cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Variation in the B-Type Natiuretic Peptide Pathway Affects BNP Levels

The importance of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality in cardiovascular disease is well known. BNP levels correlate clinical and physiologic characteristics, as well as outcomes. We sought to investigate the influence of BNP pathway genetic variation on BNP levels after adjustment for clinical/physiologic factors. DNA was extracted from 147 patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterization. Patients with elevated troponin were excluded. Detailed clinical data was collected including standard demographic, laboratory, echocardiographic and catheterization data. Genotype was determined at 19 loci in five genes relevant to the BNP pathway. Multivariable linear regression models of logBNP, adjusted for clinical variables, were used to assess the incremental influence of the genetic variants. Natriuretic peptide precursor B gene (NPPB) variants incrementally improved models of logBNP after inclusion of clinical/physiologic parameters. The NPPB −381 T > C genotype was significantly associated with logBNP in the model (p = 0.0005), with the model predicting 50% lower BNP levels in otherwise similar T/T vs. C/C subjects. The NPPB 777 G > A (3′ flanking region) genotype was of borderline significance (p = 0.0078). None of the other genotypes examined were significant (all p > 0.2). Genetic variation in NPPB significantly impacts BNP levels after adjustment for clinical/physiologic factors. The full linear regression model predicted up to a 50% relative difference in BNP levels between NPPB −381 T > C genotype groups. This suggests that NPPB sequence variants affect BNP physiology, possibly via transcriptional regulation. Further studies are needed to define whether these variants impact the clinical interpretation of BNP levels.
Developing a measure to capture marketing faculty's perceptions of unethical behavior

Abstract The study explores the factor structure of the Sirgy et al. [Sirgy MJ, Johar JS, Gao T. Toward a code of ethics for marketing educators. Journal of Business Ethics 2006; 63(1): 1–20] measure of marketing faculty's perceptions of unethical behavior and tests its predictive validity. We surveyed members of the Academy of Marketing Science regarding their perceptions of acceptability of 142 behaviors that marketing faculty may encounter in their roles as teacher, researcher, administrator, consultant, professional colleague, and college professor. We used exploratory factor analyses to reveal the factor structures of the items grouped by four faculty roles: teaching, research, administrative service, and professional service. We then tested the measure's predictive validity by testing for demographic differences (gender, age, rank, tenure, and level of education) with respect to the 23 types of unethical faculty behaviors. The final measure can be used by marketing-related associations to gauge the norms of faculty conduct, which in turn can help them develop their own academic code of ethics.
Cell Surface Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Proteins Are Regulated by the Products of the γ134.5 and UL41 Genes of Herpes Simplex Virus 1

Modulation of host immune responses has emerged as a common strategy employed by herpesviruses both to establish life-long infections and to affect recovery from infection. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) blocks the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen presentation pathway by inhibiting peptide transport into the endoplasmic reticulum. The interaction of viral gene products with the MHC class II pathway, however, has not been thoroughly investigated, although CD4+ T cells play an important role in human recovery from infection. We have investigated the stability, distribution, and state of MHC class II proteins in glioblastoma cells infected with wild-type HSV-1 or mutants lacking specific genes. We report the following findings. (i) Wild-type virus infection caused a decrease in the accumulation of class II protein on the surface of cells and a decrease in the endocytosis of lucifer yellow or dextran conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate but no decrease in the total amount of MHC class II proteins relative to the levels seen in mock-infected cells. (ii) Although the total amount of MHC class II protein remained unchanged, the amounts of cell surface MHC class II proteins were higher in cells infected with the UL41-negative mutant, which lacks the virion host shutoff protein, and especially high in cells infected with the γ134.5-negative mutant. We conclude that infected cells attempt to respond to infection by increased acquisition of antigens and transport of MHC class II proteins to the cell surface and that these responses are blocked in part by the virion host shutoff protein encoded by the UL41 gene and in large measure by the direct or indirect action of the infected cell protein 34.5, the product of the γ134.5 gene.
Multicenter Comparison of Laboratory Performance in Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus Viral Load Testing using International Standards

Background Infections with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) remain important in solid organ transplantation. Quantitative viral nucleic acid testing is a major advance to patient management. These assays are limited by a lack of standardization, resulting in viral load measurements that differ among clinical laboratories. The variability in viral load measurements makes interpretation of multicenter clinical trials data difficult. This study compares the current practices in CMV and EBV viral load testing at four large transplant centers participating in multicenter Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation and the Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation in Children (CTOT and CTOTC). Methods Viral load testing was performed on well-defined viral preparations according to standard operating procedures at each site. Results Among centers, CMV viral load testing was accurate compared to WHO International Standards and within acceptable variation for this testing method. Epstein-Barr virus viral load data were more variable and less accurate despite the use of international standards. Conclusions These data suggest that comparison of CMV, but not EBV, viral load measurements at these sites is possible using current assays and control standards. Standardization of these assays is facilitated using the WHO International Standards and will allow comparison of viral load results among transplant centers. Assay standardization must be performed prior to initiation of multicenter trials.
An Innovative Approach in Balancing Real Power Using Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Many distribution systems operate under unbalanced loading conditions due to the connection of single phase loads to a three phase system. As PHEVs become more prevalent, it is expected that this unbalance will be further exacerbated due to the power draws from single phase chargers. Unbalanced loads reduce the overall system operating efficiency and power transfer capability of assets. In this paper, a new method of mitigating real power unbalance is suggested. It works by selecting which of the three phases that each single phase PHEV charger in a car park should be connected to. The algorithm is then tested on a simulation model of a real world distribution system. Using the balancing algorithm, balancing of the real power flowing through the feeder to the car park is accomplished.
Natural History of Prostatism: Impaired Health States in Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

AbstractPurpose: Lower urinary tract symptoms are reported to have a significant impact on quality of life. However, the impact on specific aspects of health status is not clear. We evaluated the association between lower urinary tract symptoms, and physical and mental aspects of health using community based data from a cross-sectional component of a prospective cohort study.Materials and Methods: A total of 2,133 men 41 to 84 years old who were randomly selected from the Olmsted County, Minnesota population completed the 36-item health status questionnaire and a previously validated questionnaire assessing urinary symptoms. Eight domains, measured on a scale of 0 to 100, were used to assess general health status. Men were classified as having an impaired health status if they scored less than 75 points on the scale. Symptom severity (none, mild, moderate or severe) was measured from responses to the urinary symptom questionnaire.Results: The results demonstrated a cross-sectional decrease in mean health ...
Truth and Credibility in Sincere Policy Analysis Alternative Approaches for the Production of Policy-Relevant Knowledge

This article distinguishes two competing approaches to policy analysis: a credibility approach and a truth approach. The credibility approach would define the role of the policy analyst as a search for plausible argument instead of truth. After defining the basic assumptions of the truth and credibility approaches, the implications for the conduct of policy analysis are explored.
Basal lamina components are concentrated in premuscle masses and at early acetylcholine receptor clusters in chick embryo hindlimb muscles

As an initial step in characterizing the function of basal lamina components during muscle cell differentiation and innervation in vivo, we have determined immunohistochemically the pattern of expression of three components—laminin, proteins related to agrin (an acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-aggregating protein), and a heparan sulfate proteoglycan—during the development of chick embryo hindlimb muscles. Monoclonal antibodies against agrin were used to purify the protein from the Torpedo ray and to characterize agrin-like proteins from embryonic and adult chicken. In early hindlimb buds (stage 19), antibodies against laminin and agrin stained the ectodermal basement membrane and bound to limb mesenchyme with a generalized, punctate distribution. However, as dorsal and ventral premuscle masses condensed (stage 22–23), mesenchymal immunoreactivity for laminin and agrin-like proteins, but not the proteoglycan, became concentrated in these myogenic regions. Significantly, the preferential accumulation of these molecules in myogenic regions of the limb preceded by 1–2 days the appearance of muscle-specific proteins, myoblast fusion, and muscle innervation. All three basal lamina components were preferentially associated with all AChR clusters from the time we first observed them on newly formed myotubes at stage 26. Localization of these antigens in three-dimensional collagen gel cultures of limb mesenchyme, explanted prior to innervation of the limb, paralleled the staining patterns seen during limb development in the embryo. These results indicate that basal lamina molecules intrinsic to limb mesenchyme are early markers for myogenic and synaptic differentiation, and suggest that these components play important roles during the initial phases of myogenesis and synaptogenesis.
Organizational patterns of American and German texts for business and economics: A contrastive study

Abstract This paper reports on a research project dealing with a contrastive analysis of business and economics texts taken from the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche and its American counterpart Business Week . It was the overall objective to study the organizational patterns of a representative sample of texts in order to determine whether they display specific differences which can be ascribed to their linguistic and therefore cultural environments. The total text corpus consisted of thirty texts. Fifteen articles were selected per language, and pairs of German and English texts were matched by their specific content. The texts were then analyzed according to specific criteria which were determined to indicate topic boundaries. After identifying these topic-shifts within all thirty texts, the contents of each subtopic were summarized in the form of short captions which represented the underlying outline of each text. All outlines were then transposed into tree-diagrams, which revealed the texts' hierarchical structure. Appropriate statistical tests were applied in order to determine the validity of the hypothesis that the German texts display a different organizational structure than the English texts.
Doping efficiency, dopant location, and oxidation of Si nanocrystals

Gas-phase plasma-synthesized silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) are doped with boron (B) or phosphorous (P) during synthesis. The doping efficiency of B is smaller than that of P, consistent with the theoretical prediction of impurity formation energies. Despite vastly different synthesis conditions, the effect of doping on the photoluminescence (PL) of gas-phase-synthesized Si-NCs is qualitatively similar to that of Si-NCs doped during solid phase nucleation. Studies of oxidation-induced changes in PL and etching-induced changes in dopant concentration show that P resides at or near the Si-NC surface, while B is in the Si-NC cores. The oxidation of Si-NCs follows the Cabrera–Mott mechanism [N. Cabrera and N. F. Mott, Rep. Prog. Phys. 12, 163 (1948)].
Process support to help novices design software faster and better

In earlier work we have argued that formal process definitions can be useful in improving our understanding and performance of software development processes. There has, however, been considerable sentiment that formalized processes cannot capture the creative process of software design. This paper describes our experimentation with the hypothesis that both design speed and design quality can be improved through the use of formalized process definitions. Our experimentation supports this hypothesis.
Collagen-binding α11 integrin expression in human myometrium and fibroids utilizing a novel RNA in situ probe.

Integrin α11β1 is a collagen receptor specific to fibroblasts that regulates myofibroblast differentiation. We sought to determine whether α11β1 is expressed in myometrium and fibroids and whether tissue expression varies. Comparison of α11 in human myometrium and fibroids using Western blot and RNA in situ hybridization. Specimens were obtained from fibroid and myometrium. For Western blots, we used a polyclonal antibody to integrin α11. RNA in situ hybridization was performed using a custom RNA probe for α11 subunit. Myometrium and fibroids express α11 integrin, with expression 2-fold greater in fibroids. The RNA probe offers a more precise method compared to Western blot using polyclonal human antibody. The difference in expression in myometrium and fibroids suggests that α11 is involved in the formation of myofibroblasts and fibroid development.
Modular assembly and interconnects for fluidic microsystems

At this early phase in the development of microfabricated fluidic systems, only a few components or functions have been microfabricated. Some sort of interface to the remaining 'off chip' components is required. For example, a variety of analysis techniques have been demonstrated in microfabricated channels, and cells, but sample preparation is to date still mostly performed off chip, involving pipetting, tubing and titer plate interfacing. The transition from micro to macro components has been to date rather crude, consisting mostly of tubing glued into or over holes etched into silicon or glass substrates. This paper presents new, micromachinable, joining and interconnecting structures that enable the modular, plug-in assembly of fluidic components to one another, to tubing, and into a fluid channel breadboard. Micro-to-miniature interfacing elements for making connections between microchannels and standard tubing, and both horizontal and vertical channel- to-channel interconnects will be demonstrated. Excellent seals are created using photopatternable silicone O-rings that are held in compression by the connecting structure. This technology allows one to assemble a fluidic microsystem with both custom and off the shelf, micro or miniature components. The connections are all reversible, making the system design reconfigurable and components easily exchanged.
Single and correlated spin alignments for resonances in 24Mg + 24Mg inelastic scattering.

We have measured the single and correlated magnetic-substate population parameters for the 2/sup +/ and 2/sup +/-2/sup +/ excitations in /sup 24/Mg+ /sup 24/Mg in the region of two strong resonances seen in inelastic scattering. We interpret our data in terms of an isolated resonance decaying through one preferred l value in both the 2/sup +/ and 2/sup +/-2/sup +/ channels. Our data suggest a spin assignment of J/sup ..pi../ = 36/sup +/ for the resonance at E/sub c.m./ = 45.70 MeV, and a value of l = 34 for the grazing angular momentum for both the single and mutual inelastic-scattering channels.
CED2AR: the comprehensive extensible data documentation and access repository

We describe the design, implementation, and deployment of the Comprehensive Extensible Data Documentation and Access Repository (CED2AR). This is a metadata repository system that allows researchers to search, browse, access, and cite confidential data and metadata through either a web-based user interface or programmatically through a search API, all the while re-reusing and linking to existing archive and provider generated metadata. CED2AR is distinguished from other metadata repository-based applications due to requirements that derive from its social science context. These include the need to cloak confidential data and metadata and manage complex provenance chains.
Spectrochemical evaluation of first order and pseudo-first order reactions following charge transfer for chronoamperometry at transparent electrodes

Summary Relationships for spectrochemical evaluation of first-order and pseudo-first-order reactions following reversible electron transfer have been developed for chronoamperometry at optically transparent electrodes. Computer generated curves for the time dependent absorbance are presented for the general case where both electro-chemical and chemical products absorb at λ, permitting determination of rate constants as fast as 10 3 –10 4 s −1 . For the special case where the molar absorptivity of the chemical reaction product is less than 20% of that for the electrochemical product, the rate constant may be calculated without recourse to curve-matching and may be estimated without knowledge of the molar absorptivity of either product. Comparison has been made between pulse and pulse-relaxation methods for determination of the rate constant. The latter case has been applied to the solvolytic reaction of the 9, 10-diphenylanthracene cation radical in aqueous acetonitrile.
The raptures and ruptures of mobility

This article examines the ways in which the trope of rupture has progressively figured in my studies of diverse forms of mobility. Ironically, this has occurred at the same time as an increasing orientation within migration studies towards transnational links has given a strong emphasis on continuity. I argue that this kind of methodological transnationalism does not give enough attention either to the disjunctures that are routinely involved in mobility or to the possibility that rupture might be an actively desired goal for moving either temporarily or for the longer term.
EPIDEMIOLOGY MODEL ON SHORTCUT AND SMALL WORLD NETWORKS

We show that the behavior of an epidemiology model depends sensitively on the shortcut density in the shortcut network. This is consistent with an earlier work on other processes on the shortcut network. We analytically study the reason for the sensitivity. The shortcut network is similar to the small world network, and it has the advantage that the model dependence on the shortcut density can be analytically studied. The model would be relevant to the spread of diseases in human, animal, plant or other populations, to the spread of viruses in computer networks, or to the spread of social contagion in social networks. It would also be relevant in understanding the variations in the load on routers connecting different computer networks, as the network topology gets extended by the addition of new links, and in analyzing the placement of certain special sensors in a sensor network laid out in a non-random way with some shortcut links.
Coronary Artery Dilation in Sickle Cell Disease

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of coronary artery dilation in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Study design This is a retrospective analysis performed in patients, between 10 and 19 years old, with SCD who underwent a routine transthoracic echocardiographic evaluation over a 20-month period. The left main, left anterior descending, and proximal right coronary artery diameters, as well as clinical and laboratory variables and other echocardiographic results were collected. Echocardiographic measurements were converted to z scores by using information from a large control population of normal children. Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) was defined as a coronary artery diameter z score ≥2. The patients with CAE were compared with those without CAE by using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Seventeen of 96 patients with SCD (17.7%) had CAE. There were no differences in sex, age, height, weight, body surface area, or genotype between those with and those without CAE. Patients with CAE had larger left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, shortening fraction, septal thickness, posterior wall thickness, mass, mass-to-volume ratio, and white blood cell count. Multivariate analysis revealed that the mass-to-volume ratio and elevated white blood cell count were associated with CAE. Conclusion CAE is common in SCD and is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and inflammation.
Wind-tunnel study of an add-on streamlining bubble on the aerodynamics of utility box-trailers

Abstract The study concerns the aerodynamics of utility box-trailers towed by a mid-size passanger car. Comparative wind-tunnel measurements of drag, lift, side-force and moments on the trailer at various angles of yaw are presented for three models differing by the radius of their vertical and horizontal edges, with and without a streamlining bubble mounted on the forward-facing surface of the trailer box. The addition of a fairing results in a reduction of the drag-coefficient by 30 percent in head-on wind and up to 60 percent at yaw. The fairing also reduces the lift and pitching moment and smoothes out the variation of the yaw moment developed by the trailer. Rounding the edges partially reduces drag in head-on wind but does not bring about the significant improvements in th aerodynamic efficiency of the trailer at yaw which are noted for the three dimensional streamlining bubble.
Crystal structures of a nitric oxide transport protein from a blood-sucking insect

The nitrophorins are heme-based proteins from the salivary glands of the blood-sucking insect Rhodnius prolixus that deliver nitric oxide gas (NO) to the victim while feeding, resulting in vasodilation and inhibition of platelet aggregation. The nitrophorins also bind tightly to histamine, which is released by the host to induce wound healing. Here we present three crystal structures of nitrophorin 1 (NP1): bound to cyanide, which binds in a manner similar to NO (2.3 A resolution); bound to histamine (2.0 A resolution); and bound to what appears to be NH3 from the crystallization solution (2.0 A resolution). The NP1 structures reveal heme to be sandwiched between strands of a lipocalin-like β-barrel, and in an arrangement unlike any other gas-transport protein discovered to date. The heme is six-coordinate with a histidine (His 59) on the proximal side, and ligand in a spacious pocket on the distal side. The structures confirm that NO and histamine compete for the same binding pocket and become buried on binding. The dissociation constant for histamine binding was found to be 19 nM, ∼100-fold lower than that for NO.
Buying votes with imperfect local knowledge and a secret ballot

How do politicians buy votes in secret ballot elections? I present a model of vote buying in which a broker sustains bribed voters’ compliance by conditioning future bribes on whether her candidate’s votes reach an optimally set threshold. Unlike previous explanations of compliance, the threshold mechanism does not require brokers to observe individual voters’ political preferences or even vote totals of the bribed voters. I show that when there is uncertainty about voters’ preferences, compliance can be sustained as long as electoral results of small groups are available. If preferences are observed however, vote buying is not deterred by higher aggregation of electoral results. I also find that vote buying is facilitated when voters care about the welfare of other voters. Using survey data from Nigeria, I provide evidence consistent with the model’s results.
Stepping over an obstacle increases the motions and moments of the joints of the trailing limb in young adults

Tripping over obstacles is the most frequently mentioned causes of falls. Thus, this study was performed to test the hypotheses that when crossing obstacles, toe-obstacle clearance and the three-dimensional motions and moments at the hip, knee, and ankle of the trailing limb (limb crossing the obstacle last) increase with obstacle height. Data were collected using an optoelectronic digitizing system and force platform. Fourteen healthy young adults were tested during unobstructed level walking and when stepping over obstacles of 51, 102, 153, or 204 mm heights. Toe-obstacle clearances of the trailing foot increased from 31 mm during unobstructed gait to an average of 146 mm when stepping over obstacles of any of these heights. Obstacle height was not found to affect toe-obstacle clearance. When the toe of the trailing limb was over the obstacle, the flexion angles of the hip and knee increased linerly with obstacle height. Compared to flexion of the hip or ankle, flexion of the knee appears to be of primary importance when crossing obstacles with the trailing limb. The maximum extension moment at the hip joint during late stance decreased linearly with obstacle height. At the knee joint, the maximum flexion moment during early stance and the maximum adduction moment during late stance increased linearly with obstacle height. At the ankle joint, the maximum dorsiflexion moment during late stance increased linearly with obstacle height. These greater demands on motions and moments may affect the abilities of those elderly having decreased muscle strengths to step over obstacles.
Determination of membrane protein stability via thermodynamic coupling of folding to thiol–disulfide interchange

Although progress has been made in understanding the thermodynamic stability of water-soluble proteins, our understanding of the folding of membrane proteins is at a relatively primitive level. A major obstacle to understanding the folding of membrane proteins is the discovery of systems in which the folding is in thermodynamic equilibrium, and the development of methods to quantitatively assess this equilibrium in micelles and bilayers. Here, we describe the application of disulfide cross-linking to quantitatively measure the thermodynamics of membrane protein association in detergent micelles. The method involves initiating disulfide cross-linking of a protein under reversible redox conditions in a thiol–disulfide buffer and quantitative assessment of the extent of cross-linking at equilibrium. The 19–46 α-helical transmembrane segment of the M2 protein from the influenza A virus was used as a model membrane protein system for this study. Previously it has been shown that transmembrane peptides from this protein specifically self-assemble into tetramers that retain the ability to bind to the drug amantadine. We used thiol–disulfide exchange to quantitatively measure the tetramerization equilibrium of this transmembrane protein in dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) detergent micelles. The association constants obtained agree remarkably well with those derived from analytical ultracentrifugation studies. The experimental method established herein should provide a broadly applicable tool for thermodynamic studies of folding, oligomerization and protein–protein interactions of membrane proteins.
A comparison of corrected serum calcium levels to ionized calcium levels among critically ill surgical patients.

Abstract Background Aberrations in calcium homeostasis are common in critically ill patients. The proper method to evaluate this issue in surgical patients has not been completely defined. Methods Medical records of patients admitted to a university-affiliated, tertiary-care surgical intensive care unit were retrospectively reviewed. Calcium status was evaluated by ionized levels and as a function of serum calcium levels corrected for albumin aberrations. Results Corrected serum calcium values failed to accurately classify calcium status in 38% of cases. The sensitivity and specificity of the corrected serum calcium formula to evaluate hypocalcemia were 53% and 85%, respectively. Corrected serum values underestimated the prevalence of hypocalcemia and overestimated the prevalence of normocalcemia. No factors were able to discern which patients could be evaluated by corrected serum calcium levels. Conclusions Calcium homeostasis should be evaluated by ionized calcium levels rather than as a function of serum calcium and albumin levels.
Forced and Forbidden Sex: Rape and Sexual Freedom in Dictatorial Guatemala

As the sun was setting on December 12, 1907, the 16-year-old Tecla Xicay and her sister Inocenta were returning to their village of Tonajuyu, San Martin Jilotepeque (henceforth San Martin), in highland Guatemala when a portly ladino with a thin blonde mustache jumped out from behind a gate, took off his shoes, and attempted to rape Tecla. When she resisted, he hit her twice in the neck and then stabbed her in the back as she fled. Illiterate and monolingual speakers of Kaqchikel-Maya (henceforth Kaqchikel), the sisters recounted their harrowing ordeal through an interpreter the next day in Chimaltenango's municipal court. Apparentiy eager to escape the grasp of the state and ladino world, the two indigenous women did not tarry in Chimaltenango. Despite the military surgeon's insistence that Xicay be admitted to the hospital to cure her open wound, she refused, saying she would take care of it herself. Ladino and patriarchal in their design and operation, institutions such as courts and hospitals that held the potential to assist indigenous women often alienated them.
Parallel preconditioners and multigrid solvers for stochastic polynomial chaos discretizations of the diffusion equation at the large scale

Summary This paper presents parallel preconditioners and multigrid solvers for solving linear systems of equations arising from stochastic polynomial chaos formulations of the diffusion equation with random coefficients. These preconditioners and solvers are extensions of the preconditioner developed in an earlier paper for strongly coupled systems of elliptic partial differential equations that are norm equivalent to systems that can be factored into an algebraic coupling component and a diagonal differential component. The first preconditioner, which is applied to the norm equivalent system, is obtained by sparsifying the inverse of the algebraic coupling component. This sparsification leads to an efficient method for solving these systems at the large scale, even for problems with large statistical variations in the random coefficients. An extension of this preconditioner leads to stand-alone multigrid methods that can be applied directly to the actual system rather than to the norm equivalent system. These multigrid methods exploit the algebraic/differential factorization of the norm equivalent systems to produce variable-decoupled systems on the coarse levels. Moreover, the structure of these methods allows easy software implementation through re-use of robust high-performance software such as the Hypre library package. Two-grid matrix bounds will be established, and numerical results will be given. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A New Look at the Problem of “Japanese Fascism”

In the decade and a half from 1931 to 1945 Japan confronted a series of domestic and international crises culminating in the national disaster of World War II. Many authors - both Japanese and Western - have portrayed this period in terms of the labeling generalization “fascism”, suggesting that Japan's experience ran parallel to that of such European countries as Italy under Mussolini and Germany during the Third Reich. My object here, after first attempting to explain how and why this interpretation arose, is to take issue with it, but in criticizing the use of the label fascism I do not mean to fall back to the position that what happened was simply sui generis, a somehow “unique” Japanese response to the troublesome developments of the interwar world. Fascism has the virtue of being a comparative concept, and if we throw it out we need to seek other comparative concepts to test as possible replacements.
Understanding Student Self-Disclosure Typology through Blogging

Significant research indicates that student self-disclosure plays an important role in the learning experience and producing positive learning outcomes. Blogging is an increasingly popular web tool that can potentially aid educators by encouraging student self-disclosure. Both content analysis and focus groups were used to assess whether student self-disclosure reveals in descriptive, topical, and evaluative categories. The results indicate that blogging encourages student self-disclosure, and the implications of these findings are also discussed. Key Words: Blogging, Self-Disclosure, Education, Learning, and Internet Tools
Codes preventing quasi-catastrophic error propagation in partial-response systems

The problem of preventing quasi-catastrophic error propagation in maximum-likelihood and reduced-state sequence detection for multilevel partial-response channels with transfer functions (1-D/sup P/) and (1+D/sup P/) is studied. M-ary channel input sequences that limit the length of minimum distance error events to L symbols are exhaustively characterized by finite-state transition diagrams. An efficient procedure for computing the capacity associated with these transition diagrams is given. Efficient constrained codes that can be readily implemented by finite-state encoders and block decoders with small error propagation are constructed. >
Implication of Inflammatory Macrophages, Nuclear Receptors, and Interferon Regulatory Factors in Increased Virulence of Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus after Host Adaptation

While pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses were responsible for numerous severe infections in humans, these viruses do not typically cause corresponding severe disease in mammalian models. However, the generation of a virulent 2009 H1N1 virus following serial lung passage in mice has allowed for the modeling of human lung pathology in this species. Genetic determinants of mouse-adapted 2009 H1N1 viral pathogenicity have been identified, but the molecular and signaling characteristics of the host response following infection with this adapted virus have not been described. Here we compared the gene expression response following infection of mice with A/CA/04/2009 (CA/04) or the virulent mouse-adapted strain (MA-CA/04). Microarray analysis revealed that increased pathogenicity of MA-CA/04 was associated with the following: (i) an early and sustained inflammatory and interferon response that could be driven in part by interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) and increased NF-κB activation, as well as inhibition of the negative regulator TRIM24, (ii) early and persistent infiltration of immune cells, including inflammatory macrophages, and (iii) the absence of activation of lipid metabolism later in infection, which may be mediated by inhibition of nuclear receptors, including PPARG and HNF1A and -4A, with proinflammatory consequences. Further investigation of these signatures in the host response to other H1N1 viruses of various pathogenicities confirmed their general relevance for virulence of influenza virus and suggested that lung response to MA-CA/04 virus was similar to that following infection with lethal H1N1 r1918 influenza virus. This study links differential activation of IRFs, nuclear receptors, and macrophage infiltration with influenza virulence in vivo.
Performance evaluation of a packet voice system

A study is made of statistical multiplexing of voice packets from a number of packetized voice sources onto a single channel. Each source alternates between talkspurt (active period) and silence, and packets are generated during active periods only. The packets are buffered (in a finite size buffer) when transmission capacity is not available. An embedded Markov chain model is adopted to analyze the system and a numerical technique is presented to compute system performance. Simulation results validate the analysis. >
INHERENT VALUE SYSTEMS FOR AUTONOMOUS MENTAL DEVELOPMENT

The inherent value system of a developmental agent enables autonomous mental development to take place right after the agent's "birth." Biologically, it is not clear what basic components constitute a value system. In the computational model introduced here, we propose that inherent value systems should have at least three basic components: punishment, reward and novelty with decreasing weights from the first component to the last. Punishments and rewards are temporally sparse but novelty is temporally dense. We present a biologically inspired computational architecture that guides development of sensorimotor skills through real-time interactions with the environments, driven by an inborn value system. The inherent value system has been successfully tested on an artificial agent in a simulation environment and a robot in the real world.
The inverse association of cancer and Alzheimer's: a bioenergetic mechanism

The sporadic forms of cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are both age-related metabolic disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the two diseases are distinct: cancer is described by essentially limitless replicative potential, whereas neuronal death is a key feature of AD. Studies of the origin of both diseases indicate that their sporadic forms are the result of metabolic dysregulation, and a compensatory increase in energy transduction that is inversely related. In cancer, the compensatory metabolic effect is the upregulation of glycolysis—the Warburg effect; in AD, a bioenergetic model based on the interaction between astrocytes and neurons indicates that the compensatory metabolic alteration is the upregulation of oxidative phosphorylation—an inverse Warburg effect. These two modes of metabolic alteration could contribute to an inverse relation between the incidence of the two diseases. We invoke this bioenergetic mechanism to furnish a molecular basis for an epidemiological observation, namely the incidence of sporadic forms of cancer and AD is inversely related. We furthermore exploit the molecular mechanisms underlying the diseases to propose common therapeutic strategies for cancer and AD based on metabolic intervention.
Differences in physical characteristics and response to rehabilitation for patients with hand dystonia: musicians' cramp compared to writers' cramp.

Abstract Study Design Pre-Post, Mixed Factorial Trial. Introduction Focal hand dystonia is a challenging movement disorder to rehabilitate in musicians and writers. Purpose of the Study To compare the neuromusculoskeletal characteristics of those with writers' cramp (WC) and musicians' cramp (MC), and evaluate responsiveness to learning-based sensorimotor training. Methods Twenty-seven individuals (14 musicians, 13 writers) participated in 8 weeks of supervised therapy supplemented with a home program. Between-group differences on measures of musculoskeletal (physical), sensory, and motor performance were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention. Results Subjects with MC had a higher level of functional independence and better range of motion, but less strength in the affected upper limb than those of subjects with WC. Subjects with MC demonstrated greater accuracy on graphesthesia, kinesthesia, and localization at baseline. No between-group differences in motor performance were noted at baseline or post-intervention. Following individually adapted learning-based sensorimotor training, both groups improved in musculoskeletal (physical) parameters, sensory processing, and motor control; however, improvements on certain subtests differed by group. At follow-up, differences in posture, ROM, strength, graphesthesia, and kinesthesia persisted between the groups. Conclusions Subjects with WC have different physical and performance risk factors compared with those of subjects with MC. Intervention paradigms are efficacious, but variable responses to rehabilitation occur. Level of Evidence 4.
International Relations: The Long Road to Theory

It has become customary to begin a discussion of the nature and present state of the discipline of international relations with a number of complaints. This article will not abandon the custom; indeed, its purpose is, in the first place, to state the conviction that many of the problems we face in our field can be solved only by far more systematic theoretical work than has been done in the past—a conviction shared by most writers. Secondly, however, I will try to show that recent approaches to a general theory of international relations are unsatisfactory, because each one is, in its own fashion, a short cut to knowledge—sometimes even a short cut to a destination that is anything but knowledge.
Extinction in Multispecies and Spatially Explicit Models of Habitat Destruction

competitors may not be the first to become extinct during habitat destruction. Moreover, as habitat destruction proceeds, some species may be driven to extinction only
Kinetics of bulk photo-initiated copper(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) polymerizations

Photoinitiation of polymerizations based on the copper(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction enables spatio-temporal control and the formation of mechanically robust, highly glassy photopolymers. Here, we investigated several critical factors influencing photo-CuAAC polymerization kinetics via systematic variation of reaction conditions such as the physicochemical nature of the monomers; the copper salt and photoinitiator types and concentrations; light intensity; exposure time and solvent content. Real time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to monitor the polymerization kinetics in situ. Six different di-functional azide monomers and four different tri-functional alkyne monomers containing either aliphatic, aromatic, ether and/or carbamate substituents were synthesized and polymerized. Replacing carbamate structures with ether moieties in the monomers enabled an increase in conversion from 65% to 90% under similar irradiation conditions. The carbamate results in stiffer monomers and higher viscosity mixtures indicating that chain mobility and diffusion are key factors that determine the CuAAC network formation kinetics. Photoinitiation rates were manipulated by altering various aspects of the photo-reduction step; ultimately, a loading above 3 mol% per functional group for both the copper catalyst and the photoinitiator showed little or no rate dependence on concentration while a loading below 3 mol% exhibited 1st order rate dependence. Furthermore, a photoinitiating system consisting of camphorquinone resulted in 60% conversion in the dark after only 1 minute of 75 mW cm−2 light exposure at 400–500 nm, highlighting a unique characteristic of the CuAAC photopolymerization enabled by the combination of the copper(I)'s catalytic lifetime and the nature of the step-growth polymerization.
Grounding a Sociable Robot’s Movements in Multimodal, Situational Engagements

To deal with the question of what a sociable robot is, we describe how an educational robot is encountered by children, teachers and designers in a preschool. We consider the importance of the robot’s body by focusing on how its movements are contingently embedded in interactional situations. We point out that the effects of agency that these movements generate are inseparable from their grounding in locally coordinated, multimodal actions and interactions.
New York's Convenience of the Employer Rule: Conveniently Collecting Cash from Nonvoting Nonresidents, Part 1

The author looks at New York state's convenience of the employer rule for determining what individual income should be sourced to New York. The state's application of the rule is unconstitutional, the author says. He says state court opinions upholding the Department of Taxation and Finance's findings have been sloppy at best.
A Review of: “Brynjar Lia (2005) Globalization and the Future of Terrorism: Patterns and Predictions.”

Prediction is a hazardous job, particularly when it comes to the future. So goes a popular wisdom told in a jest. Yet, author Brynjar Lia navigates through this intellectual minefield with aplomb a...
Chromosomal, Biochemical, Mensural, Penile, and Cranial Variation in Desert Woodrats (Neotoma lepida)

Evidence derived from studies of chromosomes (C-banded, G-banded, and Ag-As silver stained), allozymes and blood proteins, mensural characters, qualitative cranial characters, and features of the glans penis indicates that the two chromosome races of Neotoma lepida are sibling species. Patterns of chromosome variation and the distribution of electrophoretically detected alleles at several loci indicate that gene flow between chromosome races is severely or completely restricted. Phenetic differences are comparable to those demonstrated between species in the N. floridana group and between species in other rodent species groups. Problems in the taxonomy of the lepida species group are discussed in the context of maintaining some measure of classificatory consistency within the genus Neotoma .
Dancing with Disaster: Environmental Histories, Narratives, and Ethics for Perilous Times

In late September, NASA confirmed the detection of liquid water on Mars. Perhaps serendipitously, Elon Musk anticipated this announcement by a few weeks with the prescription of an extended nuclear...
Calculation of rz structures from rs structures

Experimental bond lengths are determined in a variety of ways. Gas phase electron diffraction experiments give the thermal average value of the internuclear distance (rg). Two kinds of operational bond lengths (r0 and rs) may be derived directly from rotational and rotation-vibrational spectroscopy. The distance between the equilibrium nuclear positions is called re, and that between the average nuclear positions at zero K is called rz. The relationship derived for diatomic molecules, rs = (rc + rz)2, was used to estimate the rs structures from molecular mechanics (MM3) calculations of rg, and subsequently rz and re bond lengths, for a group of 23 molecules. This relationship works well for polyatomic molecules. The root-mean-square (RMS) deviation between experimental rs bond lengths and those evaluated by the MM3 force field over this set of molecules is 0.0058 A, which is similar to the experimental uncertainty (RMS = 0.0066 A).
Dynamics Model of a Three-Wheeled Mobile Robot Taking into Account Slip of Wheels

The problem of modeling of dynamics of a three-wheeled mobile robot is analyzed in this paper. The robot has two non-steered driven wheels and a caster. Kinematic structure of the robot and its kinematics are described. Dynamics model of the robot dedicated for control applications is derived. It takes into account tire-ground contact conditions and slip of wheels. The tire-ground contact conditions are characterized by coefficients of friction and rolling resistance. The tire model in a simple form, which considers only the most important effects of tire-ground interaction, is applied. Electromechanical model of a servomotor used for driving the robot is also included.
Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Practice, and Student Achievement.

In this exploratory study, we attempted to measure potential changes in teacher knowledge and practice as a result of an intervention, as well as trace such changes through a theoretical path of in...