cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CONSTRICTOR: Constraint Modification Provides Insight into Design of Biochemical Networks

Advances in computational methods that allow for exploration of the combinatorial mutation space are needed to realize the potential of synthetic biology based strain engineering efforts. Here, we present Constrictor, a computational framework that uses flux balance analysis (FBA) to analyze inhibitory effects of genetic mutations on the performance of biochemical networks. Constrictor identifies engineering interventions by classifying the reactions in the metabolic model depending on the extent to which their flux must be decreased to achieve the overproduction target. The optimal inhibition of various reaction pathways is determined by restricting the flux through targeted reactions below the steady state levels of a baseline strain. Constrictor generates unique in silico strains, each representing an “expression state”, or a combination of gene expression levels required to achieve the overproduction target. The Constrictor framework is demonstrated by studying overproduction of ethylene in Escherichia coli network models iAF1260 and iJO1366 through the addition of the heterologous ethylene-forming enzyme from Pseudomonas syringae. Targeting individual reactions as well as combinations of reactions reveals in silico mutants that are predicted to have as high as 25% greater theoretical ethylene yields than the baseline strain during simulated exponential growth. Altering the degree of restriction reveals a large distribution of ethylene yields, while analysis of the expression states that return lower yields provides insight into system bottlenecks. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of Constrictor to scan networks and provide targets for a range of possible products. Constrictor is an adaptable technique that can be used to generate and analyze disparate populations of in silico mutants, select gene expression levels and provide non-intuitive strategies for metabolic engineering.
Policy deployment: A review and comparisons of two best practices models

In this research, we present comprehensive reviews and comparisons of two organisations' (Xerox's and Hewlettt-Packard's) best practices policy deployment models. The reviews and comparisons of the two models are based on thorough reviews of all published works on the models and on their applications in their respective owner-organisations. The reviews and comparisons are done with respect to each model's planning and application processes, structure, and distinguishing features. The contributions of each of the two organisations to policy deployment are highlighted. The research also presents a brief review of literature on the activities of the two organisations in continuing to sustain, maintain, and improve their quality cultures. The research shows that there are similarities and differences in the two organisations' best practices policy deployment models with respect to their formulation processes, structures, features, and implementation processes. We find the two models to be very comprehensive, ...
Multiple paternity in viviparous kelp rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens

Analysis of multilocus microsatellite genotypes revealed multiple paternity for all of the seven viable broods of larvae produced by kelp rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens (Jordan and Gilbert 1880), held jointly in a large aquarium tank (n = eight females and eight males). Only two of the eight experimental males were identified as fathers, and alleles not found in any of the captive males were present in all seven broods, demonstrating paternity by wild males external to the experiment. Thus, all of the females mated with one or more males prior to capture, confirming that female kelp rockfish are capable of storing sperm and controlling the overall timing of egg fertilization. These results highlight the potential for a paternal influence on larval quality through female mate choice and sperm competition.
International institutions and the Gramscian legacy: Its modification, expansion, and reaffirmation

Abstract This article modifies, so as to confirm the value of, the Gramscian legacy for analyzing international institutions. The legacy has performed yeoman's service as a paradigm for national governments, generally considered to be the masters of international institutions, and it has correctly viewed these institutions as the legitimizers of the existing hegemony. What the legacy has not done, and what this article does, is to recognize the other functions of these institutions and to allow that they can serve the opposite function of de-legitimizing the ongoing hegemony. These deficiencies are traced to the works of Gramsci himself and to the professional work of Robert W. Cox, who is given the credit of first applying the legacy to international institutions. The major purpose of the article, however, is to correct these deficiences. It also insists on presenting the legitimizing function as a dynamic process, a dialectic between institution and audience, and on not treating it as a static concept as is now the case.
Semen treatment with progesterone and/or acetyl-L-carnitine does not improve sperm motility or membrane damage after cryopreservation-thawing.

Abstract Objective: To assess the effects of progesterone and acetyl-L-carnitine used before semen cryopreservation-thawing on sperm motility parameters and plasma membrane integrity. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Academic tertiary center. Patient(s): Subfertile men undergoing semen evaluation. Intervention(s): Before cryopreservation, spermatozoa were incubated with water-soluble progesterone (1 and 10 μM), acetyl-L-carnitine (2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mM), or both (progesterone, 1 μM; and acetyl-L-carnitine, 5 mM). Main Outcome Measure(s): Postthaw change of motility parameters (computer-assisted measurements) and vitality-membrane integrity (examined with eosin-Y staining and annexin V-Cy3 binding assay). Result(s): There were no statistically significant differences between control samples and samples treated with progesterone and/or acetyl-L-carnitine for cryosurvival rate, motility parameters, or membrane integrity. The percentages of postthaw cells identified as live showed significantly different results with use of the eosin-Y staining and annexin V binding assay. Conclusion(s): Neither progesterone nor acetyl-L-carnitine seemed to prevent cryodamage assessed by motility changes or membrane integrity in human spermatozoa of subfertile men. Annexin V binding, a reflection of membrane translocation of phosphatidylserine, provided more distinct information about postfreezing membrane integrity changes than eosin-Y staining.
Immune response: Effects of operative stress in a pediatric model

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study is to delineate the effect of different operative procedures on the cell-mediated immune response in a pediatric animal model using the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin test. Methods: Sprague Dawley rats (1 week old) were sensitized against keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Animals were challenged 2 weeks later by an intradermal injection of KLH (0.3 mg) in sterile saline. Rats with positive DTH skin reactions at 24 and 48 hours after challenge (baseline) were divided randomly into five groups (n = 10 each): group I, unmanipulated control; group II, anesthesia; group III, anesthesia and midline extraperitoneal incision; Group IV, anesthesia and laparoscopy (pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide); Group V, anesthesia and midline laparotomy. Before each procedure (day 0) and on postoperative days 3 and 6, animals were again challenged intradermally with KLH (0.3 mg). DTH skin reaction was evaluated 24 and 48 hours later. Results: A statistically significant difference ( P Conclusions: These results suggest that in a pediatric animal model, abdominal surgical procedures accompanied by extensive tissue dissection produce a cellular immunosuppression, lasting up to 7 days, which is not observed in less invasive procedures. Observations concerning lesser immunosuppressive effects of laparoscopy when compared with laparotomy in adult models, as previously described by our laboratory, were also found in this pediatric model.
Preprecipitation in Al/Zn/Mg alloys studied by hardness and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements

Small-angle X-ray scattering techniques and hardness measurements have been used to study preprecipitation in two Al/Zn/Mg alloys containing the same Zn content (2.46 at. %) but different Mg contents. Changes in Guinier-Preston (G-P) zone size are observed to follow the same pattern as changes in hardness. It is also observed that a critical zone size is required for the nucleation of the intermediate precipitate,η∼'; the size being dependent on the Mg content. The role of Mg as a reversible-vacancy trap is also established.
Magnetic resonance imaging of a lingual thyroid gland.

A lingual thyroid gland was discovered by chance via MRI and was subsequently verified by a nuclear medicine scan.
Fulkerson Procedure for Chronic Patella Component Dislocation After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Chronic patella component dislocation after primary knee arthroplasty can be a challenging problem. The purpose of this case series was to review our results of a chronic patella dislocation after total knee arthroplasty treated with a Fulkerson procedure (anteromedialization of the tibial tubercle). Five patients with an average age of 68.8 years (range, 60-76 years) underwent a Fulkerson procedure to restore extensor mechanism alignment. The tibial tubercle osteotomy was secured with lag screws with an average medialization of approximately 1.5 cm. The average preoperative Knee Society score was 70.5 points that improved to 85 points postoperatively. The average knee flexion was 93° preoperatively that improved to 101° postoperatively. Adequate patellofemoral alignment was achieved in all patients along with union of the tibial tubercle osteotomy site. The Fulkerson procedure appears to be an excellent treatment option in patients with a chronically dislocated patella component after total knee arthroplasty.
Methodological Controversies in the Treatment of Panic Disorder.

Although the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on the Treatment of Panic Disorder endorsed the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), D. F. Klein (1996) argues that fatal flaws in all but one (negative) CBT study undermine claims about the effectiveness of CBT for panic disorder. He holds that methodologically sound CBT trials must include a drug condition and a pill placebo condition and must demonstrate the superiority of drug versus placebo; otherwise researchers are debarred from making comparative statements about the effectiveness of CBT versus drug (or placebo). The purpose of the present article is to provide a critique of Klein's arguments and to provide suggestions for resolving methodological disputes in the panic disorder field.
Challenging the 3.0 GPA eligibility standard for public relations internships

Abstract Analysis of internship grades earned by 132 public relations and communication majors registered for internship credit at a major Northeastern university show that students with a 2.7 grade point average (GPA) predictably do as well as students with a GPA ranging from 3.0 to 3.3. Accordingly, it is recommended that the GPA cutoff point for internship eligibility at this school be lowered from the previous 3.0 standard to 2.7. This case study demonstrates the value of measuring actual performance against idealized standards. In addition to his interest in the internship curriculum, Temple University Associate Professor Michael L. Maynard’s areas of research include mass media analysis, the relationship between mass communication and culture as well as textual and semiotic analyses of Japanese television and print advertising.
Effects of anoxia on excitability, refractoriness, and contractility in isolated rabbit atria.

An der isolierten Kaninchenherzvorkammer verursacht Sauerstoffmangel Verminderung der diastolischen Erregbarkeit, Verlangerung der refraktaren Phase sowie Herabsetzung der Kontraktionsfahigkeit. Herzmuskelflimmern wurde wahrend dieser Anoxie nicht beobachtet. Sauerstoffzufuhr fuhrte zu einer vollstandigen Aufhebung der Anoxieauswirkung auf die absolute Refraktarperiode, zu einer teilweisen Aufhebung dieser Auswirkungen auf die Dauer der refraktaren Gesamtpause, die diastolische Erregbarkeit und das Kontraktionsvermogen.
Curcumin–glutathione interactions and the role of human glutathione S-transferase P1-1

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a yellow pigment of turmeric with antioxidant properties has been shown to be a cancer preventative in animal studies. It contains two electrophilic alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl groups, which can react with nucleophilic compounds such as glutathione (GSH), but formation of the GSH-curcumin conjugates has not previously been demonstrated. In the present studies, we investigated the reactions of curcumin with GSH and the effect of recombinant human glutathione S-transferase(GST)P1-1 on reaction kinetics. Glutathionylated products of curcumin identified by FAB-MS and MALDI-MS included mono- and di-glutathionyl-adducts of curcumin as well as cyclic rearrangement products of GSH adducts of feruloylmethylketone (FMK) and feruloylaldehyde (FAL). The presence of GSTP1-1 significantly accelerated the initial rate of GSH-mediated consumption of curcumin in 10 mM potassium phosphate, pH 7.0, and 1 mM GSH. GSTP1-1 kinetics determined using HPLC indicated substrate inhibition (apparent K(m) for curcumin of 25+/-11 microM, and apparent K(i) for curcumin of 8+/-3 microM). GSTP1-1 was also shown to catalyze the reverse reaction leading to the formation of curcumin from GSH adducts of FMK and FAL.
Intergenerational links in female labor force participation

Abstract Fernandez, Fogli, and Olivetti (2004) introduce an innovative model of how the experiences of one generation of women affect the behavior of the next generation of women via their sons/husbands. Empirically they find that a woman is more likely to work if her mother-in-law worked than if her own mother worked. We confirm this intriguing result but demonstrate that there is also a link between the labor force participation choices of mothers and daughters. Further, in an alternative theoretical model we show that the relationship between the labor force participation of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law may be due instead to a woman's own preferences formed before selecting a spouse. Interestingly, the model demonstrates that the correlation in labor force status may be stronger for a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pair than a mother/daughter pair, even if the preference formation channel is solely from mothers to daughters.
Marriage and Kinship in South India, South America, and the USSR: Essays from three cultural perspectives

Dumont, Louis. Affinity as a Value: Marriage Alliance in South India, with Comparative Essays on Australia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983. x + 230 pp. including references and index. $22.00. Kensinger, Kenneth M., ed. Marriage Practices in Lowland South America. Illinois Studies in Anthropology, No. 14. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1984. x + 297 pp. including references and index. $19.95. Dragadze, Tamara, ed. Kinship and Marriage in the Soviet Union: Field Studies. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984. xiii + 269 pp. including brief guide to Soviet ethnographic journals. $39.95.
Auditory event-related potentials during a spatial working memory task.

Abstract Objective Sensory cortical activity can be jointly governed by bottom–up (e.g. stimulus features) and top–down (e.g. memory, attention) factors. We tested the hypothesis that auditory sensory cortical activity is affected by encoding and retrieval of spatial information. Methods Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during working memory and passive listening conditions. Trials contained three noise bursts (two “items” at different locations, followed by a “probe”). In the working memory task subjects determined if the probe matched an item location. The influence of long-term memory was evaluated by training to one location that was always a non-match. Auditory ERPs were analyzed to items and probes (N100, P200, late positive wave-LPW). Results Reaction times varied significantly among probes (trained non-match Conclusions Findings suggest that top–down factors during encoding modify sensory responses to successive items. Probe ERPs reflect sequence factors, such as recency and stimulus probability, and retrieval mechanisms not evident in passive listening. Significance Results support a contribution of auditory cortex to working memory.
All Votes Are Not Created Equal: Campaign Contributions and Critical Votes

Conclusions from past research on campaign contributions and legislative voting behavior have been ambiguous. Some find a strong relationship between group donations and votes while others find no relationship at all. In attempts to explain these conflicting results, many address the influence of context on this relationship. This article extends those efforts by studying the "vote context." I argue that contributions are more likely to influence a legislator's vote when that vote means the difference between a contributing group's success or defeat on a bill. By studying votes on 102 bills in the California Senate Governmental Organization Committee, I find that contributions have a stronger effect on those votes that are crucial to the outcome of legislation. Therefore, while contributions may influence only a small number of total votes, they have a significant impact on legislative outcomes.
Radioreceptor Assay of Insulin: Comparison of Plasma and Pancreatic Insulins and Proinsulins

Porcine proinsulin, related intermediates and plasma immunoreactive insulin components have been studied by radioreceptor assay. Using the purified rat liver membrane or cultured human lymphocyte radioreceptor assay, porcine proinsulin is 5%, split proinsulin 6% (54–55 split in connecting peptide) desdipeptide proinsulin 20% (deletion of amino acids 62 and 63 of connecting peptide) and desnonapeptide proinsulin 27% (deletion of amino acids 55–63 of connecting peptide) as active as porcine insulin in both assay systems; these values closely parallel the in vitro bioactivity of these preparations. In the lymphocyte radioreceptor assay the humanplasma immunoreactive insulin-like component has the same potency as porcine insulin per immunoreactive unit, whereas the plasma immunoreactive proinsulin-like component is only 15% as active. Since both plasma immunoreactive components are some what less reactive than would be expected from purified human insulin and proinsulin, the data suggest that both plasma comp...
New ways to arrest phagosome maturation.

Dendritic cells are specialized antigen-presenting cells. As such, they exhibit limited degradation of phagocytosed antigens, which favours efficient antigen presentation to T lymphocytes. Work now shows that the restricted proteolysis is due to alkalinization of the phagosome through Rab27a-dependent fusion with a subset of lysosomal vesicles bearing NADPH–oxidase complexes.
Effects of environmental conditions on growth and lipid accumulation in Nitzschia communis (Bacillariophyceae)

Microalgae from natural saline habitats in the southwestern United States were isolated and screened for rapid growth potential and ability to store intracellular neutral lipid, a precursor for renewable liquid fuel sources. After preliminary screening of isolated strains, Nitzschia communis (Rabenhorst) was selected for optimization of growth rate and lipid yield. Nitzschia communis was subjected to two media types (SERI I, II) with different major ion compositions designed to mimic natural saline groundwater aquifers in the arid Southwest. Growth rates were determined through 4 days of logarithmic growth, followed by 2 days of physiological stress (nitrogen deprivation) and subsequent measurement of neutral lipid accumulation. Poststress intracellular neutral lipid increases were documented by utilizing the fluorochrome Nile Red with fluorometric analysis and epifluorescent microscopy. Growth rate was slightly higher in SERI Type I medium, whereas lipid yield was higher in SERI Type II medium. Rapid growth and appreciable lipid yields were observed over a broad range of temperatures (20°–30° C) and specific conductances (10–70 mS·cm−1). The highest lipid yields were observed at elevated conductances (between 40 mS·cm−1 and 70 mS·cm−1). Substitution of individual salt concentrations from SERI Type II into SERI Type I medium indicated that increased lipid yield in Type I medium was associated with a reduction in MgCl2 concentration.
Respiratory Motion Estimation With Hybrid Implementation of Extended Kalman Filter

The extended Kalman filter (EKF) can be used for the purpose of training nonlinear neural networks to perform desired input-output mappings. To improve the computational requirements of the EKF, Puskorius proposed the decoupled EKF (DEKF) as a practical remedy for the proper management of computational resources. This approach, however, sacrifices computational accuracy of estimates because it ignores the interactions between the estimates of mutually exclusive weights. To overcome such a limitation, therefore, we proposed hybrid implementation based on EKF (HEKF) for respiratory motion estimation, which uses the channel number for the mutually exclusive groups and the coupling technique to compensate the computational accuracy. Moreover, the authors restricted to a DEKF algorithm in which the weights connecting the inputs to a node are grouped together. If there are multiple input training sequences with respect to the time stamp, the complexity can increase by the power of the input channel number. To improve the computational complexity, we split the complicated neural network into a couple of simple neural networks to adjust separate input channels. The experimental results validated that the prediction overshoot of the proposed HEKF was improved by 62.95% in the average prediction overshoot values. The proposed HEKF showed a better performance of 52.40% improvement in the average of the prediction time horizon. We have evaluated that the proposed HEKF can outperform DEKF by comparing the prediction overshoot values, the performance of the tracking estimation value, and the normalized root-mean-squared error.
Maternal speech and the child's development of syntax: a further look*

The present study compared four categories of maternal utterances that were found in a previous study (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986) to predict children's rates of syntax development to a category of maternal utterances that was unrelated to syntax development. The comparisons were designed to test the hypotheses that maternal utterances which benefit syntax development do so by providing syntactically rich data or by eliciting conversation from the child. Data-providing and conversation-eliciting characteristics of the selected categories of maternal utterances were assessed from the same transcripts of 22 mothers interacting with their 2 1/2-year-old children that had provided the database for the earlier study of predictive relations. Each of the three positive predictor categories of maternal utterances differed from the unrelated category--in more frequently illustrating the affected aspect of syntax development, in eliciting more speech from the child, or both. Neither of these characteristics was true of the negative predictor category. The pattern of results suggested that maternal speech supports the child's development of syntax by engaging the child in linguistic interaction and also by providing illustrations of the structures the child acquires.
An analytical review of the effects of non-hydrogen-bonding anesthetics on memory processing

The effects of non-hydrogen-bonding anesthetics on memory formation are evaluated with the aid of a quantitative literature analysis. A given agent effect on memory is a resultant of the variation of many parameters—particularly, concentration of inspired anesthetic gas, duration of administration, and time interval between training and anesthetic administration. The non-hydrogen-bonding anesthetics are generally found to be capable of inducing retrograde amnesia, but differences between the memory effects of particular agents (especially nitrous oxide, ether, and carbon dioxide) are marked. The possibility that these memory differences are consequent to an anesthetic dose-dependent pattern of CNS depression or excitation is discussed.
Attribute transformations for data mining. II: Applications to economic and stock market data

The effects of attribute transformations have been examined theoretically in part I of this article. This is part II, and its focus is on applications. Specific linear transformations, which have statistical meaning, are applied to a selected set of economic and stock market data. The data are selected from the computer, semiconductor, and semiconductor equipment industries. The main data mining tool is the rough set based software, DataLogic/R+, augmented with programs that perform linear transformations, concept generalization, and so on. Some useful “predictive” rules are discovered. Here, “predictive” is used in the sense that the logical patterns involve time elements. We should note that even in such simple cases, a trail-and-error approach is necessary for finding the right transformation. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kinetics, surface chemistry, and structural evolution of microbially mediated sulfide mineral dissolution

Abstract The effects of different microbial populations on the oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals at 37°C and pH 1.5 were examined over a period of 22 days. Samples of pyrite, marcasite, and arsenopyrite were exposed to a sulfur-oxidizing isolate (Thiobacillus caldus), an iron-oxidizing isolate (Ferroplasma acidarmanus), and a mixed enrichment culture containing T. caldus, F. acidarmanus, and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans. Changes in chemical speciation of the mineral surface products were monitored by Raman spectroscopy over the course of the experiment, structural evolution was examined with scanning electron microscopy, and the total soluble iron was used as a measure of the dissolution rate. In the case of all three minerals, an increase in dissolution rate was observed only in the presence of iron-oxidizing microorganisms (i.e., F. acidarmanus or the enrichment culture). The chemical speciation at the mineral surface in the presence of these iron-oxidizing species is indistinguishable from that of abiotic control reactions under the same conditions; both are dominated by elemental sulfur. In contrast, experiments with T. caldus indicate that the quantity of elemental sulfur on the mineral surface is
Cooperative stabilization of Zn2+:DNA complexes through netropsin binding in the minor groove of FdU-substituted DNA

The simultaneous binding of netropsin in the minor groove and Zn2+ in the major groove of a DNA hairpin that includes 10 consecutive FdU nucleotides at the 3′-terminus (3′FdU) was demonstrated based upon NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and computational modeling studies. The resulting Zn2+/netropsin: 3′FdU complex had very high thermal stability with aspects of the complex intact at 85 °C, conditions that result in complete dissociation of Mg2+ complexes. CD and 19F NMR spectroscopy were consistent with Zn2+ binding in the major groove of the DNA duplex and utilizing F5 and O4 of consecutive FdU nucleotides as ligands with FdU nucleotides hemi-deprotonated in the complex. Netropsin is bound in the minor groove of the DNA duplex based upon 2D NOESY data demonstrating contacts between AH2 1H and netropsin 1H resonances. The Zn2+/netropsin: 3′FdU complex displayed increased cytotoxicity towards PC3 prostate cancer (PCa) cells relative to the constituent components or separate complexes (e.g. Zn2+:...
Functionality of the liver glucocorticoid receptor during the life cycle and development of a low-affinity membrane binding site.

Abstract The ability of the liver glucocorticoid receptor to bind steroid and translocate to the nucleus in vivo was examined in order to elucidate possible developmental factors in the receptor system which block its action in fetal rat liver. Using optimal doses and uptake times of [ 3 H]-dexamethasone established for the liver of adrenalectomized adult males, we found fetal livers to be capable of specific glucocorticoid binding by cytoplasmic receptors and of in vivo translocation of the bound steroid to nuclei. Although the specific binding in the cytosol was lower than 2 n M in the late fetus, this could be accounted for by occupation of receptor binding sites by endogenous corticosterone present in extremely high concentrations in fetal plasma. The nuclear binding of dexamethasone, on the other hand, was as great in the late fetal liver as in adult liver, indicating that fetal liver cells were very efficient at nuclear translocation of receptor complex. These studies of in vivo nuclear binding of dexamethasone demonstrated that inhibition of glucocorticoid action before birth is due to some event other than the entry of glucocorticoid receptor into the nucleus. The receptor is present and functional in nuclear translocation at all developmental stages examined. When nuclei from adults were assayed for dexamethasone binding in vitro , a lower- affinity, but saturable, binding component was present in large amounts. This membrane binding site of glucocorticoids was absent in nuclei from fetuses and newborn rats, and was not correlated with the appearance of glucocorticoid receptor in liver nuclei. Adult microsomal membranes contained even more low affinity glucocorticoid binder than nuclei. The presence of a high-affinity nuclear receptor was not detectable by the in vitro exchange assay of adult nuclei.
Image guidance during head-and-neck cancer radiation therapy: analysis of alignment trends with in-room cone-beam computed tomography scans.

Purpose On-board cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is currently available for alignment of patients with head-and-neck cancer before radiotherapy. However, daily CBCT is time intensive and increases the overall radiation dose. We assessed the feasibility of using the average couch shifts from the first several CBCTs to estimate and correct for the presumed systematic setup error. Methods and Materials 56 patients with head-and-neck cancer who received daily CBCT before intensity-modulated radiation therapy had recorded shift values in the medial–lateral, superior–inferior, and anterior–posterior dimensions. The average displacements in each direction were calculated for each patient based on the first five or 10 CBCT shifts and were presumed to represent the systematic setup error. The residual error after this correction was determined by subtracting the calculated shifts from the shifts obtained using daily CBCT. Results The magnitude of the average daily residual three-dimensional (3D) error was 4.8 ± 1.4 mm, 3.9 ± 1.3 mm, and 3.7 ± 1.1 mm for uncorrected, five CBCT corrected, and 10 CBCT corrected protocols, respectively. With no image guidance, 40.8% of fractions would have been >5 mm off target. Using the first five CBCT shifts to correct subsequent fractions, this percentage decreased to 19.0% of all fractions delivered and decreased the percentage of patients with average daily 3D errors >5 mm from 35.7% to 14.3% vs. no image guidance. Using an average of the first 10 CBCT shifts did not significantly improve this outcome. Conclusions Using the first five CBCT shift measurements as an estimation of the systematic setup error improves daily setup accuracy for a subset of patients with head-and-neck cancer receiving intensity-modulated radiation therapy and primarily benefited those with large 3D correction vectors (>5 mm). Daily CBCT is still necessary until methods are developed that more accurately determine which patients may benefit from alternative imaging strategies.
Organization of the Human Trichromatic Cone Mosaic

Using high-resolution adaptive-optics imaging combined with retinal densitometry, we characterized the arrangement of short- (S), middle- (M), and long- (L) wavelength-sensitive cones in eight human foveal mosaics. As suggested by previous studies, we found males with normal color vision that varied in the ratio of L to M cones (from 1.1:1 to 16.5:1). We also found a protan carrier with an even more extreme L:M ratio (0.37:1). All subjects had nearly identical S-cone densities, indicating independence of the developmental mechanism that governs the relative numerosity of L/M and S cones. L:M cone ratio estimates were correlated highly with those obtained in the same eyes using the flicker photometric electroretinogram (ERG), although the comparison indicates that the signal from each M cone makes a larger contribution to the ERG than each L cone. Although all subjects had highly disordered arrangements of L and M cones, three subjects showed evidence for departures from a strictly random rule for assigning the L and M cone photopigments. In two retinas, these departures corresponded to local clumping of cones of like type. In a third retina, the L:M cone ratio differed significantly at two retinal locations on opposite sides of the fovea. These results suggest that the assignment of L and M pigment, although highly irregular, is not a completely random process. Surprisingly, in the protan carrier, in which X-chromosome inactivation would favor L- or M-cone clumping, there was no evidence of clumping, perhaps as a result of cone migration during foveal development.
Nucleus-nucleus potentials

Abstract The significance of a nucleus-nucleus potential is discussed. Information about such potentials obtained from scattering experiments is reviewed, including recent examples of so-called ‘rainbow’ scattering that probe the potential at smaller distances. The evidence for interactions involving the nuclear spins is summarized, and their possible origin in couplings to non-elastic channels. Various models of the potentials are discussed.
PKB/AKT and ERK regulation of caspase-mediated apoptosis by methylseleninic acid in LNCaP prostate cancer cells

Methylselenol has been implicated as an active metabolite for the anticancer effect of selenium in part through the induction of cancer cell apoptosis. Since inactivation of the AKT/protein kinase B negative regulator gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) is common in prostate cancer (PCa), we compared PTEN wild-type DU145 PCa cells (low basal AKT activity) with PTEN-mutant LNCaP PCa cells (high basal AKT activity) for their apoptosis responses to the methylselenol precursor methylseleninic acid (MSeA) and sodium selenite, an inorganic salt. Our results show that LNCaP cells withstood approximately 4 times higher doses of MSeA than DU145 cells, although they were slightly more sensitive than the latter to selenite-induced apoptosis. Treatment by MSeA modestly attenuated AKT phosphorylation and increased phospho-ERK1/2 in LNCaP cells. Selenite treatment increased the phosphorylation of p53 Ser15 and both kinases, but the selenite-induced apoptosis was not influenced by chemical inhibitors of either kinase. In contrast, PI3K/AKT inhibitors greatly sensitized LNCaP cells to apoptosis induced by MSeA, accompanied by increased mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and multiple caspase activation without changing p53 Ser15 phosphorylation. The apoptosis was further accentuated by extracellular signal regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inhibition without further increase in cytochrome c release. The general caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk completely blocked MSeA-induced apoptosis when both kinases were inhibited, whereas a caspase-8 inhibitor exerted a greater protection than did a caspase-9 inhibitor. Transfection of DU145 cells with a constitutively active AKT increased their resistance to MSeA-induced apoptosis. In summary, AKT played an important role in regulating apoptosis sensitivity of LNCaP and DU145 cells to MSeA. An MSeA-induced activation of ERK1/2 in LNCaP cells also contributed to resistance to apoptosis. However, these kinases did not significantly regulate caspase-mediated apoptosis induced by selenite in LNCaP cells. These findings support the differential involvement of these protein kinase pathways in regulating apoptosis induction by different forms of selenium.
Animal production—a longstanding biotechnological success

Biotechnology has been practiced in one form or another under many banners since the beginning of the domestication of animal species. Many of the previously used tools of animal breeding have played and will continue to play an important role in the selection and propagation of desirable and economically important characteristics in livestock. From this viewpoint, animal production practices have been a long-standing biotechnological success. We now produce more animal products with fewer animals than was imagined even 10 y ago. These animal products are produced more efficiently and with less competition with humans for high-quality cereal grains. However, improvements are still needed in product composition and production efficiency, especially in growth, disease resistance, and reproduction
Higher Education, Development and the Learning Economy

This article reviews the claims for the new economy as necessary background to analyzing changes in knowledge production and the role of the university in the so-called learning economy. The article develops an argument for ‘knowledge networks’ as a basis for the university to promote regional development at home and international development abroad.
Growing Pains for the Environmental Genetics of Breast Cancer: Observations on a Study of the Glutathione S-Transferases

Researchers now pursue two distinct avenues of investigation in the search to understand breast cancer susceptibility; one is aimed at highly penetrant genes that confer large absolute cancer risks, while the other focuses on common gene polymorphisms associated with modest individual risk. Among the second group are genes that govern a woman’s defense against environmental exposures. In this context, environment is broadly defined and includes exogenous as well as endogenous agents. The first approach has received the greatest attention and has yielded dramatic results (e.g., BRCA1 and BRCA2), while the second avenue is less traveled and has yet to produce markers with definite clinical or public health utility. Illustrating this situation is a report appearing in this issue of the Journal by Helzlsouer et al. (1), who describe an association between genetic deficiency in isoforms of the detoxification enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), principally GST class mu (GSTM1), and breast cancer. In this rather small prospective study, the significant association of the GSTM1 null genotype with breast cancer is driven by women who were postmenopausal at diagnosis. These investigators also observed a nonsignificant elevated risk for breast cancer in GSTT1 (GST class theta) null individuals and women who had the variant genotype for the GSTP1 (GST class pi) enzyme. When the variant genotypes were combined, a statistically significant, almost fourfold increase in risk was observed for individuals with two or three putative high-risk genotypes. The reported risk estimates are moderate compared with familial cancer genes, but because of the high prevalence of GST deficiency, Helzlsouer et al. point to the substantial attributable risks for breast cancer that could be linked to these loci. They caution, however, that application of these markers in breast cancer prevention is premature and must await replication in other populations. We agree and note that this report seems to add to a growing list of common genetic variations impugned as potential modifiers of environmental breast cancer risk factors— e.g., N-acetyltransferase (2), CYP1A1 (3), CYP17 (4), and catechol-O-methyltransferase (5).
Optimal Reverse Channel Structure for Consumer Product Returns

Consumers often return a product to a retailer because they learn after purchase that the product does not match as well with preferences as had been expected. This is a costly issue for retailers and manufacturers---in fact, it is estimated that the U.S. electronics industry alone spent $13.8 billion dollars in 2007 to restock returned products [Lawton, C. 2008. The war on returns. Wall Street Journal (May 8) D1]. The bulk of these returns were nondefective items that simply were not what the consumer wanted. To eliminate returns and to recoup the cost of handling returns, many retailers are adopting the practice of charging restocking fees to consumers as a penalty for making returns. This paper employs an analytical model of a bilateral monopoly to examine the impact of reverse channel structure on the equilibrium return policy and profit. More specifically, we examine how the return penalty is affected by whether returns are salvaged by the manufacturer or by the retailer. Interestingly, we find that the return penalty may be more severe when returns are salvaged by a channel member who derives greater value from a returned unit. Also, the manufacturer may earn greater profit by accepting returns even if the retailer has a more efficient outlet for salvaging units.
Genetic analysis and molecular mapping of crown rust resistance in common wheat

Key Message This is the first report on genetic analysis and genome mapping of major dominant genes for near non-host resistance to barley crown rust (Puccinia coro- nata var. hordei) in common wheat. Abstract Barley crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata var. hordei, primarily occurs on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in the Great Plain regions of the United States. How- ever, a few genotypes of common wheat (Triticum aes- tivum L.) were susceptible to this pathogen among 750 wheat accessions evaluated. To investigate the genetics of crown rust resistance in wheat, a susceptible winter wheat accession PI 350005 was used in crosses with two resistant wheat varieties, Chinese Spring and Chris. Analysis of F1 plants and F 2 populations from these two crosses indicated that crown rust resistance is controlled by one and two dominant genes in Chris and Chinese Spring, respectively. To determine the chromosome location of the resistance
L/S-band radiometer measurements of a saltwater pond

L and S-band radiometer brightness temperature measurements from a salt-water pond were made of as a function of salinity and temperature. The L-band measurements are in excellent agreement with the Klein and Swift salinity model, and will provide accurate predictions for the L-band emission from the ocean for future ocean salinity satellite missions.
EXPERIMENTAL GROUND AMPLITUDES FROM SMALL SURFACE EXPLOSIONS

The ground amplitudes produced by the detonation of small untamped surface charges of Dupont’s Nitramon S Primer and EL 506 PETN flexible sheet explosive were measured on a variety of rock types. For equivalent weights, the PETN sheet explosive produced larger ground amplitudes.
The Metaphysics of Measurement

My thesis is that there are good reasons for a philosophical account of measurement to deal primarily with the properties or magnitudes of objects measured, rather than with the objects themselves. The account I present here embodies both a realism about measurement and a realism about the existence of the properties involved in measurement. It thus provides an alternative to most current treatments of measurement, many of which are operationalistic or conventionalistic, and nearly all of which are nominalistic.1 This enables the present account to give better explanations of a number of features of measurement and other aspects of science than competing accounts of measurement can, and to be more readily integrated into a realist account of natural laws and causation. It also illustrates a general strategy for combining a familiar and powerful approach to representation with intensional entities like properties, which I think can be useful for dealing with a number of philosophical problems.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BURROW SYSTEMS OF SEVEN SPECIES OF POCKET GOPHERS (RODENTIA: GEOMYIDAE)

Abstract Burrow systems of 43 individuals representing 7 species of pocket gophers (Geomyidae) in Texas (Geomys breviceps, G. bursarius, G. personatus, G. texensis, Thomomys bottae) and Jalisco, Mexico (Cratogeomys fumosus, Pappogeomys bulleri) were excavated, measured, described, and compared. All burrow systems consisted of a main tunnel with several to many side branches. Burrow systems of most species included chambers serving as nest sites, food caches, and latrines. Vertically oriented spiral tunnels are reported for the first time for G. breviceps, G. texensis, and C. fumosus. Regression analyses revealed that mean tunnel depths and diameters varied significantly by species in direct relation to body size. Mean length of tunnel systems varied significantly by species (longest in G. breviceps and shortest in T. bottae), but variation was not correlated with body size.
Impaired Visual Cortical Processing of Affective Facial Information in Schizophrenia

Facial-emotion-perception impairment in schizophrenia is currently viewed as abnormal affective processing. Facial-emotion perception also relies on visual processing. Yet visual cortical processin...
Field performance assessment of a hydrokinetic turbine

A cross-flow hydrokinetic turbine with a projected area (product of blade span and rotor diameter) of 0.7 m2 is evaluated in open-water tow trials at three inflow speeds ranging from 1.0 m/s to 2.1 m/s. Measurements of the inflow velocity, the rotor mechanical power, and electrical power output of a complete power take-off (PTO) system are utilized to determine the rotor hydrodynamic efficiency (maximum of 17%) and total system efficiency (maximum of 9%). A lab-based dynamometry method yields individual component and total PTO efficiencies, shown to have high variability and strong influence on total system efficiency. The method of tow-testing is found effective, and when combined with PTO characterization, steady-state performance can be inferred solely from inflow velocity and turbine rotation rate.
The Validity of Value-added Estimates from Low-Stakes Testing Contexts: The Impact of Change in Test-Taking Motivation and Test Consequences

Accountability mandates often prompt assessment of student learning gains (e.g., value-added estimates) via achievement tests. The validity of these estimates have been questioned when performance on tests is low stakes for students. To assess the effects of motivation on value-added estimates, we assigned students to one of three test consequence conditions: (a) an aggregate of test scores is used solely for institutional effectiveness purposes, (b) personal test score is reported to the student, or (c) personal test score is reported to faculty. Value-added estimates, operationalized as change in performance between two testing occasions for the same individuals where educational programming was experienced between testing occasions, were examined across conditions, in addition to the effects of test-taking motivation. Test consequences did not impact value-added estimates. Change in test-taking motivation, however, had a substantial effect on value-added estimates. In short, value-added estimates were ...
Optimizing the Target Error Rate for Link Adaptation

Wireless link adaptation configures the physical layer of the transmitter in the presence of dynamic channel conditions to maximize link performance under error rate reliability constraints. Typically, error rate reliability targets are defined externally and remain fixed, regardless of the physical layer configuration. In this paper, we allow link adaptation to define its own error rate reliability target.We derive a closed form expression for the optimal target block error rate (BLER) that maximizes the throughput with hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). This expression shows that the optimal BLER target is inversely proportional to the SINR. We conduct LTE simulations with link adaptation that exploits the optimal BLER target to reinforce the utility of our derived BLER target expression and to showcase that a performance improvements of up to 30% in throughput can be obtained through dynamic BLER targets for link adaptation.