cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 251 – Developmental Signaling: JNK Pathway in Drosophila Morphogenesis

over the last several years have revealed that components of stress signaling MAPK pathways, namely the Jun NH2- terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 kinase signaling modules, are functionally conserved and participate in numerous processes during normal development. Loss-of-function genetic studies using Drosophila have identified the JNK signal transduction cascade as one of the key modulators of morphogenetic events. JNK signaling is precisely regulated throughout dorsal closure. Prior to initiation of closure, JNK signaling is transiently active in a broad dorsal domain; this activity requires the product of the u-shaped (ush) gene, a protein related to mammahan FOG (friend of GATA), which appears to be permissive for JNK activation. JNK signaling then becomes restricted to the ectoderm by the negative action of hnt, which downregulates JNK signaling specifically in the amnioserosa. Thus, although the nature of the signal that activates the JNK pathway is still unknown, expression of transcriptional targets of the pathway reveal a spatial refinement of activation, by the start of dorsal closure, to the leading row of migrating cells at the epithelial front. There, JNK pathway activation mediates changes in gene expression, accumulation of a contractile band of actin and myosin, and movement of the epidermis toward the dorsal midline. Loss of or failure to activate JNK signaling results in defective cell shape changes, failed closure, and lethality.
TEMPORAL TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION DUE TO CHEST PAIN FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

Among individuals receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), persistent, recurrent, or new-onset chest pain (CP) is present in ~20-40% one year following the procedure. Advances in stent technology and anti-ischemic pharmacotherapy may reduce post-PCI CP-related healthcare utilization (HCU
Designing Engineered Resilient Systems Using Set-Based Design

Designing resilience into a conceptual system has proven challenging to quantify and difficult to evaluate. Designing for resilience requires increasing complexity, requirements, and advancements in modeling capabilities. This paper details the use of set-based design to explore design concepts and identify designs with the potential to be resilient systems. Set-based design is a technique that explicitly considers sets of design alternatives with some common design choices. Contrary to point-based design, which selects a single concept and architecture, set-based design selects a set composed of a concept with multiple potential architectures, allowing multiple architectures to advance in the design process. With multiple architectures progressing, set-based design retains the flexibility to reevaluate affordability as requirements are refined and test data is generated. For the analysis, value and cost models are constructed using multiple objective decision analysis to define the value verses cost tradespace. The practice of set-based design expands the tradespace by generating thousands of alternatives across the design space, each alternative relatable in the tradespace by the alternative’s associated and unique cost and value. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of set-based design to evaluate system resilience. Specifically, this paper quantifies and evaluates mission resilience. Mission resilience is the value of performance maintained and recovered by the system in the face of potential performance losses suffered under a threat to the system. These concepts are applied to a military squad enhancement portfolio of systems illustration. Mission resilience value models are used in conjunction with cost models to determine affordability over the life cycle of the enhancements. Set-based design is used to explore the value versus cost tradespace, and a technique called iterative set-based design is employed to focus the tradespace on efficient and affordable solutions for further exploration. The results of this illustration identify solutions on the efficient frontier using an integrated trade-off analytics framework adaptable to requirements changes and able assess the impact of a change in near real time.
Muon Colliders and Neutrino Factories

Muon colliders and neutrino factories are attractive options for future facilities aimed at achieving the highest lepton-antilepton collision energies and precision measurements of Higgs boson and neutrino mixing matrix parameters. The facility performance and cost depend on how well a beam of muons can be cooled. Recent progress in muon cooling design studies and prototype tests nourishes the hope that such facilities could be built starting in the coming decade. The status of the key technologies and their various demonstration experiments is summarized. Prospects “post-P5” are also discussed.
GENDER DIFFERENCE IN RETIREMENT TIMING

The aim of this research is to examine the retirement timing of older men and women in the United States and to find what factors impact such timings. This research used the 2014 Health and Retirement Study datasets. A total of 2,401 respondents were included in this research. All of the participants were over 60 years old, half were women, and the majority of participants were full-time workers (81.8%). The dependent variable was expected years until retirement which was measured as a continuous variable, asking when the respondent thinks he/she will stop work or retire. Controlling for age, race, marital status, education, health, full time, and a number of children, the results revealed that males expect to work 1.2 years longer than women. Yet women have reasons for working longer that are not found among men. Older age and poor health predict a sooner retirement for both men and women. Yet women differed from men in wanting longer work lives if they are African American, employed part-time, and have large families. Women are living longer than men, and the labor participation of women is increasing. Older women will have more challenge in preparing for retirement than men due to their greater need to extend work to secure income. Gender differences in expectation for retirement financial security and their effect on retirement timing. Deserves future research, to understand women’s decision making at this life stage.
Taxonomy of neural oscillation events in primate auditory cortex

Abstract Electrophysiological oscillations in neocortex have been shown to occur as multi-cycle events, with onset and offset dependent on behavioral and cognitive state. To provide a baseline for state-related and task-related events, we quantified oscillation features in resting-state recordings. We used two invasively-recorded electrophysiology datasets: one from human, and one from non-human primate auditory system. After removing event related potentials, we used a wavelet transform based method to quantify oscillation features. We identified about 2 million oscillation events, classified within traditional frequency bands: delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma, high gamma. Oscillation events of 1-44 cycles were present in at least one frequency band in 90% of the recordings, consistent across human and non-human primate. Individual oscillation events were characterized by non-constant frequency and amplitude. This result naturally contrasts with prior studies which assumed such constancy, but is consistent with evidence from event-associated oscillations. We measured oscillation event duration, frequency span, and waveform shape. Oscillations tended to exhibit multiple cycles per event, verifiable by comparing filtered to unfiltered waveforms. In addition to the clear intra-event rhythmicity, there was also evidence of inter-event rhythmicity within bands, demonstrated by finding that coefficient of variation of interval distributions and Fano Factor measures differed significantly from a Poisson distribution assumption. Overall, our study demonstrates that rhythmic oscillation events dominate auditory cortical dynamics.
Chapter 16 – Transgenic Animals

For thousands of years people have improved crop plants and domestic animals by selective breeding, mostly at a trial-and-error level. Woollier sheep and smarter sheep dogs have both been improved through many generations of selective breeding. Obviously, the more we know about genetics, the faster and more effectively we can improve our crops and livestock. Today it is possible to alter plants, animals, and even humans by genetic engineering. Most early experiments in animal transgenics were done with mice, but many larger animals have now been engineered, including livestock such as sheep and goats, pets such as cats and dogs, and even monkeys. In a transgenic animal, every cell carries new genetic information. In other words, novel genetic information is introduced into the germline, not merely into some somatic cells as in gene therapy. Consequently, the novel genes in a transgenic animal are passed on to its descendants.
Relational Memory in the Early Stage of Psychosis: A 2-Year Follow-up Study

Background Relational memory, the ability to bind information into complex memories, is moderately impaired in early psychosis and severely impaired in chronic schizophrenia, suggesting relational memory may worsen throughout the course of illness. Methods We examined relational memory in 66 early psychosis patients and 64 healthy control subjects, with 59 patients and 52 control subjects assessed longitudinally at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Relational memory was assessed with 2 complementary tasks, to test how individuals learn relationships between items (face-scene binding task) and make inferences about trained relationships (associative inference task). Results The early psychosis group showed impaired relational memory in both tasks relative to the healthy control group. The ability to learn relationships between items remained impaired in early psychosis patients, while the ability to make inferences about trained relationships improved, although never reaching the level of healthy control performance. Early psychosis patients who did not progress to schizophrenia at follow-up had better relational memory than patients who did. Conclusions Relational memory impairments, some of which improve and are less severe in patients who do not progress to schizophrenia, are a target for intervention in early psychosis.
Drosophila myosin mutants model the disparate severity of type 1 and type 2B distal arthrogryposis and indicate an enhanced actin affinity mechanism.

Distal arthrogryposis (DA) is a group of autosomal dominant skeletal muscle diseases characterized by congenital contractures of distal limb joints. The most common cause of DA is a mutation of the embryonic myosin heavy chain gene, MYH3. Human phenotypes of DA are divided into the weakest form–DA1, a moderately severe form–DA2B (Sheldon-Hall Syndrome), and a severe DA disorder–DA2A (Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome). As models of DA1 and DA2B do not exist, their disease mechanisms are poorly understood. We produced the first models of myosin-based DA1 (F437I) and DA2B (A234T) using transgenic Drosophila melanogaster and performed an integrative analysis of the effects of the mutations. Assessments included lifespan, locomotion, ultrastructural analysis, muscle mechanics, ATPase activity, in vitro motility, and protein modeling. We observed significant defects in DA1 and DA2B Drosophila flight and jump ability, as well as myofibril assembly and stability, with homozygotes displaying more severe phenotypes than heterozygotes. Notably, DA2B flies showed dramatically stronger phenotypic defects compared to DA1 flies, mirroring the human condition. Mechanical studies of indirect flight muscle fibers from DA1 heterozygotes revealed reduced power output along with increased stiffness and force production, compared to wild-type controls. Further, isolated DA1 myosin showed significantly reduced myosin ATPase activity and in vitro actin filament motility. These data in conjunction with our sinusoidal analysis of fibers suggest prolonged myosin binding to actin and a slowed step associated with Pi release and/or the power stroke. Our results are supported by molecular modeling studies, which indicate that the F437I and A234T mutations affect specific amino acid residue interactions within the myosin motor domain that may alter interaction with actin and nucleotide. The allele-specific ultrastructural and locomotory defects in our Drosophila DA1 and DA2B models are concordant with the differential severity of the human diseases. Further, the mechanical and biochemical defects engendered by the DA1 mutation reveal that power production, fiber stiffness, and nucleotide handling are aberrant in F437I muscle and myosin. The defects observed in our DA1 and DA2B Drosophila models provide insight into DA phenotypes in humans, suggesting that contractures arise from prolonged actomyosin interactions.
Deterministic quantum entanglement between macroscopic ferrite samples

We show how macroscopic magnetic samples like yttrium iron garnet samples are excellent candidates for producing deterministic quantum entanglement and, thus, providing a platform for quantum information science. This requires strong coupling with a high quality cavity, which, in turn, provides an effective coupling between the two samples. For modest values of the squeezing of the pump, we obtain significant entanglement between the two garnet samples. This is the principal feature of our scheme. We present a number of tests for entanglement in terms of the experimentally observed quantities and, in this way, unfold a paradigm for producing entanglement. We also generate quantum states of collective magnon variables.
A distributionally robust optimization approach for a stochastic mobile facility routing and scheduling problem

We study a mobile facility routing and scheduling problem with stochastic demand. The probability distribution of demand is assumed ambiguous, and only the mean and range are known. Therefore, we define a distributionally robust mobile facility routing and scheduling (DMFRS) problem that seeks optimal routing and scheduling decisions for a fleet of mobile facilities to minimize the fixed operation costs and worst-case expected cost generated during the planning horizon. We take the worst-case over an ambiguity set characterized through the known mean and range of random demand. We propose a decomposition-based algorithm to solve DMFRS and derive lower bound and symmetry breaking inequalities to strengthen the master problem and speed up the convergence of the algorithm. Our computational results demonstrate a superior computational and operational performance of our DR approach over the stochastic programming approach.
Universal localization of certain matrix rings

Abstract The Cohn localization is a process of adjoining universal inverse morphisms to the category of R-modules over a noncommutative ring R. Finding specific models for universal localizations is, in general, difficult. For certain classes of rings, however, there exist constructions that are more accessible. We define such a class of rings, the generalized triangular matrix rings, and provide complete descriptions of their universal localizations with respect to certain classes of morphisms, generalizing results of Schofield and Sheiham. These descriptions are themselves generalized matrix rings. The results demonstrate, in particular, that localizing triangular matrix rings produces matrix rings with an increased degree of symmetry. This explains, in part, why Cohn localizations of triangular 2 × 2 matrix rings are always full matrix rings. However, the universal localization of a triangular matrix ring of order greater than two is often not fully symmetric and thereby not a full matrix ring. One consequence of this incomplete symmetry is the lack of a full set of matrix units to identify the localization. In spite of this difficulty, the localization does contain enough idempotents so that its entry bimodules can be recognized. In the case where the set of morphisms forms a maximal tree, the universal localization of any triangular matrix ring is a full matrix ring.
Abstract P362: A Volumetric Comparison of Computed Tomography Perfusion Rapid Core Volume in Different Time Frames With Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Infarct Volume in the Post-Thrombectomy Patients After Large Vessel Occlusion

Introduction: The Computed Tomography Perfusion (CTP) RAPID software is widely used for the patient selection for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) after anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO...
Cortisol effects on brain functional connectivity during emotion processing in women with depression.

Abstract Background Depression is associated with altered functional connectivity and altered cortisol sensitivity, but the effects of cortisol on functional connectivity in depression are unknown. Previous research shows that brief cortisol augmentation (CORT) has beneficial neurocognitive effects in depression. Methods We investigated the effects of CORT (20mg oral cortisol) on functional connectivity during emotion processing in women with depression. Participants included 75 women with no depression or a depressive disorder. In a double-blind, crossover study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure effects of CORT vs. placebo on task-based functional connectivity during presentation of emotionally-laden images. We performed psychophysiological interaction (PPI) to test interactions among depression severity, cortisol administration, and task-dependent functional connectivity using the hippocampus and amygdala as seeds. Results During the presentation of negative images, CORT (vs. placebo) increased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and putamen in association with depression severity. During the presentation of positive pictures CORT increased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and middle frontal gyrus as well as superior temporal gyrus in association with depression. Limitations Because cortisol was pharmacologically manipulated, results cannot be extrapolated to endogenous increases in cortisol levels. The sample did not permit investigation of differences due to race, ethnicity, or sex. Co-morbidities such as anxiety or PTSD were not accounted for. Conclusions The results suggest that CORT has normalizing effects on task-dependent functional connectivity in women with depression during emotion processing. Increasing cortisol availability or signaling may have therapeutic benefits within affective disorders.
Omega-limit sets and robust stability for switched systems with distinct equilibria

Abstract This work characterizes the asymptotic behavior that results from switching among asymptotically stable systems with distinct equilibria when the switching frequency satisfies an average dwell-time constraint with a small average rate. The asymptotic characterization is in terms of the Ω-limit set of an associated ideal hybrid system containing an average dwell-time automaton with the rate parameter set equal to zero. This set is globally asymptotically stable for the ideal system. The actual switched system, including small disturbances, constitutes a small perturbation of this ideal system, resulting in semi-global, practical asymptotic stability.
The Hidden Cost of Prayer: Religiosity and the Gender Wage Gap (Online Supplement)

Religion is a preeminent social institution that meaningfully shapes cultures. Prevailing theory suggests that it is primarily a benevolent force in business, and differences across world religions preclude examining effects that thread across religions. We develop a theoretical account that fundamentally challenges these assumptions by explaining how and why religiosity — regardless of which religion is prominent — differentiates based on gender, widening the gender wage gap. Guided by an integrated review of the religion literature, we specify three dimensions of gender differentiation — social domains, sexuality, and agency — that explain why religiosity widens the gender wage gap. A series of studies tested our theoretical model. Two studies showcased the predictive power of religiosity on the gender wage gap across 140 countries worldwide and the 50 United States via gender-differentiated social domains, sexuality, and agency, explaining 37% of the variance in the wage gap. U.S. longitudinal data indicated the gender wage gap is narrowing significantly faster in secular states. Moreover, experiments allowed for causal inference, revealing that gender-egalitarian interventions blocked the effect of religiosity on the gender wage gap. Finally, theoretical and empirical evidence converge to suggest that religiosity’s effect on the gender wage gap applies across the major world religions.
A Fast Graph Kernel Based Classification Method for Wireless Link Scheduling on Riemannian Manifold

In this paper, we propose a novel graph kernel method for the wireless link scheduling problem in device-to-device (D2D) networks on Riemannian manifold. The link scheduling problem can be considered as a binary classification problem since each D2D pair can only hold the state active or inactive. Our goal is to learn a novel metric that facilitates the design of an efficient but less computationally demanding machine learning (ML) solution for the binary classification task of link scheduling problem that requires no channel state information (CSI) and a fewer number of training samples as opposed to other benchmark ML algorithms. To this aim, we first represent the wireless D2D network as a graph and model the features of each D2D pair, including its communication and interference links, as regularized (i.e., positively-shifted) Laplacian matrices which are symmetric positive definite (SPD) one. By doing so, we represent the feature information of each D2D pair as a point on the SPD manifold, and we analyze the topology through Riemannian geometry. We compute the Riemannian metric, e.g., Log-Euclidean metric (LEM), which are suitable distance measures between the regularized Laplacian matrices. The LEM is then utilized to define a positive definite graph kernel for the binary classification of the link scheduling decisions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed graph Kernel-based method is computationally less demanding and achieves a sum rate of more than 95% of benchmark algorithm FPLinQ [1] for 10 D2D pairs without using CSI and less than a hundred training network layouts.
Plasma levels of a long-acting oxytetracycline in cattle

This study was designed to follow blood levels of a longacting oxytetracycline given to yearling heifers in three treatment regimens.
Realizing Supported Decision-Making: What It Does-and Does Not-Require.

Supported decision-making, a process by which people who might otherwise be unable to make their own decisions do so with help from other people, is rapidly gaining attention as an alternative to g...
Toward a theory of non-linear transitions from foraging to farming

Abstract The evolution of agricultural economies requires two processes: (1) the domestication of plants and (2) specialization in agricultural practices at the expense of alternative subsistence pursuits. Yet, in the literature, domestication receives the lion’s share of attention while theories of specialization lag behind. In this paper, we integrate ideas from human behavioral ecology (HBE) with tools from dynamical systems theory to study the effects of ecological inheritance on levels of investment in foraging and farming. Ecological inheritance is an outcome of niche construction and our study provides a formal link between foraging theory and niche construction. Our analysis of a dynamic model of foraging and farming illustrates that the optimal allocation of effort to foraging and farming can lead to the emergence of multiple stable states. The consequence of this is that low-level farming optimizes subsistence (e.g., minimizing the effort required to meet a subsistence goal) in a forager-resource system over a few years, but makes the whole system vulnerable to punctuated change over decades due to rare events. We use the insights of our model to propose a general ecological framework to explain the evolution and diversity of transitions from foraging to farming.
Being a “Dataologist”: From Data to Networks to Personalized Healthcare

In this talk, I will discuss our research in leveraging Big Data for the Common Good. I will provide an overview of different research initiatives in my research program in network and data science, including applications to grand societal challenges. I will focus on our research initiative in patient-centered outcomes and population health management. Faced with unsustainable costs and enormous amounts of under-utilized data, health care needs more efficient practices, research, and tools to harness the full benefits of personal health and healthcare-related data. To that end, I will discuss a patient-centered population health management framework that can help us move from insufficient healthcare to abundant healthcare. I will also review our various pilots that are in play at various partner organizations. 16th World Congress of the International Fuzzy Systems Association (IFSA) 9th Conference of the European Society for Fuzzy Logic and Technology (EUSFLAT) © 2015. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 12
Creating Innovation: How the right environment can increase an organization’s productivity, creativity, and innovation

Is creating creativity possible? Ideation is one of the biggest buzzwords in the corporate universe today, sparking a shift to manipulating whatever may maximize innovation. The relationship between creativity and innovation is described in the input - output model posited by Amabile along with her theoretical creative computational: given a certain creative input, innovation is mediated only by various environmental factors. In other words, the innovative output of an organization is almost entirely dependent on its environment. This deduction provides the theoretical backbone of modern innovation research. This paper synthesizes the current research on creativity and innovation and presents possible ways to increase innovation in a business through a thorough grappling of what, exactly, in the physical environment influences individuals. An explanation of the concluding breakdown of the environment and its influences are the focus on the paper. In order to explore the dynamics between physical space and creativity, I took two different approaches, one academic and one corporate: reading literature from various fields and interviewing experts in design as well as individuals in corporations. The combination of these methods would allow me to best address the gap between what academics have discovered and what corporations actually utilize. In this way, a more practical and comprehensive theory can be developed and utilized.
A Brief History of U.S. Bankruptcy Law & Policy for Consumers and Businesses

In 2009, Facts on File will release a major scholarly reference work on public policy in the United States, a three-volume collection entitled Governing America: Major Policies and Decisions of Federal, State, and Local Government. The work will deal with approximately 150 areas of public policy, ranging from abortion to monetary policy, and space exploration to bilingual education, covering not only landmark statutes and major programs at the federal level, but also key executive and judicial decisions and some important policies of state and local governments. This paper is the contribution on bankruptcy law and policy. Beginning with an overview of the goals and policies of bankruptcy in the United States, it traces the development of key issues such as federalism (with the rise of a unified federal bankruptcy law in the 1800s), separation of powers (especially in the allocation of judicial power to the new Bankruptcy Courts in the 1980s), the growing pains in the 1990s relating to both consumer and business bankruptcy, and the most salient themes of the reforms of 2005, especially in terms of their impact on bankruptcy judges, bankruptcy lawyers, and individual debtors. The contribution concludes on a positive note with observations about the renewed U.S. dedication to international cooperation in the new Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code.
On an Optimization Problem in Sensor Selection

We address the following sensor selection problem. We assume that a dynamic system possesses a certain property, call it Property D, when a set Γ of sensors is used. There is a cost cA associated with each set A of sensors that is a subset of Γ. Given any set of sensors that is a subset of Γ, it is possible to determine, via a test, whether the resulting system-sensor combination possesses Property D. Each test required to check whether or not Property D holds incurs a fixed cost. For each set of sensors A that is a subset of Γ there is an a priori probability pA that the test will be positive, i.e., the system-sensor combination possesses Property D. The objective is to determine a test strategy, i.e., a sequence of tests, to minimize the expected cost, associated with the tests, that is incurred until a least expensive combination of sensors that results in a system-sensor combination possessing Property D is identified. We determine conditions on the sensor costs cA and the a priori probabilities pA under which the strategy that tests combinations of sensors in increasing order of cost is optimal with respect to the aforementioned objective.
Abstract 130: Effects of Genetic Inactivation of Amyloid Precursor Protein in Cerebral Microvasculature

Background: Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is expressed in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues in the brain, including cerebrovascular endothelium. However, the physiological role of APP in cerebral vasculature is not completely understood. The present study was designed to determine the effects of inactivation of APP in cerebral microvasculature. Methods: Effect of genetic inactivation of APP was studied both in vitro and in vivo . Cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) were incubated with APP-siRNA in vitro , while control-siRNA treated hBMECs served as controls. To study the effect of genetic inactivation of APP in vivo , cerebral microvessels were obtained from APP-deficient (APPKO) mice. Cerebral microvessels from wild-type (C57BL/6) littermates served as controls. Results: Silencing APP expression in hBMECs resulted in selective reduction in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression (P<0.05, n=6), while expressions of inducible NOS and prostacyclin (PGI2) synthase remained unchanged. Furthermore, loss of APP in hBMECs resulted in significantly increased production (P<0.05, n=5) of superoxide anions, as determined by quantitation of 2-hydroxyethidium from dihydroethidium using HPLC. In line with the results obtained from in vitro studies, cerebral microvessels of APPKO mice also demonstrated increased production of superoxide anions. Furthermore, levels of cGMP, second messenger of endothelial NO, were significantly attenuated in cerebral microvessels of APPKO mice, while levels of cAMP remained unchanged. Conclusions: Our results suggest that genetic inactivation of APP results in oxidative stress and impairment of endothelial NO signaling. We speculate that APP exerts vascular protective effects in the cerebral circulation under physiological conditions.
Sovereignty Matters in the Arctic - Wrangel Island: A Russo-American Crisis in the Making?

Starting with a brief review of the 1996 Greco-Turkish Aegean Sea crisis which almost culminated in war, and drawing analogies therefrom, the author examines the potentially fragile maritime boundary delimitation regime between USA and Russia in the Arctic, including some territorial sovereignty claims over islands in the region. The article visits the historical legal background of maritime boundary delimitation between the US and Russia in the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Northern Pacific. The legal history of maritime delimitation between the two nations in that region dates as far back as the 1867 Treaty between the USA and the Russian Empire. That treaty came to be popularly known as the "Alaska purchase treaty". The legal history of maritime delimitation between the two states in the area includes, inter alia, bilateral negotiations in the latter half of the twentieth century aiming at addressing discrepancies in the interpretation and implementation of that treaty, between the two states. Those negotiations resulted in the signing of the "1990 Agreement on maritime boundary" between the US and the USSR. The US has ratified it whereas Russia (in its capacity as USSR's successor state following the disintegration of the Soviet Union) has not. Nevertheless, the 1990 Agreement has, since its signature, effectively entered into provisional force by virtue of an exchange of letters between the US and USSR which provides for the interim implementation of the 1990 Agreement pending its entry into force. The author goes on to analyze the articles of the 1990 Agreement, including the interesting provisions of Article 3 which creates "special areas" for both states, as well as the application of the customary international law of the sea as pertains and correlates to the Agreement. He further notes the potentially unstable regime between the two neighboring superpowers and concludes that cooperation within the scope of international institutions should be strengthened in order to minimize the possibility for conflict like that of 1996 between Greece and Turkey.
Characterization of efferent T suppressor cells induced by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis-specific afferent T suppressor cells.

Previously, we reported that Paracoccidioides brasiliensis culture filtrate antigen (Pb.Ag) when injected i.v. into mice induces antigen-specific suppressor cells which down-regulate the anti-P. brasiliensis delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. The suppressor cells are present in both spleens and lymph nodes of Pb.Ag-treated animals and suppress the afferent limb but not the efferent limb of the DTH response to P. brasiliensis. The suppressor cells induced by Pb.Ag are L3T4+ Lyt-1+2- I-J+ T cells and are considered to be equivalent to the Ts1 cells described for other antigen-specific suppressor cell pathways. This report provides data which show that Ts1 cells induced by Pb.Ag or a soluble factor derived from Ts1 cells (TsF1) stimulates the production of second-order or efferent suppressor cells. The second-order suppressor cells are detectable in spleens and lymph nodes of mice 7 days after injection of Ts1 cells or TsF1 and are specific in suppressing the paracoccidioidal DTH response. In addition, the second-order suppressor cells are T cells with an L3T4- Lyt-2+ I-J+ phenotype and are effective in suppressing only the efferent limb of the P. brasiliensis DTH response. On the basis of the characteristics defined in this study, the paracoccidioidal second-order suppressor cells are equivalent to the Ts2 cells described for other antigen-specific suppressor-cell pathways. Thus, the suppressive circuit induced by Pb.Ag is similar to the suppressor-cell pathways that regulate the DTH responses to azobenzenearsonate, 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl acetyl, lysozyme, and Cryptococcus neoformans antigen. We propose that such a suppressor-cell circuit as defined here with the murine model could be responsible for the depressed cell-mediated immune responses observed in paracoccidioidomycosis patients who have antigen circulating in their sera.
Free Expression, Globalism, and the New Strategic Communication

1. Moving the needle, filling the streets 2. Strategic communication and the foundations of free expression 3. Narratives of legitimacy 4. Strategies of the diagnostic 5. Asymmetries and strategic communication 6. Strategies of system architecture 7. Soft power, soft war 8. Religions and strategic communication 9. Regulating NGOs in the market for loyalties 10. Strategic platforms 11. Strategic communication and satellite channels.
Stool DNA Testing for Screening Detection of Colorectal Neoplasia in Alaska Native People

Objective To assess the accuracy of a multitarget stool DNA test (MT-sDNA) compared with fecal immunochemical testing for hemoglobin (FIT) for detection of screening-relevant colorectal neoplasia (SRN) in Alaska Native people, who have among the world's highest rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) and limited access to conventional screening approaches. Patients and methods We performed a prospective, cross-sectional study of asymptomatic Alaska Native adults aged 40-85 years and older undergoing screening or surveillance colonoscopy between February 6, 2012, and August 7, 2014. Results Among 868 enrolled participants, 661 completed the study (403 [61%] women). Overall, SRN detection by MT-sDNA (49%) was superior to that by FIT (28%; P Conclusion The sensitivity of MT-sDNA for cancer and larger polyps was high and significantly greater than that of FIT for polyps of any size, while specificity was slightly higher with FIT. These findings could translate into high cumulative neoplasm detection rates on serial testing within a screening program. The MT-sDNA represents a potential strategy to expand CRC screening and reduce CRC incidence and mortality, especially where access to endoscopy is limited.
XeF ground state kinetics analysis

A physical model of the temporal aspects of the ground electronic state of XeF in an e-beam pumped environment has been developed in terms of the most recent kinetic and thermochemical information available. Surprisal theory was used to interrelate the individual collision transition probabilities, including those describing promotion of molecules to the dissociation continuum. Molecular dissociation was assumed to occur solely from the continuum, the rate for which was obtained from the constraints of equilibrium. The model includes thermochemical aspects which account for the possibility of dissociation arising from thermally derived rotational excitation. The model, as developed, considerably impacts our interpretation of the phenomenon of improved laser performance at elevated temperatures. Considerable light is also shed on the physics of energy distribution among the principal operating frequencies of the laser.
Alcohol and Drugs as Co-Factors for AIDS

Opiate use in humans is associated with a reduction in the number of circulating T-lymphocytes and in their ability to undergo transformation, probably resulting from opiate binding to T-cell antigens. (See Table 4). Patients also manifest a diffuse hyperglobulinemia, without change in circulating B-cell numbers. In vitro exposure of rodent and human lymphocytes to cannabinoids depresses their transformation, natural killer activity, and interferon production. Similar results occur with in vivo exposure of rodents, but data in man are mixed. Cannabinoids also inhibit primary and secondary antibody responses in rodents. Data regarding the effects of CNS stimulants are too scanty to allow comment. Barbiturate anesthesia in man and animals produces a short-lived depression of lymphocyte transformation, NK activity, and ADCC; no studies of the effects of chronic exposure have been performed. Amyl nitrite has not been proven to possess any immunosuppressive activity.
Microtubule motors at the intersection of trafficking and transport

Molecular motors drive the transport of vesicles and organelles within the cell. Traditionally, these transport processes have been considered separately from membrane trafficking events, such as regulated budding and fusion. However, recent progress has revealed mechanistic links that integrate these processes within the cell. Rab proteins, which function as key regulators of intracellular trafficking, have now been shown to recruit specific motors to organelle membranes. Rab-independent recruitment of motors by adaptor or scaffolding proteins is also a key mechanism. Once recruited to vesicles and organelles, these motors can then drive directed transport; this directed transport could in turn affect the efficiency of trafficking events. Here, we discuss this coordinated regulation of trafficking and transport, which provides a powerful mechanism for temporal and spatial control of cellular dynamics.
Defining the Mechanisms by Which Surface Texturing Reduces Friction

An experimental study is performed on micro textured surfaces in order to better understand how to predict the changes in friction due to surface micro texturing. Surface testing shows that the effect of each texturing parameter on the Stribeck curve is dependant on the particular lubrication regime. By systematically changing the surface texturing parameters, the effects of surface texturing on the Stribeck curve are shown to be highly predictable. Scaling arguments must be developed to better understand and quantify the mechanisms of reduced friction.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Parenchymal FE and collagen gene expression: An iron‐clad association?

Background/Aims: Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis represent common pathological findings in humans with iron overload. This study was undertaken to assess whether in vivo targeting of iron to liver parenchymal or nonparenchymal cells would differently affect collagen gene activity. Methods: Rats were treated with an iron diet or intramuscular injections of iron dextran, and in situhybridization analyses on liver samples were performed. Results: These iron treatments determined parenchymal or reticuloendothelial cell iron overload, respectively. The typical distribution of iron into different liver cells was documented by histochemistry and confirmed by in situ hybridization analysis with a ferritin L complementary RNA probe. In iron-fed rats, in situ hybridization analysis identified a signal for collagen type I messenger RNA into nonparenchymal cells in zones I and II. In rats with nonparenchymal cell iron overload, no activation of collagen gene expression was detected into or near iron-laden nonparenchymal cells. These findings were also confirmed by quantitative Northern blot analysis. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that, regardless of the total hepatic iron burden, selective localization of iron into liver cells (i.e., parenchymal cells) is required for the activation of collagen gene during longterm iron overload in rodents.
The development of Indian naval strategy since 1971

(1993). The development of Indian naval strategy since 1971. Contemporary South Asia: Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 335-359.
A Framework for Knowledge-based, Interactive Data Exploration

Abstract In this paper we propose a framework that combines the functionality of data exploration and automatic presentation systems to create a knowledge-based interactive data exploration system. The purpose of a data exploration system is to enable users to uncover and extract relationships hidden in large data sets. The purpose of an automatic presentation system is to reduce the need for users to have graphic design expertise and for them to spend a lot of time interacting with graphics packages to view their data. Previous work on data exploration was limited to query mechanisms that were often complex to learn and difficult to use, data manipulation mechanisms that did not provide complete coverage of the operations needed by users (especially the ability to form ad hoc groupings of data), and graphics that were restricted to a small set of predefined visualizations. Automatic presentation research, although addressing these issues, has been limited to the display of small data sets. Furthermore, this research has not supported interactive, user-directed processes of design and data manipulation in automatic presentation systems. We propose a framework that overcomes these limitations of current data exploration systems and integrates new interactive capabilities with automatic presentation components. This approach to supporting data exploration integrates recent work on SageTools, an environment for interactive and automatic presentation design, with a prototypical interactive data manipulation system called IDES. In this paper we present our work on the IDES data manipulation capabilities and discuss requirements for coordinating them with automatic presentation of large data sets.
The role of external electric fields in membrane-based separation processes: a molecular dynamics study

Molecular simulations using the method of molecular dynamics have been carried out to determine if external fields can be used to increase the efficiency of membrane-based separation processes, examining both direct and several alternating electric fields, and across a range of frequencies. The results show that alternating electric fields have considerable promise as a valuable, yet generally neglected, tool for improving the efficiency of otherwise difficult separation processes.
Models and statistical methods for gaseous emission testing of finite sources in well-mixed chambers

Abstract Two families of mathematical models are proposed to represent either the concentration of a gaseous emission in or the accumulated amount exiting from a well-mixed, environmentally controlled test chamber. A thin film model, which seems applicable to such sources as carpet adhesive, etc., has the capability of isolating the true emission rate constant from chamber effects. It has successfully modeled emissions of methyl ethyl ketone, a C 8 alcohol, and butyl propionate from latex caulk. Chamber effects in the form of temporary wall retention were identified for the latter two compounds. An analogous, deep source, diffusionlimited model for plywood, etc., once fitted to a data set, can be used to generalize to other combinations of source surface area, chamber volume, and air exchange rate.
Late gastrointestinal complications of inferior vena cava filter placement: Case report and literature review

In current practice, inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are commonly used in the prevention of pulmonary embolism. Despite their widespread use, periprocedural as well as late complications do occur. Filter penetration of the IVC wall into surrounding structures, including bowel, is a known although rare complication. This complication may manifest with abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, duodenocaval fistula, or small bowel obstruction. The authors present a case of abdominal pain from duodenal penetration by a Greenfield IVC filter 13 years after insertion. A detailed operative description and pertinent review of the literature is provided.
Comment on “Evidence that the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan Earthquake Could Not Have Been Induced by the Zipingpu Reservoir” by Kai Deng, Shiyong Zhou, Rui Wang, Russell Robinson, Cuiping Zhao, and Wanzheng Cheng

Deng et al. (2010) computed the Coulomb stress change induced by the impoundment of the Zipingpu Reservoir and suggested that the reservoir could not have induced the Wenchuan earthquake. They have omitted a crucial term in calculating pore pressure. Thus the calculation of the pore pressure component of the Coulomb stress was flawed, and the conclusions derived from the calculations are unsound. In the following, I elaborate on this omission. Coulomb stress change includes a shear stress change Δτ and a normal stress change Δσ n on the fault plane, as well as a pore pressure change term ΔP (e.g., Roeloffs, 1988; Cocco and Rice, 2002; Deng et al. , 2010): Δ CFF= Δτ - μΔσ n + μΔP , where μ is the friction coefficient. The pore pressure change, ΔP , arises from two distinct physical mechanisms, as expressed by equation (2) in Deng et al. (2010): ΔP = ΔP diff+ ΔP u . Diffusive pressure, ΔP diff, represents the time-dependent pressure field generated by the diffusion process and initiates from the bottom of the reservoir. Undrained response pressure, ΔP u , represents the time-dependent pressure field initiated from an instantaneous undrained pore pressure field in response to a rapid loading and occurs wherever volumetric stress exists. This undrained pressure field is the largest initially and decays through time. The authors of Deng et al. (2010) considered the undrained response and stated that it can be calculated by ![Graphic][1] , where … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif