cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A sign-reversing involution for an extension of Torelli's Pfaffian identity

We evaluate the hyperpfaffian of a skew-symmetric k-ary polynomial f of degree k/[email protected]?(n-1). The result is a product of the Vandermonde product and a certain expression involving the coefficients of the polynomial f. The proof utilizes a sign reversing involution on a set of weighted, oriented partitions. When restricting to the classical case when k=2 and the polynomial is (x"j-x"i)^n^-^1, we obtain an identity due to Torelli.
Mutant molecular motors disrupt neural circuits in Drosophila.

A dominant negative mutation, Glued1, that codes for a component of the dynactin complex, disrupted the axonal anatomy of leg sensory neurons in Drosophila. To examine neuron structure in mutant animals, a P[Gal4] enhancer trap targeted expression of lacZ to the sensory neurons and thereby labeled neurons in the femoral chordotonal organ and their axons within the central nervous system. When these sensory axons were examined in the Glued1 mutant specimens, they were observed to arborize abnormally. This anatomical disruption of the sensory axons was associated with a corresponding disruption in a reflex. Normally, the tibial extensor motor neurons were excited when the femoral-tibial joint was flexed, but this resistance reflex was nearly absent in mutant animals. We used the P[Gal4] insertion strains to target expression of tetanus toxin light chain to these sensory neurons in wild-type animals and showed that this blocked the resistance reflex and produced a phenocopy of the Glued result. We conclude that disruption of the dynein-dynactin complex disrupts sensory axon path finding during metamorphosis, and this in turn disrupts synaptic connectivity. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 33: 711–723, 1997
Stress and Coping in the Lives of Recent Immigrants and Refugees: Considerations for Counseling

Recent immigrants and refugees experience great amounts of stress. Literature on immigration and stress has focused primarily on the stressors directly related to immigrants’ adjustment to a new culture (i.e., acculturation stress). This manuscript discusses stress and coping in the lives of recent immigrants and refugees within a framework of stress theories proposed in psychological literature. In addition, an overview of stressors encountered by recent immigrants is provided. Implications for clinical work, research, and advocacy are discussed.
Underadjustment Bias in the Evaluation of Manpower Training.

A review of the literature suggests that choice of control group may have affected the policy implications of the major evaluations of governmental training programs. It is argued that the usual evaluation designs underadjust for preprogram differences between trainees and the control group and thus yield biased estimates of program impact. At tempts to statistically correct for such bias are presented and assessed.
Compact cantilever couplers for low-loss fiber coupling to silicon photonic integrated circuits

We demonstrate coupling from tapered optical fibers to 450 nm by 250 nm silicon strip waveguides using compact cantilever couplers. The couplers consist of silicon inverse width tapers embedded within silicon dioxide cantilevers. Finite difference time domain simulations are used to design the length of the silicon inverse width taper to as short as 6.5 μm for a cantilever width of 2 μm. Modeling of various strip waveguide taper profiles shows reduced coupling losses for a quadratic taper profile. Infrared measurements of fabricated devices demonstrate average coupling losses of 0.62 dB per connection for the quasi-TE mode and 0.50 dB per connection for the quasi-TM mode across the optical telecommunications C band. In the wavelength range from 1477 nm to 1580 nm, coupling losses for both polarizations are less than 1 dB per connection. The compact, broadband, and low-loss coupling scheme enables direct access to photonic integrated circuits on an entire chip surface without the need for dicing or cleaving the chip.
LIZARDS REDUCE SPIDER SPECIES RICHNESS BY EXCLUDING RARE SPECIES

To assess the impact of lizards on species richness and properties of individual species of web spiders, we conducted a 4.5-yr field experiment on Staniel Cay, Exumas, Bahamas. Spider populations were censused at ∼2-mo intervals in lizard-removal enclosures and in control enclosures with lizards present at natural densities. Lizards reduced total number of individuals, species richness (number of species), and composite diversity of web spiders. The differential absence of rare species was primarily responsible for the lower species richness in controls than in lizard-removal enclosures. The impact of lizards on the abundance of Metepeira datona, the numerically dominant spider species, was weaker than the impact on the abundance of all rarer species combined. Mean body lengths of Argiope argentata, a large, rare spider, were larger in removals than in controls, whereas mean body lengths of M. datona, a small, common spider, did not differ significantly in removals and controls. A. argentata were closer to the ground than two commoner species and thereby were potentially more vulnerable to lizard predation. The present mainland-enclosure experiment and an island-introduction experiment both demonstrated the same general pattern of lizard predation: exclusion of rare spider species. However, the impact of lizards on spiders was more devastating in the island experiment. Other experimental field studies that had terrestrial animals as subjects and that separately analyzed at least all common species in a prey assemblage demonstrated that predators reduced or had no effect upon prey species diversity. Each study in which predators reduced diversity indicated that local extinction of rare species in experimental areas with predators was common.
Deacidification of Soybean Oil Using Membrane Processing and Subcritical Carbon Dioxide

Vegetable oils have been deacidified using supercritical carbon dioxide and membrane processing. However, the pressures required are substantially greater than those used in industry. Therefore, the feasibility of using subcritical carbon dioxide (at much lower pressures) and membrane processing to separate free fatty acids (FFA) from triacylglycerols (TAGs) was examined. First, FFA/TAG solubility tests were completed (10–25 °C and 68–136 atm). The oil samples were separated using a FilmTec NF90 or a FilmTec BW30 membrane in a dead-end type cell. Within the range examined, the greatest solubility for oleic acid was at 25 °C and 136 atm. For soybean oil TAGs, the greatest solubility was at 20 °C and 136 atm. However, for the separation of the two components, 20 °C and 68 atm was best among the condition combinations examined. The solubility of oleic acid ranged from 0.294 to 0.455 mg/mL in subcritical carbon dioxide, while the solubility of triacylglycerols ranged from 0.066 to 0.139 mg/mL. The FilmTec BW30 membrane provided significantly better separation of FFAs from TAGs than did the NF90 membrane. Both membranes were selective for oleic acid, although the BW30 had greater selectivity for oleic acid (β oleic acid = 2.12, β TAGs = 0.24) than the NF90 membrane (β oleic acid = 1.26, β TAGs = 0.81).
Rates of Energy Consumption and Acquisition by lecithotrophic larvae of Bugula neritina (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata)

Lecithotrophic larvae of the cheilostome bryozoan, Bugula neritina (L.), lose metamorphic competence 12 to 24 h after release from the maternal zooid. The high respiration rate of newly released larvae (mean=306.3 pmol O2 larva-1 h-1, range=149.3 to 466.6, n=18 trials, 22.5°C) from adults collected at Link Port, Fort Pierce, Florida during the winter/spring of 1990–1991 reflects their active swimming behavior. The average energy content per larva was 15.24 mJ (range: 13.35 to 20.17 mJ ind-1, n=5 groups). If all cells have an identical energy content and metabolic rate, then 2 and 20% of the total energy content would be consumed by the onset (2 h post-release) and the loss (24 h post-release) of metamorphic competence. Larvae of B. neritina are a composite of both larval and juvenile tissues and the loss of metamorphic competence may be due to regional depletion of labile energy stores in transitory “larval” cells, particularly the ciliated cells that comprise the locomotory organ, the corona. Although “nonfeeding”, B. neritina larvae can acquire nutrients from the environment in the form of dissolved organic materials (DOM) in seawater. Both the amino acid alanine and the fatty acid palmitic acid can be transported from seawater ([S]=1 μM, 22.5°C). The rates of alanine influx (appearance of label in tissue) averaged 0.366 pmol larva-1 h-1 and, based on comparisons between rates of solute transport and metabolism, would contribute little (<1% of required energy) to offset the metabolic demand. The average rate of palmitic acid influx was 4.668 pmol larva-1 h-1 and assuming that the measured influx equals the net solute flux, could account for 21 to 72% of energy requirements. These data suggest that the duration of planktonic life of B. neritina larvae is principally regulated by the amount of endogenous energy stores, but may be modulated by available DOM in seawater.
Synthesis and reactivity of bi-, tri-, and tetrametallic aluminum tetraphenolate complexes

A series of ligands, each with four phenoxide arms, have been prepared with the intent to place two Lewis acidic metal center in close proximity and thus foster cooperative binding of external Lewis bases. The ligands 1−5 incorporate a pair of 2,2‘-methylenebis(4-tert-butyl-6-alkylphenol) groups linked by three different spacers: anthracene (1H4, 5H4), dibenzofuran (2H4, 4H4), and xanthene (3H4). The reaction of 1H4 and 2H4 with trimethylaluminum led to the formation of the C2-symmetric, tetranuclear aluminum compounds [(1)Al4Me8], 6, and [(2)Al4Me8], 7, respectively. In contrast, when 3H4 was treated with trimethylaluminum, a binuclear aluminum species, [(3)Al2Me2], 8, containing an Al2O2 bridging unit, was isolated. Heating solutions of the tetranuclear complexes 6 and 7 in the presence of excess ligand induced the elimination of 2 equiv of trimethylaluminum and afforded the binuclear aluminum complexes [(1)Al2Me2], 9, and [(2)Al2Me2], 10. Addition of NEt4Cl to solutions of 9 and 10 resulted in the iso...
VACUUM EXPECTATION VALUES OF THE BARYON CURRENTS AND THEIR SYMMETRY.

The spectral representations for the vacuum expectation value of the baryon currents are studied. A "chiral symmetry" between the baryon currents and axial baryon currents is assumed in the form of "asymptotic symmetry." This leads to sum rules involving the spectral functions for the baryon currents. In much the same way as has been done with vector and axial-vector currents, we try to saturate the obtained sum rules with baryon resonances. Constraints on the baryon mass spectrum (with ${J}^{P}$ values ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ and ${\frac{3}{2}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$) are deduced. Fair agreement is obtained in two possible cases: (1) the $Y=0$, $I=1 Y_{1}^{}{}_{}{}^{*}$ system; (2) the $Y=\ensuremath{-}1$, $I=\frac{1}{2}\ensuremath{\Xi}_{\frac{1}{2}}^{}{}_{}{}^{*}$ system.
Constituent quarks and proton break-up in p-A collisions at the AGS

Abstract Results are presented from BNL experiment 910 on the centrality and target dependence of projectile stopping, Λ and K0S production, and π− production in p-A collisions. The data, taken together, suggest that the “stopping” of the baryon number and the stopping of the energy carried by the incident baryon in p-A collisions proceeds via different physical processes. We discuss a possible interpretation of the data in terms of constituent or valence quark interactions.
Captopril improves neurologic outcome from incomplete cerebral ischemia in rats.

We investigated the effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril on neurologic outcome in a rat model of incomplete cerebral ischemia. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with 70% nitrous oxide in oxygen and fentanyl (10 micrograms x kg-1 i.v. bolus, 25 micrograms x kg-1 x hr-1 i.v. continuous infusion). Animals in group 1 (n = 10) received no angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor while animals in group 2 (n = 10) were given 10 mg x kg-1 i.v. captopril 30 minutes prior to the ischemic period. Ischemia was produced by unilateral carotid artery ligation and hemorrhagic hypotension to 35 mm Hg for 30 minutes. Body temperature, arterial blood gases, and arterial pH were maintained constant. Neurologic outcome was evaluated every 24 hours for 3 days using a graded deficit score (0, normal; 18, stroke-related death). On the third day after ischemia, captopril significantly improved neurologic outcome (median deficit score = 4) compared with controls (median deficit score = 18) (p less than 0.05). These results suggest that reduced angiotensin II levels or increased tissue kinin concentrations may decrease ischemic brain injury.
Trackways of a gregarious, dunefield-dwelling, Early Jurassic therapsid in the Aztec Sandstone of southern Nevada

ABSTRACT We describe and interpret a tracksite in the Lower Jurassic Aztec Sandstone in Valley of Fire State Park, southern Nevada. The site contains approximately one hundred tracks of the ichnogenus Brasilichnium, arranged in twelve, subparallel trackways, all on the same foreset bedding plane. The Brasilichnium trackmaker was most probably a fossorial, tritylodontid therapsid. Sedimentologicial analyses indicate that the trackway surface is a wind-ripple horizon with a primary dip of about 25°, and that the animals climbed straight up the slip face of the dune. A combination of features leads us to conclude that the footprints were impressed into a crust of moist, cohesive sand, leaving two modes of preserved tracks: (1) shallow, well-defined tracks without associated sand crescents, and (2) deeper, less well defined tracks with associated sand crescents. We interpret this assemblage of tracks to record gregarious behavior in a mixed-age group of tritylodontid therapsids. In the correlative Navajo Sand...
Ovarian carcinoma cells synthesize both chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate cell surface proteoglycans that mediate cell adhesion to interstitial matrix

Metastatic ovarian carcinoma metastasizes by intra-peritoneal, non-hematogenous dissemination. The adhesion of the ovarian carcinoma cells to extracellular matrix components, such as types I and III collagen and cellular fibronectin, is essential for intra-peritoneal dissemination. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cell surface proteoglycans (a class of matrix receptors) are produced by ovarian carcinoma cells, and whether these proteoglycans have a role in the adhesion of ovarian carcinoma cells to types I and III collagen and fibronectin. Proteoglycans were metabolically labeled for biochemical studies. Both phosphatidylinositol-anchored and integral membrane-type cell surface proteoglycans were found to be present on the SK-OV-3 and NIH:OVCAR-3 cell lines. Three proteoglycan populations of differing hydrodynamic size were detected in both SK-OV-3 and NIH:OVCAR-3 cells. Digestions with heparitinase and chondroitinase ABC showed that cell surface proteoglycans of SK-OV-3 cells had higher proportion of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (75:25 of chondroitin sulfate:heparan sulfate ratio), while NIH:OVCAR-3 cells had higher proportion of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (10:90 of chondroitin sulfate:heparan sulfate ratio). RT-PCR indicated the synthesis of a unique assortment of syndecans, glypicans, and CD44 by the two cell lines. In adhesion assays performed on matrix-coated titer plates both cell lines adhered to types I and III collagen and cellular fibronectin, and cell adhesion was inhibited by preincubation of the matrix with heparin, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, or chondroitin glycosaminoglycans. Treatment of the cells with heparitinase, chondroitinase ABC, or methylumbelliferyl xyloside also interfered with adhesion confirming the role of both heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate cell surface proteoglycans as matrix receptors on ovarian carcinoma cells.
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) encompass a heterogeneous group of rare disorders that present with acute, subacute, or chronic muscle weakness. Besides overlapping clinical manifestations, polymyositis, dermatomyositis and autoimmune necrotizing myopathy may be associated with cancer or collagen vascular disease, and respond generally well to immunosuppressive therapy. However, these 3 IIM are divergent from the histopathological and pathogenetic standpoints. On the other hand, inclusion body myositis (IBM), the most common IIM in the elderly, is clinically, histopathologically and pathogenetically distinct. IBM is also refractory to all currently available therapies. In this manuscript, we depict advances in our knowledge of the IIM, with emphasis on clinical presentation, associated conditions, laboratory features, electrophysiology, muscle histopathology, pathogenesis, and therapy.
Evolutionary Genomics of Weedy Rice in the USA

Red rice is an interfertile, weedy form of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) that competes aggressively with the crop in the southern US, reducing yields and contaminating harvests. No wild Oryza species occur in North America and the weed has been proposed to have evolved through multiple mechanisms, including "de-domestication" of US crop cultivars, accidental introduction of Asian weeds, and hybridization between US crops and Asian wild/weedy Oryza strains. The phenotype of US red rice ranges from "crop mimics", which share some domestication traits with the crop, to strains closely resembling Asian wild Oryza species. Assessments of genetic diversity have indicated that many weed strains are closely related to Asian taxa (including indica and aus rice varieties, which have never been cultivated in the US, and the Asian crop progenitor O. rufipogon), whereas others show genetic similarity to the tropical japonica varieties cultivated in the southern US. Herein, we review what is known about the evolutionary origins and genetic diversity of US red rice and describe an ongoing research project to further characterize the evolutionary genomics of this aggressive weed.
Effect of Acute Cardiac Tamponade on Red Cell Volume, Total Plasma Protein and Plasma Volume

Acute heart failure was produced by cardiac tamponade in unsplenectomized and splencetomized dogs. The results indicate that splenic contraction was entirely responsible for the rise in hematocrit observed following tamponade in the unsplenectomized dogs. A fall in the hematocrit values of the splenectomized dogs and a reduction in total plasma proteins of both groups indicates an increase in plasma volume following tamponade. There was no evidence of sequestration of red cells.
INFLUENCE OF POWER BASES IN ORGANIZATIONAL DECISION MAKING: A CONTINGENCY MODEL*

The relative influence of four power bases was investigated in four decision-making contexts using data from forty successfully implemented decisions. The analysis suggests that position power decreases in influence while resource power and political power increase in influence as decision contexts vary from less to more uncertainty. Expert power derives its influence when organizational uncertainty is low and when technical uncertainty is reduced, whereas political power thrives when organizational uncertainty is high and when technical uncertainty remains high. Indexing the influence of power bases provides greater understanding of decision processes than the sociological or social-psychological approaches of studying participation.
The Return of the Replicator: What is Philosophically Significant in a General Account of Replication and Selection?

The aim of this paper is to outline a typology of selection processes, and show that different sub-categories have different explanatory power. The basis of this typology of selection processes is argued to be the difference of replication processes involved in them. In order to show this, I argue that: 1. Replication is necessary for selection and 2. Different types of replication lead to different types of selection. Finally, it is argued that this typology is philosophically significant, since it contrasts cases of selection (on the basis of the replication processes involved in them) whereby selection causes adaptation - and, therefore, can be used in explanations of the (real or apparent) teleology of Nature - and cases in which selection lacks such explanatory power.
Interferon Regulatory Factor-2 Regulates Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Mouse Bone Marrow

Introduction Interferon regulatory factor-2 (IRF-2) is a transcriptional repressor in the interferon system and is thought to function by competing with IRF-1. Its physiological role in lymphoid and hematopoietic development has been investigated in IRF-2−/− mice, in which a general bone marrow suppression of hematopoiesis and B lymphopoiesis has been reported. Methods We investigate the role of IRF-2 in mouse bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells using IRF-2−/− mice. Hematopoietic stem cells (as KSL) are isolated from IRF-2−/− mice bone marrow and transplanted to lethally ittadiated mice for chimerismanalysis. Results IRF-2 is strongly expressed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in mouse bone marrow. The population of bone marrow Lin-c-Kit+Sca-1+(KSL) cells is increased in IRF-2−/− mice due to the general enhancement of Sca-1-positive cells. SCs are enriched in KSL CD150+CD48-cells. A very small population of CD150-positive cells was detected in bone marrow from IRF-2−/− mice. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed reduced CD150 gene expression in bone marrow cells from these mice compared to wild type mice. Although the population of bone marrow KSL cells in IRF-2−/− mice increased, a reduction of HSC was observed due to a decrease of the CD150-positive cell population. In IRF-2−/− interferon-a receptor−/− double-knockout mice, the CD150 expression levels were comparable to wild-type mice, indicating that this gene is regulated by the type [1] interferon (IFN) response via transcriptional regulation. Transplantation of KSL cells from IRF-2−/− mice into wild-type mice together with a competitor resulted in failed to engraft. Even the transplantation of a >20-fold excess of KSL cells from IRF-2−/− mice resulted in engraftment that was still poorer than wild-type cells evaluated at 3–4 months after transplantation. However, transplantation of a higher dose (2 × 10 6 cells) of whole bone marrow mononuclear cells from IRF-2−/− mice rescued recipients from lethal irradiation, although the engraftment was poorer than wild-type cells. This documents the presence of some active long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) in IRF-2−/− mice. Conclusion Our results reveal unknown HSC markers in IRF-2−/− mouse bone marrow and demonstrate that IRF-2 acts on LT-HSCs not only through protective type I IFN responses, but also by directly regulating HSC cell surface molecules.
Moses Mather (Old Calvinist) and the Evolution of Edwardseanism

taken a stand against New England's Great Awakening for which Dwight's grandfather, Jonathan Edwards, had done such yeoman service. Throughout his life Mather had looked with suspicion on revivals, whereas Dwight was the most important early leader of the New England phase of a movement know as the Second Great Awakening. Mather, as an "Old Calvinist," had early and late opposed the "consistent Calvinism" of Jonathan Edwards's followers, including Dwight's uncle and tutor, Jonathan Edwards, Jr. Furthermore, Mather had consistently combated the Edwardsean belief in the distinctive "visibility" of godliness, a theme which Dwight and the other reformers of the Second Great Awakening strove assiduously to cultivate. Yet to shift perspective from Mather's career to the structure of his thought reveals ample reason why Dwight's praise could have stemmed from more than courtesy. Somewhat surprisingly, Dwight no less than his immediate successors may very well have felt at home in the intellectual world of this Old Calvinist. Historians of the fate of Jonathan Edwards's theology have long noted the changes in his thought as it passed to the later generations of those who honored his memory. Second-generation heirs such
Cardiovascular Reactivity in Acute and Chronic Renal Hypertensive Dogs

Both before and after pentobarbital anesthesia, cardiovascular responsiveness to norepinephrine, epinephrine and serotonin was increased and that to angiotensin was decreased when experimental renal hypertension was first elicited. Response to tyramine was strikingly enhanced. Several weeks later, during the chronic phase of hypertension, there was a slight and scarcely significant heightened response to norepinephrine, a clearly increased response to tyramine, and no change in that to serotonin, dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide, and 3-hydroxy-phenyl-ethanolamine HCl. Study of the problem of variability of responsiveness showed relatively little difference in mean response to any of five pressor drugs with or without anesthesia and after sham operation. Hypertension produced by infusion of angiotensin into normal anesthetized dogs did not change the response to norepinephrine but more than doubled that to tyramine. When acute renal hypertension was produced in the same dogs, angiotensin infusion failed t...
Retrieval dynamics in recognition and list discrimination: Further evidence of separate processes of familiarity and recall

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the time course of retrieval from memory is different for familiarity and recall. The response-signal method was used to compare memory retrieval dynamics in yes-no recognition memory, as a measure of familiarity, with those of list discrimination, as a measure of contextual recall. Responses were always made with regard to membership in two previous study lists. In Experiment 1 an exclusion task requiring positive responses to words from one list and negative responses to new words and words from the nontarget list was used. In Experiment 2, recognition and list discrimination were separate tasks. Retrieval curves from both experiments were consistent, showing that the minimal retrieval time for recognition was about 100 msec faster than that for list discrimination. Repetition affected asymptotic performance but had no reliable effects on retrieval dynamics in either the recognition or the list-discrimination task.
COMPETITION FOR POLLINATION INFLUENCES SELECTION ON FLORAL TRAITS OF IPOMOPSIS AGGREGATA

Although rarely tested, it is often assumed that interspecific competition results in the divergence of traits related to resource use. Using a plant-pollinator system as a model, I tested the prediction the presence of a competitor for pollination influences the strength and/or direction of pollinator-mediated selection on floral traits. I measured phenotypic selection via female fitness on five floral traits of Ipomopsis aggregata in seven populations. Four contained only conspecifics (I only) and three also contained the competitor Castilleja linariaefolia (C + I). Directional selection via fruits/plant and conspecific pollen deposited/flower on corolla length was positive and significantly stronger in C + I populations. This difference in selection was apparently driven by interpopulation variation in the degree to which reproduction of I. aggregata was pollen limited. Consistent with expectations of interspecific competition, I. aggregata plants in C + I populations received less conspecific pollen per flower and set fewer seeds per fruit and fruits per plant than those in I only populations. Ipomopsis aggregata's corollas were also significantly longer in C + I populations, suggesting that there had been a response to a similar selective regime in past generations. Phenotypic correlations between corolla length and width, which determine the variation in I. aggregata's flower shape, were significantly weaker in C + I populations. These data suggest that competition for pollination can influence the strength of selection on and patterns of correlations among floral traits of I. aggregata. If I. aggregata populations with and without competitors for pollination are linked by gene flow, then measuring selection in competitive and noncompetitive environments maybe necessary to accurately predict how floral traits will evolve.
Pleiotrophin regulates the ductular reaction by controlling the migration of cells in liver progenitor niches

Objective The ductular reaction (DR) involves mobilisation of reactive-appearing duct-like cells (RDC) along canals of Hering, and myofibroblastic (MF) differentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in the space of Disse. Perivascular cells in stem cell niches produce pleiotrophin (PTN) to inactivate the PTN receptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor zeta-1 (PTPRZ1), thereby augmenting phosphoprotein-dependent signalling. We hypothesised that the DR is regulated by PTN/PTPRZ1 signalling. Design PTN-GFP, PTN-knockout (KO), PTPRZ1-KO, and wild type (WT) mice were examined before and after bile duct ligation (BDL) for PTN, PTPRZ1 and the DR. RDC and HSC from WT, PTN-KO, and PTPRZ1-KO mice were also treated with PTN to determine effects on downstream signaling phosphoproteins, gene expression, growth, and migration. Liver biopsies from patients with DRs were also interrogated. Results Although quiescent HSC and RDC lines expressed PTN and PTPRZ1 mRNAs, neither PTN nor PTPRZ1 protein was demonstrated in healthy liver. BDL induced PTN in MF-HSC and increased PTPRZ1 in MF-HSC and RDC. In WT mice, BDL triggered a DR characterised by periportal accumulation of collagen, RDC and MF-HSC. All aspects of this DR were increased in PTN-KO mice and suppressed in PTPRZ1-KO mice. In vitro studies revealed PTN-dependent accumulation of phosphoproteins that control cell-cell adhesion and migration, with resultant inhibition of cell migration. PTPRZ1-positive cells were prominent in the DRs of patients with ductal plate defects and adult cholestatic diseases. Conclusions PTN, and its receptor, PTPRZ1, regulate the DR to liver injury by controlling the migration of resident cells in adult liver progenitor niches.
GIS-EpiLink: A Spatial Search Tool for Linking Environmental and Health Data

One inherent characteristic of both environmental data and health data is that they have a location component. This characteristic makes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) an ideal and sometimes indispensable tool for analyzing environmental and health data. Indeed, the past decade witnessed significant efforts in developing GIS tools for supporting epidemiologic research. Despite these efforts, the availability of accessible GIS tools that can be easily used by epidemiologists to link environmental and health data has remained a problem. We present a simple spatial search tool--GIS-EpiLink--that can be used to link environmental and health data when distance between an environmental site and the location of the maternal address of a case or control is used as a proxy for exposure. The tool was used in a research project and it successfully provided the necessary data for epidemiological analyses. This tool should be very useful to epidemiologists in environmental health research.
Polymorphisms in the 5′ region of the CD14 gene are associated with eczema in young children

Background Variants in the CD14 gene (CD14) are hypothesized to be associated with atopic disorders. However, most studies have only investigated one polymorphism in this gene. Objective We sought to study the association of 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5′ flanking region of CD14 with eczema and serum IgE levels in young children. Methods We genotyped 5 SNPs in an approximately 6.5-kb region in the 5′ region of CD14 in 344 2-year-old white children from 2 birth cohorts in the northeastern United States. We examined the relation of both single SNPs and haplotypes in CD14 with the atopic outcomes. Results Two SNPs were significantly associated with eczema. In dominant models adjusted for potential confounders, SNP rs2569193 was associated with significantly decreased risk for eczema (odds ratio [OR] for CT/TT vs CC, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.8), whereas SNP rs2569190 (also reported as the C-159T) was associated with significantly increased risk for eczema (OR for CT/TT vs CC, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.4-3.8). The CT/TT genotypes of SNP rs2569190 also had higher geometric means of serum IgE than the CC genotype (24.6 vs 15 IU/mL, P =.025). Haplotype analyses provided results similar to those of the single SNP analyses. Conclusions Our results contradict previous reports that have found a protective effect of the T allele of SNP rs2569190 (C-159T) against atopic disorders. Nevertheless, these results confirm the importance of polymorphisms in CD14 in the development of atopy, and future studies of this gene region will need to account for linkage disequilibrium and environmental exposures unique to the study population.
Zinc supplementation does not affect growth, morbidity, or motor development of US term breastfed infants at 4–10 mo of age

Background: It has been documented that growth patterns differ between breastfed and formula-fed infants. Some investigators have suggested that these differences may be related to differences in zinc nutriture. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of zinc supplementation on growth, morbidity, and motor development in healthy, term, breastfed infants. Design: We conducted a randomized double-blind intervention comparing zinc supplementation (5 mg/d as zinc sulfate) with placebo in breastfed infants aged 4-10 mo. Growth and indexes of body composition and gross motor development were measured monthly from 3 to 10 mo. Morbidity data were collected weekly. Results: Eighty-five infants were enrolled, and 70 completed the study. The baseline characteristics, attained weight or length at 10 mo, growth velocity, gross motor development, and morbidity did not differ significantly between groups, even after control for potentially confounding variables. Conclusions: The dietary zinc intake of these breastfed infants appeared to be adequate, given that zinc supplementation did not affect growth, development, or risk of infection (although sample size for detection of differences in development or infection was limited). Previously described differences in growth between breastfed and formula-fed infants in such populations do not appear to be due to differences in zinc nutriture.
An Improved Method for Estimating the Wind Power Density Distribution Function

Abstract The wind power density (WPD) distribution curve is essential for wind power assessment and wind turbine engineering. The usual practice of estimating this curve from wind speed data is to first estimate the wind speed probability density function (PDF) using a nonparametric or parametric method. The density function is then multiplied by one-half the wind speed cubed times the air density. Unfortunately, this means that minor errors in the estimation of the wind speed PDF can result in large errors in the WPD distribution curve because the cubic term in the WPD function magnifies the error. To avoid this problem, this paper presents a new method of estimating the WPD distribution curve through a direct estimation of the curve using a Gauss–Hermite expansion. It is demonstrated that the proposed method provides a much more reliable estimate of the WPD distribution curve.
Multigame dynamics: structures and strategies

The dominant strategy among game theorists is to pose a problem narrowly, formalize that structure, and then pursue analytical solutions. This strategy has achieved a number of stylized insights, but has not produced nuanced game-theoretic solutions to larger and more complex issues such as extended international historical conflicts, or the detailed assessment of variegated policy alternatives. In order to model more complex historical and policy-oriented processes, it has been proposed that a broader computational approach to game theory that has the potential to capture richer forms of social dynamics be used, namely the 'multigame.' In the multigame approach there are multiple games each of which is open, prototypical, implicit, reciprocal, positional, variegated and historical. When later implemented, the multigame approach will offer the potential to rigorously model complex international historical conflicts and variegated policy alternatives that, heretofore, typically required qualitative analysis.
Altered Precision Grasping in Stumptail Macaques after Fasciculus Cuneatus Lesions

Patterns of precision grasp are described in stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides) before and after lesions of the fasciculus cuneatus (FC). Three monkeys were videotaped while reaching for and grasping small food items. From these videotapes, records were made of the style and outcome of each grasp. Kinematic measurements were also made to describe grip formation and terminal grasp. During grip formation, grip aperture was measured as the distance between the tips of the index finger and the thumb. For terminal grasp, the joint angles of the index finger were measured.The majority of grasps by normal monkeys were of the precision type, in which the item was carried between the tips of the index finger and thumb. Each normal monkey approached objects with a highly consistent grip formation; that is, the fingertips formed a small grip aperture during the approach, and the aperture varied little on repeated grasps. To grasp an item, the forefinger moved in a multiarticular pattern, in which the proximal joi...
The effects of lesson screen background color on declarative and structural knowledge

This experimental investigation replicates previous investigations of the effects of left margin screen background color hue to signal lesson sections on declarative knowledge and extends those investigations by adding a measure of structural knowledge. Participants (N = 80) were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 4 computer-based lesson treatments that consisted of color or no color lessons crossed with color or no color structural knowledge and declarative knowledge posttests. A disordinal interaction was observed, lesson color had a significant positive effect on the structural knowledge posttest (effect size d = 0.41) but had a non-significant effect on the declarative knowledge posttest (d = –0.17). A memory context effect was not observed. Designers of screen-based instructional materials should consider the commonsense notion that screen background color hues that signal lesson sections will tend to more strongly overlay the lesson organization onto the learner's memory organization.
Zip3 plays a major role in zinc uptake into mammary epithelial cells and is regulated by prolactin

During lactation, a substantial amount of Zn2+ is transferred by the mammary gland from the maternal circulation into milk; thus secretory mammary epithelial cells must tightly regulate Zn2+ transp...
Evaluation of HF ALE linking protection

The resurgence of interest in high frequency (HF) radio may be largely attributed to the success of automation in making HF usable by operators with minimal HF training. Unfortunately, automatic link establishment (ALE) technology opens automated HF networks to possible hostile manipulation. To counter this vulnerability, a scheme called linking protection (LP) has been developed and standardized that scrambles ALE transmissions so that only legitimate users can interact with protected radios. The authors summarize the LP scheme, and present an evaluation of the impact of LP on linking performance. The evaluation includes both simulation results and measurements of early implementations. >
Meta-Analysis of Renal Function on the Safety and Efficacy of Novel Oral Anticoagulants for Atrial Fibrillation

Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are safe and effective for the prevention of stroke or systemic embolism (S/SE) in atrial fibrillation. The efficacy and safety of NOACs compared with warfarin has not been systematically assessed in subjects with mild or moderate renal dysfunction. We performed a meta-analysis of the randomized clinical trials that compared efficacy and safety (major bleeding) outcomes of NOACs compared to warfarin for the treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and had available data on renal function. We estimated the pooled relative risk (RR) of S/SE and major bleeding in relation to renal function (assessed by baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate divided in 3 groups: normal [estimated glomerular filtration rate >80 ml/min], mildly impaired [50 to 80 ml/min], and moderate impairment [<50 ml/min]). We included 4 randomized clinical trials enrolling a total of 58,338 subjects. The RRs of S/SE and major bleeding were higher in subjects with renal impairment compared to normal renal function, independent of type of anticoagulant therapy. In subjects with normal renal function, no difference in the risk of S/SE was observed, whereas the risk of major bleeding was slightly lower for subjects taking NOACs (RR 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76 to 0.99). In subjects with mild or moderate renal impairment, NOACs were associated with a reduced risk of S/SE (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.85 and RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.94, respectively) and major bleeding (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.95 and RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.91, respectively) compared to warfarin. The pooled analysis for major bleeding demonstrated significant heterogeneity. In conclusion, the use of NOACs was associated with a reduced risk of S/SE and reduced risk of major bleeding compared to warfarin in subjects with mild or moderate renal impairment suggesting a favorable risk profile of these agents in patients with renal disease.
High Return, High Risk - Does Stock Option Based CEO Compensation Encourage Risk Taking

This study, through empirical evidence of 3,081 US firms during the period of 1992-2009, shows a strong causal relation between different CEO compensation components and firms’ investment policy and firm risk. Specifically, the proportion of CEO option-based compensation is positively and significantly associated with firm’s R&D expenditures and firm focus, while the proportion of cash-based and restricted stock compensation are negatively and significantly related. Such results are robust across alternative measures and statistical methodology. Furthermore, there is a non-linear relation between CEO option pay level and R&D investment discovered with practical implications. Finally, following the implementation of FAS 123R in 2005, new evidence indicates that option-based compensation remains as an effective motivation and even becomes a more efficient incentive for CEO to take risk on R&D investment and firm focus.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging characterizes stenosis, perfusion, and fibrosis preoperatively and postoperatively in children with anomalous coronary arteries.

Abstract Objectives Using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with virtual angioscopy, we sought to evaluate coronary anatomy, myocardial injury, and left ventricular function in children with interarterial anomalous aortic origin of coronary artery before and after surgery. Methods We prospectively enrolled children 5 to 19 years old with interarterial anomalous coronary artery. Cardiac MRI was performed with respiratory-navigated steady-state free-precession 3-dimensional data set acquisition. Virtual angioscopy was used to evaluate the coronary ostia directly. Surgery consisted of the modified unroofing procedure. Results We enrolled 9 subjects between February 2009 and May 2015. Subjects were male, with an average age at surgery of 14.1 years. Anomalous coronary was right in 7 patients (77%) and left in 2. In all subjects, the proximal anomalous coronary arose tangential to the aorta with an elliptical, slitlike ostium. Before the operation, the proximal coronary artery was significantly smaller proximally than distally (2 vs 3.1 mm; P P = .85). Conclusions Cardiac MRI with virtual angioscopy is an important tool for evaluating anomalous coronary anatomy, myocardial function, and ischemia and should be considered for initial and postoperative assessment of children with anomalous coronary arteries.
A Necessary Transition

In creating opportunities, changes often demand new ways of thinking. This chapter describes the ways that marketing managers think about information systems today, and the ways their thinking must change to realize the opportunities offered by the data explosion.
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: How Facilitators Learn to Lead Lesson Study.

This article presents research on how teacher developers in the United States learn to conduct lesson study. Although the practice of lesson study is expanding rapidly in the US, high-quality implementation requires skilled facilitation. In contexts such as the United States where this form of professional development is relatively novel, few teachers have participated in lesson study, so leaders of lesson study groups do not have that prior experience to draw upon for facilitation. To establish lesson study groups, teacher developers are therefore needed in the US context, but we know little about how leaders who are new to lesson study learn to do this work. To investigate this, two novice teacher developers were followed for a period of eighteen months, from their first exposure to the literature on lesson study, through their participation in lesson study conferences, apprenticeship with an experienced lesson study leader, and into their independent conduct of lesson study groups. Data show that the facilitators learned to contend with such issues as teacher resistance, the use of time, and the shifting imperatives of directing teachers’ work versus stepping back to give teachers autonomy in determining their collective work. The article concludes by suggesting that lesson study functions as a countercultural bulwark in the field of teacher learning by promoting a participant-driven, time-intensive form of professional development, and that, despite its novelty and complexity, teacher developers with strong mathematical and pedagogical backgrounds become reasonably skillful facilitators in a surprisingly short span of time.
Diversity of Discourse on Social Media: A Chain of Centrism

To what extent do social media like Twitter support diversity of ideas and communication between those who hold contradictory viewpoints? Despite the evident potential for social media in this rega...
Unintended Effects of Strategic Choice? Competitive Strategy and Charter School Performance

This article empirically examines how competition influences an organization’s strategic choice of product-market scope in a nonprofit industry, as well as the relationship between product-market s...
The Planes Obtainable by Gluing Regular Tetrahedra

(1978). The Planes Obtainable by Gluing Regular Tetrahedra. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 85, No. 6, pp. 477-479.
Dynamic branch elimination algorithm for topological design of PTN mesh networks

According to the characteristics of Packet Transport Network (PTN) mesh network topology, an improved dynamic elimination algorithm for topological design of PTN mesh networks, Dynamic Elimination of Stable Route (SR-DE) algorithm, was proposed to improve computational efficiency of PTN mesh network topology design. The algorithm first analyzed the PTN network resource and business information, and then the algorithm dynamically changed the number of eliminated branches in each loop of eliminating redundant links, routed the business through stable route, so it could reduce the number of network weights change and avoid the repeat route of business and increase the efficiency of computation. The simulation results show it can improve the computational efficiency of PTN mesh topology design.