cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Timing of ischemic insult alters fetal growth trajectory, maternal angiogenic balance, and markers of renal oxidative stress in the pregnant rat

Increased uterine artery resistance and angiogenic imbalance characterized by increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and decreased free vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are often associated with placental insufficiency and preeclampsia but not synonymous with hypertension. We hypothesized chronic reductions in utero-placental perfusion (RUPP) for 5 days (d) during either mid- (d12-d17) or late (d14-d19) gestation would have disparate effects on plasma sFlt-1 and VEGF levels and blood pressure. Five days of chronic RUPP was achieved by placement of silver clips on the abdominal aorta and ovarian arteries on either gestational d12 or d14. Arterial pressure was increased (P < 0.05) in RUPP vs. normal pregnant (NP) in both d17 (10%) and d19 (25%) groups, respectively. Circulating free VEGF was decreased (P < 0.05) and sFlt-1:VEGF ratio increased (P < 0.05) after 5 days of RUPP ending on d19 but not d17 compared with NP controls. Angiogenic imbalance, measured by an endothelial tube formation assay, was present in the d19 RUPP but not the d17 RUPP compared with age-matched NP rats. Five days of RUPP from days 14 to 19 decreased fetal and placental weights 10% (P < 0.01) compared with d19 NP controls. After 5 days of RUPP, from days 12 to 17 of pregnancy, fetal weights were 21% lighter (P < 0.01) compared with d17 NP controls, but placental weight was unchanged. These findings suggest that the timing during which placental insufficiency occurs may play an important role in determining the extent of alterations in angiogenic balance, fetal growth restriction, and the severity of placental ischemia-induced hypertension.
A critical analysis of claims for the existence of Southeast Asian australopithecines

Abstract This study critically analyses claims for the reality of Southeast Asian australopithecines by employing computer intensive, phylogenetic systematic methodology. Five putative "Asian australopithecine" specimens from Sangiran, central Java, Indonesia, are compared cladistically to seven hominid species and the outgroup Pan by several of the discrete character analysis programs available in the PHYLIP computer package. None of the results support the null hypothesis of the existence of extra-African Australopithecus in that the Sangiran hominids are uniformly linked to the H. erectus/H. sapiens clade in all of the most parsimonious trees that were produced. It is concluded that the morphology and chronological placement of the Sangiran hominids are best accommodated by assignment to the spatio-temporally diverse, extinct hominid species of Homo erectus.
A quantitative study of the pathways involved in the formation of radiolysis products in ethyl palmitate

The various compounds produced by irradiation in ethyl palmitate have been determined by direct mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Postulated mechanisms for their formation have been confirmed by a comparison of product yields, and a material balance is shown between the G-values for products and their putative precursors. The total product yield is seen to be nearly equal to the amount of radiation absorbed. Three new radiolysis products, viz. ethyl α-ethylpalmitate, ethyl hexadecen-2-oate and butyl palmitate are reported.
Inorganic pyrophosphatase of Trichomonas vaginalis.

Trichomonas vaginalis homogenates were found to have an acid inorganic pyrophosphatase activity with a specific activity at pH 4.8 of about 7 nmol min−1 (mg protein)−1. This activity was localized predominantly in hydrolase containing particles, showed structure-bound latency and was tightly membrane-bound. The activity showed no magnesium dependence, a Km of about 2 mM inorganic pyrophosphate, a pH optimum of 5.2 and was inhibited by fluoride at millimolar levels. No evidence was obtained for the existence of a cytosolic magnesium-dependent activity but the existence of a low level of magnesium-independent cytosolic activity cannot be excluded. These observations correlate with the importance of cytosolic inorganic pyrophosphate in the carbohydrate catabolism in T. vaginalis.
Social Constraints on Sociological Knowledge: Academics and Research Concerning Minorities

During the past few years there has been a resurgence of self-criticism in sociology. At the same time, sociology, and the social sciences in general, have been subject to attack from other groups as well. Some of the most dramatic and disturbing criticisms have come from minority groups. In 1965 Moynihan was strongly denounced by some black leaders for an analysis that many social scientists regarded as relatively sound. Despite its recognizable shortcomings, the Moynihan Report faithfully summarized much of what social scientists "knew about Negroes" and their problems (Rainwater and Yancey, 1967). A year later (before its findings had been developed or published), the first large-scale study of Mexican Americans was attacked by the Mexican American Political As-
Multiple tobacco product use among adults in the United States: Cigarettes, cigars, electronic cigarettes, hookah, smokeless tobacco, and snus

Abstract Objective Noncigarette tobacco products are increasingly popular. Researchers need to understand multiple tobacco product use to assess the effects of these products on population health. We estimate national prevalence and examine risk factors for multiple product use. Method We calculated prevalence estimates of current use patterns involving cigarettes, cigars, electronic cigarettes, hookah, smokeless tobacco, and snus using data from the 2012 RTI National Adult Tobacco Survey (N = 3627), a random-digit-dial telephone survey of adults aged 18 and over. Associations between use patterns (exclusive single product and multiple products) and demographic characteristics were examined using Pearson chi-square tests and logistic regression. Results 32.1% of adults currently use 1 or more tobacco products; 14.9% use cigarettes exclusively, and 6.6% use one noncigarette product exclusively, 6.9% use cigarettes with another product (dual use), 1.3% use two noncigarette products, and 2.4% use three or more products (polytobacco use). Smokers who are young adult, male, never married, reside in the West, and made prior quit attempts were at risk for multiple product use. Conclusions Over 10% of U.S. adults use multiple tobacco products. A better understanding of multiple product use involving combustible products, like cigars and hookah, is needed. Multiple product use may be associated with past quit attempts.
Triple-Helix Formation by Pyrimidine Oligonucleotides Containing Nonnatural Nucleosides with Extended Aromatic Nucleobases: Intercalation from the major groove as a method for recognizing C·G and T·A base pairs

The sequence-specific recognition of double-helical DNA by oligonucleotide-directed triple helix formation is limited primarily to purine tracts. To identify potential lead compounds which are able to extend the sequence repertoire of triple helical complexes, we designed two carbocyclic nucleosides with nucleobases attached via amide bonds. N5-[(1R, 2S, 3R, 4R)-3-hydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxycyclopentyl]-2-{[(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)carbonyl]-amino}thiazole-5-carboxamide (L1) and 2-benzamido-N^5-[(1R, 2S, 3R, 4R)-3-hydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methoxycyclopentyl]thiazole-5-carboxamide (L2) were synthesized and incorporated into pyrimidine oligonucleotides. The 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxymethyl (SEM) protecting group for the 1H-pyrrole NH was found to be compatible with DNA solid-phase synthesis of pyrimidine Oligonucleotides. By quantitative DNase I footprinting analysis, both nonnatural nucleosides L1 and L2 showed preferential binding of pyrimidine over purine bases: L1/2·(C·G) ≈ L1/2·(T · A) > L1/2·(G·C) ≈ L1/2·(A · T). Comparison with the previously reported nonnatural nucleosides with extended aromatic nucleobases 1-(2-deoxy-β-d-ribofuranosyl)-4-(3-benzamidophenyl)-imidazole (D3) and N^4-[6-(benzamido)pyridin-2-yl]-2′-deoxycytidine (^(bz)M) suggests that the observed binding selectivity C · G ≈ T · A > G · C ≈ A · T for the nucleoside analogs L1, L2, D3, and ^(bz)M is derived from sequence-specific intercalation with preferential stacking of their nucleobases over pyrimidine · purine Watson-Crick base pairs.
Social Organization of Wintering Blue Jays

Blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) differ from most New World jays by not breeding communally. Thus, blue jays have been considered less social than other New World jays. This study re-examined blue jay sociality by determining the extent of social organization in the non-breeding season. Color-banded blue jays were observed for 3 years at the Wachusett Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in central Massachusetts. Of 413 jays that were banded, 78 were present in the Sanctuary at least 4 weeks after their inititial banding and 7 others were observed at an adjacent Farm, about 600 m from the main study site. During winter, a jay group centered its activities around a backyard birdfeeder. This group remained distinct from a neighboring group. Many jays returned to the group in successive winters. Replacement of parents by their offspring also occurred. A stable dominance hierarchy was established in the group and this hierarchy showed some stability over successive winters. A blue jay vocalization, the bell call, showed both inter- and intragroup variation in some call parameters. This variation was sufficient to allow for the identification of groups as well as the individuals within groups. Thus, blue jays are highly social during the non-breeding season. Furthermore, this sociality does not appear to diminish in the breeding season.
The Use of Step Weakeners in Photographic Photometry

This paper describes the calibration and use of a five-step weakener in determining the intensities of spectral lines. The employment of a very constant source of radiation consisting of a quartz mercury arc, the voltage of which was held to ±0.2 volt by an air jet controlled by a relay in the arm of a Wheatstone bridge, made the calibration and use of the weakener comparatively simple and rapid. The results of actual measurements are given to illustrate the precision to be expected when using such a weakener.
Divergence of growth hormone actions on hepatic drug metabolism in the presence and absence of the pituitary gland.

Abstract Experiments were carried out to compare the effects of growth hormone on hepatic drug oxidation in normal and hypophysectomized rats. Administration of growth hormone to normal male rats lowered hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 content and decreased the rates of ethylmorphine n-demethylation and aniline hydroxylation. These effects were fully manifested in orchiectomized or adrenalectomized males, excluding a dependence upon endogenous steroids. Growth hormone was without effect on hepatic drug metabolism or cytochrome P-450 content in normal female rats. In contrast to its actions in animals with intact pituitary glands, administration of growth hormone to hypophysectomized rats of either sex increased the rate of ethylmorphine metabolism. Furthermore, in both males and females, aniline hydroxylation and microsomal cytochrome P-450 content were unaffected by growth hormone in the absence of the pituitary gland. Prolactin administration did not affect hypophysectomized or in normal rats of either sex. The results indicate that the nature of growth hormone actions on hepatic drug oxidation is pituitary-dependent and probably intertwined with the effects of other hormones. Furthermore, the direct physiological effects of growth hormone on hepatic mixed function oxidases seem to depend upon the substrate employed.
Advanced Case Management Enabled by Business Provenance

Most human centric business activities, like the handling of an insurance claim or the design of an IT solution, do not follow a formal process model word-by-word. While there are often underlying processes in place, the real business operation typically encompasses a wider scope of actions. It includes unstructured segments of human activities, additional documents and interactions, the integration of remote systems and services, and the reactions to exceptional situations. With the case management approach, the knowledge worker in the center takes control and acts as an orchestrator of available services rather than being a part of an assembly line. This paper presents how data-centric web services can be used to build a service-oriented case management application, and how advanced analytics can leverage historical information to improve the effectiveness of business processes execution.
Studies on the oxidation of muscle triglycerides

To study factors which might influence oxidation of muscle triglycerides, pieces of rat diaphragms were prelabelled with palmitate-1-14C for one hour and the subsequent changes in tissue lipids and 14CO2 production were measured. Muscle lipids were separated on silicic acid columns and the amount and specific activities of triglycerides, phospholipids and free fatty acids were determined before and after a second hour of incubation in the absence of glucose and radioactive palmitate. Changes in these parameters strongly suggested that over 80% of the 14CO2 produced during the second hour of incubation was derived from diaphragm triglyceride. Therefore, changes in 14CO2 production under these conditions were an index of triglyceride oxidation. The following agents had no effect on this pathway: cosyntropin (Cortrosyn®), nicotinic acid, insulin, acetylcholine, carbamylcholine chloride (Carbachol®), thyrotropin stimulating hormone, glucagon, prostaglandin E1 prostaglandin E2, dexamethasone, growth hormone, adenosine, di-butyryl cyclic guanosine monophosphate, imidazole, norepinephrine, and methoxamine. 14CO2 production was decreased by epinephrine (via its β-adrenergic action), isoproterenol, isobutyl-methylxanthine, and dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate. However, this effect was due to enhanced glycogenosis which diluted out lipid-derived carbon with a carbohydrate source. Aminophylline and theophylline increased lipid oxidation to 14CO2. Further studies revealed that this effect occurred distal to lipolysis (i.e., on free fatty acid oxidation to CO2). Since isobutylmethylxanthine did not affect 14CO2 production from lipid, aminophylline may influence free fatty acid oxidation by a mechanism other than inhibition of phosphodiesterase. The inability to find agents which modify oxidation of triglycerides in rat diaphragm suggests that rapid mobilization of lipid is not important as an energy source for muscle.
Two-Photon Absorption Induced Thermal-Optic Effect in High-Q Silicon Microring Resonators

We demonstrate resonance wavelength shift in high-Q silicon microring resonators by varying a CW optical pump input. The wavelength shift, proportional to the square of the pump power, is attributed to two-photon absorption induced thermal-optic effect.
Medical therapy for the patient with obesity.

Although the prevalence of overweight in the United States during the past decade has been stable and the median body mass index (BMI), at least in women, may have remained constant,1,2 the prevalence of obesity now exceeds 34% of US adults,1 and the prevalence of more severe obesity continues to rise at alarming rates. Excessive weight is a problem for children and adolescents, as well.3 The fundamental problem underlying obesity is a small, but prolonged, positive energy balance, where energy derived from food exceeds energy expended for everyday living.3,4 Obesity is associated with many illnesses that are related to and may be caused by excess fat.5 Selection of medications for these associated conditions should take into consideration the effect of the selected drugs on body weight, because obesity is a root cause in most cases. One of the key messages for patients with obesity is that when caloric intake is reduced below that needed for daily energy expenditure, there is a predictable rate of weight loss.6 Men generally lose weight slightly faster than women of similar height and weight on any given diet, because men have more lean body mass and therefore higher energy expenditure. Similarly, older patients have a lower metabolic expenditure and as a rule lose weight more slowly than do younger patients with similar adherence to weight-loss programs. Thus, adherence to any program is an essential component of success. If obesity is the result of a prolonged small difference between energy intake and energy expenditure, then losing body fat requires reversing this imbalance. According to Guidelines (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Guidelines, 1998, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.htm) the use of medication to help patients adhere to lifestyle change is indicated for individuals with BMI ≥27 kg/m2 and at …
Optimization of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer as transparent composite electrode (TCE) deposited on flexible substrate at room temperature

Highly transparent conductive composite electrodes made of multilayer of TiO2 and Cu (TiO2/Cu/ TiO2) thin films (30/3‐9/30nm thick) are deposited onto flexible substrates at room temperature. The micro-structural, optical and electrical properties of the multilayer are studied with the use of atomic force microscopy, uv-visible spectrophotometry and Hall measurement tool. The Haacke figure of merit (FOM) has been calculated to evaluate the performance of the multilayer films. The highest FOM achieved is 6.4 ×10 −3 � −1 for a Cu thickness of 6 nm with a sheet resistance of 19 � /sq and an average transmittance of 81%.
Identification of Cellular Proteins That Interact with the Adeno-Associated Virus Rep Protein

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) codes for four related nonstructural Rep proteins. AAV both replicates and assembles in the nucleus and requires coinfection with a helper virus, either adenovirus (Ad) or herpesvirus, for a productive infection. Like other more complex DNA viruses, it is believed that AAV interacts or modifies host cell proteins to carry out its infection cycle. To date, relatively little is known about the host proteins that interact with the viral Rep proteins, which are known to be directly involved in DNA replication, control of viral and cellular transcription, splicing, and protein translation. In this study, we used affinity-tagged Rep protein to purify cellular protein complexes that were associated with Rep in cells that had been infected with Ad and AAV. In all, we identified 188 cellular proteins from 16 functional categories, including 14 transcription factors, 6 translation factors, 15 potential splicing proteins, 5 proteins involved in protein degradation, and 13 proteins involved in DNA replication or repair. This dramatically increases the number of potential interactions over the current number of approximately 26. Twelve of the novel proteins found were further tested by coimmunoprecipitation or colocalization using confocal immunomicroscopy. Of these, 10 were confirmed as proteins that formed complexes with Rep, including proteins of the MCM complex (DNA replication), RCN1 (membrane transport), SMC2 (chromatin dynamics), EDD1 (ubiquitin ligase), IRS4 (signal transduction), and FUS (splicing). Computer analysis suggested that 45 and 28 of the 188 proteins could be placed in a pathway of interacting proteins involved in DNA replication and protein synthesis, respectively. Of the proteins involved in DNA replication, all of the previously identified proteins involved in AAV DNA replication were found, except Ad DBP. The only Ad protein found to interact with Rep was the E1b55K protein. In addition, we confirmed that Rep interacts with Ku70/80 helicase. In vitro DNA synthesis assays demonstrated that although Ku helicase activity could substitute for MCM to promote strand displacement synthesis, its presence was not essential. Our study suggests that the interaction of AAV with cellular proteins is much more complex than previously suspected and provides a resource for further studies of the AAV life cycle.
COUPLED FLUID-STRUCTURE 3-D SOLID ROCKET MOTOR SIMULATIONS

We describe our numerical method for three- dimensional simulations of solid rocket motors in which the internal gas dynamics, the combustion of the propellant, and the structural response are fully coupled. The combustion zone is treated as a thin layer using appropriate jump conditions, and the re- gression rate is determined using a nonlinear dynamic combustion model. An Arbitrary Lagrangian- Eulerian formulation is used in the gas dynamics and structural mechanics modules to follow the regres- sion of the propellant. We demonstrate the parallel scalability of our ALE implementation and its ability to handle significant burn back of the propellant on a model problem with a very high burn rate.
Phylogeny of iguanian lizards inferred from 29 nuclear loci, and a comparison of concatenated and species-tree approaches for an ancient, rapid radiation.

Iguanian lizards form a diverse clade whose members have been the focus of many comparative studies of ecology, behavior, and evolution. Despite the importance of phylogeny to such studies, interrelation- ships among many iguanian clades remain uncertain. Within the Old World clade Acrodonta, Agamidae is sometimes found to be paraphyletic with respect to Chamaeleonidae, and recent molecular studies have produced conflicting results for many major clades. Within the largely New World clade Pleurodonta, relationships among the 12 currently recognized major subclades (mostly ranked as families) have been largely unresolved or poorly supported in previous studies. To clarify iguanian evolutionary history, we first infer phylogenies using concatenated maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian analyses of DNA sequence data from 29 nuclear protein-coding genes for 47 iguanian and 29 outgroup taxa. We then esti- mate a relaxed-clock Bayesian chronogram for iguanians using BEAST. All three methods produce iden- tical topologies. Within Acrodonta, we find strong support for monophyly of Agamidae with respect to Chamaeleonidae, and for almost all relationships within agamids. Within Pleurodonta, we find strong Bayesian support for almost all relationships, and strong ML support for some interfamilial relationships and for monophyly of almost all families (excepting Polychrotidae). Our phylogenetic results suggest a non-traditional biogeographic scenario in which pleurodonts originated in the Northern Hemisphere and subsequently spread southward into South America. The pleurodont portion of the tree is character- ized by several very short, deep branches, raising the possibility of deep coalescences that may confound concatenated analyses. We therefore also use 27 of these genes to implement a coalescent-based species- tree approach for pleurodonts. Although this analysis strongly supports monophyly of the pleurodont families, interfamilial relationships are generally different from those in the concatenated tree, and support is uniformly poor. However, a species-tree analysis using only the seven most variable loci yields higher support and more congruence with the concatenated tree. This suggests that low support in the 27-gene species-tree analysis may be an artifact of the many loci that are uninformative for very short branches. This may be a general problem for the application of species-tree methods to rapid radiations, even with phylogenomic data sets. Finally, we correct the non-monophyly of Polychrotidae by recognizing the pleurodont genus Anolis (sensu lato) as a separate family (Dactyloidae), and we correct the non-monophyly of the agamid genus Physignathus by resurrection of the genus Istiurus for the former Physignathus lesueurii.
Twenty- Five Years of Contrastive Rhetoric: Text Analysis and Writing Pedagogies

Contrastive rhetoric studies with implications for the ESL writing classroom began with Robert Kaplan's 1966 study of some 600 L2 student essays. This work was exploratory and, to a degree, more intuitive than scientific, but valuable in establishing contrastive rhetoric as a new field of inquiry. It has also created controversy. Kaplan's diagrams of rhetorical patterns have been widely reprinted, appearing even in ESL composition textbooks. Indeed, it is in L2 writing classes that contrastive rhetoric work has the greatest potential practical application. The diagrams, with their implications in regard to patterns of written discourse, readily place contrastive rhetoric into the current traditional approach to teaching ESL writing (Silva, 1990), but contrastive rhetoric has not found much favor with those who adopt a process orientation to teaching writing. Proponents of process approaches maintain that contrastive rhetoric research examines the product only, detaching it from and ignoring both the contrastive rhetorical context from which the L2 writers emerge and the processes these writers may have gone through to produce a text. Furthermore, as a result of this research orientation toward the product, when the findings of contrastive rhetoric have been applied to L2 writing, they have, almost by definition, been prescriptive: In English we write like this; those who would write well in English must look at this pattern and imitate it. Modern contrastive rhetoric researchers, hoping to reconcile contrastive rhetoric to teaching composition, insist, perhaps somewhat defensively, that text-oriented research does not equal product-oriented writing instruction (Grabe & Kaplan, 1989). While that may be the case, in practice the diagrams have, in fact, been used to justify prescriptive approaches to teaching writing. Even more unfortunately, perhaps because of the simplicity of the diagrams, the findings of early contrastive rhetoric studies were
Development of self-produced locomotion in the first year: changes in parent perceptions and infant behaviour

Self-produced locomotion is regarded as a setting event for other developmental transitions in infancy with important implications for socioemotional development and parent–child interaction. Using an age-held-constant design, this study examined changes in reported infant behaviour and maternal proactive/reactive control and compared them with direct observations of infant and maternal behaviour associated with the development of selfproduced locomotion. Maternal reports were obtained prior to the locomotor transition and, for half the sample, after infants had transitioned to effective mobility. Observations of all infants were conducted shortly after the second interview. Prelocomotor and transitioning infants showed none of the expected behavioural differences (e.g. emotionality and compliance) associated with the locomotor transition. There was modest confirmation of expected differences in maternal behaviour, particularly in the use of reactive control techniques, and mothers of transitioning infants showed higher proactive controls before their infants began to crawl. These findings suggest that the changes in parent–child interaction associated with the locomotor transition may have as much to do with parental expectations than with changes in infant socioemotional behaviour. Copyright r 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human and rodent hantavirus infection in New York State: public health significance of an emerging infectious disease.

Background: A case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome with possible exposure in New York and/or Rhode Island was confirmed in February 1994. Objective: To conduct four studies to determine the historical and geographic distribution of human and small-mammal infection with hantaviruses in New York State. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed on serum samples obtained from 130 humans during a 1978 babesiosis survey, 907 small mammals collected in New York State since 1984,12 rodents collected in 1994 near the residences of the patients with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and 76 New York patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome—like illness (as suspected cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome). Results: None of the human serum samples from the 1978 serosurvey showed evidence of hantavirus exposure by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statewide historical serum samples from white-footed mice showed evidence of Sin Nombre virus infection in 12.0% (97/809) and Seoul-like virus infection in 9.6% (78/ 809). Site-specific seropositivity rates were as high as 48.5% with Sin Nombre virus during 1 year (1984). Two of 12 mice captured near the residences of a human patient were positive for Sin Nombre virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, yet were negative for viral RNA by polymerase chain reaction. None of the patients with suspected hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was serologically reactive for Sin Nombre virus. Conclusions: We provide serologic evidence of small-mammal infection with hantaviruses in New York State as long ago as 1984. Human cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome are rare in New York, and data indicate that transmission to humans is probably infrequent. A unique set of host, agent, and environmental factors may be necessary to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in humans. (Arch Intern Med. 1996;156:722-726)
Intelligent Algorithms for Maze Exploration and Exploitation

The purpose of the project is to develop maze exploration algorithms for a multi-agent system, using autonomous robots, that allows the agents to successfully navigate through an array of different mazes based on the game Theseus and the Minotaur. Theseus and the Minotaur is a maze game in which Theseus tries to get to the exit of each maze without being eaten by the Minotaur. For every one move Theseus makes, the Minotaur can make two. The mazes become progressively harder as each maze is completed. A single intelligence system is made up of algorithms for the robots to use in order successfully simulate the Theseus and the Minotaur game. One of the robots will represent Theseus and the other robot will represent the Minotaur. The Theseus robot will work to traverse the maze while avoiding the Minotaur. The Minotaur robot will work to navigate through the maze in order to catch the Theseus robot. The goal is to have the robots simulate the Theseus and the Minotaur game without any human interaction. The next step is to validate the developed algorithms in a laboratory experiment using programmable mobile robots.
IRE1 directs proteasomal and lysosomal degradation of misfolded rhodopsin

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is responsible for folding of secreted and membrane proteins in eukaryotic cells. Disruption of ER protein folding leads to ER stress. Chronic ER stress can cause cell death and is proposed to underlie the pathogenesis of many human diseases. Inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) directs a key unfolded protein response signaling pathway that controls the fidelity of ER protein folding. IRE1 signaling may be particularly helpful in preventing chronic ER stress and cell injury by alleviating protein misfolding in the ER. To examine this, we used a chemical-genetic approach to selectively activate IRE1 in mammalian cells and tested how artificial IRE1 signaling affected the fate of misfolded P23H rhodopsin linked to photoreceptor cell death. We found that IRE1 signaling robustly promoted the degradation of misfolded P23H rhodopsin without affecting its wild-type counterpart. We also found that IRE1 used both proteasomal and lysosomal degradation pathways to remove P23H rhodopsin. Surprisingly, when one degradation pathway was compromised, IRE1 signaling could still promote misfolded rhodopsin degradation using the remaining pathway. Last, we showed that IRE1 signaling also reduced levels of several other misfolded rhodopsins with lesser effects on misfolded cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Our findings reveal the diversity of proteolytic mechanisms used by IRE1 to eliminate misfolded rhodopsin.
Beneficial effects of eplerenone versus hydrochlorothiazide on coronary circulatory function in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Context: Impaired coronary circulatory function predicts cardiovascular events, the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes mellitus. Aldosterone causes cardiovascular injury and is not suppressed by chronic angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor therapy. Objective: Our objective was to assess whether mineralocorticoid receptor activation contributes to coronary circulatory dysfunction in patients with diabetes who are already receiving ACE inhibitor therapy. Design and Setting: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study with an intervening washout period of at least 4 wk was conducted with ambulatory patients from the community. Patients: Patients included 16 subjects (11 men, eight Caucasians; mean age, 53 yr; mean body mass index, 38.0 kg/m2) with diabetes and albuminuria but without clinical cardiovascular disease. Interventions: ACE inhibitors were switched to enalapril 20 mg daily, and other antihypertensives were discontinued. Amlodipine 5–10 mg daily was added to achieve blood pre...
Managing risks in IT projects: an options perspective

Organizations are making large investments in information technology (IT) projects. However, many are risky and are often considered runaway, because they do not meet original expectations of cost, time, or benefits. Effective management of risks in IT projects is therefore extremely important. This paper emphasizes the need to differentiate between risks that can be resolved by action and risks that require hedging. It presents a framework for understanding and hedging risks in IT projects based on the finance literature on real options. This framework can be used to understand and justify project management decisions. The insight provided by this framework is consistent with practical managerial decisions in IT project management.
Remote Sensing of Riparian Buffers: Past Progress and Future Prospects

Riparian buffer zone management is an area of increasing relevance as human modification of the landscape continues unabated. Land and water resource managers are continually challenged to maintain stream ecosystem integrity and water quality in the context of rapidly changing land use, which often offsets management gains. Approaches are needed not only to map vegetation cover in riparian zones, but also to monitor the changes taking place, target restoration activities, and assess the success of previous management actions. To date, these objectives have been difficult to meet using traditional techniques based on aerial photos and field visits, particularly over large areas. Recent advances in remote sensing have the potential to substantially aid buffer zone management. Very high resolution imagery is now available that allows detailed mapping and monitoring of buffer zone vegetation and provides a basis for consistent assessments using moderately high resolution remote sensing (e.g., Landsat). Laser-based remote sensing is another advance that permits even more detailed information on buffer zone properties, such as refined topographic derivatives and multidimensional vegetation structure. These sources of image data and map information are reviewed in this paper, examples of their application to riparian buffer mapping and stream health assessment are provided, and future prospects for improved buffer monitoring are discussed.
The Visibility of Illicit Drugs: Implications for Community-based Drug Control Strategies.

Objectives. This study examined differences between the visibility of drugs and drug use in more than 2100 neighborhoods, challenging an assumption about drug use in poor, minority, and urban communities. Methods. A telephone survey assessed substance use and attitudes across 41 communities in an evaluation of a national community-based demand reduction program. Three waves of data were collected from more than 42 000 respondents. Results. Measures of neighborhood disadvantage, population density, and proportion of minority residents explained more than 57% of the variance between census tracts in visibility of drug sales but less than 10% of tract-to-tract variance in drug use. Visible drug sales were 6.3 times more likely to be reported in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods than in the least disadvantaged, while illicit drug use was only 1.3 times more likely. Conclusions. The most disadvantaged neighborhoods have the most visible drug problems, but drug use is nearly equally distributed across all co...
Effects of Prosocial Motivation on Environmental Innovation Non-Adoption Decisions by Businesses

While the political and consumer conscious has turned increasingly green, many firms are resisting the adoption of environment-friendly technological innovations -- even in the face of higher costs...
Hunger in the Balance: The new politics of international food aid, by Jennifer Clapp

Food aid is a controversial aspect of international development assistance. Plagued by decades of debate over the inefficiencies and politics of the terms and conditions of food assistance, food ai...
Saturation Mutagenesis of Human Interleukin-3

A deletion variant of human interleukin-3, hIL-315-125, was produced in the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli and had full activity in an AML193.1.3 cell proliferation assay. Libraries of random single-amino acid substitutions were constructed at each of 105 positions in the gene for hIL-315-125. Approximately eight single-site substitutions at each position were produced in osmotic shock fractions and screened for activity. 15 mutants were found with bioactivity of 5-26-fold greater than that of native hIL-3. The majority of amino acids in hIL-315-125 could be substituted without substantial loss of activity. Substitution of residues predicted to be in the hydrophobic core of the protein often resulted in reduced activity and/or low accumulation levels. Only five residues predicted to be on the surface of the protein were intolerant of substitution and hence are candidates for sites of interaction with the receptor. We therefore propose that the majority of residues in hIL-3 serve a structural role and permit the display of a few key residues in the correct configuration for recognition by the receptor.
Image-driven pharmacokinetics: nanomedicine concentration across space and time

Clinical pharmacokinetics (PK) primarily measures the concentration of drugs in the blood. For nanomedicines it may be more relevant to determine concentration within a target tissue. The emerging field of image-driven PK, which utilizes clinically accepted molecular imaging technology, empirically and noninvasively, measures concentration in multiple tissues. Image-driven PK represents the intersection of PK and biodistribution, combining to provide models of concentration across space and time. Image-driven PK can be used both as a research tool and in the clinic. This review explores the history of pharmacokinetics, technologies used in molecular imaging (especially positron emission tomography) and research using image-driven pharmacokinetic analysis. When standardized, image-driven PK may have significant implications in preclinical development as well as clinical optimization of targeted nanomedicines.
Changes in negative urgency, positive urgency, and sensation seeking across adolescence.

Abstract The development and potential co-development of traits related to impulsivity and sensation seeking across adolescence has garnered substantial attention within the extant literature. Some prior research suggests that facets show distinct patterns of change across adolescence and that intraindividual changes in these traits may be unrelated. However, the extant literature is somewhat hampered by measurement issues and inconsistent findings. Using an accelerated longitudinal design in a sample of adolescents ( n = 1018; ages 11–16), changes in negative urgency, positive urgency, and sensation seeking were examined. The three facets showed similar trajectories across time (i.e., increasing during early adolescence before leveling off). Across all facets, there was strong evidence of correlated change, suggesting these traits are, developmentally, strongly related phenomena.
The Liability Environment for Physicians Providing Nursing Home Medical Care: Does it Make a Difference for Residents?

Virtually all current residents of nursing homes in the United States have significant physical or mental problems requiring ongoing, competent medical attention. Physicians may be involved in the provision of medical care to nursing home residents in several different ways. This article reports on a research project involving a literature review, legal review, and the conduct of more than forty-five individual telephone and in-person conversations with key informants. The author attempts to identify and analyze the anxieties that physicians have about their own legal risks associated with nursing home involvement as either medical directors or attending physicians and how those legal anxieties may affect, positively or negatively, the quality of care and quality of life experienced by nursing home residents. The findings reported here form the basis for prescriptive recommendations for improving long-term care policy and industry practice.
American women of color and rational non-candidacy: when silent citizenship makes politics look like old white men shouting

Candidate emergence research emphasizes the importance of political ambition in determining who runs and, therefore, who governs. Political scientists tend to assume that there is a sufficient quantity of people of sufficient quality and diversity to form good, representative governments. Yet my research finds strong ‘candidate deterrent effects’ for women of color – effectively silencing people who would be strong candidates and representatives. I draw on data from an original survey and interviews with a unique group of young eligible candidates. These data suggest that women of color lack faith in politics’ ability to solve problems and perceive it as a discriminatory space. Their aversion to running is fully rational, based on perceptions of high costs and low rewards involved in candidacies. But their rational decisions lead to a system-level irrationality of continuing unrepresentative government that silences the ‘different voice’ emerging from race and gender diversity.
Overview of the Practice of International Taxation

This is the long paper I wrote that I use as required reading for my introductory course to international taxation. The course name is "Taxation of Trans-Pacific Transactions" and is somewhat focused at the Asia-Pacific region due to my years residing and practicing there. However, the paper is broader, focusing on international taxation principles and tools generally found in the tax laws of many countries worldwide.The paper includes a chapter providing background and other information on the G-20/OECD BEPS project.Goals of Course:• Develop thought processes and work methodologies for approaching cross-border planning• Gain knowledge of and skills in applying international tax principles and tools• Develop knowledge of and facility in using available English language research sources for Asia/Pacific countries (with a few exceptions, there will not be any focus on US tax law relating to international transactions since such will have been covered in the International Taxation Inbound and Outbound courses)• Learn certain particulars of selected Asia/Pacific countries• Develop sensitivity to identify opportunities for the taxation systems of two or more countries to work well together for the advantage of the taxpayer and its business as well as sensitivity to risks when they do not work well together
Neonatal Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Microbiome in Cystic Fibrosis: Potential Interactions and Implications for Systemic Health

Abstract Purpose The gastrointestinal microbiome plays a critical role in nutrition and metabolic and immune functions in infants and young children and has implications for lifelong health. Cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator ( CFTR ) mutations in CF result in viscous mucous production, frequent exposure to antibiotics, and atypical colonization patterns, resulting in an evolving dysbiosis of the gastrointestinal and respiratory microsystems; dysbiosis in CF results in systemic inflammation, chronic infection, and dysregulation of immune function. Dysbiosis in both the respiratory system and gut contributes to undernutrition, growth failure, and long-term respiratory and systemic morbidity in infants and children with CF. Understanding the role that the gut and respiratory microbiome plays in health or disease progression in CF will afford opportunities to better identify interventions to affect clinical changes. Methods Summary was done of the pertinent literature in CF and the study of the microbiome and probiotics. Findings New studies have identified bacteria in the respiratory tract in CF that are typically members of the intestinal microbiota, and enteral exposures to breast milk and probiotics are associated with prolonged periods of respiratory stability in CF. Implications Understanding the complex interactions between the CFTR mutations, microbial colonization, and mucosal and systemic immunity is of major importance to inform new treatment strategies (such as restoring a healthier microbiome with probiotics or dietary interventions) to improve nutritional status and immune competence and to decrease morbidity and mortality in CF.
Why Do Firms Hire Using Referrals? Evidence from Bangladeshi Garment Factories

I argue that firms use referrals from current workers to mitigate a moral hazard problem. I develop a model in which referrals relax a limited liability constraint by allowing the firm to punish th...
Recent Worldwide Trends of R & D on Pulping and Papermaking of Nonwood Plant Fibers

Recent progress of R & D on pulping and papermaking of nonwood plant fibers was overviewed for recognition of the growing worldwide importance of the utilization of these resources in pulp and paper industries. Among these fibers, straws, sugarcane bagasse and kenaf are regarded as important and have been intensively investigated for industrialization especially in indeveloping countries. Pulping of bast fibers, bamboos, linter, reeds and oil palm by-products are also mentioned.
Active control of compressor rotating stall using linear amplitude feedback

This paper clarifies several issues that have been overlooked and misinterpreted in previous literature related to the active control of compressor rotating stall. This is accomplished via a complete, analytical, local stability analysis of the rotating stall inception point and the locally branched axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric equilibria. This analysis is based on the firstterm Galerkin approximation of the Moore-Greitzer model and it is valid for an arbitrary compressor map and a parabolic throttle characteristic. The analysis is generically performed for a rather large class of throttle feedback control laws. Each such control law is proportional to the rotating stall amplitude, raised to a strictly positive feedback exponent. The proportionality constant is a nonnegative feedback gain. It is shown that linear feedback renders the rotating stall inception point and the neighboring nonaxisymmetric branch locally asymptotically stable for any value of the feedback gain. Quadratic feedback on the other hand represents a limiting case of local control effectiveness and can at best lead to conditional local stability, that is, it can render the stall inception point and the neighboring nonaxisymmetric branch locally asymptotically stable only for sufficiently high values of the feedback gain. Finally, sublinear feedback, namely, feedback with an exponent less than unity, not only unconditionally stabilizes the stall inception point and the neighboring nonaxisymmetric branch, but also it reshapes this branch so as to locally mimic the stable part of the axisymmetric branch at the stall inception point. These results extend and in some places sharply contrast previous work on the subject that has dismissed such linear or sublinear feedback and concentrated mainly on quadratic feedback as a viable means of controlling compressor rotating stall.