cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional analysis of human Cx26 mutations associated with deafness.

Mutations in the connexin26 (Cx26) gene are not only a major cause of nonsyndromic deafness, but can also cause syndromic forms of hearing loss that are associated with palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK, i.e., Vohwinkel's syndrome). It is not clear how two very distinct pathologies can arise from different mutations within the same connexin gene. This review summarizes the available data on wildtype and mutant Cx26 channel behavior that has been obtained in the paired Xenopus oocyte assay. These results suggest that dominant and recessive loss of function mutations in Cx26 can cause nonsyndromic deafness, but cannot easily explain the syndromic forms exhibiting PPK. Dominant Cx26 mutations that can cause both PPK and deafness must show some additional alteration of function beyond a simple inhibition of Cx26 activity.
A framework for dynamic resource assignment and scheduling on reconfigurable mixed-mode on-chip multiprocessors

Encouraged by continuous advances in FPGA technologies, we explore high performance multi-processor-on-a-programmable-chip (MPoPC) reconfigurable architectures. This paper proposes a methodology for assigning resources at run time and scheduling large scale floating point, data parallel applications on our mixed mode HERA MPoPC. HERA stands for heterogeneous reconfigurable architecture. An application is represented by a novel mixed mode task flow graph which is scheduled to run under a variety of independent or cooperating parallel computing modes: SIMD (single instruction, multiple data), multiple SIMD and MIMD (multiple instruction, multiple data). The reconfigurable logic is customized at static time and reconfigured at run time to match application characteristics. An in-house developed parallel power flow analysis code by Newton's method is employed to verify the methodology and evaluate the performance. This application is of utmost importance to any power grid
Reframing the Past: Thoughts about Business Leadership and Decision Making under Uncertainty

How do business leaders make decisions in the face of uncertainty? More important, how do business and economic historians write a narrative that links a business problem, its proposed solution, and the outcome of this action without allowing the success or failure of the decision to determine the trajectory of the story? Counterfactual hypotheses and contextual analysis provide two tools that can help historians minimize the distortions of hindsight and recover a sense of the contingency that surrounds all decisions.
Arterioles supply oxygen to capillaries by diffusion as well as by convection

In the early part of this century, August Krogh proposed a model of oxygen transport in capillaries that assumes that all oxygen is delivered to the capillaries by convection from small terminal ar...
Centaur upper-stage rocket for shuttle

A popular topic for discussion among those still hoping that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) space shuttle will be able to launch large scientific space probes from earth orbit is the matter of the so-called US, or upper-stage, rocket vehicle. Programs slated for the middle of the decade that include sending probes deep into space will not be possible without a very powerful upper-stage rocket, and thus there was a surge of optimism among space scientists and NASA officials this past September when Congress voted not to eliminate the big Centaur rocket from space shuttle's portion of the NASA 1983 fiscal year budget. Support for construction of the Centaur followed the Air Force's requirement for greater lifting power because of the shielding required to prevent contamination of certain classified payloads (Science, 1 October 1982). The large rocket will also be needed to place massive communications satellites into geosynchronous earth orbit.
Structuring the space: a study on enriching node-link diagrams with visual references

Exploring large visualizations that do not fit in the screen raises orientation and navigation challenges. Structuring the space with additional visual references such as grids or contour lines provide spatial landmarks that may help viewers form a mental model of the space. However, previous studies report mixed results regarding their utility. While some evidence showed that grid and other visual embellishments improve memorability, experiments with contour lines suggest otherwise. In this work, we describe an evaluation framework to capture the impact of introducing visual references in node-link diagrams. We present the results of three controlled experiments that deepen our understanding on enriching large visualization spaces with visual structures. In particular, we provide the first tangible evidence that contour lines have significant benefits when navigating large node-link diagrams.
Dose surveys and DRLs: critical look and way forward

The main purpose of dose surveys has been to detect and bring down wide variation in radiation doses for any particular radiological examination and to avoid doses that are on higher side. Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) have been used for over two decades as an aid in this objective. With very limited success that has been achieved through DRL, the author has recently described a new term 'acceptable quality dose' (AQD) that is aimed at optimisation within the DRL, is facility initiated and takes into account all three important parameters-image quality, dose and patient's body build. It is hoped that AQD will be found easy to establish, will be a useful tool to achieve optimisation in the facilities and will serve as the standard dose.
On the Development of Blocking Ridge Activity Over the Central North Pacific

Abstract Monthly mean atmospheric data taken over the North Pacific during the period 1950–70 are used to investigate blocking ridge activity over the central ocean. The blocking ridge is observed to be a finite-amplitude, quasi-stationary long wave, most often centered over the North Pacific at 170W, superimposed upon the quasi-zonal mid-latitude westerlies. The dominant length scale is 7000 km, the same dimensions as the width of the mid-latitude ocean. The growth time scale is 1–2 weeks, with the duration of blocking activity rarely exceeding 2 months in any given year. The blocking activity is confined almost exclusively to the autumn/winter months, where block development is closely coupled with the sensible heat transfer from the underlying ocean (anomalously small beat transfer under the ridge and anomalously large heat transfer under the associated troughs). Year-to-year variability in blocking ridge activity is found to have a dominant time scale of approximately 5 years from 1950–70 and to be in...
Tradeoffs between jamming resilience and communication efficiency in key establishment

We address the problem of allowing authorized users, who do not preshare a common key, to effectively exchange key establishment messages over an insecure channel in the presence of jamming and message insertion attacks. In this work, we jointly consider the security and efficiency of key exchange protocols, focusing on the interplay between message fragmentation, jamming resilience, and verification complexity for protocol optimization. Finally, we present three fragment verification schemes and demonstrate through analysis and simulation that in comparison with existing approaches, they can significantly decrease the amount of time required for key establishment without degrading the guaranteed level of security.
Communication in a Changing World: Contemporary Perspectives on Business Communication Competence

Communication in and around business organizations has changed due to new technologies, the demand for intercultural communication skills, the changing person–organization relationship, and the global nature of organizing. As a result, new communication competencies may be required. The author's objective was to identify specific communication competencies important in the contemporary business and professional environment. Toward that objective, articles referring to communication from best-selling popular press and practitioner-oriented business periodicals were used as artifacts for a content analysis. Six inductively derived competencies represent a mix of traditional and contemporary communication skills. The influence of collaborative communication and global interconnectivity permeated each theme. Furthermore, the competencies reveal the necessity of a skill set that transcends typical disciplinary divisions—encompassing technology, intergroup relations, nonverbal and chronemic awareness, relationa...
A long-term and reproducible passive microwave sea ice concentration data record for climate studies and monitoring

Abstract. A long-term, consistent, and reproducible satellite-based passive microwave sea ice concentration climate data record (CDR) is available for climate studies, monitoring, and model validation with an initial operation capability (IOC). The daily and monthly sea ice concentration data are on the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) polar stereographic grid with nominal 25 km × 25 km grid cells in both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere polar regions from 9 July 1987 to 31 December 2007. The data files are available in the NetCDF data format at http://nsidc.org/data/g02202.html and archived by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the satellite climate data record program ( http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdr/operationalcdrs.html ). The description and basic characteristics of the NOAA/NSIDC passive microwave sea ice concentration CDR are presented here. The CDR provides similar spatial and temporal variability as the heritage products to the user communities with the additional documentation, traceability, and reproducibility that meet current standards and guidelines for climate data records. The data set, along with detailed data processing steps and error source information, can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N55M63M1 .
Regulation of differentiation by HBP1, a target of the retinoblastoma protein

Differentiation is a coordinated process of irreversible cell cycle exit and tissue-specific gene expression. To probe the functions of the retinoblastoma protein (RB) family in cell differentiation, we isolated HBP1 as a specific target of RB and p130. Our previous work showed that HBP1 was a transcriptional repressor and a cell cycle inhibitor. The induction of HBP1, RB, and p130 upon differentiation in the muscle C2C12 cells suggested a coordinated role. Here we report that the expression of HBP1 unexpectedly blocked muscle cell differentiation without interfering with cell cycle exit. Moreover, the expression of MyoD and myogenin, but not Myf5, was inhibited in HBP1-expressing cells. HBP1 inhibited transcriptional activation by the MyoD family members. The inhibition of MyoD family function by HBP1 required binding to RB and/or p130. Since Myf5 might function upstream of MyoD, our data suggested that HBP1 probably blocked differentiation by disrupting Myf5 function, thus preventing expression of MyoD and myogenin. Consistent with this, the expression of each MyoD family member could reverse the inhibition of differentiation by HBP1. Further investigation implicated the relative ratio of RB to HBP1 as a determinant of whether cell cycle exit or full differentiation occurred. At a low RB/HBP1 ratio cell cycle exit occurred but there was no tissue-specific gene expression. At elevated RB/HBP1 ratios full differentiation occurred. Similar changes in the RB/HBP1 ratio have been observed in normal C2 differentiation. Thus, we postulate that the relative ratio of RB to HBP1 may be one signal for activation of the MyoD family. We propose a model in which a checkpoint of positive and negative regulation may coordinate cell cycle exit with MyoD family activation to give fidelity and progression in differentiation.
EPIBIONTS OF SYMPATRIC SPECIES OF Cancer CRABS IN BARKLEY SOUND, BRITISH COLUMBIA

The diversity, abundance and spatial distribution of macro-epibionts colonizing the graceful crab, Cancer gracilis, the red rock crab, Cancer productus, and the Dungeness crab Cancer magister were examined. These three crab species were common in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, occurring sympatrically across much of their range. Twenty nine epibiont species, representing ten different phyla were found. Thirty three percent of Cancer gracilis, 49% of Cancer magister and 68% of Cancer productus possessed one or more epibiont species. Cancer gracilis was the least speciose, while Cancer productus exhibited the greatest diversity of epibiont species. Male crabs were larger than females and had a greater species richness and diversity of epibionts. Epibionts were largely absent on juvenile crabs; in adult crabs, occurrence increased with crab size. Barnacles were the most common epibiont; the majority were Balanus crenatus, which predominated on the dorsal surfaces of the cephalothorax of each crab species. Green, red and brown algae were also common, the majority of which (.80%) were found on the antennae of the crabs. Tube-dwelling polychaete worms were less abundant, showing a preference for the ventral surfaces of the crabs. Hydrozoan colonies were found on only 7% of all the crabs examined, mostly settling on the ventral surfaces and limbs. Bryozoans were only found on Cancer productus and Cancer magister. The majority were the encrusting Membranipora membranacea. Unlike the above taxa, bryozoans showed no clear preference for a specific area of the carapace. Organisms in the phyla Urochordata, Mollusca and Porifera were only found on a few individual Cancer magister and Cancer productus. The distribution of each epibiont species is discussed in relation to larval settlement patterns and ecological, morphological and behavioural differences among the three host species.
Precocene II Suppresses the Biosynthesis of Juvenile Hormone, Ecdysteroids and Vitellogenin in the Black Blowfly, Phormia Regina Meigen

Vitellogenesis in most insects is contingent on vitellogenin (Vg) production by the fat body and/or follicle cells which are stimulated by ecdysteroids, juvenile hormones (JH), or both in addition to other hormones. Earlier literatures on Phormia regina emphasize the role of the corpus allatum or JH on Vg production.
Examining the Relationship Between Civil Service Commissions and Municipal Police Diversity

Despite the widely held goal of increasing diversity in policing, police organizations have struggled to diversify. Previous research highlights the role of civilian involvement in the process by i...
Gastric pH and cribbing frequency of horses treated with an oral antacid

ABSTRACT Eight mature cribbing horses were used to assess the effect of an oral antacid on cribbing behavior and gastric pH. Horses were maintained on bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) pasture with ad libitum water and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) hay and received 2.3 kg of a commercially available pelleted concentrate twice daily during the study. Four horses were assigned to each of 2 treatment sequences (antacid, control, control; or control, antacid, antacid) in a crossover design. Treatments consisted of 228 g of a commercially available equine antacid (Neigh-Lox, Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, KY) or control (228 g of the regular concentrate) hand fed to horses twice daily. Treatment periods were 21 d with a 21-d washout between periods. Number of cribbing bites, duration of cribbing behavior, and number of cribbing bouts were recorded during three 2-h observation sessions on d 20 of each period. Gastric-fluid samples were collected via nasogastric tube on d 21 of each period, and pH was determined using a digital pH meter. Antacid raised mean gastric pH (0.88 ± 0.34; P
Redes sociales en al sector educativo: Posicionamiento de un blog para el mercadeo de programas académicos

This article is the result of research conducted within the framework of the research project to qualify for the degree of Master of Business Administration in UNAD Florida. Social networks now have over one billion users worldwide and a blog is an alternative that can increase the web visibility of a company that mercadee goods or services in virtual communities, making it a free and easy alternative for entrepreneurs and yet reliable and interactive for users who consult and make decisions to purchase goods or services through this medium. This project confirms that a blog can be useful for promoting the services of educational institutions as, UNAD Florida, have a limited budget for marketing their academic programs.
Providing Diurnal Sky Cover Data at ARM Sites

The Solmirus Corporation was awarded two-year funding to perform a comprehensive data analysis of observations made during Solmirus’ 2009 field campaign (conducted from May 21 to July 27, 2009 at the ARM SGP site) using their All Sky Infrared Visible Analyzer (ASIVA) instrument. The objective was to develop a suite of cloud property data products for the ASIVA instrument that could be implemented in real time and tailored for cloud modelers. This final report describes Solmirus’ research and findings enabled by this grant. The primary objective of this award was to develop a diurnal sky cover (SC) data product utilizing the ASIVA’s infrared (IR) radiometrically-calibrated data and is described in detail. Other data products discussed in this report include the sky cover derived from ASIVA’s visible channel and precipitable water vapor, cloud temperature (both brightness and color), and cloud height inferred from ASIVA’s IR channels.
The importance of bicarbonate in large volume anesthetic preparations. Revisiting the tumescent formula.

background : The tumescent local anesthetic approach is now being used more widely in dermatologic surgery. Although the original formula contains 12.5 mEq sodium bicarbonate per 50 mL of lidocaine, traditionally buffered solutions contain 1 mEq per 10 mL. objective : This study examines the effects of changing the concentrations of sodium bicarbonate in the tumescent formula. methods : Various concentrations of sodium bicarbonate in tumescent anesthetic preparations were measured for pH. results : Tumescent anesthetic preparations containing 5 mEq/L have a more physiologic pH (7.41) than the classic formula of 12.5 mEq/L (7.73). Clinical use of this reduced sodium bicarbonate solution showed no difference from the original formula. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium bicarbonate can be used in a 1 mEq per 10 mL of lidocaine ratio similar to other buffered anesthetic solutions. This solution is physiologic in pH. However, some thought should also be given to the pKa of lidocaine, which is at pH 7.9. To achieve this even higher concentration (20 mEq/L) bicarbonate must be added to the tumescent solution. Thought must be given to these concepts when tumescent solutions are used in large volumes. J Dermatol Surg Oncol 1992;18:973 -975.
Chromium Complexes Supported by the Multidentate Monoanionic N2P2 Ligand: Reduction Chemistry and Reactivity with Ethylene

Chromium complexes supported by the multidentate monoanionic ligand [N2P2] {H[N2P2] = tBuN(H)SiMe2N(CH2CH2PiPr2)2} are presented, and the activity of these complexes toward ethylene oligomerization/polymerization is examined. The complexes [N2P2]CrCl2 (1) and [N2P2]CrCl (2) polymerized ethylene after activation with MAO. Derivatives of 1 and 2 were synthesized in order to gain insights about the active species in the ethylene oligomerization/polymerization processes. The alkyl complexes [N2P2]CrMe (3), [N2P2]CrCH2SiMe3 (4), and [N2P2]Cr(Cl)CH2SiMe3 (5), the cationic species {[N2P2]CrCl}BF4 (7), {[N2P2]CrCl}BPh4 (8), and {[N2P2]CrCH2SiMe3}BF4 (9), and the Cr(II) complex [N2P2]CrOSO2CF3 (11) were not active ethylene oligomerization/polymerization catalysts in the absence of an activator. Reaction of 1 with 2 equiv of MeLi led to reduction to 3; however, with 1 equiv of MeLi the stable mixed alkyl halide derivative [N2P2]Cr(Cl)Me (6) was obtained. Reaction of 2 with Red-Al produced the bridging di-hydride {(...
Establishing Supramolecular Control over Solid-State Architectures: A Simple Mix and Match Strategy

With the help of robust principles of crystal engineering, it is possible to construct co-crystals where two or more different molecular entities coexist in the same crystalline lattice; the supram...
Viability of Pneumococci in Dried Sputum

The occurrence of pneumococci in the dust of rooms occupied by pneumonia patients has been recognized for some time.1 It has also been demonstrated that the types of pneumococcus found in homes depicts the flora of the mouths of the members of these households. But the question of whether the dust was being continually reinfected by healthy carriers, or had been originally contaminated by the pneumonic patient and was itself responsible for the carriers, was not answered. In order to solve this question, it was first necessary to determine the length of time pneumococci remained viable in dried pneumonia sputum under conditions simulating a natural environment.
Gastrointestinal manifestations of cystic fibrosis.

Based on experience at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston, the gastrointestinal complications in cystic fibrosis are described. Methods of diagnosis, with emphasis on indications for the sweat test, and preventive and therapeutic measures are also considered.
Management of sports injuries in children and adolescents.

SUMMARY In general, child and youth sports are safe. The vast multitude of injuries sustained are mild contusions, sprains, and strains. Major catastrophic injuries are rare. Overuse injuries secondary to repetitive, unrepaired microtrauma are becoming a more common source of injury. Children must not be thought of as simply small adults. Physiologically and emotionally, children, youth, and adolescents all vary in rate and magnitude of maturation in these spheres. The vast majority of sports-related injuries in children and adolescents require neither hospitalization nor surgery but lend themselves to outpatient treatment. The practice of preventive medicine is encouraged, and orthopedists should take an active part in advising patients about equipment and training programs to prevent coach and parental abuses that may lead to musculoskeletal long-term disabilities.
Representation, imitation, and resemblance

Representation and aboutness Art products and performances seem in some rough sense to be about something. Even when they do not carry any explicitly statable single message, they nonetheless invite and focus thought. Marcel Duchamp’s readymades, Sol Le Witt’s constructions, Vito Acconci’s performance pieces, and Louise Lawler’s conceptual art are all put forward, in Duchamp’s phrase, “at the service of the mind,” in that they are intended to set up in an audience a line of thinking about a subject matter. Most literary works clearly undertake to describe an action, situation, or event. Works of dance typically have a narrative-developmental structure, and even works of architecture seem both to proceed from and to invite thoughts about how space is and ought to be experienced and used. Works of textless pure or absolute music have beginnings, middles, and ends that have seemed to many listeners to model or share shapes with broad patterns of human action. The abstract painter Hans Hoffmann in teaching used to have his students begin by putting a blue brush stroke on a bare canvas and then asking them to think about its relations to the space “behind,” “in front of,” and around it, as though the mere stroke were already a means of incipiently presenting a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface. Yet these facts about presentation of a subject matter in the arts raise considerable problems. How is representation achieved in various media? Does representation centrally involve any likeness or resemblance (as seems to be the case in much visual depiction) between representer and represented, or does it involve centrally the manipulation of syntactically structured conventional codes (as in linguistic representation)? Is the same sense of “representation” (with different means of achieving it) involved in different media of art? Does the value of a work of art depend upon what it represents, and if so, how? Is representationality even necessary for art? Is it sufficient?
Differentiating Closed Versus Open Spinal Dysraphisms on Fetal MRI

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to identify differences in findings between open and closed spinal dysraphisms seen on fetal MR images. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A single-institution retrospective analysis of fetal MR images for spinal dysraphism was performed. Postnatal images and clinical and operative reports were reviewed. RESULTS. Sixteen fetuses with postnatally confirmed closed spinal dysraphisms were included. Of these, 25% (4/16) had posterior fossa anomalies, 12.5% (2/16) had ventriculomegaly, and 37.5% (6/16) had OEIS (omphalocele, exstrophy, imperforate anus, and spinal defects) complex. Of 90 fetuses with postnatally confirmed open spinal dysraphism, 95.6% (86/90) had posterior fossa anomalies, 85.6% (77/90) had ventriculomegaly, and none had OEIS complex. Twenty fetuses with open spinal dysraphism were randomly selected to compare with fetuses with closed spinal dysraphisms. Continuity of the epidermal and subcutaneous tissues with the sac wall on fetal MR images was seen in 93.8% (15/1...
Non-Menkes Type Copper Deficiency

A two year old girl with copper deficiency progressive neuronal disorder and granulocytopenia is reported from the Department of Pediatrics, Kyoto University, Japan.
Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Illness: the Moderating Role of Subjective Socioeconomic Status

Background Sleep is a predictor of infectious illness that may depend on one’s socioeconomic status (SES).
Revisiting model selection and recovery of sparse signals using one-step thresholding

This paper studies non-asymptotic model selection and recovery of sparse signals in high-dimensional, linear inference problems. In contrast to the existing literature, the focus here is on the general case of arbitrary design matrices and arbitrary nonzero entries of the signal. In this regard, it utilizes two easily computable measures of coherence—termed as the worst-case coherence and the average coherence—among the columns of a design matrix to analyze a simple, model-order agnostic one-step thresholding (OST) algorithm. In particular, the paper establishes that if the design matrix has reasonably small worst-case and average coherence then OST performs near-optimal model selection when either (i) the energy of any nonzero entry of the signal is close to the average signal energy per nonzero entry or (ii) the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the measurement system is not too high. Further, the paper shows that if the design matrix in addition has sufficiently small spectral norm then OST also exactly recovers most sparse signals whose nonzero entries have approximately the same magnitude even if the number of nonzero entries scales almost linearly with the number of rows of the design matrix. Finally, the paper also presents various classes of random and deterministic design matrices that can be used together with OST to successfully carry out near-optimal model selection and recovery of sparse signals under certain SNR regimes or for certain classes of signals.
Transcendental Arguments, Conceivability, and Global Vs. Local Skepticism

In this paper, I argue that, if transcendental arguments are to proceed from premises that are acceptable to the skeptic, the Transcendental Premise, according to which “X is a metaphysically necessary condition for the possibility of Y,” must be grounded in considerations of conceivability and possibility. More explicitly, the Transcendental Premise is based on what Szabo Gendler and Hawthorne (2002, p. 2) call the “conceivability-possibility (or inconceivability-impossibility) move.” This “inconceivability-impossibility” move, however, is a problematic argumentative move when advancing transcendental arguments for the following reasons. First, from “S cannot conceive of P” it doesn’t necessarily follow that P is inconceivable. Second, from “P is inconceivable” it doesn’t necessarily follow that P is metaphysically impossible. Third, rather than block skeptical doubts, the conceivability-possibility (or inconceivability-impossibility) move introduces skeptical doubts. For these reasons, transcendental arguments fail to deliver on their promise to overcome skeptical doubts.
Verallgemeinerte arithmetische Funktionen

Viele der Eigenschaften arithmetischer Funktionen, insbesondere die Inversion sowie arithmetische Identitaten, gelten auch in einem allgemeineren Kontext. In diesem Kapitel soll dieser allgemeinere Ansatz eingefuhrt, verschiedene Beispiele betrachtet sowie allgemeine Ergebnisse erzielt werden, die der Leser in den Ubungen anwenden kann.
The Behavioral Paradox of Boilerplate

Although assent is the doctrinal and theoretical hallmark of contract, its relevance for form contracts has been drastically undermined by the overwhelming evidence that no one reads standard terms. Until now, most political and academic discussions of this phenomenon have acknowledged the truth of universally unread contracts, but have assumed that even unread terms are at best potentially helpful, and at worst harmless. This Article makes the empirical case that unread terms are not a neutral part of American commerce; instead, the mere fact of fine print inhibits reasonable challenges to unfair deals. The experimental study reported here tests the hypothesis that when a policy is disclosed as a boilerplate contract term, it appears more legitimate, both morally and legally, than if it is disclosed elsewhere — even if the term would be plausibly subject to legal challenge in either case. Participants were randomly assigned to read about a consumer policy communicated either as a standard term in a form contract, or as a company policy available on the firm’s website. They were more likely to think that harsh policies were legally enforceable, and morally defensible, when the policies were in the fine print — and more likely to object to a policy that was publicly available but not within the standard terms. Disclosing onerous terms up front does not affect consumer choice ex ante but creates a problematic assumption of enforceability when the terms turn out to be troublesome ex post. If correct, this phenomenon presents a substantial challenge to the traditional economic analysis of private bargaining in contract. The Article concludes with a reimagining of the doctrine of assent in modern consumer contracting.
Stationarity in Euclidean Spaces

Palm measures and cycle stationarity; Inversion and spacing measures; Asymptotic invariance; Averaging and smoothing limits; Palm and spacing averages; Local invariance; Ballot theorems and sojourn laws.
Epistemic Processing When Adolescents Read Online: A Verbal Protocol Analysis of More and Less Successful Online Readers

This study examines how the beliefs that adolescent readers hold about knowledge and knowing are activated during online reading. The research questions center on the pattern of these readers’ epistemic processes through which more or less productive learning occurs. High school students performed a critical online reading task on a controversial topic; 10 more successful readers and 10 less successful readers were then selected based on their topic knowledge gain and the quality of the questions that they constructed in response to their online reading. The epistemic processes of these two groups’ 20 readers were inferred from their concurrent verbal reports. Verbal reports were coded and classified qualitatively until concrete types of epistemic processing were recognized; the coded data were then quantified for statistical group comparisons to identify and interpret emerging patterns. The results indicated that more successful online readers tended to engage in higher order epistemic processes when judging information sources, monitoring their knowing processes, and regulating their alternative knowledge-seeking actions, whereas the epistemic actions of their less successful counterparts were more often disconnected and tended to function at a surface level. Cross-categorical associations were found among epistemic judgment, monitoring, and regulation, suggesting that epistemic processes operate interactively. Implications of the study's results are discussed in relation to literacy research and practice.
Vedolizumab: a novel medical intervention in the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an idiopathic and insidious cholestatic liver disease characterised by persistent inflammation of the biliary tree, leading to fibrosis and stricturing.1 Often associated with inflammatory bowel disease, pathogenesis may be related to activated intestinal T-cells expressing the integrin cell surface receptor α4β7. These T-cells are recruited to the liver parenchyma resulting in persistent biliary inflammation.1 Patients typically remain asymptomatic until a diagnosis is attained by detection of elevated liver enzymes.2 No effective medical management exists, and the progressive fibrotic nature of the disease usually results in the necessity of liver transplantation. We present a case of a male …
Adaptive control of a nonminimum phase linear system

Abstract For a weakly nonminimum phase linear system, an adaptive feedback control law is designed that ensures the system output to track a desired trajectory to an arbitrarily high degree of precision. The key to this is the use of a low gain feedback design technique.
Responsiveness to cigarette prices by different racial/ethnic groups of US adults

Objective To evaluate the impact of cigarette prices on adult smoking for four US racial/ethnic groups: whites, African–Americans, Asians and Hispanics. Methods We analysed pooled cross-sectional data from the 2006/2007 and 2010/2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (n=339 921 adults aged 18+) and cigarette price data from the Tax Burden on Tobacco. Using a two-part econometric model of cigarette demand that controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, state-level antismoking sentiment, local-level smoke-free air laws and monthly indicator, we estimated for each racial/ethnic group the price elasticities of smoking participation, smoking intensity and total demand for cigarettes. Results Smoking prevalence for whites, African–Americans, Asians and Hispanics during the study period was 18.3%, 16.1%, 8.2% and 11.3%, respectively. The price elasticity of smoking participation was statistically significant for whites, African–Americans, Asians and Hispanics at −0.26, –0.10, −0.42 and −0.11, respectively. The price elasticity of smoking intensity was statistically significant among whites (−0.22) and African–Americans (−0.17). Overall, the total price elasticity of cigarette demand was statistically significant for all racial/ethnic groups: 0.48 for whites, −0.27 for African–Americans, −0.22 for Asians and −0.15 for Hispanics. Conclusions Our results suggest that raising cigarette prices, such as via tobacco tax increases, would result in reduced cigarette consumption for all racial/ethnic groups. The magnitude of the effect and the impact on cessation and reduced smoking intensity differ across these groups.
Transcriptomic Signatures of Schizophrenia Revealed By Dopamine Perturbation of Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines

Background The dopaminergic hypothesis of schizophrenia postulates a dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2)-mediated hyperdopaminergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia. However, dopamine is also known to have other, non-receptor-mediated effects, including oxidative mechanisms leading to apoptosis. While oxidative processes have been reported to contribute to dopamine neuron loss in Parkinson's disease, their role in schizophrenia remains little studied. Methods We performed a dopamine perturbation on lymphoblastoid cell lines from 515 schizophrenia cases and 692 controls, and studied the resultant RNAseq profiles. Results We found that dopamine had widespread effects on expression profiles, though these effects were likely not mediated through dopamine receptors. Upon stimulation, of the reliably expressed genes, 3,756 (19%) had expression changes of >1 standard deviation at a false discovery rate Discussion Our findings suggest that dopamine may play a role in schizophrenia pathogenesis through modulating immune response and apoptosis. Our results also suggest the utility of pathophysiologically relevant perturbation experiments in appropriate cells to investigate the biology of complex mental disorders.
Trade‐offs between water loss and gas exchange influence habitat suitability of a woodland salamander

Reversible acclimation increases resilience to environmental stress, but acclimation may have hidden costs due to underlying linkages between related physiological traits. These linkages might result in trade‐offs that undermine whole‐organism performance if the change in a related trait reduces the net benefits of acclimation or increases susceptibility to alternative environmental stressors. Metabolic rate and water loss rate are two fundamental physiological traits that could interact due to their dependence on gas exchange across shared physical surfaces. Reductions in water loss rate in response to dehydration stress might reduce metabolic rate by constraining the flux of both water and oxygen. We examined acclimation of metabolic rate and water loss rate using a species of woodland salamander (Plethodon metcalfi) in response to temperature and humidity using a full factorial experimental design. We controlled the evaporative demand of the air across temperatures to assess temperature and humidity as independent cues for acclimation. We predicted that reductions in water loss rate would coincide with reductions in metabolic rate in response to temperature due to shared physical and chemical pathways. We also assessed acclimation of heart rates as a potential compensatory mechanism used to promote oxygen delivery. We integrated these responses into a biophysical model developed from first principles to demonstrate the potential for these interactions to influence habitat suitability. We found that reductions in water loss rates during thermal acclimation were associated with simultaneous reductions in metabolic rates, and we did not find a compensatory response in heart rates. We suggest that these linkages underlie whole‐organism strategies (e.g. physiological dormancy or arousal) for reducing the energetic costs imposed by warm temperatures. The biophysical model suggested that the interaction between these two traits potentially structures phenotypic variation in our population because certain combinations of trait values were incapable of reaching positive energy balance. Trade‐offs between linked physiological traits potentially structure whole‐organism strategies for responding to environmental stressors and constrain phenotypic variation. Therefore, predictions of the benefits of acclimation must be interpreted cautiously without knowledge of the underlying trade‐offs among linked physiological traits. A plain language summary is available for this article.
Tissue- and strain-specific effects of a genotoxic carcinogen 1,3-butadiene on chromatin and transcription.

Epigenetic effects of environmental chemicals are under intense investigation to fill existing knowledge gaps between environmental/occupational exposures and adverse health outcomes. Chromatin accessibility is one prominent mechanism of epigenetic control of transcription, and understanding of the chemical effects on both could inform the causal role of epigenetic alterations in disease mechanisms. In this study, we hypothesized that baseline variability in chromatin organization and transcription profiles among various tissues and mouse strains influence the outcome of exposure to the DNA damaging chemical 1,3-butadiene. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated DNA damage along with comprehensive quantification of RNA transcripts (RNA-seq), identification of accessible chromatin (ATAC-seq), and characterization of regions with histone modifications associated with active transcription (ChIP-seq for acetylation at histone 3 lysine 27, H3K27ac). We collected these data in the lung, liver, and kidney of mice from two genetically divergent strains, C57BL/6J and CAST/EiJ, that were exposed to clean air or to 1,3-butadiene (~600 ppm) for 2 weeks. We found that tissue effects dominate differences in both gene expression and chromatin states, followed by strain effects. At baseline, xenobiotic metabolism was consistently more active in CAST/EiJ, while immune system pathways were more active in C57BL/6J across tissues. Surprisingly, even though all three tissues in both strains harbored butadiene-induced DNA damage, little transcriptional effect of butadiene was observed in liver and kidney. Toxicologically relevant effects of butadiene in the lung were on the pathways of xenobiotic metabolism and inflammation. We also found that variability in chromatin accessibility across individuals (i.e., strains) only partially explains the variability in transcription. This study showed that variation in the basal states of epigenome and transcriptome may be useful indicators for individuals or tissues susceptible to genotoxic environmental chemicals.
Mapping vulnerability to extreme heat events: lessons from metropolitan Chicago

In this paper, we develop an approach for identifying the location of populations most vulnerable to extreme heat events and how those locations change over time. We scan the literature on measurin...
Pathogenicity Genes of XanthomonasCampestris

Following mutagenesis, strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris showing altered pathogenicity were isolated by screening on turnip seedlings. The mutants grew normally on laboratory media. A “library” of wild-type X. c. campestris DNA was prepared using a broad host range cloning vector (pLAFRl) and recombinant plasmids were identified which restored pathogenicity to certain mutants. In one case evidence was obtained for a cluster of linked pathogenicity genes covering about 10 kb of DNA, and in another case involvement in extracellular enzyme production was apparent. It has not yet been possible to identify cloned sequences which influence the behaviour of X. campestris on non-host plants.
Response to reduced nicotine content cigarettes among smokers with chronic health conditions.

Abstract Individuals with chronic health conditions persist in smoking despite the presence of smoking-related illness. The aim of this study was to examine whether chronic health conditions moderate response to reduced nicotine content cigarettes (0.4, 2.4, 5.2, 15.8 mg/g of tobacco). This is a secondary analysis of a controlled clinical laboratory study that examined the acute effects of cigarettes varying in nicotine content among individuals especially vulnerable to smoking and tobacco dependence. Participants in the present study were categorized as having 0, 1–2, or ≥3 smoking-related chronic health conditions (i.e., chronic condition severity, CCS). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine whether CCS moderated response to cigarettes across measures of addiction potential (i.e., concurrent choice testing between nicotine dose pairs, Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT) performance, positive subjective effects), tobacco withdrawal, cigarette craving, and smoking topography. No main effects of CCS or interactions of CCS and nicotine dose were observed for concurrent choice testing, positive subjective effects, tobacco withdrawal, or smoking topography. Main effects of CCS were noted on the CPT with greater CCS being associated with less persistent demand. There was an interaction of CCS and nicotine dose on Factor 1 of the Questionnaire on Smoking Urges with the effects of dose significant only among those with 1–2 chronic conditions. Overall, we see minimal evidence that chronic condition severity affects response to reduced nicotine content cigarettes. A policy that reduces the nicotine content of cigarettes to minimally addictive levels may benefit smokers already experiencing smoking-related chronic conditions.
Traits of Leaders in Movement Initiation: Classification and Identification

How do leaders lead and what aspects of the leader’s identity make others agree to follow? Are the individuals with influence always at the front of their group? Do they initiate travel in new directions or are they just the first ones to start moving? Which attempts to initiate movement translate to leadership? In this paper we present a computational method to characterize and classify the types of leaders in movement initiation. We adapt a leadership inference framework, FLICA, to extract information about which individuals act as leaders. We then propose a framework for ranking leaders according to their position, velocity, and heading, relative to the group, and perform leadership model classification based on those traits, as well as perform hypothesis testing of correlations between target features and leadership ranking. We use simulation datasets to demonstrate the robustness of framework performance w.r.t. noise in model classification. We use time series of GPS positions of wild olive baboons (Papio anubis) and time series of a school of fish movement (Notemigonus crysoleucas) to illustrate applications of our approach. Our results demonstrate that our proposed framework is robust to noise w.r.t. the task of model classification of trait leadership. In baboons, our approach shows that while leaders may not be the first to move, they are typically at the front and move in a new area with everybody immediately aligning in the direction of the leader. On the contrary, in a school of fish, high-rank individuals move earlier to new areas, and the group aligns its direction following these individuals quickly. Our simple scheme is flexible to be applied to other datasets and sets of traits to characterize leadership.
Dietary self-efficacy and dietary intake by race/ethnicity among elementary school children:

Objective:Existing research shows that sociodemographic factors are associated with dietary patterns among adolescents; however, little is known about when these relationships begin in children. Th...
g-ANISOTROPY AND LINE BROADENING OF ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE IN CHARS *

In C3O2-polymer chars, a complicated structure of electron spin resonance has been found which is caused by a g-anisotropy developing in flakes of the material for heat treatment above 650°C. Since the material does not show a corresponding broadening when finely ground before heat treatment, it seems that the g-anisotropy is resulting from anisotropic strains created during shrinkage of the material. No g-anisotropy was found in flakes of other chars but a broadening increasing with thickness of the flakes and decreasing when the material was ground before heat treatment was observed for polyacrilonitrile films. Cellulose acetate was found to show an exactly opposite behavior. It is concluded that all these effects of broadening are due to a spread in g-values caused by presence of strains on the molecular level. It is further shown that the general dependence of the intensity and of the width on the heat treatment can be roughly understood for all chars and correlated with changes in other properties of these materials if it is assumed that the spin centers are broken σ-bonds of carbon atoms.
Seasonal Influenza (Flu)

Seasonal influenza, or flu, is an airborne respiratory virus that occurs every year in the fall to early spring in the United States. The virus is highly contagious and symptoms can run from mild to severe. In some populations (very young, individuals with chronic comorbid conditions, immunocompromised individuals of all ages, pregnant women, and frail older adults), the virus can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. In a majority of cases, seasonal influenza is preventable through safe and readily available vaccinations.