cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review of Children’s Self-Injurious Behavior

Children who emit self-injurious behavior are rare but the counterintuitive nature of self-abuse and its obvious undesirability have generated much theoretical and applied interest. Self-abuse in nonhumans is regularly induced by chronic exposure to sympathomimetic agents, and commonly occurs in children suffering from physiological disorders such as the Lesch-Nyhan and de Lange syndromes, but most cases of human self-mutilation are not associated with specific physiological antecedents. Learning theorists speculate that much self-abuse is maintained as an operant response that serves to manipulate the child’s environment, although the behavior initially appears as an unlearned response to certain conditions. Many kinds of treatments have been used in attempts to control self-abuse, including physical restraints, drug administration, and various procedures involving reinforcement and punishment operations. The present paper critically discusses procedures used to manage self-abuse with respect to demonstrated efficacy, ease of implementation, and limitations. Direct comparisons between treatments are problematic, in part because literature in this area consists largely of single-case studies. However, punishment is surely one of the most effective techniques yet used to control self-abuse, yet legal and ethical considerations limit the use of this procedure to particularly severe and intractable cases, making selection of an appropriate initial treatment a difficult choice at best.
Disentangling the Complex Vibrational Spectrum of the Protonated Water Trimer, H+(H2O)3, with Two-Color IR-IR Photodissociation of the Bare Ion and Anharmonic VSCF/VCI Theory

Vibrational spectroscopy of the protonated water trimer provides a stringent constraint on the details of the potential energy surface (PES) and vibrational dynamics governing excess proton motion far from equilibrium. Here we report the linear spectrum of the cold, bare H+(H2O)3 ion using a two-color, IR-IR photofragmentation technique and follow the evolution of the bands with increasing ion trap temperature. The key low-energy features are insensitive to both D2 tagging and internal energy. The D2-tagged D+(D2O)3 spectrum is reported for the first time, and the isotope dependence of the band pattern is surprisingly complex. These spectra are reproduced by large-scale vibrational configuration interaction calculations based on a new full-dimensional PES, which treat the anharmonic effects arising from large amplitude motion. The results indicate such extensive mode mixing in both isotopologues that one should be cautious about assigning even the strongest features to particular motions, especially for t...
Artepillin C as a targeting survivin molecule in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro: A preliminary study.

Background Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family, is overexpressed in most human tumors, but undetectable in normal adult tissues. It is a promising target molecule in cancer treatment, since interference in its function promotes apoptosis. Artepillin C, a major, biologically active ingredient of Brazilian propolis, possesses anticancer activity against several cancer cells with different tissue origins. However, little is known about its bioactivity on oral squamous cell carcinoma cells or its effect on survivin expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic and anti-survivin activities of artepillin C in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Methods HSC-3 human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells were treated with varying doses of artepillin C for up to 72 hours. Cell viability was measured by WST-1, and the cytotoxic effects of artepillin C on HSC-3 cells were quantified with flow cytometry. The survivin levels were determined by ELISA. Results Artepillin C exhibited dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effects on HSC-3 cells. Flow cytometric analysis showed that 22% of untreated HSC-3 cells underwent spontaneous cell death, whereas 77.32% of the cells were killed in response to the highest dose of artepillin C at 72 hours. Survivin expression was reduced in treated cells. Conclusions HSC-3 cells are vulnerable to artepillin C in a dose- and time-dependent manner. HSC-3 cell death induced by artepillin C, at least in part, was a result of a decrease in survivin levels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Many Things You Know about Patent Infringement Litigation in China Are Wrong

As the Chinese government continues to stimulate domestic innovation and patent activities via a variety of policies, China has become a world leader in both patent applications and litigation. These major developments have made China an integral venue of international patent protection for inventors and entrepreneurs worldwide. However, due to the lack of judicial transparency before 2014, westerners had virtually no access to Chinese patent litigation data and knew little about how Chinese courts adjudicated patent cases. Instead, outside observers were left with a variety of impressions and guesses based on the text of Chinese law and the limited number of cases released by the press. Taking advantage of ongoing judicial reform in China, including mandated public access to all judgments made since January 1, 2014 via a database called China Judgements Online (CJO), this paper analyzes 1,663 patent infringement judgments – all publicly available final patent infringement cases decided by local people’s courts in 2014. Surprisingly, many findings in this paper contradict long-standing beliefs held by westerners about patent enforcement in China. One prominent example is that foreign patent holders were as likely to litigate as domestic patent holders, and received noticeably better results – higher win rate, injunction rate, and average damages. Another example is that all plaintiffs won in 80.16% of all patent infringement cases and got permanent injunctions automatically in 90.25% of cases whose courts found patent infringement, indicating stronger patent protection in China than one might expect.
Effect of Acute Voluntary Exercise on Expression and Oxidative Modification of Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 1 in Brain of Wild Type Mice as a Function of Age

Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) is a type I membrane protein expressed in multiple cell types in the central nervous system including endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, pericytes, astrocytes, and neurons. LRP1 acts as an important efflux transporter of amyloid β-peptide 1-42 (Aβ42) across the blood-brain barrier from brain to blood. Expression of LRP1 and efflux of Aβ42 are both significantly decreased in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) brain. LRP1 is oxidatively modified by the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal (HNE) in AD hippocampus suggesting that Aβ42-mediated oxidative stress may result in oxidative modification of its own transporter decreasing the clearance of Aβ42 in AD brain. Exercise has been shown to increase the capacity of the brain to tolerate oxidation damage. In this study, the effect of acute voluntary exercise on expression and oxidative modification of LRP1 in brain of 5, 10, and 22 month old wild type mice was examined.
Recent Progress in Developing Injectable Matrices for Enhancing Cell Delivery and Tissue Regeneration

Biomaterials are key factors in regenerative medicine. Matrices used for cell delivery are especially important, as they provide support to transplanted cells that is essential for promoting cell survival, retention, and desirable phenotypes. Injectable matrices have become promising and attractive due to their minimum invasiveness and ease of use. Conventional injectable matrices mostly use hydrogel precursor solutions that form solid, cell-laden hydrogel scaffolds in situ. However, these materials are associated with challenges in biocompatibility, shear-induced cell death, lack of control over cellular phenotype, lack of macroporosity and remodeling, and relatively weak mechanical strength. This Progress Report provides a brief overview of recent progress in developing injectable matrices to overcome the limitations of conventional in situ hydrogels. Biocompatible chemistry and shear-thinning hydrogels have been introduced to promote cell survival and retention. Emerging investigations of the effects of matrix properties on cellular function in 3D provide important guidelines for promoting desirable cellular phenotypes. Moreover, several novel approaches are combining injectability with macroporosity to achieve macroporous, injectable matrices for cell delivery.
Precise Measurements of Spin Observables in Nucleon-Nucleon Scattering

A review of the status of nucleon-nucleon scattering at intermediate energies is given. It is found that the tensor component of the N-N force is still poorly determined by the data. This is followed by recent results from high precision experiments at IUCF and descriptions of work in progress. The data are compared with phase shift analyses and potential model predictions. Technological advances that have improved our ability to make precise measurements of spin observables are discussed.
Toward Efficient Short-Video Sharing in the YouTube Social Network

The past few years have seen an explosion in the popularity of online short-video sharing in YouTube. As the number of users continue to grow, the bandwidth required to maintain acceptable quality of service (QoS) has greatly increased. Peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures have shown promise in reducing the bandwidth costs; however, the previous works build one P2P overlay for each video, which provides limited availability of video providers and produces high overlay maintenance overhead. To handle these problems, in this work, we novelly leverage the existing social network in YouTube, where a user subscribes to another user’s channel to track all his/her uploaded videos. The subscribers of a channel tend to watch the channel’s videos and common-interest nodes tend to watch the same videos. Also, the popularity of videos in one channel varies greatly. We study real trace data to confirm these properties. Based on these properties, we propose SocialTube, which builds the subscribers of one channel into a P2P overlay and also clusters common-interest nodes in a higher level. It also incorporates a prefetching algorithm that prefetches higher-popularity videos. To enhance the system performance, we further propose the demand/supply-based cache management scheme and reputation-based neighbor management scheme. Extensive trace-driven simulation results and PlanetLab real-world experimental results verify the effectiveness of SocialTube at reducing server load and overlay maintenance overhead and at improving QoS for users.
Rationality and Accuracy in the Criminal Process: A Discordant Note on the Harmonizing of the Justices' Views on Burdens of Persuasion in Criminal Cases

There is presently ongoing an extensive debate concerning the scope and implications of the constitutional requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt in criminal cases. In a remarkably short period of time the debate has generated a literature sufficiently vast so that complete citation is precluded simply for lack of space.1 Much more importantly, a review of randomly selected criminal cases indicates that ambiguity concerning the implications of the requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt may be generating as much litigation as any other constellation of issues in the criminal process. Indeed, these two phenomena are intimately related. One of the attractions of this area for scholars is precisely the ambiguity that generates litigation. The primary source of the ambiguity is by now an oft-told tale in no need of elaboration here. In brief, the ambiguity is the direct result of the United States Supreme Court having constitutionalized the requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt without providing any but the most trivial explicit criteria for its application.2 The result has been
Studies in histochemistry: LXXVI. Fluorometric determination of histamine in microgram samples of tissue or microliter volumes of body fluids

Abstract Improvements in certain aspects of macro procedures for the fluorometric determination of histamine reported from other laboratories, along with improvements developed in the course of this work, were incorporated into a micro adaptation based on the use of certain equipment designed in this laboratory specifically for such procedures. The micro method is particularly suitable for multiple analyses of microgram samples of biological material, and it can be employed for determinations on microtome sections of tissue, or other such morphologically defined samples, as well as on microliter volumes of body fluids, i.e., for mμg amounts of histamine, with a sensitivity of 0.1 mμg. An investigation of certain reagents and steps in the procedure was made to arrive at optimal analytical conditions. A linear relationship is maintained between fluorescence and concentration of histamine over the range used ( 2–8 m μ g 100 μ l sample). Precision of the macro and micro analyses are essentially the same; the latter gave relative standard deviations of 5.3, 3.5, and 2.7% for samples of tissue, blood plasma, and a histamine standard (5 mμg), respectively. Recovery of histamine added to stomach homogenate was 97%.
Torsion points on J0(N) and Galois representations

Suppose that N is a prime number greater than 19 and that P is a point on the modular curve X0(N) whose image in Jo(N) (under the standard embedding ι: X0(N)→J0(N)) has finite order. In [2], Coleman-Kaskel-Ribet conjecture that either P is a hyperelliptic branch point of X0(N) (so that N∈{23,29,31,41,47,59,71}) or else that ι(P) lies in the cuspidal subgroup C of J0(N). That article suggests a strategy for the proof: assuming that P is not a hyperelliptic branch point of X0(N), one should show for each prime number l that the l-primary part of ι(P) lies in C. In [2], the strategy is implemented under a variety of hypotheses but little is proved for the primes l=2 and l=3. Here I prove the desired statement for l=2 whenever N is prime to the discriminant of the ring End J0(N). This supplementary hypothesis, while annoying, seems to be a mild one; according to W.A. Stein of Berkeley, California, in the range N<5021, it is false only in case N=389.
Signature-Based Reliability Analysis

In order to incorporate SER analysis into an industrial IC design flow, the algorithms must scale to industrial-sized circuits while maintaining accuracy. To address this challenge, we present AnSER, our linear-time method for logic-level soft-error analysis. AnSER achieves its low runtimes by means of functional simulation signatures, which enable a fast and accurate method for computing signal probability and observability, even in the presence of reconvergent fan-out. We analyze sequential circuits using AnSER along with multicycle simulation and time-frame expansion. We also show how to incorporate timing and electrical masking into the error probabilities predicted by this framework in order to more accurately model IC technology. We demonstrate results on IWLS and ISCAS benchmarks, which generally show 2-3 orders of magnitude speed-up over previous SER analyzers and high accuracy when validated against a state-of-the-art ATPG tool.
Protein and energy value of dehydrated poultry excreta in diets for feedlot cattle

Four Holstein steers (222 kg) with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a crossover design experiment to evaluate the energy and protein value of dehydrated poultry excreta (DPE). Dietary treatments contained (DM basis) 4% alfalfa hay, 8% sudangrass hay, 49% flaked barley, 8% cane molasses, 3% yellow grease,.8% urea, 1.4% limestone,.3% mineral salt, and.4% chromic oxide, plus 25% of either tapioca pellets or DPE. The DPE contained 42% ash and 27% CP (6% true protein). Substituting DPE for tapioca decreased the DE value of the diet (P .10) on microbial N flow to the small intestine or ruminal microbial efficiency (grams of microbial N/kilogram of OM fermented). The addition of DPE increased ( P .10) flow of α-amino N to the small intestine. Ruminal degradability of uric acid was 96%. Total tract true digestibility of N in DPE was 84%. It is concluded that the NE value of DPE is markedly overestimated in current tables of feeding standards. Less than 10% of the N in DPE escapes the rumen as true protein N.
Warfarin and Bone: Implications for Rational Strategies to Selectively Antagonize the Action of Vitamin K in Target Tissues

We have recently reported that vitamin K counteracts the action of Warfarin on blood coagulation but not on the synthesis of bone Gla protein (BGP; osteocalcin) (1). The purpose of this paper is to describe the observations which led to this discovery and the implications of this discovery for Warfarin prophylaxis.
India’s forests – Stepping stone or millstone for the poor?

Abstract This article investigates the links between forests and poverty in India. We use original data from a household survey in two states of India (Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh) to provide new insights into this relationship. The poorest are found to receive about 30% of their incomes from forests – an amount that is higher than the income that they obtain from agriculture. We identify the correlates of greater environmental and forest income in the sample and also seek to examine whether environmental incomes are used only as a safety net during disasters, or for basic consumption purposes too. Our results show that when negative shocks occur there is a higher relative dependence on environmental incomes. The results also suggest that those who are better-off obtain higher levels of environmental income that the poorer. Overall the findings are consistent with environmental incomes and other sources of incomes being complements. In sum, the results suggest that forest income is used for basic consumption, is not a substitute for other sources of income, and is not treated as an “inferior good” that is eschewed by richer groups in the survey.
Redox-Annulations of Cyclic Amines with Electron-Deficient o-Tolualdehydes.

Amines such as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline undergo redox-neutral annulations with 2-methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzaldehyde and closely related substrates. Acetic acid serves as the solvent and sole prom...
A Note on Beukers’s and Related Double Integrals

An elementary transformation formula is derived, allowing double integrals of the type introduced by F. Beukers to be reduced, and new ones to be constructed.
Racial and ethnic differences in the association between parent-oriented perfectionism and disordered eating in college women.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the associations between parent-oriented dimensions of perfectionism (parental expectations [PE] and parental criticism [PC]) and eating disorder (ED) symptomatology across racial/ethnic groups. It was hypothesized that parent-oriented perfectionism would be positively associated with ED symptomatology for White and Asian American women. METHOD Undergraduate women (N = 1,173) completed questionnaires assessing perfectionism, EDs, and demographics. One-way analyses of variance tested differences in PE and PC across racial/ethnic groups; post-hoc Tukey tests probed significant differences. Multiple linear regressions assessed associations between parent-oriented perfectionism and ED symptomatology. Hurdle models tested the association between PE and PC and the frequency and odds of endorsing ED symptomatology. RESULTS There were significant group differences in PE and PC. PE was positively linked with various ED symptoms in Latina, Asian American, and multiracial women, and was negatively related to purging in multiracial women. PC was positively associated with body dissatisfaction in White, Black, and multiracial women, but displayed differential associations with ED symptomatology in all racial/ethnic groups. DISCUSSION Levels of parent-oriented dimensions of perfectionism, and their relations to ED symptomatology, might vary across racial/ethnic groups. PE, in particular, is both more elevated, and more strongly linked to eating pathology in Asian American women, whereas PC appears to be especially relevant to ED symptoms in Black women. Findings underscore the importance of considering the role of culture in ED symptomatology. Clinicians and researchers might consider incorporating assessments of parent-oriented perfectionism into their practice.
Impact of Temperature on the Extrinsic Incubation Period of Zika Virus in Aedes Aegypti

Since Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged as a global human health threat, numerous studies have pointed to Aedes aegypti as the primary vector due to its high competence and propensity to feed on humans. The majority of vector competence studies have been conducted between 26-28°C, but arboviral extrinsic incubation periods (EIPs), and therefore transmission efficiency, are known to be affected strongly by temperature. To better understand the relationship between ZIKV EIPs and temperature, we evaluated the effect of adult mosquito exposure temperature on ZIKV infection, dissemination, and transmission in Ae. aegypti at four temperatures: 18°C, 21°C, 26°C, and 30°C. Mosquitoes were exposed to viremic mice infected with a 2015 Puerto Rican ZIKV strain, and engorged mosquitoes were sorted into the four temperatures with 80% RH and constant access to 10% sucrose. ZIKV infection, dissemination, and transmission rates were assessed via RT-qPCR from individual mosquito bodies, legs and wings, and saliva, respectively, at three to five time points per temperature from three to 31 days, based on expectations from other flavivirus EIPs. The median time from ZIKV ingestion to transmission (median EIP, EIP50) at each temperature was estimated by fitting a generalized linear mixed model for each temperature. EIP50 ranged from 5.1 days at 30°C to 24.2 days at 21°C. At 26°C, EIP50 was 9.6 days. At 18°C, only 15% transmitted by day 31 so EIP50 could not be estimated. This is among the first studies to characterize the effects of temperature on ZIKV EIP in Ae. aegypti, and the first to do so based on feeding of mosquitoes on a live, viremic host. This information is critical for modeling ZIKV transmission dynamics to understand geographic and seasonal limits of ZIKV risk; it is especially relevant for determining risk in subtropical regions with established Ae. aegypti populations and relatively high rates of return travel from the tropics (e.g. California or Florida), as these regions typically experience cooler temperature ranges than tropical regions.
Mathematical Literacy and Critical Thinking

The development of mathematical literacy enables students to become skilled critical thinkers and problem-solvers who have a better understanding of the world they live in. However, very often students are unable to understand the mathematical principles and apply them to real-life situations. In many college mathematics classrooms, the lessons focus only on abstract concepts and routine exercises. Mathematics teachers need to transform the way they present and deliver the concepts, which should be contextualized in real-life applications, in order to motivate the students and enable them to acquire the necessary skills to understand and utilize the mathematical language. Reading is essential to access the mathematical language, but many beginning college students lack the literacy skills to navigate the abstract concepts to acquire a deeper understanding of how mathematics works. Reading in mathematics involves not just literal and linear comprehension; the process requires a broad range of thinking and reasoning skills. In each stage of the reading process, students need to engage themselves in understanding words, symbols, and concepts; analyze problems; and apply content knowledge and mathematical models to solve problems.
Recent Computational Approaches on Mechanical Behavior of Axonal Cytoskeletal Components of Neuron: A Brief Review

Axonal cytoskeletal components of neuron have been studied and modeled by using different approaches. The axonal cytoskeleton comprises of microtubules (MTs), which mostly control the overall property and behavior of axon. However, MTs contain crosslinks which are MT associated proteins (mainly tau proteins), intermediate filaments (mainly neurofilaments or NFs in case of brain axon), and microfilaments (MFs). Due to the micrometer level length scale of the components, experimental approaches such as microscopy are inconvenient. In this regard, several computational approaches, such as fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, coarse grained (CG) simulation, or finite element analysis (FEA) can be considered reasonable approaches for observing the behavior of the cytoskeletal components and determining their mechanical properties. Among the cytoskeletal components, MTs and MFs are well studied, but the behavior of taus and NFs are not studied comprehensively. Over the last two decades, the computational approaches have been improved manifold to determine and analyze numerous aspects of cytoskeletal components. Due to structurally disordered nature of tau and NF we lack sufficient literature on these components, almost all the structural and behavioral aspects have been analyzed in depth for MT and MF – for which computational studies have played vital role. This study attempts to discuss the current scenario of these computational approaches performed on cytoskeletal components, as well as recent advancements. It attempts to benchmark the current capability of computational approaches to find out properties, behavior, and dynamics of cytoskeletal components, which is required to further advance using similar maneuvers. Importantly, we also pinpoint the possibilities of future studies through which the current limitations in the tau and NF territories can be effectively addressed.
The role of magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating postoperative ACL reconstruction healing and graft mechanical properties: a new criterion for return to play?

Background: Disruption of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common injury. In active patients, it is routinely treated with ACL reconstruction surgery. Following reconstruction, one of the ...
Networks and financial war: the brothers Warburg in the first age of globalization

This article examines the geo-economic consequences of the financial panic of October 1907. The vulnerability of the United States, but also of Germany, contrasted with the absence of a crisis in Great Britain. The experience showed the fast-growing industrial powers the desirability of mobilizing financial power, and the article examines the contributions of two influential brothers, Max and Paul Warburg, on different sides of the Atlantic. The discussion led to the establishment of a central bank in the United States and institutional improvements in German central banking: in both cases security as well as economic considerations played a substantial role.
'I See You:' What Favorites and Retweets Reveal About Political Campaigns in Ghana

Political communication scholars have shown a lot of interest in Twitter as a platform for campaign communication in the last few years because it has become prominent among the ways campaigns use to mobilize voters. Most of the work in this area has focused primarily on social network analysis and surveys of voters about their attitudes towards Twitter messages. But what if we can learn from statistically analyzing how campaigns use their Twitter accounts to interact with voters, and compare them to rival accounts? This study does exactly this by using data from popular accounts owned by then Pres. John Mahama's campaign and those of his challenger (and current president) Nana Akufo-Addo's campaign in the December 7, 2016 presidential election in Ghana. Using a regression model that controls for day of the week, and weeks away from the election a tweet was sent, it finds that being an opposition account was strongly correlated with receiving more retweets but negatively correlated with receiving favorites. Looking at the broader context of the election, the findings indicate that retweets could be a sign of strong endorsement while favorites indicate a weak, uncommitted support.
Characteristics Associated with Prenatal Cannabis Use Vary with Legality of Recreational Cannabis.

Introduction: Increasing prenatal cannabis use over recent years has been associated with changes in state-level cannabis policies. Yet, how correlates of prenatal cannabis use differ by recreation...
Predictors of aneurysm occlusion following treatment with the WEB device: systematic review and case series

The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device is becoming increasingly popular for treatment of wide-neck aneurysms. As experience with this device grows, it is important to identify factors associated with occlusion following WEB treatment to guide decision making and screen patients at high risk for recurrence. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with adequate aneurysm occlusion following WEB device treatment in the neurosurgical literature and in our case series. A systematic review of the present literature was conducted to identify studies related to the prediction of WEB device occlusion. In addition, a retrospective review of our institutional data for patients treated with the WEB device was performed. Demographics, aneurysm characteristics, procedural variables, and 6-month follow-up angiographic outcomes were recorded. Seven articles totaling 450 patients with 456 aneurysms fit our criteria. Factors in the literature associated with inadequate occlusion included larger size, increased neck width, partial intrasaccular thrombosis, irregular shape, and tobacco use. Our retrospective review identified 43 patients with 45 aneurysms. A total of 91.1% of our patients achieved adequate occlusion at a mean follow-up time of 7.32 months. Increasing degree of contrast stasis after WEB placement on the post-deployment angiogram was significantly associated with adequate occlusion on follow-up angiogram (p = 0.005) and with Raymond-Roy classification (p = 0.048), but not with retreatment (p = 0.617). In our systematic review and case series totaling 450 patients with 456 aneurysms, contrast stasis on post-deployment angiogram was identified as a predictor of adequate aneurysm occlusion, while morphological characteristics such as larger size and wide neck negatively impact occlusion.
Cell therapy from bench to bedside: Hepatocytes from fibroblasts - the truth and myth of transdifferentiation.

Hepatocyte transplantation is an alternative to liver transplantation in certain disorders such as inherited liver diseases and liver failure. It is a relatively less complicated surgical procedure, and has the advantage that it can be repeated several times if unsuccessful. Another advantage is that hepatocytes can be isolated from partly damaged livers which are not suitable for liver transplantation. Despite these advantages hepatocyte transplantation is less popular. Important issues are poor engraftment of the transplanted cells and the scarcity of donor hepatocytes. Generation of “hepatocyte like cells”/iHeps from embryonic stem cells (ES) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by directed differentiation is an emerging solution to the latter issue. Direct conversation or trans-differentiation of fibroblasts to “hepatocyte like cells” is another way which is, being explored. However this method has several inherent and technical disadvantages compared to the directed differentiation from ES or iPSC. There are several methods claiming to be “highly efficient” for generating “highly functional” “hepatocyte like cells”. Currently different groups are working independently and coming up with differentiation protocols and each group claiming an advantage for their protocol. Directed differentiation protocols need to be designed, compared, analyzed and tweaked systematically and logically than empirically. There is a need for a well-coordinated global initiative comparable to the Human Genome Project to achieve this goal in the near future.
The Future Oceanic ATC Environment: Analysis of Mixed Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance Equipage

Technical capabilities for significant improvements in communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) over the oceans are currently available through the use of satellites. However, all aircraft operators will not equip simultaneously because of the high costs required. Consequently, as these CNS systems are integrated into the oceanic air transportation architecture, the controller will have to manage a mixed equipage fleet. Also, planned reductions in separation minima are based on aircraft equipage, therefore oceanic controllers will need to apply a set of mixed separation standards. The cognitive effects of the mixed equipage environment were studied through field observations and experimental analysis. The results confirm that methods are needed to minimize human performance issues with integrating mixed CNS equipage, and ensure safety and efficiency in the mixed equipage environment.
Inhibition of chloride secretion by BaCl2 in the rectal gland of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias

Abstract In the rectal gland of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), chloride enters the cell via a contransport system together with sodium and potassium in a 2 Cl − : 1 Na + : 1 K + stoichiometry. The system is energized by the electrochemical potential for sodium directed into the cell. Sodium is extruded from the cell by NaKATPase located on the basolateral cell membrane. Chloride leaks into the lumen following a favorable electrical gradient. Potassium is thought to recirculate across the basolateral cell membrane. Since barium ions inhibit the efflux of potassium from cells we used barium chloride to explore the role of potassium in the process of stimulated secretion of chloride by the gland. The secretion of chloride was stimulated with theophylline 2.5 × 10 −4 M and dibutyryl cyclic AMP 5 × 10 −5 M. Ba ++ inhibited the secretion of chloride in a way that was reversible and dose dependent. The reduction in secretion was associated with a parallel fall in transglandular electrical potential. Inhibition was half maximal at a concentration of Ba ++ of 10 −3 M. The reduction in efflux of potassium produced by Ba ++ presumably decreases the potassium diffusion potential, thus reducing the electronegativity of the cell and dissipating the driving force for chloride across the apical cell membrane. Recirculation of K + across the basolateral border of the cell would thus be essential for the maintenance of chloride secretion by the gland.
The Effect of Hypothermia on Electric Impedance and Penetration of Substances from the CSF into the Periventricular Brain Tissue

Publisher Summary Lowering the temperature of the brain can affect it in either a beneficial or an adverse manner. The ability of mild hypothermia to reduce brain volume has been extensively used by neurosurgeons in alleviating increased intracranial pressure and cerebral edema. Now, Hypothermia causes an increase in the electric impedance of brain tissue in the rabbit. This increase was thought to be a result of changed physical properties of the tissue since a similar change was found in electrolyte solutions at corresponding temperatures. These observations probably reflect changes in the electrolyte and extracellular compartments, as has been reported to occur in asphyxia. It was then conjectured that alteration in such basic properties of nervous parenchyma should influence penetration of various substances from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The materials and the methods for carrying out the experiments are mentioned in the chapter. Experiments on Study of impedance changes and resting membrane potentials as well as the rate of passage of various substances from the cerebral ventricles to the brain tissue in hypothermic cats are put forward in this chapter.
Ethanol increases extracellular adenosine by inhibiting adenosine uptake via the nucleoside transporter.

Chronic exposure to ethanol results in heterologous desensitization of receptors coupled to adenylyl cyclase via Gs, the stimulatory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein. Ethanol-induced accumulation of extracellular adenosine is required for the development of heterologous desensitization (Nagy, L. E., Diamond, I., Collier, K., Lopez, L., Ullman, B., and Gordon, A. S., Mol. Pharmacol., in press). To understand the mechanism underlying ethanol-induced increases in extracellular adenosine, we examined the interaction of ethanol with the adenosine transport system in S49 lymphoma cells. We found that ethanol inhibited nucleoside uptake without affecting deoxyglucose or isoleucine transport. Inhibition of adenosine uptake was due to decreased influx via the nucleoside transporter. Thus, ethanol-induced increases in extracellular adenosine appear to be due to inhibition of adenosine influx. After chronic exposure to ethanol, cells became tolerant to the acute effects of ethanol, i.e. ethanol no longer inhibited uptake. Consequently, ethanol no longer increased extracellular adenosine concentrations. Taken together with our previous studies, these results suggest that ethanol inhibition of adenosine influx leads to an increase in extracellular adenosine which causes an initial increase in intracellular cAMP levels and subsequent development of heterologous desensitization of cAMP signal transduction.
DAMPING CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPOSITE GIRDER

An experimental laboratory program was conducted to determine the damping characteristics of a composite girder at different strain levels and the effect of structural deterioration due to cyclic loading on these characteristics. The cyclic loading was imposed by means of a moving-mass closed-lop electrohydraulic actuator system. Five different methods were employed in the investigation to evaluate the equivalent linear viscous damping of the composite girder. The results show that strain level and structural deterioration have a considerable effect on the damping ratio. Initially, the damping ratio increased as the strain level increased. However, after the composite girder had incurred some structural deterioration, the damping ratio decreased as the strain level increased. All five of the different methods used to determine the damping ratio yield approximately the same value for the damping ratio and predict the same trends with regard to the strain level. /Author/
Wedding Dresses and Wanted Criminals: Pinterest.com as an Infrastructure for Repository Building

We present findings from a qualitative study of activity on Pinterest.com, in which we investigated professional and personal uses of the site using interview data and observations of online activity. We find that Pinterest serves as an infrastructure for repository building that supports a wide range of activities including: discovery, collecting, collaborating, and publishing. We discuss these concepts using the language of “boundary objects” from the sociology of science. We suggest that scale is a critical dimension of boundary objects for understanding how people make sense of Pinterest and their diverse goals for using it. Profession- als often attempt to use Pinterest to create repositories that scale to groups, organizations and societies and interface with multiple social worlds whereas personal repositories often have highly localized meanings. Our approach builds on quantitative descriptions of Pinterest to understand how the site fits into a growing ecology of social network sites.
The H-2 genetic complex, dexamethasone-induced cleft palate, and other craniofacial anomalies.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the H-2 genetic complex, dexamethasone-induced cleft palate, and other craniofacial anomalies. H-2 gained a prominent position in biological research because most regulatory functions of the immune response and transplant rejection are linked to it. The genes in H-2 determine an individual's ability to fight off infectious diseases, to keep autoimmunity in check, and to destroy virally infected cancer cells. Three classes of molecules are encoded in H-2. Their detailed protein structure and gene structure are described in the chapter. These molecules serve as definitive chromosomal markers in gene mapping, replacing the more subjective use of antigenic specificities. A theoretical framework describes molecular processes used by the cell to sense and respond to its environment. The theory adapts the immunoglobulin-like molecules of H-2 to play the role of sensors on the cell surface. When the immunoglobulin-like molecules sense and bind to the arrangements of extracellular molecules or molecules on the surfaces of adjacent cells, the cells respond by differentiating. This process is analogous to the process of antigen recognition by cell interactions in the immune response and lymphocyte differentiation, a glucocorticoid-sensitive process.
Factors that inhibit snowball Earth simulation

[1] A coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model with a thermodynamic sea-ice model, the Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model version 1.5, is used to investigate the factors that inhibit the simulation of global sea ice. In the control experiment with reduced solar luminosity (93% of modern), low atmospheric pCO2 (140 ppm), and an idealized tropical continent, the sea-ice margin equilibrates at ∼27° latitude. A series of experiments was completed to systematically test the influence of deep-ocean circulation, wind-driven ocean circulation, convective mixing, sea-ice treatment, and radiative-cloud forcing, on the sea-ice extent. Model results indicate that both wind-driven circulation and cloud-radiative forcing are critical factors that inhibit sea-ice advance into the low latitudes. The wind-driven ocean circulation transports heat to the sea-ice margin, stabilizing the sea-ice margin. Clouds yield a positive radiative forcing over ice, warming the air overlying sea ice and decreasing sensible heat loss at the sea-ice margin. In the absence of either factor, sea ice expands to the equator within 15 model years, yielding a snowball Earth. We also find that intensification of the Hadley circulation as sea ice enters the Hadley domain promotes the climate instability that leads to global sea-ice cover. Results from this study help explain the wide disparity in conditions necessary to simulate global ice cover in previous climate models of the Neoproterozoic.
Cell cycle control of PDGF-induced Ca2+ signaling through modulation of sphingolipid metabolism

The effects of growth factors have been shown to depend on the position of a cell in the cell cycle. However, the physiological basis for this phenomenon remains unclear. Here we show that the majority of both CEINGE clone3 (cl3) and human embryonic kidney 293 cells, when arrested in a quiescent phase (G0), responded to platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) with non-oscillatory Ca2+ signals. Furthermore, the same type of Ca2+ response was also observed in CEINGE cl3 cells (and to a lesser extent in HEK 293 cells) blocked at the G1/S boundary. In contrast, CEINGE cl3 cells synchronized in early G1 or released from G1/S arrest responded in an oscillatory fashion. This cell cycle-dependent modulation of Ca2+ signaling was not observed on epidermal growth factor and G-protein-coupled receptor stimulation and was not due to differences in the expression of PDGF receptors (PDGFRs) during the cell cycle. We demonstrate that inhibition of sphingosine-kinase, which converts sphingosine to sphingosine-1-phosp...
Relevance of computer hardware topics in computer science curriculum

A multitude of computer hardware concepts and techniques have evolved and matured over the past few decades. Computer science students often are exposed to the breadth and depth of software topics through a variety of software and programming courses. This usually is not the case when it comes to hardware topics. We strongly feel that a balanced treatment of hardware and software concepts will better prepare our students to the sophisticated workplace. In this paper we discuss the importance and relevance of the various computer hardware topics in the computer science curriculum. We also present approaches to incorporate these topics in the curriculum for preparing a well-rounded computer science graduate.
Services Offshoring and its Impact on Productivity and Employment: Evidence from Germany, 1995–2006

Economists have recently recognised services offshoring as an important influence on domestic labour market outcomes. Services are of particular interest since their significance has grown in terms of both quantity and quality. Only one and a half decades ago, most services were considered non-tradable, but the emergence and development of new information and communication technologies has made many services internationally tradable. The liberalisation of international trade in services trade has further accelerated the volume of services trade. Our econometric estimations focus on services offshoring by German manufacturing sectors. We use revised input–output data from 1995 to 2006. We first estimate the impact of services offshoring on labour productivity. We then measure the effects of services offshoring on labour demand. The results show that services offshoring increased sectoral labour productivity, but reduced German manufacturing employment. The overall results suggest that labour demand decreased over 1995–2006, because labour-reducing productivity and substitution effects dominated labour-augmenting scale effects from services offshoring.
A direct broadcast satellite reception system for automotive OEMs

Mobile direct broadcast satellite (DBS) reception systems have been on the market for several years. But only recently have companies made a serious effort to offer the public a system that can be installed on their automobiles. Public acceptance has been slow, though most vehicle manufacturers agree that quality TV reception in the vehicle, at the right price, is on their list of technologies to have. For the OEM, it is imperative that the satellite TV system be integrated seamlessly into the vehicle roof structure in a manner that preserves the designer's styling. Of equal importance, the system's integration with the vehicle human machine interface (HMI) and the audio/video systems must also be seamless. System manufacturers realize that for their product to sell at any significant volume, it must be integrated into a broad range of popular vehicles
Derivation of the vacuum longitudinal field B (3) from the Dirac equation of the electron in the electromagnetic field

By solving the Diras equation for the motion of an electron (c) in the circularly polarized electromagnetic field it is shown that the intrinsic electron spin forms an interaction Hamiltonian with a time independent fieldB (3) of electromagnetic radiation in the vacuum. In the same way as intrinsic spin is a fundamental property of the electron,B (3) is therefore a fundamental and intrinsic property of the vacuum electromagnetic field.
Laser beam pulse shaping using dispersive spectral filtering

We report on the shaping and stretching of nanosecond, linearly chirped pulses. The temporal response of linearly chirped pulses shaped by a unit-step spectral mask is examined. Schemes for the shaping of narrow-band nanosecond pulses are also introduced. Experimental and theoretical results show that spectral pulse-shaping techniques provide the required stability, flexibility, fast rise time, and high contrast for laser-fusion research.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.