cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Managing overcapacity in small-scale fisheries in Southeast Asia

Abstract It is now almost universally accepted that most of the nearshore fisheries in Southeast Asia are overfished. It is also accepted that overcapacity is one of the leading causes of this overfishing. The problem of addressing overcapacity in small-scale fisheries in Southeast Asia is much more complex than that of reducing overcapacity in industrial fleets. In order to manage capacity, managers need to measure and understand how much capacity currently exists in the fishery and what is the desirable level of capacity that best meets the set of management objectives. The only feasible solution to overcapacity may be based on a coordinated and integrated approach involving a mixed strategy of resource management, resource restoration and conservation, livelihoods and economic and community development, and restructured governance arrangements. The reduction of overcapacity implies an increased focus on people-related solutions and on communities.
A self-aligned elevated source/drain MOSFET

An advanced elevated source/drain CMOS process which features self-aligned lightly-doped drain (LDD) and channel implantation is described. Unlike conventional elevated source/drain structures which employ separate polysilicon deposition steps to define the source/drain and gate electrodes, this new structure provides self-alignment of the LDD regions with the heavily doped channel regions to avoid dopant compensation effects. This process employs a single selective silicon deposition step to define both the epitaxial source/drain and polycrystalline gate regions. A single sidewall spacer is used for both LDD and salicide definition. Unlike conventional elevated source/drain CMOS processes, the final MOSFET structure provides self-alignment of the LDD regions with the heavily doped channel regions. Salicidation is performed after selective silicon deposition to provide low sheet resistances for the source/drain and gate regions. Small-geometry NMOS and PMOS devices have been fabricated which display excellent short channel behavior. >
The S. cerevisiae Architectural HMGB Protein NHP6A Complexed with DNA: DNA and Protein Conformational Changes upon Binding

NHP6A is a non-sequence-specific DNA-binding protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae which belongs to the HMGB protein family. Previously, we have solved the structure of NHP6A in the absence of DNA and modeled its interaction with DNA. Here, we present the refined solution structures of the NHP6A-DNA complex as well as the free 15bp DNA. Both the free and bound forms of the protein adopt the typical L-shaped HMGB domain fold. The DNA in the complex undergoes significant structural rearrangement from its free form while the protein shows smaller but significant conformational changes in the complex. Structural and mutational analysis as well as comparison of the complex with the free DNA provides insight into the factors that contribute to binding site selection and DNA deformations in the complex. Further insight into the amino acid determinants of DNA binding by HMGB domain proteins is given by a correlation study of NHP6A and 32 other HMGB domains belonging to both the DNA-sequence-specific and non-sequence-specific families of HMGB proteins. The resulting correlations can be rationalized by comparison of solved structures of HMGB proteins.
An Explicit Construction for a Ramsey Problem

An explicit coloring of the edges of Kn is constructed such that every copy of K4 has at least four colors on its edges. As n → ∞, the number of colors used is n1/2+o(1). This improves upon the previous bound of O(n2/3) due to Erdős and Gyarfas obtained by probabilistic methods. The exponent 1/2 is optimal, since it is known that at least Ω(n1/2) colors are required in such a coloring.The coloring is related to constructions giving lower bounds for the multicolor Ramsey number rk(C4). It is more complicated however, because of restrictions imposed on interactions between color classes.
Induction of heme oxygenase mRNA by cobalt protoporphyrin in rat liver.

Abstract The effect of cobaltic(III)-protoporphyrin on heme oxygenase activity and mRNA content was examined in vivo in the adult male rat liver. The activity of heme oxygenase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the degradation of heme, was enhanced, as expected, by cobalt protoporphyrin (25 μmol/kg body weight) in a time-dependent manner. Levels of enzyme activity were increased 2-fold by 8–16 h following treatment and were 6-fold higher than baseline values by 48 h. Administration of cobalt protoporphyrin resulted in a marked increase in heme oxygenase mRNA in the liver. Within 2 h of treatment, mRNA levels had increased 7.9-fold. The induction of heme oxygenase mRNA was maximal at 8 h when the levels were 58.5-fold above baseline. At every time point tested, the increase in heme oxygenase mRNA was several fold greater than that of enzyme activity.
An intracellular delivery vehicle for protein transduction of micro-dystrophin

The Fv fragment of an antibody that selectively targets and penetrates skeletal muscle in vivo was produced as a fusion protein with a micro-dystrophin for use as a delivery vehicle to transport micro-dystrophin into muscle cells. Fv-micro-dystrophin was produced as a secreted protein by transient transfection of Fv-micro-dystrophin cDNA in COS-7 cells and as a non-secreted protein by permanent transfection in Pichia pastoris. Isolated Fv-micro-dystrophin was shown to be full-length by Western blot analysis. Fv-micro-dystrophin penetrated multiple cell lines in vitro, and it localized to the plasma membrane of a cell line with membrane beta-dystroglycan. In the absence of membrane beta-dystroglycan, it localized to the cytoplasm. Antibody-mediated transduction of micro-dystrophin into muscle cells is a potential therapy for dystrophin-deficient muscular dystrophies.
Comparative evaluation of model predictive control strategies for a building HVAC system

The paper presents an evaluation procedure for a few promising Model Predictive Control (MPC) based approaches in supervisory control of building heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. A case study is established and control trajectories are generated using the proposed solvers. The resulting trajectories are evaluated in terms of benchmark metrics taking energy costs and occupant discomfort into account. A direct approach to incorporate occupant discomfort in the cost function is also proposed. Results indicate potential savings using MPC solvers when compared to the baseline.
A review of electric production simulation and capacity expansion planning programs

This paper surveys currently available computer programs for electric production simulation and capacity planning optimization. Algorithms for electric production simulation and capacity planning optimization are reviewed. Representative programs are then outlined.
A Simple Timing Shutter for Stimulus-Presentation Devices

Transparent mirror glass can be used to construct inexpensive and highly reliable timing shutters for stimulus-presentation systems. A representative circuit and a simple stimulus-display device using 3 × 5 index cards are also described.
Chamber-Specific Cardiac Expression of Tbx5 and Heart Defects in Holt–Oram Syndrome

To further define the role of a T-box transcription factor, Tbx5, in cardiac development, we have examined its expression in the developing mouse and chick heart and correlated this pattern with cardiac defects caused by human TBX5 mutations in Holt-Oram syndrome. Early in the developing heart, Tbx5 is uniformly expressed throughout the entire cardiac crescent. Upon formation of the linear heart tube, Tbx5 is expressed in a graded fashion, stronger near the posterior end and weaker at the anterior end. As the heart tube loops, asymmetric Tbx5 expression continues; Tbx5 is expressed in the presumptive left ventricle, but not the right ventricle or outflow tract. This pattern of expression is maintained in more mature hearts. Expression in the ventricular septum is restricted to the left side and is contiguous with left ventricular free wall expression. Trabeculae, vena cavae (inferior and superior), and the atrial aspect of the atrioventricular valves also express high levels of Tbx5. These patterns of Tbx5 expression provide an embryologic basis for the prevalence of atrial septal defects (ostium primum and secundum), ventricular muscular septal defects, and left-sided malformations (endocardial cushion defects, hypoplastic left heart, and aberrant trabeculation) observed in patients with Holt-Oram syndrome.
Suicide right ventricle after lung transplantation for Eisenmenger syndrome

Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, or "suicide right ventricle," rarely has been observed after single or bilateral single-lung transplantation for the treatment of Eisenmenger syndrome. We describe our experience in 2 patients with Eisenmenger syndrome in whom right ventricular outflow tract obstruction developed, in 1 after single-lung transplantation and ventricular septal defect repair and in the other after bilateral single-lung transplantation. Both patients suffered progressive deterioration and hemodynamic instability that was unresponsive to aggressive medical therapy. Diagnosis was confirmed in both patients by transesophageal echocardiography. Operative intervention was undertaken 72 and 24 hours after transplantation, and consisted of myectomy and outflow tract patching. One patient survived; the other died intraoperatively. The index of suspicion for this problem should be high during the intraoperative performance of transesophageal echocardiography, as well as during direct gradient measurement, with consideration of immediate management of severe right ventricular outflow tract obstruction at the time of transplantation.
What distance learners should know about information retrieval on the world wide Web

The Internet can be a valuable tool allowing distance learn ers to access information not available locally. Search engines are the most common means of locating relevant information on the Interne...
TimeTree2: species divergence times on the iPhone

Summary: Scientists, educators and the general public often need to know times of divergence between species. But they rarely can locate that information because it is buried in the scientific literature, usually in a format that is inaccessible to text search engines. We have developed a public knowledgebase that enables data-driven access to the collection of peer-reviewed publications in molecular evolution and phylogenetics that have reported estimates of time of divergence between species. Users can query the TimeTree resource by providing two names of organisms (common or scientific) that can correspond to species or groups of species. The current TimeTree web resource (TimeTree2) contains timetrees reported from molecular clock analyses in 910 published studies and 17 341 species that span the diversity of life. TimeTree2 interprets complex and hierarchical data from these studies for each user query, which can be launched using an iPhone application, in addition to the website. Published time estimates are now readily accessible to the scientific community, K–12 and college educators, and the general public, without requiring knowledge of evolutionary nomenclature. Availability: TimeTree2 is accessible from the URL http://www.timetree.org, with an iPhone app available from iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/timetree/id372842500?mt=8) and a YouTube tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxmshZQciwo).
Hemagglutinin (HA) Proteins from H1 and H3 Serotypes of Influenza A Viruses Require Different Antigen Designs for the Induction of Optimal Protective Antibody Responses as Studied by Codon-Optimized HA DNA Vaccines

Effective antibody responses provide crucial immunity against influenza virus infection. The hemagglutinin (HA) protein is the major target of protective antibody responses induced by viral infection and by vaccination with both inactivated and live-attenuated flu vaccines, but knowledge about the optimal designs of protective HA antigens from different flu serotypes is still limited. In this study, we have significantly improved the immunogenicity of HA-expressing DNA vaccines by using codon-optimized HA sequences for either an H1 serotype (A/NewCal/20/99) or an H3 serotype (A/Panama/2007/99) human influenza A virus and then used these constructs as model antigens to identify the optimal HA antigen designs to elicit high-level protective antibody responses. Two forms of HA antigen, a wild-type, full-length HA and a secreted form with transmembrane (TM) domain-truncated HA, were produced. Both forms of HA DNA vaccines, from either H1 or H3 serotypes, were able to elicit high levels of HA-specific immunoglobulin G responses in immunized rabbits as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Interestingly, the abilities of H1 HA and H3 HA antigens to elicit hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses differ. For the H1 HA antigens, the full-length HA induced significantly higher HI and NAb responses than did the TM-truncated HA. For the H3 HA antigen, both the full-length HA and TM-truncated HA induced high levels of HI and NAb responses. These data indicate that H1 and H3 antigens have different expression requirements for the induction of an optimal protective antibody response and that the structure integrity of HA antigens is critical for eliciting type-specific protective antibody responses. Our findings will have an important impact on future subunit-based flu vaccine development.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Evaluation of an Automatic User Disengagement Detector for an Uncertainty-Adaptive Spoken Dialogue System

We present a model for detecting user disengagement during spoken dialogue interactions. Intrinsic evaluation of our model (i.e., with respect to a gold standard) yields results on par with prior work. However, since our goal is immediate implementation in a system that already detects and adapts to user uncertainty, we go further than prior work and present an extrinsic evaluation of our model (i.e., with respect to the real-world task). Correlation analyses show crucially that our automatic disengagement labels correlate with system performance in the same way as the gold standard (manual) labels, while regression analyses show that detecting user disengagement adds value over and above detecting only user uncertainty when modeling performance. Our results suggest that automatically detecting and adapting to user disengagement has the potential to significantly improve performance even in the presence of noise, when compared with only adapting to one affective state or ignoring affect entirely.
Analysis of a 200 year snow accumulation series from the South Pole

The reliability of mean and annual net accumulation values determined at the South Pole from stratigraphic studies is demonstrated by a comparison with measurements of snow accumulation made at stake networks from 1958 to 1963. The annual values in the series 1760–1957 are used to compute the temporal variability of accumulation. The procedure to estimate the errors in the identification of annual layers is discussed, and the significance of these errors in the analysis of the series is examined. The variability of the 198 annual accumulation values is slightly less than that of precipitation series obtained at two stations, one at high latitude and one at high elevation. A variance analysis of the South Pole series indicates that there is, with a high degree of probability, an increase in the rate of snow accumulation with time not due to chance, from approximately 5.4 g·cm−2·yr−1 in the first 66 years (1760–1825) to approximately 7.5 g·cm−2·yr−1 in the last 66 years of the series. The area of the region for which there is a positive secular change in the rate of accumulation during the last 200 years remains unknown. The serial correlation computed for time lags from one to twelve years shows that significant periodicities do not exist in this series. The identification of annual layers in five isolated sets comprising from 4 to 8 layers each and included in the period 1536±42–1760±13 suggests that the mean accumulation for the period circa 1550–1750 is approximately the same as that determined in the 1760–1957 series.
Professional codes, public regulations, and the rebuilding of judgment following physicians' boundary violations.

The restoration of physician judgment about appropriate patient-physician boundaries derives from professional codes, medical board regulation, and educational initiatives.
Successful use of noninvasive ventilation in pregnancy

To the Editor: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) occurs in less than 0.1% of pregnancies; however, it is one of the most common reasons for obstetric admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) and carries a high mortality for both mother and fetus. Pulmonary physiological and anatomic adaptations during pregnancy affect the overall management, as well as predispose patients to complications during respiratory illness. Pregnancy-related upper airway mucosal oedema may obstruct visualisation of the airway during intubation and can make invasive airway management difficult. The pregnant female requiring endotracheal intubation has a four-fold higher risk of having a difficult airway and an eight-fold higher risk of a failed intubation [1]. The application of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the treatment of ARF continues to expand as its benefits are increasingly recognised. NIV is often avoided in pregnancy due to the theoretical risk of aspiration. However, our current knowledge regarding the safety and efficacy of NIV for the management of respiratory failure in pregnancy is based on weak evidence. Only a few case reports and small case series have been published. Given the limited data, we review the current literature and report two cases of pregnant females who developed ARF from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and were successfully and safely managed with NIV. A 30-year-old gravida 2 para 1 with an uncomplicated twin pregnancy presented with premature rupture of membranes at 30 weeks of gestation. She had also complained of a dry cough for 1 week prior to presentation and a low grade fever. Corticosteroids, antibiotics and tocolytic therapy were administered. …
Diagnosis of thyroid cancer: state of art

Introduction: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer in the USA and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) and cytologic analysis is the most cost-effective approach to distinguish between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. However, up to 30% of thyroid FNA biopsy results are inconclusive. Areas covered: In this article, the authors provide an update on the current status and emerging approaches for improving thyroid cancer diagnosis. This review covers imaging, genetic and genomic approaches being used or in development to help distinguish between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. Expert opinion: There has been considerable progress in improving thyroid cancer diagnosis. The molecular markers analysis to avoid diagnostic surgeries seems to be promising. However, the clinical utility and accuracy of some markers reported in this review are not conclusive and need to be validated as clinical diagnostic tool.
Siderophore-Mediated Iron Acquisition Influences Motility and Is Required for Full Virulence of the Xylem-Dwelling Bacterial Phytopathogen Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii

Iron is a key micronutrient for microbial growth but is often present in low concentrations or in biologically unavailable forms. Many microorganisms overcome this challenge by producing siderophores, which are ferric-iron chelating compounds that enable the solubilization and acquisition of iron in a bioactive form. Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii, the causal agent of Stewart's wilt of sweet corn, produces a siderophore under iron-limiting conditions. The proteins involved in the biosynthesis and export of this siderophore are encoded by the iucABCD-iutA operon, which is homologous to the aerobactin biosynthetic gene cluster found in a number of enteric pathogens. Mutations in iucA and iutA resulted in a decrease in surface-based motility that P. stewartii utilizes during the early stages of biofilm formation, indicating that active iron acquisition impacts surface motility for P. stewartii. Furthermore, bacterial movement in planta is also dependent on a functional siderophore biosynthesis and uptake pathway. Most notably, siderophore-mediated iron acquisition is required for full virulence in the sweet corn host, indicating that active iron acquisition is essential for pathogenic fitness for this important xylem-dwelling bacterial pathogen.
An area-efficient 5-GHz multiple receiver RFIC for MIMO WLAN applications

This paper presents area-efficient multiple receivers on a single-chip for 5-GHz MIMO wireless LAN systems. Each receiver has a low noise amplifier, Q-enhanced image reject filter, mixer, and local oscillator amplifier but shares a global local oscillator amplifier and distribution circuits for bias and filter tuning. The receivers are suitable for both spatial diversity and multiplexing. Area-efficiency results from frequency planning, circuit sharing, and application of spatial diversity. One receiver provides 14 dB gain, consumes 25 mA at 1.8 V, and occupies less than 1 mm chip area. The filter has better than 30 dB rejection at the image frequency.
Beyond Expectancy Theory: An Integrative Motivational Model from Health Care

Expectancy theory has been criticized for its omission of normative, habitual, and other motivational elements. This paper describes the sources and features of an integrative motivational model from the field of preventive health care that combines expectancy/valence factors with habitual, normative, and conative motivational elements. The model is viewed as having implications for work motivation as well.
New oral anticoagulants in the ED setting: a review

Abstract Background Emergency department (ED) clinicians are not typically involved in the long-term management of patients' anticoagulation therapy, but they are responsible for decision making for emergency conditions requiring anticoagulation, such as acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). In addition, emergency physicians are often faced with patients who present first to the ED with conditions that may prompt long-term anticoagulation upon hospital discharge, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), or who have acute or potential bleeding complications from anticoagulation. Objective In this review, clinical trials of new oral anticoagulants evaluated for treatment of VTE and stroke prophylaxis in AF, as well as practical management aspects, will be discussed. In addition, clinical trials evaluating the adjunctive use of the new oral anticoagulants with antiplatelet therapy in patients who have experienced acute coronary syndrome will be explored. Discussion Both dabigatran etexilate and rivaroxaban have successfully completed phase III trials for acute VTE treatment and are currently approved for the reduction of risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular AF. In a recently completed phase III trial, apixaban also demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in that indication. Rivaroxaban represents the only new anticoagulant to date to have shown promising phase III results as an adjunct to antiplatelet therapy after acute coronary syndrome. Conclusion Knowledge of the appropriate clinical use and safety concerns of the new anticoagulants is imperative as they become more frequently prescribed, and their potential uses in the ED setting represent an important aspect of continuing education for emergency physicians.
An Exploratory Investigation of the Factor Structure of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS)

This study investigated the factor structure of the Reynolds Intellectual a ssessment Scales (RI a S) using rigorous exploratory factor analytic and factor extraction procedures. The results of this study indicate that the RI a S is a single factor test. Despite these results, higher order factor analysis using the Schmid–Leiman procedure indicates that all subtests are aligned with their theoretically consistent factors. a ll analyses in this study, including the minimum average partial test, parallel analysis, the Schmid–Leiman procedure, as well as principal factors with orthogonal and oblique rotation, support interpretation at the composite intelligence index level and suggest caution when moving to interpretation at the verbal and nonverbal index levels. The memory subtests should continue to be separated from the main IQ battery because of poor g-loadings and contribution to cross loadings of the intelligence subtests. Interpretation at the subtest level should be eschewed.
THE SPANISH HERITAGE IN AMERICA

[EDITOR'S NOTE. In the nineteen-twenties the study of Spanish underwent a heavy barrage of attacks from uninformed or prejudiced men, some of whom held high places in the educationist world. Such statements as "the study of Spanish is a goldbrick"; "Spanish is of no more value than Hottentot or Choctaw"; "Spanish should be studied only for commercial reasons, and it isn't of much use even there"; "Spain has no culture worthy of the name"; "Spain has produced only one writer"; and other similar misstatements were typical of the methods employed. One naive educationist critic used as an argument the "fact" that "no one" (i.e., he himself) "had ever heard of any Spanish writer but Cervantes"; ergo, no other Spanish writer of importance had ever existed! Another gathered "statistics" on the relative importance of the various literatures of the world, these "statistics" being based on the number of volumes from the respective literatures published-up to that time-in "Everyman's Library." ('This of course was "evidence" of their relative importance-in the eyes of this practitioner of the "science" of Education.) The obvious stupidity of such statements did not prevent their receiving too wide acceptance. (Some of them, in fact, are still current among uninformed school people today.) They were delivered with all the "authority" of the pontificating educational pundit who-according to a more broadly educated Professor of Education-is "frequently in error but never in doubt." It will always be a source of pride among Hispanists that men who really knew what they were talking about-President Nicholas Murray Butler, Dr. Leo S. Rowe, Dr. Ralph Adams Cram, and many other scholars, historians, and public men-were quick to spring to the defense of maligned Hispanic culture and the Spanish and Portuguese languages. One of the most eminent and ablest of these was the late William R. Shepherd, Seth Low Professor of History in Columbia University, one of whose vigorous and informative papers is reprinted herewith. Except in certain minor details, it is just as effective, stimulating, timely, and interesting today as it was twenty years ago. We are glad to reproduce it here, in the belief that it will inspire and help to sustain the morale of the Spanish and Portuguese teachers of today in the face of occasional attacks by educational isolationists and obscurantists of the present day, fortunately fewer in number--or at least less "brash" and vocal about their ignorance-than those of the nineteentwenties. HENRY GRATTAN DOYLE.]
VIRUS III ENCEPHALITIS

Virus III, an active, filterable agent indigenous to rabbits, under experimental conditions produces, in addition to lesions in the cornea, skin, and testicles, an encephalitis which is at times quite similar to that induced by herpetic virus. Virus III and herpetic virus, however, are not immunologically related.
Relationship Between Performance of Selected Scapular Muscles and Scapular Abduction in Standing Subjects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between muscular forces generated by the middle trapezius and pectoralis minor muscles and the position of the scapula in relaxed standing. The muscular forces of 60 subjects were measured in standard manual muscle testing positions with a hand-held dynamometer. Scapular abduction in standing was measured with a tape measure. Each measurement was taken twice, and the measurements were shown to be reliable. The correlation between scapular abduction and middle trapezius muscle force was .20. The correlation between scapular abduction and pectoralis minor muscle force was .14. The correlation between scapular abduction and a ratio of middle trapezius muscle force to pectoralis minor muscle force was .01. The results indicate that no relationship exists between the position of the scapula in standing subjects and the muscular force produced by the middle trapezius and pectoralis minor muscles. Clinical practices based on an assumed relationship between these variables (eg, the practice of using middle trapezius muscle strengthening exercises to correct a forward shoulder position) should be reexamined in light of these findings.
Coffee Consumption During Pregnancy: Subsequent Behavioral Abnormalities of the Offspring

Offspring of rats fed coffee during pregnancy had reduced body, liver, and brain weight at birth. By 30 days postnatally these animals had recovered in size but exhibited increased locomotion, decreased grooming time, and decreased time spent with a novel object. Offspring of dams fed decaffeinated coffee demonstrated reduced liver weight at birth and similar behavioral characteristics at 30 days of age. J Nutr. 112: 829-832.
Carbon Segregation Induced Grain Boundary Embrittlement

To investigate the mechanisms of grain boundary embrittlement, sustained load tests were conducted on a medium carbon, high strength martensitic steel at slightly elevated temperatures. Slow crack growth was observed from 185°C to 500°C. Fracture surfaces of the specimens tested were examined by scanning electron microscopy after sustained load tests. It was found that severe grain boundary embrittlement occurred in this material with the predominant fractographic feature being intergranular fracture. Auger electron and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the intergranular facets were utilized to analyze the embrittling species. Prior suggestions for this “strain-aging embrittlement” phenomena have centered around carbide precipitation. The present results suggest that it is carbon, driven by thermal energy and the stress field, that segregates on the grain boundaries and weakens them.
International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. XCIII. The Parathyroid Hormone Receptors—Family B G Protein–Coupled Receptors

The type-1 parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR1) is a family B G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) that mediates the actions of two polypeptide ligands; parathyroid hormone (PTH), an endocrine hormone that regulates the levels of calcium and inorganic phosphate in the blood by acting on bone and kidney, and PTH-related protein (PTHrP), a paracrine-factor that regulates cell differentiation and proliferation programs in developing bone and other tissues. The type-2 parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR2) binds a peptide ligand, called tuberoinfundibular peptide-39 (TIP39), and while the biologic role of the PTHR2/TIP39 system is not as defined as that of the PTHR1, it likely plays a role in the central nervous system as well as in spermatogenesis. Mechanisms of action at these receptors have been explored through a variety of pharmacological and biochemical approaches, and the data obtained support a basic “two-site” mode of ligand binding now thought to be used by each of the family B peptide hormone GPCRs. Recent crystallographic studies on the family B GPCRs are providing new insights that help to further refine the specifics of the overall receptor architecture and modes of ligand docking. One intriguing pharmacological finding for the PTHR1 is that it can form surprisingly stable complexes with certain PTH/PTHrP ligand analogs and thereby mediate markedly prolonged cell signaling responses that persist even when the bulk of the complexes are found in internalized vesicles. The PTHR1 thus appears to be able to activate the Gαs/cAMP pathway not only from the plasma membrane but also from the endosomal domain. The cumulative findings could have an impact on efforts to develop new drug therapies for the PTH receptors.
A Business Marketing Strategy Applied to Student Retention: A Higher Education Initiative.

Relationship marketing, a concept that focuses on attracting, maintaining, and building business relationships, has enhanced the profitability of businesses. The core of the relationship marketing approach in business is that resources are directed toward strengthening ties to existing customers on the proven premise that maintaining existing customers is less costly than is attracting new ones. Relationship marketing models have been developed in a wide range of settings and evidence exists suggesting that it is a successful approach. This article explores the concept of adapting the business relationship marketing framework to the challenges of college student retention. The student retention and relationships marketing literatures are reviewed and parallels are drawn. The relationship marketing model presents a different way of viewing student retention, provides a different perspective on retention strategies, and provides an economic justification for implementing retention programs. Retaining studen...
Grain into gold? The impact of agricultural income shocks on rural Chinese households

This paper seeks to estimate the eect of positive lump-sum income shocks experienced by Chinese households beginning in 1993, analyzing the evolution of an unusual grain quota system. This system mandated that households sell part of their grain output to the state at a below-market price that increased over time, generating positive income shocks that varied cross-sectionally in accordance with crop composition. The identication strategy seeks to exploit climatic variation in the propensity to cultivate dierent crops in conjunction with variation in the quota price over time to identify quasi-random variation in the size of the income shocks. The results suggest that investment in agriculture falls as households gain increased income, while there are sharp increases in non-staple consumption; there is also evidence of increased employment in household industrial enterprises, and increased borrowing.
Chavakali Secondary School: Harambee by the People and for the People?

This presentation explores the establishment of Chavakali Secondary school and its implications for western Kenyans during decolonization. Chavakali was a Luhya community sponsored harambee development initiative. Although this community provided the initial funds, the school required support from the United States government, Kenyan administration, and Friends Africa Mission to be sustainable. As an harambee project, the school was supposed to “pull together” various Luhya groups allowing average Luhyas the chance to participate in nation-building. For some, this project offered the promise of greater control over how their children would be developed in newly-independent Kenya. In reality, however, Chavakali became a contentious issue for its ordinary Luhya sponsors. Specifically, Maragoli Luhyas became disillusioned with the project when local authorities began their harsh campaigns to collect contributions. Disappointment increased, once the school opened and Maragoli Luhyas realized they held no real influence over Chavakali. This case study addresses the social consequences and local realities of Kenya's harambee program. It highlights the contradictions between the state's efforts to promote a grass-roots development movement and its obligations to dictate this process at the local level. Focusing on the local dynamics of harambee allows for a more nuanced understanding of Kenya's postcolonial development trajectory.
Increased activity in hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis for partial anionic substitution in cobalt oxysulfide nanoparticles

The functionality of an electrocatalyst depends sensitively on the surface chemistry. In the case of transition-metal compounds, both the transition metal cation and the anion must be controlled to maximize the electrocatalytic activity. This realization has driven many efforts devoted to engineering the cation chemistry, producing many state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. Motivated by the critical role the cation plays in electrocatalysis, we seek to understand whether a similar effect can be achieved with the anion. Herein, we present a study on the effect of the anion substitution on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysis on cobalt oxysulfide nanoparticles. To control the sulfur substitution, we use ammonium sulfide to introduce sulfur to the cobalt oxide nanoparticles at low temperature without inducing secondary phase formation. We find that a lightly doped oxysulfide catalyst, which has the composition CoOxS0.18, exhibits a metastable, distorted S-substituted CoO phase and is 2–3 times more active for the HER than either end-member of the substitution series. Our first-principles calculations attribute the HER enhancement to the stronger surface H adsorption which is maximally favorable at a relatively low doping level. Our work provides a protocol for synthesizing metastable mixed-anion materials and reveals the critical role of the anion on the surface physiochemical properties and the HER electrocatalysis.
Replacement metal gate resistance in FinFET architecture modelling, validation and extendibility

In this paper, we develop a multiplicative model to simulate the tungsten (W) film resistivity and gate resistance for replacement metal gate (RMG) with W electrode. Our multiplicative model predicts that TiN fill offers the lower gate resistance than TiN/W fill for highly scaled gate lengths. By absorbing the results from our model into the real RMG FinFET devices, we observe that TiN fill provides ∼6.4 % performance improvement compared to TiN/W fill. Meanwhile, the employment of gate conductance for gate stack film thickness monitoring is also described in our work.
Smart Power Grid Synchronization with Nonlinear Estimation

Grid synchronization is a critical concern for proper control of the energy transferred between the Distributed Power Generation System (DPGS) and the utility grid. Nonlinear estimation techniques are proposed to track the voltage magnitude, phase angle, and frequency of the utility grid. Instead of directly analyzing in abc coordinate frame, the symmetrical component is employed to separate the positive, negative, and zero sequences in the transformed αβ stationary coordinate frame. By using αβ stationary coordinate frame, the number of system state variables is reduced to five. The results show that our proposed nonlinear estimation technique is efficient in smart power system synchronization. The MATLAB simulation studies have been conducted to compare the performance of Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), Particle Filter (PF), and Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). Computer simulations have shown that the efficacy of our proposed nonlinear estimation methods including the Extended Kalman Filter, Particle Filter, and Unscented Kalman Filter. It also shows that the Unscented Kalman Filter, and the Particle Filters are better estimators, because voltage synchronization problem is nonlinear system, and linearization process which the Extended Kalman Filter is based on is not very accurate. The number of particles in Particle Filter can be increased to improve the accuracy, but there exists a trade off between computational effort and estimation accuracy. In our research, with consideration the same computational complexity, we calculate the Mean Square Error (MSE) to examine the performances of different nonlinear estimation approaches. By comparing the MSE of different estimators, we prove that the Unscented Kalman Filter shows the most accurate performance in voltage synchronization for three phase unbalanced voltage. Our results have shown the potential applications in the future smart power grid synchronization.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Exploratory Analysis using Parallel Coordinate Systems: Data Visualization in N-Dimensions

We introduce an exploratory technique that is used to visualize higher order geometries in an easily recognizable two-dimensional representation: parallel coordinate systems. In this research, parallel coordinate systems visual analysis is used to assess competitive pricing behavior. Results show that this simple exploratory technique identified the same main and cross-elasticities identified by an MCI model. This research illustrates the value and simplicity of adding parallel coordinate systems visual analysis to the manager's exploratory analysis tool kit. Implications are discussed.
DETERMINATION OF LESION SEVERITY IN PATIENTS WITH PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE: A COMPARISON OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC ANGIOGRAPHY TO CATHETER-BASED ANGIOGRAPHY WITH INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND AS THE GOLD-STANDARD

Catheter-based angiography (CBA) has been the reference standard for anatomical evaluation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) has emerged as an alternative for assessing PAD. This study aimed to determine how CTA compares to CBA for arterial stenoses
Epidemiological analysis of malaria epidemic in Guizhou Province in 2013

Objective To analyze epidemic features of malaria in Guizhou Province in 2013 and to provide evidence formaking eliminating malaria strategy. Methods The data of malaria prevalence, malaria control and prevention in GuizhouProvince in 2003,were collected and anlayzed.Results The 12 malaria cases were online reported a drop of 25.00% than in2012. The incidence was 0.034/100 000 dropped by 26.09% compared with 0.046/100 000 in 2012.The 12 cases wereimported abroad including 3 Plasmodium vivax malaria cases accounted for 25%, 8 Plasmodium falciparum malaria casesaccounted for 66.67%%, 1 Plasmodium ovate malaria case accounted for 8.33%. Conclusion Malaria control measures werewell implemented in the whole province and it was the first year without report of local malaria case and the first time of reportof Plasmoodium ovale malaria case. The number of the foreign imported malaria cases the same as the previous year, thusimported malaria cases from abroad,would be the focus of malaria control and prevention in this province, and the malariamonitoring and management of mobile population should be strengthened.
An Improved Priority Inheritance Protocol and Its Algorithm

Priority reverse is a kind of phenomenon that the higher priority task is blocked by the lower priority task since they are using the same sources in real time system.Priority reverse makes it is impossible to predict the execution time of the high priority task,and increases the indeterminacy of real time system.Although early priorities solved priority reverse,there are some limitations.To address these limitations,this paper gives rise to an improved priority inheritance protocol.In the improved protocol,the semaphores are acquired according to a fixed predetermined non-revolving sequence to avoid dead lock.Protocol establishes overtime protection mechanism to avoid prolonged block when tasks are acquiring semaphores.It analyzes the property of the protocol,on the bases of which an implementation under Linux is described.Experiment results show this protocol can perform efficiently.
Reinforcement Learning in Partially Observable Multiagent Settings: Monte Carlo Exploring Policies with PAC Bounds

Perkins' Monte Carlo exploring starts for partially observable Markov decision processes (MCES-P) integrates Monte Carlo exploring starts into a local search of policy space to offer a template for reinforcement learning that operates under partial observability of the state. In this paper, we generalize the reinforcement learning under partial observability to the self-interested multiagent setting. We present a new template, MCES-IP, which extends MCES-P by maintaining predictions of the other agent's actions based on dynamic beliefs over models. MCES-IP is instantiated to be approximately locally optimal with some probability by deriving a theoretical bound on the sample size that in part depends on the allowed error from the sampling; we refer to this algorithm as MCESIP+PAC. Our experiments demonstrate that MCESIP+PAC learns policies whose values are comparable or better than those from MCESP+PAC in multiagent domains while utilizing much less samples for each transformation.
Dual-parameter flow cytometric analysis coupling the measurements of forward-angle light scatter and DNA content of archival ovarian carcinomas of low malignant potential.

Paraffin-embedded archival specimens from 45 cases of ovarian carcinoma of low malignant potential (OCLMP) were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) using propidium iodide (PI) staining. Since single-parameter FCM analysis is often deficient in the resolution of subtle near-diploid DNA-aneuploid populations, forward-angle light scatter (FALS) was measured as a second parameter. DNA aneuploidy was identified in 15 cases (33%). In 7 of those 15 cases, aneuploidy was resolved with single-parameter FCM; in the remaining 8 cases, DNA aneuploidy was resolved only following dual-parameter analysis coupling DNA content and FALS. In all 15 cases, a single near-diploid aneuploid population was observed (mean DNA index = 1.2); there were no tetraploid aneuploid cases. The proliferative activity for all 45 cases studied ranged from 1.0% to 8.9%, with a mean of 3.5%. No difference in mean proliferative activity was observed between the aneuploid and diploid tumors (P greater than .05). To exclude the possibility that PI staining artifacts caused the observed aneuploidy, five of the eight cases shown to be aneuploid by dual-parameter analysis were further studied using an alternate DNA-binding dye, DAPI, yielding similar results. To exclude the possibility that contaminating stromal and/or inflammatory cells caused the observed aneuploidy, samples from a subset of the dual-parameter cases were sorted, revealing the aneuploid populations to be composed primarily of tumor nuclei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Improving conceptual understanding of code with Bug Fixer

Bug Fixer is a web-based application that complements lectures with hands-on exercises that encourage students to better understand logic in programs. Students view code with several bugs that they must fix. The process of fixing the bugs forces students to conceptually think about the code and reinforces their understanding of the logic behind algorithms. We conducted a study with undergraduate students at University of North Texas using our system as part of their CS2 classes. Bug Fixer exercises helped some students to improve their conceptual understanding of the algorithms, but we experienced a large variation in this result from week to week. Many students enjoyed using Bug Fixer and recommend the system for future use. We observed a slight increase in the passing grades of students who participated in our study compared to students in other sections of the course with the same instructor who did not use Bug Fixer. The students who did not report a positive experience provided comments that we plan to address in future work. Some of these comments included suggestions such as giving hints and providing more performance feedback throughout the sessions.