cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gonadal Regulation of Hypothalamic Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Release in Primates

This review has examined, in primates, the action of sex steroids on the neural timing mechanism that governs the intermittent release of GnRH by the hypothalamus, the so-called GnRH pulse generator. Determinants of hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator frequency have generally been examined indirectly by monitoring moment to moment fluctuations in circulating LH concentrations. Studies using this approach have led to the hypothesis that negative feedback control of LH secretion by the testes is mediated by the action of T, or of one of its metabolites, to retard the frequency of the GnRH pulse generator. P also appears capable of decelerating GnRH pulse frequency during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, but the physiological significance of this phenomenon remains to be clarified. To date, a cognate action of E2 on the GnRH pulse generator has not been described. Because of limitations in contemporary technology, the factors underlying amplitude modulation of the GnRH pulse generator are less well understood. In addition to the ability of certain sex steroids to decelerate the frequency of pulsatile GnRH discharge, E2 and P appear capable of facilitating the secretion of this hypothalamic releasing factor. However, the increase in GnRH pulse frequency and/or GnRH pulse amplitude that must underlie these stimulatory actions remains to be fully defined. An inhibitory action of high levels of circulating cortisol on the hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator has also been noted.
The Dynamic Z Bands of Striated Muscle Cells

The distribution of proteins in the sarcomeres of skeletal and cardiac muscle gives rise to the striated pattern of these muscles. Sarcomeric protein localization is not, however, permanently fixed. There is dynamic exchange of proteins between a cytosolic pool and the sarcomere, addition of newly synthesized proteins during development and repair, and aberrant redistribution of proteins due to mutations. Recent studies have shown that two groups of proteins that localize in the sarcomere Z band can relocate, in one case to the A band, and in the other to the nucleus.
Extrathyroid carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE) tumor--a new case report and review of literature.

Background. We report a case of extrathyroid carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE) tumor. Methods. A 47-year-old man had a left neck mass that gradually enlarged over approximately 3 months. Sonography and CT scans showed a soft tissue mass located at the left parapharyngeal space with displacement of left carotid artery and submandibular gland. Results. After total excision, the pathologic diagnosis was CASTLE tumor. The patient then received radiotherapy with a total dosage of 6600 cGy. After 21 months of postoperative follow up, there was no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion. Generally, the treatment of choice is surgical excision with or without radiotherapy. Because CASTLE tumors have been reported to be radiosensitive, however, and because local recurrence is common, surgical excision with postoperative radiotherapy is suggested. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck27: XXX–XXX, 2005
Role Profiles for Managers in Different Functional Areas

This study systematically assessed the various roles essential to managers in different functional areas of organizations. A sample of 352 production, sales, and staff managers from both large and small organizations in a variety of industries was asked to rate the various roles required by their positions. The analysis of variance results indicates that 6 of the 10 roles are influenced by functional area. A quadratic discriminant analysis was utilized to identify a role profile for managers in the different functional areas. Implications for management development are discussed. The field of management has matured greatly since the turn of the twentieth century. The evolution of management thought has clearly moved from the early process view of managerial work, which focused on the organizational activities carried out by managers (planning, organizing, controlling, and so on) to the action view emphasizing the skills needed or roles adopted by managers for effectively dealing with numerous challenges and problems confronting their organizations. In describing managerial work, Mintzberg (1980) has contributed much to the action view of managerial work. After reviewing the relevant studies. Mintzberg concluded that the manager’s job can be described in terms of various roles or organized sets of behaviors identified with a particular position (1975). The roles identified by Mintzberg consist of three interpersonal roles (figurehead, leader,
Bacterial degradation of airborne phenol in the phyllosphere

Despite the vast surface area of terrestrial plant leaves and the large microbial communities they support, little is known of the ability of leaf-associated microorganisms to access and degrade airborne pollutants. Here, we examined bacterial acquisition and degradation of phenol on leaves by an introduced phenol degrader and by natural phyllosphere communities. Whole-cell gfp-based Pseudomonas fluorescens bioreporter cells detected phenol on leaves that had previously been transiently exposed to gaseous phenol, indicating that leaves accumulated phenol; moreover, they accumulated it in sites that were accessible to epiphytic bacteria and to concentrations that were at least 10-fold higher than those in the air. After inoculated leaves were exposed to gaseous 14C-phenol, leaves harbouring the phenol-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain CF600 released eight times more 14CO2 than did leaves harbouring a non-degrading mutant, demonstrating that CF600 actively mineralized phenol on leaves. We evaluated phenol degradation by natural microbial communities on green ash leaves that were collected from a field site rich in airborne organic pollutants. We found that significantly more phenol was mineralized by these leaves when the communities were present than by these leaves following surface sterilization. Thus, phenol-degrading organisms were present in these natural communities and were metabolically capable of phenol degradation. Collectively, these results provide the first direct evidence that bacteria on leaves can degrade an organic pollutant from the air, and indicate that bacteria on leaves could potentially contribute to the natural attenuation of organic air pollutants.
Quasi-Reduced-State Soft-Output Viterbi Detector for Magnetic Recording Read Channel

Reduced-state trellis detection with decision feedback is widely used to reduce the energy consumption of trellis detectors, particularly for soft-output trellis detectors that are energy-hungry by nature. However, the decision feedback tends to increase the circuit critical path and, more important, makes it difficult to apply some well-proven high-speed trellis detector design techniques such as bit-level pipelining. This paper presents a method, referred to as quasi-reduced-state trellis detection, to tackle such speed bottlenecks. The basic idea is to simply obviate the use of decision feedback by mapping only the data storage block of the trellis detector onto a reduced-state trellis and keeping the trellis state metric computation on the original full-state trellis. This makes sense because the data storage block tends to dominate the overall energy consumption while the decision feedback is due to the reduced-state trellis metric computation. Therefore, it is intuitive that such quasi-reduced-state detectors may largely maintain the energy saving potentials of reduced-state trellis detection without being subject to decision-feedback-induced speed bottlenecks. We demonstrated the effectiveness of this proposed design method by using soft-output Viterbi algorithm (SOVA) detection for a magnetic recording read channel as a test vehicle.
The Integrated Room Layout for a Semiconductor Facility Plan

Layout study is important because layout largely determines the initial investment and production efficiency of a plant as compared with other downstream activities. Especially for semiconductor production, the continued miniaturization of chips requires increased investment and operating cost. While approximately one billion U.S. dollars was necessary for a new semiconductor fab in 1995, manufacturers today need to invest two to three times that for the same type of facility. This research presents a new integrated room layout for a semiconductor fab. Machine tools are laid out in four large rooms. The tools in each room are connected by one overhead hoist transporter/overhead shuttle loop. This layout increases direct inter bay transportation, product mix change flexibility, and routing flexibility and reduces transportation time and initial investment cost. The performance of this new layout is compared with the integrated bay layout that is favorably considered and being used in the literature and industry. This comparison uses data provided by International SEMATECH.
The Influence of Pregnancy and Gender on Perivascular Innervation of Rat Posterior Cerebral Arteries

The authors investigated the influence of pregnancy and gender on the density of trigeminal and sympathetic perivascular nerves in posterior cerebral arteries (PCA) and the reactivity to norepinephrine and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). PCAs were isolated from nonpregnant, late-pregnant, postpartum, and male rats, mounted and pressurized on an arteriograph chamber to obtain concentration-response curves to norepinephrine and CGRP. Arteries were immunostained for CGRP-, tyrosine hydroxylase-, and protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5)-containing perivascular nerves, and nerve density was determined morphologically. Pregnancy had a trophic effect on trigeminal perivascular innervation (P < .01 vs male); however, this was not accompanied by a change in reactivity to CGRP. Sympathetic and PGP 9.5 nerve densities were not altered by pregnancy or gender, and there were no differences in reactivity to norepinephrine. Together, these results suggest that the increase in trigeminal innervation during pregnancy is more related to nociception than in controlling resting cerebral blood flow.
Stability analysis of collision resolution protocols with retransmission diversity

A class of collision resolution protocols [(B)NDMA] has recently been introduced for slotted packet multiple access, building on the concept of retransmission diversity. These protocols offer the means to improve upon random splitting-based collision resolution protocols, at a moderate complexity cost. However, stability of these protocols has not been established, and the available steady-state analysis is restricted to symmetric (common-rate) systems. In this paper, we formally analyze stability of (B)NDMA, by providing sufficient conditions that guarantee ergodicity of the associated embedded Markov chain. A key tool is the concept of dominant system, which we borrow from the literature on stability analysis of finite population slotted ALOHA. After establishing stability, we take a fresh look at steady-state analysis, bypassing the earlier generating function approach, using instead only balance equations which hold for a stable system. This approach allows dealing with asymmetry (multirate systems), yielding expressions for throughput and delay per queue. Finally, we generalize BNDMA and the associated stability analysis to multicode systems.
Low-cost compact spiral inductor resonator filters for system-in-a-package

In this paper, compact resonator filters embedded in package substrate are proposed using compact spiral resonators. The design is based on the self-resonance frequency of the spiral inductors and electromagnetic coupling effects among resonators. The filters were built and measurement results have good agreement with the simulation data. The proposed filter design technique is generalized and can be implemented in different multilayer arrangements. These new compact inductor resonator filters exhibit a significant size reduction compared to existing distributed filter topologies. The inductor resonator filter designs are based on full-wave electromagnetic analysis. A lumped element equivalent circuit based on the simulated data of the filter is also derived for integration in SPICE-type simulators. The compactness of the newly developed bandpass filter makes the design and integration of bandpass filters attractive for further development and applications in system-in-a-package (SIP) applications.
Biological and isotopic changes in coastal waters induced by Hurricane Gordon

The effects of a major storm event (Hurricane Gordon) on the biogeochemistry of Atlantic coastal and Gulf Stream waters were investigated during a research cruise in November 1994. Prestorm, NH4+, NO3+, and PO4−3 concentrations were consistently well below 1 μM, whereas after the storm, nutrient concentrations were higher in the surface-water samples: >2 μM, in some instances. Primary and secondary (bacterial) production were stimulated by factors of 5 and 2, respectively, up to 4 d following the storm. Bioassay experiments showed that additions of inorganic N stimulated chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations, 14CO2 fixation, and stable isotope fractionations both before and after the storm, but the addition of phosphate had a greater impact in post-storm experiments. The δ15n of particulate nitrogen (PN) varied from +5 to +1.5‰ before Gordon, then afterward attained a consistent value of +3.0‰. Sedimentary organic δ15n values were similar to water-column organic N, and the δ15n of dissolved NH4+ from surface sediments (+4.0‰) almost matched the δ15n of water-column particulates. These results indicate that storm-generated winds mixed sediments along with dissolved nutrients into surface waters, which supported a rapid increase in water-column primary production.
Reorganization of Miocene deep water circulation in response to the shoaling of the Central American Seaway

[1] The response of ocean circulation to the shoaling of the Central American Seaway (CAS) is investigated using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM). In contrast to earlier model studies, it is found that significant amounts of deep water are formed in the North Atlantic prior to the closure of the CAS. However, the circulation pattern is fundamentally different from the modern ocean. In the upper layers of the CAS, there is a relatively strong geostrophic flow from the Pacific to the Atlantic, controlled by the pressure difference across the seaway. However, when the CAS is deeper than the level of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) outflow, a significant amount of NADW passes through the CAS to the Pacific Ocean. In the Pacific, the deep water traverses the basin from east to west in a relatively narrow zonal jet, and becomes a southward flowing western boundary current, before it joins with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) to the south. This implies that deep sea sediment records from the Miocene Pacific Ocean could have been influenced by relatively young NADW and provides a new framework for the interpretation of geochemical tracer data. Diversification of benthic foraminifer fauna suggests that the CAS shoaled to a depth of about 1000 m toward the end of the middle Miocene. This would have prevented the passage of NADW to the Pacific and established the modern deep water circulation pattern at that time.
Effect of Lipid Raft Disruption on Ethanol Inhibition of L1 Adhesion

Background: Alcohol causes fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in part by disrupting the function of the neural cell adhesion molecule L1. Alcohol inhibits L1-mediated cell–cell adhesion in diverse cell types and inhibits L1-mediated neurite outgrowth in cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). A recent report indicates that ethanol (EtOH) induces the translocation of L1 into CGN lipid rafts and that disruption of lipid rafts prevents EtOH inhibition of L1-mediated neurite outgrowth. The same butanol– pentanol cutoff was noted for alcohol-induced translocation of L1 into lipid rafts that was reported previously for alcohol inhibition of L1 adhesion, suggesting that EtOH might inhibit L1 adhesion by shifting L1 into lipid rafts. Methods: The NIH/3T3 cell line, 2A2-L1s, is a well-characterized EtOH-sensitive clonal cell line that stably expresses human L1. Cells were treated with 25 mM EtOH, 5 lM filipin, or both. Lipid rafts were enriched in membrane fractions by preparation of detergent-resistant membrane (DRMs) fractions. Caveolin-1 was used as a marker of lipid rafts, and L1 and Src were quantified by Western blotting in lipid-raft-enriched membrane fractions and by immunohistochemistry. Results: EtOH (25 mM) increased the percentage of L1, but not Src, in 2A2-L1s membrane fractions enriched in lipid rafts. Filipin, an agent known to disrupt lipid rafts, decreased the percentage of caveolin and L1 in DRMs from 2A2-L1s cells. Filipin also blocked EtOH-induced translocation of L1 into lipid rafts from 2A2-L1s cells but did not significantly affect L1 adhesion or EtOH inhibition of L1 adhesion. Conclusions: These findings indicate that EtOH does not inhibit L1 adhesion in NIH/3T3 cells by inducing the translocation of L1 into lipid rafts.
5‐Methylthio‐1H‐tetrazole

[29515-99-9] C2H4N4S (MW 116.15) InChI = 1S/C2H4N4S/c1-7-2-3-5-6-4-2/h1H3,(H,3,4,5,6) InChIKey = ZBXNFTFKKOSPLD-UHFFFAOYSA-N (coupling agent for the synthesis of oligonucleotides using the phosphoramidite method) Physical Data: mp 149–151 °C. Solubility: partially soluble in water; soluble in DMF and CH3CN. Form Supplied in: crystalline solid. Preparative Methods: this reagent can be readily prepared from methyl thiocyanate and sodium azide in the presence of ammonium chloride in anhydrous DMF.1, 2 Alternatively, it can be prepared by the reaction of methyl thiocyanate and sodium azide in water with zinc bromide as the catalyst.3 Purification: recrystallize from water or dioxane. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: this reagent should be handled with precaution. It may be irritating to the eyes, the respiratory system, and harmful to the skin. Avoid contact with strong heat and metal salts since tetrazoles may be explosive. It should be stored in the dark in a desiccator.
Some disparid crinoids from the Upper Ordovician (Shermanian) Walcott-Rust quarry of New York

Abstract Iocrinus trentonensis Walcott, 1883 is characterized by the widest food grooves and the largest covering plates of any of the Walcott-Rust Quarry crinoids, which indicates that the animal captured relatively large food particles with large and widely separated tubefeet. Although iocrinids are generally considered as primitive disparids, their anal sac is unique. The holdfasts of I. trentonensis consist of distal stem coils that are tightly wrapped around the columns of other crinoids. The relatively long column of Ectenocrinus simplex (Hall, 1847) was attached to a wide range of shelly substrates by a small irregular and somewhat lobate holdfast. Ectenocrinids ate much smaller food items that were collected by smaller and more tightly packed tubefeet. The ontogeny of E. simplex illustrates the differences between the food gathering systems of conspecific crinoids from shallow and deep water habitats. The calceocrinid Calceocrinus barrandii Walcott, 1883 lived with its long stem forming a runner a...
Regulation of the mammalian cell cycle: a model of the G1-to-S transition.

We have formulated a mathematical model for regulation of the G1-to-S transition of the mammalian cell cycle. This mathematical model incorporates the key molecules and interactions that have been ...
Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy assay for quercetin and conjugated quercetin metabolites in human plasma and urine.

Abstract A sensitive and specific method was developed and validated for the quantitation of quercetin in human plasma and urine. The application of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with a TurboIonspray (TIS) interface in negative mode under multiple reactions monitoring was investigated. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C12 column using a mobile phase of acetonitrile/water with 0.2% formic acid (pH 2.4) (40/60, v/v). The detection limit was 100 pg/ml and the lower limit of quantification was 500 pg/ml for plasma samples; the detection limit was 500 pg/ml and the lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/ml for urine samples. The calibration curve was linear from 1 to 800 ng/ml for plasma samples and was linear from 1 to 200 and 50 to 2000 ng/ml for urine samples. All the intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were less than 11% and intra- and inter-day accuracies were within ±15% of the known concentrations. This represents a LC/MS/MS assay with the sensitivity and specificity necessary to determine quercetin in human plasma and urine. This assay was used to determine both parent quercetin and the quercetin after enzymatic hydrolysis with β-glucuronidase/sulfatase in human plasma and urine samples following the ingestion of quercetin 500 mg capsules.
New Concepts in Antibody-Mediated Immunity

After stimulating the development of immunology in the early 20th century, the study of the functional aspects of antibody-mediated immunity (AMI) stagnated in the 1960s because the function of antibodies (Abs) was considered understood and available Ab preparations were limited to polyclonal immune sera. Abs in polyclonal sera are heterogeneous, and the uniqueness of each preparation with respect to specificity and isotype posed formidable problems in achieving consistency, reliability, and reproducibility in Ab experimentation. The limitations inherent in studies of AMI with polyclonal sera, combined with the discovery of T cells, an increased interest in cell-mediated immunity, and later a rediscovery of innate immunity, steered immunology research away from studies of AMI. However, by the late 1980s the development of monoclonal antibody (MAb) technology, the discovery of Fc receptors (FcR), and the generation of mice with defined genetic deficiencies made possible studies that rekindled interest in the basic mechanisms of AMI. More than a dozen MAbs are now licensed for clinical use for diverse indications, such as prophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus disease in neonates, treatment of Crohn's disease, prevention of coronary artery closure after angioplasty, and therapy of refractory rheumatoid arthritis (65). In addition, the fact that the use of passive Abs is currently the only means to provide immediate immunological protection against biological weapons in immunologically naive populations has stimulated new interest in AMI (9, 13). The availability of new technologies to study AMI and the need for specific, rapidly acting therapies for new and emerging diseases have led to the discovery of new Ab functions that have broadened the classical views of AMI. This review will focus primarily on insights that have emerged from studies with whole Ab molecules, which are the natural products of B cells. However, many contributions to the field of AMI and promising clinical reagents have also come from studies with Ab fragments and antibody-derived peptides, although to date fewer studies have addressed the mechanisms of efficacy for these reagents.
Complete Replication of Hepatitis C Virus in Cell Culture

Many aspects of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle have not been reproduced in cell culture, which has slowed research progress on this important human pathogen. Here, we describe a full-length HCV genome that replicates and produces virus particles that are infectious in cell culture (HCVcc). Replication of HCVcc was robust, producing nearly 10(5) infectious units per milliliter within 48 hours. Virus particles were filterable and neutralized with a monoclonal antibody against the viral glycoprotein E2. Viral entry was dependent on cellular expression of a putative HCV receptor, CD81. HCVcc replication was inhibited by interferon-alpha and by several HCV-specific antiviral compounds, suggesting that this in vitro system will aid in the search for improved antivirals.
Satellite grouping and routing protocol for LEO/MEO satellite IP networks

The rapid growth of Internet-based applications pushes broadband satellite networks to carry on IP traffic. In previously proposed connectionless routing schemes in satellite networks, the metrics used to calculate the paths do not reflect the total delay a packet may experience. In this paper, a new Satellite Grouping and Routing Protocol (SGRP) is developed. It divides Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites into groups according to the the footprint area of the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites in each snapshot period. Based on the delay reports sent by LEO satellites, MEO satellite managers compute the minimum-delay paths for their LEO members. The snapshot and group decision method is detailed, the performance of SGRP is evaluated through simulations and analysis.
Role of Neurotrophins and Trk Receptors in the Development and Maintenance of Sensory Neurons: An Overview

The neurotrophins are a family of polypeptide neuronal growth factors related to the prototypical neurotrophic factor, nerve growth factor (NGF). In mammals this gene family encompasses NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophins-3 and -4/5, (NT-3, NT-4/5). The neurotrophins initiate signal transduction in responsive cells by ligand induced dimerization and activation of one of the Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases; NGF being specific for TrkA, BDNF and NT-4/5 for TrkB, and TrkC the preferred receptor for NT-3. In accord with differential patterns of distribution of Trk receptors in peripheral ganglia, the neurotrophins show both distinct and overlapping specificity towards subpopulations of sensory neurons of both neural crest and neural placode origin. In vitro and in vivo studies, and transgenic mice baring targeted null mutations of the neutrophin genes have established that BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4/5, like NGF, play critical roles as classical target-derived survival factors for subclasses of developing sensory neurons. However, much broader effects of neurotrophins on sensory neurons are now evident, including paracrine and autocrine actions on neuroblast proliferation, phenotypic differentiation, and survival and regeneration in the adult. This article provides an overview of the discovery and properties of the neurotrophin family, their receptors and their actions and specificity for both distinct and overlapping subpopulations of spinal and cranial sensory neurons.
Analysis of asynchronous binary arbitration on digital-transmission-line buses

The widely used asynchronous binary arbitration scheme on the digital-transmission-line model for buses is analyzed. A common misconception is that in this model, binary arbitration settles in at most four units of bus-propagation delay, regardless of the number of arbitration buses. This conjecture is disproved by showing that the settling time of binary arbitration depends on the arrangement of modules on the bus lines. An arrangement of modules on m buses for which binary arbitration settles only after m/2 units of bus-propagation delay is presented. It is also proved that for any arrangement of modules on m buses, binary arbitration settles in at most m/2+2 units of bus-propagation delay. It is then shown that for linear arrangements of modules in increasing order of priorities and equal spacings between modules, three units of bus-propagation delay are necessary and sufficient for binary arbitration to settle. >
Bariatric surgery to unload the stressed heart: a metabolic hypothesis

Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Data from the Framingham Study have reported a higher incidence of heart failure in obese individuals compared with a normal cohort. The body initially copes with the abundance of fuel present in an obese milieu by storing it in adipose tissue. However, when the storage capacity is exceeded, the excess energy is taken up and stored ectopically as fat in vital organs such as the heart. Indeed, intramyocardial lipid overload is present in hearts of obese patients, as well as in hearts of animal models of obesity, and is associated with a distinct gene expression profile and cardiac dysfunction. By imposing a metabolic stress on the heart, obesity causes it to hypertrophy and ultimately to fail. Conventional measures to treat obesity include diet, exercise, and drugs. More recently, weight loss surgery (WLS) has achieved increasing prominence because of its ability to reduce the neurohumoral load, normalize metabolic dysregulation, and improve overall survival. The effects of WLS on systemic metabolic, neurohumoral, and hemodynamic parameters are well described and include an early normalization of serum glucose and insulin levels as well as reduction in blood pressure. WLS is also associated with reverse cardiac remodeling, regression of left ventricular hypertrophy, and improved left ventricular and right ventricular function. By targeting the source of the excess energy, we hypothesize that WLS improves contractile function by limiting exogenous substrate availability to the metabolically overloaded heart. These changes have also been found to be associated with increased levels of adiponectin and improved insulin sensitivity. Taken together, the sustained beneficial effects of WLS on left ventricular mass and function highlight the need to better understand the mechanism by which obesity regulates cardiovascular physiology.
On the utility of land surface models for agricultural drought monitoring

The lagged rank cross-correlation between model- derived root-zone soil moisture estimates and remotely sensed vegetation indices (VI) is examined between Jan- uary 2000 and December 2010 to quantify the skill of var- ious soil moisture models for agricultural drought monitor- ing. Examined modeling strategies range from a simple an- tecedent precipitation index to the application of modern land surface models (LSMs) based on complex water and energy balance formulations. A quasi-global evaluation of lagged VI/soil moisture cross-correlation suggests, when globally averaged across the entire annual cycle, soil moisture esti- mates obtained from complex LSMs provide little added skill (< 5 % in relative terms) in anticipating variations in veg- etation condition relative to a simplified water accounting procedure based solely on observed precipitation. However, larger amounts of added skill (5-15 % in relative terms) can be identified when focusing exclusively on the extra-tropical growing season and/or utilizing soil moisture values acquired by averaging across a multi-model ensemble.
Identification of a human specific Alu insertion in the factor XIIIB gene.

The factor XIIIB gene was examined to determine the nature of a previously described 300 bp restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) seen in the human population. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of different regions within the factor XIIIB gene was carried out to define a high resolution map of the region encompassing the polymorphism, followed by DNA sequence analysis. AnAlu insertion was found to be the source of this variation. ThisAlu repeat is a member of the human specific-1 (HS-1) subfamily, although one of the five diagnostic nucleotides is a cattarhine specific (CS) subfamily mutation, suggesting that it may represent an intermediate form in the evolution between these two subfamilies. Subsequently, we developed a PCR-based assay to detect the polymorphism, rendering it a more useful marker for genetic linkage studies and genome mapping. This insertion is also a valuable polymorphism for human population studies, as demonstrated by the large variations in allele frequencies seen in three population groups.
Precise assembly of 3D truss structures using MLE-based error prediction and correction

We describe a method to construct precise truss structures from non-precise commodity parts. Trusses with precision in the order of micrometers, such as the truss of a space telescope, have previously been built using precisely machined truss connection systems. This approach is expensive, heavy, and prone to failure, e.g. when a single element is lost. In the past, we have proposed a novel concept in which non-precise commodity parts can be aligned using intelligent precision jigging robots and then welded in place. Even when using highly precise sensors and actuators, this approach can still lead to errors due to thermal expansion and structural deformation. In this paper, we describe and evaluate algorithms for generating truss assembly sequences that reduce the expected error by 1 using a heuristic to generate build sequences that reduce the expected variance, and 2 during assembly, estimating the structure's pose using maximum likelihood estimation that combines local measurements by different intelligent precision jigging robots, improves this estimate during loop closures in the construction process, and uses this estimate to correct for errors during construction. We show through simulation and physical experiment that this combined approach reduces assembly error, enabling precision construction with commodity materials. While the model herein is based on truss structures, the proposed methods generalize to a larger class of incremental assembly problems, which exhibit continuous rather than discrete errors.
3Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in the adrenals of normal and hypophysectomized chick embryos. 1.

SummaryThe adrenals of white Leghorn embryos were examined for histochemically demonstrable 3 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) using pregnenolone (P) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) as substrates. Traces of P- and DHA-3 β-HSD activity were seen as early as stage 22 (3.5-4 days) in adrenocortical cells of normal embryos. These activities gradually increased through 8 days of incubation and were evenly distributed throughout the adrenal, however, the P-3 β-HSD was always greater than the DHA-3 β-HSD activity. From 9 days through hatching the adrenals showed a narrow peripheral cortical zone of high P-3 β-HSD and low DHA-3 β-HSD and a large central zone of low P-3 β-HSD and high DHA-3 β-HSD activity. Many of the adrenals of hypophysectomized embryos lacked cortical zones, however, when they did occur the peripheral was always wider and the central smaller than those of normal or shamoperated controls. From 12 through 19 days, peripheral zone P-3 β-HSD activity in hypophysectomized embryos was lower t...
Reductive Coupling of CO Templated by Iron Bound to the Tris(pyrrolide)ethane Scaffold

The reactivity of the high-spin (S = 2) [(Mestpe)Fe(THF)][Li(THF)4] (1) complex (Mestpe = tris(mesitylpyrrolide)ethane) with isocyanide and CO substrates is explored. Reaction of 1 with excess tBuN...
Ambiguity, Discretion, and the Sorites

Defendant l'idee selon laquelle l'objection d'equivoque opposee a certains paradoxes persiste bien au-dela des differentes solutions apportees aux paradoxes sorites, l'A. montre que la paradoxe du vague ne s'apparente pas a une forme d'ambiguite et que la distinction entre les deux notions releve de l'impossibilite d'une ambiguite d'ordre superieur. Definissant les conditions de l'equivoque en termes de possibilite alternative de sens et soulignant l'univocite de la notion d'ambiguite par sa nature discretionnaire, l'A. montre que l'univocite des paradoxes sorites releve de la these de la surevaluation, d'une part, et que les predicats vague possedent des limites decelables par la quantification negative, d'autre part
A study on PYLL among Residents in the City of Yuzhou(1974～2003)

Purpose To find out the influence of the death cause on the labor force and latent labor force.Methods Data from the life information system of Yu Zhou during 1974～2003 were used to analyse potential years of life lost(PYLL).Results For the age group of 1-65,the top eight PYLL death causes are as follows: injury,respiratory diseases,heart diseases,malignant tumor,infectious and parasitic diseases,digestive diseases,newborn infant diseases,and cerebral diseases.The first two leading cause of injury were traffic accident and suicide;Liver cancer in particular is the one that leads to the biggest life loss among all the cancer death causes.Conclusions It is very essential to prevent injury and to implement the prevention and treatment plan for HBV among high risk population.
SPCTA: An Analytical Framework for Analyzing Cyber Threats by Non-State Actors

The field of cybersecurity crosses multiple domains as it has risen to affect state governance. The Internet has enabled aspects of connectedness and capabilities that have the potential to effect state power. Such conditions affect the standing of nation-states within the international political system and their relation to other states. This is a matter of cyber-relations, where the behavior of states towards each other is based on the comparative cyber-capability of the state. Emerging conditions include the ability of non-state actors to wield similar cyber-power and affect state governance, and affect state operations and its contract with its constituents contract alluding to the provisions for the public good. This research addresses the notion of non-state actors within this context, specifically, proposing and analytical framework for analyzing cyber threats from non-state actors.
High-order localized time integration for grid-induced stiffness

We discuss two time integration techniques, aimed at overcoming local grid-induced stiffness in discontinuous Galerkin methods. A local time-stepping approach, utilizing the local properties of the scheme, is shown to work very well. Recently developed additive Runge-Kutta methods are more general and found to be promising when combined with efficient local preconditioning.
The Equity Risk Premium in 2012

We analyze the history of the equity risk premium from surveys of U.S. Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) conducted every quarter from June 2000 to March 2012. The risk premium is the expected 10-year S&P 500 return relative to a 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield. While the risk premium sharply increased during the financial crisis peaking in February 2009, the premium steadily fell until the second quarter 2010. The current surveys show that the premium has increased to near to the levels during the financial crisis. The survey also provides measures of cross-sectional disagreement about the risk premium, skewness, and a measure of individual uncertainty. We find that dispersion of beliefs is above average as well as individual uncertainty. We find little relation between our survey-based risk premium and a measure of the implied cost of capital that relies on individual firms’ forecasted future cash flows. We also present evidence on the determinants of the long-run risk premium. Our analysis suggests the level of the risk premium closely tracks both market volatility (reflected in the VIX index) as well as credit spreads. However, the most recent data show a puzzling divergence between VIX and our measure of the risk premium. Our analysis suggests that market volatility is inexplicably low.
Mechanosensitive Adhesion Explains Stepping Motility in Amoeboid Cells

Cells employing amoeboid motility exhibit repetitive cycles of rapid expansion and contraction and apply coordinated traction forces to their environment. Although aspects of this process are well studied, it is unclear how the cell controls the coordination of cell length changes with adhesion to the surface. Here, we develop a simple model to mechanistically explain the emergence of periodic changes in length and spatiotemporal dynamics of traction forces measured in chemotaxing unicellular amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. In contrast to the biochemical mechanisms that have been implicated in the coordination of some cellular processes, we show that many features of amoeboid locomotion emerge from a simple mechanochemical model. The mechanism for interaction with the environment in Dictyostelium is unknown and thus, we explore different cell-environment interaction models to reveal that mechanosensitive adhesions are necessary to reproduce the spatiotemporal adhesion patterns. In this modeling framework, we find that the other motility modes, such as smooth gliding, arise naturally with variations in the physical properties of the surface. Thus, our work highlights the prominent role of biomechanics in determining the emergent features of amoeboid locomotion.
Online Career Communities as a Tool for Proactive Socialization Amongst First Year Faculty (WITHDRAWN)

The transition period of organizational entry is critical for individuals as are the newcomer socialization strategies applied during it. Increasingly scholars have advocated for individuals to play a more proactive role, rather than relying solely on institutionally led socialization processes. The current research showcases how a career community tool can be used as a proactive socialization method upon entry into a first year faculty position. More specifically, a self-created, self-defined virtual career community was established in an effort to provide support and sensemaking during the transition from doctoral studies to professional practice.
The incidence of pulp healing defects with direct capping materials

Purpose To (1) study the injury and healing activity of the pulp tissue to calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2], resin composite (RC) and resin-modified glass-ionomer (RMGI) materials when used as direct pulp capping agents, and (2) compare the incidence of healing defects between these materials. Methods 135 Class V pulp exposed cavities were prepared in non-human primate teeth. Direct pulp capping was conducted over 6 to 730 days with hard set Ca(OH)2, RMGI and CR materials. Healing defects recorded were: (1) bacterial leakage with McKays stain; (2) operative debris including dentin fragments and particles of capping material; (3) pulpal inflammatory activity according to FDI standards; (4) area and absence of dentin bridge formation; and (5) presence of tunnel defects in bridge. Statistical analysis was evaluated using ANOVA. Results The capping materials were associated with varying levels of pulp healing defects, including tunnel defects (P= 0.0001); operative debris (P= 0.0001); pulpal inflammatory cell activity (P= 0.0073) and bacterial leakage (P= 0.0260). Other healing defects, and the area of dentin bridge were not influenced by capping materials (P> 0.05).
Navigating the SWIG Spaces

This paper explores faculty and student reflections on their experiences navigating the different learning spaces while participating in the Student Wiki Interdisciplinary Group, a technology-based collaboration project at Queensborough Community College. A survey of the participant's opinions on their technology readiness and preparation, their comfort with different learning spaces, and their movement across the spaces was administered online to gather data. The analysis of the reflections reveals that while most participants felt sufficiently prepared and supported, streamlining and ensuring consistent access to technology platforms would facilitate movement across the different spaces. Keywords: e-Portfolio; interdisciplinary collaboration; learning spaces; reflection eISSN 2514-751X © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Honey Bee Foraging Behavior

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the experiment of observing the foraging behavior of bees collecting carbohydrate resources. Honey bees gather nectar as a source of energy and gather pollen as a protein-rich food source for developing young. Flowers present a diverse array of potential resources to bees, and flowers differ in characteristics such as color, odor, and shape, as well as in the concentration and amount of nectar that they provide to foragers. The distribution, abundance, and quality of these resources are constantly changing. Optimal foraging theory examines how animals, when presented with choices among foods that have different energetic profitabilities, make choices among the available options. If honey bees forage optimally, one would predict that, given a choice, they would forage at the most "profitable" resource, that is, the one giving them either the greatest energy gain per unit time or the greatest gain per unit of foraging cost.
Academic Challenge, Motivation, and Self-Esteem

Secondary school students are assigned to various programs and classes that offer them different opportunities for learning (Hallinan, 1994; Oakes, 1985, 1992). A considerable number of studies have examined how students are assigned to programs and classes and what effect these different opportunities have on students’ academic performance, social behaviors, and educational aspirations (for a review of these studies, see Oakes, Gamoran, & Page, 1992). One persistent question is whether the quality of students’ daily experiences varies from class to class. For example, do students feel more challenged, motivated, and self-assured when they are in academic classes, compared to other classes directed at special activities such as band, or classes directed toward work such as processing? We suspect that the quality of students’ daily experiences is likely to affect their attitudes toward education and influence their tolerance for and perseverance in schooling.
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Complex Congenital Heart Disease

This chapter describes the application of echocardiography in the evaluation of complex congenital heart disease. The anatomy and the surgical repair, often performed during infancy, are explained for each diagnosis, providing the basis for evaluating these patients as they grow into adulthood. Each anatomic diagnosis actually represents a spectrum of disease severity. The specific variations, associated features, and severity of lesions may significantly affect the surgical repair strategy and resultant clinical status. Accordingly, serial postoperative echocardiographic assessments are based on knowledge of the anatomy and surgical repair.
Mosaic analysis using FLP recombinase.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the use of clones of cells to study the phenotype of mutations in isolated patches of tissue, within an otherwise wild-type. This application of mosaics is especially useful for the study of genes that are essential for the viability of the whole organism because specifically removing their function in isolated clones does not necessarily impair overall survival. In these experiments the effects of mutations, lethal or otherwise, can be examined on both the mutant and surrounding wild-type tissue. The chapter describes the use of FLP recombinase and novel cell markers to greatly facilitate this type of analysis and, in addition, allows the rapid isolation of mutations, including lethals, which affect the development and function of the fly. The methods have greatly improved the efficacy of traditional mosaic analysis and make it feasible to use this technique to screen for novel mutations. However, if certain tissues are made homozygous for some lethal mutations the flies will die. In this case, a high frequency of mosaicism may result in unacceptable mortality. If survival following heatshock is low, it is suggested that the duration of the heat treatment should be reduced.