cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of dental parameters perception by Lebanese prosthodontists, orthodontists and aesthetic doctors

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of varying smile parameters with respect to three indices between Lebanese dentists (prosthodontists and orthodontists) and medical doctors. 245 participants were divided into 3 groups. A photograph of the smile that conforms to a woman’s aesthetic standards has been digitally altered to provide a reference image. Next, images where modified then evaluated. The collected data was analyzed. Dental professionals critically judged dental aesthetics by focusing on the gingivo-dental characteristics that make the smile less pleasant. Dental professionals detected minimal dental discrepancies in a smile, unlike doctors who assessed the smile in relation to the entire face since their judgment is global. Lebanese doctors have a different perception of oral aesthetics from Lebanese prosthodontists and orthodontists. Le but de cette etude etait de comparer la perception de divers parametres du sourire par rapport a trois indices entre les dentistes libanais (prosthodontistes et orthodontistes) et les medecins travaillant dans le domaine de l’esthetique. 245 participants ont ete repartis en 3 groupes. Une photographie du sourire conforme aux normes esthetiques d’une femme a ete modifiee numeriquement pour avoir une image de reference. Ensuite, les images ont ete modifiees puis evaluees. L’analyse des donnees a montre la presence d’une difference entre les orthodontistes et les prosthodontistes d’une part et entre les medecins d’autre part. Les professionnels dentaires jugent de maniere critique l’esthetique dentaire en se concentrant sur les caracteristiques gingivo-dentaires qui rendent le sourire moins agreable. Les professionnels dentaires detectent des ecarts dentaires minimes dans un sourire, contrairement aux medecins qui evaluent le sourire par rapport a l’ensemble du visage puisque leur jugement est global. Les medecins libanais ont une perception de l’esthetique buccale differente de celle des prosthodontistes et orthodontistes libanais.
Abstract 15429: One-year Patterns of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Using Consumer-purchased Wireless Devices in the Health Eheart Study

Introduction: Engagement with home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) usually declines over time; however, published studies have not described inter-individual variability of HBPM behaviors. We aime...
RNA silencing suppressor-influenced performance of a virus vector delivering both guide RNA and Cas9 for CRISPR gene editing.

We report on further development of the agroinfiltratable Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-based overexpression (TRBO) vector to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 components into plants. First, production of a Cas9 (HcoCas9) protein from a binary plasmid increased when co-expressed in presence of suppressors of gene silencing, such as the TMV 126-kDa replicase or the Tomato bushy stunt virus P19 protein. Such suppressor-generated elevated levels of Cas9 expression translated to efficient gene editing mediated by TRBO-G-3′gGFP expressing GFP and also a single guide RNA targeting the mgfp5 gene in the Nicotiana benthamiana GFP-expressing line 16c. Furthermore, HcoCas9 encoding RNA, a large cargo insert of 4.2 kb, was expressed from TRBO-HcoCas9 to yield Cas9 protein again at higher levels upon co-expression with P19. Likewise, co-delivery of TRBO-HcoCas9 and TRBO-G-3′gGFP in the presence of P19 also resulted in elevated levels percentages of indels (insertions and deletions). These data also revealed an age-related phenomenon in plants whereby the RNA suppressor P19 had more of an effect in older plants. Lastly, we used a single TRBO vector to express both Cas9 and a sgRNA. Taken together, we suggest that viral RNA suppressors could be used for further optimization of single viral vector delivery of CRISPR gene editing parts.
Promoting Equity for Women in Medicine - Seizing a Disruptive Opportunity.

Promoting Equity for Women in Medicine During the Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations have missed opportunities to apply equity-minded leadership principles. Moving forward, institutions can harn...
Oscar Robertson, Antitrust, and the Fight Against Monopsony Power in the NBA:

Labor markets in sports have historically been dominated by the monopsony power enjoyed by owners. In the 1970s, Oscar Robertson argued in front of Congress that “…it’s terribly wrong for anyone to...
Congestion based pricing and management of distributed computational resources

Congestion based usage pricing for management of IT resources has been discussed for several decades. However, a whole array of fundamental issues plagued productive discussions about its feasibility in computing environments. Under Prof. Whinston’s leadership, co-authors of this article have participated in several projects whose primary purpose was to move the discussion of economic modeling beyond normative discussion to real-time computability and implementation. The research has addressed some of the fundamental objections to externality based pricing, i.e., the problem of acquiring customers private information regarding their demand characteristics. The research agenda in the network and computing resources pricing has now moved to management of particular environments -- from corporate networks to distributed database environments. In this article we summarize the key ideas that were generated by the research group at CREC on theory and implementation of congestion based pricing. These include issues ranging from demonstration of computational feasibility of such prices based on transient system information to the issue of incentives of network infrastructure owners in the presence of multiple co-existing pricing paradigms. In addition, we will discuss and present other applications of this work and directions of future research.
Landmark-Guided Surface Matching and Volumetric Warping for Improved Prostate Biopsy Targeting and Guidance

We present a composite method for landmark-guided surface matching and volumetric non-rigid registration, with an application to prostate biopsy. The two-step method, based primarily on finite element and thin-plate spline techniques, consists of a boundary matching process, followed by a volumetric warping step. In practice, the boundary matching method allows for registration of anatomical surfaces, such as prostate gland capsules, in a way that is bijective, i.e. one-to-one and onto. The novelty of this approach is that it allows for the exact matching of pre-specified corresponding landmark points on the two surfaces to be matched. The second step, volumetric warping, is presented as an extension of our previous work in prostate registration, having been improved to address the problem of non-bijectivity (the “flipping” of tetrahedra) which can result from the linear-elastic modelling of the deformation. We discuss the use of our method for the registration of pre-operative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for improved targeting and visualization during MR-guided prostate biopsy. Although presented within the context of prostate MR image registration, our composite surface matching and volumetric registration method has general applicability to other organs and imaging modalities such as CT and ultrasound.
Pyruvate kinase M2 plays distinct roles in hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia (111.19)

It has been realized that different cell states employ different metabolic modes. Whether metabolism is a determinant of cell state is unclear, but studies in cancer suggest that altering metabolic activity can modify cellular function. Cancer cells metabolize glucose through glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen, a phenomenon called Warburg effect. Normal somatic cells thought to also preferentially use glycolytic metabolism are tissue stem cells, particularly the hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) resident in the hypoxic microenvironment of the bone marrow. Recently the molecular basis for Warburg effect in cancer cells has been identified as due to a specific isoform of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Interestingly, HSC also express PKM2. Using a mouse strain that allows conditional deletion of PKM2, we observed that PKM2 depletion enhances normal HSC function as revealed by a competitive transplantation assay. The altered cellular function is accompanied with decreased glycolysis and increased oxidative phosphorylation specifically in the primitive stem/progenitor cell population. Notably however, PKM2 deletion markedly disadvantages disease development in mouse models of both acute and chronic myeloid leukemia. Such a distinction in response between normal and malignant cells is unprecedented to our knowledge and may offer a highly unique opportunity to advantage normal while disadvantaging malignant cells of the hematopoietic lineage by targeting a single metabolic enzyme.
Approximation algorithms and hardness results for the joint replenishment problem with constant demands

In the Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP), the goal is to coordinate the replenishments of a collection of goods over time so that continuous demands are satisfied with minimum overall ordering and holding costs. We consider the case when demand rates are constant. Our main contribution is the first hardness result for any variant of JRP with constant demands. When replenishments per commodity are required to be periodic and the time horizon is infinite (which corresponds to the so-called general integer model with correction factor), we show that finding an optimal replenishment policy is at least as hard as integer factorization. This result provides the first theoretical evidence that the JRP with constant demands may have no polynomial-time algorithm and that relaxations and heuristics are called for. We then show that a simple modification of an algorithm byWildeman et al. (1997) for the JRP gives a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme for the general integer model (without correction factor). We also extend their algorithm to the finite horizon case, achieving an approximation guarantee asymptotically equal to √9/8.
Critical Place Studies and Middle East Histories: Power, Politics, and Social Change

This essay brings some theoretical ideas surrounding the concept of place to examples of recent research in historical studies of the Middle East. Foregrounding place as a framework for research and teaching makes it possible to answer larger questions regarding power, politics, and social change from the perspective of complex local life. Place, as a concept, offers a conceptual strategy for thinking about the relationships between space and time and thus, for studying history. As a location imbued with cultural meaning, place is produced, in part, through the ways in which people interpret the past. Place can also be understood as the lived, local human experience of dynamically intersecting processes occurring at multiple scales. Global, national, and urban phenomena convene in particular localities to shape environments and social relationships; place is the location of these lived encounters. Critical place studies provide a robust analytical approach for understanding and teaching the complexity of some of the most pressing historical and contemporary social issues of the former Ottoman Empire, including the relationships between colonial power, nationalism, and religious-ethnic identity; experiences of citizenship in everyday life; and the interplay between notions of tradition and modernity.
Biventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy in an Adult with Unique Facial Dysmorphisms: Case Report and Brief Review

Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiomyopathy that is believed it to arise from an arrest in embryonic endomyocardial development. More recent studies suggest that it can be acquired later on in life sporadically. It may be accompanied by life-threatening complications, which are most commonly heart failure, arrhythmias, and thromboembolic events. We report a case of biventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy in a 36-year-old man presenting for the first time with clinical heart failure as well as atrial arrhythmia. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed LVNC with depressed ejection fraction (EF). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) further revealed a left atrial appendage thrombus as well as right ventricular noncompaction involvement. His physical exam was unique for a characteristic facial dysmorphisms pattern and developmental delays reminiscent of the earliest descriptions of LVNC in the pediatric population and it was rarely described in adult patients. This unique presentation underscores the importance of a better understanding of the genetics and natural course of LVNC. This will help us to elucidate the uncertainty surrounding its clinical management, discussed in a brief review of the literature following the case.
Molecular phenotyping of plant single cell-types enhances forward genetic analyses

Recent advances in the isolation of single cell-types in plants provides an opportunity to conduct detailed analyses of their molecular characteristics at high resolution. This kind of cell-type specific molecular phenotyping is likely to enhance forward genetics studies to dissect the effect of mutations and thereby aid gene function assignment. Recent experimental results support this view, demonstrating that different cell-types exhibit substantial variation in transcript, protein, and metabolite accumulation and these molecular phenotypes are often sensitive to genetic and environmental alterations. The use of single cell-type molecular phenotyping approach to define plant gene function is most amenable to cell-types with well-characterized molecular tools and isolation protocols.
The Electromagnetic Field for an Open Magnetosphere

The boundary-layer-dominated models of the earth EM field developed by Heikkila (1975, 1978, 1982, and 1983) and Heikkila et al. (1979) to account for deficiencies in the electric-field descriptions of quasi-steady-state magnetic-field-reconnection models (such as that of Cowley, 1980) are characterized, reviewing the arguments and indicating the most important implications. The mechanisms of boundary-layer formation and field direction reversal are explained and illustrated with diagrams, and it is inferred that boundary-layer phenomena rather than magnetic reconnection may be the cause of large-scale magnetospheric circulation, convection, plasma-sheet formation and sunward convection, and auroras, the boundary layer acting basically as a viscous process mediating solar-wind/magnetosphere interactions.
The Benefits of Dominance Complementarity in Negotiations

We investigated whether dominance complementarity can lead people to reach mutually beneficial outcomes in negotiations by increasing the likelihood that they will successfully coordinate the exchange of information. We suggest that negotiators who differ in how dominantly they behave in the negotiation exchange information effectively because they fulfill different roles in the negotiation process. Study 1 demonstrated that dominant negotiators generally assert their desires, while relatively submissive negotiators generally ask questions to find ways to satisfy their own desires without escalating conflict with the dominant negotiators. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that participants were best able to discover integrative agreements when one negotiator was instructed to behave dominantly and the other negotiator, submissively. Improved information exchange mediated the relationship between dominance complementarity and improved joint outcomes in Study 3.
On-chip integrated differential optical microring biosensing platform based on a dual laminar flow scheme

We propose an on-chip integrated differential optical silicon nitride microring biosensing platform which uses a dual laminar flow scheme. This platform reduces the fabrication complexity involved in the fabrication of the reference resonator.
Nutrition Guidelines and Education of the Public

Guidelines on diet and nutrition serve two important purposes: to guide policy makers and to educate consumers, be they healthy or ill, about healthful ways to eat. Other lifestyle behaviors such as weight, physical activity and smoking status are sometimes also included. The soundness of the resulting guidelines depends on the strength of the evidence attesting to the presence of diet-health relationships. Precedent and the larger environment also have powerful influences. The degree to which guidelines are used will depend on how well they are crafted with respect to communication and how the recommendations are publicized. Holistic approaches rather than single silver bullet approaches that are targeted to reduction in risks of dietary deficiencies, food-borne illnesses and multiple chronic degenerative diseases are probably the most useful for the nutrition education of the public. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are one example. Such dietary and nutritional recommendations based on sound science, reviewed periodically and communicated effectively have a positive and helpful role in cancer prevention and risk reduction.
EMG of the tibialis anterior demonstrates a training effect after utilization of a foot drop stimulator.

Background Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) applied through a foot drop stimulator (FDS) is a rehabilitation intervention that can stimulate the common peroneal nerve to provide dorsiflexion at the correct timing during gait. Objective To determine if FES applied to the peroneal nerve during walking through a FDS would effectively retrain the electromyographic temporal activation of the tibialis anterior in individuals with stroke. Methods Surface electromyography (EMG) were collected bilaterally from the tibialis anterior (TA) while participants (n = 4) walked with and without the FDS at baseline and 4 weeks. Comparisons were made between stimulation timing and EMG activation timing to produce a burst duration similarity index (BDSI). Results At baseline, participants displayed variable temporal activation of the TA. At 4 weeks, TA activation during walking without the FDS more closely resembled the pre-programmed FDS timing demonstrated by an increase in BDSI scores in all participants (P = 0.05). Conclusions Continuous use of FDS during a task specific movement can re-train the neuromuscular system. After 4 weeks of utilization the FDS trained the TA to replicate the programmed temporal activation patterns. These findings begin to establish the FDS as a rehabilitation intervention that may facilitate recovery rather than just compensate for stroke related gait impairments due to foot drop.
Chorismate synthase of Neurospora crassa: a flavoprotein.

Abstract Chorismate synthase is purified from Neurospora crassa. The final step is accomplished by preparative electrophoresis. Its purity is estimated at ≥90% on the basis of analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme appears to be active in at least two multimeric states, with a subunit molecular weight of ~55,000. The purified enzyme preparation is absolutely dependent on the presence of a reducing system, which can readily be provided under aerobic conditions by NADPH plus FMN or under stringent anaerobic conditions by dithionite. The following evidence implicates a physiological role for FMN in N. crassa chorismate synthase activity: (a) a preferential stimulation of activity by NADPH and FMN over other pyridine and flavin nucleotides, respectively, in both impure and purified enzyme preparations; (b) an alteration of the Chromatographic pattern of the enzyme on diethylaminoethylcellulose by the addition of FMN to the elution buffer; (c) an apparent binding of FMN to the enzyme as exhibited by gel filtration in the presence of the substrate, 3-enolpyruvylshikimate 5-phosphate; (d) a requirement for preliminary incubation with FMN, in concert with the substrate, to eliminate a reaction lag (i.e., to activate the enzyme); (e) a substrate-dependent diaphorase activity exhibited by purified enzyme preparations in the presence of FMN and NADPH. The observed activation and alteration of Chromatographic behavior of chorismate synthase by FMN suggest that the flavin nucleotide influences the conformation of the enzyme. The ability to replace NADPH and FMN with dithionite suggests that FMN mediates the flow of electrons from a source of reducing power (NADPH) to some enzymic site important to the function of the enzyme. Hence, the diaphorase activity which is observed as intrinsic to chorismate synthase of N. crassa may be significant from the standpoint of catalysis or may have importance as a regulatory mechanism.
Damage processes in ceramics resulting from diamond tool indentation and scratching in various environments

Abstract Studies have been carried out to determine the influence of different chemical environments and tool shapes on damage produced during diamond tool scratching and indenting of two advanced ceramics: chemical-vapor-deposited silicon carbide and a composite aluminum oxide-titanium carbide. A nanoindentation/scratching apparatus was used in a controlled-load mode for the studies. Two diamond tool shapes were used: a wedge with −45° rake and 0.5 mm radius curved edge, and a Vickers pyramid. The environments studied were: air, water, mineral oil, mineral oil + stearic acid and two commercial water-based fluids. It was of interest to identify damage mechanisms, critical loads for initiation of severe damage, specific scratching energies and the effect on damage of the different tool shapes. It was found that chemico-mechanical interactions during scratching in the different environments led to significant differences in such parameters as damage threshold load, maximum tool penetration depth and specific scratching energy. In some cases surface chemical films appeared to form and control the scratching process, especially at low loads. At higher loads significant chemical influences on the mechanical damage processes also were found. Damage morphology involved discrete surface cracking, spalling, grain pull-out and plastic deformation. In many cases considerable plastic response of the relatively brittle ceramics was observed. The proportions of cracking and plasticity varied substantially with tool shape, environment and material. Discontinuous surface cracking damage was observed in some cases, suggesting that a sub-surface process of damage or strain energy accumulation was involved.
Two forms of autosomal dominant primary retinitis pigmentosa

Two types of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are identified on the basis of perimetric measures of rod sensitivity relative to cone sensitivity. Type 1 dominant RP patients are characterized by an early diffuse loss of rod sensitivity with a later loss of cone sensitivity and by childhood onset of night blindness. Type 2 dominant RP patients are characterized by a regionalized and combined loss of rod and cone sensitivity with adulthood onset of nightblindness. Comparisons of losses in the photopic and scotopic electroretinogram amplitudes corroborate the psychophysical results. Clinical findings are similar for the two dominant RP subtypes, however, there are differences in natural history.
An archaeal Rad54 protein remodels DNA and stimulates DNA strand exchange by RadA

Rad54 protein is a key member of the RAD52 epistasis group required for homologous recombination in eukaryotes. Rad54 is a duplex DNA translocase that remodels both DNA and protein-DNA complexes, and functions at multiple steps in the recombination process. Here we use biochemical criteria to demonstrate the existence of this important protein in a prokaryotic organism. The Sulfolobus solfataricus Rad54 (SsoRad54) protein is a double-strand DNA-dependent ATPase that can alter the topology of duplex DNA. Like its eukaryotic homolog, it interacts directly with the S. solfataricus Rad51 homologue, SsoRadA, to stimulate DNA strand exchange. Confirmation of this protein as an authentic Rad54 homolog establishes an essential phylogenetic bridge for identifying Rad54 homologs in the archaeal and bacterial domains.
High-power visible radiation from a Raman-shifted XeF(C-->A) excimer laser

Efficient wavelength shifting by means of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in hydrogen and liquid nitrogen of the blue-green XeF(C yields A) excimer laser was demonstrated. Energy conversion into the first Stokes line with an efficiency of 38% was achieved. Continuously tunable radiation from 523 - 579 nm and from 578 - 650 nm with pulse energies ranging from 100 mJ to 210 mJ was generated in liquid nitrogen and hydrogen, respectively. A peak power of 35 MW at 549.0 nm was obtained.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Theory of Stochastic Preference and Brand Switching

Strong evidence will be introduced which suggests that brand choice behavior is substantially stochastic. A general theory of stochastic preference is presented and tested. Brand switching data are...
Equal-valued-capacitor active-RC-network realisation of a 3rd-order lowpass Butterworth characteristic

The letter describes an active RC network which realises a 3rd-order lowpass Butterworth characteristic. It requires one active element and has the practical advantage that all capacitors have the same value. A design chart is included.
Challenges in Evaluation of Innovation: Observations from Technology Research

Evaluation of innovation is perhaps the most significant challenge teachers and curriculum developers face when attempting to introduce innovation into language education. How can those who are investing significant resources into learning and teaching be shown that innovation might be for the best? This paper reflects on experience in the evaluation of technology for language learning to identify key issues that are relevant to the evaluation of innovation in language learning. These are framed under the three areas: what to evaluate, how to evaluate, and for whom to evaluate.
Solar-system abundances of the elements

Elemental analyses of the Ogueil Cl meteorite and all previous Cl chondrite analyses were employed to develop a new solar system abundance table, including the standard deviation and number of analyses for each element. The table also comprises the abundances of radioactive and radiogenic nuclides at the present and 4.55 AE ago, as well as abundances by weight in a typical Cl chondrite. The new abundances were within 20% of those determined by Cameron (1982), except for 14 cases in the range 20-50%, and 5 over 50%. The solar abundances were compared with the Cl abundances, showing a total of only 7 disagreements. No significant discrepancies were detected in the major cosmochemical groups, and a smooth trend was found in the abundances of odd-A nuclides. The new set is interpreted as accurate to 10%, with the Cl chondrites matching the primordial solar system abundances to at most 10% deviation.
Purification and characterization of the serum amyloid A3 enhancer factor.

Abstract Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute-phase protein synthesized and secreted mainly by the liver. In response to acute inflammation, its expression may be induced up to 1000-fold, primarily as a result of a 200-fold increase in the rate ofSAA gene transcription. We showed previously that cytokine-induced transcription of the SAA3 gene promoter requires a transcriptional enhancer that contains three functional elements: two CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)-binding sites and a third site that interacts with a constitutively expressed transcription factor, SAA3 enhancer factor (SEF). Each of these binding sites as well as cooperation among their binding factors is necessary for maximum transcription activation by inflammatory cytokines. Deletion or site-specific mutations in the SEF-binding site drastically reduced SAA3 promoter activity, strongly suggesting that SEF is important in SAA3 promoter function. To further elucidate its role in the regulation of the SAA3 gene, we purified SEF from HeLa nuclear extracts to near homogeneity by using conventional liquid chromatography and DNA affinity chromatography. Ultraviolet cross-linking and Southwestern experiments indicated that SEF consisted of a single polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 65 kDa. Protein sequencing and antibody supershift experiments identified SEF as transcription factor LBP-1c/CP2/LSF. Cotransfection of SEF expression vector with SAA3-luciferase reporter resulted in approximately a 5-fold increase in luciferase activity. Interestingly, interleukin-1 treatment of SEF-transfected cells caused dramatic synergistic activation (31-fold) of the SAA3 promoter. In addition to its role in regulating SAA3 gene expression, we provide evidence that SEF could also bind in a sequence-specific manner to the promoters of the α2-macroglobulin and Aα-fibrinogen genes and to an intronic enhancer of the human Wilm’s tumor 1 gene, suggesting a functional role in the regulation of these genes.
Limit Theorems for Fuzzy Random Variables

A strong law of large numbers and a central limit theorem are proved for independent and identically distributed fuzzy random variables, whose values are fuzzy sets with compact levels. The proofs are based on embedding theorems as well as on probability techniques in Banach space.
Commutative Association Schemes Whose Symmetrizations Have Two Classes

If a symmetric association scheme of class two is realized as the symmetrization of a commutative association scheme, then it either admits a unique symmetrizable fission scheme of class three or four, or admits three fission schemes, two of which are class three and one is of class four. We investigate the classification problem for symmetrizable (commutative) association schemes of two-class symmetric association schemes. In particular, we give a classification of association schemes whose symmetrizations are obtained from completely multipartite strongly regular graphs in the notion of wreath product of two schemes. Also the cyclotomic schemes associated to Paley graphs and their symmetrizable fission schemes are discussed in terms of their character tables.
Cellular and laminar expression of Dab-1 during the postnatal critical period in cat visual cortex and the effects of dark rearing

This study describes postnatal critical period changes in cellular and laminar expression of Dab-1, a gene shown to play a role in controlling neuronal positioning during embryonic brain development, in cat visual cortex and the effects of dark rearing (DR). At 1 week, there is dense cellular staining which is uniform across cortical layers and very light neuropil staining. At the peak of the critical period (5 weeks), dense cell staining is largely restricted to large pyramidal cells of deep layer III and layer V, there is faint cell body staining throughout all cortical layers, neuropil staining is markedly increased and uniform in layers III to VI. This dramatic change in laminar and cellular labeling is independent of visual input, since immunostaining is similar in 5-week DR cats. By 10 weeks, the mature laminar and cellular staining pattern is established and the major subsequent change is a further reduction in the density of cellular staining in all cortical layers. Neuropil staining is pronounced and uniform across cortical layers. These developmental changes are altered by DR. Quantification by cell counts indicated that age and DR interact such that differences in cellular expression are opposite in direction between 5- and 20-week-old cats. This bidirectional regulation of cellular expression is the same in all cortical laminae. The bidirectional regulation of cellular expression matches the effects of age and DR on physiological plasticity during the critical period as assessed by ocular dominance shifts in response to monocular deprivation.
The Role and Regulation of mTOR in T Lymphocyte Function

The conversion of naive T cells into effector T cells is initiated by stimulation through the T-cell receptor (TCR). Upon activation, T cells undergo significant morphological and functional changes, putting new metabolic demands on the cell. Past research has identified the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) as a critical regulator of cell metabolism, and the development of new genetic models has begun to reveal an important role for this pathway in the homeostasis and function of T lymphocytes. In this review, we focus on the most recent findings that demonstrate the ability of mTOR to regulate T-cell activation, CD8+ memory cell formation and function, and helper T lineage differentiation. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of tight control of mTOR signaling by tuberous sclerosis complex 1 for T-cell homeostasis, and the regulation of mTOR signaling by diacylglycerol kinases and the RasGRP1-Ras-Erk1/2 pathway in the context of TCR signaling.
The role of culture and purchase motivation in service encounter evaluations

This study was developed to shed some light on the role of culture and purchase motivation in influencing consumers’ evaluations of services. More specifically, the goal was to contrast Asian and Western travelers’ perceptions of brief, routine‐type service encounters in a hotel context. The results of this empirical study suggest that culture‐based biases in the evaluation process might depend on the consumers’ purchase‐related goals. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the use of expressed emotions as an indicator of how the customer feels about the service might be restricted to Western customers. Managerial implications of this study relate to the training of customer‐contact employees.
Applications of Silicon Nitride Based Ceramics in the U.S.

Silicon nitride based ceramics have unique combinations of mechanical, thermal-physical and electrical properties. Additionally, silicon nitride based materials can be fabricated into near net shape components by several processing routes. This unique combination of properties and processing versatility have encouraged the use of silicon nitride based ceramics in a variety of demanding commercial applications over the past decade. In the U.S., these applications currently include cutting tools, bearings, and selected components for diesel engines. Projected future applications include a broader range of reciprocating and gas turbine engine components, and electronic components. For each of these applications examples of use and the key properties of silicon nitride which enable enhanced systems performance will be discussed. Several materials developments which may broaden the range of applicability of silicon nitride based ceramics will be described.
Winter survival and source of primary inoculum of powdery mildew of dogwood in Tennessee.

A 3-year study (1996-1998) on the epidemiology of dogwood powdery mildew showed that Microsphaera pulchra is the primary powdery mildew pathogen of dogwoods (Cornus spp.) in mid-Tennessee, and the occurrence of Phyllactinia guttata is insignificant. Cleistothecia harvested from leaf debris in spring contained viable asci and ascospores and produced powdery mildew infection on disease-free plants. Ascospores that were morphologically similar to those of M. pulchra were trapped on sticky slides in the vicinity of dogwoods throughout spring. Previously infected plants that did not harbor cleistothecia failed to develop signs of infection under growth-chamber and greenhouse conditions conducive to powdery mildew infections. Results from these studies indicate that cleistothecia on leaf debris rather than mycelia on dormant buds constitute the main winter survival structure and primary sources of spring inoculum in mid-Tennessee.
REACTIVITY OF MYOSIN TO ANTIBODIES IN CROSS-STRIATED CHICK MYOFIBRILS. II. CONTRACTED MUSCLE.

Abstract Contracted myofibrils bind similar amounts of anti-myosin as myofibrils at rest length. At sufficiently high antibody concentrations all of the myosin in the contracted myofibril reacts with antibody. The changes in the fluorescent band pattern in various states of contraction are explained on the basis of changes in the localization of myosin within the sarcomere. The fluorescent band remains unaltered in myofibrils obtained from passively stretched muscles. In muscles, contracted isotonically below equilibrium length, sarcomere length and fluorescent band width decreases proportionally. The results are interpreted to mean that in contraction the position of myosin within the sarcomere is changed and that contraction is the result of a structural change in myosin or in myosin-containing structures.
A new ‘democratic life’ for the European Union? Administrative lawmaking, democratic legitimacy, and the Lisbon Treaty

A large body of European Union (EU) law – EU administrative law – is not made by the EU's democratically elected bodies, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament (EP). Instead, most administrative laws are made by the unelected European Commission. That, of itself, does not mean that the EU is insufficiently democratic: most democracies delegate the power to make administrative laws to unelected regulators. In those democracies, however, elected legislatures can at least change administrative laws after they are promulgated. This article contends that the EU is different: the Council and EP are effectively unable to change administrative laws. This article identifies ‘design flaws’ in the EU's lawmaking processes that are responsible for this democratic shortcoming. It then surveys relevant provisions of the new Lisbon Treaty in order to determine whether Lisbon will remedy that shortcoming: whether it will empower the Council and EP – or citizens directly – to change administrative laws.
Network flow based circuit partitioning for time-multiplexed FPGAs

Time multiplexed FPGAs have the potential to dramatically improve logic density by time sharing logic, and have become an active research for reconfigurable computing. The partitioning problem for time multiplexed FPGAs is different from the traditional partitioning problem in that the nodes have precedence constraints among them, and the widely used iterative improvement partitioning methods such as KL B.W. Kernighan and S. Lin, 1978) are no longer applicable. All later approaches (S. Trimberger, 1998; D. Chang and M. Marek-Sadowska, 1998; 1997) used list scheduling heuristics. We present a network flow based algorithm for multi way precedence constrained partitioning, which can handle the precedence constraints while minimizing the net cut size. The experimental results on the MCNC benchmark circuits show that our algorithm outperforms list scheduling by a big margin, with an average improvement of over 50% for bipartitioning and 20% for multi way partitioning.
Seafloor instability at East Flower Garden Bank, northwest Gulf of Mexico

An increasing volume of evidence suggests that normal faulting and graben formation associated with salt diapirism may be catastrophic. The evidence includes: 1) removal of solid salt from the diapirs by dissolution, 2) the nature of rock outcrops at the crests of domes, 3) seismic profiles showing recent displacement of the seafloor, and 4) changes in coral growth rates at the East Flower Garden Bank. The possibility of catastrophic movement of the seabed is an engineering constraint that must be addressed prior to emplacing structures such as jack-up rigs and production platforms.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ACTIVE SODIUM TRANSPORT AND ACTIVE AMINO-ACID TRANSPORT IN ISOLATED RABBIT ILEUM.

IN previous publications dealing with ion transport across in vitro segments of rabbit terminal ileum, we have demonstrated that sodium is actively transported from mucosa to serosa and that the presence of an actively transported sugar in the mucosal solution increases the rate of active sodium transport by means of an interaction with the sugar transport per se1–3. In addition, we have presented a model for the sodium–sugar interaction3 which is consistent with the demonstration of Bihler et al. that the entrance of actively transported sugars into the intestinal cell is dependent on sodium4. These findings, together with Csaky's observations that sodium is necessaiy for the active intestinal transport of amino-acids and pyrimidines, as well as active sugar transport5, led us to investigate the effect of actively transported amino-acids on sodium transport by rabbit ileum.
Calculating Far-Field Patterns of Antennas Positioned on Glacial Ice

Using a three-step process, the radiation pattern of an arbitrary antenna located above glacial ice can be determined at any depth within that ice. In the first step, the electric and magnetic near-field values of the antenna are determined using a FEM (finite element method) code. This step involves modeling both the antenna and a small portion of upper-layer ice to determine accurate near-field values. In the second step, by making use of the well-known equivalency and reciprocity theorems, the electric and magnetic near-field values obtained from step one are used to calculate the antenna gain in the upper part of the ice region. Finally, step three involves modeling the effects of increasing ice density with increasing depth, using the geometric optics techniques.
The Neolithic Macro-(R)evolution: Macroevolutionary Theory and the Study of Culture Change

The macroevolutionary approach in archaeology represents the most recent example in a long tradition of applying principles of biological evolution to the study of culture change. Archaeologists working within this paradigm see macroevolutionary theory as an effective response to the shortcomings of neo-Darwinian biological evolution for studying cultural evolution. Rather than operating at the level of individual traits, macroevolutionary archaeologists emphasize the role of hierarchical processes in culture change. While neo-Darwinian archaeologists disavow any element of human intent in culture change, to macroevolutionary archaeologists human agency is a key component of cultural evolution that allows cultures to respond to pressures more quickly and with greater degree of flexibility and directedness than found in biological evolution. Major culture change, when it happens, is likely to be rapid, even revolutionary, with periods of rapid change separated by periods of relative stasis of actively maintained stability. The emergence of Neolithic cultures has long been recognized as one of two periods of major revolutionary culture change in human prehistory. Here I examine the record for the Near East, tracing the empirical record for the origin of agriculture in this region, as well as other demographic, social, and ideological components of Neolithic emergence. While the empirical record from the Near East subscribes in a general way to basic principles of macroevolutionary theory, cultural evolution cannot be understood through appeal to principles of biological evolution alone, whether based in macroevolutionary theory or neo-Darwinianism. Instead, the key role of human agency in culture change distinguishes cultural evolution from biological evolution and requires a more pluralistic and less doctrinaire appeal to multiple models of change based in both the biological and social sciences.
Disorders of the Bladder and Cloacal Anomaly

The incidence of congenital urachal, bladder, and cloacal anomalies is low. Urachal remnants are the result of failure or delay in obliteration of the allantois. Exstrophy of the bladder or cloaca can be diagnosed on prenatal ultrasonography and represent a deviation from the normal embryologic sequence. Persistent cloaca is an anomaly occurring in girls, in which a common cavity exists into which the intestinal, urinary, and reproductive tracts all open. It is also often diagnosed on prenatal imaging.
Effects of frusemide on electrolyte and acid-base balance during exercise.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of frusemide on the concentration of plasma electrolytes and the relationship between changes in electrolyte concentration and the simultaneous changes in acid-base balance in arterial and venous blood during intense exercise. Five exercise-conditioned Thoroughbred horses were exercised on a high-speed treadmill at a slope of 10% at speeds known to exceed VO2max. Horses participated in 3 randomised exercise trials in which they received either placebo (control), low-dose frusemide (0.5 mg/kg bwt), or high-dose frusemide (1.0 mg/kg) 4 h prior to exercise. Arterial and mixed venous blood samples were drawn before, during and after intense exercise. Packed cell volume (PCV), plasma protein, plasma electrolyte, plasma lactate concentrations and acid-base balance were determined. Frusemide at both dosages induced a significant metabolic alkalosis associated with a decrease in plasma chloride[ in both arterial and mixed venous blood. There was a highly significant correlation between the strong ion difference (SID) and bicarbonate[ in all blood samples. The effects of frusemide on electrolyte concentration and acid-base balance were largely due to changes in SID.
Ideas, thinkers, and social networks: The process of grievance construction in the anti-genetic engineering movement

Popular commentaries suggest that the movement against genetic engineering in agriculture (anti-GE movement) was born in Europe, rooted in European cultural approaches to food, and sparked by recent food-safety scares such as “mad cow” disease. Yet few realize that the anti-GE movement's origins date back thirty years, that opposition to agricultural biotechnology emerged with the technology itself, and that the movement originated in the United States rather than Europe. We argue here that neither the explosion of the GE food issue in the late 1990s nor the concomitant expansion of the movement can be understood without recognizing the importance of the intellectual work carried out by a “critical community” of activists during the two-decade-long period prior to the 1990s. We show how these early critics forged an oppositional ideology and concrete set of grievances upon which a movement could later be built. Our analysis advances social movement theory by establishing the importance of the intellectual work that activists engage in during the “proto-mobilizational” phase of collective action, and by identifying the cognitive and social processes by which activists develop a critical, analytical framework. Our elaboration of four specific dimensions of idea/ideology formation pushes the literature toward a more complete understanding of the role of ideas and idea-makers in social movements, and suggests a process of grievance construction that is more “organic” than strategic (pace the framing literature).
Cyclooxygenase-2 in cervical neoplasia: a review.

Abstract Objective Previous data demonstrate an association between cyclooxygenase activity and development of cervical cancer. This review investigates the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the development of cervical cancer and potential therapeutic options targeting this pathway. Methods A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE 1997–2007 utilizing the terms inflammation, cervical cancer, cyclooxygenase, COX-2, indomethacin, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and squamous cell cancer. Articles were included based on the quality of the study and pertinence to the topic. Other sources were culled from the references of the articles identified. Results Over 150 abstracts were reviewed for inclusion. Studies in vivo and in vitro confirm the role of COX-2 in the development of cervical cancer. In addition, COX-2 overexpression is associated with an increase in angiogenesis markers. Clinical correlation found that COX-2 overexpression in cervical cancer patients is a poor prognostic marker associated with increased risk for recurrent or metastatic disease. Despite early promise, two phase II trials in use of specific COX-2 inhibitors as radio-sensitizers in locally advanced cervical cancer demonstrated increased toxicity with no change in therapeutic effect. Results of studies using COX-2 inhibitors in pre-invasive cervical disease are encouraging. Conclusions Treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia with cyclooxygenase inhibitors may provide a medical alternative to surgical therapy.