cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
California Lomatiums, Part VII. Analysis of the Essential Oils of Lomatium nevadense (Watson) J. Coulter et Rose var. Parishii (J. Coulter et Rose) Jepson. Isolation of trans-Dauc-8-en-11-ol, a New Sesquiterpene Alcohol and Naturally Occurring 2′,3′,3′-Trimethyl-2′,3′-Dihydroangelicin

Abstract The essential oil from the fruits of Lomatium nevadense var. parishii showed β-phellandrene/limonene, (Z)-β-ocimene, (E)-β-ocimene, γ-terpenene, β-caryophyllene, germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, and (E)-sesquilavandulol to constitute more than 3% each of the oil. With the addition of (E)-2-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexenol and palmitic acid, the stem and leaf oil had similar composition. A new sesquiterpene alcohol, trans-dauc-8-en-11-ol along with naturally occurring 2′,3′,3′-trimethyl-2′,3′-dihydroangelicin were isolated. (Z)-Falcarinol made up 48.5% of the root oil.
Role of Glycosaminoglycans in the Mechanical Behavior of the Posterior Sclera

Changes in sclera mechanical properties have been shown to play an important role in ocular diseases such as glaucoma 1,2,3 and myopia 4,5. In both diseases, those changes in mechanical behavior were observed along with changes in proteoglycan (PG) and associated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels, which have been shown to significantly influence the viscoelastic behavior of other tissues 6.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Immunoglobulin VH gene expression in human aging.

Abstract Immune responses change in aging humans, but it is not known whether there is an age-associated change in the expressed B cell repertoire. We compared Ig VH cDNA libraries from circulating B cells of five elderly and three young human adults. As in young persons, nearly two-thirds of the cDNA clones from older subjects had zero to three V H mutations, although there was more individual variation among the elderly. V H 4 family expression increased in older subjects, both in unmutated and in mutated cDNA clones, whereas V H 3 family expression predominated in young adults. To test for bias toward activated cells in the cDNA libraries, we studied two older persons by both cDNA library analysis and single-cell RT-PCR. In one subject, more than 85% of VH segments were unmutated by either analysis. In the second, mutated Ig segments were much more frequent in cDNA clones than in consecutive single cells; however, V H family usage and high representation of particular genes were similar in both analyses. While aging humans continue to produce naive B cells with unmutated Ig genes, a shift to greater use of the V H 4 family members and expression of particular genes may reflect changes in selection of developing B cells before affinity maturation toward reactivity with foreign antigen.
Metabolic Syndrome: A Construct with Limited Relevance to Children

The prevalence of obesity in youth has increased dramatically over the last 3 decades. Similar to adults, obese children often display clusterings of risk factors associated with heightened risk for future cardiovascular disease. In adults, this clustering is commonly referred to as the metabolic syndrome and is used to identify individuals at high risk for premature cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Conversely, the relevance of a pediatric metabolic syndrome diagnosis to predict future adult cardiovascular outcomes is less clear. Many pediatric definitions of the metabolic syndrome have been proposed, yet no consensus has been adopted due to inconsistent study results, lack of translational relevance of childhood classifications to future disease, and instability of the criteria used for various definitions. Given absence of substantial evidence for using a dichotomous metabolic syndrome diagnosis over individual cardiometabolic risk factors, clinicians and experts must proceed with caution when diagnosing metabolic syndrome to guide treatments recommendations.
Penalized Splines for Smooth Representation of High-dimensional Monte Carlo Datasets

Detector response to a high-energy physics process is often estimated by Monte Carlo simulation. For purposes of data analysis, the results of this simulation are typically stored in large multi-dimensional histograms, which can quickly become both too large to easily store and manipulate and numerically problematic due to unlled bins or interpolation artifacts. We describe here an application of the penalized spline technique [1] to eciently compute B-spline representations of such tables and discuss aspects of the resulting B-spline ts that simplify many common tasks in handling tabulated Monte Carlo data in high-energy physics analysis, in particular their use in maximum-likelihood tting.
Time Held Prior to Incubation and Hatchability of Turkey Eggs

Abstract Large numbers of turkey hatching eggs are shipped long distances. It is usually considered necessary to ship recently laid eggs although Scott (1933) has presented evidence to show that eggs held for three or four weeks at optimum temperatures would hatch well. This is contrary to findings with chicken eggs which usually show a gradual reduction in hatch with increase in age at time of setting (Waite 1919, Scott 1933). Moreover, Sampson and Wilson (1944) also found that holding turkey eggs 8 to 14 days reduced their hatchability by about eight percent as compared with those held 0 to 7 days. As a part of an investigation* into the effect of environmental factors prior to incubation on hatchability of turkey eggs, 700 eggs were obtained from a turkey breeder, divided into 7 lots of 100 eggs each, and held at 55°F. for varying periods of time as shown in Figure . . .
“Who's in charge?” Preschool children's concepts of authority☆

This study examined preschool children's concepts of authority with regard to three factors: adult/peer status, social position, and type of command. Sixty-seven children (ranging in age from 4 years; 0 months-6 years; 2 months) were asked to evaluate the legitimacy of commands of persons with varying age (peer/adult) and social position (with or without a delegated authority position), to give rationales for obedience, and to make choices between different persons giving opposing commands. Subjects accepted both peer and adult authorities and gave priority to peer authority over adult nonauthority, but did not extend the jurisdiction of authority to commands which failed to prevent harm. The findings show that preschoolers have understandings of the social context in which authority relations are embedded, conceptualizing authorities not solely with respect to their adult status, but to their role within the social context of the school.
Routine high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of ascorbic acid in foods using L-methionine for the pre-analysis sample stabilization.

The possibility of use of phosphoric acid (0.2% v/v, pH 2.1) in the mobile phase and co-existing compounds present in foods as the dissolving agent for the pre-analysis sample stabilization were examined for the routine determination of ascorbic acid (AA) in foods by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ED). The applied potential was set at 400 mV versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. It was demonstrated that 0.2% v/v phosphoric acid was the useful mobile phase and L-methionine was the most effective dissolving agent for the pre-run sample stabilization of AA in foods after comparison with other amino acids and water-soluble vitamins. The proposed method was simple, rapid (retention time @ ca. 4 min), sensitive (detection limit: ca. 0.1 ng per injection (5 microl) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3), highly selective and reproducible (relative standard deviation (R.S.D.); 2.5% (n=7), between-day R.S.D.: 3.7% (5 days)). The calibration graph of AA was linear in the range of 0.1-12.5 ng per injection (5 microl). Recovery of AA was over 90% by the standard addition method. Relationship between structure of compounds and the stability of AA was also examined.
Opposites attract: computational and quantitative outreach through artistic expressions

Staff from the University of Tennessee's Joint institute for Computational Sciences, National Institute for Computational Sciences, and Remote Data Analysis and Visualization Center have teamed up with faculty from UT's School of Art to engage with students, the public, and the research community on a number of projects that connect the arts with the science and computing disciplines. These collaborations have led to coursework for students, videos about scientific discovery, and the production of novel, computer-mediated artwork. Both the arts and the sciences have gained from these collaborations.
Development and DNA polymerase activities in cultured preimplantation mouse embryos: comparison with embryos developed in vivo.

Embryos from superovulated female mice that developed in vitro from the two-cell stage were compared with in vivo embryos with respect to yield of blastocytes, number and types of cells, morphology in histologic section, and DNA polymerase activities. Significantly more embryos developed into blastocytes in vitro (93%) than in vivo (18%). Inner cell mass (ICM) cells comprised approximately 30% of total cells in late morula/early blastocyst stage embryos developed either in vitro or in vivo. However, the in vitro embryos developed approximately half the number of total cells as in vivo embryos, did not develop endoderm, and did not develop abembryonic trophoblast cells with morphologic characteristics of late preimplantation in vivo embryos. DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activities in in vitro embryos decreased in correspondence with the decrease in cell number resulting in per cell levels comparable to in vivo embryos. In contrast, the poly (A).oligo(dT)-dependent DNA polymerase activity was the same in embryos developing either in vitro or in vivo, indicating different regulatory mechanisms for the two enzyme activities. A variety of nutrients and growth factors in the culture medium did not increase cell numbers or DNA polymerase activities in embryos cultured for 3 days; extending the culture an additional 24 hours resulted in a loss of ICM cells and decreases in both DNA polymerase activities. These results show that the retarded growth of embryos in vitro is equally distributed between ICM and trophoblast, is not reversed by culture conditions that include serum growth factors, and is not due to decreased cellular levels of DNA polymerase activities.
Facile syntheses of acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphates and lysophosphatidic acids having different acyl groups.

In this study, we report novel and simple chemical syntheses of acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and 1-acyl glycero-3-phosphate [lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)], key intermediaries in the formation of glycerolipids containing ester and ether bonds. The synthesis of acyl DHAPs involved acylating the dimethyl ketal of DHAP by acid anhydride using 4-pyrrolidinopyridine as the catalyst, and the resulting product was deketalized by HClO4 in acetone to produce acyl DHAP. The acid anhydride was either added directly or generated in the reaction mixture from the corresponding fatty acid using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as the condensing agent. Using these methods, a number of acyl DHAPs having short-, medium-, and long-chain saturated and unsaturated acyl groups were synthesized, with overall yields from 37% to 75%. The activities of these acyl DHAPs as substrates for guinea pig liver peroxisomal acyl DHAP:NADPH reductase and alkyl DHAP synthase were then determined. Next, starting from these acyl DHAPs, a variety of LPAs were synthesized by chemical reduction of the ketone group. Biological activities of these LPAs were determined by measuring their relative abilities to release intracellular Ca2+ via the LPA receptor. A combined chemical-enzymatic method is also described to prepare the natural LPA from the racemic mixture.
Core–Shell Microcapsules With Embedded Microactuators for Regulated Release

Core-shell microcapsules capable of regulating the release profile of encapsulated molecules are developed. These microcapsules uniquely embed miniature actuators in their liquid core. The internal actuators are made of stimuli-responsive smart hydrogel beads. The embedded hydrogel beads swell in response to external electric fields, regulating the internal pressure of the liquid core and thus the diffusion rate of the encapsulated molecules from the microcapsules. The incorporation of the actuators into the interior of the microcapsules provides an internal control variable to a conventional diffusion-based release process. The microcapsules, which behave much like microelectromechanical systems, are fabricated by a simple co-electrospray process. This fabrication technique allows integrating the hydrogel beads, forming the polymer shell, and loading the releasable molecules simultaneously in one step.
From the Determination of Complex Reaction Mechanisms to Systems Biology

This review presents several methods of determining complex chemical reaction mechanisms and their functions. One method is based on correlation functions of measured time series of concentrations of chemical species, another is on measurements of temporal responses of concentrations to various perturbations of arbitrary magnitude, the third deals with the analysis of oscillatory systems, and the fourth describes the use of genetic algorithms. All methods are applicable to chemical, biochemical, and biological reaction systems and to genetic networks. The methods depend on the design of appropriate experiments for the whole system and corresponding theories for interpretation that lead to information on the causal chemical connectivity of species, reaction pathways, reaction mechanisms, control centers in the system, and functions of the system. The first three methods require no assumption of a model or hypothesis, nor extensive calculations, unlike the interpretation of measurements made on a gene network at only one time. The methods offer advantageous approaches to systems biology.
Computational de novo Design, and Characterization of an A2B2 Diiron Protein

Diiron proteins are found throughout nature and have a diverse range of functions; proteins in this class include methane monooxygenase, ribonucleotide reductase, Delta(9)-acyl carrier protein desaturase, rubrerythrin, hemerythrin, and the ferritins. Although each of these proteins has a very different overall fold, in every case the diiron active site is situated within a four-helix bundle. Additionally, nearly all of these proteins have a conserved Glu-Xxx-Xxx-His motif on two of the four helices with the Glu and His residues ligating the iron atoms. Intriguingly, subtle differences in the active site can result in a wide variety of functions. To probe the structural basis for this diversity, we designed an A(2)B(2) heterotetrameric four-helix bundle with an active site similar to those found in the naturally occurring diiron proteins. A novel computational approach was developed for the design, which considers the energy of not only the desired fold but also alternatively folded structures. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation, and thermal unfolding studies indicate that the A and B peptides specifically associate to form an A(2)B(2) heterotetramer. Further, the protein binds Zn(II) and Co(II) in the expected manner and shows ferroxidase activity under single turnover conditions.
Alloimmunization is associated with older age of transfused red blood cells in sickle cell disease

Red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization is a significant clinical complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). It can lead to difficulty with cross-matching for future transfusions and may sometimes trigger life-threatening delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions. We conducted a retrospective study to explore the association of clinical complications and age of RBC with alloimmunization in patients with SCD followed at a single institution from 2005 to 2012. One hundred and sixty six patients with a total of 488 RBC transfusions were evaluated. Nineteen patients (11%) developed new alloantibodies following blood transfusions during the period of review. The median age of RBC units was 20 days (interquartile range: 14–27 days). RBC antibody formation was significantly associated with the age of RBC units (P = 0.002), with a hazard ratio of 3.5 (95% CI: 1.71–7.11) for a RBC unit that was 7 days old and 9.8 (95% CI: 2.66–35.97) for a unit that was 35 days old, 28 days after the blood transfusion. No association was observed between RBC alloimmunization and acute vaso-occlusive complications. Although increased echocardiography-derived tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV) was associated with the presence of RBC alloantibodies (P = 0.02), TRV was not significantly associated with alloimmunization when adjusted for patient age and number of transfused RBC units. Our study suggests that RBC antibody formation is significantly associated with older age of RBCs at the time of transfusion. Prospective studies in patients with SCD are required to confirm this finding. Am. J. Hematol. 90:691–695, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Induction of the Gαq Signaling Cascade by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Is Required for Virus Entry

Binding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) with the primary receptor CD4 and one of two coreceptors, CXCR4 or CCR5, activates a signaling cascade resulting in Rac-1 GTPase activation and stimulation of actin cytoskeletal reorganizations critical for HIV-1-mediated membrane fusion. The mechanism by which HIV-1 Env induces Rac-1 activation and subsequent actin cytoskeleton rearrangement is unknown. In this study, we show that Env-mediated Rac-1 activation is dependent on the activation of Galpha(q) and its downstream targets. Fusion and Rac-1 activation are mediated by Galpha(q) and phospholipase C (PLC), as shown by attenuation of fusion and Rac-1 activation in cells either expressing small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Galpha(q) or treated with the PLC inhibitor U73122. Rac-1 activation and fusion were also blocked by multiple protein kinase C inhibitors, by inhibitors of intracellular Ca2+ release, by Pyk2-targeted siRNA, and by the Ras inhibitor S-trans,trans-farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS). Fusion was blocked without altering cell viability or cell surface localization of CD4 and CCR5. Similar results were obtained when cell fusion was induced by Env expressed on viral and cellular membranes and when cell lines or primary cells were the target. Treatment with inhibitors and siRNA specific for Galpha(i) or Galpha(s) signaling mediators had no effect on Env-mediated Rac-1 activation or cell fusion, indicating that the Galpha(q) pathway alone is responsible. These results could provide a new focus for therapeutic intervention with drugs targeting host signaling mediators rather than viral molecules, a strategy which is less likely to result in resistance.
Distortion, Messianism, and Apocalyptic Time in The Satanic Verses

Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses presents its readers with a striking perspective on apocalypse. Taking place in the context of a modernist, migrant worldview, this apocalypse works to unsettle its participating characters by teaching them how to create a world in which they might someday belong. Though often defined as destructive, the apocalypse as I define it involves a reaching for or gesture towards the impossible, which the Verses achieves through massive temporal distortion. Linear time finds itself subverted; characters’ narratives speed up or slow down, forcing them to question their various adventures in 1980s London. Rushdie’s protagonist Saladin Chamcha re-grasps and reinvents his world; his other protagonist, Gibreel Farishta, does not. For one man, apocalypse becomes a means of empowerment; for another, it develops into a black hole. Unlike real black holes, however, Rushdie’s apocalypse does not kill all who venture into it, but instead stretches its hardiest entrants both emotionally and intellectually before dropping them into a new universe. Apocalypse and the post-apocalyptic are not therefore to be feared but to be reached for: worthy achievements for those individuals who can survive the risk, the compression, and the disorientation to emerge in a ‘post’ that is not a wasteland but a realm of ceaseless energetic creation—a realm which allows migrants to construct for themselves better lives in the 21 st century world.
Modeling opponent decision in repeated one-shot negotiations

In many negotiation and bargaining scenarios, a particular agent may need to interact repeatedly with another agent. Typically, these interactions take place under incomplete information, i.e., an agent does not know exactly which offers may be acceptable to its opponent or what other outside options are available to that other agent. In such situations, an agent can benefit by learning its opponent's decision model based on its past experience. In particular, being able to accurately predict opponent decisions can enable an agent to generate offers to optimize its own utility. In this paper, we present a learning mechanism using Chebychev's polynomials by which an agent can approximately model the decision function used by the other agent based on the decision history of its opponent. We study a repeated one-shot negotiation model which incorporates uncertainty about opponent's valuation and outside options. We evaluate the proposed modeling mechanism for optimizing agent utility when negotiating with different class of opponents.
The use of low-level pre-tunneling currents to characterize thin oxide wearout and breakdown

It is found that low-level, pre-tunneling currents flowing through thin silicon oxide films can be used to characterize wearout caused by high voltage stressing. The low-level transient currents that flow after voltage pulses are removed from the oxides are used to measure the density and distribution of traps that have been generated in the films by high voltage stressing. The increase in the low-level, pre-tunneling current that flows through the oxide after the stress is directly proportional to the number of traps that have been generated. This increase in the low-level current leads to the development of a model that relates the physical wearout caused during high voltage or high current stressing to the measured statistical time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) distributions. Wearout is described in terms of the traps that are generated within the oxide during wearout. >
The association between cognitive impairment and physical disability in multiple sclerosis.

Background: The association between cognitive impairment and physical disability was examined in a larger, more representative sample of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in previous studies. Method: Two hundred and fifty-three patients attending an MS clinic were assessed with respect to physical disability using the Expanded Disability Status Scale and cognitive impairment using a battery of neuropsychological tests. Results: Physical disability correlated with duration of disease; cognitive impairment did not. Virtually all measures derived from the cognitive battery were significantly correlated with physical disability. Three measures of speeded information processing and one involving delayed recall of verbal material were unique predictors of disability status. The relationship between cognitive impairment and physical disability was equivalent for patients with shorter ( 10 years) disease duration. Cognitive impairment correlated with the rate of disability progre...
Polymerization of thiophene containing cyclobutadiene Co cyclopentadiene complexes

Abstract To understand the charge transport ability of the metal coordinated cyclobutadiene, a series of cyclobutadiene cobalt cyclopentadiene (CbCoCp) complexes containing electrochemically polymerizable thiophene units were synthesized. The complexes were electrochemically polymerized and the resulting polymers were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, in situ conductivity and UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry. Several different derivatives of the CbCoCp complexes and a model study suggested that if the oxidation of the organic fragment was above Co I/II redox couple of the CbCoCp complex, detrimental side reactions occured. Side reactions did not occurred if the oxidation of the organic fragment was below the metal oxidation.
Seasonal Reproductive Events Related to the Pineal Gland

Under natural environmental conditions reproduction, and especially birth of the young in mammals, is carefully regulated so that these events coincide with the seasons of the year which will most likely ensure the propagation of the species. The most important physiological event in the annual reproductive cycle is obviously the actual delivery of the young. To optimize the survival of the newborn, animals in their natural habitat characteristically deliver their young in the spring or early summer. It is at these times that environmental temperatures and food availability are such that the young will have the maximal chance of survival. In order for these species to ensure spring delivery of the newborns they must synchronize their breeding habits accordingly. Obviously, if the animals were sexually competent the entire year they would breed indiscriminately with regard to season. Thus, evolution has provided them with a system to restrict their reproductive habits to specific times of the year. In many mammals it is the environmental photoperiod which determines their reproductive capability; when this is the case, the pineal gland serves as the intermediary between the changing daylengths and the neuroendocrine-reproductive system. Dependence on the photoperiodic fluctuations allows animals to not only be in the proper sexual condition at a given time but to actually anticipate the upcoming season and to make the necessary physiological adjustments. In the absence of the pineal gland photosensitive species simply cannot make the necessary alterations and, consequently, they become continual as opposed to seasonal breeders (Reiter, 1973/74). This affords them no advantage under natural conditions and, if it persisted, the species as a whole could become extinct. The data illustrating photoperiodic-pineal-reproductive interactions in rodents are summarized below.
Measuring State Partisanship and Ideology with Survey Data

The study of state politics has suffered because of the lack of good data on major political orientations at the state level. This paper briefly discusses this problem and the need for survey-based measures, and then presents sets of estimates of state partisanship and ideology. These are derived from aggregating CBS News-New York Times polls at the state level. Using fifty-one polls taken from 1974 through 1982, our estimates are based on over 76,000 respondents. The estimates are shown to have good overall validity and reliability, and should prove valuable in studies of comparative state elections and policymaking.
Parsing local signal evolution directly from a single-shot MRI signal: a new approach for fMRI.

In this work a new single-shot MRI method, single-shot parameter assessment by retrieval from signal encoding (SS-PARSE), is introduced. This method abandons a fundamental simplifying assumption that is used in conventional MRI methods. Established MRI methods implicitly assume that the local intrinsic signal does not change its amplitude or phase during signal acquisition, even though these changes may be substantial, especially during the relatively long signals used in single-shot image acquisitions. SS-PARSE, on the other hand, acknowledges local decay and phase evolution, and models each signal datum as a sample from (k,t)-space rather than k-space. Because of this more accurate signal model, SS-PARSE promises improved performance in terms of accuracy and robustness, but requires more intensive reconstruction computations. The theoretical properties of the method are discussed, and simulation results are presented that demonstrate more robust and accurate measurements of relaxation rate changes associated with brain activation in functional MRI (fMRI), freedom from geometric errors due to off-resonance frequencies, and better tolerance of the large susceptibility gradients that occur naturally in parts of the brain. In addition, this technique has the potential to assess nonexponential relaxation behavior during a single-shot signal.
Categorical Analysis in Antitrust Jurisprudence

Legal doctrines vary in the extent to which they apply either detailed, categorical rules or broad, open-ended standards that allow for case-specific adjudication. Antitrust law is generally thought of as inhabiting the standards end of this spectrum. In fact, however, despite the generality of the enabling statutes antitrust law is rife with categorical distinctions. In Part I, we explore not only the well-known distinction between conduct that is per se illegal and conduct judged under the rule of reason, but also a number of categorical distinctions the courts draw, either to help delineate the scope of the per se rule or to create distinctions within the scope of the rule of reason itself. By and large these rules don't come from the antitrust statutes. They are created by courts, who are in effect converting case-specific standards en masse into categorical rules. In Part II, we identify a number of problems with these distinctions. One problem is administrative: courts spend a great deal of time trying to parse conduct in order to put it on one side or another of the lines they have created. Indeed, in many cases courts spend more time on categorization than they do on actual economic analysis of the case itself. Second, judicial antitrust categories are subject to manipulation. Parties go to great lengths to fit into a box that will give them more favorable treatment, sometimes by legal argument, sometimes by restructuring a transaction, and sometimes by concealing or misrepresenting the facts of that transaction. Third, a number of the categories the courts have created make no sense, whether because they have lost their meaning over time, because their boundaries have eroded, because they actually tell us very little of relevance to the competitive effects of the transaction, or because they are simply dumb. The net result is a mess. Categories have become conclusions, displacing the fact-specific economic analysis in which antitrust law is supposed to be engaging. In Part III, we argue that there is a better way. We evaluate the costs and benefits of the judicial creation of categories, and contend that the complex of antitrust boxes the courts have created today does more harm than good. We don't mean to suggest there is no value to categories, and that everything must be thrown into a pure cost-benefit analysis. Some rules (the per se rule against price fixing, for instance) make sense. Rather, the important thing is to make sure that the categories we use have empirical support, and that they are communicating valuable information to courts about the competitive effects of a general practice. We think the courts have gone too far in the creation of rules in a variety of cases. Finally, we suggest that courts make more use than they do of certain tools - the doctrine of direct economic effect and empirical evidence - as powerful filters for distinguishing good from bad antitrust claims.
Integration of polymer/ceramic thin film capacitor on PWB

Electrical properties of various polymer-ceramic composites have been studied for use in integrated capacitors on PWB substrates. The dielectric constant of the composite is strongly dependent on the individual properties of polymer and ceramic materials. Epoxy is the material of choice for its compatibility with PWBs. Further, epoxy materials are not attacked by high PH environment during electroless plating of the capacitor electrodes. Photodefinable and nonphotodefinable materials have been evaluated for capacitor integration on PWBs using thin-film processes and screen printing. Lead magnesium niobate is selected as the filler material for its high dielectric constant value and its compatibility with most polymers.
Piping Plover Chick Foraging, Growth, and Survival in the Great Plains

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that piping plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat quality and chick survival on the Missouri River, USA, were lower on a cold-water reservoir and downstream from a hypolimnetic (cold-water) release dam with diel water fluctuations (Garrison Dam) than downstream from an epilimnetic dam (Gavins Point Dam). Plovers in adjacent alkali wetlands provided an index to the maximum reproductive potential in the region. Chicks gained weight more rapidly in the alkali wetlands than on epilimnetic and hypolimnetic river reaches. Invertebrate numbers and biomass were higher in the wetlands and epilimnetic reach, but chick survival was lower on the epilimnetic reach. Thus, piping plovers adapted to a variety of prey densities, and other factors, likely predation, reduced survival rates in the epilimnetic reach. Temporal and spatial variability in site quality indices suggests the need for a regional management strategy with different strategies at each site. Managers can minimize effects ...
Cell dynamics under cold plasma treatment

Cold plasmas with ion temperatures close to room temperatures are one of the promising and challenging areas of research. Their unique properties allow using them in various areas including medicine and biology, providing tool for living tissue treatment. This report is focused on the studying of helium cold jet and its interaction with living cells. Living cells (tertiary wild type fibroblast) are treated with helium plasma jet and its influence on the migration rates are studied including temporal behavior of cells after treatment. Localization of the effect of plasma jet on cell dynamics is investigated. Cell tracking is performed during 32 hours in three localized areas (treated area, near treated area and far from treated area). Fixed and stained cells were studied using fluorescence microscopy to identify changes in cell skeleton and focal adhesions. Helium plasma jet is characterized by UV-vis-NIR spectrum in both transverse and axial directions.
Real-World Constraints of GPUs in Real-Time Systems

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are becoming increasingly important in today's platforms as their increased generality allows for them to be used as powerful coprocessors. In this paper, we explore possible applications for GPUs in real-time systems, discuss the limitations and constraints imposed by current GPU technology, and present a summary of our research addressing many such constraints.
Effects of electronic map displays and individual differences in ability on navigation performance.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine how strongly the performance of navigation tasks is affected by changing electronic map interfaces and by individual differences in spatial ability. BACKGROUND: Electronic map interfaces have two common configurations, north up and track up. Research suggests that north-up maps benefit some navigational tasks and track-up maps benefit others. However, little research has investigated how map configuration affects the important navigation task of judging cardinal direction or how individual differences in spatial ability interact with map configuration in affecting navigation performance. METHOD: In an aerial reconnaissance task, 16 participants completed route-following, cardinal direction, and map reconstruction tasks. Participants also completed three spatial ability tests. RESULTS: The track-up map led to better performance on the cardinal direction and route-following tasks. The north-up map led to better performance on the map reconstruction task Effects of map configuration showed small to medium effect sizes. Spatial ability correlated positively with performance of each navigation task, showing medium to large effect sizes. For some tasks, a helpful map interface compensated for low ability. For other tasks, ability facilitated the performance of the helpful interface;optimal performance required a helpful interface and high ability. CONCLUSION: Achieving high performance at particular navigation subtasks requires two things: using the map configuration that optimizes subtask performance and having high spatial ability. APPLICATION: Some aspects of navigation performance can be improved primarily by using the optimal map configuration; other aspects require using the optimal configuration and having better spatial ability. Language: en
Agenda Power in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1877 to 1986

This essay defends the view that committee government is best thought of as a decentralized form of party government over a wide range of congressional history. We stress the following points. First, consistent with the notion of conditional party government, more homogeneous majority parties have systematically undertaken larger substantive agendas. Second, throughout all periods of congressional history from the end of Reconstruction to the present, the majority party has maintained a secure grip on the floor agenda. Third, the extremely low rates at which the majority party loses, when it attempts to prevent either the appearance of a bill on the floor agenda or a bill's final passage, has important consequences for how we understand phenomena such as the Conservative Coalition. Fourth, the majority's ability to keep things off the floor agenda has important policy implications.
What Innocence Means Today and Why it Matters

In this essay the author argues that the definition of innocence and the classification of wrongful convictions matters, both empirically and normatively. The advantage of an innocence-based definition of an exoneration is that it allows researchers access to more valuable data about the regularity, distribution, causes, correlates and consequences of near-certain wrongful convictions of the innocent than would otherwise be available if scholars limited themselves solely to those comparatively few cases in which factual innocence can be proven to an absolute certainty. By relying on an innocence-based definition of exoneration, researchers are also able to empirically study patterns and variation in the wrongful conviction of the innocent more quantitatively and thus more systematically, moving away from the story-based explanations that have dominated much of the research literature on wrongful convictions. As scholars accumulate more systematic and generalizable knowledge about the factors that contribute to wrongful conviction of the innocent, they will be able to provide more empirically-informed policy analyses about the best ways to prevent such convictions.
Industrial Concentration in Canada and The United States

THE proportion of an industry's output concentrated in a few large firms is recognized by economists as an important characteristic of industrial structure. Economic analysis agrees with the layman's judgment that high concentration is a major factor making for monopolistic practices, and there is ample confirmation in the record of antitrust investigations.' The degree of concentration is of course not by any means the only determinant of market behaviour.2 In the absence of collusion or government regulation, however, high concentration is a necessary condition for monopolistic practices, while low concentration is a necessary condition for the type of competition that tends to equate price and marginal costs. Moreover, with low concentration informal collusion is unlikely and the organization of formal collusion (for example, through a trade association) becomes difficult. Government regulation is frequently the result of political pressures the strength of which reflects either high concentration or close association of the business interests involved.
Importance of β2–β3 Loop Motion for the Increased Binding and Decreased Selectivity of the ΔLL Mutant of the Human Papillomavirus Type 6 E2 Protein

The binding affinity of the human papillomavirus type 6 E2 protein is strongly mediated by the sequence of the DNA linker region, with high affinity for the AATT linker and low affinity for the CCGG linker. When two terminal leucine residues are removed from the protein, the level of binding to both strands increases, but unequally, resulting in a significant decrease in selectivity for the AATT linker strand. To rationalize this behavior, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of the wild-type and mutant protein in the apo state and bound to DNA with high-affinity AATT and low-affinity CCGG linker strands. While no stable contacts were made between the β2–β3 loop and DNA in the wild type, this loop was repositioned in the mutant complexes and formed electrostatic contacts with the DNA backbone. More contacts were formed when the mutant was bound to the CCGG linker strand than to the AATT linker strand, resulting in a more favorable change in interaction energy for the CCGG strand. In addition, signi...
In adults without CVD, the MESA score, including coronary artery calcium, predicted 10-y risk for CHD events.

Source Citation McClelland RL, Jorgensen NW, Budoff M, et al. 10-year coronary heart disease risk prediction using coronary artery calcium and traditional risk factors: Derivation in the MESA (Mult...
Flow Field Effects of Control on Supersonic Open Cavities

The effects of leading edge control on Mach 1.4 flow over a length-to-depth ratio 6 cavity are investigated. The flow was altered through three different leading edge slot blowing configurations which were applied to modify the properties of the shear layer above the cavity. Surface pressure measurements and particle image velocimetry were used to characterize the flowfield inside the cavity and in the shear layer over the cavity. The results indicate the 5-slot configuration was the most effective of those considered because it resulted in the most significant suppression of the fluctuating surface pressure levels–up to 44% reduction in root-mean-square pressure levels–with the lowest mass flow. Further, flowfield visualization in the controlled cases clearly shows the shear layer lifted out of the cavity and therefore no longer impinging on the aft wall.
SG-03A ROLE FOR NADPH OXIDASE 4-GENERATED REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES IN SONIC HEDGEHOG-DRIVEN PROLIFERATION OF CEREBELLAR GRANULE NEURON PRECURSORS.

Medulloblastoma is the most common solid malignant pediatric brain tumor. These tumors arise in the cerebellum and can be molecularly subdivided into 4 consensus subgroups, one of which is marked by amplification and activation of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway components and downstream targets. This subclass is proposed to arise from the oncogenic transformation of cerebellar granule neuron precursors (CGNPs), whose expansion during post-natal brain development requires activation of the Shh pathway and downstream targets. These tumors often demonstrate similarities with normal cerebellar development at the molecular level, thus allowing us to use primary CGNP cultures as a model system for the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) driven subclass of medulloblastoma. In addition to mitogens driving proliferation in cancer, it has been shown in the past that low levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) can contribute to proliferation through, amongst other methods, phosphatase inhibition and subsequent deregulation of key pathways including pathways that collaborate with Shh signaling. To this end we've studied a reported ROS-generating effector of insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling, NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4). It is thought that Nox4 is both upregulated by insulin signaling and synergizes with it downstream via ROS-induced sustained phosphorylation of Akt. Our work in CGNPs revealed a marked induction of Nox4 in response to Shh at the mRNA and protein levels as well as an increase in total reactive oxygen species content. Subsequent studies suggest that Nox4 activity is critical to sustaining proliferation of Shh driven CGNPs. Western blots of shRNA knockdowns of Nox4 showed reduction of proliferative marker CyclinD2. The knockdowns also precipitated a drop in phosphorylated Akt perhaps leaving the Shh pathway without the full effects of one of its major signaling partners, the PI3K/Akt pathway.
A text message program as a booster to in-person brief interventions for mandated college students to prevent weekend binge drinking

ABSTRACTObjective: To evaluate a text message (SMS) program as a booster to an in-person alcohol intervention with mandated college students. Participants: Undergraduates (N = 224; 46% female) who violated an on-campus alcohol policy over a 2-semester period in 2014. Methods: The SMS program sent drinking-related queries each Thursday and Sunday and provided tailored feedback for 6 weeks. Response rates to SMS drinking-related queries and the associations between weekend drinking plans, drinking-limit goal commitment, and alcohol consumption were examined. Gender differences were explored. Results: Ninety percent of SMS queries were completed. Weekend binge drinking decreased over 6 weeks, and drinking-limit goal commitment was associated with less alcohol consumption. Compared with women, men had greater reductions in alcohol consumption when they committed to a drinking-limit goal. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that an SMS program could be useful as a booster for helping mandated students r...
Relative selectivity of crab pots for Portunus trituberculatus based on stownet catch in the East China Sea

The crab pot fishery is one of the most important fisheries in the East China Sea. Utilization of escape devices has resulted in improved the size selectivity of pots. We compared the catch frequencies of swimming crab(Portunus trituberculatus) among experimental crab pots rigged with rectangular escape gaps of 25 mm or 30 mm widths, control pots, and control stownets. We then estimated encounter selectivity and relative selectivity based on a catch equation and the SELECT analysis model. The size of individuals captured in the stownet was smaller than in the control crab pots. The encounter selectivity of the experimental crab pots was analyzed using the catch frequency of the control pot. The 50% retention carapace width(l50) and fishing power increased whereas the selection range(SR) remained unchanged with an increase in the width of the escape gap. The relative selectivity(catchability) of the crab pots was estimated by comparison with the catch frequency of the stownet. Large crabs were more likely to contact and then enter the crab pots than small crabs and the 50% probability contact carapace width was 98.7 mm. There was little difference in l50 and SR between the relative and encounter selectivity measures for the 30 mm escape gap. The l50 and SR for relative selectivity were 118.4 mm and 10.5 mm, and for encounter selectivity they were 117.4 mm and 9.5 mm, respectively. There was no difference in l50 between the relative and encounter selectivity measures for the 25 mm escape gap. However, the SR for relative selectivity(5.6 mm) was significantly less than for encounter selectivity(11.3 mm). Thus, there would be some bias in population assessment if only the encounter selectivity information was taken into account and information about catchability was omitted.
Towards Integrated Sensors for Environments with Temperatures up to 600 °C

Abstract The main objective is to develop sensing systems by integrating transducers such as pressure sensing elements with the interface circuitry in one package that can withstand harsh environments, particularly high temperatures up to 600 °C. To achieve that, both pressure transducer and interface circuitry are individually required to operate and survive up to 600 °C with acceptable degrees of reliability. This paper reports performance evaluation of fabricated 4H-SiC JFETs along with differential pairs for use in the interface circuitry. The test results are very promising and show stable performances from 25 °C up to 600 °C. Moreover, design, fabrication, and early test of a SiC based circular diaphragm type pressure transducer is also reported.