cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving quality: yield vs. test coverage (WSI)

It is shown that for typical values of test coverage and yield, increasing the test coverage will have a greater impact on quality for a lower cost than similar increases in yield. This relationship often holds even when the increase in yield is much larger than the increase in test coverage. It must be ensured that the test coverage is based on fault models that accurately describe the behavior of fault chips, and that the simulated faults accurately represent the failures that actually occur. >
Immune response to laminin, a noncollagenous glycoprotein of basement membrane, in a syngeneic murine system.

AbstractThe immune response to the noncollagenous, attachment glycoprotein of basement membrane (laminin) was studied in a syngeneic murine system. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) was assayed in C57BL/6 mice by measuring footpad swelling following challenge with connective tissue antigens. Mice receiving a single sensitizing injection of laminin in Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) developed a significant DTH response which peaked on Day 7, 24 hr after challenge with laminin or collagenase-treated laminin. Laminin-sensitized mice failed to show any significant footpad swelling when challenged with types I or IV collagen, or fibronectin throughout these experiments. Normal mice displayed no significant DTH when challenged with these collagenous or noncollagenous connective tissue antigens. Adoptive transfer of laminin-sensitized spleen cells into normal mice resulted in significant DTH responsiveness to challenge with laminin; depletion of T cells from the immune spleens abrogated this response. Twenty-...
Information transfer from incoherently radiating objects

The mutual information between the radiance of an incoherently radiating object plane and the field at the aperture of an observing system is calculated on a classical basis. A formula of the Shannon type is obtained when the time–bandwidth product of the object light is large, the average radiance from the object plane is small enough to permit the threshold approximation, and the radiance of the object plane is modeled as a spatial gaussian process. It includes the dependence on the bandwidth of the object light and the effective temperature of the background, assumed spatially and temporally white. A set of sufficient statistics for the aperture field, based on Fourier sampling of the object plane, is introduced, and its bearing on the resolution of fine details of the object is brought out.
A carrier phase batch processor for differential Global Positioning System: simulation and real-data results

A differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) single-frequency carrier phase (CP) batch processor is developed in this paper. Both single difference (SD) and double difference (DD) formulations are provided. The batch processor applies a novel geometry correction directly to the SD carrier phase measurements and not to the geometry matrix. The SD geometry correction has significant computational benefits when the solution is iterated, since the geometry matrix does not need to be recalculated for each of the iteration steps. The paper provides batch processor results for simulations over a 10 km static baseline as well as results for measured GPS data collected over a 5 km static baseline. Benefits and disadvantages of carrier phase only processing are discussed in reference to error sources and ambiguity resolution. Special attention is given to the impact of slowly varying measurement errors during the batch data window on the carrier phase position solution.
Chromosome congression: on the bi-orient express

Errors in chromosome–spindle attachments during cell division can lead to an irreversible change in chromosome number. Proper connections between chromosomes and spindle microtubules can be promoted by both chromosome-intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms during mitosis and meiosis.
On dendritic growth in undercooled melts

The role of gravity-dependent convection in the steady-state growth of dendrites in undercooled melts is investigated theoretically. The model described by Huang and Glicksman (1981) is extended and refined, using the concept of a thermal diffusion boundary layer (Burton et al., 1987) to characterize the dendritic interface. Theoretical predictions are presented in graphs and shown to be in good general agreement with published experimental data on succinonitrile. The need for careful space experiments to clarify the role of nongravity-dependent convection is indicated.
RNA interference machinery influences the nuclear organization of a chromatin insulator

RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved silencing mechanism that can act through alteration of chromatin structure. Chromatin insulators promote higher-order nuclear organization, thereby establishing DNA domains subject to distinct transcriptional controls. We present evidence for a functional relationship between RNAi and the gypsy insulator of D. melanogaster. Insulator activity is decreased when Argonaute genes required for RNAi are mutated, and insulator function is improved when the levels of the Rm62 helicase, involved in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated silencing and heterochromatin formation, are reduced. Rm62 interacts physically with the DNA-binding insulator protein CP190 in an RNA-dependent manner. Finally, reduction of Rm62 levels results in marked nuclear reorganization of a compromised insulator. These results suggest that the RNAi machinery acts as a modulator of nuclear architecture capable of effecting global changes in gene expression.
Growth and characterization of Ta/W multiscalar multilayer composite films

Abstract Multiscalar multilayer composite films of Ta W were fabricated using magnetron sputtering. Two sets of films were grown to a total thickness of 22 μm and consisted of two alternating layers: a hard stack composed of 29 layers of 40 A thick alternating W and Ta layers and a thicker tough layer of pure Ta. The two sets had similar hard stack configurations, but differed in their tough layer thickness (3.5 and 7 μm). X-Ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy studies revealed a b.c.c. crystal structure throughout the thickness of each film. The films had a columnar microstructure, with the individual columns showing a [111]-type growth direction and a weak {111} texture in the plane of growth. Hardness values of the order of 480 kgf mm−2 (4.7 GPa), about four times the values calculated using the rule of mixtures for a chemically similar bulk composite, were measured for the Ta W films. No microcracks emanating from the hardness indentations were observed, indicating high toughness of these multilayer composites. It was shown in this study that the composite-type approach for providing concomitant strength and toughness in thin films can be applied to more than one material system.
Nefazodone in the rat: mimicry and antagonism of [−]-DOM-induced stimulus control

Nefazodone is presently marketed as an antidepressant that inhibits both serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and norepinephrine reuptake while antagonizing pirenpirone (5-HT2) receptors. This 5-HT receptor type is believed to play a prominent role in the underlying mechanism of action of serotonergic hallucinogens. Antidepressant medications now represent the most commonly prescribed psychoactive medications in the world and are likely to be ingested in the presence of hallucinogens with increased frequency; the consequences are largely unknown. The present investigation examined the interaction between the serotonergic phenethylamine hallucinogen [-]-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine ([-]-DOM), and nefazodone, in rats trained with [-]-DOM [0.6 mg/kg; 75 min pretreatment time] as a discriminative stimulus. The data indicate that maximal substitution of nefazodone for the [-]-DOM stimulus was present using a 45-min pretreatment time before testing. Using this pretreatment time, a dose of nefazodone of 12.0 mg/kg administered alone resulted in 76% DOM-appropriate responding. When a range of doses of nefazodone was combined with the training dose of [-]-DOM, a pattern of responding compatible with partial agonism was observed. The intermediate degree of [-]-DOM generalization to nefazodone was significantly antagonized by the 5-HT antagonists, 5-HT2, SR 46349B (5HT2A/2C), and M100907 (5-HT2A). Taken together, the present data suggest that (a) nefazodone acts as a partial agonist and (b) these effects are mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor.
Noninvasive Assessment of Tissue Heating During Cardiac Radiofrequency Ablation Using MRI Thermography

Background —Failure to achieve properly localized, permanent tissue destruction is a common cause of arrhythmia recurrence following cardiac ablation. Current methods of assessing lesion size and location during cardiac radiofrequency ablation are unreliable or not suited for repeated assessment during the procedure. MRI thermography could be used to delineate permanent ablation lesions because tissue heating above 50°C is the cause of permanent tissue destruction during radiofrequency ablation. However, image artifacts caused by cardiac motion, the ablation electrode, and radiofrequency ablation currently pose a challenge to MRI thermography in the heart. In this study we sought to demonstrate the feasibility of MRI thermography during cardiac ablation. Methods and Results —A MRI-compatible electrophysiology catheter and filtered RF ablation system was used to perform ablation in the left ventricle of six mongrel dogs in a 1.5T MRI system. Fast gradient-echo imaging was performed prior to and during RF ablation and thermography images were derived from the pre-heating and post-heating images. Lesion extent by thermography was within 20% of the gross pathology lesion. Conclusions —MR thermography appears to be a promising technique for monitoring lesion formation and may allow for more accurate placement and titration of ablation, possibly reducing arrhythmia recurrences.
Synthesizing User Centered and Designer Centered IS Development Approaches Using General Systems Theory

This paper uses general systems theory to provide an expanded view of information systems in organizations. Three general viewpoints and corresponding approaches to information systems development are identified. The designer centered or American approach to information systems development is based on a “functionalist” perspective of information systems and a problem solving orientation. The user centered or European approach to information systems development takes an expanded view of information systems that specifically considers humans and recognizes their aspirations and goals and uses a democratic, participative approach to develop systems in an effort to produce an improved workplace and a better quality of worklife for users. A third viewpoint on information systems development, business process centering, is identified that further expands the components of the system to include the set of integrated tasks that provide value to the customer. We define a new development approach that combines the strengths of these approaches based on general systems theory, business process centering, and a measurement and control system.
Structure of a Highly Conserved Domain of Rock1 Required for Shroom-Mediated Regulation of Cell Morphology

Rho-associated coiled coil containing protein kinase (Rho-kinase or Rock) is a well-defined determinant of actin organization and dynamics in most animal cells characterized to date. One of the primary effectors of Rock is non-muscle myosin II. Activation of Rock results in increased contractility of myosin II and subsequent changes in actin architecture and cell morphology. The regulation of Rock is thought to occur via autoinhibition of the kinase domain via intramolecular interactions between the N-terminus and the C-terminus of the kinase. This autoinhibited state can be relieved via proteolytic cleavage, binding of lipids to a Pleckstrin Homology domain near the C-terminus, or binding of GTP-bound RhoA to the central coiled-coil region of Rock. Recent work has identified the Shroom family of proteins as an additional regulator of Rock either at the level of cellular distribution or catalytic activity or both. The Shroom-Rock complex is conserved in most animals and is essential for the formation of the neural tube, eye, and gut in vertebrates. To address the mechanism by which Shroom and Rock interact, we have solved the structure of the coiled-coil region of Rock that binds to Shroom proteins. Consistent with other observations, the Shroom binding domain is a parallel coiled-coil dimer. Using biochemical approaches, we have identified a large patch of residues that contribute to Shrm binding. Their orientation suggests that there may be two independent Shrm binding sites on opposing faces of the coiled-coil region of Rock. Finally, we show that the binding surface is essential for Rock colocalization with Shroom and for Shroom-mediated changes in cell morphology.
PICO-NPA: High-Level Synthesis of Nonprogrammable Hardware Accelerators

The PICO-NPA system automatically synthesizes nonprogrammable accelerators (NPAs) to be used as co-processors for functions expressed as loop nests in C. The NPAs it generates consist of a synchronous array of one or more customized processor datapaths, their controller, local memory, and interfaces. The user, or a design space exploration tool that is a part of the full PICO system, identifies within the application a loop nest to be implemented as an NPA, and indicates the performance required of the NPA by specifying the number of processors and the number of machine cycles that each processor uses per iteration of the inner loop. PICO-NPA emits synthesizable HDL that defines the accelerator at the register transfer level (RTL). The system also modifies the user's application software to make use of the generated accelerator. The main objective of PICO-NPA is to reduce design cost and time, without significantly reducing design quality. Design of an NPA and its support software typically requires one or two weeks using PICO-NPA, which is a many-fold improvement over the industry norm. In addition, PICO-NPA can readily generate a wide-range of implementations with scalable performance from a single specification. In experimental comparison of NPAs of equivalent throughput, PICO-NPA designs are slightly more costly than hand-designed accelerators. Logic synthesis and place-and-route have been performed successfully on PICO-NPA designs, which have achieved high clock rates.
Induction time in stripping voltammetry at solid electrodes

The processes and phenomena causing the appearance of induction times in stripping voltammetry are analyzed. Induction times are observed experimentally at solid electrodes. Two such examples are presented for cathodic stripping voltammetry of phenylthiourea and methylthiourea at silver rotating disk electrodes in alkaline solutions. Induction times are inherent to the formation of deposits via the nucleation and growth mechanism, which is common in stripping voltammetry at solid electrodes. Numerical calculations of the deposition charge (which is directly related to the stripping peak current) as a function of the deposition time have been performed for the hemispherical model with progressive nucleation.
EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION OF ANOPHELES FARAUTI WITH DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PLASMODIUM

Studies were conducted to determine the susceptibility of Anopheles farauti to different species and strains of Plasmodium. Mosquitoes were infected by feeding on animals or cultures infected with different strains of P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. ovale, P. coatneyi, P. gonderi, P. simiovale, P. knowlesi, and P. brasilianum. Infections of P. vivax and P. coatneyi were transmitted via sporozoites from An. farauti to monkeys. Comparative infection studies indicated that An. farauti was less susceptible to infection than An. stephensi, An. gambiae, An. freeborni, and An. dirus with the Salvador I strain of P. vivax, but more susceptible than An. stephensi and An. gambiae to infection with the coindigenous Indonesian XIX strain.
Teenaged Girls, Carbonated Beverage Consumption, and Bone Fractures

Objective: To determine the possible association between carbonated beverage consumption and bone fractures among teenaged girls given the awareness of the concern about the impact of carbonated beverage consumption on children’s health. Setting: An urban high school. Methods: A cross-sectional (retrospective) study. Four hundred sixty 9th- and 10th-grade girls attending the high school participated in this study by completing a self-administered questionnaire relating to their physical activities and personal and behavioral practices. The school system and the Harvard School of Public Health Institutional Review Boards approved the study. The girls’ self-reports on physical activity, carbonated beverage consumption, and bone fractures are analyzed. Results: In the total sample, carbonated beverage consumption and bone fractures are associated: odds ratio =3 .14 (95% confidence limit, 1.45, 6.78), P= .004. Among physically active girls, the cola beverages, in particular, are highly associated with bone fractures: odds ratio=4.94 (95% confidence limit, 1.79, 13.62), P=.002. Conclusions: The results reported confirm previous findings, but the mechanism by which cola drinks are associated with bone fractures in physically active girls has neither been fully explored nor determined. Nevertheless, national concern and alarm about the health impact of carbonated beverage consumption on teenaged girls is supported by the findings of this study. The results have policy implications for improving the dietary practices and health of children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:610-613
On the orbital forcing of Martian water and CO2 cycles: A general circulation model study with simplified volatile schemes

[1] Variations in the Martian water and CO2 cycles with changes in orbital and rotational parameters are examined using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Mars General Circulation Model. The model allows for arbitrary specification of obliquity, eccentricity, and argument of perihelion as well as the position and thickness of surface ice. Exchange of CO2 between the surface and atmosphere is modeled, generating seasonal cycles of surface ice and surface pressure. Water is allowed to exchange between the surface and atmosphere, cloud formation is treated, and both cloud and vapor are transported by modeled winds and diffusion. Exchange of water and CO2 with the subsurface is not allowed, and radiative effects of water vapor and clouds are not treated. The seasonal cycle of CO2 is found to become more extreme at high obliquity, as suggested by simple heat balance models. Maximum pressures remain largely the same, but the minima decrease substantially as more CO2 condenses in the more extensive polar night. Vapor and cloud abundances increase dramatically with obliquity. The stable location for surface ice moves equatorward with increasing obliquity, such that by 45° obliquity, water ice is stable in the tropics only. Ice is not spatially uniform, but rather found preferentially in regions of high thermal inertia or high topography. Eccentricity and argument of perihelion can provide a second-order modification to the distribution of surface ice by altering the temporal distribution of insolation at the poles. Further model simulations reveal the robustness of these distributions for a variety of initial conditions. Our findings shed light on the nature of near-surface, ice-rich deposits at midlatitudes and low-latitudes on Mars.
A modeling study comparing the signal-to-noise ratio between tripolar concentric ring and conventional disk electrodes with added common mode noise

Electroencephalography (EEG) has high temporal resolution, but lacks high spatial resolution even after increasing the number of electrodes. Although EEG is intended to record cerebral activity, it also records electrical activities arising from sites other than the brain, artifacts. To remove major artifacts like electrooculogram (EOG), electrocardiogram (EMG) and ECG present in EEG, many techniques have been proposed among which surface Laplacian spatial filtering has found prominence. The authors have compared a Laplacian Tripolar concentric ring electrode system to Disc electrodes in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A four-layer anisotropic concentric spherical head computer model was programmed, then a time-varying dipole was used to generate the scalp surface signals that would be obtained with tripolar and disc electrodes. Common mode white noise was added to the electrodes. Finally, the signal-to-noise ratio was calculated. The results show that signals from tripolar electrodes generated much better
The Anatomy of the High Yield Bond Market After Two Decades Of Activity—Implications For Europe*

Until the last few years, the high yield bond market was essentially a solely U.S. capital market phenomena. That this non-investment grade, fixed income asset class has grown so impressively in the U.S. and now is possibly on the verge of an explosion of new issuance in Europe is primarily based on a simple summary performance statistic -- an average annual net return to investors of about 250 basis points per year above the risk-free rate for the past two decades. But, just as the U.S. high yield market rebounded from its debacles in the late 1980's and the Mexican Eurobond market from its peso crisis in early 1995, the long-term key factor in Europe will be the fundamental health of firms issuing bonds. Despite short-term gyrations and flights to quality, there is still no substitute for careful and objective analysis of the underlying firms and securities that comprise the market.
Issue-Event Extensions and Interaction Involvement: Text-Based and Meaning-Based Discourse Strategies.

Prior research focusing on textual features in the talk of high and low-involved speakers has characterized the discourse strategy of low-involved speakers as text-based and that of high-involved speakers as meaning-based. This study examined the extensions of issue-event structures by high-involved and low-involved participants to determine if this characterization of discourse strategies held on a pragmatic level as well. Results indicated that low-involved communicators extended the event significantly more directly than high-involved communicators. Furthermore, the issue extensions of low-involved communicators were shown to be more sensitive to the comprehensibitity and information value of the stimulus utterance than the issue extensions of high-involved communicators. The results confirm that low-involved communicators have more difficulty than high-involved communicators in responding to the flow of conversation and that low-involved communicators compensate by relying on a text-based discourse strategy.
Insights Between Environmental Scanning Activities and Porter's Generic Strategies: An Empirical Analysis

This study explored the relationships between the environmental scanning activities of chief executives from a single industry and their organizations' strategies, on the premise that executives employing different types of Porter's generic business-level strategies would use different scanning activities. There were differences in the strategy-scanning linkages. Specifically there are indications that firms with a differentiation strategy tend to employ a scanning activity that places more importance on evaluating opportunities and customer attitudes. Firms with a cost leadership strategy tend to use a scanning activity that evaluates competitive threats and tracks the policies and tactics of competitors.
Wichtige Charakteristiken des SQL-Textes

Bestimmt hatten viele von Ihnen ofters mit Hash Value und mit SQL Id zu tun. Sind Sie aber mit den beiden Begriffen tatsachlich gut vertraut? Wissen Sie zum Beispiel, wie die beiden berechnet werden? Warum enthalt SQL Id Buchstaben? Warum kommen einige Buchstaben in keiner SQL Id vor (beispielsweise die Buchstaben „I“ oder „E“)? Gibt es uberhaupt einen Zusammenhang zwischen dem Hash Value und der SQL Id?
Life History of the Green Broomweed Looper, Narraga fimetaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Larvae of the geometrid moth, Narraga fimetaria (Grote and Robinson), feed on the foliage of common broomweed, Amphiachyris dracunculoides (DC.) Nutt., which is a serious weed of southwestern rangelands. In the laboratory, females laid an average of 251 eggs each; the egg stage lasted 6 days, the larval stage 18 days, and the pupal stage 10 days, and the adult required 2 days to reach peak oviposition, for a generation time of ca. 36 days; the calculated rate of increase thus was 1.13 times per day, and the population would double each 5.6 days. Larvae ate an average total of 1,304 ± 255 mm2 of leaf surface of broomweed during their development; full-grown larvae were 24 mm long. In field cages, ca. 50 larvae per plant produced 45% defoliation of broomweed plants.
Comparison of Three Sequential Sampling Plans Using Binomial Counts to Classify Insect Infestation with Respect to Decision Thresholds

In insect sampling programs, decision making based oil intensity often reduces sampling time because inspection of a sample unit is terminated once an infestation is found. Sampling effort can be further reduced by using sequential binomial classification plans in which the sample size necessary to make a decision, with respect to an economic threshold, is based on preselected error rates and information gathered as sampling units are sequentially inspected. Commonly used insect sampling plans are derived from regression-based confidence interval procedures or hypothesis testing probability ratio procedures. The plans differ in their construction and use of decision thresholds, but operationally, they function and are interpreted in a similar manner. Therefore, statistical behavior of these plans, as measured by average sample number, terminal decision, and operating characteristic curves, are useful to compare relative performance. Decision criteria of three plans with comparable decision thresholds were applied to simulated presence-absence data of known binomial means to construct these curves. The curves differed among plans, and the greatest differences were in the vicinity of the decision threshold(s). When comparing operating characteristic curves, these plans differed in their approximation to the operating characteristic of an idealized plan which functions without error. A common plan modification requires decisions to be made when a maximum sample size is reached (i.e., a truncation mark). Relative differences among plans changed when the truncation mark was varied. Based on these simulations, general guidelines may be considered when choosing among plans.
Mixed thread/paper-based microfluidic chips as a platform for glucose assays

A novel microfluidic thread/paper-based analytical device (μTPAD) to detect glucose through a colorimetric assay is described. The μTPAD was fabricated from nylon thread trifurcated into three channels terminating at analysis sites comprised of circular zones of chromatography paper, which have previously been spotted with glucose of different concentrations. A solution of glucose oxidase (GOx), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and potassium iodide (KI) is transported via capillary action to the analysis sites where a yellow-brown color is observed indicating oxidation of iodide to iodine. The device was then dried, scanned, and analyzed yielding a correlation between yellow intensity and glucose concentrations. Both a flat platform constructed mainly of tape, and a cone platform constructed from tape and polyvinyl chloride, are described. Studies to quantitate glucose in artificial urine showed good correlation using the μTPAD.
Multimodal Optical Imaging for Early Detection of Oral Cancer

We present results from in vivo clinical imaging in the oral cavity using macroscopic fluorescence lifetime imaging followed by reflectance confocal microscopy.
Serological Investigation of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome in Large-scale Swine Farms in Anhui Province

743 porcine sera were collected from 14 immunized swine farms and 13 non-immunized farms,which were examined by ELISA. The result show that the average positive rate of non-immunized farms were 31.17%, the positive rate of farms is 76.92%. The average positive rate of immunized farms were 62.99%.Using SPSS3.0 software,the average antibody positive rate of immunized farms compared with non-immunized farms increased significantly (P0.01).The results showed that subclinical infection were very general.
Smart Nanotransformers with Unique Enzyme-Inducible Structural Changes and Drug Release Properties

We previously reported a high aspect ratio peptide nanofiber that could be effectively delivered to tumors with minimal nonspecific uptake by other organs. The peptidic nature offers the design flexibility of smart formulation with unique responsiveness. Two new formulations that behave congruously as nanotransformers (NTFs) are reported herein. NTF1 and NTF2 could biomechanically remodel upon enzyme activation to generate a degradable and an aggregable effect, respectively, within the lysosomal compartment. These NTFs were further evaluated as carriers of mertansine (DM1), a microtubule inhibitor. DM1-loaded NTF1 could be degraded by cathepsin B (CathB) to release the same active metabolite, as previously described in the lysosomal degradation of antibody-DM1 conjugate. In contrast, CathB only partially digested DM1-loaded NTF2 and induced aggregate formation to become a storage reservoir with slow payload release property. The DM1-loaded NTF1 exhibited a comparable cytotoxicity to the free drug and was ...
Anemia: accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy.

Anemia is “one of the most commonly mishandled conditions in the entire catalogue of pathology.” Errors range from failure to provide needed treatment to intensive therapy for hematologically healthy patients. The article focuses on efforts to accurately define anemia and on the sine qua non of effective management—correlating manifestations with the diverse pathophysiologies.
Twist1 and Slug mediate H2AX-regulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cells.

ABSTRACTThe epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be essential for cancer metastasis. While chromatin remodeling is involved in EMT, which processes contribute to this remodeling remain poorly investigated. Recently, we showed that silencing or removal of the histone variant H2A.X induced mesenchymal-like characteristics, including activation of the EMT transcription factors, Slug and Zeb1 in human colon cancer cells. Here, we provide the evidence that H2A.X loss in human non-tumorigenic breast cell line MCF10A results in a robust EMT activation, as substantiated by a genome-wide expression analysis. Cells deficient for H2A.X exhibit enhanced migration and invasion, along with an activation of a set of mesenchymal genes and a concomitant repression of epithelial genes. In the breast model, the EMT-related transcription factor Twist1 cooperates with Slug to regulate EMT upon H2A.X Loss. Of interest, H2A.X expression level tightly correlates with Twist1, and to a lesser extent with Slug in t...
Information Processing among Exporters: An Empirical Examination of Small Firms

As an increasing number of small firms move into export operations, information gathering, analysis, and distribution are critical for successful exporters. These activities are aspects of information processing, a theory that attempts to explain various information elements within organizations. This study examines information processing among small exporters by examining the impact twelve organizational and environmental variables have on three key dimensions of information processing-amount of foreign market information created, horizontal information flow, and vertical information flow. Results suggest that information processing within small firms may not mirror patterns of activities in their larger counterparts.
Bifurcations of a Singular Predator-Prey Model with Holling-II Functional Response

At present, humankind is facing the problems of a shortage of resources and a worsening environment. So there has been rapidly growing interest in the analysis and modelling of biological systems. From the view of human needs, the exploitation of biological resources and harvest of populations are commonly practiced in the fields of fishery, wildlife, and forestry management. T.K. Kar and U.K. Pahari [6], Dongmei Xiao et al. [12], and S. Kumar [7] have studied the dynamics in predator-prey models with harvesting and obtained complex dynamic behavior, such as stability of equilibrium points, Bogdanov-Takens bifurcation, Hopf bifurcation, limit cycle, heteroclinic bifurcation, and so on. References [3, 10, 5, 13] have discussed the predator-prey model with time delay and analyzed the effects of time delay on model dynamics, such as the time delay may change the stability of equilibrium points and even cause a switching of stabilities. In addition, there is also a considerable literature on discrete dynamical systems, e.g., see [9, 4, 8, 14] and references therein, modeling some species whose generations are non-overlapping by applying a Euler scheme to differential equations. Most of these discussions on biological models are based on normal systems governed by differential equations or difference equations.
M 1 Admixtures of Transitions in Gd 156

$\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ directional-correlation measurements were carried out with a NaI-Ge(Li) detector system on the transitions in $^{156}\mathrm{Gd}$ whose levels are populated from the decay of $^{156}\mathrm{Eu}$. Directional correlations of the 88.95-keV $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ ray with 11 transitions which directly feed and 4 which involve a skipped transition to the 88.95-keV state were simultaneously measured. A $\ensuremath{\delta}$ value of ${\ensuremath{-}5.9}_{\ensuremath{-}2.8}^{+1.4}$ was measured for the 1040.44-keV, ${2}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{g}^{+}$ transition which is thus (${97.2}_{\ensuremath{-}2.1}^{+1.5}$)% $E2$. The 1065.14-keV, ${2}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{g}^{+}$ transition has a $\ensuremath{\delta}=\ensuremath{-}18\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3$ and a (99.7 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.1)% $E2$ component. Three ${1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{g}^{+}$ transitions of 1877.03, 1937.71, and 2097.70 keV have $E2$ admixtures of (${13.8}_{\ensuremath{-}2.9}^{+3.0}$), (${24.5}_{\ensuremath{-}1.9}^{+2.0}$), and (${59.0}_{\ensuremath{-}9.0}^{+25.2}$)%, respectively, while the 811.77-keV, ${1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{+}$ transition is (${0.1}_{\ensuremath{-}0.1}^{+0.4}$)% $E2$.
A FVIII C1 Domain Loop Containing Phe2093 Contributes Affinity to the Binding of Recombinant FVIII C1C2 Proteins to Activated Platelets

Factor VIII (FVIII) circulates bound to von Willebrand factor, and upon proteolytic activation it dissociates and attaches to activated membranes, e.g. at the platelet surface, that expose negatively-charged phosphatidylserine. This membrane association is mediated entirely by the FVIIIa light chain (A3-C1-C2), and the C2 domain is known to be a primary contributor to the membrane affinity. We previously demonstrated that the C1 domain, which is homologous to C2, also contributes to the affinity for activated platelets, (Hsu et al., Blood111, 200–208, 2008). Our earlier work showed that the platelet affinity of recombinant C1C2, as well as the total number of binding sites per platelet, were significantly higher than those measured for recombinant C2. Thus C1 either interacts with the platelet surface directly, or it stabilizes a conformation of C2 that promotes membrane binding. In this study, the affinities for activated platelets of a series of mutant C1C2 proteins were evaluated to determine residues involved in FVIII binding to platelets. C1C2 and C2 proteins were generated with a free cysteine residue substituted for the wild-type serine at position 2296 in C2 (S2296C does not disrupt the protein structure or affect membrane binding), to which a sulfyhydryl-linked fluorescein probe was attached covalently (C1C2* and C2*). Single or double alanine substitutions were introduced at the two beta-hairpin turns in C2 that mediate membrane binding (M2199A, F2200A, L2251A, L2252A), and at C1 residue F2093, which aligns with C2 residue L2252. Washed platelets were activated with SFLLRN-amide, incubated for 1 hr with the wild-type or mutant proteins, and analyzed by flow cytometry on a FACSCaliber. The relative binding affinities were estimated by using multiple protein concentrations and comparing the fluorescent signals to the values for saturation binding of C1C2* and C2*. Alanine substitutions at all of these positions resulted in decreased binding of C1C2*, comparable to the difference in affinity of C2* versus C1C2* (figure 1A). C1C2-F2093C was then generated, and the introduced sulfhydryl was blocked by adding free cysteine, thus introducing the bulky, charged cystine residue at this putative membrane-binding site (C1C2-F2093C-C). Binding assays utilizing detection by monoclonal antibody ESH8, which does not interfere with membrane attachment, followed by a PE-labeled secondary antibody showed that C1C2-F2093C-C had markedly reduced binding to activated platelets compared to C1C2 (figure 1B). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the C1 domain contacts the membrane directly when FVIIIa becomes attached to the activated platelet surface and indicate that F2093 contributes significantly to this interaction.
Towards cell-based therapeutics: A bio-inspired autonomous drug delivery system

Abstract Traditional drug delivery systems are often inefficient and imprecise as they mainly rely on diffusion processes. For example, the blood circulation system is often used to transport and deliver drugs throughout the body; due to the randomness involved in molecular diffusion, this approach can cause inefficient and imprecise delivery of drugs. To address this problem, we propose an autonomous and adaptive bacteria-based drug delivery system that integrates bacterial chemotaxis and quorum sensing in order to deliver drugs efficiently and precisely at various location in the human body. More specifically, we design a synthetic AND gate that enables bacteria to detect molecules produced by tumors and release the appropriate drugs in a coordinated manner; the system can also dynamically adjust the amount of drugs released based on tumor size and activity level. Our experimental results show that the proposed system can be effectively used for cell-based therapeutics while preventing drug overuse and multi-drug resistance.
Isolation of Aramid Nanofibers for High Strength and Toughness Polymer Nanocomposites

The development of nanoscale reinforcements that can be used to improve the mechanical properties of a polymer remains a challenge due to the long-standing difficulties with exfoliation and dispersion of existing materials. The dissimilar chemical nature of common nanofillers (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene) and polymeric matrix materials is the main reason for imperfect filler dispersion and, consequently, low mechanical performance of their composites relative to theoretical predictions. Here, aramid nanofibers that are intrinsically dispersible in many polymers are prepared from commercial aramid fibers (Kevlar) and isolated through a simple, scalable, and low-cost controlled dissolution method. Integration of the aramid nanofibers in an epoxy resin results in nanocomposites with simultaneously improved elastic modulus, strength, and fracture toughness. The improvement of these two mutually exclusive properties of nanocomposites is comparable to the enhancement of widely reported carbon nanotube rein...
Aggregation of cyclic polypeptoids bearing zwitterionic end-groups with attractive dipole–dipole and solvophobic interactions: a study by small-angle neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulation

Aggregation behavior of cyclic polypeptoids bearing zwitterionic end-groups in methanol has been studied using a combination of experimental and simulation techniques. The data from SANS and cryo-TEM indicate that the solution contains small clusters of these cyclic polypeptoids, ranging from a single polypeptoid chain to small oligomers, while the linear counterpart shows no cluster formation. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the driving force for this clustering behavior is due to the interplay between the effective repulsion due to the solvation of the dipoles formed by the charged end-groups in each polypeptoid chain and the attractive forces due to dipole-dipole interactions and the solvophobic effect.
Parent-child communication in sport: Bridging the gap between theory and research

Parent-child communication is integral to the acquisition of positive developmental outcomes from sport. This position paper offers useful interdisciplinary frameworks and theories for future researchers as they investigate questions pertaining to parentchild communication in organized youth sport. We propose such work is enhanced when grounded in family, human development, and interpersonal communication theory and literature. Specifically, theoretical frameworks from these areas assist researchers in determining salient research questions, choosing appropriate methodologies, and most importantly in the interpretation of findings. As researchers attempt to further understand parental influence in sport, the role of specific family processes like communication will shed light on the potential mechanisms that drive youth’s developmental outcomes. This knowledge will likely lead to better outcomes for youth participating in sport, and better relationships among family members in and out of the sport context. By gaining greater understanding of this phenomenon, researchers will have a more complete set of tools to educate parents, administrators, and coaches in an evidence-based way.
Large-Scale Bioinformatics Analysis of Bacillus Genomes Uncovers Conserved Roles of Natural Products in Bacterial Physiology

Bacteria possess an amazing capacity to synthesize a diverse range of structurally complex, bioactive natural products known as specialized (or secondary) metabolites. Many of these specialized metabolites are used as clinical therapeutics, while others have important ecological roles in microbial communities. The biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that generate these metabolites can be identified in bacterial genome sequences using their highly conserved genetic features. We analyzed an unprecedented 1,566 bacterial genomes from Bacillus species and identified nearly 20,000 BGCs. By comparing these BGCs to one another as well as a curated set of known specialized metabolite BGCs, we discovered that the majority of Bacillus natural products are comprised of a small set of highly conserved, well-distributed, known natural product compounds. Most of these metabolites have important roles influencing the physiology and development of Bacillus species. We identified, in addition to these characterized compounds, many unique, weakly conserved BGCs scattered across the genus that are predicted to encode unknown natural products. Many of these "singleton" BGCs appear to have been acquired via horizontal gene transfer. Based on this large-scale characterization of metabolite production in the Bacilli, we go on to connect the alkylpyrones, natural products that are highly conserved but previously biologically uncharacterized, to a role in Bacillus physiology: inhibiting spore development. IMPORTANCEBacilli are capable of producing a diverse array of specialized metabolites, many of which have gained attention for their roles as signals that affect bacterial physiology and development. Up to this point, however, the Bacillus genus's metabolic capacity has been underexplored. We undertook a deep genomic analysis of 1,566 Bacillus genomes to understand the full spectrum of metabolites that this bacterial group can make. We discovered that the majority of the specialized metabolites produced by Bacillus species are highly conserved, known compounds with important signaling roles in the physiology and development of this bacterium. Additionally, there is significant unique biosynthetic machinery distributed across the genus that might lead to new, unknown metabolites with diverse biological functions. Inspired by the findings of our genomic analysis, we speculate that the highly conserved alkylpyrones might have an important biological activity within this genus. We go on to validate this prediction by demonstrating that these natural products are developmental signals in Bacillus and act by inhibiting sporulation.
Supervising unethical sales force behavior: Do men and women managers discipline men and women subordinates uniformly?

Using practicing sales managers as subjects, the results indicate that personal characteristics of gender may be used in making disciplinary judgments following episodes of a particular type of unacceptable work behavior, an unethical selling act. As hypothesized, saleswomen were disciplined less severely while salesmen were disciplined more severely. However, female sales managers did not administer discriminatory discipline. The discipline administered by female sales managers to salesmen and to saleswomen was quite uniform. Furthermore, the discipline administered by female sales managers to salesmen and saleswomen was quite close to the discipline administered by male sales managers to salesmen. The only outlying level of discipline administered in the study was more leniency shown by male sales managers toward saleswomen.
Cannibals with Cannons: The Sino-Portuguese Clashes of 1521-1522 and the Early Chinese Adoption of Western Guns

Did Europeans have a military advantage over other peoples of the world during the early modern period (1500-1800)? Scholars of the “military revolution” school have argued that European guns, tactics, fortification techniques, and ships conferred significant benefits on European forces, whereas other scholars suggest that the European military edge was slight at best. This article examines the first armed conflict in history between European and Chinese forces: the so-called Sino-Portuguese War of 1521 and 1522. Scholars on both sides of the military effectiveness argument have adduced this conflict to buttress their positions, but there are few studies of it in either western or East Asian languages. This article suggests that during the first set of engagements, which occurred in 1521, Portuguese artillery was markedly superior, but that in the second set of engagements, in 1522, Chinese artillery played a significant role, causing significant damage to the Portuguese. If there was still a gap in 1522, it was much smaller. Thus, the Sino-Portuguese conflict is less interesting for what it tells us about the “military balance” than for what it tells us about military change. When we discuss military balances, we tend to forget how swiftly they could shift, how rapidly adaptations could take hold. Indeed, historians should take a wider perspective on the military revolution: it was not a process that simply occurred in Europe and provided an edge to Europeans abroad. It was, rather, a global process of intermixture and adaptation. In the case of China, the rapid adoption of western artillery may have started around the time of the Sino-Portuguese Conflict, but it continued through the ensuing decades, as the Ming redesigned Portuguese-style guns and adapted them to their own needs until the only thing western about them was their name: Frankish guns.