cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insult to Injury: A Disability-Sensitive Response to Professor Smolensky's Call for Parental Tort Liability for Preimplantation Genetic Interventions

In her article Creating Children with Disabilities: Parental Tort Liability for Preimplantation Genetic Interventions, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1158631, Professor Kirsten Rabe Smolensky argues that children who were subject to preimplantation genetic manipulation should have the ability to sue their parents for damages when the parents "directly intervene in the child's DNA and consequently cause that child to suffer a disability which limits the child's right to an open future." This paper addresses the implications for people with disabilities of that argument. Specifically, it argues that limiting damages to cases in which a child is born with a disability unnecessarily and inaccurately devalues life with disability and leaves unprotected children whose DNA is shaped for traits other than disability at the request of their parents. It then suggests a disability-sensitive approach for delineating cognizable injury under which genetic modifications for disability are treated like other genetic modifications that shape a future child for cultural, aesthetic, or social reasons. The article is one of three articles responding to "Creating Children with Disabilities" in a symposium edition of the Hastings Law Journal. The first critique is by Glenn I. Cohen from Harvard Law School. Professor's Cohen's piece, "Intentional Diminishment, the Non-Identity Problem, and Legal Liability" (http://ssrn.com/abstract=1330504), argues that distinctions I draw on the basis of the Non-Identity Problem are flawed. He then discusses several other possible approaches to finding legal liability. Jaime S King, from Hastings Law School, writes the second critique, "Duty to the Unborn: A Response to Smolensky" (http://ssrn.com/abstract=1336375). In that article, Professor King agrees that parents making preimplantation reproductive decisions should act as reasonably prudent parents, but argues that a balancing test that considers both the benefits to children of growing up disabled and the additional risks of the reproductive technologies themselves should be applied. The article also argues that national regulation is a better social response to this problem than parental tort liability. The symposium concludes with a brief response to each of the three critiques. The response, "Parental Tort Liability for Direct Preimplantation Genetic Interventions: Technological Harms, the Social Model of Disability, and Questions of Identity" (http://ssrn.com/abstract=1295426) addresses a central argument from each of the three critiques.
Bearing Capacity of Concrete Blocks or Rock

The limit theorems of the generalized theory of perfect plasticity are applied to obtain bearing capacity in two dimensions (strip loading or rigid punch) and in three dimensions (circular and square punches). With the safe assumption that concrete or rock is unable to take any tension, the bearing capacity is shown to be just the unconfined compressive strength of the column of material directly under the load. When a small but significant tensile strength is assumed, along with the Mohr-Coulomb surface for failure in compression taken to represent a perfectly plastic yield surface, the predicted capacity is found to be in good agreement with published test results. The influence of friction in this class of problems is also analyzed as is the limited applicability of so drastic an idealization of the real behavior of a material as brittle as concrete or rock.
A Cloning Strategy to Identify Genes that Functionally Interact with Bcr-Abl for Transformation

We have developed an expression cloning system to identify genes which functionally interact with Bcr-Abl for transformation. This system is based on a complementation strategy we used recently to define the signaling pathways activated by the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase. Point mutations were generated in domains of Bcr-Abl that may play a role in connecting its tyrosine kinase signal to downstream effector molecules. Hyperexpression of c-Myc, a gene known to act downsteam of a Bcr-Abl signal, was able to rescue one of these mutants. Based on this complementation, we developed an expression cloning strategy to identify unknown downstream genes in the complex signaling network of Brc-Abl. A lymphoid progenitor cDNA expression library was constructed in a retroviral vector and introduced into fibroblasts stably expressing a Brc-Abl point mutant. cDNA clones capable of complementing a mutant for transformation should result in colony formation in soft agar. We have obtained numerous colonies in several assays. PCR analysis of the genomic DNA from transformed fibroblasts revealed different cDNA inserts varying in size between 0.5 and 3 kb.
Supratotal resection in glioma: a systematic review

BACKGROUND Emerging evidence suggests survival benefit from resection beyond all MRI abnormalities present on T1-enhanced and T2‒fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) modalities in glioma (supratotal resection); however, the quality of evidence is unclear. We addressed this question via systematic review of the literature. METHODS EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were queried. Case studies, reviews or editorials, non-English, abstract-only, brain metastases, and descriptive works were excluded. All others were included. RESULTS Three hundred and nine unique references yielded 41 studies for full-text review, with 7 included in the final analysis. Studies were mostly of Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine Level 4 quality. A total of 88 patients underwent supratotal resection in a combined cohort of 492 patients (214 males and 278 females, age 18 to 82 years). Fifty-one supratotal resections were conducted on high-grade gliomas, and 37 on low-grade gliomas. Karnofsky performance status, overall survival, progression-free survival, neurological deficits postoperatively, and anaplastic transformation were the main measured outcomes. No randomized controlled trials were identified. Preliminary low-quality support was found for supratotal resection in increasing overall survival and progression-free survival for both low-grade and high-grade glioma. CONCLUSION The literature suggests insufficient evidence for carte blanche application of supratotal resection, particularly in lower-grade gliomas where neurological deficits can result in long-term disability. While the preliminary studies discussed here, containing data from only a few centers, have reported increased progression-free and overall survival, these claims require validation in prospective research studies involving larger patient populations with clearly defined appropriate outcome metrics in order to reduce potential bias.
Sentiment Analysis Based Fuzzy Decision Platform for the Saudi Stock Market

Investors in the Saudi stock market are used to seeking advice from online resources such as Twitter and discussion forums. In this paper, we introduced some components to enhance decision making using sentiment analysis and simple fuzzy decision. We built two corpora and one lexicon manually, and we did analysis on them using both corpus-based approach, and semantical and lexical based approach. The best model was selected to be the base of a fuzzy decision mechanism provided for investors. We mentioned several performance metrics, but the main metric to count on was recall. The best model was the rule-based approach with minimum and maximum recall of 69% and 96% respectively as we go through different data sets, types, and sizes.
Iterative generation of insight from text collections through mutually reinforcing visualizations and fuzzy cognitive maps

Abstract Developing a comprehensive explanation of complex social phenomena is a difficult task that analysts often have to perform using vast collections of text documents. On the one hand, solutions exist to assist analysts in creating causal maps from text documents, but these can only articulate the relationships at work in a problem. On the other hand, Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) can articulate these relationships and perform simulations, but no environment exists to help analysts in iteratively developing FCMs from text. In this paper, we detail the design and implementation of the first tool that allows analysts to develop FCMs from text collections, using interactive visualizations. We make three contributions: (i) we combine text mining and FCMs, (ii) we implement the first visual analytics environment built on FCMs, and (iii) we promote a strong feedback loop between interactive data exploration and model building. We provide two case studies exemplifying how to create a model from the ground-up or improve an existing one. Limitations include the increase in display complexity when working with large collection of files, and the reliance on KL-divergence for ad-hoc retrieval. Several improvements are discussed to further support analysts in creating high-quality models through interactive visualizations.
Partly Deepithelialized Free Gingival Graft for Treatment of Lingual Recession

Introduction Gingival recession (GR) is an unhealthy root exposure that could result in sensitivity, abrasion, root caries and higher chance of plaque collection. The prevalence of GR is higher on the facial surfaces but could also affect the lingual tooth surfaces. Despite the etiology and location of GR, treatment is warranted to improve the long-term periodontal stability around the affected teeth. This case report describes the use of partly deepithelialized free gingival graft (PE-FGG) to augment lingual GR post orthodontic treatment. Case presentation The current report evaluates the results of PG-FGG to correct lingual recession in a 21-year-old female. The patient presented with 5 mm lingual recession on a previously orthodontically rotated tooth (#21). The recession was treated using a PE-FGG to increase keratinized gingiva (KG) and reduce root exposure. Follow-up at 24 months showed adequate root coverage and KG. Conclusion The use of PE-FGG can be used to enhance KG for lingual recession with adequate root coverage.
Ollivier-Ricci Curvature-Based Method to Community Detection in Complex Networks.

Identification of community structures in complex network is of crucial importance for understanding the system’s function, organization, robustness and security. Here, we present a novel Ollivier-Ricci curvature (ORC) inspired approach to community identification in complex networks. We demonstrate that the intrinsic geometric underpinning of the ORC offers a natural approach to discover inherent community structures within a network based on interaction among entities. We develop an ORC-based community identification algorithm based on the idea of sequential removal of negatively curved edges symptomatic of high interactions (e.g., traffic, attraction). To illustrate and compare the performance with other community identification methods, we examine the ORC-based algorithm with stochastic block model artificial networks and real-world examples ranging from social to drug-drug interaction networks. The ORC-based algorithm is able to identify communities with either better or comparable performance accuracy and to discover finer hierarchical structures of the network. This opens new geometric avenues for analysis of complex networks dynamics.
Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Variants are Characterized by Co-dysregulation of Immune and Cancer Associated Genes

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) variants exhibit different prognosis, but critical characteristics of PTC variants that contribute to differences in pathogenesis are not well-known. This study aims to characterize dysregulated immune-associated and cancer-associated genes in three PTC subtypes to explore how the interplay between cancer and immune processes causes differential prognosis. RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to identify dysregulated genes in each variant. The dysregulation profiles of the subtypes were compared using functional pathways clustering and correlations to relevant clinical variables, genomic alterations, and microRNA regulation. We discovered that the dysregulation profiles of classical PTC (CPTC) and the tall cell variant (TCPTC) are similar and are distinct from that of the follicular variant (FVPTC). However, unique cancer or immune-associated genes are associated with clinical variables for each subtype. Cancer-related genes MUC1, FN1, and S100-family members were the most clinically relevant in CPTC, while APLN and IL16, both immune-related, were clinically relevant in FVPTC. RAET-family members, also immune-related, were clinically relevant in TCPTC. Collectively, our data suggest that dysregulation of both cancer and immune associated genes defines the gene expression landscapes of PTC variants, but different cancer or immune related genes may drive the phenotype of each variant.
Changing conversations in primary care for patients living with chronic conditions: pilot and feasibility study of the ICAN Discussion Aid

Purpose To pilot test the impact of the ICAN Discussion Aid on clinical encounters. Methods A pre–post study involving 11 clinicians and 100 patients was conducted at two primary care clinics within a single health system in the Midwest. The study examined clinicians’ perceptions about ICAN feasibility, patients’ and clinicians’ perceptions about encounter success, videographic differences in encounter topics, and medication adherence 6 months after an ICAN encounter. Results 39/40 control encounters and 45/60 ICAN encounters yielded usable data. Clinicians reported ICAN use was feasible. In ICAN encounters, patients discussed diet, being active and taking medications more. Clinicians scored themselves poorer regarding visit success than their patients scored them; this effect was more pronounced in ICAN encounters. ICAN did not improve 6-month medication adherence or lengthen visits. Conclusion This pilot study suggests that using ICAN in primary care is feasible, efficient and capable of modifying conversations. With lessons learned in this pilot, we are conducting a randomised trial of ICAN versus usual care in diverse clinical settings. Trial registration number NCT02390570.
Advanced glycation end products and glycosaminoglycans in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.

In some patients diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) causes acute endothelial injury and multiorgan failure. Measurement of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and advanced glycation end products (AGE) could provide information to help understand the biochemical events associated with poor outcomes in these patients. This study included 37 patients with DKA admitted to an intensive care unit. Blood was collected from these patients during the first day of hospitalization, 24 hours after the first sample, and 72 hours after the first sample when possible. ELISA-based assays were used to measure glucose, hemoglobin A1c, AGE, glycated albumin, and GAG levels in serum. Twenty healthy control subjects with no history of diabetes donated 1 blood sample. Control subjects had a mean age of 36.3±12.1 years; patients with DKA had a mean age of 38.1±18.5 years. Admission laboratory tests in patients with DKA included glucose 546±296 mg/dL, bicarbonate 10.1±5.5 mEq/L, anion gap 31.8±7.8 mEq/L, and creatinine 1.1±1.0 mg/dL. Patients with DKA had significantly higher level glucose and free glycated hemoglobin. Control subjects had significantly higher levels of AGE and glycated albumin. There were no differences in soluble receptor for AGE levels or GAG levels between the control subjects and patients with DKA. Patients with DKA had lower circulating levels of AGE and glycated albumin than control subjects. These results may reflect absorption of these proteins to damaged capillary surfaces or loss of proteins into interstitial spaces secondary to increased endothelial permeability.
Case 2: Scalp Lesion and Neck Swelling in a Female Adolescent

1. Karin Lammert, MD* 2. Adam Dell, MD* 3. Merium Saidi, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT A previously healthy 15-year-old female adolescent is admitted to the hospital with fever, neck swelling, and failure to improve while taking multiple antibiotic agents. One month ago she noticed a lump behind her left ear; it resolved spontaneously but recurred approximately 3 weeks later along with tenderness and fevers. Around this time she had a raised, scabbed lesion on her left scalp, which her sister lanced. Her pediatrician started the patient on amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Five days later she presented to the emergency department with persistent fevers. A complete blood cell count was normal and a neck computed tomographic (CT) scan showed diffuse subcutaneous edema consistent with cellulitis, so she was started on cephalexin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and was discharged. However, her symptoms worsened, with continued fevers, vomiting, pharyngitis, and swelling of the area behind her left ear. She returned to the emergency department 3 days later and was admitted to the hospital for failure to improve with outpatient antibiotic drug therapy. The patient is otherwise healthy and up to date on immunizations. She lives with her parents and a younger sister on a farm in central Utah, with exposure to multiple farm animals. She reports that she has been camping recently and denies any insect bites. She has never been sexually active. She has tried marijuana but denies other illicit drug use. Physical examination reveals a tired-appearing teenager in no acute distress. The left parietal scalp has a 1×2-cm ulcer with flat-topped papules and overlying hemorrhagic crusts (Fig). There is diffuse swelling extending from the left mastoid process anteriorly to the angle of the mandible that is tender but without …
Testamentary Transfers and the Intent Versus Formalities Debate: The Case for a ‘Charitable’ Common Ground

The dominant issue in the law of wills for much of last half century has been how much formality the law should require before giving effect to a party’s testamentary intent. The traditionalists favor: (1) the maintaining the prevailing approach to the Wills Act formalities; (2) strict enforcement of those formalities; and (3) courts having the power to construe but not reform a will. The intent-oriented advocates favor: (1) reducing the Wills Act formalities to a minimum; (2) granting courts the power to dispense with those formalities under the harmless error doctrine; and (3) granting courts the power to reform a will, even if there is no ambiguity in the will. The problem is the underlying variables inherent in the debate are so indeterminate (what is the value of testamentary intent; how much increased costs of administration and potential for fraud is there in the harmless error and/or power-to-reform doctrines), it is tough to imagine much movement in the debate. Recent developments, however, shed a new light on the debate. The debate has overlooked a variable – charitable gifts – that offers a common ground where the two sides should agree. The public benefits associated with saving failed charitable testamentary gifts more than offset the increased administrative costs and potential for fraud associated with the harmless error and power-to-reform doctrines. That conclusion, however, also reframes the issue with respect to the remaining universe of failed testamentary gifts. Do the benefits derived from saving failed noncharitable testamentary gifts exceed the increased administrative costs and potential for fraud associated with the harmless error and power-to-reform doctrines?
The Shapes of Large Urban Areas in the U.S., 1950-2010: Patterns, Causes, and Consequences

The compactness of the shapes of 59 large urban areas in the United States from 1950 to 2010 is measured using an index of proximity based on the mean distance from the Central Business District to all areas within the urban area. Average changes in the proximity index over time are small, but individual urban areas have experienced much larger changes in shape, becoming both more and less compact. Larger urban areas tend to be somewhat less compact. Barriers to the expansion of urban areas including water, wetlands, mountains, and protected lands are associated with lower levels of proximity and compactness. Lower proximity is associated with higher urban area densities and smaller declines in densities with distance from the Central Business District.
The Global Epidemiology of Multiresistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium DT104

This chapter reviews the epidemiological features of the global dissemination of multiresistant Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium DT104, discusses the possible origins of this clone, hypothesizes about the possible mechanisms by which rapid global dissemination and displacement of other clones may have occurred, and discusses possible means of control. The clonal nature of mr-DT104 is well established by the genetics of antimicrobial resistance and by restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Nosocomial salmonellosis associated with nontyphoidal salmonellae occurs in some developing countries. Four hypothetical models are discussed with respect to their ability to explain the ecological characteristics typical of the agent. These models include: model 1: the enlarged niche hypothesis, model 2: the dissemination fitness hypothesis, model 3: the chance dissemination event hypothesis and model 4: the selection focus hypothesis. To date, the discussion of control efforts for mr-DT104 and similar clones has been limited primarily to debates on the use of antimicrobials in livestock, notably subtherapeutic antimicrobials. The epidemiology of multiresistant serovar Typhimurium is not confined by national borders but is global in nature, as well illustrated by mr-DT104. The available evidence indicates that these efforts should center on selection foci, such as calf-raising operations, which serve as reservoirs of serovar Typhimurium and as sites for clonal competition among epidemic multiresistant strains.
Out of the Literary Comfort Zone: Adaptation, Embodiment, and Assimilation

This chapter pursues a deliberately unusual approach to teaching adaptation. It is motivated by an investment in understanding what is at stake when the very idea of adaptation comes under pressure, that is, when its very occurrence appears to be effaced. Focusing on these situations offers the possibility for adaptation studies to illuminate something that the very process of adaptation might be elaborating vis-a-vis its larger cultural and social context: for example, in the case studies under consideration here, the process of racial assimilation. I came to this conclusion studying the reception of two films centered on African-American characters: rather than referring back to the films’ literary sources, film commentators discussed the actors’ bodies as if they were both the source and the destination of the adaptation process, and the ultimate guarantee of its ‘fidelity’. The first film is The Jackie Robinson Story (Alfred Green, 1950), an adaptation of the first Robinson biography in which the baseball player plays himself. The second is the Oscar-nominated film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lee Daniels, 2009).1
Compensation of SPM-induced pulse distortions in chirped-pulse amplification systems

Summary form only given. Here we show that self phase modulated (SPM)-induced wings can be completely removed. Though SPM-induced distortions are usually considered uncompressible, we show that SPM of a strongly chirped pulse is a linear operation in the frequency domain and, therefore, can be corrected by an opposite linear operation. SPM-induced wings can be greatly reduced with small adjustments to the grating compressor, and can be eliminated with a Fourier-plane pulse shaper.
Extending the Applicability of POMDP Solutions to Robotic Tasks

Partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) are used in many robotic task classes from soccer to household chores. Determining an approximately optimal action policy for POMDPs is PSPACE-complete, and the exponential growth of computation time prohibits solving large tasks. This paper describes two techniques to extend the range of robotic tasks that can be solved using a POMDP. Our first technique reduces the motion constraints of a robot and, then, uses state-of-the-art robotic motion planning techniques to respect the true motion constraints at runtime. We then propose a novel task decomposition that can be applied to some indoor robotic tasks. This decomposition transforms a long time horizon task into a set of shorter tasks. We empirically demonstrate the performance gain provided by these two techniques through simulated execution in a variety of environments. Comparing a direct formulation of a POMDP to solving our proposed reductions, we conclude that the techniques proposed in this paper can provide significant enhancement to current POMDP solution techniques, extending the POMDP instances that can be solved to include large continuous-state robotic tasks.
Annotation of promoter regions in microbial genomes based on DNA structural and sequence properties

Understanding the attributes that confer promoter activity is essential for gene regulation, gene prediction and sequence annotation. It is a challenging problem to detect promoter regions, either in silico or by experiments. In this report, we show that the stress induced DNA duplex destabilization sites (SIDD) in prokaryotic genomes under negative superhelical stresses, as occurs in vivo, are closely associated with specific promoter regions. When compared with DNA curvature, deformability, thermostability or sequence motif scores within the -10 region, SIDD is the most informative DNA property of promoter regions in the E. coli K12 genome. Our method using SIDD as a sole predictor performs better than other promoter prediction programs in detecting promoter sequences in E. coli or Bacillus subtilis. We show that, by combining SIDD properties with -10 motif scores in a linear discrimination function, one can achieve better than 80% accuracy in predicting promoter sequences.
Studies in approximation methods—II: Initial value ordinary differential equations

Abstract A comparison of Runge—Kutta and orthogonal collocation methods is made for the solution of initial value ordinary differential equations. The direct connection between implicit Runge—Kutta and orthogonal collocation methods is shown for a certain class of initial value problems; this class being of importance to chemical engineering systems. A number of new semi-implicit Runge—Kutta methods which have an imbedded truncation error estimate feature and are A-stable are presented. Using some test systems these new algorithms are shown to be the most computationally efficient for initial value problems.
Membrane Proteins: Properties

Membrane proteins constitute a significant fraction of the proteins that are encoded in the typical genome, and they are critical to many cellular processes, which include transport, cell signaling, and energy transduction. This importance is underscored by the fact that membrane proteins represent the major class of protein targets for pharmaceuticals that are currently in use. However, despite their importance, there are relatively few high-resolution models for membrane proteins, and little is known about their molecular function. The lack of information on membrane proteins in part reflects the difficulties in efficient expression of this class of proteins and difficulties with structural approaches, such as high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), that are not well suited to membrane proteins. In the field of structural biology, membrane proteins represent a significant challenge, and in recent years new structural and biochemical tools have been developed to characterize these systems. In this review, we discuss the functions and properties of membrane proteins, and we discuss the approaches and tools that yield new information on their structure and molecular function.
A grape seed procyanidin extract lowers serum triglyceride levels via selective modulation of intestinal FXR-target gene expression and inhibition of enterohepatic bile acid recirculation (1045.35)

As ligands of the farnesoid x receptor (FXR), bile acids (BA) play an essential role in maintaining triglyceride (TG) homeostasis. We previously showed that a grape seed procyanidin extract (GSPE) ...
The Complexity of Posttranscriptional Small RNA Regulatory Networks Revealed by In Silico Analysis of Gossypium arboreum L. Leaf, Flower and Boll Small Regulatory RNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and secondary small interfering RNAs (principally phased siRNAs or trans-acting siRNAs) are two distinct subfamilies of small RNAs (sRNAs) that are emerging as key regulators of posttranscriptional gene expression in plants. Both miRNAs and secondary-siRNAs (sec-siRNAs) are processed from longer RNA precursors by DICER-LIKE proteins (DCLs). Gossypium arboreum L., also known as tree cotton or Asian cotton, is a diploid, possibly ancestral relative of tetraploid Gossypium hirsutum L., the predominant type of commercially grown cotton worldwide known as upland cotton. To understand the biological significance of these gene regulators in G. arboreum, a bioinformatics analysis was performed on G. arboreum small RNAs produced from G. arboreum leaf, flower, and boll tissues. Consequently, 263 miRNAs derived from 353 precursors, including 155 conserved miRNAs (cs-miRNAs) and 108 novel lineage-specific miRNAs (ls-miRNAs). Along with miRNAs, 2,033 miRNA variants (isomiRNAs) were identified as well. Those isomiRNAs with variation at the 3’-miRNA end were expressed at the highest levels, compared to other types of variants. In addition, 755 pha-siRNAs derived 319 pha-siRNA gene transcripts (PGTs) were identified, and the potential pha-siRNA initiators were predicted. Also, 2,251 non-phased siRNAs were found as well, of which 1,088 appeared to be produced by so-called cis- or trans-cleavage of the PGTs observed at positions differing from pha-siRNAs. Of those sRNAs, 148 miRNAs/isomiRNAs and 274 phased/non-phased siRNAs were differentially expressed in one or more pairs of tissues examined. Target analysis revealed that target genes for both miRNAs and pha-siRNAs are involved a broad range of metabolic and enzymatic activities. We demonstrate that secondary siRNA production could result from initial cleavage of precursors by both miRNAs or isomiRNAs, and that subsequently produced phased and unphased siRNAs could result that also serve as triggers of a second round of both cis- and trans-cleavage of additional siRNAs, leading to the formation of complex sRNA regulatory networks mediating posttranscriptional gene silencing. Results from this study extended our knowledge on G. arboreum sRNAs and their biological importance, which would facilitate future studies on regulatory mechanism of tissue development in cotton and other plant species.
Defining the Role of Service Manager: Sanity Through Organizational Evolution

In large university environments, a centralized academic computing organization is often responsible for providing campus-wide computing services. These organizations usually understand the need for system administrators and software developers, but the people they hire for these roles will often wind up managing service software as a secondary responsibility. This approach often results in poor service quality, overworked employees, and high staff turnover. In this paper, I present the role of service manager as I have helped define it in my organization and explain how it addresses quality of service issues and staffing shortages. I also detail the organizational changes that my department has implemented to create a group of service managers, relate the process of implementing those changes, and examine some of the pitfalls that were discovered in the process.Through the changes described in this paper, we have improved our quality of service, dramatically reduced the frequency of late-night pages, quadrupled the number of systems we can run with a fixed-size staff, and greatly increased staff retention.
Cryoradiolysis and Cryospectroscopy for Studies of Heme-Oxygen Intermediates in Cytochromes P450

Cryogenic radiolytic reduction is one of the most straightforward and convenient methods of generation and stabilization of reactive iron-oxygen intermediates for mechanistic studies in chemistry and biochemistry. The method is based on one-electron reduction of the precursor complex in frozen solution via exposure to the ionizing radiation at cryogenic temperatures. Such approach allows for accumulation of the fleeting reactive complexes which otherwise could not be generated at sufficient amount for structural and mechanistic studies. Application of this method allowed for characterizing of peroxo-ferric and hydroperoxo-ferric intermediates, which are common for the oxygen activation mechanism in cytochromes P450, heme oxygenases, and nitric oxide synthases, as well as for the peroxide metabolism by peroxidases and catalases.
Adjusting Inequality: Education and Structural Adjustment Policies in Tanzania

International economic forces increasingly affect policy at multiple levels and in multiple domains. The interplay of three levels — international, national, and local — are underresearched in the social and educational policy fields, which includes educational policy studies. In this article, Frances Vavrus employs ethnography to investigate how these interactions play out in a Chagga community in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. She examines how the lives of secondary students in Tanzanian schools are affected by structural adjustment policies, adopted by Tanzania at the advice of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in three domains: access to schooling, opportunities for employment, and the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. She makes a convincing case for the importance of understanding the local setting in the development of international and national policy, and for investigating the impact policy change in noneducational sectors has on educational realities. Vavrus's research also provi...
Qualitative analysis of private mediation: Benefits for families in public child welfare agencies

Abstract A pilot project of mediated adoptions was offered to parents in permanency planning units in seven branches of a state's public protective child welfare agency. Three research questions guided the study: First, can mediated agreements provide an effective and efficient alternative to adversarial Termination of Parental Rights procedures within a public protective service agency caseload of highly abusive and neglectful parents? Second, can mediated agreements enable birth parents and caseworkers to reach a resolution to the family's crisis more quickly, and therefore less costly, than is true for the customary adversarial method? Third, of the parties involved (attorneys, birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, caseworkers, and agency supervisors) which find mediation to be beneficial? It was decided that three areas of program evaluation would be tested using three unique sources of data, collected independently to ensure the highest standard by which to evaluate this program. These three sources were: 1. 1) interviews with caseworkers, 2. 2) written questionnaires by parents and service providers, 3. 3) empirical data on families who entered into cooperative agreements. Mediation was found to be effective by all three measurements, thereby providing first-time evidence that mediation can change parents' views regarding adoption and provide them with an avenue for voluntary relinquishment.
Oxyhemoglobin produces necrosis, not apoptosis, in astrocytes.

Abstract Objective: Subarachnoid blood, resulting from traumatic brain injury or subarachnoid hemorrhage, has been linked with cell injury and stress gene induction. We investigated whether oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb), a major component in blood clots, exerts a cytotoxic effect on cultured astrocyte cells, and the pattern of cell death. Methods: A murine astrocyte cell line was used (passages 28–35). Cell growth studies were performed 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure to OxyHb (1, 10, and 30 μM). Western blot analysis of poly adenosine diphosphate [ADP]–ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage and TUNEL stain analysis were performed to determine the presence of apoptosis. Cells treated with OxyHb were also evaluated with transmission electron microscopy to determine changes that may have occurred at the ultra-structural level. Results: OxyHb (10–30 μM), after 72-h incubation, inhibited cell growth. Western blot analysis of PARP and TUNEL staining for the presence of apoptosis were essentially negative in all groups. Ultrastructural analysis revealed an abundance of necrosis and random occurrences of apoptosis in a few cells. Conclusion: Cultured astrocytes exposed to OxyHb causing cell growth inhibition could possibly be a result of cellular cytotoxicity and necrosis.
Meningitis por enterovirus

Como corolario de intensas investigaciones se ha originado una gradual clasificacion de las numerosas enfermedades producidas por virus, lo cual impuso la necesidad de reexaminar nuestros conceptos sobre la etiologia de muchos procesos clinicos […]. Meningitis por enterovirus
Modeling Armed Conflicts

Armed conflicts have been prevalent throughout history, in some cases having very great consequences. To win, one needs to understand the characteristics of an armed conflict and be prepared with resources and capabilities for responding to its specific challenges. An important tool for understanding these characteristics and challenges is a model--an abstraction of the field of conflict. Models have evolved through the years, addressing different conflict scenarios with varying techniques.
Lithology and fluid differentiation using a rock physics template

The elastic properties such as velocity, density, impedance, and VP/VS ratio take an important role in reservoir characterization because they are related to the reservoir properties. To analyze these elastic properties, rock physics knowledge is a bridge that links the elastic properties to the reservoir properties such as water saturation, porosity, and shale volume. In this study, we build up a rock physics template and plot it along with the inverted elastic properties to aid the efficient interpretation. Using this method, we can estimate the lithology and fluid content of undrilled areas if the undrilled area has the same geological deposition environment as a drilled area. The final results show that the lithology and fluid content can be efficiently interpreted for our target reservoirs using the inverted elastic properties plotted with a rock physics template, rather than only using the inverted elastic properties.
Relations between stream sediment and source-rock mineralogy, Piney Creek Basin, Wyoming

Abstract The areal distribution of stream sediment and source-rock heavy mineralogy was studied to determine the mineralogical relations between source and derived sediment in the Piney Creek drainage basin of Wyoming. Heavy-mineral distribution in the streams was characterized using factor analysis. The results of analyses show that for an actively degrading stream system, the heavy-mineral composition of stream sediment is controlled to a considerable extent by the composition of local sediment sources and by continuous addition of detritus from bank cutting. Only the most common minerals from upstream sources persist as statistically significant variables downstream. In some cases the heavy-mineral mineral composition of stream sediment can be controlled by comparatively few, or volumetrically rare source rocks, even though more abundant source rocks supply a wide range of heavy minerals. Specific drainage configurations such as lakes and proximity of streams to major sediment sources significantly modify sediment mineralogy immediately downstream.
Embedding binary tree in VLSI/WSI processor array

Many reconfiguration schemes for fault-tolerant binary tree architectures have been proposed in the literature[1–6]. The VLSI layouts of most previous studies are based on the classical H-tree layout, resulting in low area utilization and likely an unnecessarily high manufacturing cost simply due to the waste of a significant portion of silicon area. In this paper, we present an area-efficient approach to the reconfigurable binary tree architecture. Area utilization and interconnection complexity of our design compare favorably with the other known approaches. In the reliability analysis, we take into account the fact that accepted chips (after fabrication) are with different degrees of redundancy initially, so as to obtain results which better reflect real situations.
5-HT receptors and hyper- or hypothermia: elucidation by catecholamine antagonists injected into the cat hypothalamus.

Abstract The receptor mechanisms in the hypothalamus and preoptic area which mediate thermoregulatory changes produced by serotonin (5-HT) were examined in the unrestrained cat. Stainless steel guide tubes were implanted just above the rostral diencephalon or preoptic area in each of twelve cats. 5-HT in a dose of 1.5 to 10.5 μg was micro-injected in a volume of 0.75 to 1.5 μl into a total of 256 test sites in the hypothalamus. An individual site at which 5-HT evoked a rise or a fall in core temperature of ⩾ 0.5°C within 30 min was considered to be reactive to the indoleamine. Within such a region of maximum sensitivity, i.e., the cat's anterior hypothalamic, preoptic area (AH/POA), either norepinephrine (NE) or dopamine (DA) micro-injected in a dose of 2.33 to 14.0 μg in similar volumes evoked only a dose-dependent decline in the body temperature of the cat. 5-HT was found to cause either hyper- or hypothermia. The direction of temperature change caused by 5-HT was dependent principally upon the neuroanatomical locus of injection. Each of the 5-HT reactive sites was characterized pharmacologically by their pre-treatment with phentolamine (PHT), d-butaclamol (BUTAC) or methysergide (METHY) in doses of 1.0 to 10.0 μg. At the most rostral sites in POA, the catecholamine receptor antagonists selectively delayed the onset of the 5-HT hypothermia and limited the magnitude of the response. Within sites located in the AH in which 5-HT induced only a rise in body temperature, prior treatment of the site with the catecholamine receptor antagonists PHT or BUTAC failed to modify the response. These results indicate that 5-HT in producing hypothermia not only may saturate the 5-HT receptor sites but also may be taken up by catecholamine receptors which mediate the diencephalic heat loss pathway.
Stochastic Modelling of Grain Drying: Part 2. Model Development

Abstract In Part 1 of this series of three papers, it was shown that the moisture content in maize reaching a dryer is approximatelynormallydistributed. In Part 2, stochastic drying models are developed for grain with an initial normal distribution in moisture content. It is shown that the moisture content is still normally distributed after one-dimensional drying (i.e. concurrent- or counter-flow drying), but is skewed after two-dimensional drying (i.e. crossflow drying). The models predict, for dried grain, both the average moisture content and its standard deviation to an acceptable accuracy.
The impact of nitrogen source and crop rotation on nitrogen mass balances in the Mississippi River Basin

Nitrogen (N) leaching to surface waters from grain farms in the Mississippi River Basin (MRB), USA, is the primary cause of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Regional-scale N mass balances indicate that a small, intensively cropped area of the upper MRB contributes disproportionately to nitrate loading. These aggregate balances miss small-scale variability, especially that caused by differences in farm management. We constructed N mass balances for a gradient of farm types, from corn–soybean monocultures to diversified grain farms that rely on biological N fixation (BNF) as a primary N source, to compare the relative efficiency of diverse farming systems in the MRB. Five-year N balances were calculated for a most and least productive field on each farm using data collected from interviews with 95 grain farmers in Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin; from legume biomass and corn grain samples collected from a subset of farms; and published values from the literature. Nitrogen balances ranged from high averag...
Cell-autonomous requirement for rx function in the mammalian retina and posterior pituitary.

Rx is a paired-like homeobox gene that is required for vertebrate eye formation. Mice lacking Rx function do not develop eyes or the posterior pituitary. To determine whether Rx is required cell autonomously in these tissues, we generated embryonic chimeras consisting of wild type and Rx−/− cells. We found that in the eye, Rx-deficient cells cannot participate in the formation of the neuroretina, retina pigment epithelium and the distal part of the optic stalk. In addition, in the ventral forebrain, Rx function is required cell autonomously for the formation of the posterior pituitary. Interestingly, Rx−/− and wild type cells segregate before the morphogenesis of these two tissues begins. Our observations suggest that Rx function is not only required for the morphogenesis of the retina and posterior pituitary, but also prior to morphogenesis, for the sorting out of cells to form distinct fields of retinal/pituitary cells.
Improved Communication Schedules with Buffers

We consider the multimessage multicasting over the n processor complete (or fully connected) static network when there are l incoming (message) buffers on every processor. We present an efficient algorithm to route the messages for every degree d problem instance in d2/l + l - 1 total communication rounds, where d is the maximum number of messages that each processor may send (or receive). Our algorithm takes linear time with respect to the input length, i.e. O(n + q) where q is the total number of messages that all processors must receive. For l = d we present a lower bound for the total communication time. The lower bound matches the upper bound for the schedules generated by our algorithm. For convenience we assume that the network is completely connected. However, it is important to note that each communication round can be automatically translated into one communication round for processors interconnected via a replication network followed by a permutation network (e.g., two adjacent Benes networks), because in these networks all possible one-to-many communications can be performed in a single communication round.
Surface Modification of Biodegradable Magnesium-Calcium Implants by Burnishing

Magnesium-Calcium (MgCa) alloys have shown very promising potential to make biodegradable metallic orthopedic implants. Biodegradable metallic implants relieve the need for second surgery and avoid stress shielding common with permanent metallic implants. Moreover, they provide enough strength in load carrying orthopedic applications as opposed to polymeric counterparts. High degradation rate of these alloys is the pressing issue resulting in subcutaneous hydrogen bubbles and high pH values and ultimately imbalance in physiological reactions. Surface modification techniques has been implemented to enhance the biocompatibility of these alloys by matching their corrosion rate with bone healing rate and absorption rate of corrosion by-products. Low plasticity burnishing (LPB) is a novel technique that makes wide range of surface integrity characteristics and consequently corrosion rates attainable. This is instrumental in developing proper degradation rates with respect to local healing and absorptions rates present in each application. Besides, LPB can be applied on already available CNC machining centers and in that sense is very flexible. Hence, studying the effects of LPB process parameters on surface integrity is important. In this paper, effects of burnishing passes and their pattern on surface topography, surface roughness, surface/subsurface microhardness, microstructure, and surface residual stresses of MgCa0.8 (wt%) implants are investigated.Copyright © 2011 by ASME