cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corruption, Contention, and Reform: Recognizing the syndromes of corruption

Corruption in its context The value of thinking about contrasting syndromes of corruption is to frame a key question of reform: what underlying processes and problems shape a society’s corruption problems, and how should those circumstances figure into reform scenarios? When it comes to grappling with such questions in real societies, combinations of participation and institutions are no more than useful simplifications; various examples of a given syndrome will not look exactly alike. Participation and institutions do not determine every detail of a country’s corruption situation; key personalities and groups, events, popular responses, and the ever-present law of unintended consequences will all modify the impact of deeper influences. International factors can also be critical. Moreover, real societies – particularly larger and more diverse ones – may experience more than one syndrome of corruption in different levels, economic sectors, or segments of society. Still, the syndromes scheme can be a useful step beyond one-dimensional corruption indices, and can help us sort out important similarities and contrasts in the predominant forms of corruption countries experience. While it is tempting to classify corruption cases in terms of immediate techniques – bribery, extortion, judicial corruption, violence – those sorts of characteristics do not tell us much about deeper influences on corruption and reform, and do not take us very far in terms of distinguishing among various societies’ corruption problems. Even if they did, we lack comprehensive evidence as to how often, or where, a country experiences a given corruption technique. The value of examining broader and deeper influences is that we can compare such factors across societies or over time with a useful degree of accuracy. The initial syndromes analysis (Johnston 2005a) relied on a series of country-level indicators and case studies to establish and test the four basic categories, but in examining a given society those who know it well can use a number of other kinds of knowledge to make similar judgments. Indeed, one critical common element among the various approaches to be discussed below is that there is no substitute for extensive local knowledge. Moreover, applying that knowledge to the four syndrome categories should not be a matter of trying to “get the right answer”; instead, the hope is that the syndromes lend depth and insight to what knowledgeable observers have already seen.
Plant microbiome blueprints

Just as the number of petals in a flower or the number of limbs on an animal follow predictable rules, host-associated microbial communities (“microbiomes”) have predictable compositions. At the level of bacterial phylum, the structure of the host-associated microbiome is conserved across individuals of a species ( 1 , 2 ). The consistency and predictability of host-associated microbiomes—like many of the phenotypes of a particular multicellular organism—suggest that they too may, in part, be under the regulation of a genetic blueprint. Indeed, evidence in animals shows that through production of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, the innate immune system shapes the composition of the gut microbiome ( 3 , 4 ). On page 860 of this issue, Lebeis et al. ( 5 ) reveal a critical role of the plant hormone salicylic acid in determining the higher-order organization of the root-associated microbiome of the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
Stimulation of lateral branching of azaleas with dikegulac-sodium (Atrinal).

SummaryDikegulac-sodium at different concentrations was applied to several azalea cultivars. These treatments were compared with manual pinching and the use of Off-Shoot-O. Concentrations of 0–25% to 0–67% ai were effective, and generally more new lateral shoots were obtained with dikegulac than with the other treatments. Shoot emergence was delayed with dikegulac and the foliage on the new shoots was often narrow and chlorotic.
Controls on N Retention and Exports in a Forested Watershed

We conducted a 15N-tracer study in a fertilized, forested catchment at the Bear Brook Watersheds in Maine (BBWM), USA, in order to characterize N cycling processes, identify sinks for ammonium-N additions, and determine the contribution of the experimental ammonium additions to nitrate exports from the treated catchment. Distributions of 15N in plant tissues, soils, precipitation and streamwater collected before adding tracers showed that nitrate-N (the dominant form of inorganic N deposition at the site) inputs under ambient conditions were depleted in 15N relative to plants and that soil was enriched in 15N relative to plants. The 15N content of streamwater nitrate was within the range of 15N contents in natural plant tissues, suggesting that nitrate deposited from the atmosphere is reduced and assimilated into soil and plant N pools before being leached as nitrate from the catchment. Variations in 15N natural abundances also suggested that most N uptake by trees is from the forest floor and that nitrification occurs in soils at this catchment under ambient conditions. Changes in 15N contents of plant tissues, soils and streamwater after adding a 15N tracer to the ammonium sulfate fertilizer applied to the treated catchment showed that soils were the dominant sink for the labeled ammonium. Surface soils (Oea horizon plus any underlying mineral soil to 5cm depth) assimilated 19 to 31 percent of the 42 kg ha−1 of 15N-labelled ammonium-N during the tracer study. Aboveground biomass assimilated 8 to 17 percent of the labeled ammonium-N additions. Of the three forest types on the catchment, the soil:biomass assimilation ratio of labeled-N was highest in the spruce forest, intermediate in the beech-dominated hardwood forest and lowest in the mixed hardwood-spruce forest. Although ammonium sulfate additions led to increases in streamwater nitrate, only 2 of the 13 kg ha−1 of nitrate-N exported from the catchment during the 2 years of tracer additions was derived from the 42 kg ha−1 of labeled ammonium-N additions.
Tracking in nonholonomic dynamic systems via sliding modes

We use an approach based on sliding mode control to design a feedback which forces the state vector of a nonholonomic integrator to track the desired time function. A discontinuous feedback control is found which allows the /spl epsi/-tracking in spite of the fact that the number of controls is less than the dimensionality of the tracking function. The developed approach is applied to a nonholonomic system which describes the motion of the rotating knife moving on the surface. A numerical example is considered.
Initial Experience of a Patient Navigation Model for Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance Specific temporal goals for treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) are common in Europe but not in the United States. We implemented a patient-centric navigation model with an aspirational goal that all patients will receive treatment recommendations within 2 weeks of presentation as a means to improve outcomes in our patients with HNC. Objective To assess the temporal impact of using an aspirational goal in a patient-centric navigation system on the time from presentation to formulation of treatment planning for patients with HNC. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective review of 100 consecutive patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck at a tertiary referral center between 2011 and 2014. Patients were assessed to determine the efficiency of a patient-centric navigational model in delivering cancer treatment recommendations. This model was designed with an aspirational goal of providing treatment recommendations within a 2-week period. Exposure Starting in 2011, patient-centric navigation model including the assignment of a nurse who acts as a patient navigator. Main Outcomes and Measures The time interval between presentation to clinic and definitive treatment recommendations, as well as factors associated with delay. Results Of the 93 patients who met inclusion requirements, most were white (81 [87%]) males (74 [80%]) with a mean (SD) age of 63.4 (10.8) years insured by Medicare or Medicaid (64 [69%]). Forty-seven (51%) received treatment recommendations within the 2-week period, with median and mode values of 15 and 14 days, respectively. The mean (SD) interval was 18.8 (18.6) days. Outliers included 2 patients with synchronous lung nodules (72 and 85 days) and 2 patients with psychosocial barriers (107 and 86 days). There were no significant differences seen for the mean (SD) time interval with respect to patient race (blacks, 17.6 [15.7] vs whites, 22.5 [30.0]; P = .20), sex (males, 18.3 [18.1] vs females, 20.4 [19.7]; P = .13), insurance status (insured, 16.3 [10.2] vs uninsured, 19.8 [21.0]; P = .24), and stage at presentation (stage I, 14.4 [17.0] vs stage II, 11.0 [5.3] vs stage III, 14.7 [8.6] vs stage IV, 21.2 [20.2]; P = .40). Conclusions and Relevance The goal of treatment recommendations for HNC within 2 weeks was shown to be reasonable and attainable. Further research should address the delays encountered by patients with psychosocial barriers and those with synchronous lung nodules.
Acute renal failure secondary to pyelonephritis.

Pyelonephritis is an unusual cause of acute renal failure in children with an anatomically normal urinary tract and no other predisposing conditions. On the other hand, acute renal failure due to acute pyelonephritis has been reported in adults, and is often associated with pregnancy, solitary kidney, indwelling catheter or use of nonsteroidal medications.1-3 We report the case of a 12-year-old girl with normal renal anatomy and no known predisposing conditions who developed acute renal failure during the course of acute bacterial pyelonephritis, and who recovered completely after appropriate antibiotic therapy. CASE REPORT A previously healthy 12-year-old female was admitted to the Children9s National Medical Center with a 1-week history of vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping.
Neotropical schistosomiasis: African affinities of the host snail Biomphalaria glabrata (Gastropoda: Planorbidae).

Schistosoma mansoni, the blood fluke responsible for human intestinal schistosomiasis in the Neotropics, was imported repeatedly with African slaves during the period 1500–1800. This trematode, and its intermediate host snails of the genusBiomphalaria, are widely distributed across Africa and the disease is thought to have quickly become established in South America and the West Indies because of the presence of an endemic susceptible congener,B. glabrata. We comparedB. glabratawith four other Neotropical and three African species ofBiomphalariausing 20 allozyme loci and found that it is phenetically and phylogenetically more like the African species; both parasite and American host snail are apparently of historically or geologically recent African origin. Furthermore, genetic distances, cladistic analyses and fossil data suggest the AfricanBiomphalariaspecies may themselves have evolved from Neotropical founders following an initial trans-Atlantic dispersal in the reverse direction 2.3–4.5 Mya. Interpretation of existing patterns remains problematic as few African snails have been characterized genetically and bothB. glabrataand AfricanB. pfeifferiappear to comprise several cryptic species.
Loop gain and margins of stability of inner-current loop of peak current-mode-controlled PWM dc-dc converters in continuous conduction mode

A general expression for the loop gain of the inner-current loop of peak current-mode-controlled PWM dc-dc converters operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) is derived as a function of perturbation ratio and switching frequency. It is shown that this expression is identical for all conventional PWM dc-dc converters in CCM, such as buck, boost and buck-boost converters. However, the value of perturbation ratio is dependent on the converter topology. Also, an expression for required slope compensation at a specified phase margin and a maximum duty cycle is presented. The general expression of the loop gain enables the investigation of the margins of stability of the inner loop of peak current-mode-controlled PWM dc-dc converters irrespective of the converter topology.
Detection of Sulfamethazine Residues in Milk by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract A simple high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure for the detection of sulfamethazine residues in milk is described. Milk is extracted with chloroform, the extract evaporated to dryness and then redissolved in potassium phosphate buffer (pH 5.0). The chloroform extract, in buffer, is passed through a cyclobond I solid phase extraction (SPE) column. The SPE column is washed with 10 ml potassium phosphate buffer and then sulfamethazine is eluted with 2 ml aqueous (50%) methanol. The eluent is directly analyzed by HPLC with uv detection at 265 nm. The recoveries ranged from 83.2% to 88.2% in samples fortified between 5 to 40 ppb levels.
Determinants ofthe perception of sagittal motion

This study examines the change in the perceived distance of an object in three-dimensional space when the object andlor the observer’s head is moved along the line of sight (sagittal motion) as a function of the perceived absolute (egocentric) distance of the object and the perceived motion of the head. To analyze the processes involved, two situations, labeled A and B, were used in four experiments. In Situation A, the observer was stationary and the perceived motion of the object was measured as the object was moved toward and away from the observer. In Situation B, the same visual information regarding the changing perceived egocentric distance between the observer and object was provided as in Situation A, but part or all of the change in visual egocentric distance was produced by the sagittal motion of the observer’s head. A comparison of the perceived motion of the object in the two situations was used to measure the compensation in the perception of the motion of the object as a result of the headmotion. Compensation was often clearly incomplete, and errors were often made in the perception of the motion of the stimulus object. A theory is proposed, which identifies the relation between the changes in the perceived egocentric distance of the object and the tandem motion of the object resulting from the perceived motion of the head to be the significant factor in the perception of the sagittal motion of the stimulus object in Situation B.
A COLORIMETRIC METHOD FOR THE MICRO-DETERMINATION OF 2,2, BIS(P-CHLOROPHENYL) 1,1,1 TRICHLORETHANE (DDT)

A colorimetric method for the micro-determination of 2,2 bis(p-chlorophenyl) 1,1,1 trichlorethane (DDT) is presented. The test is based on the discovery that when DDT is heated in an anhydrous pyridine solution containing xanthydrol and solid potassium hydroxide a red color develops, which under proper conditions is proportional to the amount of DDT present. The reaction is sensitive to as little as 10 gammas of DDT. It will detect small differences in concentration within the range of 10 to 200 gammas. The test is relatively simple and can be run in a comparatively short time.
Effect of Measurement on Sex Difference in Stroke Mortality

The 1994 to 1997 administrative data on 40 450 elderly Medicare beneficiaries and general population of 2 states were used to measure “case mortality” (deaths attributable to any cause among cases of acute stroke), “case fatality” (deaths caused by cerebrovascular diseases among cases of acute stroke), and “population mortality” (deaths caused by stroke in the elderly general population). Mortality was higher in men than in women according to all measures except population mortality caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage. There was no sex difference in 1-year case fatality. One-year all-cause mortality among cases of nonhemorrhagic stroke or all types of stroke was higher in men than in women. Similar sex differences were found in 4-year population mortality caused by nonhemorrhagic stroke or all types of stroke combined. The 3 measures differed with respect to sex difference in stroke mortality. How stroke is defined and how mortality is measured does affect sex difference.
Psychiatric Diagnosis, Substance Use and Dependence, and Arrests Among Former Recipients of Supplemental Security Income for Drug Abuse and Alcoholism.

Abstract This study examines the associations among substance use and psychiatric disorders on arrests in a sample of 187 former recipients of Supplemental Security Income for drug addiction and alcoholism. Participants were interviewed at baseline and at 12, 18, and 24 months. Primary measures included urine tests for recent drug use, psychiatric and substance use disorders per DSM-III-R criteria, and official arrests gathered from criminal histories. Arrest data were considered in aggregate and by charge category using Cox regression survival models of time to arrest. The relationships among diagnosis, substance use, and arrests varied by arrest charge category with those actively using cocaine or diagnosed as schizophrenic most likely to be arrested for any charge while those with major depression the least likely to be arrested. Dependence on alcohol and antisocial personality disorder were strongly related to the likelihood of an arrest for a violent offense but schizophrenia was not. Based on the fi...
Studies on regeneration of the lizard's tail.

The present paper is concerned mainly with studies from my laboratory on regeneration of the lizard's tail. Over the past five years my students and I have focused our attention on: (1) a careful description of the histology of tail regeneration; (2) the role of neural elements (nerve and ependyma) in the initiation of regeneration; (3) the role of the ependymal epithelium in the guidance of regenerating central fibers: and (4) the development of techniques of tissue culture applicable to this system.
Primary isotope effect of tritium on the hydroxylations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.

Abstract Hydroxylations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 at C-23, C-24, C-26, and C-1 were measured by in vitro incubation of chick kidney homogenate using either 25-hydroxy[23,24- 3 H]vitamin D 3 or 25-hydroxy[26,27- 3 H]vitamin D 3 as substrate. The extracts of incubation mixtures were chromatographed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 from either substrate by incubation with kidneys of vitamin D-deficient chickens was identical. In contrast, production of 24,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D 3 was markedly reduced if 25-hydroxy[23,24- 3 H]vitamin D 3 was used as substrate while production of 25,26-dihydroxyvitamin D was markedly reduced if 25-hydroxy [26,27- 3 H]vitamin D 3 was used. The tritium loss due to hydroxylation at the tritiated carbon does not account for these results. In addition, production of 23,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 -26,23-lactone was also greatly reduced when 25-hydroxy[23,24- 3 H]vitamin D 3 was used as substrate. The results demonstrate a primary isotope effect of tritium on the hydroxylations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 by kidney preparations and signals caution in interpretation of experiments concerning the metabolism of vitamin D when these labeled compounds are used either in vivo or in vitro .
Decentralized Regulation and the “Race to the Top”: The Case of Municipal Saloon Licensing in Turn‐of‐the‐Century Massachusetts*

The spatial spread of policies, usually studied with an emphasis on contagion and demonstration effects, can also reflect considerations of trans-boundary spillovers. The model of the “race to the bottom” criticizes decentralized regulation as inherently tending towards laxity because of competition among jurisdictions for business. There exists also the possibility of a “race to the top,” in which a fear of an influx of an activity being regulated elsewhere causes the regulation to spread. An analysis of turn-of-the-century Massachusetts municipal saloon licensing policy illustrates the latter phenomenon.
B-cell activation in human plasma cell dyscrasias

Summary We studied the abnormal in vitro polyclonal B-cell activity observed in patients with multiple myeloma and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia. Numbers of cells spontaneously secreting immunoglobulin (Ig) in freshly isolated suspensions of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulated cultures of blood mononuclear cells were determined with a protein. A reverse haemolytic plaque assay. These data were correlated with both the clinical and laboratory parameters of disease. Furthermore, Ig secreted into supernatants of PWM-stimulated cultures was examined by a light chain radioimmunoassay for evidence of in vitro activation of malignant B-cells. The mean level of circulating immunoglobulin secreting cells (IgSC) in patients was elevated when compared to that of normal subjects. The highest values were observed in those patients with the highest levels of serum paraprotein. However, experiments with cycloheximide suggested that such increased circulating IgSC values were often caused by the detection of Ig passively adsorbed to blood mononuclear cells. The studies with PWM stimulation of blood mononuclear cells were particularly revealing. Cultures of patient blood mononuclear cells with PWM showed depressed IgSC responses as a group compared to cultures of normal blood mononuclear cells: nevertheless, approximately half the patients demonstrated a sizeable response to PWM. No evidence for preferential activation of Ig secretion by the malignant B-cell clone was observed. Impaired PWM induced responses were associated with advanced or progressive clinical disease.
An explication and test of communication network content and multiplexity as predictors of organizational identification

Communication network research has been criticized for being based on an atheoretical method with little explanatory power. Research on organizational identification (OI), although theoretically rich, has been criticized for the paucity of research which examines the relationship between identification and communication. This research used OI as a theoretical framework from which to study communication networks. Incoming graduate students from three communication departments specified the content and patterns of their communication with members of their respective departments and indicated their organizational identification at three points in time during their first academic year. Results indicate that (a) multiplex communication relationships are positively associated with OI; (b) these respondents specified an array of ten content topics rather than the three traditionally used by network researchers; and (c) OI is related to specific conversational content. Academic talk during initial interactions wa...
Evaluation du nerf cutané médial de l'avant-bras pour le diagnostic de syndrome du défilé thoracique neurogène

Un test objectif fiable est necessaire pour confirmer le diagnostic de syndrome du defile thoracique neurogene (SDTN). Au cours des 20 dernieres annees, il a ete suggere que les reponses du nerf cutane medial de l'avant-bras (CMA) et la stimulation de la racine C8 pouvaient etre employees a cette fin. Nous explorons ici cette hypothese. Un diagnostic clinique de SDTN a ete etabli chez 41 patients, qui ont tous eu une decompression chirurgicale. En preoperatoire, tous les patients ont ete etudies avec determination du potentiel d'action du nerf CMA et stimulation des potentiels d'action neurosensoriels de la racine C8. Les controles etaient 19 sujets asymptomatiques, volontaires en bonne sante. La latence sensorielle de CMA de 79 cotes controles etait de 1,5-2,4 msec, alors que la latence chez 41 patients symptomatiques etait de 2,2-2,8 msec. Une latence de 2,5 ou plus etait notee chez 30 patients (specificite 99%, sensibilite 73%), confirmant un diagnostic de SDTN, alors que les 11 autres (27%) tombaient dans la zone limite de 2,2-2,4 msec. La difference de latence entre les cotes droits et gauches chez les controles etait de 0-0,2 msec dans 17 (89%), alors que chez les SDTN 31 patients avaient une difference de 0,3 msec ou plus (sensibilite 89%, specificite 63%). Des amplitudes de 10 mV ou plus etaient observees chez 77 des 79 cotes controles, tandis que l'amplitude etait au-dessous de 10 mV chez 28 patients (specificite 97%, sensibilite 68%). Les rapports d'amplitude entre les cotes droits et gauches chez les controles etaient de 1,7 ou moins. Des rapports de 2,0 ou plus etaient mesures chez 25 patients (specificite 100%, sensibilite 61%). En utilisant les quatre criteres diagnostiques (latence de plus de 2,4 msec, difference de latence entre les cotes de 0,3 ou plus, amplitude inferieure a 10 mV, et rapports d'amplitude de 2,0 ou plus), 40 des 41 patients avaient au moins un des quatre criteres diagnostiques, 23 patients (56%) avaient trois ou quatre criteres positifs, et 12 (29%) en avaient deux. Les reponses a la stimulation de la racine C8 etaient au-dessous de la normale (56 m/sec) dans 54% des cas. L'evaluation du nerf CMA est une technique assez fiable pour confirmer le diagnostic de SDTN. La determination de la latence semble une mesure legerement plus coherente dans cette etude, mais l'amplitude et la stimulation de la racine C8 etaient egalement utiles. Une combinaison de ces techniques semble etre l'approche la plus fiable.
Neglected questions in job design: How people design jobs, task-job predictability, and influence of training

Three questions important to job design interventions but neglected in research were explored. First, how do people design jobs? Internal processes (e.g., growth needs) from psychological (or job enrichment) models of job design were not apparent. Instead, groupings of tasks into jobs suggested simple cognitive categorization based on task similarity, reflecting an engineering (or work simplification) orientation. Second, can job design be predicted from task design? Separate measures for job and task designs were unrelated, indicating that the whole is not predictable from the parts in job design, Third, can job design principles be trained? Subjects easily learned and applied different job design approaches.
Basic Needs and Economic Systems: Notes on Data, Methodology, and Interpretation

(1983). Basic Needs and Economic Systems: Notes on Data, Methodology, and Interpretation. Review of Social Economy: Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 172-177.
Femtosecond Fluorescence Spectra of Tryptophan in Human γ-Crystallin Mutants: Site-Dependent Ultrafast Quenching

The eye lens Crystallin proteins are subject to UV irradiation throughout life, and the photochemistry of damage proceeds through the excited state; thus, their tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence lifetimes are physiologically important properties. The time-resolved fluorescence spectra of single Trps in human γD- and γS-Crystallins have been measured with both an upconversion spectrophotofluorometer on the 300 fs to 100 ps time scale, and a time correlated single photon counting apparatus on the 100 ps to 10 ns time scale, respectively. Three Trps in each wild type protein were replaced by phenylalanine, leading to single-Trp mutants: W68-only and W156-only of HγD- and W72-only and W162-only of HγS-Crystallin. These proteins exhibit similar ultrafast signatures: positive definite decay associated spectra (DAS) for 50−65 ps decay constants that indicate dominance of fast, heterogeneous quenching. The quenched population (judged by amplitude) of this DAS differs among mutants. Trps 68, 156 in human γD- and Trp72...
Nitrification options for pig wastewater treatment

Abstract Nitrification is a necessary and often limiting process in animal waste treatment for removal of nitrogen as N2 through biological nitrification/denitrification systems. We evaluated three technologies for enhancing nitrification of pig lagoon wastewater prior to denitrification: overland flow, trickling filter, and a bioreactor using nitrifying pellets. The overland flow system consisted of a 4 × 20‐m plot with 2% slope with a subsurface impermeable barrier receiving a total N loading rate of 64–99 kg N ha−1 day−1. Total N removal efficiency ranged from 36 to 42%, and 7% of the total N application was recovered in the effluent as nitrate. The trickling filter consisted of a 1‐m3 tank filled with marl gravel media which supported a nitrifying biofilm. Lagoon wastewater was applied as a fine spray on the surface at hydraulic loading rates of 684 litres m−3 day−1 and total N loading rates of 249 g m−3 day−1. The media filter treatment transformed up to 57% of the inflow total N into nitrate when wa...
LGR5 Interacts and Cointernalizes with Wnt Receptors To Modulate Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

LGR5, a seven-transmembrane domain receptor of the rhodopsin family, is a Wnt target gene and a bona fide marker of adult stem cells in the gastrointestinal tract and hair follicle bulge. Recently, we and others demonstrated that LGR5 and its homologues function as receptors of the R-spondin family of stem cell factors to potentiate Wnt/β-catenin signaling. However, the mechanism of how LGR5 enhances the signaling output remains unclear. Here we report that following costimulation with the ligands R-spondin1 and Wnt3a, LGR5 interacts and forms a supercomplex with the Wnt coreceptors LRP6 and Fzd5 which is rapidly internalized and then degraded. Internalization of LGR5 is mediated through a dynamin- and clathrin-dependent pathway. Inhibition of this endocytic process has no effect on LGR5 signaling. Deletion of the C-terminal tail of LGR5 maintains its ability to interact with LRP6, yet this LGR5 mutant exhibits increased signaling activity and a decreased rate of endocytosis in response to R-spondin1 compared to the wild-type receptor. This study provides direct evidence that LGR5 becomes part of the Wnt signaling complex at the membrane level to enhance Wnt/β-catenin signaling. However, internalization of LGR5 does not appear to be essential for potentiating the canonical Wnt signaling pathway.
Probing replication origins with a fork.

In 1968, Huberman and Riggs used DNA-fibre autoradiography to dem- onstrate that the replication of eukaryotic chromosomes occurs bi- directionally from multiple discrete sites that appear to be irregularly spaced along the chromosome t. Since then, the specific sequence requirements of prokaryotic and viral replication origins have been well documented. By contrast, the de- tailed analysis of initiation sites in more complex systems has pro- gressed little in over 20 years. This has begun to change recently with the development of various tech- niques that allow the precise location and specific sequences of origins to be assessed. Recent advances have been achieved using two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoretic techniques that physically separate replication intermediates from nonreplicating DNA, followed by DNA hybrid- ization to probe for particular sequences of interest 2,3. The 2-D gel technique of Brewer and Fangman 2 is a logical extension of the work of Bell and Byers 4, which showed that branched and linear forms of DNA could be separated by 2-D neutral/ neutral (N/N) agarose gel electro- phoresis. In this system, replication intermediates have characteristic mi- gration patterns that allow initiation sites to be mapped. A second 2.D gel technique (neutral/alkaline, N/A) 3, developed by Nawotka and Huberman, utilizes alkaline denatur- ing conditions to separate nascent and parental strands, allowing origins and fork direction to be mapped. In addition, a number of biochemical
BIRTHMARKS TO WORRY ABOUT: Cutaneous Markers of Dysraphism

Most birthmarks are benign lesions of little concern. Rarely, congenital cutaneous lesions may indicate an underlying systemic disorder. This article will focus on birthmarks that are markers of neural tube dysraphism. The term dysraphia is defined as incomplete fusion of a raphe. The skin and the nervous system are both derived from the ectoderm. Separation of the neural ectoderm from the epithelial ectoderm occurs during the third to fifth weeks of gestation. This cleavage occurs concurrently with the formation and closure of the neural tube. This embryologic association may explain why apparently trivial, cutaneous lesions are often present over occult neural tube dysraphia. The discussion in this article will be divided into cutaneous markers of cranial dysraphism (calvarial defects) and those of spinal dysraphism.
Constitutive Protease-activated Receptor-2-mediated Migration of MDA MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells Requires Both β-Arrestin-1 and -2

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) is activated by trypsin-like serine proteases and can promote cell migration through an ERK1/2-dependent pathway, involving formation of a scaffolding complex at the leading edge of the cell. Previous studies also showed that expression of a dominant negative fragment of β-arrestin-1 reduces PAR-2-stimulated internalization, ERK1/2 activation, and cell migration; however, this reagent may block association of many proteins, including β-arrestin-2 with clathrin-coated pits. Here we investigate the role of PAR-2 in the constitutive migration of a metastatic breast cancer cell line, MDA MB-231, and use small interfering RNA to determine the contribution of each β-arrestin to this process. We demonstrate that a trypsin-like protease secreted from MDA MB-231 cells can promote cell migration through autocrine activation of PAR-2 and this correlates with constitutive localization of PAR-2, β-arrestin-2, and activated ERK1/2 to pseudopodia. Addition of MEK-1 inhibitors, trypsin inhibitors, a scrambled PAR-2 peptide, and silencing of β-arrestins with small interfering RNA also reduce base-line migration of MDA MB-231 cells. In contrast, a less metastatic PAR-2 expressing breast cancer cell line does not exhibit constitutive migration, pseudopodia formation, or trypsin secretion; in these cells PAR-2 is more uniformly distributed around the cell periphery. These data demonstrate a requirement for both β-arrestins in PAR-2-mediated motility and suggest that autocrine activation of PAR-2 by secreted proteases may contribute to the migration of metastatic tumor cells through β-arrestin-dependent ERK1/2 activation.
Cycle Time Reduction Through Preventive Maintenance De-clustering

Cycle-time (CT) is one of the key performance metrics for silicon wafer fabrication factories (fabs). The largest component of CT is the time lots spend in queue waiting for processing. A primary cause of queue-time is the variability of toolset availability (V A ) One component of V A occurs when usage-based preventative maintenance (PM) events are clustered in time, i.e., unevenly spaced. This portion of V A may be significantly reduced by intelligent PM scheduling to de-cluster PMs. In this paper, we present a case study on how eManufacturing is applied to enable PM spacing. The PM schedules are generated by a MILP-based (mixed-integer linear programming) optimizer The fab automation systems visually display the solver results to technicians. An advanced simulator-optimizer system has been developed to test this eManufacturing approach. It demonstrated ~20% reduction in V A and ~30% reduction in CT for a thin film toolset.
Report on stage III Pig-a mutation assays using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-comparison with other in vivo genotoxicity endpoints.

N-Ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) was evaluated as part of the Stage III trial for the rat Pig-a gene mutation assay. Groups of six- to eight-week-old male Sprague Dawley (SD) or Fischer 344 (F344) rats were given 28 daily doses of the phosphate buffered saline vehicle, or 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg ENU, and evaluated for a variety of genotoxicity endpoints in peripheral blood, spleen, liver, and colon. Blood was sampled predose (Day-1) and at various time points up to Day 57. Pig-a mutant frequencies were determined in total red blood cells (RBCs) and reticulocytes (RETs) as RBCCD59− and RETCD59− frequencies. Consistent with the results from a reference laboratory, RBCCD59− and RETCD59− frequencies increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner, producing significant increases at all doses by Day 15, with similar frequencies seen in both rat strains. ENU also induced small but significant increases in % micronucleated RETs on Days 4 and 29. No significant increases in micronuclei were seen in the liver or colon of the ENU-treated SD rats. Hprt and Pig-a lymphocyte mutation assays conducted on splenocytes from Day 56 F344 rats detected two- to fourfold stronger responses for Hprt than Pig-a mutations. Results from the in vivo Comet assay in SD rats at Day 29 showed generally weak increases in DNA damage in all tissues evaluated. The results with ENU indicate that the Pig-a RET and RBC assays are reproducible, transferable, and complement other genotoxicity endpoints that could potentially be integrated into 28-day repeat-dose rat studies. © Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 2011. Published 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Title: 100G studies: Drivers, field trial, technology choice and network options

In this talk, we'll look at the drivers for 100G, what we have learnt from 100G field trial in BT, network design options with different 100G technology and potential issues to be considered.
Millifluidics as a simple tool to optimize droplet networks: Case study on drop traffic in a bifurcated loop

We report that modular millifluidic networks are simpler, more cost-effective alternatives to traditional microfluidic networks, and they can be rapidly generated and altered to optimize designs. Droplet traffic can also be studied more conveniently and inexpensively at the millimeter scale, as droplets are readily visible to the naked eye. Bifurcated loops, ladder networks, and parking networks were made using only Tygon® tubing and plastic T-junction fittings and visualized using an iPod® camera. As a case study, droplet traffic experiments through a millifluidic bifurcated loop were conducted, and the periodicity of drop spacing at the outlet was mapped over a wide range of inlet drop spacing. We observed periodic, intermittent, and aperiodic behaviors depending on the inlet drop spacing. The experimentally observed periodic behaviors were in good agreement with numerical simulations based on the simple network model. Our experiments further identified three main sources of intermittency between different periodic and/or aperiodic behaviors: (1) simultaneous entering and exiting events, (2) channel defects, and (3) equal or nearly equal hydrodynamic resistances in both sides of the bifurcated loop. In cases of simultaneous events and/or channel defects, the range of input spacings where intermittent behaviors are observed depends on the degree of inherent variation in input spacing. Finally, using a time scale analysis of syringe pump fluctuations and experiment observation times, we find that in most cases, more consistent results can be generated in experiments conducted at the millimeter scale than those conducted at the micrometer scale. Thus, millifluidic networks offer a simple means to probe collective interactions due to drop traffic and optimize network geometry to engineer passive devices for biological and material analysis.
Galectin-3 and L1 retrotransposons in human breast carcinomas

Galectin-3 is a galactoside binding protein found at elevated levels in a wide variety of neoplastic cells and thought to be involved in cognitive cellular interactions during transformation and metastasis. Previously, we have shown that introduction of human galectin-3 (Mr 31,000) cDNA into the human breast cancer cells BT-549 which are galectin-3 null and non-tumorigenic in nude mice resulted in the establishment of four galectin-3 expressing clones. Three of them acquired tumorigenicity when inoculated in the mammary fat pad of nude mice. Here, we questioned what is the molecular difference between the nude mouse tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic galectin-3 expressing BT-549 cell clones. Differential display analysis and Northern blotting revealed that, unlike the tumorigenic clones, neither the parental cells nor the non-tumorigenic clone expressed a 6.5 Kb transcript. A 607 bp PCR (polymerase chain reaction) product from the differentially displayed mRNA revealed a 93% sequence homology with the human L1 retrotransposon previously suggested to play a role in the pathobiology of some breast cancers. In addition, we show that the two gene products, i.e., galectin-3 and L1, are co-expressed in breast carcinoma specimens and in other nude mouse tumorigenic cell lines.
Graphene review: An emerging RF technology

Currently, graphene is a topic of very active research fields from science to potential applications. For various RF circuit applications, including low-noise amplifiers, the unique ambipolar nature of graphene field-effect-transistors (FETs) can be utilized for high-performance frequency multipliers, mixers and high-speed radiometers. Potential integration of graphene on Silicon substrates with CMOS compatibility would also benefit future RF systems. The future success of the RF circuit applications depends on vertical and lateral scaling of graphene MOSFETs to minimize parasitics and improve gate modulation efficiency in the channel with zero or a small bandgap. In this paper, we highlight recent progress in graphene materials, devices, and circuits for RF applications. We also attempt to discuss future applications and challenges of graphene.
A Strategic Analysis of Competition Between Open Source and Proprietary Software

This paper analyzes a software market consisting of a freely available open source software (OSS), the commercial version of this OSS (OSS-SS), and the competing commercial proprietary software (PS). We find that in software markets characterized by low direct network benefits, the PS vendor is better off in the presence of competition from OSS-SS. Furthermore, the OSS-SS vendor in these markets is better off by having lower usability than PS. Therefore, the PS vendor has little incentive to improve the usability of their software in these markets. On the other hand, in software markets characterized by high network benefits, a PS vendor is threatened by the presence of OSS-SS and can survive only if the PS is more usable than the competing OSS-SS.
The presence of resilience is associated with a healthier psychological profile in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses: results of a national survey.

Objective ICU nurses are repeatedly exposed to work related stresses resulting in the development of psychological disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder and burnout syndrome. Resilience is a learnable multidimensional characteristic enabling one to thrive in the face of adversity. In a national survey, we sought to determine whether resilience was associated with healthier psychological profiles in intensive care unit nurses.
Parts of the Whole: Learn More, Learn Better

Building on previous columns in Numeracy, this column analyzes various teaching techniques in terms of their ability to build cognitive schema, extend existing schema, reinforce learning, move mean understanding of a group of students, and reduce variance in understanding of a group. We offer a pedagogical cycle as an example of how to address multiple learning goals using common teaching methods.
Polymers containing anthraquinone and quinoxaline units: Polypyrrolones

Four ladder or partial ladder polypyrrolones containing anthraquinone recurring units have been synthesized by condensing the dianhydride of 1,2,5,6-bis(α,β-dicarboxyl-pyrazino)anthraquinone with four different tetraamines, 1,2,4,5-tetraaminobenzene tetrahydrochloride, 3,3′,4,4′-tetraaminodiphenyl, 3,3′,4,4′-tetraaminodiphenyl ether, and 1,2,5,6-tetraaminoanthraquinone in dimethylacetamide and tetramethylene sulfone as reaction media. A prepolymer with an open structure was first formed which on further heating gave a closed-ring structure. These polymers which were highly colored, powdery materials, were insoluble in common organic solvents and slightly soluble only in concentrated H2SO4. They could, however, be solubilized in alkali by reduction with sodium dithionite. These polymers with an inherent viscosity in the range of 0.2–0.5, showed good thermal stability.
A sliding-distance-coupled finite element formulation for polyethylene wear in total hip arthroplasty

A three-dimensional, nonlinear contact finite element (FE) model of total hip replacement, linked to a sliding-distance-coupled wear algorithm, was used to study polyethylene wear rates for three different femoral head sizes. Hip resultant loads from a validated gait analysis model were used in the FE model to determine contact stress distributions on the polyethylene bearing surface, for 16 discrete instants of stance phase. Sliding distances of points on the femoral head surface were obtained from the corresponding flexion/extension kinematics. Wear rates were determined by a custom-written computer program that used a relationship that coupled contact stress, sliding distance, and a pin-on-disk determined wear coefficient. The wear rates computed by this formulation were well within clinically observed ranges for each component size.
Cross-linking amine-rich compounds into high performing selective CO2 absorbents.

Amine-based absorbents play a central role in CO2 sequestration and utilization. Amines react selectively with CO2, but a drawback is the unproductive weight of solvent or support in the absorbent. Efforts have focused on metal organic frameworks (MOFs) reaching extremely high CO2 capacity, but limited selectivity to N2 and CH4 and decreased uptake at higher temperatures. A desirable system would have selectivity (cf. amine) and high capacity (cf. MOF), but also increased adsorption at higher temperatures. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept where polyethyleneimine (PEI) is converted to a high capacity and highly selective CO2 absorbent using buckminsterfullerene (C60) as a cross-linker. PEI-C60 (CO2 absorption of 0.14 g/g at 0.1 bar/90°C) is compared to one of the best MOFs, Mg-MOF-74 (0.06 g/g at 0.1 bar/90°C) and does not absorb any measurable amount of CH4 at 50 bar. Thus, PEI-C60 can perform better than MOFs in the sweetening of natural gas.
An irrelevant speech effect with repeated and continuous background speech.

The irrelevant speech effect is the impairment of task performance by the presentation of to-be-ignored speech stimuli. Typically, the irrelevant speech comprises a variety of sounds, but previous research (e.g., Jones, Madden, & Miles, 1992) has suggested that the deleterious effect of background speech is virtually eliminated if the speech comprises repetitions of a sound (e.g., “be, be, be”) or a single continuous sound (e.g., “beeeeeee”). Four experiments are reported that challenge this finding. Experiments 1, 2, and 4 show a substantial impairment in serial recall performance in the presence of a repeated sound, and Experiments 3 and 4 show a similar impairment of serial recall in the presence of a continuous sound. The relevance of these findings to several explanations of the irrelevant speech effect is discussed.