cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative sensitivity of sea urchin sperm bioassays to metals and pesticides

A simple sperm/fertilization bioassay, primarily using sea urchin gametes, has been developed and used by a variety of laboratories. This assay was recently refined into a standard test and is now being used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others for toxicity testing in marine waters. One factor that has lagged behind the development of this assay is the comparison of its sensitivity to various common toxicants as compared to other bioassay systems and life stages of other marine organisms. The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity of a standardized sea urchin sperm/fertilization assay to the responses of embryo, larval, and adult marine organisms to metals (Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) and pesticides (DDT, Dieldrin, Endrin, Endosulfan) added to natural seawater. The results, although highly variable, generally showed that sperm/fertilization and embryo assays were quite sensitive to the metals tested, but that the larval and adult assays were more sensitive to the pesticides. These comparative data, together with other studies of complex effluents, show that the standardized sperm/ fertilization bioassay is an especially quick and useful tool for biomonitoring of marine waters.
Hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters: a biological problem with multiple chemical solutions

Formation of phosphate esters by kinases has long been recognized as an important process in biochemistry, but the reverse reaction, hydrolysis of phosphate esters by phosphatases, has attracted less attention. Recent work suggests that phosphatases are as important as kinases in regulatory processes, and that they constitute a diverse group of enzymes that utilize a variety of chemical means to accelerate phosphate ester hydrolysis.
Effects of surface reflectance on skylight polarization measurements at the Mauna Loa Observatory

An all-sky imaging polarimeter was deployed in summer 2008 to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii to study clear-sky atmospheric skylight polarization. The imager operates in five wavebands in the visible and near infrared spectrum and has a fisheye lens for all-sky viewing. This paper describes the deployment and presents comparisons of the degree of skylight polarization observed to similar data observed by Coulson with a principal-plane scanning polarimeter in the late 1970s. In general, the results compared favorably to those of Coulson. In addition, we present quantitative results correlating a variation of the maximum degree of polarization over a range of 70-85% to fluctuation in underlying surface reflectance and upwelling radiance data from the GOES satellite.
Delivery of local therapeutics to the brain: working toward advancing treatment for malignant gliomas

Malignant gliomas, including glioblastoma and anaplastic astrocytomas, are characterized by their propensity to invade surrounding brain parenchyma, making curative resection difficult. These tumors typically recur within two centimeters of the resection cavity even after gross total removal. As a result, there has been an emphasis on developing therapeutics aimed at achieving local disease control. In this review, we will summarize the current developments in the delivery of local therapeutics, namely direct injection, convection-enhanced delivery and implantation of drug-loaded polymers, as well as the application of these therapeutics in future methods including microchip drug delivery and local gene therapy.
Multivariable Nehari problem and interpolation

Abstract In this paper we obtain a multivariable Nehari type theorem for Hankel operators, extending the classical result as well as Treil–Volberg generalization. The result is based on a new generalization of the noncommutative commutant lifting theorem which extends to several variables the commutant lifting result obtained by Treil and Volberg, and recently generalized by Biswas, Foias, and Frazho. An extension of I.S. Iokhvidov–Ky Fan theorem is obtained and used to prove a multivariable Adamian–Arov–Krein type theorem for generalized Hankel operators. As consequences, we obtain Caratheodory and Nevanlinna–Pick type interpolation results for “meromorphic” operators on Fock spaces (resp. operator-valued meromorphic functions on the unit ball of C n ). The Nehari type results are used to obtain descriptions of Hankel operators acting on Fock spaces or weighted Fock spaces (multivariable Dirichlet type spaces) and to solve new “weighted” interpolation problems (e.g. Sarason) for noncommutative analytic Toeplitz algebras, which have consequences to the operator-valued analytic interpolation in the unit ball of C n . Moreover, using central intertwining liftings, we obtain explicit formulas for certain solutions of the weighted interpolation problems. As another application of the generalized noncommutative commutant lifting theorem, we derive an abstract interpolation problem for multipliers. This is used to solve a left tangential Nevanlinna–Pick type interpolation problem with operatorial argument for noncommutative analytic Toeplitz algebras.
Embolic Protection in Infrainguinal Interventions

The benefits of the use of embolic protection devices (EPDs) in saphenous vein coronary artery bypass grafts and carotid arteries have been shown, but the utility of their application during infrainguinal endovascular interventions is somewhat unclear. Patients with specific anatomical features or lesion characteristics, or patients undergoing specific types of endovascular interventions may benefit from the off-label use of EPDs, but this has yet to be determined. This report will examine the current literature related to the use of EPDs in infrainguinal endovascular interventions and attempt to identify the patients who would most likely benefit from their use. In addition, the setting in which EPDs have been used at one institution is briefly described. This discussion will serve as a general guideline for the use of EPDs and act as an impetus for the development of future clinical trials to help elucidate the patients who will truly benefit from EPDs use when undergoing lower extremity endovascular revascularization procedures.
Stress-based elastodynamic discrete laminated plate theory

A static laminated plate theory based on an assumed piecewise linear through-the-thickness in-plane stress distribution has been extended to include inertia effects. Based on this in-plane stress distribution assumption, outof-plane shear and normal stress component distributions were derived from the three-dimensional equations of motion, resulting in six nonzero stress components. Hamilton's variational principle was used to derive the plate equations of motion, the plate constitutive relationships, and the interface continuity equations. The governing equations were written in a form that is self-adjoint with respect to the convolution bilinear mapping. The resulting system of equations for a single lamina consists of 25 field equations in terms of 9 weighted displacement field variables, 10 stress and moment resultant field variables, and 6 out-of-plane shear and normal stress boundary field variables. For the laminated system, the mixed formulation enforces both traction and displacement continuity at lamina interfaces as it satisfies layer equilibrium. A finite element formulation based on a specialized form of the governing functional was developed. The method is illustrated with results of a free vibration analysis of sandwich and homogeneous plates for which exact solutions are available.
Directional energy based palmprint identification using Non Subsampled Contourlet Transform

Palmprint based personal verification has gained preference over other biometric modalities due to its ease of acquisition, high user acceptance and reliability. This paper presents a novel palmprint based identification approach which uses the textural information available on the palmprint by employing the Non Subsampled Contourlet Transform (NSCT). After establishing the region of interest (ROI), the two dimensional (2-D) spectrum is divided into fine slices, using iterated directional filterbanks. Next, directional energy component for each block from the decomposed subband outputs is computed. The proposed algorithm captures both local and global details in a palmprint as a compact fixed length palm code. Palmprint matching is then performed using Normalized Euclidean Distance classifier. The algorithm is tested on a total of 7752 palm images, acquired from the standard database of Polytechnic University of Hong Kong. The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed system by exhibiting Decidability Index of 2.8125 and Equal Error Rate of 0.1604%, better than the reported techniques in literature.
A simulation study to reduce nurse overtime and improve patient flow time at a hospital endoscopy unit

Increasing demand for endoscopic procedures, coupled with decreasing insurance reimbursement, has necessitated improvement in endoscopy unit operational performance measures, such as increasing throughput and reducing staff overtime without an increase in patient waiting time. In pursuit of improving these measurements, maintaining the nurse-to-patient ratio requirements in the recovery area throughout the clinic's operation time is a challenging problem for endoscopy units. To maintain compliance with this ratio, patients occasionally have to be held in the procedure rooms during the clinic's peak time. On the other hand, level loading could potentially increase the amount of overtime. In this paper, we describe our efforts to use discrete event simulation to investigate the impact of several strategies to address the minimum recovery nurse requirements in the endoscopy unit of Duke University Medical Center. Our objective was to minimize patient flow times and nurse overtime while sustaining the required nurse-patient staffing ratio in recovery.
The small GTPase R-Ras regulates organization of actin and drives membrane protrusions through the activity of PLCϵ

R-Ras, an atypical member of the Ras subfamily of small GTPases, enhances integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling through a poorly understood mechanism. Dynamic analysis of cell spreading by total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy demonstrated that active R-Ras lengthened the duration of initial membrane protrusion, and promoted the formation of a ruffling lamellipod, rich in branched actin structures and devoid of filopodia. By contrast, dominant-negative R-Ras enhanced filopodia formation. Moreover, RNA interference (RNAi) approaches demonstrated that endogenous R-Ras contributed to cell spreading. These observations suggest that R-Ras regulates membrane protrusions through organization of the actin cytoskeleton. Our results suggest that phospholipase Cϵ (PLCϵ) is a novel R-Ras effector mediating the effects of R-Ras on the actin cytoskeleton and membrane protrusion, because R-Ras was co-precipitated with PLCϵ and increased its activity. Knockdown of PLCϵ with siRNA reduced the formation of the ruffling lamellipod in R-Ras cells. Consistent with this pathway, inhibitors of PLC activity, or chelating intracellular Ca 2+ abolished the ability of R-Ras to promote membrane protrusions and spreading. Overall, these data suggest that R-Ras signaling regulates the organization of the actin cytoskeleton to sustain membrane protrusion through the activity of PLCϵ.
Analyzing the Concurrence of Meteorological Droughts and Warm Periods, with Implications for the Determination of Evaporative Regime

Abstract The hydroclimatic conditions under which a seasonal meteorological drought (below-normal seasonal rainfall) can induce an increase in seasonal air temperature are investigated, first with an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) and then with observations. Geographical differences in the dryness–warmth connection abound in the AGCM; in the United States, for example, identified evaporative controls tend to tie meteorological droughts to warmer temperatures in the South but not in the Northeast. The strong agreement between AGCM and observations-based geographical patterns of drought-induced warming supports the idea that the same evaporative controls are also present in nature. A powerful side benefit of the analysis of drought-induced warming is a Northern Hemisphere map, derived solely from observations, showing where total boreal summer evaporation is controlled by soil moisture, energy availability, or both.
Cancer-Related Stress and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Review

A cancer diagnosis elicits strong psychophysiological reactions that characterize stress. Stress is experienced by all patients but is usually not discussed during patient-healthcare professional interaction; thus underdiagnosed, very few are referred to support services. The prevalence of CAM use in patients with history of cancer is growing. The purpose of the paper is to review the aspects of cancer-related stress and interventions of commonly used complementary and alternative techniques/products for amelioration of cancer-related stress. Feasibility of intervention of several CAM techniques and products commonly used by cancer patients and survivors has been established in some cancer populations. Efficacy of some CAM techniques and products in reducing stress has been documented as well as stress-related symptoms in patients with cancer such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, acupuncture, energy-based techniques, and physical activity. Much of the research limitations include small study samples and variety of intervention length and content. Efficacy and safety of many CAM techniques and some herbs and vitamin B and D supplements need to be confirmed in further studies using scientific methodology. Several complementary and alternative medicine therapies could be integrated into standard cancer care to ameliorate cancer-related stress.
Echo-planar MR determination of relative cerebral blood volume in human brain tumors: T1 versus T2 weighting.

PURPOSE Maps related to relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were generated with the use of the T1 effects produced by a low-dose bolus passage of gadopentetate dimeglumine. The T1 maps were evaluated in a tumor population and compared with rCBV maps obtained with T2-weighted measurements. METHODS Imaging was performed in 19 patients with suspected intraaxial brain tumors. For the T1 rCBV maps, a low-dose bolus of contrast material was given during T1-weighted interleaved spin-echo echo-planar MR imaging. This was followed by a second injection during serial T2-weighted imaging for generation of the T2 rCBV maps. RESULTS Among patients with low-grade lesions (n = 9), T1-based and T2-based rCBV maps showed comparably low rCBV in 7 subjects. In the other 2 patients, with confirmed tumor dedifferentiation, elevation of rCBV values was seen on maps obtained with both techniques. Among patients with high-grade tumors (n = 10), 4 had no evidence of recurrence and 6 did have tumor recurrence (confirmed by follow-up and positron emission tomography). In patients with the high-grade lesions exhibiting conventional contrast enhancement, lesions tended to have higher estimated values on T1 rCBV maps than on the T2 rCBV maps. CONCLUSION Although the T1 rCBV maps showed less contrast as compared with the T2 rCBV maps, they provided diagnostic information that was comparable to the T2 rCBV maps in our series of 19 patients with primary brain tumors.
BIVARIATE BINOMIAL OPTIONS PRICING WITH GENERALIZED INTEREST RATE PROCESSES

We extend existing pricing models and develop a bivariate binomial option pricing technique that accommodates correlated state variables. This technique offers the ability to price American-style options, thereby accommodating early exercise, despite the existence of two correlated underlying state variables. Our technique is computationally efficient and can be further generalized for multiple-state variables, albeit with an accompanying rise in computational expense.
Writting temperature estimation in thermomagnetic recording

A thermal conduction model calibrated with the aid of the measured temperature dependence of the magnetooptic (MO) Kerr effect and MO recording readback data taken with variable reading laser power and disk velocity has been used to provide an estimate of the absolute writing temperature in thermomagnetic recording on MO media. This procedure assumes that such writing is essentially a thermal thresholding phenomenon and that magnetic effects in writing are secondary. The key elements of this method include the following: (a) availability of a flexible thermal model properly calibrated for the MO media under study; (b) measurements of the Kerr rotation of the MO material versus temperature; (c) an accurate experimental method for measuring the differential Kerr readout signal with a dynamic MO disk tester; and (d) experimental data of thermomagnetic writing that is well fitted by a model illustrating the validity of the simple threshold writing temperature concept. The simultaneous regression fitting of a thermal model of MO readback to experimental data results in a fully self-consistent procedure. >
Comparison of the transcriptomes of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) in response to the chestnut blight infection.

American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was devastated by an exotic pathogen in the beginning of the twentieth century. This chestnut blight is caused by Cryphonectria parasitica, a fungus that infects stem tissues and kills the trees by girdling them. Because of the great economic and ecological value of this species, significant efforts have been made over the century to combat this disease, but it wasn't until recently that a focused genomics approach was initiated. Prior to the Genomic Tool Development for the Fagaceae project, genomic resources available in public databases for this species were limited to a few hundred ESTs. To identify genes involved in resistance to C. parasitica, we have sequenced the transcriptome from fungal infected and healthy stem tissues collected from blight-sensitive American chestnut and blight-resistant Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) trees using ultra high throughput pyrosequencing. We produced over a million 454 reads, totaling over 250 million bp, from which we generated 40,039 and 28,890 unigenes in total from C. mollissima and C. dentata respectively. The functions of the unigenes, from GO annotation, cover a diverse set of molecular functions and biological processes, among which we identified a large number of genes associated with resistance to stresses and response to biotic stimuli. In silico expression analyses showed that many of the stress response unigenes were expressed more in canker tissues versus healthy stem tissues in both American and Chinese chestnut. Comparative analysis also identified genes belonging to different pathways of plant defense against biotic stresses that are differentially expressed in either American or Chinese chestnut canker tissues. Our study resulted in the identification of a large set of cDNA unigenes from American chestnut and Chinese chestnut. The ESTs and unigenes from this study constitute an important resource to the scientific community interested in the discovery of genes involved in various biological processes in Chestnut and other species. The identification of many defense-related genes differentially expressed in canker vs. healthy stem in chestnuts provides many new candidate genes for developing resistance to the chestnut blight and for studying pathways involved in responses of trees to necrotrophic pathogens. We also identified several candidate genes that may underline the difference in resistance to Cryphonectria parasitica between American chestnut and Chinese chestnut.
Understanding Randomness and its Impact on Student Learning: Lessons Learned from Building the Biology Concept Inventory (BCI)

While researching student assumptions for the development of the Biology Concept Inventory (BCI; http://bioliteracy.net), we found that a wide class of student difficulties in molecular and evolutionary biology appears to be based on deep-seated, and often unaddressed, misconceptions about random processes. Data were based on more than 500 open-ended (primarily) college student responses, submitted online and analyzed through our Ed's Tools system, together with 28 thematic and think-aloud interviews with students, and the responses of students in introductory and advanced courses to questions on the BCI. Students believe that random processes are inefficient, whereas biological systems are very efficient. They are therefore quick to propose their own rational explanations for various processes, from diffusion to evolution. These rational explanations almost always make recourse to a driver, e.g., natural selection in evolution or concentration gradients in molecular biology, with the process taking place only when the driver is present, and ceasing when the driver is absent. For example, most students believe that diffusion only takes place when there is a concentration gradient, and that the mutational processes that change organisms occur only in response to natural selection pressures. An understanding that random processes take place all the time and can give rise to complex and often counterintuitive behaviors is almost totally absent. Even students who have had advanced or college physics, and can discuss diffusion correctly in that context, cannot make the transfer to biological processes, and passing through multiple conventional biology courses appears to have little effect on their underlying beliefs.
Quantifying the Benefits of Link-Tracing Designs for Partnership Network Studies:

Difficult-to-reach populations are frequently sampled through various link tracing-based designs, which rely on interpersonal networks to identify members of the population. This article examines the substantive returns to one such multiple-link tracing design in the Colorado Springs “project 90” human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk networks study. Cross-links were respondents who were targeted for enrollment because of being named as partners by at least two other respondents in the sample. The authors compare cross-links to other respondents on sociodemographic characteristics and network properties using bivariate and multivariate adjusted statistics. The authors evaluate their contributions to observed network structure by creating a set of counterfactual networks deleting the information they provided. Results suggest that the link-tracing techniques led to identifying populations that would have otherwise been missed and that their absence would have underestimated potential HIV risk by distortin...
A new transform relationship for interpreting axial fields near a focus

A new Fourier transform relationship is shown to apply between the axial distribution of a field near a focus and the field, averaged around the axis, in the aperture of the focussing device. If phase and amplitude are measured along the axis the transform gives the radial distribution in the aperture, averaged around the axis, of the field amplitude and of any deviations in phase from an ideally focussed wavefront. The transform is, therefore, useful in diagnosing surface errors in reflector antennas. It may also be of use in determining errors in optical aspheric lenses and mirrors where radial errors are more prevalent in manufacture than are azimuthal errors. If only axial power is measured, a Wiener-Khinchine relationship gives the autocorrelation of the averaged radial field distribution in the aperture. The autocorrelation by itself contains useful phase information and, in some instances, the averaged aperture field can be recovered from the autocorrelation through a process of modeling. Symmetry relationships are discussed together with a practical example where phase and amplitude in a radio telescope aperture are estimated by modeling from the autocorrelation function.
Ensuring privacy in the study of pathogen genetics

Summary Rapid growth in the genetic sequencing of pathogens in recent years has led to the creation of large sequence databases. This aggregated sequence data can be very useful for tracking and predicting epidemics of infectious diseases. However, the balance between the potential public health benefit and the risk to personal privacy for individuals whose genetic data (personal or pathogen) are included in such work has been difficult to delineate, because neither the true benefit nor the actual risk to participants has been adequately defined. Existing approaches to minimise the risk of privacy loss to participants are based on de-identification of data by removal of a predefined set of identifiers. These approaches neither guarantee privacy nor protect the usefulness of the data. We propose a new approach to privacy protection that will quantify the risk to participants, while still maximising the usefulness of the data to researchers. This emerging standard in privacy protection and disclosure control, which is known as differential privacy, uses a process-driven rather than data-centred approach to protecting privacy.
Population studies on Southwestern Indian tribes V. Tooth morphology as an indicator of biological distance

The value of phylogenetic comparisons between populations based on tooth morphology depends on a knowledge of the extent to which the observed morphological variation is genetic in origin. This knowledge can be derived unequivocally only from the analysis of family data. However, in the absence of such knowledge the ability of tooth morphology to distinguish biological differences can be evaluated directly by testing its discriminating power in practice on populations between which the degrees of genetic difference are already known. The results of such an evaluation show that different degrees of subjectivity of scoring are associated with different characters, but that moderately good correspondence between known genetic differences and differences based on tooth morphology can be achieved when characters showing the least subjectivity of scoring are used.
Proteomics: clinical applications for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The emerging field of proteomics offers great promise for unraveling the complex molecular events of tumorigenesis, as well as those that control clinically important tumor behaviors such as metastases, invasion, and resistance to therapy. Under- standing the molecular basis of these tumor characteristics will usher in a new age of individualized cancer therapy. Advances in genomics, the study of genes and gene expression, as well as technologic advances have made possible study of all ex- pressed proteins or the proteome (proteomics). Whereas geno- mics offers the opportunity to examine gene expression or varia- tion in gene sequence, proteomics encompasses evaluation of protein expression, activation, modification, and degradation and ambitiously targets protein function. Although the present age has already been referred to as the post-genomic era, it is our opinion that both proteomics and genomics will provide clini- cally useful and complementary information that will speed sci- entific understanding of cancer. Ultimately, these new technolo- gies will positively impact care of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. V C 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 28: 549-558, 2006
Target control of complex networks.

Network controllability has numerous applications in natural and technological systems. Here, Gao et al. develop a theoretical approach and a greedy algorithm to study target control—the ability to efficiently control a preselected subset of nodes—in complex networks.
Readiness to change and reasons for intended reduction of alcohol consumption in emergency department versus trauma population

INTRODUCTION: The primary objective was to identify the most common reasons for intending to cut back on alcohol use, in emergency department (ED) and trauma patient populations. The secondary objective was to determine the association between reason to cut back on alcohol and education level. METHODS: We conducted the study at a level one trauma center in California between 2008 and 2012. This was a retrospective analysis of data collected from computerized alcohol screening and intervention (CASI). We excluded patients who drank too little, and those whose scores were consistent with dependency (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT]>19). The CASI database includes the patient's age, gender, language, education level, an AUDIT score (1-40 scale), a readiness to change score (1-10), and the option to choose any of 10 "reasons to cut back" on their alcohol consumption. RESULTS: From 10,537 patients, 1,202 met criteria for the study (848 ED, 354 trauma). Overall, the most common reasons cited for cutting back on alcohol were "To avoid health problems" (68.5%), "To avoid getting a DUI" (43.6%), "It could save me money" (42.0%), and "To avoid situations where I could get hurt" (41.0%). Trauma patients cited the following reasons significantly more than ED patients: "To avoid situations where I could get hurt" (46.3% versus 38.8%, respectively), "So I can be in control of my behavior" (40.7% versus 32.2%), and "My partner or spouse wants me to stop" (20.1% versus 15.0%). Additionally, those patients who cited "To avoid health problems" reported 1.2 points higher than average (pCONCLUSION: Health, injury, finances, and legal issues remain top concerns for patients, while trauma patients specifically had proportionately more concerns with situations where they could get hurt. Language: en
Charge transport in strongly coupled quantum dot solids

The emergence of high-mobility, colloidal semiconductor quantum dot (QD) solids has triggered fundamental studies that map the evolution from carrier hopping through localized quantum-confined states to band-like charge transport in delocalized and hybridized states of strongly coupled QD solids, in analogy with the construction of solids from atoms. Increased coupling in QD solids has led to record-breaking performance in QD devices, such as electronic transistors and circuitry, optoelectronic light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices and photodetectors, and thermoelectric devices. Here, we review the advances in synthesis, assembly, ligand treatments and doping that have enabled high-mobility QD solids, as well as the experiments and theory that depict band-like transport in the QD solid state. We also present recent QD devices and discuss future prospects for QD materials and device design.
Co-optimizing generation and transmission expansion with wind power in large-scale power grids—Implementation in the US Eastern Interconnection

Abstract This paper studies the generation and transmission expansion co-optimization problem with a high wind power penetration rate in large-scale power grids. In this paper, generation and transmission expansion co-optimization is modelled as a mixed-integer programming (MIP) problem. A scenario creation method is proposed to capture the variation and correlation of both load and wind power across regions for large-scale power grids. Obtained scenarios that represent load and wind uncertainties can be easily introduced into the MIP problem and then solved to obtain the co-optimized generation and transmission expansion plan. Simulation results show that the proposed planning model and the scenario creation method can improve the expansion result significantly through modelling more detailed information of wind and load variation among regions in the US EI system. The improved expansion plan that combines generation and transmission will aid system planners and policy makers to maximize the social welfare in large-scale power grids.
Males and Females as Mediators: Disputant Perceptions

Third-party mediation is a popular means for resolving conflict in a variety of contexts. We investigated the extent to which a mediator's gender may influence the disputing individuals' view of the mediation. An examination of existing studies indicated that in general male mediators were perceived more favorably than their female counterparts were. Different perceptions could be the result of either behavioral differences between men and women or the stereotypes that disputants may hold regarding males and females. These results provide yet more evidence that additional barriers and challenges exist for women, compared to men, in the world of work.
Transcriptomes of lineage-specific Drosophila neuroblasts profiled by genetic targeting and robotic sorting

A brain consists of numerous distinct neurons arising from a limited number of progenitors, called neuroblasts in Drosophila. Each neuroblast produces a specific neuronal lineage. To unravel the transcriptional networks that underlie the development of distinct neuroblast lineages, we marked and isolated lineage-specific neuroblasts for RNA sequencing. We labeled particular neuroblasts throughout neurogenesis by activating a conditional neuroblast driver in specific lineages using various intersection strategies. The targeted neuroblasts were efficiently recovered using a custom-built device for robotic single-cell picking. Transcriptome analysis of mushroom body, antennal lobe and type II neuroblasts compared with non-selective neuroblasts, neurons and glia revealed a rich repertoire of transcription factors expressed among neuroblasts in diverse patterns. Besides transcription factors that are likely to be pan-neuroblast, many transcription factors exist that are selectively enriched or repressed in certain neuroblasts. The unique combinations of transcription factors present in different neuroblasts may govern the diverse lineage-specific neuron fates.
Comparative Study of Platelet count and C-Reactive Protein among Gram Positive, Gram Negative and Fungal Sepsis in Newborns

Introduction: Septicemia is characterized by positive blood culture, thrombocytopenia & elevated C-reactive protein. Objective: To compare platelet indices and CRP among gram-positive, gram negative and fungal sepsis in newborns. Methods: This is a retrospective case analysis of 52 blood culture positive patients between January-2012 to December-2014. The parameters examined were Baseline Platelet Count, Change In Platelet Count, (Baseline Platelet count- Change in Platelet count)/ Baseline Platelet Count , Platelet nadir, incidence, duration & severity of Thrombocytopenia, baseline CRP, change in CRP, (baseline CRP- change in CRP)/ baseline CRP, CRP peak, incidence & duration of raised crp. Statistical analysis: All data were collected in validated preformatted proforma sheet & analysed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Majority (61.53%) had gram negative sepsis. Klebsiella was the commonest organism & was isolated in 21.15% of babies. Weight of the baby (p= 0.014), CRP Peak (p= 0.034), incidence of high CRP (p = 0.003), duration of high CRP (p= 0.004) & duration of thrombocytopenia (p = 0.001) differed significantly among gram-positive, gram negative & fungal sepsis. Conclusion: We noted higher rise in CRP with prolonged duration following Gram negative sepsis. However the incidence of both raised CRP and thrombocytopenia were more among fungal sepsis. Though the onset was delayed, lower platelet nadir, more severe thrombocytopenia with prolonged duration was noted among fungal sepsis.
Towards new aerodynamic diagnostics and optimization of total force and moment in terms of boundary vorticity flux

The innovative formulas of aerodynamic (or hydrodynamic) force and moment on a solid body, solely in terms of vector moments of the boundary vorticity-creation rate (or boundary vorticity flux in short) from the body surface (Wu and Wu, J. Fluid Mech. 254 1993, 183), allow one to gain new physical insight on the key contributors to the force status of a vehicle. Unlike the distribution of normal and tangent stresses, these contributors typically concentrate in a few highly localized regions of the vehicle surface, and one can trace back to their sources by means of vortex dynamics. Therefore, these new formulas may find important application in aerodynamic diagnosis and optimization. In this paper we review relevant theoretical background and illustrate its methodology in the diagnosis and optimization by two-dimensional airfoil problem. The optimization was performed by inviscid scheme, followed by Navier-Stokes analysis based on vorticity formulation. The difference of inviscid and viscous results, as well as its implication to airfoil design, is discussed.
Inheritance of Esterases in Anthonomus grandis grandis

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to examine the inheritance of esterases in a Florence laboratory strain of boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman. Individual zymograms exhibited 5 to 10 major bands that could be assigned to one of four zones, designated A through D from the cathode to the anode. Correlations of banding patterns between parents and progeny indicated the existence of at least two loci influencing migrations in zone A and one each in zones B, C, and D. The loci affecting zone A contained three codominant alleles each, those of zones B and C contained two codominant alleles each, and the locus of zone D contained four condominant alleles. All loci appeared to be autosomal. The esterase loci reported here should prove useful as markers for studies in boll weevil population dynamics.
Criminogenic Thinking Mediates the Relation Between Violent Media Exposure and Aggression

ABSTRACTFor decades researchers have been exploring the connection between exposure to violent media and aggression in adolescents. In this study, we hypothesized that criminogenic thinking would mediate the relationship between violent media exposure and aggression. A sample of 382 undergraduate students completed questionnaires regarding exposure to violent media during their adolescent years, and their current endorsement of criminogenic thinking and level of aggression. Results indicated that criminogenic thinking patterns did, in fact, mediate the relationships between exposure to various forms of violent media and aggression. The implications of these findings toward a better understanding of the relationship between violent media exposure and aggressive behavior are discussed.
Forward-Backward Multiplicity Correlations in sNN=200GeV Au+Au Collisions

Forward-backward correlations of charged-particle multiplicities in symmetric bins in pseudorapidity are studied in order to gain insight into the underlying correlation structure of particle production in Au+Au collisions. The PHOBOS detector is used to measure integrated multiplicities in bins defined within | η | 3 , centered at η and covering an interval Δ η . The variance σ C 2 of a suitably defined forward-backward asymmetry variable is calculated as a function of η , Δ η , and centrality. It is found to be sensitive to short range correlations, and the concept of “clustering” is used to interpret comparisons to phenomenological models.
COORDINATE SYSTEMS AND GRAPHS

This chapter discusses the basic concepts of coordinate systems and graphs. For given two points P 1 ( x 1 , y 1 ) and P 2 ( x 2 , y 2 ), the slope of the line determined by P 1 and P 2 is given by the difference in the y coordinates divided by the corresponding difference of their x coordinates. Two distinct lines are parallel if they have equal slopes. The slope of a line measures the ratio of the change in y (increase or decrease) and the change in x when x increases. The change in the y direction is often called the rise. The change in the x direction is often called the run. The slope is a measure of the ratio of the rise to the run. If the slope is positive, then y increases when x increases and if the slope is negative, then y decreases when x increases. Vertical lines have no slope. A horizontal line has a slope of 0. Some specific exercises on coordinate systems and graphs are also discussed in the chapter.
Sertoli Cell Lines

This chapter discusses several Sertoli cell lines and their importance. Effective cell lines can greatly facilitate research on Sertoli cell function by providing a readily available supply of cells with consistent and predictable properties. An ideal Sertoli cell line should facilitate the research of germ cell–Sertoli cell interaction, gene regulation, protein secretion and processing, protein production and isolation, and germ cell development including stem cell propagation. With the exception of a series of lines from sheep, the SM lines, all other Sertoli cell lines developed are derived from the mouse or rat. The first Sertoli cell line reported—the TM4 cell line—was established by passing cultures of immature mouse Sertoli cells over many generations until an immortal line was obtained. TM4 cells can be used as a feeder layer for the culture of primordial germ cells isolated from embryos and have been shown, like primary cultures of Sertoli cells, to inhibit gonocyte proliferation. The mouse Sertoli cell 1 (MSC-1) cell line retain the expression of characteristic Sertoli cell proteins such as transferrin, SGP-2 (clusterin), and inhibin βB. They do not express the FSH receptor, a Sertoli cell–specific gene product, but they are responsive to stimulation by cAMP analogues, indicating that the second messenger system used by the FSH receptor remains intact in MSC-1 cells.
Consequentializing and its consequences

Recently, a number of philosophers have argued that we can and should “consequentialize” non-consequentialist moral theories, putting them into a consequentialist framework. I argue that these philosophers, usually treated as a group, in fact offer three separate arguments, two of which are incompatible. I show that none represent significant threats to a committed non-consequentialist, and that the literature has suffered due to a failure to distinguish these arguments. I conclude by showing that the failure of the consequentializers’ arguments has implications for disciplines, such as economics, logic, decision theory, and linguistics, which sometimes use a consequentialist structure to represent non-consequentialist ethical theories.
The Role of Eddy Diffusivity on a Poleward Jet Shift

AbstractThe authors use a quasigeostrophic (QG) two-layer model to examine how eddies modify the meridional asymmetry of a zonal jet. The initial asymmetry is introduced in the model’s “radiative equilibrium state” and is intended to mimic a radiatively forced poleward jet shift simulated by climate models. The calculations show that the initial “poleward” jet shift in the two-layer model is amplified by eddy potential vorticity fluxes. This eddy-accentuation effect is greater as the baroclinicity of the equilibrium state is reduced, suggesting that seasonal variations in baroclinicity may help explain observed and modeled jet-shift sensitivity to season. The eddy-accentuated jet shift from the corresponding radiative equilibrium state is more clearly visible in the slowly varying, eddy-free reference state of Nakamura and Zhu. This reference state formally responds only to nonadvective, nonconservative processes, but ultimately arises from the advective eddy fluxes. The implication is that fast eddies ar...
Risk Evaluation of X.509 Certificates – A Machine Learning Application

X.509 certificates empower to reveal the unique identity of the parties participating in the conversation. Right now, during online exchanges, many people and groups are using X.509 certificates to represent their identity, so the level of excellence and reliability of these certificates become dubious. Hence, we introduced a framework which computes risk associated with X.509 certificates with the assistance of certain trust criteria and attributes. For assessing risk related with certificate, we utilized Random Forest ensemble machine learning algorithm, which categorizes risk in three levels- High, Medium and Low. User needs to input the certificate and the system will predict the risk associated with that certificate. If predicted risk is high or medium, system will specify the parameter due to which it triggers risk. Our framework can be applied in browser-server communication and identifying real-time phishing websites which have Https URLs.
Mesenchymal stromal cells and interferon α (IFNα) in cancer immunotherapy

In the past decade, there has been particular excitement for the inclusion of immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of cancer, beyond conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies (1). Immunotherapy approaches are now designed mainly to overcome tumor immune evasion mechanisms and allow targeting of neoplastic cells by antitumor immune responses (1). The importance of both innate and adaptive immune responses against tumor growth has been supported by evidence from spontaneous and carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis in vivo models (2).
Label-Free Detection of Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation Using Third Harmonic Generation Microscopy

Label-free detection of atherosclerotic plaques would enable basic research and may translate to clinical use. We demonstrate THG microscopy for imaging atherosclerotic plaque development and progression in unstained whole-mount mouse aorta.
Drawing Out the Resistance Narrative via Mapping in The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet

Though many children’s texts include maps that visually demarcate their journeys, modern texts rarely involve active mapping by child characters themselves, suggesting that children cannot (or should not) conceptualise the world for themselves, but require an adult’s guidance to traverse it. Reif Larsen’s The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet (2009), however, views the child as active cartographer and expands the conversation on the relationship between children and space to uncover new (or more nuanced) understandings of children’s place in society, and their constant tension in finding selfhood. This article examines how the act of mapping in literature often leads a character away from home to a place where the child can reconstruct “home” within his or her memory—a memory that instils resistance against the status quo of the child’s position in life. Cartography’s direct relationship with children experiments with and subverts the binaries of child/adult, fantasy/reality, civilised/primitive and home/memory of home, completely dismantling them in the specific example of Larsen’s novel and demonstrating that the child protagonist’s space is neither solely real nor fantastic. Mapping induces the young protagonist to move into alternative spaces, and to resist social pressures in order to assert fuller agency over his or her identity formation.
Echinocandins in Ocular Therapeutics

Fungal infections of the eye, especially fungal keratitis and endophthalmitis, are major causes of concern and if left untreated could lead to vision loss. Currently, natamycin (polyene antifungal) is the only commercially available topical agent used for the treatment of ocular fungal infections. The other antifungals, belonging to the polyene and azole classes, are used off-label in treating ocular infections and are administered topically, orally, intraocularly, or systemically. Even though their use through the different routes of administration has shown favorable outcomes, challenges such as poor ocular penetration, low bioavailability, ocular toxicity, and systemic side effects limit their utility. Hence, in search of alternative strategies, the echinocandin class of antifungals are currently being assessed for their use in ocular infections. Their evaluation in the ophthalmic arena has been propelled by their efficacy, safety, and tolerability reports in the treatment of systemic invasive fungal infections. This review compiles the reports on the ocular investigations of the 3 commercially available echinocandins-caspofungin, micafungin, and anidulafungin-to understand their potential as ocular antifungal agents.