cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 477: SM22 Deficiency Induces SRF Nuclear Translocation and Promotes Carotid Medial Fibrosis in Response to Injury

Introduction: SM22 (aka transgelin) is known to be an actin-binding protein that is rapidly downregulated in response to vascular injury. Despite prevalent view regarding SM22 as a maker of VSMC dedifferentiation, recently a series of studies including our own demonstrate that SM22 downregulation promotes SMC dedifferentiate into a variety of SMC subtypes involving in proliferation, migration, inflammation, osteochondrogendesis and apoptosis. Hypothesis: In the present study, we assess the hypothesis that SM22 regulates the expression of col1a2, a fibrotic marker, in SMCs. Methods: We use molecular and cellular approaches to analyze the regulation of col1a2 in smooth muscle cells upon artery injury using Sm22 knockout mice. Results: We found that carotid injury induces high expression of Col1a2 in the medial layer of the vessel wall and the nuclear translocation of serum response factor (SRF), a key transcription factor that regulates muscle-specific genes as well as growth factor response genes. To determine whether col1a2, an extracellular matrix protein, is a target of SRF, we performed bioinformatics analysis: we identified an evolutionarily conserved SRF binding sequence, CC(A/T)6GG (known as the CArG box), in the col1a2 promoter. Luciferase transfection assay showed that Vp16-SRF significantly transactivated the col1a2 promoter; mutation of the CArG box abolished most of this stimulating effect. Gel shift and chromatin precipitation assays confirmed that SRF bound to the CArG box of the col1a2 promoter. To investigate whether loss of SM22 in SMCs contributes to increased nuclear SRF expression, we knocked down SM22 in PAC1 cells, a VSMC cell line, using SM22 siRNA. Consistent with the in vivo observation, knockdown SM22 also enhanced nuclear SRF expression. However, cola2 transcription was not upregulated, suggesting that additional signals may be involved in this regulation in vivo . Conclusions: SM22 deficiency increases the fibrosis in the arterial media, and the induction of nuclear SRF may contribute at least in part to col1a2 transcription in response to artery injury.
Daily Well-Being Benefits of Physical Activity in Older Adults: Does Time or Type Matter?

Purpose of the study There is little debate that maintaining some level of physical activity in later life conveys positive benefits both physically and psychologically. What is less understood is the extent to which the type of activity or the length of time spent doing it matters when it comes to these benefits on the daily level. Here, we investigated (a) whether the presence of daily purposeful exercise (Exercise) or non-exercise physical activity (Activity) is sufficient for experiencing day-level benefits, or if time spent matters, and (b) whether there are differential well-being benefits of Exercise and Activity on the daily level. Design and methods Older adults (N = 127; aged 60-95, Mage = 79.4) filled out surveys for 14 days, reporting daily Exercise and Activity behaviors as well as Positive and Negative Affect (PA/NA), Perceived Stress (PS), Perceived Health (PH), and Sleep Quality (SQ). Results Multilevel regression models showed that for purposeful exercise, more time spent was beneficial for PA, NA, and PH, but for PS, only the presence of exercise was important (time did not matter). For non-exercise activity, time did not have as great an influence as presence-doing any form of activity was beneficial for both PA and SQ. Exercise and Activity had largely independent (additive) effects. Implications Results reveal that both purposeful exercise and non-exercise activity convey independent daily well-being benefits, and that for some aspects of daily well-being, duration does matter. Findings can be applied in the development of physical activity education or engagement programs for older adults.
Quinidine purpura: evidence that glycoprotein V is a target platelet antigen

Quinidine-induced thrombocytopenia has been associated with both immune complex and autoantibody binding to platelets. In the present study, serum antibody from six of six patients with quindine purpura was shown by immunoblotting to bind to a single platelet membrane protein of mol wt 80,000. This target protein was absent from Bernard-Soulier (BSS) platelets. F(ab)2 prepared from one patient's serum also bound to this protein, indicating autoantibody rather than immune complex binding to the target antigen. Antibody binding to the 80-kd protein was preserved after treatment of platelets with concentrations of trypsin or chymotrypsin that completely removed glycoprotein Ib (GPIb). Preincubation of platelet proteins with one patient's serum blocked binding of a polyclonal rabbit antibody against glycoprotein V (GPV), indicating that these antibodies recognize the same antigen. By wheat germ affinity chromatography, GPV was shown to copurify with GPIb. Quinidine-induced antibody bound to the wheat germ-purified GPV but not to GPIb. We conclude that quinidine purpura is associated with autoantibody directed against platelet GPV.
Role of glucokinase in regulation of insulin secretion: Lessons from transgenic mice

Impairments in the insulin secretory response to glucose in both type II and early type I diabetes have prompted studies into the mechanisms that allow pancreatic B-cells to sense and respond to physiological changes in blood glucose. Glucose-induced insulin secretion requires the metabolism of glucose in B-cells,1 and the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate, which determines the rate of glycolysis, is considered the major glucose-sensing step for regulating insulin secretion.2 B-cells and hepatocytes express a high-Km member of the hexokinase family, glucokinase (GK), which is responsible for the majority of glucose phosphorylation activity in B-cells.2 While in the liver transcription of the GK gene is induced by insulin,3,4 GK expression in B-cells is primarily regulated by glucose at the translational and post-translational levels.3,5
Transformative Learning Theory: Connections with Christian Adult Education

This article explores Transformative Learning Theory, primarily as asserted by Jack Mezirow, and highlights its relevance for the field of Christian education. The theory's core elements of experie...
A Formal Psychological Model of Classification Applied to Natural-Science Category Learning:

The field of psychological science has seen major advances in the development of formal models of perceptual classification learning; however, little work has tested such models in real-world natur...
VJ Day Times Square Kiss and Ansel Adams in Alaska

Alfred Eisenstaedt created one of the iconic images of the twentieth century when he captured a sequence of four photographs showing a sailor kissing a woman in white on VJ Day, August 14, 1945, in Times Square, New York City. The second photograph from this series appeared in Life magazine two weeks later and has been reprinted countless times over the last seven decades.
Cognitive benefits of angiotensin IV and angiotensin-(1-7): A systematic review of experimental studies.

Abstract Objectives To explore effects of the brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) on cognition. Design Systematic review of experimental (non-human) studies assessing cognitive effects of RAS peptides angiotensin-(3–8) [Ang IV] and angiotensin-(1–7) [Ang-(1–7)] and their receptors, the Ang IV receptor (AT4R) and the Mas receptor. Results Of 450 articles identified, 32 met inclusion criteria. Seven of 11 studies of normal animals found Ang IV had beneficial effects on tests of passive or conditioned avoidance and object recognition. In models of cognitive deficit, eight of nine studies found Ang IV and its analogs (Nle1-Ang IV, dihexa, LVV-hemorphin-7) improved performance on spatial working memory and passive avoidance tasks. Two of three studies examining Ang-(1–7) found it benefited memory. Mas receptor removal was associated with reduced fear memory in one study. Conclusion Studies of cognitive impairment show salutary effects of acute administration of Ang IV and its analogs, as well as AT4R activation. Brain RAS peptides appear most effective administered intracerebroventricularly, close to the time of learning acquisition or retention testing. Ang-(1–7) shows anti-dementia qualities.
Professional nurse's portfolio.

In today’s continuing effort to find an organized, useful approach to demonstrate the professional nurse’s competency, the professional nurse’s portfolio is being seriously discussed. The various components of a
CHAMELEON: a self-evolving, fully-adaptive resource arbitrator for storage systems

Enterprise applications typically depend on guaranteed performance from the storage subsystem, lest they fail. However, unregulated competition is unlikely to result in a fair, predictable apportioning of resources. Given that widespread access protocols and scheduling policies are largely best-effort, the problem of providing performance guarantees on a shared system is a very difficult one. Clients typically lack accurate information on the storage system's capabilities and on the access patterns of the workloads using it, thereby compounding the problem. CHAMELEON is an adaptive arbitrator for shared storage resources; it relies on a combination of self-refining models and constrained optimization to provide performance guarantees to clients. This process depends on minimal information from clients, and is fully adaptive; decisions are based on device and workload models automatically inferred, and continuously refined, at run-time. Corrective actions taken by CHAMELEON are only as radical as warranted by the current degree of knowledge about the system's behavior. In our experiments on a real storage system CHAMELEON identified, analyzed, and corrected performance violations in 3-14 minutes--which compares very favorably with the time a human administrator would have needed. Our learning-based paradigm is a most promising way of deploying large-scale storage systems that service variable workloads on an ever-changing mix of device types.
Prediction of yttrium-90 Sir Sphere deposition by Tc-99m MAA SPECT/CT liver perfusion imaging

1371 Objectives: Tc-99m MAA imaging is used for dosimetry and evaluation of lung shunting prior to therapy (Rx) of liver tumors with yttrium-90 Sir Spheres (Y-90). We wished to determine the frequency of MAA and Y-90 mismatch (M-M) and relate it to site of injection or changes therein. Methods: We studied 79 Y-90 Rx for 16 hepatocellular, 53 neuroendocrine (mostly carcinoid), 7 colon and 3 lung cancers. MAA was injected in the proper hepatic artery (PHA), the right (RHA), or the left (LHA) hepatic artery in 19, 48 and 12 Rx, respectively, imaged with a GE Infinia SPECT/CT, followed by Y-90 Rx a mean 25 days later, and reimaged using the Y-90 bremsstrahlung. Segmental uptake was graded on a 0-3 subjective scale. A summed M-M Score (MMScore) and number of M-M segments (MMSegs) between MAA and Y-90 were calculated for each pt and related to infusion artery and small changes in catheter position. Results: There were 30 Rx with significant M-M between MAA and Y-90 in 9/19 PHA, 19/48 RHA, and 2/12 LHA injections, of which only 7 (28%) could be due to catheter position changes. There were a mean 2.6±1.7 MMSegs with a mean MMScore of 3.3±2.6. MAA did not predict the 16 Y-90 Rx with early stasis. Conclusions: There is frequent variation in liver segment perfusion patterns for any artery injection, and frequent interlobar and intralobar M-M between MAA and Y-90 distributions. This may be due to interval change in flow, different particle numbers and rheology. This may place limitations on Y-90 therapy dosimetry and planning. Research Support: Carcinoid Cancer Foundation
Identification and examination of inconspicuous carnivore modifications

Abstract Bone modifications are associated with a broad range of agents, including carnivores, stone tools, sediments, etc., and can be categorized as one of two types: conspicuous or inconspicuous. Contrary to the larger, more easily identifiable conspicuous modifications, inconspicuous modifications are small, shallow and almost unnoticeable without the aid of a hand lens and strong light, making them harder and more time consuming to identify. This has led to arguments for their omission from tooth mark counts, even though their presence on the bones of archaeological and paleontological faunal assemblages have been recognized and mentioned in literature as having interpretive potential. This study employs visible light microscopy and high resolution scanning electron microscopy to present evidence that positively identifies inconspicuous carnivore modifications as abrasions that also have diagnostic morphology which differentiates them from abrasion created by other taphonomic agents. These inconspicuous carnivore marks may also be associated with the presence of soft tissue and so may help reconstruct the amount of flesh present at specific stages of carcass consumption. This study shows the interpretive potential of ICA may be substantial, requiring their inclusion in tooth mark counts for more accurate reconstructions of past carnivore behavior. Furthermore, understanding the etiology and implications of inconspicuous carnivore marks may provide a new way to interpret faunal assemblages that exhibit such marks, such as those associated with FLK Zinjanthropus, Tanzania. Such interpretations may be able to help develop stronger inferences regarding methods of hominin carcass acquisition.
ஜெர்மானிய மொழி பெயர்ப்பில் திருக்குறள் – கார்ல் க்ரவுல் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு: Thirukkural translation in Deutsch (German) â€“ Karl Grauls Translation work

The trade activities initiated by the Portuguese traders and the religious activities that took place in the 16th to 18th Cent AD in the South Indian costal area has created substantial interest among the English to venture in trade activities in this geographical location. The enduring success of the English East India Company has created deep interest to the Danish Kingdom to focus on establishing Trade in East particularly in Tamil Nadu coastal area. The Danish East India company was formed and it ventured in trade in the East. Not limited to trade the King had the interest to extend the Lutheranian religion in this geography. As a result of this, Lutheran priests arrived in Tharangampadi to spread the gospel among the local people in Tamil Nadu. The priests learn to read and write Tamil language. They mastered many Tamil literatures and among them is Thirukkural. This paper deals with the efforts taken in Translating Thirukkural in German Deutsch language, particularly looking at the efforts of Dr.Karl Graul. Key words: Thirukkural, Tamil Language, German Deutsch Language, Trade, Karl Graul, translation work, Ziegenbalg, Danish East India Company. ஆயவுச சுருககம: தெனனிநதிய கடறகரைப பகுதியில போரததுகசியரகளால தோறறுவிககபபடட வியாபார நவடிககைகளும, கி.பி. 16-17ஆம நூறறாணடுகளில நிகழநத சமயப பரபப நடவடிககைகளும பிரிததானியருககு இபபகுதியில வியாபார நடவடிககைகளைத தொடஙகும எணணததைத தூணடின, அதில நலல வெறறியும பெறறனர. இதனால, தெனனிநதியக கடரறகரைப பகுதிகளில, வியாபார முயறசிகளில டெனமாரக அரசும முனைபபுக காடடத தொடஙகியது. டேனிஷ ஈஸட இநதியா கமபெனி உருவாககம பெறறு, கிழககுக கடறகரைப பகுதியில செயலபடத தொடஙகியது. அவரதம அரசரின விருபபததிறகு இணஙக வியாபாரம மடடுமனறி, இபபகுதியில லூதரன கிருததுவ மதபபரபபததிலும ஈடுபடடனர. இதன விளைவாக லூதரன கிருததுவ பாதிரிமாரகளும தமிழ நாடடு மககள மததியில மதம பரபபும பொருடடு தரஙகமபாடி வநதிறஙகினர. இவரகள தமிழில எழுதவும படுககவும கறறுககொணடனர. இபபாதிரிமாரகள, திருககுறள உடபட பல தமிழ இலககியஙகளையும கறறுததேரநதிருநதனர. ஐரோபபிய மொழிகளில ஒனறான ஜெரமானிய மொழியில (டோயச) திருககுறள மொழிபெயரபபு செயயபபடடு ஜெரமானிய மொழி பேசும மககள மததியில இநத நூல, தமிழ இலககியததுககு ஓர அறிமுகமாகிய வரலாறறுச செயதியை விவரிபபதாகவும அதில குறிபபாக டாகடர. காரல கரவுல எழுதி பதிபபிதத திருககுறள மொழிபெயரபபு பறறிய செயதிகளைத தருவதாகவும இககடடுரை அமைகினறது. குறிபபுச சொறகள: திருககுறள, தமிழ மொழி, ஜெரமன டசசு மொழி, வாணிபம, காரல கிரால, மொழிபெயரபபு, சகனபாலக, டானிஷ கிழககிநதியக கமபெனி.
Total Synthesis of Divergolides E and H.

This manuscript describes the first total syntheses of divergolides E and H. The route employs a telescoped hetero-Diels-Alder and oxidative carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage as an entry into the central bridged bicyclic acetal unit. Additional key steps of the highly convergent route include a desymmetrizing epoxidation, a chelation-controlled alkenylzinc addition, an amide formation between a hindered aniline and an acylating agent that is prone to ketene formation, and a challenging macrolactonization.
A Token of Triumph Cut Down to Size: Jacob Epstein’s Rock Drill as Fetish Object

At the 1915 London Group exhibition, Jacob Epstein exhibited his sculpture Rock Drill for the first and only time. The work consisted of a plaster of paris figure mounted on a real rock drill, the phallic connotations of which were noted both then and in the work’s subsequent reception. The following year, Epstein returned with Torso in Metal from the ‘Rock Drill’, a reduced version of Rock Drill that no longer incorporated the drill and featured only the upper part of the figure. Contesting Epstein’s account of the genesis of the two statues, as well as later interpretations that situate the Torso as a response to the First World War, this essay proposes an alternative reading using Sigmund Freud’s ideas on fetishism.
Industry Input in Policy Making: Evidence from Medicare

In setting prices for physician services, Medicare solicits input from a committee that evaluates proposals from industry. The committee itself comprises members from industry; we investigate whether this arrangement leads to regulatory capture with prices biased toward industry interests. We find that increasing a measure of affiliation between the committee and proposers by one standard deviation increases prices by 10%. We then evaluate whether employing a biased committee as an intermediary may nonetheless be desirable, if greater affiliation allows the committee to extract information needed for regulation. We find industry proposers more affiliated with the committee produce less hard evidence in their proposals. However, on soft information, we find evidence of a trade-off: private insurers set prices that more closely track Medicare prices generated under higher affiliation.
The development of a molecular cloning system in higher plants.

Erasmus Darwin gave God the credit for directing the evolution of plants and animals in his poem The Origin of Society. Only 56 years later his grandson, Charles Darwin, described natural selection as the major evolutionary force which leads to the origin of species (2). This concept of an evolving biosphere has had a profound influence on science and society for the last hundred years. Now a new technology, genetic engineering, has given man the potential to direct the evolution of plants and animals in defined ways and at rates never attainable by natural selection or classical breeding techniques.
Parents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to children’s beverage consumption in youth soccer: A qualitative analysis:

Objective:To explore parents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs, e.g. soft drinks, juice drinks, sports drinks) and other beverages provided by parents a...
Ethical Issues in Geriatric Psychiatry

In recent years in many nations throughout the world, medical ethics has been receiving increased attention by the news media, by religious and human rights organizations, by the legal profession, and by governments. The medical profession has not only responded to such pressure, but also has been attempting to foresee the emergence of new ethical problems and to develop applicable guidelines. The reasons for this increased activity cannot be attributed to the existence of major defects within the generally accepted code of medical ethics, but results from rapid changes in social values, particularly the emphasis on the rights of the individual, and by major advances in science and technology including the extension of the length of life. History clearly demonstrates that professional ethics are constantly evolving. How and why such changes or shifts occur should be understood by the physician, by patients, and the public.1, 2
Towards Influence and Institutionalization

This chapter highlights the meteoric rise of the CLS movement during the first half of the 1980s. Far from being a period of conservatization in the American legal academy, these years were defined by CLS growth and the Crits’ drive for further influence and institutionalization.
Distributed Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Heterogeneous Vehicle Platoons Under Uncertainty

This paper presents a novel distributed nonlinear model predictive control (DNMPC) for minimizing velocity tracking and spacing errors in heterogeneous vehicle platoon under uncertainty. The vehicle longitudinal dynamics and information flow in the platoon are established and analyzed. The algorithm of DNMPC with robustness and reliability considerations at each vehicle (or node) is developed based on the leading vehicle and reference information from nodes in its neighboring set. Together with the physical constraints on the control input, the nonlinear constraints on vehicle longitudinal dynamics, the terminal constraints on states, and the reliability constraints on both input and output, the objective function is defined to optimize the control accuracy and efficiency by penalizing the tracking errors between the predicted outputs and desirable outputs of the same node and neighboring nodes, respectively. Meanwhile, the robust design optimization model also minimizes the expected quality loss which consists of the mean and standard deviation of node inputs and outputs. The simulation results also demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed approach under two different traffic scenarios.
Reading Order and Sentiment in Colonial Archives

In Along the Archival Grain: Epistemic Anxieties and Colonial Common Sense, Ann Laura Stoler examines the apprehensions, epistemic uncertainties, and sentiments that shaped colonial policy in the Dutch Indies. The author presents a nuanced and meticulous reading of official nineteenthand twentiethcentury Dutch colonial archives and decenters how postcolonial scholars, feminist scholars, and historians have characteristically approached colonial texts. The aim of many postcolonial scholars is to recuperate and reintroduce the voices and agency of colonized or subaltern individuals. In contrast, Stoler seeks to elucidate the epistemologies and sentiments of colonial administrators, teachers, doctors, and orphanage directors by reading Dutch colonial archives “along the grain.” She views colonial archives as fleeting configurations of epistemological and political anxieties rather than sites of pure erasure or misrepresentation. Treating archives as ethnographic data in this way illuminates the aspirations, dissentions, epistemic anxieties, and sentiments of colonial officials and draws attention to the “fault lines and ragged edges of colonialism’s archival genres” (p. 53). In discerning the ruptures and inconsistencies within colonial common sense, Stoler explores how colonial administrators sought to assess and identify politically versus privately motivated sentiments and to classify racial and social boundaries. In pursuing this task, Stoler develops the central theoretical argument that political rationalities of administrative authorities were as equally founded in managing affective states and sentiments as they were in the mastery of specific principles of reason and rationality. Systems of scientific knowledge and reasoned management may have been the foundations of colonial authority but only insofar as they were grounded in the simultaneous governance of affections and sentiments. The establishment of a “colonial order of things,” through which colonial policies arose, was founded on a European common sense, or specific epistemic habits,
Global stability with time-delay of a primal-dual congestion control

This paper concerns network congestion control, focusing on a recently proposed "primal-dual" control law that has been shown to give local stability and desirable equilibrium properties for networks of arbitrary capacity and a fixed bound on delay. In this paper we study global stability for these non-linear, delay differential equations, focusing for simplicity on the scenario of a single flow and bottleneck link. We first provide bounds on the state variables that hold for any choice of parameters. Then we give results regarding global stability, based on Lyapunov-Razumikhin methods and singular perturbation theory.
Using geographic information systems in urban planning and policy-making

In this chapter, we discuss the various ways in which the emergent technology of geographic information systems (GIS) can best be utilized within the urban planning process. One of the major difficulties of developing effective integration between GIS and the functions of the planning process involves the comparative crudity of the present array of functions within GIS when compared with those functions which are required in urban planning. We first present typical GIS functions and discuss their comparative crudity, and then we illustrate the sorts of functions which are necessary to the urban planning process in the form of models and spatial analytic techniques. This serves to identify the functions which GISs require if they are to be used most effectively within planning. The rational planning process used to organize these functions is outlined and the ways in which the various phases and functions are influenced and influence the use of GIS noted. Different ways in which computer models might be embedded in GIS and into planning processes are defined and the conditions under which these different strategies can be employed are noted. We conclude the chapter with some speculations concerning the future of GIS and computer technology more generally within the planning process.
Prospective trial of curettage and cryosurgery in the management of non-facial, superficial, and minimally invasive basal and squamous cell carcinoma.

Background As a variation of the curettage and destruction technique, cryosurgery can be used in place of electrodesiccation for the destructive component when managing superficial basal and squamous cell carcinomas. There are few studies, though, demonstrating the long-term cure rate associated with similar methods. This study seeks to determine the long-term cure rate associated with curettage and cryosurgery in the treatment of small, non-facial, superficial basal and squamous cell carcinomas. Materials and methods Sixty-nine patients with 100 non-facial tumors, ≤2 cm in diameter, consisting of superficial basal cell carcinoma, superficial nodular basal cell carcinoma with papillary dermal invasion, squamous cell carcinoma in situ, and squamous cell carcinoma with papillary dermal invasion were prospectively treated with curettage and cryotherapy, and subsequently evaluated at 1- and 5-year intervals. Results No tumor recurred after one year of follow-up, and one recurrence occurred within the 5-year interval, for a 99% recurrence-free endpoint. Six patients died of unrelated causes after one year, and before five years, and were thus lost to follow-up. Conclusions Curettage and cryosurgery is a simple, highly effective, and reliable treatment method for select, low-risk non-melanoma skin cancers.
Fitoestrogénios no tratamento dos sintomas vasomotores da peri e pós-menopausa

Objective: To review the efficacy of phytoestrogens for the treatment of perimenopausal and postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms. Data Sources: UptoDate, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Bandolier, DARE, TRIP, National Guideline Clearinghouse, Index of Portuguese Medical Journals and specialty journals. Review Methods: Studies were identified using the MeSH terms phytoestrogens, perimenopause, postmenopause and hot flashes, published between January of 2000 and January of 2011, in English and Portuguese. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) was used to assess the quality of the studies and assign evidence levels and a strength of recommendation score. Results: Of 78 articles identified, 14 were selected (one clinical decision support system, four guidelines, three meta-analyses, four systematic reviews and two randomized controlled trials). The recommendation of UptoDate and a meta-analysis published in Cochrane (level of evidence 1) conclude that phytoestrogens are not effective. The results of the remaining articles reviewed, generally with level of evidence 2, are conflicting, with the majority demonstrating no benefit with the use of phytoestrogens in reducing the severity and frequency of perimenopausal and postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms. Conclusions: This review of the evidence found that the use of phytoestrogens appears to be ineffective in reducing perimenopausal and postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms (SOR A). It found differences in study designs, particularly in the type and dose of compound evaluated.
DNA Photonics — Probing Light-Induced Dynamics in DNA on the Femtosecond Timescale

In Chap. 10, Wang and Fiebig discuss about a new field, DNA photonics that is important to understand the role of DNA as a functional building block in molecular nanoscale devices, and is also expected to shed light on the complex interactions between structural and electronic properties of DNA. The latter is important for biomedical applications such as DNA-targeted drug design. In this chapter, the authors present experimental data from several different classes of functionalized DNA systems and illustrate the relationship between the structural dynamics and charge injection/migration using state-of-the art femtosecond broadband spectroscopy. They also highlight the importance of the initial electronic excitation for modelling electron transfer rates and point out that ultrafast electronic energy migration, dissipation, and (de)localization must be included into the theoretical description of light-induced dynamics in DNA.
Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Crown Rust in Oat Line MAM17-5

Crown rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia coronata Cda. f. sp. avenae Eriksson, is the most damaging disease of oat (Avena sativa L.). Breeding for resistance to crown rust has been an efficient and economical means to control the disease. Most of the resistance genes in recently released oat cultivars have been introgressed from the hexaploid, wild oat species A. sterilis L. The number of effective resistance genes has been rapidly decreasing. Characterization and utilization of new resistance sources are needed to ensure adequate resistance in future oat cultivars. Crown rust resistance in diploid, wild oat accessions was transferred to the hexaploid, cultivated oat line MAM17-5. The objective of this study was to identify the number, position, and effect of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and digenic QTL epistasis controlling crown rust resistance in MAM17-5. A linkage map of 272 molcular markers was used for this analysis. Reaction type and rust severity data were collected on field-grown adult plants from 152 F 5:6 recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross, 'Ogle'/ MAM17-5. Composite interval mapping was conducted to identify genomic regions associated with crown rust resistance. Overall, two QTL, Pcql on linkage group 28 and Pcq2 on 29, were consistently identified for crown rust resistance in different years. Pcql and Pcq2 explained 48.5 to 70.1% and 9.6 to 14.0%, respectively, of the total phenotypic variation for crown rust resistance. Significant digenic, epistatic interactions were detected for QTL controlling rust severity but not reaction type. Marker-assisted selection targeting the major QTL, Pcql, should be useful for efficient selection of crown rust resistance.
A theory of color barcodes

There is increased interest in the use of color barcodes to encode more information per area unit than regular, black-and-white barcodes. For example, Microsoft's HCCB technology uses 4 or 8 colors per patch. Unfortunately, the observed color of a surface depends as much on the illuminant spectrum (and other viewing parameters) as on the surface reflectivity, which complicates the task of decoding the content of the barcode. A popular solution is to append to the barcode a “palette” with the reference colors. In this paper, we propose a new approach to color barcode decoding, one that does not require a reference color palette. Our algorithm decodes groups of color bars at once, exploiting the fact that joint color changes can be represented by a low-dimensional space. Decoding a group of bars (a “barcode element”) is thus equivalent to searching for the nearest subspace in a dataset. We also propose algorithms to select subsets of barcode elements that can be decoded with low error probability. Our experimental results show that our barcode decoding algorithm enables substantial information rate increase with respect to system that display a color palette, at a very low decoding error rate.
Numerical Study of Single Phase Liquid Mixing in Stirred Tanks Fitted With Rushton Turbine and Flotation Impeller

Mixing is a complex process and usually involves continuous reduction of length and time scales associated with fluid(s) being mixed. Mixing is an essential process and finds widespread application in a range of industries. Due to lack of understanding of the mixing process, industries lose a significant amount of money contributed by increased power consumption and longer process times. In this work a thorough comparison of flow, mixing, and turbulence characteristics of Rushton turbine (RT) and a flotation impeller, variation of disc turbine, is performed for single phase flows using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The fluid used is water. Base case validation and model verification is performed by comparing our CFD results with widely accepted Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) experimental results for the Rushton Turbine. Multiple reference frame (MRF) technique, a pseudo-steady modeling method, is used to model the impeller motion on flow characteristics at different Reynolds numbers (Re). Turbulence closure is provided using RANS based two equation realizable k-e turbulence model. Grid independence studies are carried out a sufficiently fine grid is selected to capture the fine flow structures close to the impeller, though radial velocity close to impeller was under-predicted compared to experimental results. Effects of finite impeller blade and disc thicknesses on the local flow field, which are commonly modeled as thin surfaces, are explored. Various tank geometric variations, like different impeller clearances, and impeller diameter to tank diameter ratios (DI/DT), are also investigated. The numerical results will help in understanding the effect of impeller design on local and bulk flow characteristics and turbulence anisotropy close to the impeller. The results from this work will direct the tank and impeller design choices for two phase solid-liquid flows for future investigations.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
The CO oxidation reaction on Rh: a pulsed-laser and imaging atom-probe study

The CO oxidation reaction on Rh field-emitter surfaces has been investigated for both "high-pressure" and "low-pressure" conditions. In the high-pressure studies the Rh surface was heated to 500 K in 1-2 Torr of O2/CO mixtures and was subsequently analyzed by imaging atom-probe mass spectroscopy. The detection of surface oxides only at O2/CO ratios in excess of 30/1 identifies oxide formation as the surface process responsible for deactivation of the reaction. In the low-pressure experiments the Rh surface was analyzed by pulsed-laser atom-probe mass spectroscopy while the CO oxidation reaction was taking place. The electric field and temperature dependence of the detected ion intensities indicated that the electric field does not strongly influence the CO oxidation reaction or the thermal desorption of CO. No indication of crystallographic specificity in the adsorption of oxygen or CO was observed.
An Air Interrupter Type Spectrographic Light Source

The principle feature of this source is an air interrupter, some of whose operating characteristics have been described in two earlier papers. This paper presents a general technical description of the source to illustrate its unusual flexibility. A procedure followed in selecting source parameters is outlined. Experimental data presented are those obtained by the usual photographic method and from direct recording type time of wait curves. Several examples are given to show the most suitable source conditions for some widely different type samples.
An IEEE 1588 performance testing dashboard for power industry requirements

The numerous time synchronization performance requirements in the Smart Grid necessitate a set of common metrics and test methods. The test methods help to verify the ability of the network system and its components to meet the power industry's accuracy, reliability and interoperability criteria for next-generation substations. In order to develop viable metrics and test methods, an IEEE 1588 Testbed for the power industry has been established. To ease the challenges of testing, monitoring and analysis of the results, a software-based testing dashboard was designed and implemented. The dashboard streamlines the performance testing process by converging multiple tests for accuracy, reliability and interoperability into a centralized interface. The dashboard software enables real-time visualization and analysis of the results. The paper details the design and implementation of the IEEE 1588 Power Industry Performance Testing Dashboard as well as an update of the preliminary findings from the testbed.
A strategic matrix model for the apple industry in Lebanon

The purpose of this study is to examine the Lebanese apple industry from a strategic macromanagement perspective. It employs the Industry Value Chain (IVC) framework, along with Porter's Five Forces of rivalry as a methodology to enable the formulation of a matrix model comprising grand and competitive strategies. Several experiences from the USA, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico and Canada are discussed to draw some differences and similarities. This topic comes at a time when the government is struggling to find solutions for the apple sector. However, the governmental discussions and suggested solutions pivot mostly around technical and policy-oriented issues (e.g., government subsidies and limited seasonal national campaigns), disregarding any serious analysis of business-oriented solutions and private-public sector collaboration.
Conformation of Linear Polymers in Three Dimensions

By significantly extending the existing exact enumeration results, and by combining several independent analysis methods, the authors obtain accurate estimates of the leading "scaling" exponent and the amplitudes for the $d=3$ linear-polymer radius-of-gyration problem. Specifically, they find that the mean square end-to-end distance of an $N$-step self-avoiding walk on an fcc lattice is given by the expression ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{N}\ensuremath{\sim}A{N}^{2\ensuremath{\nu}}[1+\frac{B}{{N}^{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}+\frac{C}{N}]$ with $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\cong}0.5875$, $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\cong}0.470$, $A\ensuremath{\cong}1.05$, $B\ensuremath{\cong}\frac{\ensuremath{-}0.3}{A}$, and $C\ensuremath{\cong}0.25$.
Evidence that selective collateral elimination during postnatal development results in a restriction in the distribution of locus coeruleus neurons which project to the spinal cord in rats

Experiments utilizing retrogradely transported fluorescent tracers in rats reveal that coeruleospinal cells are present throughout the locus coeruleus just after birth, but are confined to its ventral portion by the end of the fourth postnatal week. This change in distribution is not brought about by cell death, since neurons retrogradely labeled through their spinal axon following an injection of tracer shortly after birth are still present in the dorsal locus coeruleus even if the animal is not killed until the end of the fourth postnatal week. Thus the dorsal coeruleospinal neurons in newborn rats do not die but rather lose their spinal collateral.
Dividend Policies and Dividend Announcement Effects for Real Estate Investment Trusts

Previous research on real estate investment trusts (REITs) assumes that their dividend policies are determined solely by tax regulations. We observe, however, that REITs often pay out more dividends than are required by tax rules. This paper examines the dividend policies of REITs by drawing inferences from agency-cost theory and tests for the determinants of REIT dividend payout ratios. The study also considers whether the stock market responds differently to the dividend announcement effects of equity and mortgage REITs based on asymmetric information. Our results support agency-cost explanations for dividend policy and suggest a differential announcement effect.
Geologic Studies of Planetary Surfaces Using Radar Polarimetric Imaging

Radar is a useful remote sensing tool for studying planetary geology because it is sensitive to the composition, structure, and roughness of the surface and can penetrate some materials to reveal buried terrain. The Arecibo Observatory radar system transmits a single sense of circular polarization, and both senses of circular polarization are received, which allows for the construction of the Stokes polarization vector. From the Stokes vector, daughter products such as the circular polarization ratio, the degree of linear polarization, and linear polarization angle are obtained. Recent polarimetric imaging using Arecibo has included Venus and the Moon. These observations can be compared to radar data for terrestrial surfaces to better understand surface physical properties and regional geologic evolution. For example, polarimetric radar studies of volcanic settings on Venus, the Moon, and Earth display some similarities, but also illustrate a variety of different emplacement and erosion mechanisms. Polarimetric radar data provide important information about surface properties beyond what can be obtained from single-polarization radar. Future observations using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar will provide information on roughness, composition, and stratigraphy that will support a broader interpretation of surface evolution.
Partitioned EDF scheduling: a closer look

The partitioned EDF scheduling of implicit-deadline sporadic task systems upon identical multiprocessor platforms is considered. The problem is known to be intractable, but many different polynomial-time algorithms have been proposed for solving it approximately. These different approximation algorithms have previously been compared using utilization bounds; they are compared here using a different metric--the speedup factor. It is shown that from the perspective of their speedup factors, the best partitioning algorithms are those that (i) assign the tasks in decreasing order of utilization; and (ii) are "reasonable" in the sense that they will assign a task if there is capacity available on some processor--such algorithms include the widely-used First-Fit Decreasing, Best-Fit Decreasing, and Worst-Fit Decreasing partitioning heuristics.
Aminoethylglycine-Functionalized Ru(bpy)32+ with Pendant Bipyridines Self-Assemble Multimetallic Complexes by Copper and Zinc Coordination

Directed self-assembly using inorganic coordination chemistry is an attractive approach for making functional supramolecular structures. In this article, the synthesis and characterization of Ru(bpy)32+ compounds derivatized with aminoethylglycine (aeg) substituents containing pendant bipyridine (bpy) ligands is presented. The free bpy ligands in these complexes are available for metal chelation to form coordinative cross-links; addition of Cu2+ or Zn2+ assembles heterometallic structures containing two or three transition-metal complexes. Control over relative placement of metal complexes is accomplished using two strategies: two bipyridine-containing aeg strands tethered to Ru(bpy)32+ allow intramolecular coordination and result in a dimetallic hairpin motif. Ru(bpy)32+ modified with a single strand forms intermolecular cross-links forming the trimetallic complex. Each of these is characterized by a range of methods, and their photophysical properties are compared. These data, and comparison to an acety...
Individual and family factors associated with intention to quit among male Vietnamese American smokers: Implications for intervention development

Smoking prevalence among Vietnamese American males remains higher than the U.S. general population. This study examined the associations of individual and family factors with quit intention among Vietnamese male smokers in California to guide intervention development to reduce their smoking prevalence. Data for Vietnamese male current smokers (n=234) in the 2008 California Vietnamese Adult Tobacco Use Survey (N=1101 males) were analyzed to describe quit intention and previous quit attempts. One-third of Vietnamese male smokers (33%) had no intention to quit at any time, 36% intended to quit soon (in the next 30 days), and 31% intended to quit later (beyond the next 30 days). Half (51.7%) of the sample was in "precontemplation," indicating no intention to quit within 6 months. Many (71%) had made a serious quit attempt in the past year, but 68% of those who tried to quit used no cessation assistance. Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for age, depression, smoking intensity, nicotine dependence, health knowledge, children in the household and home smoking ban revealed that having smoking-related family conflicts and a quit attempt in the past year with or without assistance were independently associated with an intention to quit either in the next 30 days or later. Higher education was associated with no intention to quit. Findings underscore the importance of designing strategic interventions that meet the needs of smokers at both individual and family levels to promote quit intention and to facilitate successful quitting in this population.
A superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic in situ wettability switch of microstructured polypyrrole surfaces.

We present an electrochemical layered system that allows for the fast, in situ wettability switch of microstructured PPy upon the application of an electric stimulus. We have eliminated the need for PPy to be immersed in an electrolyte to switch between wetting states, laying the groundwork for PPy to be used as a viable material in many applications, including microfluidics or smart textiles. The PPy surface was switched from the superhydrophobic state (contact angle = 159) to the superhydrophilic state (contact angle = 0) in 3 s. A wettability gradient was also created on a PPy surface using the layered system, causing a 3 µL droplet to travel approximately 2 mm in 0.8 s.
Reply: whole-culture synchronization – effective tools for cell cycle studies

Studies of gene expression during the eukaryotic cell cycle in whole-culture synchronized cultures have been published using many methodologies. These procedures alter the state of the cell cycle for a population of cells, rather than purifying a population of cells that are in the same state. Criticism of these methods (e.g. see Cooper, this issue, pp. 266-269, ) suggests that these studies are flawed, and posits that such methodologies cannot be used to study the cell cycle because they alter the size and age distributions of the cultures. We believe that whole-culture cell cycle studies work even though they alter the size and age distributions: these cells still progress through the cell cycle and although we do not suggest that the methods are perfect, we will explain how these microarray studies have successfully identified cell cycle regulated genes and why these results are biologically meaningful.