cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of an extremum principle to the determination of the diamagnetic susceptibility and form factor of helium

Variational expressions for arbitrary quantum-mechanical matrix elements involve not only trial wave functions but also trial auxiliary Lagrange multipliers, which can be constants, functions, Green's functions, etc. Recently an extremum principle has been proposed as a useful tool for the approximate determination of any Langrange functions that appear; it is the first such tool of general applicability. This extremum principle has here been applied to the variational determination of the diamagnetic susceptibility and form factor of helium; each requires the approximate determination of one Lagrange function. The results, reported on in this paper, demonstrate that the extremum principle can in fact be used in the sense that no singularities appear and the functional that determines the trial Lagrange function L/sub t/ converges monotonically. The results indicate that provided L/sub t/ is roughly as accurate as the trial wave function, the variational estimate of a matrix element can be a significant improvement over the first-order estimate. The present method provides an alternative to the direct approach in which the trial bound-state wave functions are obtained in the course of a Rayleigh-Ritz calculation of the energy. Further studies are needed to determine the relative advantages of the two approaches. (AIP)
Balanced Shh signaling is required for proper formation and maintenance of dorsal telencephalic midline structures

Background The rostral telencephalic dorsal midline is an organizing center critical for the formation of the future cortex and hippocampus. While the intersection of WNTs, BMPs, and FGFs establishes boundaries within this critical center, a direct role of Shh signaling in this region remains controversial. In this paper we show that both increased and decreased Shh signaling directly affects boundary formation within the telencephalic dorsal midline.
A Daily Activities List and Its Relation to Measures of Adjustment and Early Environment.

The Daily Activities List (DAL), a self-report measure developed for a study of cancer patients, contains items denoting ordinary behavior of daily life such as work and recreation. Correlations were obtained for DAL activity level with indices of current emotional well-being and certain factors of developmental history. More active Ss (high scorers on DAL) tended to manifest less anxiety and other kinds of psychological distress and received more favorable ratings of early environment. Reliability data are presented and issues of validity and conceptual interpretation ate discussed.
Numerical calculation of H-bases for positive dimensional varieties

A symbolic-numeric method for calculating an H-basis for the ideal of a positive dimensional complex affine algebraic variety, possibly defined numerically, is given. H-bases for ideals I in I, introduced by Macaulay and later studied by Moller and Sauer, are an analog of Grobner bases with respect to a global degree ordering: f is an element of I of total degree n if and only f is a C-linear combination of polynomials of total degree n or less which are monomial multiples of members of the H-basis. The method uses the interplay of local and global duality.Applications include factoring multivariable polynomials, analyzing singular curves, finding equations for the union of varieties, and, most importantly, finding equations for components of reducible varieties given numerically.
Real-time visualization of network behaviors for situational awareness

Plentiful, complex, and dynamic data make understanding the state of an enterprise network difficult. Although visualization can help analysts understand baseline behaviors in network traffic and identify off-normal events, visual analysis systems often do not scale well to operational data volumes (in the hundreds of millions to billions of transactions per day) nor to analysis of emergent trends in real-time data. We present a system that combines multiple, complementary visualization techniques coupled with in-stream analytics, behavioral modeling of network actors, and a high-throughput processing platform called MeDICi. This system provides situational understanding of real-time network activity to help analysts take proactive response steps. We have developed these techniques using requirements gathered from the government users for which the tools are being developed. By linking multiple visualization tools to a streaming analytic pipeline, and designing each tool to support a particular kind of analysis (from high-level awareness to detailed investigation), analysts can understand the behavior of a network across multiple levels of abstraction.
Suppression of Erythroid but Not Megakaryocytic Differentiation of Human K562 Erythroleukemic Cells by Notch-1

The Notch signal transduction pathway is a highly conserved regulatory system that controls multiple developmental processes. We have established an erythroleukemia cell model to study how Notch regulates cell fate and erythroleukemic cell differentiation. K562 and HEL cells expressed the Notch-1 receptor and the Notch ligand Jagged-1. The stable expression of the constitutively active intracellular domain of Notch-1 (NIC-1) in K562 cells inhibited erythroid without affecting megakaryocytic maturation. Expression of antisense Notch-1 induced spontaneous erythroid maturation. Suppression of erythroid maturation by NIC-1 did not result from down-regulation of GATA-1 and TAL-1, transcription factors necessary for erythroid differentiation. Microarray gene expression analysis identified genes activated during erythroid maturation, and NIC-1 disrupted the maturation-dependent changes in the expression of these genes. These results show that NIC-1 alters the pattern of gene expression in K562 cells leading to a block in erythroid maturation and therefore suggest that Notch signaling may control the developmental potential of normal and malignant erythroid progenitor cells.
Provisioning on-line games: a traffic analysis of a busy counter-strike server

This poster describes the results of a 500 million packet trace of a popular on-line, multiplayer, game server. The results show that the traffic behavior of this heavily loaded game server is highly predictable and can be attributed to the fact that current game designs target the saturation of the narrowest, last-mile link (i.e. 56k modems). Specifically, in order to maximize the interactivity of the game itself and to provide relatively uniform experiences between players playing over different network speeds, on-line games typically fix their usage requirements in such a way as to saturate the network link of their lowest speed players. While the traffic observed is highly predictable, the trace also indicates that these on-line games provide significant challenges to current network infrastructure. As a result of synchronous game logic requiring an extreme amount of interactivity, a close look at the trace reveals the presence of large, highly periodic, bursts of small packets. With such stringent demands on interactivity, routers must be designed with enough capacity to quickly route such bursts without delay. As current routers are designed for bulk data transfers with larger packets, a significant, concentrated deployment of on-line game servers will have the potential for overwhelming current networking equipment.
THE VOTE FOR MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES IN 19691

ABSTRACT A close contest for the mayoralty of Los Angeles in 1969 between the incumbent and a strongly supported Negro candidate is the context for a structural analysis of the areal pattern of the vote. A factor model is used to define four major patterns of interrelations in a wide range of socioeconomic and voting variables. Each isolates significant aspects of the voting pattern, but they are unable to determine clearly the reasons for the defeat in the final election of the Negro candidate who gained a substantial lead in the primary.
The dramaturgy of horizons: geographical scale in the ‘Reconstruction of Italy’ by the new Italian political parties, 1992–1995

Abstract The four major political parties in contemporary (1994–1995) Italy—Forza Italia, the Northern League, the Democratic Party of the Left, and the National Alliance—are brand new in name and ideology. Each of these parties has been constructing in its rhetoric and organization differing conceptions of the geographical scales—international, national, regional, local—in terms of how they understand ‘Italy’. The collapse of the old system of parties during 1992–1994 created an opening for a reorganization of parties more in line with recent trends towards a fragmented Italian political economy and society. The Italian case illustrates a more general point, that political parties must organize themselves and their ideologies through the ways they divide, order and organize space. There is an intrinsically geographical basis to the drama of organized politics even when all parties structure space in the same ways. This is only more obvious at times of dramatic political change when there are competing conceptions of how to organize potential constituencies and interests. Geography, therefore, is not ‘external’ to the operations of political parties, a Euclidean surface or stage upon which the drama of politics is played out. The drama of party politics is scripted in terms of the geographical horizons—national or otherwise—parties set for themselves.
Examining the Relationship between the Development of the Concept of Death and Overall Cognitive Development.

The present study was an attempt at replicating and extending previous findings regarding the development of the concept of death in children. Age, death concept development, general cognitive development, and background/experience variables were investigated with respect to their roles in death concept development. Thirty-two children between six and twelve years of age were given the Derry Death Concept Scale, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and selected subtests from the Wechter Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. Correlations indicated that level of death concept development was related to age and verbal-conceptual mental development. Socioeconomic status and death-related experience did not significantly affect death concept level, nor did gender or separation experience. There were insufficient data to investigate separation effects. Findings from the present study were discussed with respect to their implications for future inquiry.
Family Patterns of Reaction to a Child with a Learning Disability A Mediational Perspective

The impact of a child's learning disability on the family system is explored with regard to the general consequences for the system and to the parents' abilities to react to the problems generated for the child and family. Feuerstein's concept of mediated learning experience is proposed as a useful way of understanding the process issues, to assess parental reactions, and to guide more productive and adaptive interventions. Four prototypical patterns of family response are presented, with descriptions of the mediational restrictions and potentialities embedded within them. Implications are presented for both dysfunctional responses and the development of positive and adaptive reactions.
The Arabidopsis 26S Proteasome Subunit RPN1a is Required for Optimal Plant Growth and Stress Responses

The current literature offers contradictory results regarding the role of the proteasome subunit RPN1a in Arabidopsis development. Here we show that plants lacking RPN1a are viable and have increased cell sizes, decreased heat shock tolerance, increased oxidative stress tolerance and other phenotypes characteristic for 26S proteasome subunit mutants. These results strengthen our contention that most of the phenotypes of 26S proteasome mutants in Arabidopsis described to date reflect a general impairment in 26S proteasome function rather than a specific defect of a single subunit, and suggest that the role of the RPN1a subunit during embryogenesis needs to be reconsidered.
WIYN OPEN CLUSTER STUDY. XVII. ASTROMETRY AND MEMBERSHIP TO V = 21 IN NGC 188

We present techniques for obtaining precision astrometry using old photographic plates from assorted large-aperture reflectors in combination with recent CCD Mosaic Imager frames. At the core of this approach is a transformation of plate/CCD coordinates into a previously constructed astrometric reference frame around the open cluster NGC 188. This allows us to calibrate independently the optical field angle distortion for all telescopes and field correctors used in this study. Particular attention is paid to computing the differential color refraction, which has a marked effect in the case of NGC 188 as a result of the large zenith distances at which this cluster has been observed. Our primary result is a new catalog of proper motions and positions for 7812 objects down to V = 21 in the 0.75 deg2 area around NGC 188. The precision for well-measured stars is 0.15 mas yr-1 for proper motions and 2 mas for positions on the system of the Tycho-2 catalog. In total, 1490 stars have proper-motion membership probabilities Pμ ≥ 10%. The sum of membership probabilities indicates that NGC 188 contains ~1050 stars down to V = 21. Comprehensive lists of the candidate blue stragglers and red giant stars substantially enlarge the number of such stars known in NGC 188. We have also obtained a small correction to the proper motions from the mean "motion" of background galaxies. Thus, the absolute proper motion of NGC 188 is μ = -2.56 ± 0.2 and μ = +0.18 ± 0.2 mas yr-1.
Ecosystem services: The economics debate

The goal of this paper is to illuminate the debate concerning the economics of ecosystem services. The sustainability debate focuses on whether or not ecosystem services are essential for human welfare and the existence of ecological thresholds. If ecosystem services are essential, then marginal analysis and monetary valuation are inappropriate tools in the vicinity of thresholds. The justice debate focuses on who is entitled to ecosystem services and the ecosystem structure that generates them. Answers to these questions have profound implications for the choice of suitable economic institutions. The efficiency debate concerns both the goals of economic activity and the mechanisms best suited to achieve those goals. Conventional economists pursue Pareto efficiency and the maximization of monetary value, achieved by integrating ecosystem services into the market framework. Ecological economists and many others pursue the less rigorously defined goal of achieving the highest possible quality of life compatible with the conservation of resilient, healthy ecosystems, achieved by adapting economic institutions to the physical characteristics of ecosystem services. The concept of ecosystem services is a valuable tool for economic analysis, and should not be discarded because of disagreements with particular economists’ assumptions regarding sustainability, justice and efficiency.
Recent Advances in Molecular Genetics of Glaucomas

Glaucomas are a heterogeneous group of eye conditions with manifestation from as early as birth to very late age of onset in life. The primary type of these conditions affecting children and juveniles are less frequent, but the prevalence of glaucomas affecting older people of > or = 70 years progressively rises to approximately 5%. The molecular genetics of three types of glaucoma have been the subject of investigation in the last few years. As a result, two loci (GLC3A and GLC3B) have been identified for primary congenital glaucoma, one locus (GLC1A) for juvenile-onset primary open angle glaucoma and a further two loci (GLC1B and GLC1C) for late-onset chronic open angle glaucoma. Early this year, the first set of mutations was described in the CYP1B1 (Cytochrome P4501B1) and TIGR (Trabecular meshwork Inducible Glucocorticoid Response Protein) genes for the GLC3A and GLC1A-linked families, respectively. The mapping of different types of glaucoma and mutation identification in these two genes are the focus of this review.
Secrecy Logic: Protoalgebraic S-Secrecy Logics

In recent work the notion of a secrecy logic S over a given deductive system S was introduced. Secrecy logics capture the essential features of structures that are used in performing secrecy-preserving reasoning in practical applications. More precisely, they model knowledge bases that consist of information, part of which is considered known to the user and part of which is to remain secret from the user. S-secrecy structures serve as the models of secrecy logics. Several of the universal algebraic and model theoretic properties of the class of S-secrecy structures of a given S-secrecy logic have already been studied. In this paper, our goal is to show how techniques from the theory of abstract alge-braic logic may be used to analyze the structure of a secrecy logic and draw conclusions about its algebraic character. In particular, the notion of a protoalgebraic S-secrecy logic is introduced and several characterizing properties are provided. The relationship between protoalgebraic S-secrecy logics and the protoalgebraicity of their underlying deductive systems is also investigated.
Musculoskeletal Modeling of Acetabular Dysplasia-Kinematics, Muscle and Joint Reaction Forces

Anatomical pathologies of the hip, such as developmental dysplasia are a common cause of hip pain in the young adult. While it is generally accepted that cartilaginous lesions and tears to the acetabular labrum initiate pain, muscle compensation/weakness may also contribute, especially for patients who do not have evidence of soft-tissue damage. Musculoskeletal models provide estimates of muscle forces as well as the equivalent force that acts upon the joint. Force data can then be compared to any observed differences in joint kinematics, thereby improving the interpretability of data from traditional gait studies. While a few studies have reported alterations in hip joint kinematics due to acetabular dysplasia, to our knowledge, muscle force differences have not been estimated [1, 2]. The purpose of this study was to couple traditional gait analysis with musculoskeletal modeling to compare hip joint kinematics, muscle forces, and joint reaction forces between subjects with acetabular dysplasia and normal controls.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Flexible freestanding sandwich-structured sulfur cathode with superior performance for lithium–sulfur batteries

Flexible freestanding sandwich-structured sulfur cathodes are developed for lithium–sulfur batteries, which exhibit excellent cycling stability and rate capability. Moreover, a high areal capacity of ∼4 mA h cm−2 is demonstrated based on this new cathode configuration with high sulfur loading (∼4 mg S cm−2).
"A sudden and terrible revelation": motherhood and infant mortality in France, 1858-1874.

In 1874, legislators in France passed a law regulating the wet-nursing industry. Citing recent medical research into the causes and social costs of high infant mortality, the law's supporters met little opposition, despite the fact that the law challenged the tradition of paternal authority and familial autonomy that had been inscribed in French law since the promulgation of the Civil Code of 1804. Extending state power into the familial realm required a concerted effort by reformers, who concentrated on two issues: maternal responsibility for newborn infants and the social costs of early death. Because working women in urban areas used wet-nurses to preserve their wage-earning capacity, reformers capitalized on widespread opposition to women's labor outside the home. The law met little opposition in part because the issues of paternal authority had already been thoroughly debated several months earlier in the child labor law of 1874.
Information rates of the noncoherent frequency selective fading channel

This paper examines ways of improving channel estimation using successive decoding for the time varying frequency selective fading channel in a point to point wireless communication system. The channel state information (CSI) is not known a priori at either the transmitter or the receiver. The paper first presents the conventional pilot-symbol aided channel estimation (PACE) scheme and then the sequential successive decoding scheme. The conventional PACE scheme involves a big loss in achievable rates, while the sequential successive decoding scheme has a large delay. Finally, these two schemes are compared with three interleaved pilot schemes, in which interleaved codewords are decoded successively. These interleaved pilot schemes have significantly reduced delays, but still maintain good achievable rates.
Evaluation of a Process-Based Agro-Ecosystem Model (Agro-IBIS) across the U.S. Corn Belt: Simulations of the Interannual Variability in Maize Yield

Abstract A process-based terrestrial ecosystem model, Agro-IBIS, was used to simulate maize yield in a 13-state region of the U.S. Corn Belt from 1958 to 1994 across a 0.5° terrestrial grid. For validation, county-level census [U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)] data of yield were detrended to calculate annual yield residuals. Daily atmospheric inputs from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis were used in conjunction with the Climate Research Unit's (CRU's) monthly climate anomaly dataset at 0.5° resolution and a weather generator to drive the model at a 60-min time step. Multiple simulations were used to quantify model sensitivity to hybrid selection (defined by growing degree-day requirements), planting date, and soil type. The calibration of raw yields and model capability to replicate interannual variability were tested. The spatial patterns of simulated mean bias error (mbe) of raw yields were largely unresponsive to var...
The COP/DET/FUS proteins—regulators of eukaryotic growth and development

Eleven recessive mutant loci define the class of cop / det / fus mutants of Arabidopsis. The cop / det / fus mutants mimic the phenotype of light-grown seedlings when grown in the dark. At least four cop / det / fus mutants carry mutations in subunits of the COP9 signalosome, a multiprotein complex paralogous to the 'lid' subcomplex of the 26S proteasome. COP1, another COP/DET/FUS protein, is itself not a subunit of the COP9 signalosome. In the dark, COP1 accumulates in the nucleus where it is required for the degradation of the HY5 protein, a positive regulator of photomorphogenesis. In the light, COP1 is excluded from the nucleus and the constitutively nuclear HY5 protein can accumulate. Nuclear accumulation of COP1 and degradation of HY5 are impaired in the cop / det / fus mutants that carry mutations in subunits of the COP9 signalosome. Although the cellular function of the COP/DET/FUS proteins is not yet well understood, taken together the current findings suggest that the COP/DET/FUS proteins repress photomorphogenesis in the dark by mediating specific protein degradation.
Time Allotment for Foreign‐Language Study: Internecine Competition or Conciliatory Compromise

Author's Summary— Educationists and administrators criticize foreign language study as offering little value to most American pupils; foreign language teachers protest in resolutions and demand more time. Enrollments are studied in public and private secondary schools; in 1200 rural schools in comparison with other subjects. A school principal plans his curriculum to do justice to competing subject areas. “General education” versus special subjects; general science and general language. Foreign language study should compete, not on a utilitarian basis, but as a language “art.” As such, like other arts, there may well be appreciation courses for non-performers, limited-objective courses for amateur performers and all the traffic can bear for artist performers.)
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE SOCIALLY POLYMORPHIC SWEAT BEE HALICTUS RUBICUNDUS (HYMENOPTERA: HALICTIDAE)

The evolution of sociality in insects holds a central place in evolutionary theory. By examining the phylogenetic patterns of solitary and social behavior and how they correlate with ecological variables, we may identify factors important in the evolution of sociality. In this study, we investigated historical and biogeographical patterns of sociality in a socially polymorphic bee species (one that demonstrates both social and solitary nesting behavior). This unique system allows for a more powerful examination of evolutionary transitions in sociality than interspecific studies of obligately social and solitary species. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis among populations of the halictine bee Halictus rubicundus and then identified relationships among mitochondrial DNA sequence data, sociality, environmental conditions at the nesting site, and geographic location of populations of this species. Within North America, populations of H. rubicundus expressing social and solitary behavior belong to different genetic lineages. Sociality is also correlated with at least one environmental variable used in this study. Taken together, the results support the predictions for genetic control of sociality, but they are still consistent with social behavior at some level being determined by the environmental conditions at the nesting site.
Ethical and Practical Considerations in Providing Critical Care to Patients With Ebola Virus Disease

Infectious disease epidemics in the past have given rise to psychologic and emotional responses among health-care workers (HCWs), stemming from fear of infection during patient care. Early experiences in the AIDS epidemic provide an example where fear of contagion resulted in differential treatment of patients infected with HIV. However, with a deeper understanding of AIDS pathogenesis and treatment, fear and discrimination diminished. Parallels exist between early experiences with AIDS and the present outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, particularly regarding discussions of medical futility in seriously ill patients. We provide a historical perspective on HCWs' risk of infection during the provision of CPR, discuss physicians' duty to treat in the face of perceived or actual HCW risk, and, finally, present the protocols implemented at the National Institutes of Health to reduce HCW risk while providing lifesaving and life-sustaining care.
Helminth community composition, structure, and pattern in six dove species (Columbiformes: Columbidae) of South Texas.

abstract: The helminth community composition and structure of 6 species of columbids residing in south Texas are reported and compared herein. Sixty individuals of the following species, rock pigeons (Columba livia [RP]), mourning doves (Zenaida macroura [MD]), Eurasian collared-doves (Streptopelia decaocto [ECD]), white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica [WWD]), and common ground doves (Columbina passerina [CGD]), and 48 Inca doves (Columbina inca [ID]) were collected during the summer of 2006 and examined for helminths. Twelve helminth species were found (9 nematodes and 3 cestodes), representing 486 individuals. Nematodes numerically dominated the component community in all host species. Overall, helminth prevalence was similar among host sex within all dove species. However, prevalence of Skrjabinia bonini and Hymenolepis sp. in RPs was significantly different among host age groups (P = 0.01, P = 0.0002, respectively). Likewise, prevalence of Killigrewia delafondi was higher (P = 0.0001) in adult W...
Express Virtual Channels with Taps (EVC-T): A Flow Control Technique for Network-on-Chip (NoC) in Manycore Systems

Manycore systems require energy-efficient on-chip networks that provide high throughput and low latency. The performance of these on-chip networks affects cache access latency and, consequently, system performance. This paper proposes solutions to address the performance limitations related to the use of snoop-based cache coherence protocol on switched network-on-chip (NoC). We propose a new network flow control technique, Express Virtual Channel with Taps (EVC-T), for transmitting both broadcast packets and data packets efficiently. In addition, we propose a low-latency broadcast packet notification tree network that maintains the order of broadcast packets on an unordered NoC. We evaluate our technique using both synthetic traffic and parallel benchmark suites through detailed system simulation. EVC-T reduces the average network latency by 24% with a negligible change in power for synthetic benchmarks. For NAS parallel applications, EVC-T increases the instructions per cycle (IPC) by 9% on average with minimal increase in power. Our technique reduces the energy-delay product (EDP) by 13% on average across all benchmarks.
Beamforming on mobile devices: a first study

In this work, we report the first study of an important realization of directional communication, beamforming, on mobile devices. We first demonstrate that beamforming is already feasible on mobile devices in terms of form factor, device mobility and power efficiency. Surprisingly, we show that by making an increasingly profitable tradeoff between transmit and circuit power, beamforming with state-of-the-art integrated CMOS implementations can be more power-efficient than its single antenna counterpart. We then investigate the optimal way of using beamforming in terms of device power efficiency, by allowing a dynamic number of active antennas. We propose a simple yet effective solution, BeamAdapt, which allows each mobile client in a network to individually identify the optimal number of active antennas with guaranteed convergence and close-to-optimal performance. We finally report a WARP-based prototype of BeamAdapt and experimentally demonstrate its effectiveness in realistic environments, and then complement the prototype-based experiments with Qualnet-based simulation of a large-scale network. Our results show that BeamAdapt with four antennas can reduce the power consumption of mobile clients by more than half compared to a single antenna, while maintaining a required network throughput.
Utility-based decision-making in wireless sensor networks

We consider challenges associated with application domains in which a large number of distributed, networked sensors must perform a sensing task repeatedly over time. We address issues such as resource constraints, utility associated with a sensing task, and achieving global objectives with only local information. We present a model for such applications, in which we define appropriate global objectives based on utility functions and specify a cost model for energy consumption. In the full version of this paper, we present algorithms and experimental results for this problem domain [2].
Transcription factor regulation as a mechanism of confounding effects between distinct human traits

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to date have discovered thousands of genetic variants linked to human diseases and traits, which hold the potential to unravel the mechanisms of complex phenotypes. However, given that the majority of these associated variants reside in non-coding genomic regions, their predicted cis and trans -regulatory functions remain largely undefined. Here we show that correlation between human diseases and traits can follow geographical distribution of human populations, and that the underlying mechanism is at least partly genetically based. We report two Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) GWAS variants (rs7903146 and rs12255372) in the TCF7L2 locus that regulate expression in skin tissues but not lymphoblastoid or adipose tissues, of the KITLG gene that encodes an important regulator of melanogenesis and light hair color in European populations. We also report extensive binding events of TCF7L2 protein in the promoter region, immediate upstream region and first intron of the KITLG gene, which supports a trans -interaction between TCF7L2 and KITLG . We further show that both light hair color and T2D genetic variants are correlated with geographic latitude. Taken together, our observations suggest that natural variation in transcription factor loci in European human populations may be an underlying and confounding factor for the geographical correlation between human phenotypes, such as type 2 diabetes and light hair color. We postulate that transcription factor regulation may confound the correlation between seemingly diverse human traits. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate the importance of dissecting the genomic architecture of GWAS loci using multiple genetic and genomic datasets.
Management of Graves' Disease: An Overview and Comparison of Clinical Practice Guidelines with Actual Practice Trends

Over the last century, much has been learned about the pathogenesis, manifestations, and management of Graves' disease leading to the establishment of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. The joint clinical practice guidelines from the American Thyroid Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists give recommendations on both the diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism. A survey of clinicians performed that same year, however, revealed that current practices diverge from these recently published guidelines in multiple areas. These differences will need to be assessed serially to determine the impact of the guidelines on future clinical practice and perhaps vice versa.
Non-Cytotoxic Quantum Dot–Chitosan Nanogel Biosensing Probe for Potential Cancer Targeting Agent

Quantum dot (Qdot) biosensors have consistently provided valuable information to researchers about cellular activity due to their unique fluorescent properties. Many of the most popularly used Qdots contain cadmium, posing the risk of toxicity that could negate their attractive optical properties. The design of a non-cytotoxic probe usually involves multiple components and a complex synthesis process. In this paper, the design and synthesis of a non-cytotoxic Qdot-chitosan nanogel composite using straight-forward cyanogen bromide (CNBr) coupling is reported. The probe was characterized by spectroscopy (UV-Vis, fluorescence), microscopy (Fluorescence, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering. This activatable (“OFF”/“ON”) probe contains a core–shell Qdot (CdS:Mn/ZnS) capped with dopamine, which acts as a fluorescence quencher and a model drug. Dopamine capped “OFF” Qdots can undergo ligand exchange with intercellular glutathione, which turns the Qdots “ON” to restore fluorescence. These Qdots were then coated with chitosan (natural biocompatible polymer) functionalized with folic acid (targeting motif) and Fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC; fluorescent dye). To demonstrate cancer cell targetability, the interaction of the probe with cells that express different folate receptor levels was analyzed, and the cytotoxicity of the probe was evaluated on these cells and was shown to be nontoxic even at concentrations as high as 100 mg/L.
Generational Differences Are Real and Useful

We propose that generational differences are meaningful despite some theoretical and methodological challenges (cf. Costanza & Finkelstein, 2015). We will address five main issues: operationalizing generations, measuring generational differences, theoretical models of generations, mechanisms of generational change, and the importance of science versus stereotypes.
Inuit Petition as a Bridge? Beyond Dialectics of Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples' Rights

The rapid pace of climate change in the Arctic poses serious challenges for the Inuit peoples living there. A petition filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in December 2005 on behalf of Inuit in the United States and Canada claims that U.S. climate change policy violates their rights. This essay explores intersectional nature of this petition in order to engage what might constitute progress on climate change and indigenous peoples' rights. In particular, the piece relies upon two conceptual approaches to dissect the petition: (1) a law and geography perspective and (2) an exploration of the limits of dialectical analysis. The essay concludes with some reflections on the extent to which this kind of advocacy strategy in general - and this petition in particular - can be part of much-needed progress in protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. It discusses the ability of this petition to address legitimacy problems embedded in interactions between the international legal system and indigenous peoples, and what might constitute a win in this context.
Venom Collection from Species of Honeybees in South-East Asia

Recent chemical work on the venom of Apis mellifera has aroused interest in the venom of the other honeybees, all three species of which live in the tropics. The present article describes the first expedition to collect samples of venom from the tropical species of Apis.
Male infertility in mice lacking the store-operated Ca2+ channel Orai1

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is an important Ca(2+) influx pathway in somatic cells. In addition to maintaining endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) stores, Ca(2+) entry through store-operated channels regulates essential signaling pathways in numerous cell types. Patients with mutations in the store-operated channel subunit ORAI1 exhibit defects in store-operated Ca(2+) influx, along with severe immunodeficiency, congenital myopathy and ectodermal dysplasia. However, little is known about the functional role of ORAI1 in germ cells and reproductive function in mice, or in men, since men with loss-of-function or null mutations in ORAI1 rarely survive to reproductive age. In this study, we investigated the role of ORAI1 in male reproductive function. We reveal that Orai1(-/-) male mice are sterile and have severe defects in spermatogenesis, with prominent deficiencies in mid- to late-stage elongating spermatid development. These studies establish an essential in vivo role for store-operated ORAI1 channels in male reproductive function and identify these channels as potential non-steroidal regulators of male fertility.
Simulation and Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy of Electron Beam Induced Point Defect Agglomerations in Silicon

Nitrogen doped silicon samples were irradiated with 200 kV electrons in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The resulting room temperature point defect creation, bonding and segregation were studied by in situ conventional and Z Contrast TEM imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Energy loss spectra from areas attributed to be rich in vacancies or silicon self-interstitials are found to be significantly different from the bulk in the near-edge structure of their Si-L2,3 edges. The experimental results are compared with ab initio density of states calculations for electronically excited atoms near relaxed point defect structures and plans are outlined to extend this technique to individual point defect characterization.
Energy Supply Orientation in Production Planning Systems

Abstract The efficient and economic allocation of resources is one main goal in the field of production planning and control. Therefore, Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP-Systems) are used to support the production planning process. These systems strongly focus on dates, inventory and capacities. Due to the German exit from nuclear and fossil-fuel energy, a new variable gains in importance throughout all areas of production: Energy. As a reaction, energy and power demands of the manufacturing systems are more and more monitored within the factories in order to enable energy-efficient operations. The energy supply of a factory is currently not recognized in the planning process. This paper provides a systematic approach to integrate energy supply information to the production planning process on the basis of ERP-Systems. This will be discussed by combining the idea of energy-efficiency and energy-flexibility as well as the alternatives of a factory's internal and external energy supply.
Psychological intervention to custody personnel with childhood emotional and physical abuse

[Objective]To improve the level of mental health of custody personnel with childhood emotional and physical abuse in prisons,and evaluate the effect of psychological intervention.[Methods]According to the investigation of childhood abuse and their psychological assessment,19 persons of custody personnel with childhood emotional and physical abuse were selected as psychological interventions group and 19 persons as control group,they received 8 times psychological education by 10 registered psychological consultation teachers.The difference of the data before and after intervention was compared,as well as the difference between intervention group and control group.The assessment was performed with SCL-90 and factor score difference.[Results] It showed that there were significant differences on every factor of SCL-90 scale in intervention group before and after the interventions,while in control group on most factors,the differences were not significant.Comparing the control group and intervention group,the differences on most factors were significant both before and after the interventions.[Conclusion]Psychological intervention is needed for custody personnel with childhood emotional and physical abuse in prisons,it can improve their mental health levels.
Virtual Design of Bamboo Mat Weaving Machine

This paper develops the operating principle of bamboo mat wearing machine according to its design feature, and creates the 3D entity model and the course of movement of bamboo mat wearing machine which embodies its function and finds the problems with the help of dynamic demo by means of the virtual design, then analyses and ameliorates them, at last gets the best design blue print.
Corporeal reconstruction procedures for complicated penile implants.

SUMMARY Implantation of a penile prosthesis is now a very much accepted mode of management of organic erectile impotence. In most situations, this operation will involve little or no corporeal reconstruction. However, in the presence of more severe pathologic processes that may lead to corporeal damage, such as infective corporitis secondary to an earlier penile prosthesis or postpriapism fibrosis, and with the increasing public awareness of the availability of therapeutic modalities for impotence, the urologist must be well versed in the diagnostic and surgical techniques of corporeal reconstruction.
Use and interest in complementary and alternative medicine among college students seeking healthcare at a university campus student health center.

Abstract Background There is growing data on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) preferences among college students. While several studies have focused on undergraduate students, there is limited data on graduate students. Materials and methods Cross sectional analysis of undergraduate and graduate students seeking medical care at the University of California Irvine's Student Health Center (SHC). The survey assessed previous CAM use and preferences for future CAM use and education. Results The majority (67.0%) had used CAM within the last year, 27.0% would use CAM for their current health condition, and 51.9% would consider CAM for their current health condition if they were more knowledgeable. Most respondents desired more CAM education and indicated that they would try CAM modalities if covered under insurance. Conclusion Most college students requested more knowledge to assist in their decisions to use CAM. These findings provide insight for health centers on the preferences of college student patients.
Phantom Maps and Purity in Modular Representation Theory, II

In the second part of this paper, we use the theory described in the first part to construct an example of a counterintuitive phenomenon. We show how to produce examples of filtered systems in the stable module category stmod(kG) which do not lift to filtered systems in the module category mod(kG). Our main tool is the Extended Milnor Sequence, a five-term exact sequence which specializes to the classical Milnor sequence under certain countability conditions.
Periodontitis and gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is glucose intolerance with first onset during pregnancy and is associated with serious maternal and fetal complications. The etiology of GDM is not well understood, but systemic inflammation effects on insulin signaling and glucose metabolism is suspected. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition that induces local and host immune responses and has been evaluated for a potential role in development of GDM. Results from studies evaluating the association between periodontitis and GDM are mixed. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize available data regarding the association between periodontitis and GDM. Twelve electronic databases were searched for observational studies of the association between periodontitis and GDM through March 2016. Eligible studies were assessed for quality and heterogeneity. Random effects models were used to estimate summary measures of association. We identified 44 articles from 115 potentially relevant reports of which 10 studies met our eligibility criteria. Clinical diagnostic criteria for periodontitis and GDM varied widely among studies, and moderate heterogeneity was observed. Random effects meta-analysis of all included studies with a total of 5724 participants including 624 cases, showed that periodontitis is associated with an increased risk of GDM by 66 %, (OR = 1.66, 95 % CI: 1.17 to 2.36; p < 0.05), I2 = 50.5 %. Similar results were seen in sub-analysis restricted to data from methodologically high quality case–control studies including 1176 participants including 380 cases, (OR = 1.85, 95 % CI: 1.03 to 3.32); p < 0.05), I2 = 68.4 %. Meta-analysis of studies that adjusted for potential confounders estimated more than 2-fold increased odds of GDM among women with periodontitis (aOR = 2.08, 95 % CI: 1.21 to 3.58, p = 0.009, I2 = 36.9 %). Meta-analysis suggests that periodontitis is associated with a statistically significant increased risk for GDM compared to women without periodontitis. Robust prospective study designs and uniform definition for periodontitis and GDM definitions are urgently needed to substantiate these findings.