cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of androgen on brain and pituitary androgen receptors and LH secretion of male guinea pigs

Abstract To study the tissue-specific control of androgen receptors by circulating androgens, guinea pigs were castrated or castrated and treated with crystalline testosterone propionate. Levels of serum androgens and LH were measured and brain and peripheral tissues were collected for determination of androgen receptor levels under differing androgen states. We found that circulating androgen levels changed rapidly following castration or treatment with exogenous androgen. LH secretion was coupled to circulating androgens; high levels of androgen quickly suppressed LH secretion, whereas LH levels did not rise significantly above intact levels until 7 days following castration. Androgen receptor levels were effected by circulating androgens. Cytosolic androgen receptors (ARc) increased significantly in the preoptic area (POA), septum, anterior pituitary, prostate and seminal vesicle following castration, whereas nuclear androgen receptors (ARn) decreased significantly in the POA, septum, medial basal hypothalamus (MBH), amygdala, parietal cortex, pituitary, prostate and seminal vesicle. Exogenous androgens, which increased serum steriod levels significantly above that in intact animals, decreased ARc below control levels in MBH, amygdala, pituitary and seminal vesicle. High circulating androgens increased ARn above intact levels in the MBH, pituitary and prostate. It thus appears that circulating androgens regulate LH secretion and have profound, but tissue-specific effects on androgen receptors in the guinea pig.
Forward flight effects on broadband shock associated noise of supersonic jets

The stochastic model theory of TAM (1987, 1989) for broadband shock associated noise was extended to include the effects of forward flight. The theory was applied to the forward flight simulation experiments of Norum and Shearin (1984, 1986, and 1988). Good agreement is found between calculated and measured far-field noise spectra over the flight Mach number range of 0.0 to 0.4.
14N nuclear quadrupole resonance study of substituted anilines and prediction of in vitro activity of sulfanilamides

14N nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectra of 22 monosubstituted anilines are reported and analyzed in the framework of the Townes and Dailey theory. Satisfactory correlations of the NQR data with both the Hammett σ parameters and the in vitro biological activities of the corresponding sulfanilamides have been found. The results obtained suggest that the nitrogen lone-pair orbital is more sensitive than the nitrogen–carbon sigma orbital is to substituent effects.
General process for the risk assessment of pesticides that interact with or affect the endocrine system

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pesticide Programs evalu- ates human health risk associated with exposure to pesticide chemicals. Chemical hazard and exposure assessment are components of the risk assessment process. For the risk assessment of single chemical conventional-type pesticides, there may be multiple exposure scenarios depending on the use pattern. Examples include acute and chronic dietary, and short-, inter- mediate-, and long-term occupational/residential exposures. For hazard assessment, available toxicity data and a weight-of the-evidence approach are used in the process of selecting ap- propriate toxicity endpoints for relevant exposure scenarios. The pesticide registration process requires that certain types of supporting toxicity data be submitted by the registrant depending in part on the chemical use pattern (e.g., food use). Types of toxicity data that might be submitted and used in hazard assessment include acute, subchronic, chronic, car- cinogenicity, mutagenicity, metabolism, reproduction, developmental, neurotoxicity, and mechanistic studies. There may be data from multiple exposure routes (e.g., oral, dermal, in- halation) and from the scientific literature to consider. Dose-response information is also taken into account. In endpoint selection for a chemical, endocrine system-related effect(s) and dose-response relationship(s) are assessed in context of other types of effects, toxicities, and dose-response relationships noted. Endocrine system-related endpoints may include frank effects (e.g., endocrine organ hyperplasia or cancer) or precursor events (blood hor- mone level elevations). Endocrine system-related endpoints are generally treated like other cancer or non-cancer toxicity endpoints (e.g., hepatic cancer, neurotoxicity) in the risk as- sessment process. For chemicals with evidence of endocrine system interaction(s), an en- docrine system-related effect may or may not be the most sensitive or relevant endpoint for a particular risk assessment exposure scenario. Some chemical examples will be presented. In the final risk assessment, hazard assessment information is integrated with exposure in- formation. The assessment may be adjusted, at some point, for uncertainties in hazard or ex- posure data. An aggregate risk assessment, in which multiple sources or routes of exposure are considered, is typically performed for occupational and residential exposure scenarios. A cumulative risk assessment may be considered for groups of chemicals with a common mechanism of toxicity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) evaluates risks associated with exposure to pesticide chemicals. This paper presents examples of some of the consid-
Fire history reflects human history in the Pine Creek Gorge of north-central Pennsylvania

Fire history studies are important tools for understanding past fire regimes and the roles humans played in those regimes. Beginning in 2010, we conducted a fire history study in the Pine Creek Gorge area of north-central Pennsylvania to ascertain the number of fires and fire-free intervals, their variability through time, and the role of human influences. We collected 93 cross sections from fire-scarred red pine (Pinus resinosa) snags, stumps, and living trees at three separate sites along the western rim of Pine Creek Gorge. From these, we found 79 fire years and 11 multidecadal fire-free intervals between 1600 and 2010. The three fire histories were quite synchronous; their fire years and fire-free periods mirrored one another despite being 12 to 14 km apart. Before 1791, fires were rare, suggesting a low population of American Indians and (or) little woodland burning by the tribes. A prolonged fire-free interval from 1650 to 1735 coincided with the Beaver Wars and the introduction of European diseases. Another fire-free period coincided with the American Revolutionary War. After that, fires became quite common with nearly all of them occurring within the next 125 years while Pine Creek Gorge was intensively logged. Since logging ended and fire control started in the 1910s, fires have been virtually absent from the three sites. Based on the fire and human histories, we conclude that human activities and culture are the driving forces behind the fire regimes of Pine Creek Gorge.
A Hypothetical Model for Action of Soybean Isoflavonoids Against Cancer Involving a Shift to Proline-Linked Energy Metabolism Through Activation of the Pentose-Phosphate Pathway

Abstract Soybean isoflavonoids and related phenolic antioxidants from other dietary plant species have long been associated with numerous biological activities linked to the chemoprevention of cancers and oxidation-linked diseases. But until now, no mechanisms or models have been put forth to explain how all of these activities of dietary phenolics could work together to promote health and protect from disease. Here, we present a hypothetical model based on the soybean isoflavonoid genistein for the beneficial action of dietary phenolic antioxidants that incorporates not only the known molecular activities, but also the known metabolic effects that dietary phenolics have on cellular systems such as energy metabolism and the antioxidant enzyme response to reactive oxygen species. Our model presents in a clear manner how a cancerous cell, although mutated and dysfunctional on both biochemical and genetic levels, cannot escape its beginnings as a normal cell and the underlying response mechanisms that are re...
Single-Parameter Quantification of the Sensitivity of a Molecular Collision to Molecular Polarization†

This article introduces the concept of intrinsic entropy, S, of a molecular collision. Defined in rigorously quantum mechanical terms as the von Neumann entropy of the intrinsic density matrices of reagents and products, the intrinsic entropy is a dimensionless number in the 0 < or = S < or = 1 range. Its limits are associated with situations where the collision cross section is due to a single combination of reagent and product polarizations (S = 0) or where there is absolutely no selectivity with respect to the molecular polarizations (S = 1). The usefulness of the intrinsic entropy as a quantifier of the sensitivity of a molecular collision to molecular polarizations is demonstrated with examples for the benchmark H + D(2) reaction.
Cover Crops in Mono- and Biculture for Accumulation of Biomass and Soil Organic Carbon

Plant biomass production associated with soil organic carbon (C) accumulation is a critical challenge for sustainable agriculture development because soil quality degradation and organic carbon pool depletion have become a concern under some circumstances. To elucidate cover crops and their synergetic effects in biomass production and soil organic C improvement, legume and non-legume winter/summer cover crops, in mono- and biculture (mixture of legume/non-legume) were evaluated in the field and controlled (growth chamber) conditions. Under field conditions, biculture of sunn hemp and sorghum sudangrass produced 24.1 Mg ha−1 in contrast to 20.1 and 2.9 Mg ha−1 for each one alone; and biculture of okra and cowpea reached as much as 11.5 Mg ha−1 in contrast to 2.0 and 5.3 Mg ha−1 for each one in monoculture. After the growth of winter followed by summer cover crops, the soil organic C content increased with substantial quantities of plant biomass returned to the soil. The results suggest that both summer and...
An Empirical Study of Coaching

In simple terms, one can say that team coaching in adversarial domains consists of providing advice to distributed players to help the team to respond effectively to an adversary. We have been researching this problem to find that creating an autonomous coach is indeed a very challenging and fascinating endeavor. This paper reports on our extensive empirical study of coaching in simulated robotic soccer. We can view our coach as a special agent in our team. However, our coach is also capable of coaching other teams other than our own, as we use a recently developed universal coach language for simulated robotic soccer with a set of predefined primitives. We present three methods that extract models from past games and respond to an ongoing game: (i) formation learning, in which the coach captures a team’s formation by analyzing logs of past play; (ii) set-play planning, in which the coach uses a model of the adversary to direct the players to execute a specific plan; (iii) passing rule learning, in which the coach learns clusters in space and conditions that define passing behaviors. We discuss these techniques within the context of experimental results with different teams. We show that the techniques can impact the performance of teams and our results further illustrate the complexity of the coaching problem.
Einstein's First Published Paper

This article reviews Albert Einstein's first published paper, submitted for publication in 1900. At that time, Einstein was 21 and a recent college graduate. His paper uses modeling and least squares to analyze data in support of a scientific proposition. Einstein is shown to be well trained, for his day, in using statistics as a tool in his scientific research. This paper also shows his ability to make trivial arithmetic mistakes and some clumsiness in data recording. A major aim of this article is to help provide a better appreciation of Einstein as an active user of statistical arguments in this and other of his important publications.
3D structures of liquid-phase GaIn alloy embedded in PDMS with freeze casting

Liquid phase electronic circuits are created by freeze casting gallium–indium (GaIn) alloys, such as eutectic gallium–indium (EGaIn), and encapsulating these frozen components within an elastomer. These metal alloys are liquid at room temperature, and can be cast using either injection or a vacuum to fill a PDMS mold and placing the mold in a freezer. Once solidified, a GaIn alloy segment can be manipulated, altered, or bonded to other circuit elements. A stretchable circuit can be fabricated by placing frozen components onto an elastomer substrate, which can be either patterned or flat, and sealing with an additional layer of elastomer. Circuits produced in this fashion are soft, stretchable, and can have complex 3D channel geometries. In contrast, current fabrication techniques, including needle injection, mask deposition, and microcontact printing, are limited to 2D planar designs. Additionally, freeze casting fabrication can create closed loops, multi-terminal circuits with branching features, and large area geometries.
A post-transcriptional compensatory pathway in heterozygous ventricular myosin light chain 2-deficient mice results in lack of gene dosage effect during normal cardiac growth or hypertrophy

Abstract Our previous study of homozygous mutants of the ventricular specific isoform of myosin light chain 2 (mlc-2v) demonstrated that mlc-2v plays an essential role in murine heart development (Chen, J., Kubalak, S. W., Minamisawa, S., Price, R. L., Becker, K. D., Hickey, R., Ross, J., Jr., and Chien, K. R. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 1252–1256). As gene dosage of some myofibrillar proteins can affect muscle function, we have analyzed heterozygous mutants in depth. Ventricles of heterozygous mutants displayed a 50% reduction in mlc-2v mRNA, yet expressed normal levels of protein both under basal conditions and following induction of cardiac hypertrophy by aortic constriction. Heterozygous mutants exhibited cardiac function comparable to that of wild-type littermate controls both prior to and following aortic constriction. There were no significant differences in contractility and responses to calcium between wild-type and heterozygous unloaded cardiomyocytes. We conclude that heterozygous mutants show neither a molecular nor a physiological cardiac phenotype either at base line or following hypertrophic stimuli. These results suggest that post-transcriptional compensatory mechanisms play a major role in maintaining the level of MLC-2v protein in murine hearts. In addition, as our mlc-2v knockout mutants were created by a knock-in of Cre recombinase into the endogenous mlc-2v locus, this study demonstrates that heterozygous mlc-2v cre knock-in mice are appropriate for ventricular specific gene targeting.
Isotope Effect Studies on the Cytochrome P450 Enzymes

Isotope effect experiments provide a powerful tool for study of the fundamental aspects of the enzymology of the cytochrome P450 enzymes. Competition between alternate pathways not only allows P450 isotope effects to be observed, but also provides mechanistic information on both oxygen activation and substrate oxidation. Indeed, the kind of knowledge that isotope effect studies can provide is not readily obtainable by other methodologies.
Cortical response tracking the conscious experience of threshold duration visual stimuli indicates visual perception is all or none

At perceptual threshold, some stimuli are available for conscious access whereas others are not. Such threshold inputs are useful tools for investigating the events that separate conscious awareness from unconscious stimulus processing. Here, viewing unmasked, threshold-duration images was combined with recording magnetoencephalography to quantify differences among perceptual states, ranging from no awareness to ambiguity to robust perception. A four-choice scale was used to assess awareness: “didn’t see” (no awareness), “couldn’t identify” (awareness without identification), “unsure” (awareness with low certainty identification), and “sure” (awareness with high certainty identification). Stimulus-evoked neuromagnetic signals were grouped according to behavioral response choices. Three main cortical responses were elicited. The earliest response, peaking at ∼100 ms after stimulus presentation, showed no significant correlation with stimulus perception. A late response (∼290 ms) showed moderate correlation with stimulus awareness but could not adequately differentiate conscious access from its absence. By contrast, an intermediate response peaking at ∼240 ms was observed only for trials in which stimuli were consciously detected. That this signal was similar for all conditions in which awareness was reported is consistent with the hypothesis that conscious visual access is relatively sharply demarcated.
A Berry-Esseen bound for the uniform multinomial occupancy model

The inductive size bias coupling technique and Stein's method yield a Berry-Esseen theorem for the number of urns having occupancy $d \geq 2$ when $n$ balls are uniformly distributed over $m$ urns. In particular, there exists a constant $C$ depending only on $d$ such that$$\sup_{z \in \mathbb{R}}\left|P\left( W_{n,m} \le z \right) -P(Z \le z)\right| \le C \frac{\sigma_{n,m}}{1+(\frac{n}{m})^3} \quad\mbox{for all $n \ge d$ and $m \ge 2$,} $$ where $W_{n,m}$ and $\sigma_{n,m}^2$ are the standardized count and variance, respectively, of the number of urns with $d$ balls, and $Z$ is a standard normal random variable. Asymptotically, the bound is optimal up to constants if $n$ and $m$ tend to infinity together in a way such that $n/m$ stays bounded.
On the performance of random vector quantization limited feedback beamforming in a MISO system

In multiple antenna wireless systems, beamforming is a simple technique for guarding against the negative effects of fading. Unfortunately, beamforming requires the transmitter to have knowledge of the forward-link channel which is often not available a priori. One way of overcoming this problem is to design the beamforming vector using a limited number of feedback bits sent from the receiver to the transmitter. In limited feedback beamforming, the beamforming vector is restricted to lie in a codebook that is known to both the transmitter and receiver. Random vector quantization (RVQ) is a simple approach to codebook design that generates the vectors independently from a uniform distribution on the complex unit sphere. This correspondence presents performance analysis results for RVQ limited feedback beamforming
Organic Solar Cells with Graphene Electrodes and Vapor Printed Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as the Hole Transporting Layers

For the successful integration of graphene as a transparent conducting electrode in organic solar cells, proper energy level alignment at the interface between the graphene and the adjacent organic layer is critical. The role of a hole transporting layer (HTL) thus becomes more significant due to the generally lower work function of graphene compared to ITO. A commonly used HTL material with ITO anodes is poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as the solid-state dopant. However, graphene’s hydrophobic surface renders uniform coverage of PEDOT:PSS (aqueous solution) by spin-casting very challenging. Here, we introduce a novel, yet simple, vapor printing method for creating patterned HTL PEDOT layers directly onto the graphene surface. Vapor printing represents the implementation of shadow masking in combination with oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD). The oCVD method was developed for the formation of blanket (i.e., unpatterened) layers of pure PEDOT (i.e., no PS...
Bandwidth fragmentation in multimedia cellular network

Resource reservation - both just in time and advance in time - has been advocated as a means of guaranteeing quality of service (QoS) to mobile users. Often, advance bandwidth reservation results in low utilization due to bandwidth fragmentation wherein holes of unused bandwidth in time may be too small to allocate to any user yet the sum of several holes may be sufficient to satisfy the user. In this paper, we introduce and investigate the problem of bandwidth fragmentation and explore different methods of minimizing bandwidth fragmentation. One is a selective call rejection scheme and the other a multi-class bandwidth sharing scheme. Through an extensive set of simulation results, we show that our proposed schemes reduces bandwidth fragmentation.
Role of calcium in antral gastrin release

Abstract The role of calcium in gastrin release was investigated using rat antral organ culture. During the initial 4-h culture interval, in the absence of calcium in the culture medium, gastrin release was not different from that observed with 0.5, 1, and 2 mM calcium. However, after 6 h of culture, gastrin release with 0.5, 1, and 2 mM calcium was significantly greater than that with antral explants cultured in calcium-free media. In the presence of 1 mM calcium in the culture medium gastrin release was stimulated by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, whereas with calcium-free culture medium dibutyryl cyclic AMP was ineffective in stimulating gastrin release. Effects of ionophore A23187 on gastrin release were examined in experiments with culture medium containing no added calcium and with 2 mM calcium. The dose-response to ionophore A23187 (1.2–10 μg/ml) with 2 mM calcium demonstrated progressive increases in culture media gastrin at 30, 60, and 120 min of culture. Maximal gastrin release occurred with 10 μg/ ml ionophore at each culture interval. Gastrin releases was not stimulated by increasing doses of ionophore when added to calcium-free organ culture media. Results of these experiments suggest that calcium is important in regulation of antral gastrin release and that dibutyryl cyclic AMP-stimulated release of antral gastrin is, at least in part, calcium-dependent. Stimulation of gastrin secretion by ionophore A23187 (in the presence of calcium) further supports the role of calcium in antral gastrin release and suggests that transport of calcium across cellular membranes is important in the coupling of secretory events in the gastrin cell.
COX and the control of the pulmonary circulation.

Abstract The lung possesses a low resistance circulation that must, at all times, accommodate the entire cardiac output. Moreover, to ensure proper oxygenation of hemoglobin, blood flow must be directed to well-ventilated lung units, i.e., ventilation and perfusion must be matched. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-mediated arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites can influence both pulmonary vascular resistance and ventilation–perfusion matching. In isolated dog and rabbit lungs, ventilation of the right lung with oxygen (O 2 ) and the left lung with nitrogen (N 2 ) resulted in normal perfusion pressures and blood gas tensions. In both species, administration of COX inhibitors resulted in redistribution of blood flow from hypoxic alveoli (N 2 -ventilated lung) to the well-oxygenated alveoli (O 2 -ventilated lung) and an increase in arterial oxygen tension, i.e., a COX-mediated AA metabolite or metabolites opposed hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV), but, by virtue of this activity, prevented optimal matching of ventilation with perfusion. The effects of COX inhibition were reversed by prostacyclin (PGI 2 ). These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that COX-derived products of AA metabolism can influence ventilation–perfusion matching in the lung. Moreover, the results of studies in dogs suggest that one such metabolite of AA is PGI 2 .
FORECASTING THE WAVE-CURRENT INTERACTIONS AT THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER, OR, USA

An operational wave forecast of the area near the mouth of the Columbia River is presented. This region is known for its large waves and strong tidal currents. The forecast is forced with full directional spectra obtained from a refined WaveWatchIII forecast of the Pacific Northwest, and tidal current inputs are obtained from an estuarine circulation forecast of the Columbia River. The forecast has been operational since August 2011 providing short-term predictive wave information at the mouth of the Columbia River. Results from a 6-month period are promising, with a normalized root-mean-squared error (NRMSE) of 16% at the location of an inshore buoy, which is located outside the zone of tidal influence in 25 m water depth. Near the river mouth and in the channel, wave heights are heavily dominated by the tidal currents which significantly increase wave heights on ebb tides. Hindcast results shows that the model is able to predict the general effect of the tidal currents with a NRMSE of 30% in wave heights at the river mouth. Despite some of the model limitations, it still provides valuable information to navigators and bar pilots since it includes the effects of the tidal currents.
Customer's Attitude Towards Social Media Marketing

The usage of Social Media is increasing exponentially to satisfy the social needs of internet users, at the same time it has also increased the opportunities for corporate to market their products & services in a personalized way. The past record shows that social media has contributed significantly in changing the perception of customers in buying process. Organizations can't ignore the growing importance of social networking sites on the buying behavior of customers. This paper is an attempt to examine the extent of social media in making/influencing buying decision of customers. The paper is based on descriptive research design & close ended questionnaire is used to collect the primary data from social media users. Conclusions of paper reveal the attitude of customers' towards social media marketing.
A flexible interface between two-dimensional representation and three-dimensional representation

An approach is presented to reconstructing an object from its engineering drawing by recognizing the 2-D features on the drawing and using volume sweeping. Important features on the drawing like symmetry, ear, rib, hole pattern and cross section are recognized. Nonexact projections are removed first, then primitives are constructed by sweep volume according to the cross section. The final object is the Boolean set of these sweep volumes. A prototype program is implemented according to this approach. Some selected examples are shown to demonstrate the processes. Limitations are discussed, and short-term improvements and long-term goals are suggested. >
Fetuin-A, a new vascular biomarker of cognitive decline in older adults

SummaryObjectives Fetuin-A is an abundant plasma protein known to predict vascular disease. Fetuin-A levels are lower in patients with Alzheimer's disease in proportion to the severity of cognitive impairment, but their association with normal cognitive ageing is unknown. We evaluated the association of serum fetuin-A levels with cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. Design/Patients/Measurements A population-based study of 1382 older adults (median age 75) who had plasma fetuin-A levels and cognitive function evaluated in 1992–1996; 855 had repeat cognitive function assessment a median of 4 years later. Results Adjusting for age, sex, education and depression, higher levels of fetuin-A were associated with better baseline performance on the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE; P = 0·012) and a tendency for better Trails Making B scores (P = 0·066). In longitudinal analyses, the likelihood of a major decline (highest decile of change) in Trails B was 29% lower (P = 0·010) for each SD higher baseline fetuin-A level; odds of major decline in MMSE was 42% lower (P = 0·005) per SD higher fetuin-A for individuals with no known CVD, but were not related to fetuin-A in those with CVD (P = 0·33). Fetuin-A was not related to Category Fluency performance. Results were independent of multiple vascular risk factors and comorbid conditions. Conclusions Higher plasma fetuin-A concentrations are associated with better performance on tests of global cognitive function and executive function and with less likelihood of major decline in these cognitive abilities over a 4-year period. Fetuin-A may serve as a biological link between vascular disease and normal age-related cognitive decline.
An aperture-based inverse planning algorithm for modulated electron radiation therapy

A new technique called Modulated Electron Radiation Therapy has recently been investigated for the treatment of superficial lesions. In this technique, each port consists of several electron beams of different beam energies. The dose conformity along the beam direction can be achieved by adjusting the relative weights of electron beams, exploiting the fast dose fall-off beyond a certain depth for each beam energy. The lateral dose conformity can be achieved by modulating the aperture shape for each beam. In the current work, an inverse planning algorithm is studied for the optimization of the aperture shape and relative weight for each electron beam. The optimization objective function is based on dose distribution, trying to generate a uniform dose to the target while satisfying the dose-volume constraints to the critical structures. The goal of this work is to achieve a desirable and, more importantly, deliverable patient dose distribution using electron beams from scattering foil-based accelerators and collimated by an electron MLC. The proposed algorithm is applied to a clinical case of breast cancer and compared to a commonly-used optimization algorithm which optimizes beamlet weights.
Merit‐based college tuition assistance and the conditional probability of in‐state work

This paper examines how merit-based tuition assistance policies implemented by a growing number of states affect one important dimension of college graduate behaviour: the conditional probability of working in the state. Using a restricted-use administrative dataset for West Virginia, we find that, conditional on in-state enrolment and graduation, graduates that received merit aid are less likely than similar non-recipient graduates to work at establishments in the state. These results suggest that the positive influences of merit aid in West Virginia on human capital accumulation stemming from increased in-state college enrolment and graduation are dampened by the locational decisions of the recipients after graduation.
Polyethylene glycol-based protein nanocapsules for functional delivery of a differentiation transcription factor

Transcription factors (TFs) can direct cell fate by binding to DNA and regulating gene transcription. Controlling the intracellular levels of specific TFs can therefore enable reprogramming of cellular function and differentiation. Direct delivery of recombinant TFs to target cells can thus have widespread therapeutic value, but has remained challenging due to structural fragility of TFs and inefficient membrane transduction. Here we describe the functional delivery of TFs using degradable polymeric nanocapsules to drive cellular differentiation. The nanocapsules were synthesized with poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG)-based monomers and intracellularly-degradable crosslinkers. Physical properties and release kinetics of the nanocapsules were optimized through tuning of monomer and crosslinker ratios to achieve enhanced delivery of cargo destined for the nuclei. The nanocapsules did not display cytotoxicity in primary cell lines up to concentrations of 5 μm. A recombinant myogenic transcription factor, MyoD, was delivered to the nuclei of myoblast cells using degradable nanocapsules to induce myogenic differentiation. MyoD was confirmed to be delivered to the nuclei of myoblasts using confocal microscopy and was demonstrated to be active in transcription through a luciferase-based reporter assay. More importantly, delivered MyoD was able to drive myoblast differentiation as evidenced by the hallmark elongated and multinuclear morphology of myotubes. The activation of downstream cascade was also confirmed through immunostaining of late myogenic markers myogenin and My-HC. The efficiency of differentiation achieved via nanocapsule delivery is significantly higher than that of native MyoD, and is comparable to that of plasmid transfection. The encapsulated MyoD can also withstand prolonged protease treatment and remain functional. The ease of preparation, biocompatibility and effective cargo delivery make the polymeric nanocapsule a useful tool to deliver a variety of recombinant TFs for therapeutic uses.
Prototropic changes in cationic base-pair adducts. I. Guanine protonation

AM1 calculations have been used to study the effects of protonation on the structures, energies, and, in some cases, proton transfer reactions of guanine cytosine base pairs. Protonation at the guanine O6-position, or at various ring sites, leads to a relatively facile conversion to a surprisingly stable complementary base pairs following proton transfer to the cytosine 3-position. In the case of O6-protonation, this constitutes a direct route to guanine enolization. It is suggested that the spontaneous formation of apyrimidinic sites in nucleic acids take place via prior protonation of guanine moieties in the opposite strand. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ground dwelling beetles and forest vegetation change over a 17-year-period, in western Oregon, USA

Regrowth and old-growth Douglas-fir stands were sampled for ground dwelling beetles using pitfall traps in 1982, 1983 and 1999. Species richness and abundance was compared within and among years, plots, and age of forest using multivariate techniques. Representatives of 49 families and 224 taxa were collected for a total of 11,191 specimens. The abundance and species richness of ground dwelling beetles suggested four notable relationships. First, different ages of forest had significantly different beetle communities. For instance, the herb stage regrowth stands supported a number of seral specialists including: Microlestes nigrinus Mannerheim and Trachypachus holmbergi Mannerheim. Second, specifically defined plant communities were associated with unique beetle communities. Ordination analysis showed that the grouping of stands, based on beetle communities, was correlated with differences in vegetative characteristics. Third, over a 17-year-period, beetle communities in old-growth stands remained relatively stable while beetle communities in regrowth stands exhibited a high degree of change. Ordination analysis grouped old-growth stands regardless of year sampled, while young seral stands changed significantly in regards to their ordination position depending on sampling year. Fourth, beetle communities in regrowth stands changed in a manner that paralleled the predictable transformation of young plant communities into mature forest stands. Ordination analyses found that beetle communities in the herb stage regrowth stands of 1982 had changed significantly and exhibited characteristics of beetle communities in tree stage regrowth stands.
Incorporating mental healthcare into routine postpartum nursing is a promising approach for reducing depression in new mothers

Commentary on: K Glavin, L Smith, R Sorum, et al.. Redesigned community postpartum care to prevent and treat postpartum depression in women – a one-year follow-up study.J Clin Nurs2010;19:3051–62.
The Epistemology and Politics of the Accidental: Connecting the Accident’s Intellectual and Cultural Historiography

In recent years, historians on both sides of the Atlantic have begun to reconsider the accident as an historical phenomenon. Whereas the historical treatment of accidents between the 1950s and 1980s tended to focus on how the accident contributed to a larger narrative of progress, the more recent literature has begun to focus on the accident’s role in wider social, political, and cultural contexts. As the historiography has developed, however, there has been only limited theoretical debate across sub-disciplinary lines. The present paper does not represent an exhaustive examination of the recent historical literature on accidents in both Europe and North America. Instead, it focusses on bridging the gap between those historians who have studied the intellectual development of the accident as a concept and those who have studied the cultural intersection between the accident and power. It does this by focussing on the centrality of narrative in both historiographic trajectories and by suggesting that through a focus on narrative we can connect the epistemological assumptions inherent within the accident concept and the strategies employed to culturally manage the anxieties and stresses which violent technological disasters bring to the surface.
Robot motion planning in a changing, partially predictable environment

Presents a framework for analyzing and determining robot motion plans for situations in which the robot is affected by an environment that probabilistically changes over time. In general, motion planning under uncertainty has received substantial interest, and in particular a changing-environment has been recognized as an important aspect of motion planing under uncertainty. The authors model the environment as a finite-state Markov process, and the robot executes a motion strategy that is conditioned on its current position and the state of the environment. Optimality of a robot strategy is evaluated in terms of a performance functional that depends on the environment, robot actions, and a precise encoding of relevant preferences. By using a simple, yet powerful computation technique that is based on dynamic programming, the authors can numerically compute optimal robot strategies for a wide class of problems, surpassing previous results in this context that were obtained analytically. Several computed motion planning examples are presented. >
Forum: On Resisting Resistance

The concept of resistance has become one of anthropology's dominant theoretical preoccupations - so influential, in fact, that it threatens to overshadow other aspects of social life, to the detriment of our understanding of cultural complexity and creativity. Through a brief examination of two ethnographic cases from radically different social worlds, this essay assesses the perils of cultural accounts centered on resistance in particular and on the problem of power in general
Visualizing Accounting Transaction Flows Into Financial Statements

Professors who teach the introductory accounting course should ask themselves: “What are the core concepts that I wish to have my non-majors remember if I meet them at their ten-year alumni class reunion?” There is a fundamental logic to financial accounting. This teaching note presents foundational accounting concepts in a manner that enables readers to understand this logic. In doing so, it answers the question posed above. The first half of the teaching note explains the purpose and elements of two primary financial reports: a balance sheet and an income statement. The second half presents the recording of several business transactions and traces their effect into a company’s balance sheet and income statement. Designed for use early in an introductory accounting course, the teaching note enables students to develop a strong conceptual understanding of financial accounting.
Discrimination and Allocation

Consider the eight populations of people determined by all combinations of sex (male, female) and age (adult, adolescent, child, infant). These are commonly used distinctions, but the populations are not clearly defined. It is not obvious when infants become children, when children become adolescents, nor when adolescents become adults. On the other hand, most people can clearly be identified as members of one of these eight groups. It might be of interest to see whether one can discriminate between these populations on the basis of, say, various aspects of their blood chemistry. The discrimination problem is sometimes referred to as the problem of separation. Another potentially interesting problem is trying to predict the population of a new individual given only the information on their blood chemistry. The problem of predicting the population of a new case is referred to as the problem of allocation Other names for this problem are identification and classification.
A Tragedy and Miracle of the Commons? Variations in Salmon Returns on the Sacramento and Columbia-Snake River Systems (2008 - 2010)

Four large dams on the Lower Snake River in southeastern Washington extended barge navigation from the Pacific into Idaho and generate some-3,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity. The dams are also the main culprit in decimating the once-massive salmon runs on the Columbia-Snake system; native salmon runs have decreased some-90%. Surprisingly however, salmon returns were dramatically up in spring 2008. Farther to the South, three large dams on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system in central California store some-10.3 million acre-feet of water for agricultural and urban uses. Unsurprisingly, salmon returns were dramatically down in 2008. What are the possible determinants for this variation between river systems? This paper uses the Tragedy of the Commons metaphor to examine the decline of salmon in both river systems. A reformulated version of the metaphor (i.e., Miracle of the Commons) is used to contemplate the unexpected spike on the Columbia-Snake. The traditional metaphor suggests individual rationality will prevail over collective rationality when a resource is used in common. The story of imperiled salmon fits this scenario well. The Common Pool Resource literature identifies several conditions that may foster creation of collective action institutions to reverse the tragedy-inspired outcome. This paper assesses such conditions in the context of the unexpectedly high and low 2008 salmon returns. Speculation is then offered for 2011 salmon returns and beyond.
Theoretical investigation of bacteria polarizability under direct current electric fields.

We present a theoretical model to investigate the influence of soft polyelectrolyte layers on bacteria polarizability. We resolve soft-layer electrokinetics by considering the pH-dependent dissociation of ionogenic groups and specific interactions of ionogenic groups with the bulk electrolyte to go beyond approximating soft-layer electrokinetics as surface conduction. We model the electrokinetics around a soft particle by modified Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations (PNP) to account for the effects of ion transport in the soft layer and electric double layer. Fluid flow is modeled by modified Stokes equations accounting for soft-layer permeability. Two test cases are presented to demonstrate our model: fibrillated and unfibrillated Streptococcus salivarius bacteria. We show that electrolytic and pH conditions significantly influence the extent of soft-particle polarizability in dc fields. Comparison with an approximate analytical model based on Dukhin–Shilov theory for soft particles shows the importance of r...
Interaction between composition and temperature effects on non-bridging oxygen and high-coordinated aluminum in calcium aluminosilicate glasses

The configurational changes that occur with temperature, and how these vary with composition, affect the thermodynamic and transport properties of aluminosilicate melts but are not well understood. We present here high-resolution 27 Al and 17 O NMR data on several calcium aluminosilicate glasses along two silica isopleths crossing the metaluminous (SiO 2 -CaAl 2 O 4 ) join, prepared with varying quench rates and thus with fictive temperatures spanning approximately 100 K. In all compositions, five-coordinated aluminum increases with increasing fictive temperature. For glasses along the 60 mol% SiO 2 isopleth, NBO also increases with increasing fictive temperature; this is less obvious for the glasses along the 30 mol% SiO 2 isopleth. The data suggest the mixing of bridging oxygen contributes to the magnitude of the observed temperature effect on NBO and continue to suggest the existence of multiple mechanisms that generate NBO and V Al.
Low-temperature Sintering Technique for High-temperature Power Semiconductor Devices Packaging

The interconnection and packaging of power semiconductor devices and modules were summarized. Sintering of powder compacts and the present status of electronic packaging were introduced. The sintering technique of nano-silver paste was also discussed. The results show that nanoscale silver powder is viable to lower the sintering temperature, improve the high-temperature stability, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, mechanical strength of device and resist to fatigue failure of the device. This novel technique is also suitable for high temperature power device packaging due to the high melting temperature of silver.
Preoperative Androgen Deprivation Therapy: Artificial Lowering of Serum Prostate Specific Antigen without Downstaging the Tumor

We studied 22 patients with clinical stage B2 (T2c) or C (T3) prostate cancer who underwent androgen deprivation therapy before radical prostatectomy as part of a downstaging protocol (group 1). The concentration of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) was determined before and at the conclusion of androgen deprivation therapy, just before the operation. For each group 1 patient a match patient who had not received preoperative endocrine therapy (group 2) was chosen. The age of the group 2 patients was similar to that of the group 1 patients. The clinical stage of disease and pretreatment tumor grade in group 2 were identical to the stage and grade in group 1, and the serum PSA value in group 2 was similar to that of group 1 before initiation of androgen deprivation therapy. In group 1 the median serum PSA concentration was 14.8 ng./ml. (range 3.1 to 99) before endocrine therapy and 0.2 ng./ml. (range 0.1 to 3.4) after hormonal treatment. Group 2 had a median level of 13.3 ng./ml. (range 3.4 to 100). The median decrease in the serum PSA concentration for group 1 as a result of androgen deprivation therapy was 98.5%. The radical prostatectomy specimens from these 2 groups of similar patients had no difference with regard to maximal tumor dimension, pathological stage and deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy status. These findings indicate that serum PSA becomes an unreliable indicator of disease status after initiating preoperative androgen deprivation therapy and that preoperative androgen deprivation therapy has little or no benefit for decreasing the extent of tumor or pathological stage. The concept of downstaging is misleading and must be examined in a randomized clinical trial.