cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling the impact of periodic bottlenecks, unidirectional mutation, and observational error in experimental evolution.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a constant threat in the battle against infectious diseases. One strategy for reducing their effect is to temporarily discontinue the use of certain antibiotics in the hope that in the absence of the antibiotic the resistant strains will be replaced by the sensitive strains. An experiment where this strategy is employed in vitro [5] produces data which showed a slow accumulation of sensitive mutants. Here we propose a mathematical model and statistical analysis to explain this data. The stochastic model elucidates the trend and error structure of the data. It provides a guide for developing future sampling strategies, and provides a framework for long term predictions of the effects of discontinuing specific antibiotics on the dynamics of resistant bacterial populations.
Expression and functional characterization of cytochrome P450 26A1, a retinoic acid hydroxylase

Retinoic acid (RA) is a critical signaling molecule that performs multiple functions required to maintain cellular viability. It is also used in the treatment of some cancers. Enzymes in the CYP26 family are thought to be responsible for the elimination of RA, and CYP26A1 appears to serve the most critical functions in this family. In spite of its importance, CYP26A1 has neither been heterologously expressed nor characterized kinetically. We expressed the rCYP26A1 in baculovirus-infected insect cells and purified the hexahistidine tagged protein to homogeneity. Heme incorporation was determined by carbon monoxide difference spectrum and a type 1 spectrum was observed with RA binding to CYP26A1. We found that RA is a tight binding ligand of CYP26A1 with low nM binding affinity. CYP26A1 oxidized RA efficiently (depletion K(m) 9.4+/-3.3nM and V(max) 11.3+/-4.3pmolesmin(-1)pmoleP450(-1)) when supplemented with P450 oxidoreductase and NADPH but was independent of cytochrome b5. 4-Hydroxy-RA (4-OH-RA) was the major metabolite produced by rCYP26A1 but two other primary products were also formed. 4-OH-RA was further metabolized by CYP26A1 to more polar metabolites and this sequential metabolism of RA occurred in part without 4-OH-RA leaving the active site of CYP26A1. The high efficiency of CYP26A1 in eliminating both RA and its potentially active metabolites supports the major role of this enzyme in regulating RA clearance in vivo. These results provide a biochemical framework for CYP26A1 function and offer insight into the role of CYP26A1 as a drug target as well as in fetal development and cell cycle regulation.
In vitro Binding Study of Epinephrine and Bovine Serum Albumin

The binding of epinephrine to bovine serum albumin and to acetylated bovine serum albumin was studied with respect to evaluation of the active site on the small molecule and to the exchange rate. The effects of varying concentrations of bovine serum albumin on the relaxation rate and chemical shift of 0.1 M (molal) epinephrine were examined. Temperature and pH effects on the relaxation rate of various epinephrine lines were examined. A comparison of relaxation rates between epinephrine-bovine serum albumin and epinephrine-acetylated bovine serum albumin was made. NMR instrumentation was used to follow the reactions. It was found that binding between epinephrine and bovine serum albumin was detectable with this instrumentation and that the most probable active site on the small molecule was the alkyl side chain. It also appeared that there was a fast exchange rate between bound and unbound epinephrine.
Substrate crosstalk in BiCMOS mixed mode integrated circuits

Abstract A comparison of several crosstalk reduction schemes using two-dimensional device simulation and measurements on silicon has shown that while SOI based processes provide high isolation from crosstalk, fully junction isolated wells can provide equal or better crosstalk immunity at a lesser expense. Simple guard ring substrate contacts appear to be the technique best suited for preventing cross-talk at high operating frequencies. A lumped parameter equivalent circuit has also been developed to simulate fully junction isolated wells in SPICE.
Refractory hypothalamic adenylate cyclase in anorectic tumor-bearing rats: implications for NPY-induced feeding

Although isoproterenol stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in hypothalamic membranes taken from freely-feeding, food-restricted or nonanorectic tumor-bearing rats, the response was greatly reduced in anorectic tumor-bearing rats. The addition of NPY to the membrane preparation inhibited adenylate cyclase activity in hypothalamus taken from freely-feeding and food-restricted rats, but NPY-inhibitory activity was significantly reduced in both groups of tumor-bearing rats. These results suggest that cyclic AMP formation is refractory in anorectic tumor-bearing rats, and that NPY-induced inhibition of hypothalamic adenylate cyclase is reduced in tumor-bearing rats prior to the onset of significant anorexia. Therefore, NPY-induced feeding may be reduced in tumor-bearing organisms due to a dysfunction in the cyclic AMP second messenger system.
Exploration of Apparel Brand Knowledge: Brand Awareness, Brand Association, and Brand Category Structure

Four phases of research were conducted to explore female college consumers’ apparel brand knowledge using students from a Southeastern university. First, results from a survey revealed a positive c...
On the type accuracy of garbage collection

We describe a novel approach to obtaining type-accurate information for garbage collection in a hardware and language independent way. Our approach uses a run-time analysis to propagate pointer/non-pointer information from significant type events (such as allocation, which always returns a pointer). We use this technique to perform a detailed comparison of garbage collectors with different levels of accuracy and explicit deallocation on a range of C programs. We take advantage of the portability of our approach to conduct our experiments on three hardware platforms, Alpha/Digital UNIX 4.0D, Pentium/Linux 2.2, and SPARC/Solaris 2. We find that the choice of hardware platform (which includes the architecture, operating system, and libraries) greatly affects whether or not type accuracy enhances a garbage collector's ability to reclaim objects.
Revenue Management on the Links: Applying Yield Management to the Golf-course Industry

In principle, golf-course operators should be able to take advantage of the time-based strategy of revenue management. To do so, however, requires a revision in the way most golf-course operators traditionally have viewed sales. Many golf courses track item contribution margin, costs, revenue per daypart, or similar operating ratios. A different type of measure, revenue per available tee-time, integrates the duration (elapsed time) of the round as a factor in the revenue calculation. The golf-course industry generally has the requisite conditions for using revenue management successfully: fixed capacity, relatively predictable demand, perishable inventory, cost and pricing structures that allow for some flexibility, and demand that is variable and uncertain. Indeed, certain elements of currentday golf-course practice, such as differential pricing (e.g., late-day specials, seniors' discounts), promoting special events (such as local tournaments on off nights), and managing customer play time carry the seed...
A nerve cuff electrode for controlled reshaping of neural geometry

The purpose of this study is the development of a silicone nerve cuff electrode that reshapes nerve geometry slowly and controllably. Previous work using a reshaping electrode called the Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) has shown that the FINE has the ability to reshape the nerve and fascicles into elongated ovals. Reshaping the geometry too quickly may cause neural insult. The Slowly Closing Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (SC-FINE) is designed to control the reshaping period and alleviate any potential nerve compression injury. This is done by combining the reshaping properties of the FINE and the controllable degradation of a biodegradable polymer. Poly (DL lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) is applied to both sides of a stretched FINE to increase the opening height and control the time period of reshaping. Twenty eight SC-FINEs were manufactured. Their opening heights were measured and the average was 1.72 mm /spl plusmn/ 0.47 mm. Preliminary in-vitro experiments to test the reshaping period were performed using 75/25 lactic to glycolic copolymer. Three SC-FINEs, with no delamination of the PLGA film, returned to the original geometry within 15 days /spl plusmn/ 8 hours.
Effects of the proportion of solubles in wet distillers grains plus solubles on in vitro fermentation and hydrogen sulfide production

Effects of substrates containing different proportions of distillers solubles (DS) to distillers grain (DG) on IVDMD, H2S production, gas production kinetics, VFA proportions, and culture fluid osmolality were evaluated in a randomized block design with a 2 × 3 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments. Treatment substrates consisted of 15 or 30% DG with DS added within each DG concentration to yield proportions of DG:DS of 100:0, 75:25, and 50:50; the steam-flaked corn–based control treatment contained no DG. Two ruminally cannulated Jersey crossbred steers (BW = 590 kg) fed a 60% concentrate, steam-flaked corn–based diet were used as ruminal fluid donors. Duplicate cultures were incubated for 24 h to measure IVDMD and 48 h for gas production kinetics, with incubations replicated on separate days. No differences were observed among treatments for IVDMD (P > 0.15), but H2S production was increased (P < 0.01) by 39 and 73% for 15 and 30% DG, respectively, relative to the control. Moreover, H2S production increased linearly as the proportion of DS increased (P < 0.01). Osmolality was greater for the control (P < 0.001) than for other treatments, decreased (P < 0.001) with increasing DG concentration, increased linearly (P < 0.001) with increased DS in substrates, and increased over time (P < 0.001). Fractional rate of gas production (h- 1) was less (P = 0.01) for 30 versus 15% DG, and lag time of gas production decreased as DS increased in substrates (linear, P = 0.02). Molar proportion of acetate was least (P = 0.02), propionate was greatest (P < 0.01), and acetate:propionate ratio was least (P = 0.02) for the control versus other treatments. In general, including DG in substrates and increasing proportions of DS increased H2S production, reflecting increased S concentrations. For both 15 and 30% DG, substrates with greater proportions of DS had increased total gas production and culture fluid osmolality.
End States, Ladder Compounds, and Domain-Wall Fermions

A magnetic field applied to a cross-linked ladder compound can generate isolated electronic states bound to the ends of the chain. After exploring the interference phenomena responsible, I discuss a connection to the domain-wall approach to chiral fermions in lattice gauge theory. The robust nature of the states under small variations of the bond strengths is tied to chiral symmetry and the multiplicative renormalization of fermion masses.
Revision of the Manefish Genus Paracaristius (Teleostei: Percomorpha: Caristiidae), with Descriptions of a New Genus and Three New Species

Abstract The family Caristiidae, commonly known as manefishes or veilfins, includes seven species of mesopelagic, oceanic fishes found throughout the major ocean basins of the world. We present a partial revision of the family, including all of the “small mouth” species, which are distinguished from other species of the family by having an upper jaw that extends approximately to midorbit and is almost completely covered by the thin bones of the suborbital series, a broad suborbital space, and by the lack of palatine teeth. This group, previously thought to include only the genus Paracaristius, is described in full, including the establishment of a new genus and three new species. The new genus Neocaristius includes only Neocaristius heemstrai, a distinctive species that is distinguished from all other species in this group by dentition, lateral-line morphology, dorsal-fin origin, and orbit size, as well as other meristic and morphometric characters. Neocaristius heemstrai is a circumaustral species, known...
1D inversion of multicomponent, multifrequency marine CSEM data: Methodology and synthetic studies for resolving thin resistive layers

Numerical methods for 1D forward modeling and inversion of marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) data are used to examine the inherent resolution of various acquisition configurations to thin resistive layers simulating offshore hydrocarbon reservoirs. Synthetic data studies indicate that jointly inverting frequencies of 0.1 and 1.0 Hz offers better resolution than inverting either frequency alone. Further increasing the bandwidth or density of frequencies does not produce a commensurate increase in resolution. An inline horizontal electric dipole is found to provide better resolution than either broadside or vertical electric dipoles. The horizontal electric and magnetic fields for any transmitter orientation have better resolution than vertical fields. Separate inversions of electric and magnetic fields perform equally well at recovering the reservoir, and there is no resolution improvement from jointly inverting both fields. Smooth inversion for a multiple resistive layer model detects the pr...
Numerical simulation of the current-voltage characteristics of heteroepitaxial Schottky-barrier diodes

A numerical model resulting in the current-voltage characteristics of standard and heteroepitaxial Schottky-barrier diodes is presented. Simulations of GaAs diodes, as well as InGaAs diodes grown on GaAs and InP substrates, are presented. The model considers quantum-mechanical tunneling, and is therefore applicable to highly doped devices. A self-consistent drifted-Maxwellian distribution is used to model the electron energy distribution at high current densities. The assumption of a drifted-Maxwellian distribution is shown to lead to higher current at high bias than predicted with the assumption of a Maxwell-Boltzmann or Fermi-Dirac distribution. The presence of a heterojunction at the InGaAs-substrate interface is predicted to lead to an additional series resistance component. >
Early Attachment Sites for Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Experimentally Inoculated Weaned Calves

Weaned 3- to 4-month-old calves were fasted for 48 h, inoculated with 1010 CFU of Shiga toxin-positive Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 strain 86-24 (STEC O157) or STEC O91:H21 strain B2F1 (STEC O91), Shiga toxin-negative E. coli O157:H7 strain 87-23 (Stx− O157), or a nonpathogenic control E. coli strain, necropsied 4 days postinoculation, and examined bacteriologically and histologically. Some calves were treated with dexamethasone (DEX) for 5 days (3 days before, on the day of, and 1 day after inoculation). STEC O157 bacteria were recovered from feces, intestines, or gall bladders of 74% (40/55) of calves 4 days after they were inoculated with STEC O157. Colon and cecum were sites from which inoculum-type bacteria were most often recovered. Histologic lesions of attaching-and-effacing (A/E) O157+ bacteria were observed in 69% (38/55) of the STEC O157-inoculated calves. Rectum, ileocecal valve, and distal colon were sites most likely to contain A/E O157+ bacteria. Fecal and intestinal levels of STEC O157 bacteria were significantly higher and A/E O157+ bacteria were more common in DEX-treated calves than in nontreated calves inoculated with STEC O157. Fecal STEC O157 levels were significantly higher than Stx− O157, STEC O91, or control E. coli; only STEC O157 cells were recovered from tissues. Identifying the rectum, ileocecal valve, and distal colon as early STEC O157 colonization sites and finding that DEX treatment enhances the susceptibility of weaned calves to STEC O157 colonization will facilitate the identification and evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing STEC O157 infection in cattle.
Features of proximal and distal excitatory synaptic inputs to layer V neurons of the rat medial entorhinal cortex.

Key points • Layer V principal neurons of the entorhinal cortex receive the hippocampal output on their proximal and basal dendrites and send their axons to cortical areas, playing a fundamental role in memory processing. • The apical dendrites of these neurons are rich in spines and extend to the entorhinal superficial layers, in the proximity of axons from cortical neurons, which could make synapses onto these spines. • We stimulated afferent fibres in the superficial layers and recorded depolarizing responses in entorhinal layer V neurons, indicating that they receive excitatory inputs onto their distal dendrites. • The responses were completely blocked by glutamatergic receptor antagonists; stimulation of distal afferents could initiate dendritic spikes, which propagated to the soma to generate an action potential. • These results show that the distal dendrites of entorhinal layer V neurons have access to information that could affect the integration of the input from the hippocampus. Abstract The entorhinal cortex (EC) has a fundamental function in transferring information between the hippocampus and the neocortex. EC layer V principal neurons are the main recipients of the hippocampal output and send processed information to the neocortex, likely playing an important role in memory processing and consolidation. Most of these neurons have apical dendrites that extend to the superficial layers and are rich in spines, which could be the targets of excitatory inputs from fibres innervating that region. We have used electrical stimulation of afferent fibres coupled with whole-cell patch-clamp somatic recordings to study the features of distal excitatory inputs and compare them with those of proximal ones. The amplitude of putative unitary excitatory responses was ∼1.5 times larger for distal compared with proximal inputs. The responses were purely glutamatergic, as they were abolished by a combination of AMPA and NMDA glutamatergic receptor antagonists. Blockade of Ih by 4-ethylphenylamino-1,2-dimethyl-6-methylaminopyrimidinium chloride (ZD7288) increased temporal summation; the increase was comparable for proximal and distal inputs. Proximal inputs initiated a somatic spike more reliably than distal ones; in some instances, somatic action potentials triggered by distal stimulation were preceded by dendritic spikes that fully propagated to the soma. Altogether, our results show that medial layer V entorhinal neurons receive excitatory synapses at distal dendritic locations, which gives them access to information encoded by inputs to the superficial layers as well as the deep layers. These findings are fundamentally relevant to understanding the role of the EC in the formation and consolidation of episodic memory.
Relations among aging, antioxidant status, and cataract

Light and oxygen are necessary for the function of the eye. However, when present in excess or in uncontrolled circumstances, they appear to be related, probably causally, to the development of cataract. Compromises of function of the lens and retina with aging are exacerbated by depleted or diminished primary antioxidant reserves, antioxidant enzyme capabilities, and diminished secondary defenses such as proteases. Smoking appears to provide an additional oxidative challenge associated with depletion of antioxidants as well as with enhanced risk for cataract formation. Poor education and lower socioeconomic status are associated with poorer nutriture and are also significantly related to increased risk for these debilities. Optimizing nutriture, including diets rich in fruit and vegetables, may provide the least costly and most practicable means to delay cataract.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography for Midline Neck Masses in Children

Objectives. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and to assess the utility of preoperative ultrasonography in the pediatric patient with a midline neck mass.Study Design. Diagnostic test study.Setting. Tertiary care university hospital.Subjects and Methods. An institutional review board (UCLA Office of the Human Research Protection Program)–approved retrospective review of pediatric patients undergoing excision of a midline neck mass between 1999 and 2010 at a tertiary care institution was performed. The preoperative imaging modality, imaging diagnosis, and pathologic results were evaluated.Results. Forty patients were included in this review. This study failed to demonstrate an association between preoperative ultrasound-based diagnoses and postoperative pathologic results (P > .99).Conclusion. Ultrasonography is commonly used in the workup of a midline neck mass in the pediatric population. Despite the utility of preoperative ultrasonography, the diagnostic accuracy of this imaging modality may have sign...
A family of moderately repetitive sequences in mouse DNA

When mouse DNA is digested to completion with restriction endonuclease Eco R1, a distinct band of 1.3 kb segments comprising about 0.5-3% of the genome is observed upon agarose gel electrophoresis. This DNA is not tandemly repeated in the genome and is not derived from mouse satellite DNA. Restriction endonuclease analysis suggested that the 1.3 kb segments are heterogeneous. Specific sequences were selected from the 1.3 kb segments and amplified by cloning in plasmid pBR322. Southern transfer experiments indicated that three separately cloned mouse DNA inserts hybridized predominantly to the Eco R1 1.3 kb band and to the conspicuous subsegments generated by secondary restriction endonuclease cleavage of the sucrose gradient purified 1.3 kb segments. Segments were also excised by Hha I (Hha I segments) from the chimeric plasmids containing mouse DNA inserts and subjected to restriction endonuclease and cross-hybridization analysis. It was found that the three Hha I segments were different, although two of them exhibited partial sequence homology. Cot analysis indicated that each of the Hha I segments are repeated about 10(4) times in the mouse genome. These findings indicate that a family of related but non-identical, moderately repetitive DNA sequences, rather than a single homogeneous repeat, is present in the 1.3 kb Eco R1 band.
Clarifying the Developmental Perspective in Response to Carta, Schwartz, Atwater, and McConnell

A reaction to Carta, Schwartz, Atwater, and McConnell (1991) is given to shed light on the meaning of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) for early childhood education (ECE) and for early ch...
Expanding Our Understanding of Age-Related Mortality After Gastric Bypass Surgery.

Young adults are generally thought to be the least risky operative candidates for elective surgery, whereas older individualsmaybe considered too risky. In this issueof JAMASurgery, Davidson et al1 challenge these notions for patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. At least 1 recent study2 inpatientsundergoingbariatric surgery has identified older age as a risk factor for poor outcome. These data combined with the belief that older patients may die before any health benefitsofweight loss surgeryare realized have led to physician reluctance to offer bariatric surgery to this population. However,Davidsonet al1 report ahazard ratio of only0.34, indicating a 66% reduction inmortality for the 65through 74year-old patientswhohave undergone gastric bypass surgery comparedwith their obese counterpartswhohavenot undergone gastric bypass surgery. This finding is a powerful argument for keeping bariatric surgery in the armamentarium for treating obesity in older individuals. These results should be interpreted with some caution, however. Bariatric surgeons exclude high-risk patients from surgery, which represents the major flaw in this study. The group not undergoing surgery had no such exclusion criteria and in all likelihood was not comparable in terms of disease burden and severity to the group undergoing surgery. Thus, the study by Davidson et al1 may be biased in favor of the patientsundergoingsurgery.That said, themagnitudeof thebeneficial effect of gastric bypass surgery onmortality is so stark that it is hard to solely attribute the authors’ findings to a selection bias alone. In addition,Davidsonet al1 found that theobese individuals not undergoing gastric bypass surgery had a faster increase in mortality as they aged compared with those undergoing the surgery. This finding indicates that patients should resist theurge to enjoy excess food intakewhile young, thinking that theyhavebariatric surgery tobail themoutwhen they areold.Obesepatientsmaybecomeprohibitively risky for surgery—or die—before the bariatric surgeon can intervene. Paradoxically, the data from the study by Davidson et al1 did not reveal improved outcome in patients younger than 35 years. The authors attribute this finding to the fact that young womenwere at a 3-fold increased risk of death from external causes (eg, unintentional or undetermined injuries or poisonings),whichappears tohaveoffset theprotectiveeffectsof surgery. A previous study3 reported on the increased incidence of external causes of death after bariatric surgery. The current study suggests that youngwomen in particular are a vulnerable population who may need additional preoperative preparation and postoperative follow-up to limit potentially avoidable causes of death. In conclusion, the study by Davidson et al1 suggests that mortality is drastically reduced for obese patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery across a broad age range. However, one should be judicious in the workup, selection, and postoperative support of both young and old patients before offering this powerful tool for treating obesity.
Chronic sulpiride treatment produces supersensitivity of striatal adenylate cyclase to dopamine in sexually immature or adult castrated rats.

Sulpiride, a substituted benzamide antipsychotic drug, is considered to be a selective antagonist at dopamine D-2 receptors, largely because it does not inhibit dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. It was found that sulpiride in vitro can block dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in rat striatum from sexually immature or adult castrated male rats. Chronic treatment with sulpiride (20 mg/kg i.p. twice daily for 15 days) resulted in supersensitivity of dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in striatum from sexually immature (3-4 weeks old) as well as adult castrated rats. The apparent Ka was decreased 4-fold in the sulpiride-treated animals, whereas the apparent Vmax remained unchanged. This treatment did not alter dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the striatum from adult male rats. Acute treatment with sulpiride was slightly inhibitory to dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase in striatum from the immature rat, suggesting that the supersensitivity after repeated injections could be a compensatory increase. In in vitro studies it was found that sulpiride at nanomolar levels could inhibit the ability of low concentrations of dopamine to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in striatal particulate fractions from sexually immature or adult castrated rats. Sulpiride did not affect dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase in the adult rat striatum. Our results indicate that sulpiride can affect dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in animals that are lacking testosterone, or perhaps estrogen. This suggests that sex hormones could regulate the sensitivity and pharmacological profile of dopamine receptors for their ligands.
Increasing Programming Contest Participation for Fun and Profit (Abstract Only)

Programming contests have a number of pedagogical benefits: they reinforce many concepts and skills that students see in computer science courses, build cross-cutting skills such as teamwork, and can improve job prospects by better preparing students for technical job interviews.The largest and oldest inter-collegiate programming contest in the world is the ACM's International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). Participating in this contest can be fun and instructive for students, but some schools are discouraged from participation because of the large hurdles involved in forming an effective programming contest team, or in making an existing team more effective.A key to success for coaches and teams is to connect with existing individuals who are involved in the process and learn from them, as it is very hard to initiate effective involvement with no external help. This birds-of-a-feather will bring together existing ICPC coaches with other faculty who want to start such a programming contest team, or who want to improve their existing teams.Discussions will include issues that prevent greater participation in the North American super-region, as well as the overall international ICPC climate. Extensive links to existing resources -- both online and published -- will be provided, as well as a means for coaches to foster networking and communication. Strategy guides, including an article in this year's SIGCSE conference, will be discussed and distributed.
Postemergence Changes of Enzyme Activity in the Mosquito, Aedes Aegypti (L.)

Acid phosphatase was at a maximum in both sexes of Aedes aegypti (L.) during the first day of adult life. Its activity steadily decreased to 28 percent of that of the first day by the end of 12 days in females and to 30 percent after 18 days in males. After 40 days the activity in females was only 25 percent. Activity of adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) declined similarly in males, with only 30 percent of that of day-old individuals remaining after 10 days. In females the activity was quite variable in different age groups and no overall trends were observable. The drop in phosphatase activity probably was not due to a depletion of substrate or of enzyme cofactors from the cell, since all factors of the reaction mixture were added at optimal strength. The changes in enzyme activity were believed due to changes in the enzyme molecules themselves, either differences in amount, or in reactive sites, or both.
Statistical Analysis of the Hypothesis That Seismicity Delineates Areas Where Future Large Earthquakes Are Likely to Occur in the Central and Eastern United States

Although large and damaging earthquakes occur in the central and eastern United States (CEUS), no comprehensive and scientifically sound physical models have proven to be reliable indicators of where future large earthquakes are likely to occur in this region. This situation forces seismologists who are attempting to estimate the seismic hazard in CEUS to rely heavily on the observed record of seismicity as an indicator of where future large earthquakes are likely to occur. In this study, the hypothesis that seismicity delineates areas where large earthquakes are likely to occur in CEUS (as well as in other regions) is tested and statistically analyzed. These analyses are then used as a basis for quantifying and giving statistical bounds for the percentage of large earthquakes in CEUS that can be expected to occur in areas where previous earthquakes have occurred. Based on the data analyzed in this study, I estimate that at least two thirds to three fourths of the future large earthquakes in CEUS will occur in zones delineated by historical seismicity.
Constitutionalism, political exclusion, and implications for Indian constitutional history: the case of Montagu Chelmsford reforms (1919)

ABSTRACTUniversally, if the inclusive idea of ‘we the people’ dominates the language of constitutionalism, then, British colonial constitutional reforms in India actually illustrate the dominance of the antithesis of such an inclusive ideal. By revisiting the Montagu Chelmsford reforms of 1919, this essay highlights the emergence of a language of political exclusion, of a majority of the population, on the ground that they were incapable of constitutional politics, a view shared by both the leaders of the colonial administration and the Indian nationalists. Colonial constitutionalism then interrupted not only the projects of colonialism by forcing Britain to legally justify its imperial position and hence exclude a majority from constitutional politics, but also nationalism by inducing the nationalists to speak in a language of exclusion as opposed to their ideological goals of inclusion. In making this argument, this essay draws from recent work on constitutionalism by Stephen Legg and insights from post...
The Influence of Career Stages on Salespeople's Job Attitudes, Work Perceptions, and Performance:

The study examines salespeople in four distinct career stages. The career stages literature suggests that people's psychological and sociological needs differ among these stages. General support fo...
Cushing's disease: pathobiology, diagnosis, and management

Cushing's disease (CD) is the result of excess secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by a benign monoclonal pituitary adenoma. The excessive secretion of ACTH stimulates secretion of cortisol by the adrenal glands, resulting in supraphysiological levels of circulating cortisol. The pathophysiological levels of cortisol are associated with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and early death. Successful resection of the CD-associated ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma is the treatment of choice and results in immediate biochemical remission with preservation of pituitary function. Accurate and early identification of CD is critical for effective surgical management and optimal prognosis. The authors review the current pathophysiological principles, diagnostic methods, and management of CD.
“We Never Retreat”: Filibustering Expeditions into Spanish Texas, 1812–1822 . By Ed Bradley.

“We Never Retreat”: Filibustering Expeditions into Spanish Texas, 1812–1822 . Elma Dill Russell Spencer Series in the West and Southwest. By Ed Bradley. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2015. xxii + 321 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $47.00.) “ W e Never Retreat” examines the principal Anglo-American filibustering incursions into Texas of the early nineteenth century, especially the Gutierrez-Magee and Long Expeditions. The author has meticulously researched the subject by culling evidence from the Bexar Archives, the U.S. National Archives, the memoirs of individual freebooters, and an array of contemporary U.S. newspapers. Although ably documented, Ed Bradley’s book does not present a unified theme on broad issues regarding U.S. frontier republicanism and evolving U.S.-Mexican relations. “We Never Retreat” is most notable for its insightful narrative of … narrett{at}uta.edu
Physician Perspectives on Factors Contributing to Readmissions and Potential Prevention Strategies: A Multicenter Survey

The transition out of the hospital is a vulnerable time for patients, relying heavily on communication and coordination of resources across care settings. Understanding the perspectives of inpatient and outpatient physicians regarding factors contributing to readmission and potential preventive strategies is crucial in designing appropriately targeted readmission prevention efforts. To examine and compare inpatient and outpatient physician opinions regarding reasons for readmission and interventions that might have prevented readmission. Cross-sectional multicenter study. We identified patients readmitted to general medicine services within 30 days of discharge at 12 US academic medical centers, and surveyed the primary care physician (PCP), discharging physician from the index admission, and admitting physician from the readmission regarding their endorsement of pre-specified factors contributing to the readmission and potential preventive strategies. We calculated kappa statistics to gauge agreement between physician dyads (PCP-discharging physician, PCP-admitting physician, and admitting-discharging physician). We evaluated 993 readmission events, which generated responses from 356 PCPs (36 % of readmissions), 675 discharging physicians (68 % of readmissions), and 737 admitting physicians (74 % of readmissions). The most commonly endorsed contributing factors by both PCPs and inpatient physicians related to patient understanding and ability to self-manage. The most commonly endorsed preventive strategies involved providing patients with enhanced post-discharge instructions and/or support. Although PCPs and inpatient physicians endorsed contributing factors and potential preventive strategies with similar frequencies, agreement among the three physicians on the specific factors and/or strategies that applied to individual readmission events was poor (maximum kappa 0.30). Differing opinions among physicians on factors contributing to individual readmissions highlights the importance of communication between inpatient and outpatient providers at discharge to share their different perspectives, and suggests that multi-faceted, broadly applied interventions may be more successful than those that rely on individual providers choosing specific services based on perceived risk factors.
Why Constitutions Differ: Causation in the Politics

Why do constitutions differ? Having identified the varieties, both generic and specific, Aristotle is now in a position to turn to explanation — the search for causes. This is, from a cursory reading of the Politics, a question of vital concern to the philosopher. It is a question he puts directly perhaps fifteen separate times in the course of the treatise, and he attempts to answer it even more often than that. It is a question, moreover, that goes beyond identification and classification in significant ways. Indeed, to identify a constitution as a specific type is implicitly to beg for an explanation at the same time, since to call a constitution ‘of the type x’ is implicitly to show why all x’s are of the same type. And to show this is what it means to explain.
Power and the Public Sector Sell-off

Freedom, choice, competition are neoliberal ideals. They promise more democracy, more productivity and more prosperity. Choice would unleash individual energies and initiatives, making for more efficient and effective use of resources and skills. More freedom and individual autonomy would mean engaging and redirecting individual behaviour into processes that were more efficient. Yet, freedom and choice would mean the peculiar freedoms and choices of the market. The new freedoms and choices were exercised in market activities, processes that had their own particular rules and norms. These would be dependent on the motivation or incentives of the players and the flux of engagement in response to serial activity. In practice, the choice and competition created by privatization uses the market as an indirect type of control, as a distinctive type of activity which itself functions to control behaviour.
Elastic Properties of Mn F 2

The elastic properties of Mn${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ have been investigated in the temperature range $4.2lTl330$ K using a cw transmission technique. The measured values at $T=300$ K of the six adiabatic elastic constants in units of ${10}^{11}$ dyn/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ are ${c}_{11}=10.24$, ${c}_{33}=16.55$, ${c}_{44}=3.185$, ${c}_{66}=7.208$, ${c}_{12}=7.95$, and ${c}_{13}=7.07$. The elastic Debye temperature calculated from the low-temperature elastic-constant data is ${\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{D}(E)=261.6$ K. Using the force-constant model of Matossi for the rutile structure and the published frequencies of the Raman-active vibrational modes, theoretical values of the elastic constants are calculated and found to be in fair agreement with experiment. Each elastic constant [except ${c}^{\ensuremath{'}}=\frac{1}{2}({c}_{11}\ensuremath{-}{c}_{12})$] shows the expected linear decrease with increasing temperature in the region $T\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{D}(E)$. On the other hand, ${c}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ has not yet reached this limiting high-temperature behavior at $T=330$ K. The effects on the elastic properties of volume magnetostrictive coupling to the spin fluctuations near the N\'eel temperature ($T\ensuremath{\approx}{T}_{N}$) and of linear magneto-elastic coupling to the magnetic modes in the antiferromagnetic state ($Tl{T}_{N}$) are discussed. The elastic constant ${c}_{44}$ is found to have a component at low temperatures ($T\ensuremath{\ll}{T}_{N}$) decreasing approximately as ${T}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. This striking phenomenon is discussed on the basis of two possible processes, neither of which provides a completely satisfactory explanation.
Internet Integrated Customer Relationship Management a Key Success Factor for Companies in the E-Commerce Arena

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the application of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in New Economy, which is characterized by the advancement in the information technology. The impacts of the Internet on CRM are assessed in detail in order to reveal the new opportunities and challenges related to CRM in the business settings. In addition, this paper addresses the relationship between CRM and other E-commerce applications, including ERP, SCM and Data Warehousing. Such addresses indicate the role of CRM in the E-commerce arena. Based on the analysis, CRM's future implications in the Internet era to be discussed.
Settling a Nervous Stomach: The Neural Regulation of Enteric Cancer.

The nervous system is emerging as a regulator of malignancy. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Hayakawa et al. demonstrate a feedforward signaling loop in which tumor-derived nerve growth factor promotes enteric tumor innervation, and recruited nerves drive cancer growth through acetylcholine-regulated Wnt signaling and stimulation of further NGF release.
The long arm of childhood: Preschool associations with adolescent health

The current study examines the extent to which participation in preschool at age 4 is associated with blood pressure, body mass index, and awakening cortisol at age 15. We capitalize on data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to examine differences in adolescent health among children who attended preschool, parental care, or home-based care at age 4 (n = 742). Using quasi-experimental methods, we found that preschool participation was associated with multiple positive health outcomes in adolescence. In particular, preschool participation was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and lower arterial pressure during adolescence compared with children in parental care (but not home-based care). Preschool participation was also related to lower levels of cortisol (measured at waking) compared with youth who did not attend preschool. More hours in preschool was associated with higher body mass index and more teacher education is associated with lower teacher education. Results are discussed in terms of how early preschool experiences may help to explain long-term health trajectories. (PsycINFO Database Record
Machine vision-based model for spalling detection and quantification in subway networks

Abstract Spalling is a significant surface defect that can compromise the integrity and durability of concrete structures. The detection and evaluation of spalling are predominantly conducted on the basis of visual inspection (VI) techniques. Although these methods can provide substantial inspection data, they are known to be time-consuming, costly, and qualitative in nature. The objective of this paper is to develop an integrated model based on image processing techniques and machine learning to automate consistent spalling detection and numerical representation of distress in subway networks. The integrated model consists of a hybrid algorithm, interactive 3D presentation, and supported by regression analysis to predict spalling depth. First, RGB images are preprocessed by means of a hybrid algorithm to de-noise the image and enhance the crucial clues associated with spalling. Second, a spalling processor is designed to detect distress attributes, thereby providing 3D visualization model of the defect. And third, the depth and severity of spalling distress are measured using a novel regression analysis model in conjunction with image processing techniques in intensity curve projection. The integrated model was validated through 75 images. Regarding the hybrid algorithm, the recall, precision, and accuracy attained, were 91.7%, 94.8%, and 89.3% respectively. The mean, standard deviation of error percentage in spalling region extraction were 11% and 7.1% respectively, while the variance was 25. Also, the regression model was able to satisfactory quantify the spalling depth with an average validity of 93%. The integrated model is a decision support tool, expected to assist infrastructure managers and civil engineers in their future plans and decision making.
Estimation of Inventory Characteristics for the Control of Just-in-time Production

Abstract Most presentations of Just-In-Time (JIT) production systems have been descriptive; very few mathematical models deal with the inventory processes of this specific production environment. In this paper, we provide a new approach for modeling JIT production, Work-In-Process (WIP) inventories, component availability times and guantities. We consider random factors such as demand, breakdowns and variable yields. Based on these models, first we estimate the service level provided by a certain target WIP level. The theory of order statistics is used and extended to our needs. Next, asymptotic results provide simple approximations in setting appropriate target WIP levels for the production control. The approximations are compared with exact analytic solutions, and simulation results.
The teacher’s perspective on the separation between conjecturing and proving in high school geometry classrooms

Inside the discipline, mathematical work consists of the interplay between stating and refining conjectures and attempting to prove those conjectures. However, the mathematical practices of conjecturing and proving are traditionally separated in high school geometry classrooms, despite some research showing that students can successfully navigate the interplay between the two. In this manuscript, we share perspectives from secondary mathematics teachers regarding what conjecturing and proving look like in geometry classrooms and possible rationales for why they are separated. We document that from the teachers’ perspective, the activities of conjecturing and proving have different goals, draw on different resources, and require different actions from students. In teachers’ eyes, these differences necessitate the separation of conjecturing and proving. By understanding teachers’ perspectives on the activities of conjecturing and proving, we can better consider the constraints of the classroom environment and possibly design activities in which conjecturing and proving could be reunited to allow students a more authentic mathematical experience.
Instance Segmentation of Indoor Scenes Using a Coverage Loss

A major limitation of existing models for semantic segmentation is the inability to identify individual instances of the same class: when labeling pixels with only semantic classes, a set of pixels with the same label could represent a single object or ten. In this work, we introduce a model to perform both semantic and instance segmentation simultaneously. We introduce a new higher-order loss function that directly minimizes the coverage metric and evaluate a variety of region features, including those from a convolutional network. We apply our model to the NYU Depth V2 dataset, obtaining state of the art results.