of seasonal integration of sheep and viticulture can provide large ecological benefits and higher profitability vis-a-vis conventional viticulture practices; however, further integration of the two systems may provide even greater benefits not currently realized.
Canines in the Classroom: Issues Relating to Service Animals in Primary and Secondary Educational Institutions after Fry V. Napoleon Community Schools

The Supreme Court’s decision in Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools in February 2017 provides important guidance for advocates for students with disabilities partnered with service animals and school districts; however, areas of potential conflict remain. This Article reviews that Supreme Court decision and analyzes other recent cases to illustrate some of the complicated issues that may arise when students with disabilities want to be accompanied by their service animals in schools.
War and Peace in the Pacific

This bibliography is designed to guide the reading of instructors, students, and general readers interested in gaining an understanding of the backgrounds of the present war in the Pacific and the Far East and the problems of peace which will confront the post-war world in that area. It lists 169 of the better and more general introductory books relating to the area. There are 7 5 starred items, 25 of which are double-starred, for the guidance of librarians of institutions with more limited means seeking to build up basic collections of books on the Pacific area. No periodical articles have been included in the list, but a list of the leading periodicals in the field has been given at the end. The Far Eastern Quarterly carries in each issue a classified list of currently appearing articles and books in the field.