cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alterations in Cx43 and OB-cadherin affect breast cancer cell metastatic potential.

Emerging evidence suggests that gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and expression of connexins (Cx) contribute to the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells. To more directly address this, an aggressive bone metastasis breast cancer cell line, MDA-MET (MET), was stably transfected with human Cx43 cDNA (MET/Cx43+). Focusing on clone 28 of MET/Cx43+, we demonstrated that GJIC, Cx43 protein and Cx43 mRNA were significantly increased in MET/Cx43+ cells relative to MET, the plasmid control for the Cx43 transfectants (MET/HY) and a metastatic breast cancer cell that is less metastatic to bone than MET, MDA-MB-231. Cx26 mRNA was also increased in MET/Cx43+ clone 28 cells while mRNA for Cx32, Cx37, Cx40 and Cx45 were not detected in any of the breast cancer cell lines examined. MET/Cx43+ clone 28 invasiveness was decreased by 33% relative to MET/HY, while their ability to migrate was unchanged. The ability of MET/Cx43+ clone 28 cells to adhere to hFOB and HUV-EC-C cells was decreased approximately 30% and 70%, respectively, relative to MET and MET/HY. E-cadherin and N-cadherin proteins were not detected in MET, MDA-MB-231, MET/Cx43+ clone 28 and MET/HY cells. However, OB-cadherin protein levels were decreased approximately 43% in MET/Cx43+ clone 28 relative to MET/HY cells. These findings suggest that GJIC and Cx43 expression contribute to breast cancer cell adhesion and migration, possibly through a mechanism involving OB-cadherin, and these changes in turn regulate the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells, especially to bone.
Hydrothermal carbonization of distiller's grains

Abstract Wet distiller’s grains are intermediate byproducts of ethanol manufacture that have high moisture contents and require significant energy for drying and conversion into dry distiller’s grains. Hydrothermal carbonization was investigated as a wet process to provide alternative products, and chars were obtained in moderate yield that possessed high heats of combustion. The mechanism of char formation was also investigated employing constituent materials representative of the chemical composition of distiller’s grains. Char formation was discovered to chiefly involve carbohydrates (other than cellulose) and proteins. A surprising discovery was that triacylglycerides and fatty acids created under the reaction conditions did not contribute to char yield and were adsorbed onto the chars and could be easily extracted.
Effects of shading on common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis) growth and development

Abstract Common waterhemp is a significant weed problem in Midwestern cropping systems partly because of its potential for multiple emergence events during the growing season. The effects of shade and time of emergence on this weed have not been characterized. In the field, common waterhemp vegetative and reproductive growth were evaluated under different irradiance levels at two emergence times. In full sunlight a common waterhemp plant emerging in late May produced 720 g of biomass and over one million seeds, and a plant emerging in late June produced 350 g of biomass and over 730,000 seeds. Plant biomass and seed production were lower as irradiance levels were decreased to 40, 68, and 99% shade. Mortality was high for common waterhemp grown in 99% shade; however, surviving plants produced some viable seed. Common waterhemp plants grown under reduced irradiance had higher leaf area ratios and lower relative growth rates. Nomenclature: Common waterhemp, Amaranthus rudis Sauer AMATA.
Early Holocene mortuary practices and hunter‐gatherer adaptations in southern Somalia

Abstract Recent archaeological excavations of a large rocksheiter at Buur Heybe, southern Somalia, resulted in the discovery of fourteen human burials of early Holocene age. The Gogoshiis Qabe burials represent: 1) the first primary context prehistoric skeletal remains from Somalia; 2) the earliest chronometrically dated burials from the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti); and 3) the earliest definitive evidence in eastern Africa for grave goods (lesser kudu horns). The mortuary data are examined in light of an ecological model of hunter/gatherer socio/territorial organization which predicts that when critical human resources are spatio/temporally unpredictable and scarce, hunter/gatherers are unlikely to bury their dead in formal burial areas or build grave monuments. Conversely, when resources are abundant and predictable across time and space, conditions will arise that favour the construction of grave monuments and/or formal burial areas, possibly as a means of ritualizing corporate linea...
A necessary and sufficient condition for the convexity in oligopoly games

Abstract This paper establishes a necessary and sufficient condition for the convexity (or supermodularity) in oligopoly games.
Reliability-based robust design optimization of vehicle components, Part I: Theory

The reliability-based design optimization, the reliability sensitivity analysis and robust design method are employed to present a practical and effective approach for reliability-based robust design optimization of vehicle components. A procedure for reliability-based robust design optimization of vehicle components is proposed. Application of the method is illustrated by reliability-based robust design optimization of axle and spring. Numerical results have shown that the proposed method can be trusted to perform reliability-based robust design optimization of vehicle components.
Molecular Simulation Study of Nafion Membrane Solvation in Water and Methanol

Molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulation studies of conformation and solvation of perfluorosulfate oligomers, representing fragments of Nafion membrane, have been performed. Two typical conformations of the oligomer, composed of 10 monomer units, have been found in a vacuum. A stretched geometry of the fluorocarbon skeleton with tortuosity of 2.4 was reached by energy optimization starting from the regular conformation with all CCCC angles in the trans position. A highly folded spiral-like configuration was obtained when the randomly bent chain was taken as the initial configuration. Molecular dynamics simulations of shorter oligomers solvated in water and methanol revealed a noticeable difference between the geometries of the fluorocarbon skeleton in different solvents. The skeleton structure in water was substantially more folded than in methanol. The side chain of the Nafion oligomers was found to be quite stiff; only a few conformational transitions in the side chain were detected. Both w...
Recognition of Histoplasma capsulatum yeast-cell antigens by human lymphocytes and human T-cell clones.

We have prepared a detergent extract from the cell wall and cell membrane of Histoplasma capsulatum yeast cells that is recognized by T cells from mice im- munized with viable organisms or with the extract. A 62-kd antigen from this extract has been isolated and has been shown to be antigenic and to confer protective im- munity in mice. In this study, we examined the in vitro proliferative response by human lymphocytes and human T-cell clones to both the extract from the cell wall and cell membrane and the 62-kd antigen, termed HIS-62. Seven healthy individuals were identified whose peripheral blood mononuclear cells responded to the cell wall and cell membrane extract from H. capsuiatum yeast cells. Mononuclear cells from all seven individuals recognized histoplasmin. T-cell clones were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a single person using the extract from cell wall and cell membrane as the antigenic preparation. Nineteen clones were propagated; all ex- pressed the surface phenotype CD3�, CD4�, T-cell recep- tor a/f3�. The clones were antigen-specific. Of 1 7 clones studied, none responded to extracts from Blastomyces dermatitidis or Coccidioides immitis or to tetanus toxoid. Sixteen of 19 clones recognized HIS-62 in vitro. Addi- tional analysis revealed that cells from each of the seven individuals who responded to the extract mounted a proliferative response to HIS-62. Thus, the extract from the cell wall and cell membrane and HIS-62 are targets of the human cell-mediated immune response to H capsulatuin. Moreover, HIS-62 appears to be an immunodominant antigen. J. Leukoc. Biol. 51: 432-436; 1992.
High-level modeling and simulation of single-chip programmable heterogeneous multiprocessors

Heterogeneous multiprocessing is the future of chip design with the potential for tens to hundreds of programmable elements on single chips within the next several years. These chips will have heterogeneous, programmable hardware elements that lead to different execution times for the same software executing on different resources as well as a mix of desktop-style and embedded-style software. They will also have a layer of programming across multiple programmable elements forming the basis of a new kind of programmable system which we refer to as a Programmable Heterogeneous Multiprocessor (PHM). Current modeling approaches use instruction set simulation for performance modeling, but this will become far too prohibitive in terms of simulation time for these larger designs. The fundamental question is what the next higher level of design will be. The high-level modeling, simulation and design required for these programmable systems poses unique challenges, representing a break from traditional hardware design. Programmable systems, including layered concurrent software executing via schedulers on concurrent hardware, are not characterizable with traditional component-based hierarchical composition approaches, including discrete event simulation. We describe the foundations of our layered approach to modeling and performance simulation of PHMs, showing an example design space of a network processor explored using our simulation approach.
Working together inside an emailbox

In this paper we look at a situation in which email is not simply a channel for collaboration and communication but a site of collaboration itself, involving email inboxes that are jointly accessed by more than one person. We conducted two studies of shared email usage. We learned about a diversity of shared email practices in 14 schools, museums, and support centers through semi-structured interviews and (where feasible) site visits. We also explored in depth one type of shared email usage: executives and assistants sharing an emailbox. We describe the strategies that people use today to meet their collaborative needs by exploiting mailbox structures they currently have. We close with a discussion of email as a site of reinvention - i.e., where users' work practices have given existing technology new meanings.
The Impact of Chemical Mechanical Planarization Polishing on a Surface Textured With Deterministic Microasperities

In this paper a method for fabricating deterministic microasperities on stainless steel by a photolithographic lift-off technique followed by electrodeposition of nickel is presented. Triangular asperities with an asperity area fraction of 0.20 are deposited onto a stainless steel disk. Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing is employed for adjusting the heights of the asperities. The surface profiles of the asperities are then characterized. Results show that the surfaces of the as-deposited asperities have a curved profile with one side shorter than the other. The surface profile becomes more uniform after polishing in the CMP machine but polishing tends to round the edges and corners of the asperities. Additionally, polishing results in the grooving of channel in the substrate in between the asperities and chips the asperity walls.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Stochastic modeling of short-term power consumption for smart grid: A state space approach and real measurement demonstration

In smart grid, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is an important task for predicting the power consumption such that the balance of supply and demand in power market can be achieved. For designing a good communication infrastructure for the smart meters, it is necessary to study the short term power consumption pattern which is equivalent to the information source pattern in communication systems. In this paper, we use a state space model to describe the dynamics of power consumption. The modeling is demonstrated using real measurement data.
Domain decomposition framework to hybridize different numerical methods for solving electrically large problems

This paper presents a domain decomposition (DD) framework to hybridize various numerical techniques for the solution of electrically large electromagnetic (EM) problems. The present method is largely composed of two major ingredients; 1) an efficient and effective FEM domain decomposition method (DDM) for the solution of sub-region problems. The current DDM is capable of taking advantage of both translational and rotational symmetries and is equipped with Krylov subspace solvers. 2) The application of the adaptive cross approximation algorithm for fast computation of inter-region interactions.
Diagnostic Utility of WISC-IV General Abilities Index and Cognitive Proficiency Index Difference Scores Among Children With ADHD

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition General Abilities Index and Cognitive Proficiency Index have been advanced as possible diagnostic markers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This hypothesis was tested with a hospital sample with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 78), a referred but nondiagnosed hospital sample (n = 66), a school sample with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 196), a school matched comparison sample (n = 196), and a simulated standardization sample (n = 2,200). On the basis of receiver operating characteristic analyses, the General Abilities Index-Cognitive Proficiency Index discrepancy method had an area under the curve of (a) .64, 95% CI [0.58, 0.71] for the hospital attention deficit hyperactivity disorder sample compared with the simulated normative sample, (b) .46, 95% CI [0.37, 0.56] for the hospital attention deficit hyperactivity disorder sample compared with the referred but nondiagnosed hospital sample, (c) .63, 95% CI [...
Use of RT CORBA in the U.S. Army

The military software developer has a strong mandate to push technology to its limits for superiority in warfare, both in weapons systems and in command and control (C2) systems; strategically, it is hoped that such superiority will minimize the likelihood of combat. Funding realities dictate shorter time to deployment to gain lower costs, and they demand the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions wherever possible to limit custom development. Reuse of frameworks and architectures promises to shorten design time, and reuse of third-party services and components helps to minimize implementation cycles. Capturing the design-intensive decisions associated with domain-dependent techniques as assets that can be used again and again will vastly simplify the building of future projects. These principles have been proven many times, and the paper includes the author's experiences in demonstrating these savings. In order to provide direction to the software developer, this report presents the US Army's approaches, focusing on Real-Time (RT) CORBA. The author concludes by providing lessons learned from this work and indicates future directions that can improve and extend the use of these technologies for military systems.
Performance surfaces of a single-layer perceptron

A perceptron learning algorithm may be viewed as a steepest-descent method whereby an instantaneous performance function is iteratively minimized. An appropriate performance function for the most widely used perceptron algorithm is described and it is shown that the update term of the algorithm is the gradient of this function. An example is given of the corresponding performance surface based on Gaussian assumptions and it is shown that there is an infinity of stationary points. The performance surfaces of two related performance functions are examined. Computer simulations that demonstrate the convergence properties of the adaptive algorithms are given. >
Environmental controls over net ecosystem carbon exchange of scrub oak in central Florida

Biological and physical controls regulating variation of seasonal and interannual ecosystem carbon exchange in a scrub oak ecosystem in central Florida were determined by measuring net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) between the atmosphere and vegetation using the eddy covariance technique continuously for 6 years (April 2000–March 2006). Total net ecosystem production (NEP) was nearly 20 t C m � 2 during the 6-year study and annual NEP for each phenological year (April–March) increased annually from 107 to 467 g C m � 2 year � 1 . Although this ecosystem was productive during all parts of each year, greatest absolute values of daytime NEE (NEEday max) were � 12.0 to � 16.0 mmol CO2 m � 2 s � 1 in the summertime when leaf area, air temperature and soil moisture peaked. NEEday max decreased in magnitude to its lowest point in March when leaf area was lowest, and ranged between � 7.6 and � 9.8 mmol CO2 m � 2 s � 1 . Mean monthly nighttime NEE (NEEnight) was between 2.0 and 6.9 mmol CO2 m � 2 s � 1 in the winter and summer, respectively, and was controlled primarily by temperature. Variation in seasonal NEP in this ecosystem occurred in three distinct phases. The first phase occurred in April through May with the emergence of new leaves and when soil respiration was low; daily carbon assimilation (1.0–2.4 g C m � 2 day � 1 ) was greatest during this 2-month period during which an average 38% of annual C assimilation occurred. During the second phase, June–September, the rate of carbon uptake (0.8–1.6 g C m � 2 day � 1 ) was dependent mainly on variation in temperature, precipitation and VPD; on average, only 12% of annual carbon assimilation occurred during these 4 months and in dry years (2000 and 2001), the ecosystem was a carbon source during this period. During the third phase, October– March, daily carbon assimilation (0.3–1.1 g C m � 2 day � 1 ) was intermediate between the first two phases, and accounted for nearly 50% of annual carbon accumulated during these 6 months. While mean daily NEP was highest in spring, NEEday reached its greatest intensity in summer. In order of importance, PPFD, temperature, SWC, LAI, and VPD regulated NEEday. Temperature and SWC were the main environmental variables controlling soil respiration, which was more than 85% of ecosystem respiration. Scrub oak represents a unique ecosystem in the southeastern US and within the Ameriflux network. These results are unique in establishing the role scrub oak plays in landscape and regional carbon budgets of this subtropical, evergreen, fire dependent and highly active ecosystem. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A fully sequential procedure for known and equal variances based on multivariate brownian motion

We consider the problem of identifying the system with the largest expected mean among a number of simulated systems. We provide a new fully sequential procedure whose continuation region is developed based on multivariate Brownian motion when the variances of the systems are known and equal. We provide an approximation to determine the procedure parameters and we show experimental results.
Booting Barnes: Explaining the Historic Upset in the 2002 Georgia Gubernatorial Election

Republican Sonny Perdue’s defeat of Democrat Roy Barnes in the 2002Georgia gubernatorial election was a stunning upset. Not only did Barnes,the incumbent, have history on his side—no Republican had been electedgovernor of Georgia since Reconstruction—he led in every pre-electionpoll and outspent Perdue six to one. To explain Perdue’s victory, we relyon a unique exit poll conducted by Fox News and a county-level statisticalmodel. Our analyses of these data show that several issues salient in thecampaign helped Perdue win. Specifically, Barnes was hurt by anger overhis positions on education reform and a drastic overhaul of the state flag.At the same time, the victory can be interpreted more broadly in terms of anongoing realignment among white Georgia voters.
Microbiologic and Histopathologic Assessment of Corneal Biopsies in the Evaluation of Microbial Keratitis

Purpose To investigate the utility of corneal biopsy in the evaluation of infectious keratitis; to compare results of culture and histopathologic examination of the same specimens; to investigate potential factors related to positive biopsy results. Design Retrospective, observational case series. Methods We reviewed medical records for all patients who underwent corneal biopsy because of infectious keratitis at the Jules Stein Eye Institute from June 1989 through June 2009. In general, biopsy specimens were both cultured and examined histopathologically. Lesion size, lesion progression, and interval from presentation to biopsy were analyzed as possible predictors of positive biopsies. Results Organisms were identified in 20 of 48 (42%) consecutive biopsies (positive cultures in 9 of 47 cases [19%]; positive histopathologic examination in 19 of 47 cases [40%]). Culture and histopathologic results were concordant in 30 of 46 biopsies (65%) for which both techniques were performed; 10 of the 16 discordant cases were culture-negative/histopathology-positive, while the remaining 6 had positive but discordant results for the 2 techniques (cultures all showed bacteria; histopathologic examination showed fungi or cysts consistent with Acanthamoeba sp.). Corneal biopsy revealed microorganisms in 12 of 27 patients (44%) with negative cultures of corneal scrapings obtained at presentation. None of the potential risk factors was statistically associated with positive biopsies. Conclusions Corneal biopsy can be useful for identifying the cause of infectious keratitis in selected cases. Culture and histopathologic examination can provide complementary information, but discordant results may occur. Acanthamoebic and fungal infections are more likely to be identified by histopathologic examination.
Nephrocan, a Novel Member of the Small Leucine-rich Repeat Protein Family, Is an Inhibitor of Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling

In a search of new, small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycan/protein (SLRP) family members, a novel gene, nephrocan (NPN), has been identified. The gene consists of three exons, and based on the deduced amino acid sequence, NPN has 17 leucine-rich repeat motifs and unique cysteine-rich clusters both in the N and C termini, indicating that this gene belongs to a new class of SLRP family. NPN mRNA was predominantly expressed in kidney in adult mice, and during mouse embryogenesis, the expression was markedly increased in 11-day-old embryos at a time when early kidney development takes place. In the adult mouse kidney, NPN protein was located in distal tubules and collecting ducts. When NPN was overexpressed in cell culture, the protein was detected in the cultured medium, and upon treatment with N-glycosidase F, the molecular mass was lowered by approximately 14 kDa, indicating that NPN is a secreted N-glycosylated protein. Furthermore, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)-responsive 3TP promoter luciferase activity was down-regulated, and TGF-beta-induced Smad3 phosphorylation was also inhibited by NPN, suggesting that NPN suppresses TGF-beta/Smad signaling. Taken together, NPN is a novel member of the SLRP family that may play important roles in kidney development and pathophysiology by functioning as an endogenous inhibitor of TGF-beta signaling.
Validity of the Sitting Balance Scale in older adults who are non-ambulatory or have limited functional mobility:

Objective:To determine whether the Sitting Balance Scale is an acceptable alternative to the Trunk Impairment Scale for measuring the construct of sitting balance, to examine relationships with other clinical outcomes and to establish discriminative validity.Design:Prospective descriptive methodological study.Setting:Acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility and home health.Participants:Patients receiving physical therapy (N = 98; n = 20 acute care, n = 18 inpatient rehabilitation, n = 30 skilled nursing facility, n = 30 home setting) mean (SD) age, 80.5 (7.9) years. Nineteen were non-ambulatory and 79 had limited functional mobility with Timed Up and Go scores ≥20 seconds.Main measures:Sitting Balance Scale, Trunk Impairment Scale, Timed Up and Go, length of stay and setting specific clinical measures of sitting balance (OASIS-C M1850; MDS G-3b).Results:Moderate association between ambulatory status and sitting balance measures (Sitting Balance Scale r = 0.67, Trunk Impairment Scale ...
A Potential Role of the Curry Spice Curcumin in Alzheimer’s Disease

There is substantial in-vitro data indicating that curcumin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-amyloid activity. In addition, studies in animal models of Alzheimers disease (AD) indicate a direct effect of curcumin in decreasing the amyloid pathology of AD. As the widespread use of curcumin as a food additive and relatively small shortterm studies in humans suggest safety, curcumin is a promising agent in the treatment and/or prevention of AD. Nonetheless, important information regarding curcumin bioavailability, safety and tolerability, particularly in an elderly population is lacking. We are therefore performing a study of curcumin in patients with AD to gather this information in addition to data on the effect of curcumin on biomarkers of AD pathology.
The effect of annealing on slow crack growth in an ethylene-hexene copolymer

A quenched ethylene-hexene copolymer was annealed in the temperature range of 86 to 127°C. The morphological changes were monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and density. The slow crack growth resistance tested at 80°C was a maximum at an annealing temperature of 113°C and a minimum of 123°C. The lifetimes can be varied by more than a factor of 20 depending on the thermal treatment. The increase in slow crack growth resistance between 86 and 113°C is attributed to an increase in the strength of the crystals by becoming more perfect and to the conversion of loose tie molecules into taut tie molecules. The decrease in strength between 113 and 123°C is attributed to the decrease in tie molecules when a large fraction of the as-quenched crystals begin to melt.
Rules, Rule Behaviors, and Biological Maturation in Families with Seventh-Grade Boys and Girls:

Mothers' and fathers' reports of rules and rule behaviors were examined in 200 intact families with seventh-grade boys and girls across three rule domains, both in terms of gender and parental differences and the manner in which rules varied across level of pubertal status. More rules were reported for family obligations and personal habits than for peer relations. Many parents reported that their children had some say in rule formation but relatively few parents had any recent occasion to remind or punish their children about the rules. Although no gender differences were found between boys and girls across the rule behaviors examined, parental differences suggest that mothers and fathers play different roles in rule making and in managing rule infractions and that these roles are in line with gender-related role expectations. Biological maturation was associated with rule frequency, but the findings differed for boys and girls.
Transport of Micelle-Solubilized Steroids Across Microporous Membranes

The effect of solubilization by micelles on the transport of steroids across microporous membranes has been studied theoretically and experimentally. Our theoretical model requires the following parameters: micelle and drug diffusion coefficients in free solution, the distribution coefficient of the drug between the bulk and micellar phases, and micelle and membrane pore radil. The steroids used were hydrocortisone, testosterone, and progesterone. Since the model accounts for the flux of free drug as well as micelle-solubilized drug, the distribution coefficient of the drug between micelles and the aqueous phase had to be determined by solubilization experiments for each of the steroids. Membrane pore diameters, as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ranged from ˜500 to 4000 A. Steroid diffusion coefficients were calculated from membrane diffusion experiments. Quasi-elastic light scattering was used to find the free-solution diffusion coefficients and hydrodynamic radii of the micelles. With these experimentally determined parameters, the model is shown to be capable of predicting the rate of transport of micelle-solubilized drugs through microporous membranes. The application of our model to the design of controlled-release devices is also discussed.
Linguistic ostracism causes prejudice: Support for a serial mediation effect

This research investigated the effects of linguistic ostracism, defined as any communication setting in which a target individual (or group) is ostracized by another individual (or group) in a language that the target has extremely limited ability to understand. Participants were included or ostracized by their group members during a computer-mediated group discussion. Half of the ostracized participants were linguistically ostracized via their group members conversing with one another in a language the participant did not know well (Spanish Ostracism: SO), or in a language the participant did know well (English Ostracism: EO). SO participants reported feeling less similar than both included and EO participants. SO participants also reported being angrier and expressed more prejudice than included participants (and EO participants using effect size estimates). Results also provided support for the hypothesized serial mediation model. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for intergroup relations.
Texas Agricultural Science Teachers’ Attitudes toward Information Technology

The study indicated favorable attitudes toward information technology were identified since mean subscale scores for each innovation were positive. The Agricultural Science teachers in this study who participated in technology training had more positive attitudes toward information technology. The study reported new information regarding Texas Agricultural Science teachers’ attitude toward, and adoption of five specific innovations of information technology (Computer-Aided Design, Computerized Online Record Books, Electronic Mail, Online Career Development Event Registration and World Wide Web). The study also found that the Agricultural Science teachers had favorable attitudes toward online CDE registration, but it had the lowest attitude score.
Minimum Requirements for True 'Independence' for Independent Directors: Learning from the Chinese System

Traditional tests to determine the independence of members of the board present an effort to establish independence by showing that the independent director can go about his duties without being beholden to the company in some manner, whether by pecuniary interest or by family or social relationships with other members of the company. But these tests assume that the corporation is situated in a certain legal and political environment where independent director functions are supported by other aspects of society and by law. This act of situating the company in such an environment makes many assumptions that cannot be safely made when evaluating the question of director independence in various foreign jurisdictions. From studying the legal background of the implementation of the independent director system in China, our answer to the question of whether independence is possible is a “yes” with a large “but.” Independence is possible if a political and legal environment nurtures the independent director and allows him to act in order to fulfill his tasks. Such an environment should first, place directors in the dominant position in the corporate organizational structure as the ultimate repository of the managerial powers in the corporation. Second, the securities market of the country should be mature enough to allow for the possibility of competing shareholder groups to be present within the corporation. Third, the corporation must be free to pursue profit maximization as its ultimate goal. Fourth, a strong and independent judiciary should be present that will equitably decide on lawsuits that may be filed to vindicate shareholder or director abuses. Lastly, the responsibilities for policing corporate action must be properly organized such that independent directors can proceed with their task knowing that they will be the ones ultimately responsible.
The lethality assessment program: Which survivors of intimate partner violence are most likely to participate?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the differential use of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) – a risk-informed, collaborative police-social service intervention – across female victim-survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in four police jurisdictions in Oklahoma. Design/methodology/approach – Women visited by the police during the study period participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. Logistic regression was utilized to examine what factors impacted implementation of the LAP. Findings – There was differential use of the intervention based on the following: jurisdiction, severe violence at the incident, perpetrator’s use of a weapon ever in the relationship, PTSD symptomology, and women’s prior protective actions and utilization of domestic violence advocacy services. Research limitations/implications – Future research should examine the decision-making process of survivors and police officers to better elucidate the meaning behind these statistical relationships. Pra...
Synthesis and characterization of MoS2 nanostructures using pulsed-laser deposition system

Nanostructures, with one or more dimensions in the lOOnm size range, exhibit a variety of unique and tunable chemical and physical properties when engineered appropriately. The high degree of variability in size and surface chemistry of nano-scale materials in coatings, crystal structure, shape and composition used in growing layered MoS2 and nanostructures increase both their complexity and the multiple permutations that must be considered in their evaluation. This project will systematically study the growth kinetics of MoS2 structures. A number of parameters such as electronic structures, surface morphology, experimental deposition conditions, will be considered in relation to the size and shape of the nanostructures. These results will be used as a criterion for determining regimes of suitable surface modification.
Scholarly communications: A history from content as king to content as kingmaker

Scholarly Communications provides a history of the scholarly publishing industry, focusing on the period of rapid change over the last 50 years, and suggests some directions for future growth. Earl...
Management and utilization of archives on agricultural sci-tech periodicals

Archives on agricultural sci-tech periodicals were classified into three types,such as publishing management achieves,manuscript archives and sample periodical and book archives.The utilization values were analyzed based on the contents and collection ways of these archives.Electronization and network of the archival management were explored..
Wildland fire, risk, and recovery: results of a national survey with regional and racial perspectives

We used a national household survey to examine knowledge, attitudes, and preferences pertaining to wildland fire. First, we present nationwide results and trends. Then, we examine opinions across region and race. Despite some regional variation, respondents are fairly consistent in their beliefs about assuming personal responsibility for living in fire-prone areas and believing that residents of such areas should follow government guidelines for managing fire risk. However, we find divergence of opinion on “trusting forest professionals” between African-American and Caucasian people. Across all survey questions related to fire management and public confidence, African-Americans appear to be relatively more concerned than Caucasian or Hispanic people.
Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy for Patellar Chondral Pathology in an Active United States Military Population.

Purpose To quantify rates of perioperative complications, secondary surgery, subjective pain relief, and knee-related medical separation in an active military population after a tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) for the primary indication of chondral pathology. Methods All active-duty service members undergoing TTO with a minimum of 2 years' follow-up were isolated from the Military Health System database. The exclusion criteria were patients with patellar instability, other periarticular osteotomy, and insufficient follow-up. Demographic information and surgical characteristics were abstracted from the electronic health record and correlated with improvement in pain and medical discharge from the military. Results A total of 76 patients (86 knees) who underwent TTO for patellofemoral chondromalacia were identified with a mean age of 32.3 years. Major and minor complications occurred in four patients (4.7%) and three patients (3.5%), respectively, and the overall improvement in the visual analog scale score after TTO was 1.5 ( P P = .0084), age younger than 35 years ( P = .0031), bilateral TTO procedures ( P = .0294), and tobacco use ( P = .0218; odds ratio, 3.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.19 to 9.12) were risk factors for medical separation, whereas absence of concomitant chondral repair ( P = .5408), previous knee procedures ( P = .9674), and greater occupational demands ( P = .7062) were not. Conclusions At short-term to midterm follow-up, 63% of patients successfully returned to military function with a low rate of perioperative complications (8%). The postoperative decrease in pain after TTO is of unknown clinical significance. Age younger than 35 years, junior military rank, bilateral TTO procedures, and tobacco use were significant risk factors for medical separation, whereas absence of concomitant cartilage repair, previous knee procedures, and lower occupational demands were not associated with improved visual analog scale scores or prevention of knee-related medical discharge. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic case series.
A Methodology for Adapting Psychoeducational Content to Mobile Platforms.

UNLABELLED Studies show that current modes of psychoeducation (PE) cannot be availed of by a substantial population of those in need. Mobile health technologies have great potential to serve such populations. However converting PE to mobile platforms is challenging. We present a methodology for this purpose based on existing learning styles theory, and developed PE apps successfully, using it. CONCLUSION Useful PE apps can be developed easily using the proposed method.
Emotion as the Animation of Value

In this chapter, Frances Bottenberg argues that influential contemporary theories of emotion have yet to solve the classic puzzle of how the peculiar felt aspect of emotion is to be linked with its normative salience for particular action. This is in part due to how little mainstream attention has so far been paid to the role of the first-person body in emotional life. Building on recent and classic phenomenological insights, Bottenberg argues that emotional drive is best understood as an intelligent sensitivity played out not simply in but by the first-person body. In this so-called animationist reading of emotional valuing, emotional drive expresses the constant intracorporeal enactment of and adaptation to the fluctuating agent/world relationship.
Error Correction in Ku-Band Phased Array Measurements

Far-field characterization of array antennas can require many sequential measurements. In preparing such measurements, the necessary antenna repositioning and rotation can introduce small displacements. These displacements are not as important at low frequencies, but can be a significant fraction of a wavelength at the Ku-, Ka-, and millimeter-wave bands. Therefore, it is important to correct for them to obtain accurate array measurements. In this letter, we present a mathematical model describing the expected phase response of each antenna element for a given physical offset. This error model is applied to Ku-band measurements of an 8 $\times$ 8 dipole array. It is demonstrated that small movements of the antenna during measurement can be corrected via the proposed post-processing technique.
New Orthogonal Transcriptional Switches Derived from Tet Repressor Homologues for Saccharomyces cerevisiae Regulated by 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol and Other Ligands

Here we describe the development of tightly regulated expression switches in yeast, by engineering distant homologues of Escherichia coli TetR, including the transcriptional regulator PhlF from Pseudomonas and others. Previous studies demonstrated that the PhlF protein bound its operator sequence (phlO) in the absence of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) but dissociated from phlO in the presence of DAPG. Thus, we developed a DAPG-Off system in which expression of a gene preceded by the phlO-embedded promoter was activated by a fusion of PhlF to a multimerized viral activator protein (VP16) domain in a DAPG-free environment but repressed when DAPG was added to growth medium. In addition, we constructed a DAPG-On system with the opposite behavior of the DAPG-Off system; i.e., DAPG triggers the expression of a reporter gene. Exposure of DAPG to yeast cells did not cause any serious deleterious effect on yeast physiology in terms of growth. Efforts to engineer additional Tet repressor homologues were partiall...
Snapshot imaging spectrometry with a heterodyned Savart plate interferometer

Imaging spectrometers are frequently used in remote sensing for their increased target discrimination capabilities over conventional imaging. Increasing the spectral resolution of these sensors further enables the system’s ability to discriminate certain targets and adds the potential for monitoring narrow-line spectral features. We describe a high spectral resolution (Δλ=1.1 nm full-width at half maximum) snapshot imaging spectrometer capable of distinguishing two narrowly separated bands in the red-visible spectrum. A theoretical model is provided to detail the first polarization grating-based spatial heterodyning of a Savart plate interferometer. Following this discussion, the experimental conditions of the narrow-line imaging spectrometer (NLIS) are provided. Finally, calibration and target identification methods are applied and quantified. Ultimately it is demonstrated that in a full spectral acquisition the NLIS sensor is capable of less than 3.5% error in reconstruction. Additionally, it is demonstrated that neural networks provide greater than 99% reduction in crosstalk when compared to pseudoinversion and expectation maximization in single target identification.
A Preliminary Genome-Wide Association Study of Pain-Related Fear: Implications for Orofacial Pain.

Background. Acute and chronic orofacial pain can significantly impact overall health and functioning. Associations between fear of pain and the experience of orofacial pain are well-documented, and environmental, behavioral, and cognitive components of fear of pain have been elucidated. Little is known, however, regarding the specific genes contributing to fear of pain. Methods. A genome-wide association study (GWAS; ) was performed to identify plausible genes that may predispose individuals to various levels of fear of pain. The total score and three subscales (fear of minor, severe, and medical/dental pain) of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9 (FPQ-9) were modeled in a variance components modeling framework to test for genetic association with 8.5 M genetic variants across the genome, while adjusting for sex, age, education, and income. Results. Three genetic loci were significantly associated with fear of minor pain (8q24.13, 8p21.2, and 6q26; for all) near the genes TMEM65, NEFM, NEFL, AGPAT4, and PARK2. Other suggestive loci were found for the fear of pain total score and each of the FPQ-9 subscales. Conclusions. Multiple genes were identified as possible candidates contributing to fear of pain. The findings may have implications for understanding and treating chronic orofacial pain.
Manufacturing Planning Over Alternative Facilities: Modeling, Analysis and Algorithms

We propose a planning model for multiple products manufactured across multiple manufacturing facilities sharing similar production capabilities. The need for cross-facility capacity management is most evident in high-tech industries that have capital-intensive equipment and a short technology life cycle. Our model is based on an emerging practice in these industries where product managers from business units dictate manufacturing planning in facilities that are equipped to produce their products. We propose a multicommodity flow network model where each commodity represents a product and the network structure represents linked manufacturing facilities capable of producing the products. We analyze in depth the product-level (single-commodity, multi-facility) subproblem when the capacity constraints are relaxed. We prove that even the general-cost version of this uncapacitated subproblem is NP-complete. We develop a shortest-path algorithm for this problem and show that it achieves optimality under special cost structures. We analyze and pinpoint specific cases where the algorithm fails to produce optimal solutions. To solve the overall (multicommodity) planning problem we develop a Lagrangian decomposition scheme, which separates the planning decisions into a number of single-product, multi-facility subproblems and a resource subproblem. Through extensive computational testing, we demonstrate that the shortest path algorithm is an effective heuristic for the MIP subproblem, yielding high quality solutions with only a fraction (roughly 2%) of the computer time.
M&A Premiums Comparison: Same Industry vs. Cross Industry Analysis for Better Evaluation & Valuation

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are prominent activities in business practice and a fairly prominent context for strategy research. They represent essential tactics for companies to expand their sca...
A novel bandwidth efficient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing scheme

In this paper, a novel spectrum efficient orthogonal signal multiplexing system based on trigonometric transform is presented. In this system, one half of the complex data is multiplexed using orthogonal real subcarrier signals (i.e., cosw 1 t, cosw 2 t,…, sinw 1 t, sinw 2 t,…) and transmitted on one carrier signal (i.e., cosw c t) and similarly the other half is multiplexed and transmitted on another carrier (i.e., sinw c t). In this way, the number of subcarriers will be reduced by half of the conventional OFDM systems and as a consequent; (i): the occupied bandwidth will be reduced by about half, (ii): the maximum value of the peak to average power ratio of transmitted signal will be also reduced by half, and it is more robust against the Doppler effect. Also, it is shown that the proposed signaling scheme has cyclic convolutional property such that the channel equalization in a multipath fading channel can be accomplished as simple as in OFDM systems by pointwise multiplication.
The Serial Killer

Chapter seven addresses the presence of the serial killer in blank art. The author argues that this horror trope serial serves as a way for some artists to interrogate the force of institutionalized racism in 1980s America through its popular media. In blank fiction and cinema, for example, there is an emphasis on the “unexamined” whiteness of characters and a focus on the deviance of such characters’ actions and notions of privilege from the popular, traditional American moral ideology. The film Manhunter is explored, as a more traditional example of a serial killer cinema film, to hold in contrast to the two examples of blank works explored in chapters eight and nine.