cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A guide to the constitutional structures and electoral systems of east, south and southeast Asia

In 1997 an economic crisis swept through much of Asia. In addition to the various proximal causes of the crises, e.g. overvalued exchange rates, lax banking regulations, etc., political structures have received much attention. Some claim that problems in countries’ political structures set the stage for the crisis. Others argue that governments’ responses to the crisis were helped or hindered by existing political institutions. However, research on the consequences of Asian political institutions is hampered by a lack of basic information on the different constitutional and electoral frameworks around the region. This article is an attempt to help fill this void by providing a description of the constitutional structures and electoral systems of 17 Asian-Pacific countries since 1945.  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vasopressin in oligohydramnios-induced lung hypoplasia.

ABSTRACT: Experimentally-induced oligohydramnios (oligo) produces lung hypoplasia. To determine if arginine vasopressin (AVP), a hormone known to decrease fetal lung fluid production, contributes to the pathogenesis of oligo-induced lung hypoplasia, the following experiment was performed. Brattleboro rats were mated to produce litters either with AVP [heterozygotes (HZ)] or without AVP [homozygotes (HO)]. On d 15 of gestation, half of each litter underwent amniocentesis to create persistent oligo. Littermates with intact membranes served as controls. Four groups of fetuses, i.e 10 HO litters divided into control (44 fetuses) and oligo (25 fetuses), and eight HZ litters divided into control (35 fetuses) and oligo (18 fetuses), were killed at term for measurement of organ weights and biochemical determination of lung development. Significant differences between control and oligo groups were observed for body weight (HO, p = 0.008; HZ, p = 0.03), lung weight (<0.001 for both crossings), lung/body weight ratio (<0.001 for both), DNA per lung (HO, p = 0.02; HZ, p < 0.001), and lung dry/wet ratio (HO, p < 0.001; HZ, p = 0.001). Oligo groups with and without AVP were not found to be different for lung weight (p = 0.217), lung/body weight ratio (p = 0.209), and DNA per lung (p = 0.822). An analysis of variance confirmed the lack of any significant difference of the impact of oligo in the presence or absence of AVP. We conclude that AVP plays no role in the development of oligo-induced lung hypoplasia.
Down-regulation of hepatic LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) in chronic renal failure

Down-regulation of hepatic LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) in chronic renal failure. Background Chronic renal failure (CRF) is associated with premature atherosclerosis, impaired high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated reverse cholesterol transport, depressed clearance, and elevated plasma concentrations of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), chylomicrons, and their atherogenic remnants. LDL receptor-related protein (LRP) is a member of the LDL receptor gene family that is heavily expressed in the liver, and mediates removal of at least 30 different ligands, including VLDL remnants (IDL) and chylomicron remnants. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the well-known defect in clearance of IDL and chylomicron remnants in CRF may be indicative of diminished hepatic LRP abundance. Methods Hepatic tissue LRP mRNA abundance [reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)] and protein abundance (Western blot analysis) were determined in rats 8 weeks after 5/6 nephrectomy (CRF group) or sham operation (control group). Results The CRF group exhibited hypertension, diminished creatinine clearance, increased plasma triglyceride concentration, and elevated total cholesterol-to-HDL cholesterol concentration ratio compared to the corresponding values found in the control group. This was associated with a significant down-regulation of hepatic LRP mRNA expression and immunodetectable LRP protein. Conclusion CRF results in down-regulation of hepatic LRP. This abnormality can, at least in part, account for the previously documented elevation of plasma concentration and depressed clearance of chylomicron remnants and IDL in CRF.
The sterols of pine bark

Abstract The sterols of several pine barks have been shown to consist predominantly of β-sitosterol with about one-tenth as much campesterol. The presence of traces of various dihydrosterols, cholesterol, α 1 -sitosterol, triterpenoids, Δ 3,5 -stigmastadien-7-one, Δ 4 -stigmasten-3-one, and 7-keto-β-sitosterol was indicated. Possible biosynthetic interrelationships are discussed.
The role of mathematical methods in physical theories

Permit me first to express my regret at my inability to attend this occasion and to express my great appreciation for the honor which The Franklin Institute has conferred upon me.
Activation of Protein Kinase C βII by the Stereo-specific Phosphatidylserine Receptor Is Required for Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Thymocytes by Resident Murine Tissue Macrophages

Abstract We showed previously that protein kinase C (PKC) is required for phagocytosis of apoptotic leukocytes by murine alveolar (AMo) and peritoneal macrophages (PMo) and that such phagocytosis is markedly lower in AMo compared with PMo. In this study, we examined the roles of individual PKC isoforms in phagocytosis of apoptotic thymocytes by these two Mo populations. By immunoblotting, AMo expressed equivalent PKC η but lower amounts of other isoforms (α, βI, βII, δ, e, μ, and ζ), with the greatest difference in βII expression. A requirement for PKC βII for phagocytosis was demonstrated collectively by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced depletion of PKC βII, by dose-response to PKC inhibitor Ro-32-0432, and by use of PKC βII myristoylated peptide as a blocker. Exposure of PMo to phosphatidylserine (PS) liposomes specifically induced translocation of PKC βII and other isoforms to membranes and cytoskeleton. Both AMo and PMo expressed functional PS receptor, blockade of which inhibited PKC βII translocation. Our results indicate that murine tissue Mo require PKC βII for phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, which differs from the PKC isoform requirement previously described in Mo phagocytosis of other particles, and imply that a crucial action of the PS receptor in this process is PKC βII activation.
Uniqueness and Estimation of Three-Dimensional Motion Parameters of Rigid Objects with Curved Surfaces

Two main results are established in this paper. First, we show that seven point correspondences are sufficient to uniquely determine from two perspective views the three-dimensional motion parameters (within a scale factor for the translations) of a rigid object with curved surfaces. The seven points should not be traversed by two planes with one plane containing the origin, nor by a cone containing the origin. Second, a set of ``essential parameters'' are introduced which uniquely determine the motion parameters up to a scale factor for the translations, and can be estimated by solving a set of linear equations which are derived from the correspondences of eight image points. The actual motion parameters can subsequently be determined by computing the singular value decomposition (SVD) of a 3×3 matrix containing the essential parameters.
An associative model to minimize matching and backtracking overhead in logic programs with large knowledge bases

Abstract A model is presented which exploits data level massive parallelism present in associative computers for the efficient execution of logic programs with large knowledge bases. The exploitation of data parallelism in goal reduction efficiently prunes non-unifiable clauses resulting in effective reduction of shallow backtracking, and marks the potential bindings for the variables with single occurrence in a manner which is independent of the number of clauses. During deep backtracking, bindings are released simultaneously using associative search resulting in a significant reduction in execution time overhead of backtracking and garbage collection. A scheme for a logical data structure representation incorporating direct interface between lists and vectors is described. This allows the efficient integration of symbolic computation and a large class of vectorizable numerical computation on associative supercomputers.
Pulmonary small cell carcinocythaemia.

23 Schei B. Physically abusive spouse—a risk factor of pelvic inflammatory disease? Scand J Prim Health Care 1991; 9: 41–45. 24 Golding JM, Taylor DL, Menard L, King MJ. Prevalence of sexual abuse history in a sample of women seeking treatment for premenstrual syndrome. J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol 2000; 21: 69–80. 25 Parsons LH, Zaccaro D, Well B, Storval TG. Methods of and attitudes toward screening obstetrics and gynecology patients for domestic violence. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995; 173: 381–86. 26 D’Avolio D, Hawkins JW, Haggerty LA, et al. Screening for abuse: barriers and opportunities. Health Care Women Int 2001; 22: 349–62. 27 Swahnberg K, Wijma B. The norvold abuse questionnaire (NorAQ): validation of new measures of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and abuse in the health care system among women. Eur J Public Health (in press). 28 Wijma B, Schei B, Swahnberg K. NorAQ: the norvold abuse questionnaire. Report no 2. Linkoping: Division of Women’s Health, Faculty of Health Science, Linkoping University, 2003. 29 Gorey KM, Leslie DR. The prevalence of child sexual abuse: integrative review adjustment for potential response and measurement biases. Child Abuse Negl 1997; 21: 391–98. 30 Swahnberg K, Wijma B, Schei B, Hilden M, Irminger K, Wingren G. Are sociodemographic and regional factors associated with prevalence of abuse? A Swedish prevalence study on emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and abuse in the health care system among patients at three gynecological clinics and women in a randomized population sample. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand (in press). 31 Moeller TP, Bachmann GA, Moeller JR. The combined effects of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse during childhood: long-term health consequences for women. Child Abuse Negl 1993; 17: 623–40. 32 Williams LM. Recall of childhood trauma: a prospective study of women’s memories of child sexual abuse. J Consult Clin Psychol 1994; 62: 1167–76. (erratum in J Consult Clin Psychol 1995; 63: 343). 33 Coid J, Petruckevitch A, Feder G, Chung W-S, Richardson J, Moorey S. Relation between childhood sexual and physical abuse and risk of revictimisation in women: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet 2001; 358: 450–54. 34 Yehuda R. Risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorders. Washington: American Psychiatric Press, 1999. 35 Heise L, Ellsberg M, Gottmoeller M. A global overview of genderbased violence. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2002; 78 (suppl 1): S5–14. 36 Jehu D. Long-term consequences of child sexual abuse: presentation and management in gynaecological practice. In: von Schoultz B, ed. Reproductive life: advances in research in psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology. Stockholm: Parthenon Publishing, 1992. ARTICLES
Potential for Using Native Plant Species in Stormwater Wetlands

Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass) was grown under five hydroperiods (wet–dry cycles) to determine its potential for use in stormwater wetlands, particularly as an alternative to the highly invasive Phalaris arundinacea (an exotic grass). Rhizomes planted in outdoor microcosms grew vigorously in all treatments, namely, weekly flooding in early summer, weekly flooding in late summer, flooding every three weeks throughout the summer, weekly flooding throughout the summer, and no flooding. Neither the timing nor frequency of 24-hour floods (10–20 cm deep) affected total stem length (grand mean 1003 ± 188.8 cm per pot, n = 140) or above-ground biomass (46.5 ± 8.3 g per pot, equivalent to ∼360 g/m2). However, by late summer, fewer new tillers were found in unflooded microcosms, indicating that vegetative expansion is drought-sensitive. The growth of Spartina plants was further assessed with and without Glyceria striata (a native grass) and Phalaris arundinacea. Glyceria growth was not affected by hydrologic treatment. Glyceria reduced Spartina growth by approximately 11%, suggesting potential as a cover crop that might reduce establishment and growth of Phalaris seedlings. Seeds of Phalaris did not germinate, but branch fragments established where soil was moist from flooding, regardless of the presence of Glyceria. The ability of Spartina to establish vegetatively and grow well under variable water levels leads us to recommend further testing in stormwater wetlands, along with early planting of Glyceria to reduce weed invasions.
Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Lactose in Whey and Aqueous Solutions

Abstract Lactose in fresh cottage cheese whey and aqueous solutions was successfully hydrolyzed in .5, 1, 2, and 3 Normal hydrochloric acid at 50, 60 and 70C. First-order rate constants and half-times were calculated from glucose released by hydrolysis. Rates in both whey and aqueous lactose solutions were comparable at 50 and 60C whereas at 70C whey lactose rates appeared consistently lower than aqueous lactose rates (by approximately 10 to 20%). This was attributed to loss of free glucose through the browning reaction. Undesirable side reactions were minimized by conducting the hydrolysis at temperatures well below 100C. The data demonstrate the feasibility of using mineral acid for whey lactose hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of lactose in whey (both acid and sweet) and aqueous solutions was unsuccessful at pH 4.7 and 90C being less than 1% after 96h of heat treatment. Hydrolysis was also insignificant in acid whey and aqueous lactose solutions containing 5 and 10% lactic acid after treatment for 150h at 60C.
Measurement of pH near dissolving enteric coatings.

Abstract Previous authors have predicted the pH at the surface of enteric coatings using mathematical models. The purpose of our work is to experimentally determine the pH. A modified laser spectrometer was constructed to excite fluorescein in the medium above a dissolving enteric coating—hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate (HP) in buffer (pH 6.5 and 7.0) in the absence and presence of forced convection. As predicted by mathematical models, the pH near dissolving enteric coatings is reduced relative to bulk pH. The reduction in pH is 0.2 to 0.4 depending upon the pH of the buffer relative to the p K a of the polymer. The pH near (i.e. about 250 μm from the surface) HP-50 is lower than that near HP-55 under the same conditions. The experimental data agree to a first approximation with data from mathematical models.
The Tolerance of Light in Nonphotophobic Individuals

Results are given concerning the tolerance for light, as determined by glarometric methods readily adapted to clinical investigations, of 144 persons who did not complain of ocular discomfort nor sensitiveness to light under ordinary conditions. Frequency distributions of glare-out measurements are given for binocular and monocular observations of the target under a specified intensity of illumination. Data are presented concerning the effects produced on glare-out values by the use of various absorptive filters, changes in intensity of the illumination at the fixation target, and changes in the spectral character of the glare field. From the Division of Physics and Biophysical Research of the Mayo Foundation. Abridgment of thesis submitted by Dr. E. C. Albers to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ophthalmology. Work done in the Division of Physics and Biophysical Research.
Microwave dielectric properties measurements of potential HTSC substrate materials

Abstract The dielectric properties of some potential substrate materials for the high-Tc superconducting film were measured at 5 to 11 GHz by using different microwave resonance techniques at 300 K and 77 K. The dielectric constants and quality factors of ceramics Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3, Sr(Al1/2Ta1/2)O3, Sr(Al1/2Nb1/2)O3, Sr(Ga1/2Ta1/2)O3, and their solid solutions with NdGaO3 and LaAlO3 were measured. These materials have shown dielectric constants in the range 10.7 to 26.9 and quality factors 1,750 to 35,200 at 77 K. Discussions about the suitable microwave measurement techniques are also given. The accuracies for both the dielectric constant and the quality factor measurements are within 2%.
Efficient and privacy-preserving data aggregation in mobile sensing

The proliferation and ever-increasing capabilities of mobile devices such as smart phones give rise to a variety of mobile sensing applications. This paper studies how an untrusted aggregator in mobile sensing can periodically obtain desired statistics over the data contributed by multiple mobile users, without compromising the privacy of each user. Although there are some existing works in this area, they either require bidirectional communications between the aggregator and mobile users in every aggregation period, or has high computation overhead and cannot support large plaintext spaces. Also, they do not consider the Min aggregate which is quite useful in mobile sensing. To address these problems, we propose an efficient protocol to obtain the Sum aggregate, which employs an additive homomorphic encryption and a novel key management technique to support large plaintext space. We also extend the sum aggregation protocol to obtain the Min aggregate of time-series data. Evaluations show that our protocols are orders of magnitude faster than existing solutions.
Molecular analysis of an alcohol dehydrogenase-encoding genomic clone (adh2) from rice.

An alcohol dehydrogenase-encoding gene was isolated from a rice genomic library. The coding region was sequenced, and the gene was identified as adh2. The nucleotide sequence of this gene contains an open reading frame which is interrupted by nine introns. Sequences that are important for eukaryotic gene expression, e.g. the TATA box, polyadenylation signal, intron/exon junction and putative splicing branch sites, are found in the expected locations in the rice adh2. A sequence related to the hexanucleotide core of regulatory elements identified in anaerobically induced plant genes is also present in the 5' region of the rice adh2.
Differential Functions of the C. elegans FGF Receptor in Axon Outgrowth and Maintenance of Axon Position

Wiring of the nervous system requires that axons navigate to their targets and maintain their correct positions in axon fascicles after termination of axon outgrowth. We show here that the C. elegans fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), EGL-15, affects both processes in fundamentally distinct manners. FGF-dependent activation of the EGL-15 tyrosine kinase and subsequently the GTPase LET-60/ras is required within epidermal cells, the substratum for most outgrowing axon, for appropriate outgrowth of specific axon classes to their target area. In contrast, genetic elimination of the FGFR isoform EGL-15(5A), defined by the inclusion of an alternative extracellular interimmunoglobulin domain, has no consequence for axon outgrowth but leads to a failure to postembryonically maintain axon position within defined axon fascicles. An engineered, secreted form of EGL-15(5A) containing only its ectodomain is sufficient for maintenance of axon position, thus providing novel insights into receptor tyrosine kinase function and the process of maintaining axon position.
Timing of hormone therapy and dementia: the critical window theory revisited.

Objective: Although previous research has shown that initiation of postmenopausal estrogen hormone therapy (HT) in late life increases risk of dementia, animal studies and some observational studies have suggested that midlife use of HT may be beneficial; however, this has not been rigorously investigated in large population-based studies. Our objective was to compare HT use in midlife with that in late life on risk of dementia among 5,504 postmenopausal female members of an integrated healthcare delivery system. Methods: HT use was determined at midlife (mean age, 48.7 years) from a survey in 1964 and in late life (mean age, 76 years) using pharmacy databases from 1994 to 1998. Risk of dementia diagnosis was evaluated with inpatient and outpatient diagnoses made in Neurology, Neuropsychology, and Internal Medicine from 1999 to 2008. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine effects of HT use at different times on dementia risk with adjustment for age, education, race, body mass index, number of children, and comorbidities. Results: A total of 1,524 women (27%) were diagnosed with dementia during the follow-up period. Compared to women never on HT, those taking HT only at midlife had a 26% decreased risk (multivariate adjusted hazards ratio [aHR], 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58–0.94 ), whereas those taking HT only in late life had a 48% increased risk (aHR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.10–1.98), and women taking HT at both mid and late life had a similar risk of dementia (aHR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.78–1.34 ). Interpretation: These findings suggest that use of HT in midlife only may protect against cognitive impairment, whereas HT initiation in late life could have deleterious effects. ANN NEUROL, 2010
Agonistic Behavior in Captive Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, Pheucticus Ludoviciaivus (L.)

1. Agonistic behavior in captive Rose-breasted Grosbeaks generally resembles that of other "finches" which have been studied, but differs in detail. For example the wings are typically flicked, flashing the colored under wing coverts, rather than raised or quivered; head thrusting and bill snapping were not seen; tail-spreading is uncommon. 2. Predictability of action subsequent to behavior elements is generally poor. 3. At least four elements are, however, accompanied by a change in the predictability of subsequent action, and are considered indicators of change in motivation. 4. Two-factor combinations of elements with opposite predominant tendencies (attack and escape) have an increased probability of being followed by "staying in place" over the component elements when given separately. It is argued that this may be the result of conflict between attack and escape. 5. At least two of four elements tested have signal value in that their occurrence correlates with a change in the probability of the reactor's response. One of two elements tested modifies the signal value of a third element when they occur together.
The Theory, Structure, and Techniques for the Inclusion of Children in Family Therapy: A Literature Review.

Many barriers prevent therapists from including young children in family therapy, despite the theoretical belief that every family member should be present. Although there is a wealth of literature describing how to include children, the information has not been compiled in a way that is easily accessible to therapists. In this article, we report the findings of an exhaustive and systematic literature review of 64 publications, published between 1972 and 1999, related to including children in family therapy. The purpose of this article is to offer therapists a succinct compilation of theoretical, structural, and practical aspects as well as a comprehensive listing of specific techniques for including children in family therapy.
A Robust QTL Mapping Procedure.

Abstract In quantitative trait linkage studies using experimental crosses, the conventional normal location-shift model or other parameterizations may be unnecessarily restrictive. We generalize the mapping problem to a genuine nonparametric setup and provide a robust estimation procedure for the situation where the underlying phenotype distributions are completely unspecified. Classical Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney statistics are employed for point and interval estimation of QTL positions and effects.
Demo: Protecting visual secrets with privateeye

Consider the following scenario from the not-too-distant future: the CEO of a company is presenting his vision for the next quarter to a small group of co-workers. The CEO trusts everyone in the room, but many in attendance have smartphones and camera-equipped wearable computing devices running third-party apps. The CEO is worried that this third-party software could leak the highly confidential information in his slides and on the whiteboard. This raises the question: how can the CEO prevent apps with camera access from leaking company secrets?First, the CEO must have a way of identifying or marking visual secrets. Markings should be: (1) easy to create by hand and with digital tools, and (2) easy and efficient to recognize by software. Marking visual secrets by placing QR-codes or badges near them makes real-time recognition difficult due to scaling problems (particularly at far distances). Moreover, precisely encoding a two-dimensional region surrounding a visual secret in a QR-code or badge would be too awkward and slow for users. Finally, general-purpose object recognition is too slow and consumes too much energy.In this demo, we present PrivateEye, a system that prevents visual secrets from inadvertently leaking. PrivateEye consists of two pieces: (1) a specification for marking a two-dimensional space as secret, and (2) software on a recording device for recognizing markings and obscuring visual secrets in real-time. Figure 1(a) and 2(a) show examples of how PrivateEye users can define a region containing visual secrets by combining solid and dotted lines. Depending on the medium, users can define secret regions by hand (e.g., on a whiteboard) or use digital tools (e.g., within a presentation).PrivateEye is based on the principle that preventing leaks requires visual information to be withheld from third-party apps until the system can be confident that it is safe to reveal. As a result, PrivateEye works in three phases. Phase 1 requires the camera view to stabilize. During this phase, PrivateEye completely blurs the camera view so that apps cannot infer secret information from an image capture. Once the camera view stabilizes, PrivateEye enters Phase 2, in which the system detects all the rectangles in the camera view. At this point, all the detected rectangles appear blocked to the user (Figure 1(b) and 2(b)). PrivateEye then moves on to Phase 3. In this phase, the system searches each blocked rectangle for secret markings (i.e., dotted rectangles). PrivateEye can safely reveal the content of rectangles without secret markings to an app; however, the system must continue to block any rectangles containing secret markings. If PrivateEye detects that the camera view has changed, then it must return to Phase 1.During the demo, PrivateEye will be running on Google Nexus 4 and Google Glass. We plan to invite the audience to use one of these devices and view some of the objects already marked secret. We will also let them draw the markers around some text on a whiteboard. This will help the audience to understand the usability and effectiveness of PrivateEye.
Cognitive control of pain: Attention to the sensory aspects of the cold pressor stimulus.

Two studies were conducted to replicate and extend previous work (Leventhal, Brown, Schaham, & Engquist, 1979) on the distress-reducing effects of attention to the sensory aspects of a painful stimulus. In the first study subjects exposed to the cold pressor were randomly assigned to three groups: (1)Attention group, instructed to attend to the sensory components of the cold pressure experience by actively verbalizing the sensations they were experiencing; (2)Distraction group, instructed to name their high school courses and teachers; and (3)Emotive group, instructed to express emotion associated with the cold pressor experience. As predicted, the Attention group reported the least distress, the Emotive group the most, and the Distraction group an intermediate amount. The second study replicated the effects of the Attention and Distraction groups using threshold and tolerance as the main dependent measures. Tolerance but not threshold was significantly increased in the Attention group. A third study also examined subjects' predictions of how given strategies would affect pain tolerance. Subjects predicted that the Attention and Emotive strategies would increase pain, whereas Imagining Numbness and Positive Imagery would decrease pain.
Open-field behavior in eight taxa of muroid rodents

Open-field behavior was observed in 10-min tests of 10 males of each of eight taxa of muroid rodents. Results parallel those of an earlier study of muroid rodents by Wilson, Vacek, Lanier, and Dewsbury (1976). Considerable variation among species was found for measures of locomotion, boli deposited, and most other behavioral patterns recorded. As in the Wilson et al. (1976) study, animals displayed a strong tendency to seek walls. Correlation coefficients between measures of locomotor-exploratory behavior and number of boli are presented for 20 taxa of muroid rodents; no support is found for a negative correlation between these measures for these taxa.
A light-inducible CRISPR-Cas9 system for control of endogenous gene activation

Optogenetic systems enable precise spatial and temporal control of cell behavior. We engineered a light-activated CRISPR-Cas9 effector (LACE) system that induces transcription of endogenous genes in the presence of blue light. This was accomplished by fusing the light-inducible heterodimerizing proteins CRY2 and CIB1 to a transactivation domain and the catalytically inactive dCas9, respectively. The versatile LACE system can be easily directed to new DNA sequences for the dynamic regulation of endogenous genes.
Graph-based techniques to speed up floorplan area optimization

Abstract A well known approach for the floorplan area optimization problem is to first determine a list of all non-redundant implementations of the entire floorplan and then select an optimal floorplan from the list [1–7]. For large floorplans, this approach may fail due to insufficient memory space available to store the implementations of sub-floorplans generated during the computation. An effective method to reduce memory usage is as follows: During the computation, whenever the set of non-redundant implementations of a sub-floorplan exceeds a certain predefined size, we only retain a subset of the implementations that can best approximate the original set. In this paper, we present two algorithms to optimally select implementations for rectangular and L-shaped sub-floorplans. Our algorithms can be applied to existing floorplan area optimization algorithms such as [3–7] to improve their performances. The common key idea of our two algorithms is to reduce the problem of optimally selecting a subset of implementations to a constrained shortest path problem, which we can solve optimally in polynomial time. We have incorporated the two algorithms into [7] and obtained very encouraging experimental results.
Estimation of fermentation parameters using partial data

Frequently state variables in fermentation processes cannot be measured for the lack of sensors or interference. For example, in complex medium fermentations it is nearly impossible to obtain reliable estimates of the cell concentration. Absence of such data makes it difficult to model the fermentation process accurately. In such situations a mathematical technique called external differential representation (EDR) can be used to identify the system model by estimating the parameters in the absence of part of the data. The objective of this method is to rewrite the system equations in terms of the higher order differential equations in the input and output variables. This reduces the number of state variables needed to estimate the parameters. Additionally, relationships between the measured variables and the measured outputs and known inputs can also be developed which can be used to predict the unmeasured states. The reconstruct-ibility of the system with the selected output is central to this analysis. This method is demonstrated on two systems—gibberellin and gramicidin S fermentations. The external differential representation in each case is used to identify the system parameters using only partial data, and the accuracy in predicting the unmeasured variables is checked with the complete data.
Boundary layer phenomena for differential-delay equations with state-dependent time lags: III

In this paper we begin a study of the differential-delay equation $$\varepsilon x'(t) = - x(t) + f(x(t - r)), r = r(x(t))$$ .
A statistical evaluation of near-ground frost processes.

Abstract Nocturnal shelter-to-grass minimum temperature differences were related to various meteorological and soil conditions using stepwise multiple linear regression. Stratified by season, the regression indicated that cloud cover, wind speed, and dewpoint depression were the most significant variables for spring, explaining 64.7% of the variance in differences in temperature between the shelter and grass thermometers. For the autumn season, the equation reduced only 24.7% of the variance. Employing the best spring regression model on 13 years of data, the mean date of the last 0° C occurrence at the grass level was calculated to be one week later than the last shelter level occurrence of 0°C. The last frost occurrence in spring is commonly a radiative type occurring with generally clear skies, light winds, and low relative humidities.
A stability concept for matrix game optimal strategies and its application to linear programming sensitivity analysis

This paper studies a class of perturbations of a game matrix that alters each row by a different amount. We find that completely mixed optimal strategies are stable under these perturbations provided the norm of the vector of additive amounts is sufficiently small. Using this concept we give a new characterization of completely mixed grames. We also obtain a sensitivity result for a class of perturbations of the technological coefficient matrix of positive linear programs. The stability of an optimal strategy holds throughout at least a spherical neighborhood of the zero perturbation. We give a computational formula and equivalent programming formulations for the radius of this neighborhood.
Aspects of deposit-feeding by the Polychaete Clymenella torquata

Abstract Clymenella torquata (Polychaeta: Maldanidae) traditionally is considered a sub-surface deposit-feeder. We report an undescribed behavior in which the worm uses its posterior segments to collect surface material. Sediment obtained in this manner can be used for tube construction or can be ingested. Laboratory experiments monitoring the effect of Clymenella on sub-surface bacteria suggest that the polychaete can stimulate their growth (‘gardening’). We propose that surface deposit-feeding helps to explain several aspects of the worm's biology (gut contents, dichromatism, and regeneration of posterior segments).
Memristors, memristive devices and systems in nano era

This talk starts with review of memristor and memristive systems and discusses how they can change the traditional circuit paradigm based on resistor, capacitor, and inductor. In 1971 memristor was postulated by Leon Chua through analysis of functional relationship between charge and flux, d=Mdq. In 1976, Chua and Kang introduced fundamental properties of the memristive devices and systems as a superclass of memristors and showed that many physical systems can be categorized as memristive devices and systems.
Accuracy of the Born and Ray Approximations for Time-Distance Helioseismology of Flows

Time-distance helioseismology has been used extensively to study mass flows (for example, flows associated with supergranulation), active regions, and sunspots. In nearly all of these studies the sensitivity of travel times to subsurface flows has been modeled using the first-order ray approximation. The Born approximation has been proposed as a more accurate alternative. In this paper we study the accuracy of the ray and Born approximations by comparison with numerical simulations of acoustic wave propagation through simple flows in two dimensions. The numerical experiments show that the Born approximation captures the basic behavior of the travel times except when the flow is strong enough that a significant reflected wave is seen. As expected, the first-order ray approximation fails to capture scattering effects.
Clinical review 25: Current status of pancreas transplantation.

PANCREAS transplantation is the only treatment of Type I diabetes that establishes an insulin-independent euglycemic state (1, 2). Glycosylated hemoglobin levels are normalized for as long as the graft functions (3). The penalty for achieving such a state is the need for immunosuppression. In contrast to heart and liver grafts, pancreas transplantation is not a life-saving procedure. Thus, for nonuremic patients with or without early nephropathy, pancreas transplants have been performed only when the problems of diabetes were perceived to be more serious than the potential side-effects of antirejection drugs (4). However, for uremic diabetic patients who are already best treated by a kidney transplant, the addition of a pancreas has become routine (5, 6), since such patients are already obligated to immunosuppression (currently a combination of cyclosporine, azathioprine, and corticosteroids for maintenance, with antilymphocyte agents used for induction therapy or treatment of rejection episodes). Effect ...
Spiperone enhances intracellular calcium level and inhibits the Wnt signaling pathway.

Wnt signaling affects fundamental development pathways by regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes the development of several cancers and is an attractive target for chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents. In order to identify the novel antagonists for the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, we employed a cell-based Wnt reporter system (TOPflash) to screen a library of 960 known drugs. We identified spiperone, a psychotropic drug, as a novel Wnt inhibitor, which specifically blocks canonical Wnt signaling prior to the activation of β-catenin. The Wnt inhibitory function of spiperone is not associated with its dopamine-, serotonin- and sigma-receptor antagonist properties. Instead, spiperone increases intracellular calcium levels in a similar manner to thapsigargin, that also impedes Wnt signal transduction. Inhibition of protein kinase C had no effect on spiperone-mediated antagonism of Wnt signaling. Spiperone is a calcium regulator. It inhibits Wnt signaling by enhancing intracellular calcium levels.
The Impact of Research Universities on Regional Economies: The Concept of University Products

In what ways do research universities interact with regional economies? The answer to this central question can be found in a framework of the interaction of university products and necessary facto...
Dynamic contact maps of protein structures.

Abstract The two-dimensional contact map of interresidue distances is a visual analysis technique for protein structures. We present two standalone software tools designed to be used in combination to increase the versatility of this simple yet powerful technique. First, the program Structer calculates contact maps from three-dimensional molecular structural data. The contact map matrix can then be viewed in the graphical matrix-visualization program Dotter. Instead of using a predefined distance cutoff, we exploit Dotter’s dynamic rendering control, allowing interactive exploration at varying distance cutoffs after calculating the matrix once. Structer can use a number of distance measures, can incorporate multiple chains in one contact map, and allows masking of user-defined residue sets. It works either directly with PDB files, or can use the MMDB network API for reading structures.
Emergency Medicine and the Debate Over the Uninsured: A Report From the Task Force on Health Care and the Uninsured

Abstract [Cetta MG, Asplin BR, Fields WW, Yeh CS. Emergency medicine and the debate over the uninsured: a report from the Task Force on Health Care and the Uninsured. Ann Emerg Med. September 2000;36:243-246.]
Promise of New Vascular-Disrupting Agents Balanced With Cardiac Toxicity: Is It Time for Oncologists to Get to Know Their Cardiologists?

Willem J. van Heeckeren, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH Shyam Bhakta and Jose Ortiz, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, CASE School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH Jeff Duerk, Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, CASE School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH Matthew M. Cooney, Afshin Dowlati, Keith McCrae, and Scot C. Remick, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Developmental Therapeutics Program, CASE Comprehensive Cancer Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
Chemical Patterning and Physical Refinement of Reactive Superhydrophobic Surfaces

An approach to the modification and post-fabrication chemical patterning of amine-reactive superhydrophobic surfaces is reported. The approach is based on the layer-by-layer fabrication of azlactone-containing polymer multilayers, and permits the direct covalent attachment and subsequent patterning of chemical and biological "inks" using a variety of practical and low-cost pattern-transfer methods.
A model for the delivery of culturally competent community care

A model for the delivery of culturally competent community care Aim. To describe the proposed Culturally Competent Community Care (CCCC) model, and the process of development and testing of the model. Background. Community health nurses are challenged to provide culturally competent care in all types of communities. However, existing models have not provided community nurses with specific guidelines, and none attempt to explain the effects of culturally competent care on populations in community settings. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a model that is comprehensive in its description of the dimensions of culturally competent care in community-based settings and that also requires a focus on ethnic populations. The model is essential for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. Methods. Based on literature review and concept analysis, three constructs of the Culturally Competent Community Care Model were developed. Two of the constructs, the health care system and health outcomes, were developed based on a literature review. The main construct of the model, cultural competence, was developed after a concept analysis, following the development and testing of the Cultural Competence Scale (CCS). Interviews with eight community health nurses and a survey by five community nurse experts were conducted in order to refine and confirm the dimensions of cultural competence and its impact on health outcomes. Conclusions. The proposed dimensions of culturally competent care are caring, cultural sensitivity, cultural knowledge, and cultural skills. This model focuses on the relationship between cultural competence and health outcomes for culturally diverse populations. The framework provides specific guidelines for community nurses in developing and assessing cultural competence and meeting the health needs of diverse communities.
Pit Initiation at Single Sulfide Inclusions in Stainless Steel III. Mathematical Model

Mathematical modeling was used to simulate the dissolution of single MnS inclusion within an electrochemical microcell. The model allowed for the evaluation of the hypothesis of mechanism of pit initiation based on a critical concentration of thiosulfate ions in the presence of chloride ions, which results in depassivation if the stainless steel As a result of inclusion dissolution. the concentration of thiosulfate increased to values consistent with critical concentrations observed experimentally for pit initiation. Dissolution of inclusions led to modest local acidification. hut not to the low pH values associated with passivity breakdown. The model defined the dimensionless parameter space under which thiosulfate and sulfide species would he expected to occur as a consequence of inclusion dissolution. Based on the hypothesis of critical thiosulfate initiation mechanism, the predictions of pitting potential for 304 stainless steel in chloride solutions were within experimental variation; the chloride concentration dependence was smaller than observed experimentally.
L-band erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

WDM systems are being planned that will use the long-wavelength (L-band) or extended (E-Band) band of the erbium-doped fiber in coordination with the conventional band (C-band). Appending the L-band will ultimately double the available transmission bandwidth and reduce impairments due to nonlinearities in the fiber plant. The development of L-band EDFAs is proceeding at an aggressive pace, and it is anticipated that these next generation amplifiers will have a significant impact on lightwave communication systems in the very near future. This paper introduces (1) the motivation for L-band amplifiers, (2) technical issues related to development of commercial amplifiers, and (3) fundamental differences between C-band and L-band behavior.
The Process and Impact of an ICU Nurse Support Group

This questionnaire study of a nurse support group on a pediatric intensive care unit confirms previous subjective reports of increased morale and better communication. The authors were also able to demonstrate reduced turnover rate of ICU nurses at the same that the turnover rate for the rest of the hospital increased, and found that the group had a positive influence on nurses' lives away from the hospital.
Proportional Representation, Majoritarian Legislatures, and Coalitional Voting

Voters in elections under plurality rule face relatively straightforward incentives. In proportional representation systems, voters face more complex incentives as electoral outcomes don’t translate as directly into policy outcomes as in plurality rule elections. A common approach is to assume electoral outcomes translate into policy as a vote-weighted average of all party platforms. However, most of the world’s legislatures are majoritarian institutions, and elections in PR systems are generally followed by a process of coalition formation. Results obtained using this assumption are not robust to the introduction of even minimal forms of majoritarianism. Incentives to engage in strategic voting depend on considerations about the coalitions that may form after the election, and the voters’ equilibrium strategies are shaped by policy balancing and the postelectoral coalition bargaining situation, including considerations about who will be appointed the formateur.
OVERSHOOT AT THE BASE OF THE SOLAR CONVECTION ZONE: A SEMIANALYTICAL APPROACH

Despite the importance of overshoot at the base of the solar convection zone for the storage of strong toroidal magnetic field produced there by the solar dynamo, uncertainties concerning the depth and mean subadiabatic stratification remain large. Overshoot models based on the nonlocal mixing-length theory generally produce a shallow, weakly subadiabatic region with a sharp transition to the radiative interior, whereas several numerical simulations lead to significantly subadiabatic overshoot with penetration depth of more than a pressure scale height. We present a semianalytical convection zone/overshoot region model based on the assumption that the convective energy flux is governed by coherent downflow structures starting at the top of the domain and continuing all the way down into the overshoot region, which allows for modeling both the parameter regime addressed by nonlocal mixing-length approach and the regime addressed by numerical simulations. It turns out that the main differences between the nonlocal mixing-length approach and numerical simulations (nearly adiabatic vs. strongly subadiabatic overshoot) are caused by the much larger energy flux used in numerical simulations as a consequence of larger thermal diffusivities required by numerical constraints. The depth of the overshoot region is determined predominantly by the mixing between downflows and upflows in the convection zone. Furthermore, our model shows that the sharp transition between the nearly adiabatic overshoot and radiative interior, a typical result of the nonlocal mixing-length approach, can be avoided by assuming an ensemble of downflows with different strength.