cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of CCAAT/Enhancer-binding Protein α and β Translation by Upstream Open Reading Frames

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) alpha is a bZIP transcription factor whose expression is restricted to specific cell types. Analysis of C/EBPalpha mRNA and protein levels in various mammalian cells indicates that expression of this gene is controlled both transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. We report here that C/EBPalpha translation is repressed in several cell lines by an evolutionarily conserved upstream open reading frame (uORF), which acts in cis to inhibit C/EBPalpha translation. Mutations that disrupt the uORF completely abolished translational repression of C/EBPalpha. The related c/ebpbeta gene also contains an uORF that suppresses translation. The length of the spacer sequence between the uORF terminator and the ORF initiator codon (7 bases in all c/ebpalpha genes and 4 bases in c/ebpbeta homologs) is precisely conserved. The effects of insertions, deletions, and base substitutions in the C/EBPalpha spacer showed that both the length and nucleotide sequence of the spacer are important for efficient translational repression. Our data indicate that the uORFs regulate translation of full-length C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta and do not play a role in generating truncated forms of these proteins, as has been suggested by start site multiplicity models.
Quasi-Newton Dierential Dynamic Programming for Robust Low-Thrust Optimization

Low-thrust trajectories result in challenging nonlinear optimization problems. To solve these problems, ecient and robust optimization techniques are required. The increasing complexity of such problems induces a rise in the computational intensity of the nonlinear solvers. The current work is based on a Hybrid Dierential Dynamic Programming (HDDP) algorithm and aims at improving its computational eciency. A quasi-Newton based method is presented to approximate the expensive second-order sensitivities in efforts to reduce computation times, while maintaining attractive convergence properties. A variety of quasi-Newton rank-one and rank-two updates are tested using several benchmark optimal control problems, including a simple spacecraft nite thrust trajectory problem. The quasi-Newton methods are used in this study to approximate the Hessian of the state transition functions, as opposed to the Hessian of the performance index like in classic optimization applications. Accordingly, the symmetric rank-one update is found to be most suitable for this HDDP application. The approximations are demonstrated to be suciently close to the true Hessian for the problems considered. In comparing the full second order version of HDDP with the quasi-Newton modication, the converged iteration counts are comparable while the run times for the quasi-Newton cases show up to an order of magnitude improvement. The speedups are demonstrated to increase with the problem dimension and the degree of coupling within the dynamic equations.
Memory, distortion, and history in the museum

Museums are conventionally viewed as institutions dedicated to the conservation of valued objects and the education of the public. Recently, controversies have arisen regarding the representation of history in museums. National museums in America and Germany considered here, such as the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the German Historical Museum, have become sites of contention where national histories and personal memories are often at odds. Contemporary art installations in museums which take historical consciousness as their theme similarly raise contentious issues about public knowledge of and personal interest in the past. When members of publics find that their memories of the past or their expectations for museum experiences are not being met, a kind of “distortion” occurs. The “distortion” related to memory and history in the museum is not so much of facts or interpretations, but rather a distortion from the lack of congruity between personal experience and expectation, on the one hand, and the institutional representation of the past on the other. This essay explores the possibilities for a redefined relationship between personal memory and history that is experienced in contemporary museums.
Performance of adaptive prediction algorithms for trellis coded quantization of speech

Investigates the performance of different adaptive prediction algorithms for use in a low delay, high-quality speech coder at 18 kbit/s. The system to be studied is based on trellis coded quantization (TCQ). In the work presented, the authors demonstrate that when trellises based on feedback-free convolutional encoding circuits are employed, error propagation in TCQ systems is not a serious problem. Performance comparisons are made using a fixed predictor and four different adaptive predictors. Informal listening tests reveal that the encoded speech is of good communications quality at an error rate of 10/sup -3/. In an ideal channel, a system employing an all-pole least squares lattice predictor with pitch prediction produces reconstructed speech that is nearly indistinguishable from the original. >
Efficient Analysis of Systems with Multiple States

A multistate system is a system in which both the system and its components may exhibit multiple performance levels (or states) varying from perfect operation to complete failure. Examples abound in real applications such as communication networks and computer systems. Analyzing the probability of the system being in each state is essential to the design and tuning of dependable multistate systems. The difficulty in analysis arises from the non-binary state property of the system and its components as well as dependence among those multiple states. This paper proposes a new model called multistate multivalued decision diagrams (MMDD) for the analysis of multistate systems with multistate components. The computational complexity of the MMDD-based approach is low due to the nature of the decision diagrams. An example is analyzed to illustrate the application and advantages of the approach.
Learning Style Preferences: Implications for Web-Based Instruction

The objective of this paper was to profile the learning style preferences of merchandising students and to demonstrate how Web-based instructional strategies can accommodate their unique preference...
Evolution of centralized nervous systems: Two schools of evolutionary thought

Understanding the evolution of centralized nervous systems requires an understanding of metazoan phylogenetic interrelationships, their fossil record, the variation in their cephalic neural characters, and the development of these characters. Each of these topics involves comparative approaches, and both cladistic and phenetic methodologies have been applied. Our understanding of metazoan phylogeny has increased greatly with the cladistic analysis of molecular data, and relaxed molecular clocks generally date the origin of bilaterians at 600–700 Mya (during the Ediacaran). Although the taxonomic affinities of the Ediacaran biota remain uncertain, a conservative interpretation suggests that a number of these taxa form clades that are closely related, if not stem clades of bilaterian crown clades. Analysis of brain–body complexity among extant bilaterians indicates that diffuse nerve nets and possibly, ganglionated cephalic neural systems existed in Ediacaran organisms. An outgroup analysis of cephalic neural characters among extant metazoans also indicates that the last common bilaterian ancestor possessed a diffuse nerve plexus and that brains evolved independently at least four times. In contrast, the hypothesis of a tripartite brain, based primarily on phenetic analysis of developmental genetic data, indicates that the brain arose in the last common bilaterian ancestor. Hopefully, this debate will be resolved by cladistic analysis of the genomes of additional taxa and an increased understanding of character identity genetic networks.
A new model for imaging and radiation therapy quality assurance in the National Clinical Trials Network of the National Cancer Institute.

Fig. 1. Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Group (IROC) Quality Assurance Centers, Principal Investigators (PIs), and funding relationship with the American College of Radiology (ACR). RT Z radiation therapy. In March 2014, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will consolidate the current cooperative group clinical trials program and establish a National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The network will contain 4 adult groups and a single group for pediatric patients. It is expected that all phase 3 clinical trials will be conducted through an intergroup mechanism, and there are plans for more transparent protocol activity among the network groups, including pediatric and adult group disease sites as appropriate (sarcoma and lymphoma). The informatics infrastructure for data transfer will be fully integrated with each network group and statistical data center. The infrastructure will be built on a uniform platform. The informatics infrastructure will function at an enterprise level for all protocol activity, from patient entry to data management. As is known by imaging and radiation oncology clinical trial investigators, conducting clinical research in a multi-institutional setting requires quality standards in order for the clinical trials to be valid and extensible to the broader oncology community, including international partners. It is recognized that the NCTN will require an imaging and radiation oncology core services organization dedicated to providing quality assurance (QA) and clinical, scientific, and technical expertise for clinical trials. Accordingly, the leading QA centers serving the current NCI clinical trials program have joined together as a single organization administered by the American College of Radiology (ACR) Clinical Research Center in Philadelphia and expected to be funded. This new organization is called the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Group (IROC). The Co-Directors of IROC are David Followill, PhD (radiation oncology), and Michael Knopp, MD, PhD (imaging). The members of the IROC organization are depicted in Figure 1. The interdependencies between diagnostic
Data analytics using simulation for smart manufacturing

Manufacturing organizations are able to accumulate large amounts of plant floor production and environmental data due to advances in data collection, communications technology, and use of standards. The challenge has shifted from collecting a sufficient amount of data to analyzing and making decisions based on the huge amount of data available. Data analytics (DA) can help understand and gain insights from the big data and in turn help advance towards the vision of smart manufacturing. Modeling and simulation have been used by manufacturers to analyze their operations and support decision making. This paper proposes multiple methods in which simulation can serve as a DA application or support other DA applications in manufacturing environment to address big data issues. An example case is discussed to demonstrate one use of simulation. In the presented case, a virtual representation of machining operations is used to generate the data required to evaluate manufacturing data analytics applications.
Anti-Abortion Activities and the Market for Abortion Services: Protest as a Disincentive

Cross-section data for the US are used to estimate the effects of anti-abortion activity on the demand and supply of abortion services in 1992. Empirical results show that anti-abortion activity had a signi~cant negative impact on both the demand and supply of abortion services. Using estimates from a two-stage least-squares estimation of demand and supply, anti-abortion activities (measured as picketing with physical contact or blocking of patients) have decreased the market equilibrium abortion rate by an estimated 19 percent and raised the price of an abortion by approximately 4.3 percent. Taken together, the empirical results show that anti-abortion activities have been successful in making abortion services scarcer.
Stay Off the Fast Track: Why Trade Promotion Authority Is Wrong for the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Obama administration has asked Congress to reinstate trade promotion authority in hopes that it will enable passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement being negotiated by 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Advocates of free trade generally support trade promotion authority, because it eases the passage of trade agreements through Congress by guaranteeing an up-or-down vote with no amendments. While trade promotion authority can be useful, the current political climate in Washington reduces its benefits, and the late stage of the TPP negotiations raises the risk that trade promotion authority will do more harm than good.Free trade agreements are an important tool to improve U.S. trade policy, and “fast track” trade promotion authority has been helpful in securing the completion and passage of those agreements. But, contrary to the assertion of many trade advocates, trade promotion authority is not a necessary prerequisite to passing trade agreements.While the benefits that stem from granting fast track are currently weak, the costs are still very real. In exchange for promising expedited procedures, Congress sets negotiating objectives in the trade promotion authority statute that the president is expected to adopt if he wants an agreement to receive fast track treatment. If the TPP negotiations are as far along as the administration claims, adding new negotiating objectives will delay or possibly even prevent completion of the agreement.Unless trade promotion authority is used to make the TPP a better agreement, there is little point in pursuing it now. The battle over trade promotion authority will likely involve a divisive debate about the value of trade in which support from individual members is bought with guarantees of protection or favor for special interests. Such a debate will surely occur again when Congress votes to pass a completed TPP agreement, so why have it twice? Unless trade promotion authority can be used to simplify the trade debate and improve trade agreements — to make them more about free trade — the American people will be better off without it.
Converse control-Lyapunov function theorems for continuous-time switched linear systems

This paper studies switching stabilization problems for continuous-time switched linear systems (SLSs). We consider the most general switching stabilizability defined as the existence of a measurable switching signal under which the resulting time-varying system is asymptotically stable. In addition, we consider feedback stabilizability in Filippov sense defined as the existence of a switching law under which the closed-loop Filippov solution is asymptotically stable. We develop sufficient and necessary conditions for switching stabilizability as well as feedback stabilizability in Filippov sense. It is proved that for continuous-time SLSs, both switching stabilizability and feedback stabilizability in Filippov sense are equivalent to the existence of a piecewise quadratic control-Lyapunov function (CLF). Furthermore, such a CLF can be obtained by taking the pointwise minimum of a finite number of quadratic functions.
A Study in Variation in Response Time

(1939). A Study in Variation in Response Time. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 35-50.
The New Mexico Structured Settlement Protection Act: Whose Best Interests Does the Legislation Protect?

Structured settlements have become a popular way for tort victims to dispose of their claims. With the high amount of money held in structured settlements, a secondary market spawned in the 1990s known as “structured settlement factoring.” The basic idea of the factoring industry is for the factoring company to purchase the rights to the future periodic settlement payments by giving the structured settlement recipient a discounted lump sum payment up front and profiting off the periodic payments in the future. As factoring companies began to use predatory practices throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, state legislatures began enacting Structured Settlement Protection Acts geared towards curbing the predatory practices of the factoring companies. New Mexico enacted such legislation in 2005. This article focuses on a study conducted eight years after the enactment of the New Mexico SSPA, in an attempt to gauge the effectiveness of the legislation and to bring to light potential areas for reform. The article concludes with discussing possible amendments and expansions to the New Mexico SSPA that are necessary for the legislation to achieve its intended purpose and to protect consumers from the continued predatory practices of the factoring industry.
Superconducting Electronics: Science and Technology Update

There have been several recent developments, both in the science and technology, of superconducting electronics. On the technology front, HTS RF components have been integrated with cryogenic low noise semiconductor amplifiers and very small cryocoolers to build very high sensitivity and selectivity, wireless communication receivers and radar for a host of military and commercial applications. On the science front, superconducting materials are being integrated with magnetic materials to explore the effects of spin polarized current injection on the properties of various device structures. Andreev scattering at a superconductor to metal contact is being used to determine the extent to which the electrons at the Fermi surface of a metal are spin polarized.
Comparisons of Calculated and Measured 237Np, 241Am, and 243Am Concentrations as a Function of the 240Pu/239Pu Isotopic Ratio in Spent Fuel

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has developed a system for determining 237Np, 241Am, and 243Am concentrations in spent fuel from measurements of the 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratio using calcu...
Implementation Considerations for a Sub-sampling Impulse Radio

This paper describes the implementation issues of the proposed sub-sampling impulse radio architecture [1]. By using link budget analysis and system-level simulations with measured pulse and ambient noise, the system specifications of the critical blocks are provided. From circuit implementation perspective, the most challenging block is the high-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which is required to sub-sample RF signals. A low-power, low-cost and fully-integrated CMOS prototype of a sub-sampling ADC has been developed to prove the feasibility of the proposed radio architecture. Finally, a system prototype built with discrete components is used to demonstrate a wireless link.
Initial evaluation of Cu-64 labeled PARPi-DOTA PET imaging in mice with mesothelioma

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) has emerged as an important molecular target for the treatment of several oncological diseases. A couple of molecular probes based on Olaparib scaffold have been developed by incorporation of F-18 or fluorophore for positron emission tomography (PET) or optical imaging in several types of tumor. PARP has been reported overexpressed in mesothelioma. We hereby synthesized an analogue of Olaparib containing DOTA moiety and radiolabeled it with Cu-64 to evaluate its utility of PET tracer for mesothelioma. The Cu-64 labeling was conveniently achieved at 90% yield with final compound at >99% radiochemistry purity. The biodistribution and PET imaging were performed at 0.5, 1, 2 and 18 h to confirm the in vivo tumor targeting. The tumor uptake in study group was significant higher than that in control group (3.45 ± 0.47% ID/g vs 2.26 ± 0.30% ID/g) and tumor were clearly detected by PET imaging. These results suggest the feasibility to develop an Olaparib-based theranostic agent for mesothelioma.
Telling the story of climate change: Geologic imagination, praxis, and policy

Abstract Climate change has been described by Morton (2013) as a ‘hyperobject,’ meaning that its existence is too large for humans to perceive entirely. Climate change policy has been criticized as being bloodless and unimaginative (Watts, 2015), whereas stories have been used to understand climate change through lived experience (Rice et al, 2015). How can storytelling bring climate change policy into focus? Storytelling makes the symbolic visceral, creating a material experience. In many ways, stories connect the ‘out there’ to the here and now, while at the same time inspiring the critical capacity necessary to imagine a then and there, a task critical to policymakers. Using the concept of a geologic imagination as a conceptual springboard, this piece will explore the ways in which storytelling can help climate policy articulate climate change as a visceral, material experience. Though storytelling has been used to understand the day-to-day experience of climate change in peoples’ lives, this paper specifically aims to theorize the ways in which storytelling can be useful for connecting those experiences to the longer story of climate change and how these connections can enhance policy.
Discovery of Behavioral Markers of Social Anxiety from Smartphone Sensor Data

Better understanding of an individual's smartphone use can help researchers to understand the relationship between behaviors and mental health, and ultimately improve methods for early detection, evaluation, and intervention. This relationship may be particularly significant for individuals with social anxiety, for whom stress from social interactions may arise repeatedly and unexpectedly over the course of a day. For this reason, we present an exploratory study of behavioral markers extracted from smartphone data. We examine fine-grained behaviors before and after smartphone communication events across social anxiety levels. To discover behavioral markers, we model the smartphone as a linear dynamical system with the accelerometer data as output. In a two-week study of 52 college students, we find substantially different behavioral markers prior to outgoing phone calls when comparing individuals with high and low social anxiety.
Isometric handgrip echocardiography: A noninvasive stress test to assess left ventricular diastolic function.

Background Cycle exercise echocardiography is a useful tool to "unmask" diastolic dysfunction; however, this approach can be limited by respiratory and movement artifacts. Isometric handgrip avoids these issues while reproducibly increasing afterload and myocardial oxygen demand. Hypothesis Isometric handgrip echocardiography (IHE) can differentiate normal from abnormal diastolic function. Methods First recruited 19 young healthy individuals (mean age, 24 ± 4 years) to establish the "normal" response. To extend these observations to a more at-risk population, we performed IHE on 17 elderly individuals (mean age, 72 ± 6 years) with age-related diastolic dysfunction. The change in the ratio of mitral valve inflow velocity to lateral wall tissue velocity (E/e'), a surrogate for left ventricular filling pressure, was used to assess the diastolic stress response in each group. Results In the young subjects, isometric handgrip increased heart rate and mean arterial pressure (25 ± 12 bpm and 26 ± 17 mmHg, respectively), whereas E/e' changed minimally (0.6 ± 0.9). In the elderly subjects, heart rate and mean arterial pressure were similarly increased with isometric handgrip (19 ± 16 bpm and 25 ± 11 mmHg, respectively), whereas E/e' increased more dramatically (2.3 ± 1.7). Remarkably, 11 of the 17 elderly subjects had an abnormal diastolic response (ΔE/e': 3.4 ± 1.1), whereas the remaining 6 elderly subjects showed very little change (ΔE/e': 0.3 ± 0.7), independent of age or the change in myocardial oxygen demand. Conclusions IHE is a simple, effective tool for evaluating diastolic function during simulated activities of daily living.
Inflammation-targeted vascular nanomedicine.

Lipoprotein nanoparticles delivering an inflammation-targeting signalling inhibitor reduce vascular inflammation in atherosclerotic mice.
Oral supplements in atopic dermatitis.

Abstract Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disorder. The disease is typified by chronic pruritus, a series of signs and symptoms associated with immune dysfunction (eg, increased immunoglobulin E mediated allergies), and abnormal skin barrier dysfunction (eg, increased response to irritants). Due to the chronic itch and reactivity, patients and parents of affected children will seek therapy. Therapies range from emollients to topical medicaments, including topical corticosteroids, and immunosuppressive agents. Due to concerns about the side effects of the available agents, patients and their loved ones will often seek “natural” agents as therapy. Oral agents that have been tried in (AD) include probiotics, vitamins, oils, and such traditional therapeutics as Chinese herbals and Ayurvedic agents. At this time probiotics may be promising, but there are inadequate data to determine their efficacy. In addition, there are significant concerns for the risks associated with Chinese herbals, which may be associated with liver failure and death, and Ayurvedic agents, which may be tainted with heavy metals. The safest and most effective natural agents are topically applied emollients.
Modern Optical Communication Systems

During the last few years the design and the performance of fiber-optic communication systems have been revolutionized by several major developments. Foremost among them are (i) the advent of the fiber amplifier, (ii) the use of optical solitons, and (iii) advances in multiplexing techniques so that multiple channels can be transmitted over the same fiber. The performance of an optical communication system operating at the bit rate B and transmitting information over a distance L is often quantified by the bit rate-distance product BL. In practice, optical loss and chromatic dispersion in optical fibers set the ultimate limit on the BL values. Before 1990 the BL product of most optical communication systems was limited to about 0.2 (Tb/s)-km if we use B = 2.5 Gb/s and L = 80 km as typical values. By using optical solitons together with fiber amplifiers this value for modern optical communication systems has increased by more than 1000-fold. This paper provides an overview of the design, the techniques, and the components used to realize such extraordinary advances over a relatively short duration of less than five years. It begins with an historical perspective as an introduction to the field of fiber-optic communication systems and then discusses in separate sections how fiber loss and dispersion are managed in modern lightwave systems. The last section is devoted to soliton communication systems.
Discussion of “Theory Development in Organization Behavior,” by Cooper and Wolf and “Having One’s Cake and Eating it Too” by Frost and Hayes

There is a common thread between the two papers I am to discuss. Both papers argue that there is a need for general theory despite the legitimate calls for middle range theory. However, since the arguments take rather different forms and comprise differing proportions of the total length of the papers, I will discuss the papers separately. Both papers are thought provoking and contain many valid points. In my remarks I have tended to focus on points that were important issues but not as well developed as one might like.
Evolutionary tile coding: an automated state abstraction algorithm for reinforcement learning

Reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms have the ability to learn optimal policies for control problems by exploring a domain's state space. Unfortunately, for most problems the size of the state space is too great for RL technologies to fully explore in order to find good policies. State abstraction is one way of reducing the size and complexity of a domain's state space in order to enable RL. In this paper we introduce a new approach for automatically deriving state abstractions called Evolutionary Tile Coding that uses a genetic algorithm for deriving effective tile codings. We provide an empirical analysis of the new algorithm comparing it to another adaptive tile coding method as well as fixed tile coding. Our results show that our approach is able to automatically derive effective state abstractions for two RL benchmark problems. Additionally, we present an intriguing result that shows the classical mountain car (Justin Boyan 1995) problem's state space can be reduced to just two states and still preserve the discovery of an optimal policy.
Examination of Racial Bias in Alpha Omega Alpha Inductions: A Single-Center 15-Year Retrospective Study

This manuscript has been withdrawn by medRxiv in response to a request from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as the data collection methods used in the study constituted human subject research and the documentation was not submitted to Northwestern University’s Institutional Review Board for approval.
Assessing controls on selenium fate and transport in watersheds using the SWAT model.

Selenium toxicity in groundwater and surface water in many regions globally has resulted in toxicity in the food chain thus harming terrestrial and aquatic animals. Here we assess the environmental controls on selenium fate and transport in soils, groundwater, and rivers at the watershed scale using the SWAT watershed simulation model. We modify the SWAT modeling code to simulate selenium fate and transport in surface runoff, lateral flow, soil percolation, groundwater flow, streamflow, and irrigation water within a watershed subject to oxidation-reduction reactions. This modified SWAT model is applied to an irrigated watershed with selenium problems in the Arkansas River Valley, Colorado. The model is calibrated and tested using observed groundwater and surface water selenium data in different locations of the study area, whereupon global sensitivity analysis is performed to assess controls on selenium fate and transport in soil water, groundwater and streams. The impacts of reaction rates of selenate, selenite, oxygen and nitrate along with 14 hydrologic parameters are assessed. For the baseline model, selenium loading to streams during growing season is mostly via groundwater discharge (365 kg/ha; 85% of total), followed by surface runoff (14%), and soil lateral flow (1%), which are about 4-fold the loading that occurs during non-growing season. Results from the sensitivity analysis indicate that hydrologic factors (timing of recharge, soil hydraulic conductivity, and groundwater storage thresholds) are the principal controls on selenium content in soils, groundwater, and stream water, followed by the first-order reaction rates of selenate and selenite, amount of selenium-bearing shale in the aquifer, and sulfur to selenium ratio in the shale material. These results suggest that selenium mitigation procedures should focus on water management practices rather than influencing microbial redox reactions. Overall, the SWAT-Se model introduced here can be used to assess Se contamination and mitigation practices in watersheds worldwide.
Gray Matter Changes in Adolescents Participating in a Meditation Training

Meditation has shown to benefit a wide range of conditions and symptoms, but the neural mechanisms underlying the practice remain unclear. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have investigated the structural brain changes due to the practice by examining volume, density, or cortical thickness changes. However, these studies have focused on adults; meditation's structural effects on the adolescent brain remain understudied. In this study, we investigated how meditation training affects the structure of the adolescent brain by scanning a group of 38 adolescents (16.48 ± 1.29 years) before and after participating in a 12-week meditation training. Subjects underwent Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action (TARA), a program that mainly incorporates elements from mindfulness meditation and yoga-based practices. A subset of the adolescents also received an additional control scan 12 weeks before TARA. We conducted voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess gray matter volume changes pre- to post-training and during the control period. Subjects showed significant gray matter (GM) volume decreases in the left posterior insula and to a lesser extent in the left thalamus and left putamen after meditation training. There were no significant changes during the control period. Our results support previous findings that meditation affects regions associated with physical and emotional awareness. However, our results are different from previous morphometric studies in which meditation was associated with structural increases. We posit that this discrepancy may be due to the differences between the adolescent brain and the adult brain.
Validation of a QTL for Grain Size and Weight Using an Introgression Line from a Cross Between Oryza Sativa and Oryza Minuta

Grain size and weight are important target traits determining grain yield and quality in rice. Wild rice species possess substantial elite genes that can be served as an important resource for genetic improvement of rice. In this study, we identify and validate a novel QTL on chromosome 7 affecting the grain size and weight using introgression lines from cross of Oryza sativa and Oryza minuta. An introgression line ‘IL188’ has been achieved from a wild species Oryza minuta (2n = 48, BBCC, W303) into O. sativa japonica Nipponbare. The F2 and F2:3 populations derived from a cross between IL188 and Nipponbare were used to map QTLs for five grain size traits, including grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain length to width ratio (LWR), grain thickness (GT) and thousand grain weight (TGW). A total of 12 QTLs for the five grain traits were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8. The QTL-qGL7 controlling GL on chromosome 7 was detected stably in the F2 and F2:3 populations, and explained 15.09–16.30% of the phenotypic variance. To validate the effect of qGL7, eight residual heterozygous line (RHL) populations were developed through selfing four F2:3 and four F2:4 plants with different heterozygous segments for the target region. By further developing SSR and Indel markers in the target interval, qGL7 was delimited to a ~ 261 kb region between Indel marker Y7–12 and SSR marker Y7–38, which also showed significant effects on grain width and thousand grain weight. Comparing with the reference genome of Nipponbare, stop or frameshift mutations in the exon of the three putative genes LOC_Os07g36830, LOC_Os07g36900 and LOC_Os07g36910 encoding F-box domain-containing proteins may be the candidate genes for qGL7. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the glume’s epidermal cells showed that the cell length and width of NIL-qGL7IL188 was higher than NIL-qGL7Nip, indicating that qGL7 increases grain size and weight by regulating cell expansion. In this study, we detected 12 QTLs regulating grain size and weight using an introgression line from a cross between Oryza sativa and Oryza minuta. Of these loci, we confirmed and delimited the qGL7 to a ~ 261 kb region. Three putative genes, LOC_Os07g36830, LOC_Os07g36900 and LOC_Os07g36910 encoding F-box domain-containing proteins may be the candidate genes for qGL7. These results provide a basis for map-based cloning of the qGL7 gene and useful information for marker assisted selection in rice grain quality improvement.
Crisis socioecológica y comunicación durante la Marea Roja de Chiloé (2016)

What role does the media assume during social conflicts in Chile? Delimiting to the socio-ecological crisis of Chiloe in 2016, this study set out to present a content analysis of the television broadcast covering its main milestones. Data for this study were collected using a sampling design formulated for the empirical comparison of journalistic material based on its normative criteria, type of media, and stage of development. Theoretically, the analysis integrates Luhmannian and Marxist p erspectives on the crisis, communication, and socio-ecological relations. As a whole, it articulates an interdisciplinary product of social sciences and communication. Its results problematize the succession of collisions of cognitive-normative expectations, or in other words, the unfolding of ideological battles during an episode of class struggle.
Design and performance of a thermal actuator driving a preloaded linear translation stage

Abstract A thermally actuated, single-axis, bidirectional translation stage is designed and constructed. To increase the temperature of the thermal actuator, induction heating is used while air-water-mist cooling is used to decrease the temperature. An automated control strategy comprising PID closed loop control (for heating) and On/Off switching between air and mist control (for cooling) is described. The translation stage of this study produces a displacement range of 100 μm and 200 μm (using 240 W and 480 W power sources) in the presence of preloads up to 1 kN. Dependent on the power source used, the root mean square (rms) controller error at steady-state is within 15 nm (240 W) and 35 nm (480 W). No significant variation in the rms controller error was measured in the presence of the different preloads. Dynamic performance is evaluated from step responses over the full range of the actuator as well closed-loop frequency responses. The non-linear, asymmetric aspects of heating and cooling are discussed. Further observations of the system behavior and the preload effect are presented with discussion covering the slew rate, magnitude of overshoot, and controller settling time.
Preventive maintenance opportunities for large production systems

Abstract Traditionally, production and maintenance – two major objectives of manufacturing systems – are not coordinated. Production is often interrupted by pre-scheduled preventive maintenance (PM) without considering the throughput target, and PM tasks are not cost-effectively conducted. This paper investigates the extra hidden opportunities for PMs during production time without violating the system throughput requirement. We develop a prediction model to identify such PM opportunity windows for large production systems based on real-time factory information system data.
Nigerian Small and Medium Scale Enterprises' Access To Finance: What is the story since Bank Consolidation in 2005

This paper examined the impact of bank consolidation on credit access and availability to small and medium scale enterprises (SME's) in Nigeria for the period 1999-2012. The main objectives are (1) To examine whether or not bank consolidation in Nigeria brought about increased lending to SME's.(2) Determine the level of lending risk to SME's .(3) Determine if there is any significant difference between SME's financing in pre and post consolidation in 2005.Data on commercial bank loans to SME's as percentage of total credit was the main variable used and were obtained from CBN Statistical Bulletin 2012. The mean, standard deviation descriptive statistics and the t-test tool were used for the analysis. The study found out that bank consolidation in Nigeria led to a drastic reduction of SME's financing to less than one percent (0.37%) on average. The lending riskiness of banks to SME's in post consolidation reduced while there is no significant difference between SME's financing in pre and post consolidation era. The results however go contrary to the much taunted belief that bank consolidation will lead to increased SME's financing in Nigeria. The study recommends improved transparency of SME's accounting and reporting of their activities, banks should relax some of the stringent lending measures to SME's while government should design policies that should group SME's in such a manner for proper identification and planning (specifically according to trade and industry) so that it can guarantee credit facilities and ensure prompt repayment through designated agencies.
Cystathionine γ-Synthase from Salmonella SPECTRAL CHANGES IN THE PRESENCE OF SUBSTRATES

Abstract The mechanism of cystathionine γ-synthase is of interest because it catalyzes the replacement and elimination of substituents at the γ as well as the β position of amino acids. Decomposition of succinylhomoserine by γ elimination at 3–5° was accompanied by quenching and a shift to longer wave lengths of the enzyme's absorption maximum at 422 mµ and the appearance of a new absorption maximum at 485 mµ. These changes persisted as long as saturating levels of succinylhomoserine were present. In the presence of both cysteine and succinylhomoserine, the enzyme formed cystathionine by γ replacement; and α-ketobutyrate formation by γ elimination was undetectable until all the cysteine had been consumed. No spectral changes were observed during cystathionine synthesis. During pyruvate formation from succinylserine by β-elimination, the absorption band at 422 mµ was quenched and shifted to 430 mµ and transient absorption maxima appeared at 465 and 485 mµ. The maximum velocity of γ elimination from succinyl-homoserine was 22 times faster at 37° than at 5°, but the apparent Km for succinylhomoserine was constant over this range of temperature. The enthalpy and entropy of activation for the γ elimination reaction were calculated to be +16,800 cal per mole and +0.2 e.u., respectively. The optical rotatory dispersion spectrum of cystathionine γ-synthase showed a positive extrinsic Cotton effect centered at 422 mµ and a negative intrinsic Cotton effect centered near 222 mµ. The α helix content of the enzyme, calculated from the depth of the trough at 233 mµ, was 43%.
HIV-1 capsid: the multifaceted key player in HIV-1 infection

In a mature, infectious HIV-1 virion, the viral genome is housed within a conical capsid core made from the viral capsid (CA) protein. The CA protein and the structure into which it assembles facilitate virtually every step of infection through a series of interactions with multiple host cell factors. This Review describes our understanding of the interactions between the viral capsid core and several cellular factors that enable efficient HIV-1 genome replication, timely core disassembly, nuclear import and the integration of the viral genome into the genome of the target cell. We then discuss how elucidating these interactions can reveal new targets for therapeutic interactions against HIV-1.
Writing Web documents about films

Describes our experiences in building and using a World Wide Web-based video library designed for educational use. The CAETI Internet Multimedia Library's initial audience is K-12 schools; most of the content of our library comes from news and politics-related historical footage. The video library is a good tool not just for content but also for acquiring visual literacy. Politics and news are very good subjects for video collections because television has come to dominate news coverage and politicians use television to campaign and govern. Beyond the factual content of video/film footage, studying this material can help students understand how politicians, news outlets, and others make use of techniques borrowed from Hollywood and other sources to get across their message.
Effects of reverberation and filtering on speech rate judgment

This study investigated the effects of listening condition on speech rate judgment. Four listening conditions, in which a single sentence was presented at 21 speech rates ranging from 90 wpm to 250 wpm, were incorporated. These conditions included non-degraded, reverberation, band-pass filtered, and low-pass filtered conditions, each of which was selected to simulate listening conditions one might encounter in daily life. The participants were 20 young adults (20 to 40 years) with normal hearing. They were asked to make judgments of the rates of speech randomly presented in the four listening conditions using an equal-interval 5-step scale from too slow through too fast. Overall, speech rate was judged to be faster in the reverberant condition than in the other three conditions. These findings may have implications for auditory rehabilitation and counseling.
Update on reslizumab for eosinophilic asthma

Introduction: Patients with severe eosinophilic asthma have an unmet need for novel and efficacious treatments. Reslizumab is one of the three monoclonal antibodies targeting the IL-5 pathway and has been found in Phase IIIb clinical trials to reduce asthma exacerbations, control asthma-related symptoms and improve pulmonary function in patients with eosinophilic asthma.Areas covered: In this article, we discuss the results of asthma clinical trials using reslizumab, beginning with a discussion of the relationship between eosinophils, IL-5 and asthma. We conducted PubMed searches using the terms ‘reslizumab’, ‘anti-IL-5’, ‘eosinophilic asthma’, ‘IL-5 asthma’. We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov for ‘reslizumab’, ‘reslizumab asthma’, ‘SCH 55700’, ‘SCH 55700 asthma’, ‘Cinquil’ and ‘Cinquil asthma’.Expert opinion: Reslizumab and other anti-IL-5 therapies have seen success in recent trials through more stringent study participant selection targeting eosinophilic inflammation. This selection can now be based o...
Monophasic action potential duration during programmed electrical stimulation.

UNLABELLED To examine changes in monophasic action potential duration (APD) with a pacing protocol similar to that used during electrophysiological testing, action potentials were recorded in vivo from the left ventricular apical endocardium of 12 normal mongrel dogs. The atrioventricular node was ablated and the dogs paced from the anterior right ventricle at a baseline cycle length of 1000 ms between interventions. Mean steady-state APD (APDss) was 266 +/- 7 ms at a pacing cycle length (PCL) of 1000 ms. Two pacing protocols were used. The first consisted of a sudden acceleration in pacing from a cycle length of 1000 ms to one between 300 and 600 ms. The second consisted of an 8-beat train at a cycle length of 400 ms followed by a premature beat at a coupling interval of 280 ms followed by a pause. The inter-train pause varied between 1 second and 32 seconds. With a sudden acceleration in pacing rate, steady-state values for APD at the faster PCLs were significantly smaller than APDss at 1000 ms with a change to cycle lengths of 600 ms (247 +/- 29 ms), 500 ms (229 +/- 21 ms), 400 ms (220 +/- 17 ms), and 300 ms (203 +/- 31 ms; P less than 0.01 for all comparisons). The time constant of the change in APD was shorter at a PCL of 300 ms (14.9 +/- 0.8 s) than 600 ms (20.3 +/- 4.7 s; P less than 0.05). With drive train pacing and incorporating an inter-train pause, the percent drop in steady-state APD compared to APD for the first train ranged from 10.1% with a 1-second inter-train pause to 2.1% with a 32-second pause. The difference in APD between the first drive train and drive trains after at least 3 minutes of pacing when APD had stabilized was not significant for an inter-train pause exceeding 8 seconds. IN CONCLUSION (1) with a sudden acceleration in pacing rate, endocardial APD in vivo decreases exponentially. The faster the new rate, the shorter the new steady-state APD and the shorter the time constant. (2) When pacing using an 8-beat drive train and an inter-train pause, there is a decremental shortening in APD for pause lengths shorter than 16 seconds. Thus, while performing programmed stimulation using a pause, a conditioning period of at least 2 minutes should be used prior to diastole scanning to allow APD to achieve a steady state.