cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Courteous or crude? Managing user conduct to improve on-demand service platform performance

In this paper we study how an on-demand service platform could improve its performance through managing user conduct. In an on-demand service platform, users' conduct directly impacts service providers' payoffs. Thus, providers may reject certain platform-proposed service requests, and their responses could in turn incentivize users to adjust their conduct. We develop an evolutionary game theory model to analyze how user conduct and provider responses evolve in such a platform over time. We characterize the asymptotically stable equilibria of the dynamical system and find that the system might converge to inefficient outcomes. We show that prioritization in matching allows the platform to improve user conduct and avoid inefficient outcomes. Building upon these results, we further model providers and users joining and leaving the platform and show that priority matching can also improve platform performance in terms of growth and profitability, through converting the efficiency gain created by improved user conduct.
Climatology and Trends in Hourly Precipitation for the Southeast United States

AbstractThis research introduces a climatology of hourly precipitation characteristics, investigates trends in precipitation hours (PH) and hourly accumulation, and uses four different time series ...
PIP2 Reshapes Membranes through Asymmetric Desorption.

Abstract Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is an important signaling lipid in eukaryotic cell plasma membranes, playing an essential role in diverse cellular processes. The headgroup of PIP2 is highly negatively charged, and this lipid displays a high critical micellar concentration compared to housekeeping phospholipid analogs. Given the crucial role of PIP2, it is imperative to study its localization, interaction with proteins, and membrane-shaping properties. Biomimetic membranes have served extensively to elucidate structural and functional aspects of cell membranes including protein-lipid and lipid-lipid interactions, as well as membrane mechanics. Incorporation of PIP2 into biomimetic membranes, however, has at times resulted in discrepant findings described in the literature. With the goal to elucidate the mechanical consequences of PIP2 incorporation, we studied the desorption of PIP2 from biomimetic giant unilamellar vesicles by means of a fluorescent marker. A decrease in fluorescence intensity with the age of the vesicles suggested that PIP2 lipids were being desorbed from the outer leaflet of the membrane. To evaluate whether this desorption was asymmetric, the vesicles were systematically diluted. This resulted in an increase in the number of internally tubulated vesicles within minutes after dilution, suggesting that the desorption was asymmetric and also generated membrane curvature. By means of a saturated chain homolog of PIP2, we showed that the fast desorption of PIP2 is facilitated by presence of an arachidonic lipid tail and is possibly due to its oxidation. Through measurements of the pulling force of membrane tethers, we quantified the effect of this asymmetric desorption on the spontaneous membrane curvature. Furthermore, we found that the spontaneous curvature could be modulated by externally increasing the concentration of PIP2 micelles. Given that the local concentration of PIP2 in biological membranes is variable, spontaneous curvature generated by PIP2 may affect the formation of highly curved structures that can serve as initiators for signaling events.
At Home With Data: Family Engagements With Data Involved in Type 1 Diabetes Management

This article reports on an exploratory study of quantitative data use situated in families’ management routines while taking care of a child with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D treatment requires frequ...
Physical Rehabilitation After Breast Cancer Treatment

Despite the decrease in morbidity with the evolution of breast cancer treatment, many patients have functional sequelae. Physical therapy and some medications can prevent or treat most of these limitations.
KIR Ligation During Ex Vivo Expansion Allows Molding Of The KIR Repertoire

NK Cell subpopulations express tremendous diversity through polymorphisms, haplotypes, differential expression, and licensing of the Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR). KIR diversity affects both the predisposition to cancer, and the response to therapies such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Clinical trials that take advantage of the anti-cancer properties of NK cells have been limited to choosing donors on the basis of KIR genotypes and/or HLA haplotypes. Moreover, adoptive immunotherapy approaches have been limited by low NK cell doses. The latter hurdle has been recently mitigated by methods for expanding clinical grade NK cells ex vivo . These approaches for growing large numbers of cells now enable investigation into selecting more potent NK cell subsets for increased therapeutic efficacy. We hypothesized that the desired KIR repertoire could be molded through inhibition of undesirable KIR populations by crosslinking with relevant anti-KIR antibodies during expansion with our previously described method, which produces a mean 30,000-fold expansion of NK cells in 3 weeks. First, we determined that maximum inhibition was obtained when anti-KIR antibodies were applied to previously activated NK cells, crosslinked with secondary antibody, and then restimulated for proliferation. Robust reduction of targeted KIR-positive populations could be achieved for each inhibitory KIR (Fig. 1). When pre-activated with anti-KIR2DL1 for one stimulation cycle, NK cells expressing this KIR were decreased by a median of 70.4% ± 19.3%. Similarly, KIR2DL2/3+ NK cells could be reduced by 56% ± 17.5%, and KIR3DL1+ NK cells could be reduced by 53.5% ± 16.3%. When anti-KIR antibodies were combined, similar suppression of multiple-KIR subpopulations was observed. Other NK cell receptors were not significantly affected during targeted KIR inhibition. We then assessed the resulting NK cell populations for degranulation responses to targets with selected HLA as KIR ligands. Inhibition of KIR-expressing subpopulations during expansion resulted in NK cell populations with enhanced degranulation against tumor cells expressing the HLA ligand of the targeted KIR. Importantly, the cytotoxicity of the bulk NK cell population against HLA-negative targets remained. These results indicate that KIR crosslinking during NK cell propagation enables significant reduction in the targeted KIR subpopulations, resulting in an NK cell population with a selective decrease in KIR inhibition. By utilizing antibody-controlled expansion for molding of the KIR repertoire according to patient HLA type, a personalized NK cell product may be produced with enhanced potency, improving NK cell immunotherapy. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Women's perceptions of empowerment in Ramsar, a tourism destination in northern Iran

Abstract Few researchers have accounted for the unique context (e.g., economic, socio-cultural) affecting women's perceptions of empowerment. Recognizing that tourism, particularly in growing economies provides a unique context within which empowerment may occur, a qualitative approach was employed to uncover Iranian women's overall perception of empowerment and whether it differed based on occupation (i.e., tourism vs. non-tourism, including homemakers). Overall, 10 unique perceptions of empowerment were identified, 2 of which (i.e., having unique behavioral characteristics and faith) are new to the literature. In addition, women differed in their perception of empowerment when occupation and perceived level of empowerment were considered. The results suggested researchers must not ignore socio-cultural facets of empowerment, the degree to which women perceive of themselves as empowered, and more when conducting research on factors affecting women's perception of empowerment.
Dasatinib inhibits peripapillary scleral myofibroblast differentiation.

Abstract Scleral fibroblast activation occurs in glaucomatous and myopic eyes. Here we perform an unbiased screen to identify kinase inhibitors that reduce fibroblast activation to diverse stimuli in vitro and to in vivo intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation. Primary cultures of peripapillary scleral (PPS) fibroblasts from two human donors were screened using a library of 80 kinase inhibitors to identify compounds that inhibit TGFβ-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis. Inhibition of myofibroblast differentiation was verified by alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) immunoblot and collagen contraction assay. Inhibition of IOP-induced scleral fibroblast proliferation was assessed by ELISA assay for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The initial screen identified 7 inhibitors as showing>80% reduction in ECM binding. Three kinase inhibitors were verified to reduce TGFβ-induced αSMA expression and cellular contractility (rottlerin, PP2, tyrphostin 9). The effect of three Src inhibitors, bosutinib, dasatinib, and SU-6656, on myofibroblast differentiation was evaluated, with only dasatinib significantly inhibiting TGFβ-induced ECM synthesis, αSMA expression, and cellular contractility at nanomolar dosages. Subconjunctival injection of dasatinib reduced IOP-induced scleral fibroblast proliferation compared to control (4.9 ± 11.1 ng/sclera with 0.1 μM versus 88.7 ± 38.6 ng/sclera in control, P
Reclassification of seven honey bee symbiont strains as Bombella apis

Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agricultures most important pollinator. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Although honey bee worker guts have a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, the honey bee queen digestive tracts are colonized predominantly by a single acetic acid bacterium tentatively named Candidatus Parasaccharibacter apium. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola, and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. We used a combination of phylogenetic and sequence identity methods to better resolve evolutionary relationships among P. apium, strains in the genus Saccharibacter, and strains in the closely related genus Bombella. Interestingly, measures of genome-wide average nucleotide identity and aligned fraction, coupled with phylogenetic placement, indicate that many strains labeled as P. apium and Saccharibacter sp. are all the same species as Bombella apis. We propose reclassifying these strains as Bombella apis and outline the data supporting that classification below.
The Economic Basis of the Independent Contractor/Employee Distinction

In recent years, a controversy has erupted over the distinction between employees and independent contractors. Commentators have argued that in the modern “gig economy,” many people traditionally classified as independent contractors are as vulnerable as employees and should be granted the legal protections that employees alone normally enjoy. However, the distinction between the two categories remains inescapable, and the theoretical basis for it has not been identified. I argue that the distinction is derived from market structure. Employees are workers who, because they must make relationship-specific investments in a single firm, are subject to labor monopsony. Independent contractors do not make such relationship-specific investments, and hence normally operate in a competitive labor market. Employment and labor law may be explained as a method for protecting workers from labor monopsony; because independent contracts are not subject to labor monopsony, they do not require such protection.
On Efficient Candidate Path Selection for Dynamic Routing in Elastic Optical Networks

Elastic Optical Networks are based on the Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), thus providing a more efficient and flexible data-transferring network than fixed-grid WDM networks. In this paper we solve the Routing, Modulation and Spectrum Assignment (RMSA) problem. For this purpose, we design a new, highly efficient Adaptive Dynamic Routing Algorithm (ADRA). Our results show that it outperforms other methods from the literature.
WhiskSight: A Reconfigurable, Vision-Based, Optical Whisker Sensing Array for Simultaneous Contact, Airflow, and Inertia Stimulus Detection

The development of whisker-based sensing systems faces at least two important technical challenges: scaling up the number of whiskers to large arrays while retaining a simple interface; and detecting the wide variety of stimuli that biological whiskers can sense, including both direct touch (contact) and airflow. Here we present the design for a whisker array that leverages a camera to measure whisker rotations without a complex interface. Whiskers are magnetically attached to an elastomer “skin,” ensuring that the system is both scalable and reconfigurable. Direct contact is measured from the relative motion between each whisker and the skin, while airflow and inertia can be inferred from the signal experienced by all whiskers in the array. Individual whiskers can resolve the direction of contact transverse to the whisker within ${6.2}^{\circ }$ and whisker rotation magnitude to within ${0.5}^{\circ }$ . An algorithm is developed to distinguish inertial forces from airflow and contact.
Tenofovir and emtricitabine concentrations in hair are comparable between individuals on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate versus tenofovir alafenamide-based ART.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in combination with emtricitabine (FTC) is the backbone for both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) worldwide. Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) with FTC is increasingly used in HIV treatment and was recently approved for PrEP among men-who-have-sex-with-men. TDF and TAF are both metabolized into tenofovir (TFV). Antiretrovirals in plasma are taken up into hair over time, with hair levels providing a long-term measure of adherence. Here, we report a simple, robust, highly sensitive, and validated high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)-based analytical method for analyzing TFV and FTC from individuals on either TDF/FTC or TAF/FTC in small hair samples. TFV/FTC are extracted from ~5 mg hair and separated on a column using a gradient elution. The lower quantification limits are 0.00200 (TFV) and 0.0200 (FTC) ng/mg hair; the assay is linear up to 0.400 (TFV) and 4.00 (FTC) ng/mg hair. The intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variance (CVs) are 5.39-12.6% and 6.40-13.5% for TFV and 0.571-2.45% and 2.45-5.16% for FTC. TFV concentrations from participants on TDF/FTC-based regimens with undetectable plasma HIV RNA were 0.0525 ± 0.0295 ng/mg, whereas those from individuals on TAF/FTC-based regimens were 0.0426 ± 0.0246 ng/mg. Despite the dose of TFV in TDF being 10 times that of TAF, hair concentrations of TFV were not significantly different for those on TDF versus TAF regimens. Pharmacological enhancers (ritonavir and cobicistat) did not boost TFV concentrations in hair. In summary, we developed and validated a sensitive analytical method to analyze TFV and FTC in hair and found that hair concentrations of TFV were essentially equivalent among those on TDF and TAF.
Efficient Simulation Optimization with Simulation Learning

Simulation optimization has found great success in automation science and engineering, such as the optimization of manufacturing systems, thanks to its capability to fully account for the complexity and uncertainty in systems. However, it remains a challenge to use simulation optimization in applications where decision time window is very short because of computational efficiency challenge. In this paper, a new framework known as Sequential Allocation using Machine-learning Predictions as Light-weight Estimates (SAMPLE) is proposed to address this challenge. SAMPLE utilizes an offline simulation learning phase to train machine learning models using simulation data. When a decision needs to be made, SAMPLE utilizes machine learning predictions under a Bayesian framework to determine optimal allocation of simulation sampling budget. The proposed approach enables fast-time simulation-based decision making for automation systems. SAMPLE is able to work with lightweight machine learning models that may only provide crude approximations but still achieve considerable computational efficiency gain. Numerical experiments with both benchmark test functions and a case study demonstrate the viability of the proposed SAMPLE framework, with significant performance improvement over decision making using only machine learning predictions, or simulations alone.
Nutritional Basis of Skeletal Growth

Publisher Summary Many factors influence skeletal growth and ultimate peak mass acquired by adulthood. Genetics is thought to contribute 60–80% of peak bone mass and lifestyle factors 20–40%. Genes that control body size are undoubtedly influential in controlling skeletal growth. Crude markers for genetic differences include race and gender. This chapter focuses on lifestyle factors including all of the cultural exposures and individual choices that influence skeletal growth, notably physical activity and diet. The interplay of these nature–nurture factors is emphasized, but methodological limitations impede any progress. In this chapter, the influence of nutrition and the interaction of diet and exercise in the development of male peak bone mass is reviewed, recognizing that the evidence for boys is much less than for girls. Skeletal fragility, which occurs naturally during the pubertal growth spurt or due to pediatric disorders, is also discussed.
Methods for the analysis of centrosome reproduction in cancer cells.

The assay described here allows a direct comparison of centrosome function (i.e., MT nucleation capacity) between normal and tumor tissues. It can be applied to samples such as human tissues in which the materials are limited. The assay is rapid and uses equipment commonly available. Comparison of the ability of individual centrosomes to nucleate microtubules within the context of tissues can provide novel insight into the disease process itself. In the example shown here, tumor tissues nucleate significantly greater numbers of microtubules from single or amplified centrosomes in comparison to normal tissue. The increased microtubule nucleation capacity from multiple centrosomes seen in tumors may be related to the increased frequency of mitotic aberrations and to the loss of cell and tissue architecture that is seen in cancer. This assay can also be used to characterize the microtubule nucleation capacity of normal tissues, during development and aging, and in disease states other than cancer where microtubule dynamics may play an important role.
Molecular mechanisms of iron uptake in fungi

Fungi, like all free-living organisms, are in competition for limiting nutrients. In accumulating iron, fungi are faced also with a trace metal whose aqueous and redox chemistry make it both relatively bio-unavailable and strongly cytotoxic. Successful adaptation to this environmental context has provided fungi with an iron uptake strategy that has three features: it relies on redox cycling to enhance iron bio-availability and reduce iron cytotoxicity; it includes both high- and low-affinity pathways that are mechanistically distinct; and it is autoregulating so as to maintain intracellular iron homeostasis. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a paradigm, this review summarizes current knowledge about the four pathways by which this yeast accumulates iron. These four pathways include: siderophore iron accumulation; high affinity iron uptake via an iron permease; and two lower affinity uptake pathways through relatively non-specific divalent metal ion transporters. All of these four pathways are directly or indirectly dependent on the activity of metalloreductase activity expressed extracellularly on the plasma membrane. A variety of experimental and genomics data indicate that this resourcefulness is shared by many, if not most, fungi. On the other hand, while the autoregulation of iron metabolism in Baker's yeast is well-understood, little is known about the apparent homeostatic mechanisms in these other yeasts and fungi. The integration of these multiple uptake mechanisms and their regulation into over-all iron homeostasis in yeast concludes this brief review.
Exopolysaccharide production in biofilms: substratum activation of alginate gene expression by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Reporter gene technology was employed to detect the activity of an alginate promoter of Pseudomonas aeruginosa when the organism was grown as a biofilm on a Teflon mesh substratum and as planktonic cells in liquid medium. Alginate biosynthetic activity was determined with a mucoid cell line derived from a cystic fibrosis isolate and containing an alginate algC promoter fused to a lacZ reporter gene. Reporter activity was demonstrated with chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates for beta-galactosidase. Expression of algC was shown to be upregulated in biofilm cells compared with planktonic cells in liquid medium. Gene up-expression correlated with alginate biosynthesis as measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, uronic acid accumulation, and alginate-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The algC promoter was shown to have maximum activity in planktonic cultures during the late lag and early log phases of the cell growth cycle. During a time course experiment, biofilm algC activity exceeded planktonic activity except during the period immediately following inoculation into fresh medium. In continuous-culture experiments, conversion of lacZ substrate was demonstrated microscopically in individual cells by epifluorescence microscopy.
The Impact of Findability on Student Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Perceptions of Online Course Quality

This study investigated whether “findability,” an aspect of usability, is an important component in student perceptions of/satisfaction with online courses and, as such, should be considered more heavily in online course design. Using standard usability testing measures, such as eye-tracking, time-on-task, and think-alouds, participants were asked to find essential course components in either a course with high findability or a modified version of the course with low findability in order to determine the impact on student perceptions of course quality and experience. Participants rated those courses with high findability as a better overall experience (based on five dimensions). Additionally, this study was intended to begin the process of linking findability to student achievement of learning outcomes by using pre- and posttest measures of motivation and self-efficacy and evaluating how they are affected by findability. Students reported lower levels of self-efficacy and motivation after interacting with...
Land market forces and government's role in sprawl

Abstract While urban sprawl is a controversial topic among researchers, the majority of planners have expressed concerns about sprawl's environmental and social costs, and recommended policies for sprawl control. This research analyzes urban sprawl in China through a comparative approach, comparing the pattern and driving forces of sprawl in China to those of the US. It identifies main factors contributing to sprawl in China: the land market, local government's willingness to lease land as the result of new tax revenue regulations, and the decentralization process after China's economic reforms. Facing an enormous loss of cultivated land in the last decade, the central government has put a control policy in place in recent years. However, the policy has shown limited success. This paper finds that it is the presence of interest groups within the public sector that makes government consensus over sprawl hard to reach, which aggravates the sprawl problem.
Event Monitoring and Service in a Flat World Benefits and Challenges

Event monitoring is a critical component in managing IT infrastructure and business operation. Yet, like other IT services, monitoring services face challenges and high expectations in a globally integrated IT environment. Such services offer a telling example that shows both potential and limitation for global IT services, as well as the gaps between expectation and reality and how they might be better identified and thus narrowed.
Cultural perspectives on nursing in the 21st Century

By the year 2000, more than one fourth of the US population will consist of individuals from culturally diverse groups. Increasing numbers of international visitors and exchange students will use the US health care delivery system, and US nurses will engage in international interchanges with increasing frequency. To keep pace with these population and health care trends, US nurses will need to base their nursing care on a theoretically sound foundation that draws on knowledge from the physical, natural, and behavioral sciences, as well as on research-based theories from transcultural, cross-cultural, and international nursing. The purposes of this article are to (1) trace past, present, and future population trends among minority groups in the United States; (2) examine the ways in which transcultural nursing has provided a framework for meeting the health care needs of culturally diverse people; (3) identify current issues and trends in transcultural nursing; and (4) suggest ways in which nurses can prepare for the increasing numbers of culturally diverse individuals who are projected to need nursing care in the future.
Phase II Comparison Study of Intraoperative Autotransfusion for Major Oncologic Procedures

Intraoperative autotransfusion (IOAT) has been avoided in oncologic surgery because of possible tumor cell dissemination. Through a prior Phase I study, we demonstrated that malignant cells are not present in blood filtered for IOAT. We hypothesized that autotransfusion could be safely used for patients undergoing major oncologic procedures and reduce the need for allogeneic blood. A Phase II, IRB-approved, prospective evaluation was conducted of patients undergoing gastrointestinal oncologic procedures. All procedures were conducted with blood salvaged for IOAT, and the collected volume was autotransfused if it was >100 ml. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed by questionnaire at regular intervals. A total of 92 patients were enrolled with median age of 56 years. The most commonly performed procedures were hepatectomy (47%) and pancreaticoduodenectomy (26%). The median preoperative hemoglobin (Hgb) was 13.1 (range, 9–16), and the median estimated blood loss was 350 ml (range, 20–4000 ml). Of the 92 total patients, 32 (35%) received IOAT with a median volume of 255 ml (range, 117–1499 ml). Multivariate analysis identified that patients with preoperative Hgb >11 g/dl (P = .02), and blood loss of 400–900 ml (P = .03) benefited from IOAT with a reduction in postoperative blood transfusion rate. Patients with discharge Hgb >10 g/dl showed higher mean QoL scores throughout their recovery. At a median follow-up of 18 months, the rates of recurrence in the IOAT and the non-IOAT groups were equivalent (38 vs. 39%, P = .9). Intraoperative autotransfusion can be used safely and effectively for major oncologic procedures. Furthermore, degree of discharge anemia is associated with lower quality of life in patients undergoing oncologic gastrointestinal surgery.
Multidecadal hydrochemical response of a Sierra Nevada watershed: Sensitivity to weathering rate and changes in deposition

To address the responses of the very dilute waters in the Sierra Nevada, California, to acidic atmospheric deposition, the Alpine hydrochemical model (AHM) was used to simulate 47 years of runoff and solute concentrations in the Emerald Lake catchment. The AHM is a semi-distributed model of alpine watersheds that incorporates representations of the major hydrologic and biogeochemical processes that control stream chemical composition. Proxy data of discharge and snowfall were used to develop the necessary inputs for the 47-year runs. The long-term simulations were stable, but conflicts in the simulation of base cation and silica concentrations indicate that the model has a missing process or misrepresents mineral weathering. Sensitivity analysis of the weathering parameters indicates that a weathering rate of approximately 80% of the value fitted based on a one-year calibration would match the observed base saturation and the initial one year estimate had incorrect stoichiometry. Additionally, comparison of annual modeled mass flux to observed mass flux indicates that the model overestimates cation and silica export in dry years and underestimates export in wet years. Our results indicate that the Emerald Lake watershed, as represented by AHM, is not sensitive to chronic acidification with atmospheric deposition at current levels and that there would be little episodic acidification with a doubling in atmospheric deposition. However, in the simulations climate variability had an impact on stream water pH and this sensitivity should be taken into account in assessing alpine catchment sensitivity to changes in atmospheric deposition.
Depression and suicidal preoccupation in teenagers

In a sample of 250 high school students, depression was found to be a much stronger correlate of suicidal preoccupation than shyness, alienation or academic performance. For males, suicidal preoccupation was also related to academic performance, while for females suicidal preoccupation was also related to alienation, but neither of these associations survived controls for depression.
Taxpayers, Thieves, and the State: Fiscal Citizenship in Contemporary Italy

As, burdened by its massive public debt, the Italian state nears the verge of default, the debate on taxation and distribution raging in this country's public sphere provides citizens with a means to conceptualize their responsibilities and rights vis-a-vis the state as well as each other. Italian fiscal citizenship thus emerges as an unstable relational category that is negotiated along and across the split between the rhetoric of fiscal and distributive fairness on the one hand, and its actual denial on the other. By fostering the breakdown of solidarity and the intensification of ethnic chauvinism, the failure to implement equity in taxation and distribution shows the extent to which the Italian state is implicated in the divisiveness of social categories that cast each other as an impediment to the fulfillment of their respective rights.
Stimulation by octopamine of the sodium efflux in barnacle muscle fibres.

Abstract 1. The behaviour of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux in barnacle muscle fibres towards dl -octopamine has been investigated. 2. It is found that these fibres are quite often sensitive to external application of octopamine. A concentration as low as 10−9 M is effective. 3. The kinetic results indicate that the stimulatory response develops within 5–10 min of exposure of the fibre to octopamine and is transitory in nature. 4. The response to octopamine is greater in size in the presence of l-isoamyl-3-isobutylxanthine (IAX) than in the presence of l-propyl-3-methyl-7-(5-hydroxyhexyl)-xanthine (PMX). But neither IAX nor PMX stops the response from decaying. 5. The response to octopamine is highly dependent on the presence of external Ca2+. 6. The provisional conclusion is that the barnacle muscle fibre may be a useful preparation for studying the hormonal function of octopamine.
Ethnodomination in the Channels of Distribution of Third World Nations

Ethnodomination refers to the predominance of a particular ethnic group in a channel of distribution. While ethnodomination has been virtually ignored in the marketing literature, it is a fact of life in many third world marketing systems. Overseas Chinese dominate the trade of rice and pineapples in the Philippines, Hindu Sikhs dominate the trade of cloth in Afghanistan, the Otavalo Indians dominate the trade of handwoven textiles in Ecuador, and so on. International marketers need to be aware of ethnodomination for several reasons. First, ethnic marketers can offer costeffective communication and distribution skills for use in cooperative marketing programs. In return, international marketers can ofter them access to marketing management information systems and alternative sources of finance. Also, ethnic marketers are often subject to political and legal harassment which may make them more risky partners. Finally, they may have cultural practices that are quite different from the cultural practices of the rest of their host country.
Where are youth active? Roles of proximity, active transport, and built environment.

GROW, H. M., B. E. SAELENS, J. KERR, N. H. DURANT, G. J. NORMAN, and J. F. SALLIS. Where Are Youth Active? Roles of Proximity, Active Transport, and Built Environment. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 40, No. 12, pp. 2071–2079, 2008. Purpose: This study examined factors related to two sources of physical activity for youth: active use of recreation sites and active transport to recreation sites. Methods: Parents of children (n = 87) and matched pairs of parents and adolescents (n = 124 pairs) in three US cities reported on youths’ active use of, proximity to, and walking/biking to 12 recreation sites and on neighborhood walkability and safety. Multivariate regression models evaluated factors associated with youths’ frequent site use and active transport to sites. Results: Proximity to the site was associated with frequent use of large parks and public open space. Walking/biking to the site was associated with frequent use of most sites (indoor recreation sites, small and large parks, basketball courts, walking/running tracks, school recreation sites, playgrounds, and public open space). After controlling for proximity and demographic factors, active transport to sites remained significantly associated (P G 0.05) with frequent use of four sites for children (indoor recreation, walking/running tracks, school recreation facilities, and public open space) and all but three sites for adolescents (indoor recreation, playfields/courts, and beach/ lake/rivers). Adolescents’ active transport to more sites was most positively related to higher perceived traffic safety and to better pedestrian infrastructure and was negatively related to crime threat. Adolescents with driver’s licenses walked/biked to recreation sites less often. Conclusions: Active transport was strongly associated with the use of multiple recreation sites by children and adolescents, even when accounting for proximity and demographic factors. Adolescents living in neighborhoods with better traffic safety walked/ biked to more recreation sites for physical activity. Findings support the need for built environments and transportation policies that
Intra-Wetland Land Use in the Kankakee Marsh Region of Northwestern Indiana

The physical structure and configuration of the landscape play profound roles in how a culture settles and utilizes a region. The following case study in the former Kankakee marsh region of northwestern Indiana exemplifies how subtle topographic variation can have a significant impact on intra-wetland landscape utilization. In the Kankakee marsh landscape, so-called dune islands provided areas of preferential settlement that were reused throughout the prehistory and early history of the region. In particular, these islands were important locales for resource extraction during the Late Archaic period and resource processing and storage during the Middle and Late Woodland and Upper Mississippian periods.
Thermodynamic Optimization Design of Casting Mg-Zn-Cu Alloy

The variation of the main strengthening phase MgZn2 of Mg-Zn-Cu alloy amount and crystallization temperature with Zn and Cu content were studied by thermodynamic calculation using FactSage software and magnesium alloy database, and according to the thermodynamic optimization results we melted Mg-6Zn-1.5Cu.We researched the structure of the experimental alloy as-cast after peak aging at 160 °Caging by TEM, XRD and DSC. The results showed that the experimental alloy aged at 160 °C was about 15% higher than Mg-6Zn binary alloy, and peak aging organization's main strengthening phase is more evenly distributed, the higher density of -MgZn2 phase. Cu is added to improve the phenomenon of the Mg-Zn binary alloy aged structure distribution uneven precipitation of low density as well as easy to averaging.
The milk gland of the sheep ked, Melophagus ovinus: A comparison with Glossina

Abstract Structurally, the milk gland of the sheep ked, Melophagus ovinus , is quite similar to that of the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans . In both insects the highly branched gland consists of two cell layers. An extracellular reservoir associated with each secretory cell initially receives the secreted milk. Milk then passes into the gland lumen through a dense cuticular rete. Gram-negative bacteria, presumably symbionts, are abundant in the lumen. Unlike tsetse, the secretory reservoir of the sheep ked is bi-lobed, and the secretory cell nucleus remains centrally located throughout the pregnancy cycle. Lipid droplets are much more abundant in the cytoplasm of the ked secretory cell, and analysis of larval milk shows 5–6% higher lipid content in the sheep ked. Results of histochemical analysis of ked milk are consistent with the analysis of tsetse milk. Four major milk proteins are detectable with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Changes in abundance of ER and sizes of the secretory cell nucleus and secretory reservoir reflect a dramatic cycle of glandular activity during pregnancy. Unlike tsetse, the sheep ked remains constantly on its host and appears to take frequent, but small, blood meals. This strategy implies that the demand for nutrient storage is less than in tsetse.
Abstract 5253: A model of tumor dormancy in Luminal A breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Introduction: The clinical course and biologic features of metastasis vary extensively depending on the type of cancer. Latency is one of the most important variables in metastasis. Late-onset recurrences are frequently found in Luminal A (ER+/PR+/Her2-) breast cancer patients. In both ER+ tumors and ER+ breast cancer cell lines, tumor cells preferentially disseminate to the bone marrow where they are capable of remaining dormant. The identification of mechanisms that support the survival of disseminated cancer cells (DTCs) has clear implications for understanding the biology of latent metastatic disease. Method: ER+ breast cancer cell lines expressing a GFP luciferase vector (for in vivo bioluminescent monitoring of tumor growth and dissemination) were orthotopically injected in the mammary fat pad (MFP) of mice. DTCs were isolated and characterized from the bone marrow and lungs after several months. Results: The isolated DTCs from the bone and lung do not proliferate, are resistant to both chemo and hormonal therapy (HT) and are endowed with a highly invasive/disseminating capacity (loss of E-Cadherin and gain of EMT features). Moreover, these DTCs exhibit decreased expression of ER compared to the cancer cells within the primary tumor. Since ER activity is required for ER+ breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo, our data suggest that loss of ER activity can be a mechanism of tumor dormancy in Luminal A breast cancer. Conclusion: An understanding of the consequences of ER activity in terms of tumor dormancy and dissemination potential of ER+ breast cancer cells has implications for improving the treatment of latent metastatic disease. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5253. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5253
Psychomotor seizures of temporal lobe onset: analysis of symptom clusters and sequences

We analyzed 91 psychomotor seizures from 31 patients seizure free at least one year after temporal lobectomy (implying temporal lobe onset). Fifty symptoms were looked for in every seizure and their time of onset and ending noted. Statistical analysis was used to define symptom clusters and the order of appearance of symptoms. Of the eighteen most common symptoms examined, all of these symptoms form a tight cluster showing a high degree of correlation. Within this cluster, there was a tendency towards the following subclusters: (a) epigastric aura, ictal vomiting, alimentary and hand automatisms; (b) behavioral arrest, complete loss of consciousness, staring and bilateral facial contraction; (c) unilateral dystonic posturing of an arm, mimetic automatisms, complex gestures, ictal speech and partial loss of consciousness; (d) looking around, agitation, vocalizations and whole body movements. We also found a strong correlation between epigastric sensation and ictal vomiting in psychomotor seizures arising from the right but not the left temporal lobe. The commonest sequence of symptoms was: behavioral arrest followed by alimentary and hand automatisms, looking around and whole body movements, in that order.
An Overview of Northern Pike Regulations in North America

Abstract Northern pike (Esox lucius) is a popular sport fish in the United States and Canada that is currently managed for multiple angler uses. However, there has been increased concern over lower quality (i.e., smaller fish) northern pike populations. In 1997, the Esocid Technical Committee (ETC) of the North Central Division of the American Fisheries Society surveyed natural resource agencies about their northern pike management. In addition, a round-table discussion on the quality of northern pike management was conducted in 1999. This paper is a summary of the ETC findings. In some cases, northern pike regulations have existed since the late 1800s, but most states and provinces did not use regulations until the 1950s or 1960s. Some agencies currently manage northern pike for angling quality (i.e., more large fish), others have few or no northern pike regulations, and some agencies manage for quality in some water bodies and do not manage northern pike at all in other water bodies. In general, states ...
A theory for flow switchability in discontinuous dynamical systems

The G-functions for discontinuous dynamical systems are introduced to investigate singularity in discontinuous dynamical systems. Based on the new G-function, the switchability of a flow from a domain to an adjacent one is discussed. Further, the full and half sink and source, non-passable flows to the separation boundary in discontinuous dynamical systems are discussed. A flow to the separation boundary in a discontinuous dynamical system can be passable or non-passable. Therefore, the switching bifurcations between the passable and non-passable flows are presented. Finally, the first integral quantity increment for discontinuous dynamical systems is given instead of the Melnikov function to develop the iterative mapping relations.
An exploratory Investigation of new product forecasting practices

Abstract To guide new product forecasting efforts, the following study offers preliminary data on new product forecasting practices during the commercialization stage (prelaunch and launch stage). Data on department responsibility for and involvement in the new product forecasting process, technique usage, forecast accuracy, and forecast time horizon across different types of new products are reported. Comparisons of new product forecasting practices for consumer firms versus industrial firms are also reported. Overall, study results show that the marketing department is predominantly responsible for the new product forecasting effort, there is a preference to employ judgmental forecasting techniques, forecast accuracy is 58% on average across the different types of new products, and two to four forecasting techniques are typically employed during the new product forecasting effort. Compared to consumer firms, industrial firms appear to have longer forecast time horizons and rely more on the sales force for new product forecasting. Additional analyses show that there does not appear to be a general relationship between a particular department’s involvement and higher forecast accuracy or greater satisfaction, nor does it appear that use of a particular technique relates to higher forecast accuracy and greater satisfaction. Countering previous research findings, the number of forecasting techniques employed also does not appear to correlate to higher forecasting accuracy or greater satisfaction. Managerial and research implications are discussed.
An EQCN assessment of electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol at nanostructured Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles

Abstract Alloy nanocrystals encapsulated with alkyl dithiolates (“core-shell” nanoparticles) serve as an intriguing class of nanostructured catalysts. This paper reports the preliminary results of an electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance (EQCN) investigation of mass transport associated with the catalytic activation and methanol oxidation at nanostructured Au–Pt nanocrystals. It is demonstrated that the catalytic activation and oxidation of methanol are accompanied by mass fluxes across the nanostructured film. The mass transport involves oxidation–reduction of surface oxygenated species, methanol adsorption and oxidation, solvent breath and product release. The implication of the EQCN results to the understanding of the core-shell nanostructured catalytic mechanism is discussed.
Robust facility location: Hedging against failures

Abstract While few companies would be willing to sacrifice day-to-day operations to hedge against disruptions, designing for robustness can yield solutions that perform well before and after failures have occurred. Through a multi-objective optimization approach this paper provides decision makers the option to trade-off total weighted distance before and after disruptions in the Facility Location Problem. Additionally, this approach allows decision makers to understand the impact on the opening of facilities on total distance and on system robustness (considering the system as the set of located facilities). This approach differs from previous studies in that hedging against failures is done without having to elicit facility failure probabilities concurrently without requiring the allocation of additional hardening/protections resources. The approach is applied to two datasets from the literature.