cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Extension Trend of Rice Varieties in China

Based on the analysis on the extension of main rice varieties (6.7 thousand hectares) from 1986 to 2003, the extension trend of rice varieties in China indicated that the number of varieties for extending increased significantly, the average extension acreage of rice varieties decreased significantly, the varieties with large extension acreage (~666.7 thousand hectares) became less and less, the percentage with cross-province extension and renewal speed of dominant rice varieties (66.7 thousand hectares) kept basically steady. The comparison on the variety extension between inbred rice and hybrid rice was done and some problems about rice variety extension, rice breeding and the development of seed industry were discussed.
Partially Balanced Change-over Designs Based on m-Associate Class PBIB Designs

SUMMARY The authors systematically investigate the class of change-over designs that are partially balanced for the estimation of the elementary direct and residual effects contrasts, and whose constructions are based on m-associate PBIB designs. In light of the complicated mathematical structure of the analysis, there is a need to introduce restrictions on the various incidence relations. By means of these assumed constraints the concept of partially balanced change-over designs based on m-associate class PBIB designs [PBCOD(m)] is defined. Four new series of these designs are constructed and illustrated.
Primary mesothelioma. A practical tutorial review.

Target audience Gastroenterologists, internists, and surgeons Learning objectives After completion of this article, the reader will be able to understand the main diagnostic features of this disease and the differential diagnosis with other entities that have a more benign outcome. The lack of acceptable treatment is explained.
Effect of Queenlessness on Worker Survival, Honey Gain and Defence Behaviour in Honeybees

SummaryThe effects of queenlessness on worker honeybees (Apis mellifera?) were tested with 50 colonies in groups of 10 (five treatments and two replicates) in August, October and December, 1984 and February and April, 1985 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 10 colonies in each group were all from a single heterogeneous mixture of bees, and each colony began with about 6000 workers and no brood. The five treatments each lasted for 28 days and consisted of (1) caged queen for 28 days, queenless for 0 days; (2) caged queen for 21 days, queenless for 7 days; (3) caged queen for 14 days, queenless for 14 days; (4) caged queen for 7 days, queenless for 21 days and (5) caged queen for 9 days, laying queen for 19 days (control). With prolonged queenlessness worker survival, colony weight gain and defence behaviour (number of stings) decreased. Queenlessness did not induce drifting.
Abstract 1165: TRPM8 is avidly targeted for degradation in prostate cancer

Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) is a cold-sensing receptor and a hallmark Ca2+ channel of the prostate epithelium. The TRPM8 mRNA is overexpressed in early prostate tumors with high androgen levels, while anti-androgen therapy greatly reduces its expression. Thus, androgens, which are at the crossroads of several signaling pathways, appear to be associated with TRPM8-mediated Ca2+ signaling. Although, TRPM8 mRNA levels are upregulated during prostate cancer progression, this upregulation is not adequately translated to the TRPM8 protein levels. We identified that the lower TRPM8 protein abundance and activation in LNCaP cells is associated with increased ubiquitination and loss of TRPM8 from the plasma membrane (PM). The mass-spectrometry analysis of TRPM8, immunoprecipitated from LNCaP cells identified ubiquitin-like modifier-activating enzyme 1 (UBA1). PYR-41, a potent inhibitor of the initial enzyme in the ubiquitination cascade, UBA1, increased TRPM8 activity on the PM of LNCaP cells. Our data indicate that PMTRPM8 plays a protective role in prostate cancer progression accompanied by enhanced activation of p53 and Caspase-9. In addition, we found that the promoter region of trpm8 possesses putative binding sites for p53 and that the overexpression of p53 increased the TRPM8 mRNA levels. Our findings support previous studies that suggest the fine balance between AR and p53 expression that regulates androgen-dependent growth of prostate cancer. Thus, we hypothesize that TRPM8 activity significantly contributes to anti-tumor defense mechanism and may serve as a novel therapeutic target in prostate cancer. Citation Format: Swapna Asuthkar, Eleonora Zakharian. TRPM8 is avidly targeted for degradation in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1165.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Solid Hydrogen and Deuterium under High Pressures

In this paper we present nuclear magnetic resonance measurements in solid hydrogen and deuterium between 1.5° and 4.2°K and under approximately hydrostatic pressures between 0 and 5500 atm. This work is an extension of earlier measurements by McCormick and Fairbank.1,2
Optimization of PbI2/MAPbI3 Perovskite Composites by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

A variety of PbI2/MAPbI3 perovskites were prepared and investigated by a rapid screening technique utilizing a modified scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) in order to determine how excess PbI2 affects its photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties. An optimum ratio of 2.5% PbI2/MAPbI3 was found to enhance photocurrent over pristine MAPbI3 on a spot array electrode under irradiation. With bulk films of various PbI2/MAPbI3 composites prepared by a spin-coating technique of mixed precursors and a one-step annealing process, the 2.5% PbI2/MAPbI3 produced an increased photocurrent density compared to pristine MAPbI3 for 2 mM benzoquinone (BQ) reduction at −0.4 V vs Fc/Fc+. As a result of the relatively high quantum yield of MAPbI3, a time-resolved photoluminescence quenching experiment could be applied to determine electron–hole diffusion coefficients and diffusion lengths of PbI2/MAPbI3 composites, respectively. The diffusion coefficients combined with the exciton lifetime of the pristine 2.5% PbI2/MAPbI3 ...
Spurring Vaccine Development for the Developing World: A Collaborative Governance Perspective on Product Development Partnerships

ABSTRACTCollaborative governance has emerged recently as an alternative to the traditional sector-based, single-actor approaches for addressing complex governance challenges. However, previous research has given little attention to collaborative governance within international policy contexts. To address this gap, an integrative collaborative governance framework is used to analyze product development partnerships (PDPs) that seek to develop vaccines to prevent the spread of devastating diseases within the developing world. The analysis indicates that PDPs are helping address acute governance challenges and are emblematic of the increasing importance of nonprofit organizations in collaborative governance regimes. Implications for research on collaborative governance are also discussed.
Natural Vitamin E isoforms, gamma and delta modulate TGF beta in PC-3 prostate cancer cells.

A107 In early stages of cancer, TGFβ (primarily TGFβ1) inhibits tumor development, but at later stages of tumor progression, cancer cells evade the growth inhibition by TGFβ. TGFβ is switched from a tumor suppressor to a tumor promoter. Lu et al. has demonstrated that the PC-3 cancer cell line exhibits constitutive expression of NF-κB, an anti-apoptotic transcription factor. The constitutive expression of NF-κB conveys resistance to Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α), a natural apoptotic stimuli. Transforming Growth Factor β2 (TGFβ2) has been identified as a factor mediating the constitutive activation of NF-κB. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene study found that substantially fewer participants taking alpha-tocopherol developed prostate cancer. Helzlsouer et al. furthered these findings by showing that high plasma concentrations of gamma-tocopherol enhanced the effects previously seen with alpha-tocopherol. Further research has shown that vitamin E is able to induce cell death in PC-3 cells with the effect being greatly increased when cells are treated with both TNFα and vitamin E, suggesting a possible mechanism of action for TGFβ induced cell death. In this study, the gamma and delta isoforms of vitamin E were tested for their ability to halt cell proliferation in PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines in comparison with alpha-tocopherol at 20, 40 and 60 μM. By western blotting and ELISA assays it was found that the gamma and delta isoforms are more potent inhibitors of cell proliferation than alpha-tocopherol. These natural vitamin E isoforms are able to allow PC-3 cells to overcome the resistance to TNFα-mediated cell death. We further demonstrate that these isoforms down regulate the expression of TGFβ2, NF-κB, and TGFβ Receptor 1.
Colligative Properties of Ionic Solutions

It will be noted that conductance, as explained in the previous chapter, has not been characterized as a colligative property. The term colligative (from the Latin, colligatus, meaning joined together) denotes the intimate relationships of the properties of solutions in terms of total numbers of all particles present, both with and without electrical charges. As the electrical conductivity of a solution is a function exclusively of the charged particles therein (ions), in a strictly definitive sense we would be necessarily excluding from consideration the electrically uncharged molecules that are always present in a dissolved weak electrolyte, be it acid, or base, or pseudo-salt, because these do not actually transport current.
Clinical outcomes and predictive value of chromogranin A (CgA) and pancreastatin (PcSt) in liver-directed therapies (LDTs) for well-differentiated metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.

e14620 Background: LDTs have been shown to improve time to tumor progression and morbidity in metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (mNETs). CgA and PcSt are being used to predict and evaluate response ...
A multi-region analysis of factors that influence public acceptance of smoke from different fire sources

The increase in area burned by wildfire has simultaneously brought increased concern about smoke impacts, both from wildfires and fires intentionally set to manage landscapes. Public concern about the potential health and other impacts of smoke can cause apprehension among managers who are considering prescribed burns, some to the point that they choose not to burn. Yet, very little is known about public acceptance of smoke. Using results from public surveys in four states, this paper explores the factors that influence public acceptance of smoke from six types of fire (wildfire, prescribed fire, agricultural burns, managed fire, pile burns and burns on private lands) as well as aggregate acceptance across all fire types. Overall, the public is generally accepting of smoke, particularly for fire types that are either viewed as uncontrollable (wildfire) or providing benefits to broader society rather than individuals. However, a sizable minority does not accept smoke. Factors that influence acceptance of smoke vary by fire type, but several coincided for multiple types of fire, including both health and non-health related risk, confidence in managing agencies, beliefs about benefits of prescribed fire use and rural living, among others. Prior experience with negative health impacts from smoke only influenced acceptance for agricultural burns.
Single-cell Wnt signaling niches maintain stemness of alveolar type 2 cells

Alveoli, the lung's respiratory units, are tiny sacs where oxygen enters the bloodstream. They are lined by flat alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells, which mediate gas exchange, and AT2 cells, which secrete surfactant. Rare AT2s also function as alveolar stem cells. We show that AT2 lung stem cells display active Wnt signaling, and many of them are near single, Wnt-expressing fibroblasts. Blocking Wnt secretion depletes these stem cells. Daughter cells leaving the Wnt niche transdifferentiate into AT1s: Maintaining Wnt signaling prevents transdifferentiation, whereas abrogating Wnt signaling promotes it. Injury induces AT2 autocrine Wnts, recruiting "bulk" AT2s as progenitors. Thus, individual AT2 stem cells reside in single-cell fibroblast niches providing juxtacrine Wnts that maintain them, whereas injury induces autocrine Wnts that transiently expand the progenitor pool. This simple niche maintains the gas exchange surface and is coopted in cancer.
Impacts of data mining technology on product design and process planning

Recent advances in computers and networking technologies and a fast-growing internet community created immense distributed data bases located miles away and having a capability to be updated continuously without the knowledge of the possible and prospective users. The ability to collect and store all kinds of data have outpaced the capabilities of individuals to analyze, summarize, and extract “knowledge” from them. Traditional methods of data analysis, based mainly on the analysts dealing directly with the data, is no longer the best alternative to be used. Although the database technology provided the basic tools for efficient storage and lookup for large data sets, the issues of how to enable engineers to understand large bodies of data remains a difficult problem. Recently, data mining approaches based on artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, machine learning, statistics, expert systems, and data visualization are creating new intelligent tools for automated data mining and knowledge discovery.
Variable Lymphocyte Receptors in Jawless Vertebrates: Illuminating the Origin and Early Evolution of Adaptive Immunity

Phylogenetic studies of immunity have revealed that about 500 million years ago, two types of recombinatorial adaptive immune systems (AIS) arose in vertebrates. Jawed vertebrates diversify the repertoire of immunoglobulin-domain-based B and T cell antigen receptors mainly through the rearrangement of gene segments and somatic hypermutation, whereas an alternative AIS of jawless vertebrates is based on variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) which diversify through recombinatorial usage of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) units. None of the fundamental recognition elements of jawed vertebrates AIS have been found in jawless vertebrates. Despite differences in molecular architecture, the parallel ‘two-arms’ of the AIS evolved within the context of preexisting innate immunity and maintained over a long period of time in jawed and jawless vertebrates, respectively, as a consequence of powerful and enduring evolutionary selection pressure by pathogens and other factors.
Broadband Millimeter Wave Characterization of 3-D Printed Materials

3D printing has significant potential advantages for the manufacture of millimeter wave systems including improvements in time to market and lower development costs. Key to these improvements is the ability to print high-quality materials with fine resolution and well understood, desirable dielectric properties in the millimeter wave regime. This paper reports the measured results on a wide variety of materials over a continuous spectrum of frequencies to 57 GHz.
Macroscopic energy barrier and rate-independent hysteresis in martensitic transformations

Abstract A thermodynamic theory for the lower-bound hysteresis in martensitic transformations is developed. It is shown that the elastic energy generated by the transformation-induced crystal lattice misfit makes the system free energy a nonlinear function of the volume fractions of the phases, lifts the additivity principle and ergodicity hypothesis of the conventional Gibbsian thermodynamics, and produces a macroscopic energy barrier between the parent and product phases. Since the energy barrier is proportional to the macroscopic volume of the system and thus cannot be surmounted by the thermally assisted nucleation of the new phase, a rate-independent hysteresis of thermodynamic nature is produced, which sets the lower bound for the total transformation hysteresis. This lower-bound hysteresis is characterized by two critical temperatures of the martensitic and reverse transformations, one during cooling and another during heating, with their difference defining the corresponding transformation hysteresis. The necessary undercooling and overheating are intrinsic material properties determined by the transformation elastic energy. The theory is tested against experimental observations, explains the ubiquitous temperature hysteresis in the martensitic transformations, and correlates the hysteresis with the volumetric misfit strain of the transformations. The proposed theory is generic and is applicable to any displacive (diffusionless and martensitic) phase transformations.
Should the EuroQol-Five Dimensions Replace the Oswestry Disability Index When Tracking Lumbar Tubular Microdecompression Outcomes?

Objective Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are critical in evaluating the effectiveness of surgical spine interventions. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is commonly used but tedious to administer routinely. The EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire is easier to administer but not traditionally used to measure spine surgical results. This study aimed to investigate the correlation of commonly administered PROMs in lumbar tubular microdecompression patients, and to consider whether ODI could be predicted from remaining PROMs. Methods This study examined 304 index lumbar tubular microdecompression patients with PROMs collected at routine intervals. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for each pairwise combination of the following PROMs: ODI, EQ-5D index, leg pain visual analog scale (VAS), low back pain VAS, health state item. Linear regression modeling was conducted to predict ODI from the remaining four PROMs. Results The patients had a mean age of 65.55 ± 12.97 years and 46.4% were male. Each combination of PROMs demonstrated a statistically significant pairwise correlation (P Conclusions ODI can be predicted from EQ-5D, leg and low back pain VAS, and health state items with moderate accuracy. The added utility of capturing ODI routinely may not out-weigh the challenges in doing so.
Optoﬂuidic device for sorting microparticles using optical whispering gallery mode resonances

We describe the use of resonant amplification of light propelling forces for selective separation of fluid-suspended dielectric microparticles. The force amplification and the selectivity of the method is achieved using the whispering gallery mode resonances of the microparticles. The selectivity is determined by the inverse of the quality factor (Q) of the resonances in liquid (with Q ~ 104-106). We demonstrate that the evanescent field around a tapered optical fiber fed with ~20 mW power from a 1064 nm laser can selectively move polystyrene microspheres of up to 20 μm in diameter through distances of more than 50 μm, thereby establishing that the technique is sufficient for efficient separation.
Flexural-mode solid-state thermoacoustics

Abstract Recent studies have indicated that axial waves traveling in a one dimensional solid rod can give rise to a thermoacoustically unstable response when in presence of an externally applied spatial temperature gradient. Similar to fluid-based thermoacoustics, both standing and traveling axial thermoacoustic waves can exist in solids. Elastic waves in solids are polarized, hence it is reasonable to hypothesize that thermoacoustic instabilities can affect also shear-type waves, such as flexural waves. This study extends previous research on axial-mode solid-state thermoacoustics to flexural-mode solid-state thermoacoustics (F-SSTAs). More specifically, it is shown how flexural waves can grow unbounded when traveling in a bilayer beam subject to a spatial thermal gradient. A theoretical framework is developed to analyze the dynamics of the system and to establish the criterion controlling the onset of flexural thermoacoustic instability. Numerical calculations conducted in both the frequency and the time domains show the occurrence of two main effects due to the presence of thermal coupling: (1) the dynamic amplification of the flexural motion, and (2) the time-varying location of the neutral axis. An experimental investigation is also conducted in order to corroborate the existence of this thermal-to-mechanical energy conversion mechanism associated with flexural waves.
CHASM: Security Evaluation of Cache Mapping Schemes

Cache side-channel attacks have become a significant security threat across a variety of hardware architectures. By observing which sets of a cache are accessed by the victim, the attacker gleans critical information about the address bits in the victim’s access, thereby revealing portions of secret keys used by encryption algorithms (or other sensitive information). Fundamentally, this ability to deduce information about addresses given the accessed sets depends on knowing (or discovering) how addresses are mapped to cache sets by hardware.
A Networked Infrastructure of Cultural Equity? Social Identities in the Missions of Local Arts Agencies

Increasing attention to cultural equity in the arts focuses on the power of the arts to address social inequity. Many also recognize that arts organizations must attend to these issues in their org...
Successful use of water-soluble contrast in patients with small bowel obstruction and virgin abdomen: A case report.

Abstract Introduction and importance Nonoperative management of adhesive SBO is well established but remains a challenge in patients without prior abdominal surgery. We aim to report a case of successful nonoperative management with the use of enteral hypertonic water-soluble contrast administration in a patient with virgin abdomen. Case presentation A healthy 24-year old man with no previous surgery presented to the emergency room with one day of abdominal pain. A CT abdomen and pelvis was consistent with SBO without clear anatomic etiology. The patient refused surgical intervention, so we performed a trial of nonoperative management. On hospital day 2, a repeat CT A/P with enterally administered water-soluble contrast showed resolution of SBO. The patient has had no symptoms since hospital discharge on 6 months follow up. Clinical discussion Small bowel obstruction is most commonly secondary to adhesions from prior surgeries. Even in patients with virgin abdomen, adhesions are the cause of SBO in 53%-73%. Recent studies in patients with virgin abdomen showed that 92.1% that underwent nonoperative management did not have a recurrence of SBO with mean follow up of 4.5 years. The use of water-soluble contrast in patients with virgin abdomen was reported to have 92-97% success rate. A meta-analysis showed a pooled prevalence of 7.7% of malignant etiology of SBO in these patients, more common with previous SBO admission or history of malignancy. Conclusion Nonoperative management with the therapeutic use of hypertonic water-soluble contrast is a viable treatment option in select cases and avoids the morbidity of surgical exploration.
Game theory of data-selling ransomware

We are experiencing the worst years of ransomware attacks with continuing news reports on high-profile ransomware attacks on organizations such as hospitals, schools, government agencies and private businesses. Recently a few ransomware attackers have gone beyond simply encrypting files and waiting for ransom. They threaten to release the data if the victims refuse their ransom request. In this paper, we propose a hypothetical new revenue model for the ransomware, i.e., selling the stolen data rather than publishing the data for free. Through a game-theoretical analysis between attackers and victims, we contribute a novel model to understand the critical decision variables for the proposed data-selling ransomware (which we refer as "ransomware 2.0") that sells data as well as demands ransom. We compare the role of reputation and the profitability of the data-selling ransomware with traditional ransomware ("ransomware 1.0") that demands ransom only and the data-threat ransomware ("ransomware 1.5") that demands ransom with the threat of releasing data for no compliance. Both theoretical modeling and simulation studies suggest that in general both ransomware 2.0 and 1.5 are more profitable than ransomware 1.0, while ransomware 2.0 is always more profitable than ransomware 1.5. Notably, common defensive measures that may work to eliminate the financial incentives of ransomware 1.0 may not work on ransomware 2.0, in particular the data backup practice and the never-pay-ransom strategy. Our findings also suggest that the uncertainties created by this new revenue model may affect attackers' reputation and users' willingness-to-pay, therefore, ransomware 2.0 may not always increase the profitability of attackers. Another finding of the study suggests that reputation maximization is critical in ransomware 1.0 and 1.5, but not in ransomware 2.0, where attackers could manipulate reputation for profit maximization.
An Informatics Approach for Designing Conducting Polymers.

Doping conjugated polymers, which are potential candidates for the next generation of organic electronics, is an effective strategy for manipulating their electrical conductivity. However, selecting a suitable polymer-dopant combination is exceptionally challenging because of the vastness of the chemical, configurational, and morphological spaces one needs to search. In this work, high-performance surrogate models, trained on available experimentally measured data, are developed to predict the p-type electrical conductivity and are used to screen a large candidate hypothetical data set of more than 800 000 polymer-dopant combinations. Promising candidates are identified for synthesis and device fabrication. Additionally, new design guidelines are extracted that verify and extend knowledge on important molecular fragments that correlate to high conductivity. Conductivity prediction models are also deployed at www.polymergenome.org for broader open-access community use.
Validation of the U.S. Geological Survey's Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.0 annual land cover products 1985–2017

Abstract The U.S. Geological Survey Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (USGS LCMAP) has released a suite of annual land cover and land cover change products for the conterminous United States (CONUS). The accuracy of these products was assessed using an independently collected land cover reference sample dataset produced by analysts interpreting Landsat data, high-resolution aerial photographs, and other ancillary data. The reference sample of nearly 25,000 pixels and the accompanying 33-year time series of annual land cover reference labels allowed for a comprehensive assessment of accuracy of the LCMAP land cover and land cover change products. Overall accuracy (± standard error) for the per-pixel assessment across all years for the eight land cover classes was 82.5% (±0.2%). Overall accuracy was consistent year-to-year within a range of 1.5% but varied regionally with lower accuracy in the eastern United States. User's accuracy (UA) and producer's accuracy (PA) for CONUS ranged from the higher accuracies of Water (UA = 96%, PA = 93%) and Tree Cover (UA = 90%, PA = 83%) to the lower accuracies of Wetland (UA = 69%, PA = 74%) and Barren (UA = 43%, PA = 57%). For a binary change/no change classification, UA of change was 13% (±0.5%) and PA was 16% (±0.6%) for CONUS when agreement was defined as a match by the exact year of change. UA and PA improved to 28% and 34% when agreement was defined as the change being detected by the map and reference data within a ± 2-year window. Change accuracy was higher in the eastern United States compared to the western US. UA was 49% (±0.3) and PA was 54% (±0.3) for the footprint of change (defined as the area experiencing at least one land cover change from 1985 to 2017). For class-specific loss and gain when agreement was defined as an exact year match, UA and PA were generally below 30%, with Tree Cover loss being the most accurately mapped change (UA = 25%, PA = 31%). These accuracy results provide users with information to assess the suitability of LCMAP data and information to guide future research for improving LCMAP products, particularly focusing on the challenges of accurately mapping annual land cover change.
Chiral equivariant cohomology II

This is the second in a series of papers on a new equivariant cohomology that takes values in a vertex algebra. In an earlier paper, the first two authors gave a construction of the cohomology functor on the category of O(sg) algebras. The new cohomology theory can be viewed as a kind of "chiralization" of the classical equivariant cohomology, the latter being defined on the category of G* algebras a la H. Cartan. In this paper, we further develop the chiral theory by first extending it to allow a much larger class of algebras which we call sg[t] algebras. In the geometrical setting, our principal example of an O(sg) algebra is the chiral de Rham complex Q(M) of a G manifold M. There is an interesting subalgebra of Q(M) which does not admit a full O(sg) algebra structure but retains the structure of an sg[t] algebra, enough for us to define its chiral equivariant cohomology. The latter then turns out to have many surprising features that allow us to delineate a number of interesting geometric aspects of the G manifold M, sometimes in ways that are quite different from the classical theory.
An Exploratory Study of Retailing to the Mexican National Consumer in the Border Zone

In this exploratory study, we examine factors that affect how U.S. retailers on the U.S.–Mexican border manage the elements of the retail mix with respect to Mexican national consumers. Several propositions concerning the effects of competition from Mexican retailers and the recent Peso devaluation on variables of the retail mix and traditional measures of perceived retailer outcomes are advanced. Results indicate that while perceptions of the devaluation of the Peso have an impact on the planning of the retail mix as well as on perceived retail outcome measures, competition from Mexican retailers is not perceived to be an important factor.
Models of Neural Circuit Reorganization After Injury

While regeneration in the peripheral nervous system is a well-recognized phenomenon, it had long been believed that central nervous system (CNS) regeneration either did not occur, or was extremely limited. It remains true that regenerative sprouting, defined as the regrowth of a damaged axon, is commonly initiated, but is usually not successful in the adult mammalian CNS. Several factors contribute to this regenerative failure, including (a) a generally regressive reaction and reduced survival of adult CNS neurons after axonal injury [2]; (b) a nonsupportive environment for axonal growth [43]; and (c) the presence in the CNS of oligodendrocyte- and myelinassociated factors that are inhibitory to axonal growth [29]. Other contributory elements may include a down-regulation in the mature state of the production of molecules that promote neuron survival or neurite extension during development [1].
Phase Transition in the Two-Dimesional Classical XY Model

For the two dimensional classical XY model we present extensive high — temperature -phase bulk data extracted based on a novel finite size scaling (FSS) Monte Carlo (MC) technique, along with FSS data near criticality. Our data verify that ŋ = 1/4 sets in near criticality and clarify the nature of correction to the leading scaling behavior. It is pointed out that the result of conventional FSS analysis near criticality is inconsistent with other predictions of Kosterlitz’s renormalization group approach.
Influence of external electric fields on electronic response and bandstructure of carbon nanotubes

We performed tight-binding calculation of the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes in a perpendicular electric field. Within the linear response limit, the dielectric function of a doped carbon nanotube is found to depend not only on its symmetry, but also on the Fermi level position and tube radius. Upon increasing the field, the mixing of neighboring sub bands results in metal-semiconductor transitions in both quasi-metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. The characteristic field strength of the transitions is calculated as a function of the tube radius. An optimal radius range to be used for band gap engineering is estimated for both types.
Cellular immunodeficiency associated with nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency: Immunologic and biochemical studies

Abstract Biological and immunological studies were performed on a child with severely impaired T-cell function, normal B-cell function, and deficiency of nucleoside phosphorylase. Adenosine deaminase levels in erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and fibroblasts of the patient and her immediate family were normal. Nucleoside phosphorylase activity could not be detected in the three cell types studied in the patient and was present at approximately half the normal level in the parents. A healthy sister had a normal level of the enzyme. No inhibitor was found in the patient's erythrocytes. These findings suggest that erythrocytes or lymphocytes may be used for carrier detection and amniotic cells may be used for intrauterine diagnosis of the deficiency. Cultured EB-virus-infected B cells retained the deficiency thus furnishing a lymphoid cell line for further investigation of the disease. No improvement in immunologic function was obtained after infusion with blood products nor could nucleoside phosphorylase be detected in circulating lymphocytes following such infusions.
Neuroligin 1 modulates striatal glutamatergic neurotransmission in a pathway and NMDAR subunit-specific manner

Together with its presynaptic partner Neurexin 1 (Nxn1), Neuroligin 1 (NL1) participates in synapse specification and synapse maintenance. We and others have shown that NL1 can also modulate glutamatergic synaptic function in the central nervous system of rodent models. These molecular/cellular changes can translate into altered animal behaviors that are thought to be analogous to symptomatology of neuropsychiatric disorders. For example, in dorsal striatum of NL1 deletion mice, we previously reported that the ratio N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) mediated synaptic currents to α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor (AMPAR) mediated synaptic currents (NMDA/AMPA) is reduced in medium spiny neuron (MSNs). Importantly, this reduction in NMDA/AMPA ratio correlated with increased repetitive grooming. The striatum is the input nucleus of the basal ganglia (BG). Classical models of this circuitry imply that there are two principal pathways that render distinct and somewhat opposite striatal outputs critical to the function of these nuclei in modulating motor behavior. Thus, we set out to better characterize the effects of NL1 deletion on direct and indirect pathways of the dorsal striatum by genetically labeling MSNs participating in the direct and indirect pathways. We demonstrate that a decrease in NMDAR-mediated currents is limited to MSNs of the direct pathway. Furthermore, the decrease in NMDAR-mediated currents is largely due to a reduction in function of NMDARs containing the GluN2A subunit. In contrast, indirect pathway MSNs in NL1 knockout (KO) mice showed a reduction in the frequency of miniature excitatory neurotransmission not observed in the direct pathway. Thus, NL1 deletion differentially affects direct and indirect pathway MSNs in dorsal striatum. These findings have potential implications for striatal function in NL1 KO mice.
Delay Deny Defend: Why insurance companies don't pay claims and what you can do about it

The essential promise of an insurance policy is that when a claim is filed, the company will pay what it owes, promptly and fairly. Increasingly that promise is being violated. Insurance companies often delay payment of valid claims, deny payment in part or altogether, and force claimants to litigation to receive the benefits to which they are entitled. This new book exposes and documents the problem and offers solutions for consumers and lawmakers.Today insurance companies often delay payment of justified claims, deny payment altogether, and force policyholders and claimants to litigation. Since the 1990s, as a result of the intense focus on price competition and maximizing shareholder value, insurance companies have transformed the claims process into a profit center, adopting elaborate systems to cut payments to policyholders and claimants. Many of these systems have been designed by McKinsey & Co. and other large consulting firms, and they involve sophisticated techniques to avoid the prompt and fair payment of claims and to reward company employees for underpaying valid claims. Delay, Deny, Defend describes the history and operation of these systems in automobile and homeowners insurance, including segmenting claims, litigation strategies, computer systems such as Colossus and Xactimate, and changes in the role of claims adjusters. It also includes chapters on insurance in natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and on insurance fraud. Among other sources, the book uses insurance company internal documents, statements of present and former company executives, trial testimony, and other material not widely available. The book concludes with advice for consumers and proposals for legal and regulatory reform.
New indications for antidepressants.

The second and third generation of antidepressants, i.e., the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, nefazodone, venlafaxine, and mirtazapine, are proving to be useful in a variety of seemingly diverse disorders, including most anxiety disorders. In addition to receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for major depressive disorder, some of the newer antidepressants have received FDA approval for other disorders, e.g., generalized anxiety disorder (venlafaxine), bulimia nervosa (fluoxetine), obsessive-compulsive disorder (fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, and fluoxetine), social phobia (paroxetine), panic disorder (sertraline, paroxetine), and posttraumatic stress disorder (sertraline). In controlled studies, these agents have also shown usefulness in premenstrual dysphoric disorder, borderline personality disorder, obesity, smoking cessation, and alcoholism. This article describes the new and potential indications for recently developed antidepressants and the studies that suggested these indications.
Left ventricular assists device insertion via small right axillary incision in a pediatric patient.

We report the use of a right axillary skin incision to institute a ventricle assist device support in a two-year-old 14 kg male with fulminant myocarditis. The ease of conversion to a long-term support, avoidance of a sternotomy, and a less visible incision made this approach an attractive option in this group of sick patients. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12342 (J Card Surg 2014;29:581–583)
Regional metabolic heterogeneity of the hippocampus is nonuniformly impacted by age and caloric restriction

The hippocampus is critical for cognition and memory formation and is vulnerable to age-related atrophy and loss of function. These phenotypes are attenuated by caloric restriction (CR), a dietary intervention that delays aging. Here, we show significant regional effects in hippocampal energy metabolism that are responsive to age and CR, implicating metabolic pathways in neuronal protection. In situ mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase activity was region specific and lower in aged mice, and the impact of age was region specific. Multiphoton laser scanning microscopy revealed region- and age-specific differences in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-derived metabolic cofactors. Age-related changes in metabolic parameters were temporally separated, with early and late events in the metabolic response to age. There was a significant regional impact of age to lower levels of PGC-1α, a master mitochondrial regulator. Rather than reversing the impact of age, CR induced a distinct metabolic state with decreased cytochrome c oxidase activity and increased levels of NAD(P)H. Levels of hippocampal PGC-1α were lower with CR, as were levels of GSK3β, a key regulator of PGC-1α turnover and activity. Regional distribution and colocalization of PGC-1α and GSK3β in mouse hippocampus was similar in monkeys. Furthermore, the impact of CR to lower levels of both PGC-1α and GSK3β was also conserved. The studies presented here establish the hippocampus as a highly varied metabolic environment, reveal cell-type and regional specificity in the metabolic response to age and delayed aging by CR, and suggest that PGC-1α and GSK3β play a role in implementing the neuroprotective program induced by CR.
Demand controlled ventilation and classroom ventilation

Demand Controlled Ventilation and Classroom Ventilation William J. Fisk, Mark J. Mendell, Molly Davies, Ekaterina Eliseeva, David Faulkner, Tienzen Hong, Douglas P. Sullivan Indoor Environment Group Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Department Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, CA 94720 May 2012 This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE‐AC02‐ 05CH11231.
de Haas-van Alphen Effect and Fermi Surface of White Tin

We report here the results of an extensive investigation of the de Haas-van Alphen effect in white tin. These results agree qualitatively with the predictions of Weisz's pseudopotential model for the tin Fermi surface; for every case in which Weisz's model differs qualitatively from the single-orthogonalized-plane-wave model, our data agree with the former. Quantitative agreement, however, has not been obtained. The experimentally determined cross-sectional areas of the Fermi surface typically differ by about 30% from those calculated by Weisz. Area branches are also reported that are due to coupled orbits generated by magnetic breakdown of the spin-orbit-coupling-induced energy gap between the third and fourth bands near the $\mathrm{XL}$ and $\mathrm{XP}$ zone lines.
Monocrystalline gold-aqueous interfaces as a model experimental link between macroscopic electrochemistry and in-situ electrochemical surface science

Abstract Comparisons are undertaken between some voltammetric and ac impedance responses of ordered monocrystalline gold electrodes in the presence of adsorbed anions, and the electrode potential-dependent atomic structures and surface phase transitions sensed by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Emphasis is placed on facilitating such links between macroscopic and microscopic double-layer phenomena by acquiring individual and/or temporal sequences of so-called “potentiodynamic” STM images (PDSTM) during potential sweeps or steps. Two types of double-layer phenomena are considered. The first involves the formation and removal of reconstruction on low-index gold surfaces, chiefly in iodide electrolytes. The marked influence of anion adsorption on the real-space dynamics as well as the thermodynamics of potential-induced reconstruction are discussed in terms of surface bonding and electronic factors. The detailed information on local variations in reconstructed atomic patterns discernable by STM is also briefly described, along with the virtues of PDSTM for unraveling the atomic-level transport mechanisms associated with the potential-induced formation and removal of reconstruction. The other type of phenomenon considered is the formation of ordered anionic adlayers at higher potentials, and the nature of phase transitions that are thereby involved, specifically for iodide, bromide, and sulfate adsorption. The overall synergetic value of coupled electrochemical and probe microscopic measurements for enhancing our atomic-level understanding of double-layer phenomena is pointed out, along with the unique value of ordered gold surfaces for this endeavor.
On the Murakami density limit in tokamaks and reversed‐field pinches

A theoretical upper limit for the density in an Ohmically heated tokamak discharge follows from the requirement that the Ohmic heating power deposited in the current‐carrying channel exceed the impurity radiative cooling in this critical region. A compact summary of our results gives this limit nM for the central density as nM =[Ze/(Ze−1)]1/2 ne0 (BT /1T) (1m/R), where ne0 depends strongly on the impurity species and is remarkably independent of the central electron temperature Te(0). For Te(0) ∼1 keV, ne0 =1.5×1014 cm−3 for beryllium, ne0 =5.5×1013 cm−3 for oxygen, ne0 =1.0×1013 cm−3 for iron and, ne0 =0.5×1013 cm−3 for tungsten. The results agree quantitatively with Murakami’s original observations. A similar density limit, known as the I/N limit, exists for reversed‐field pinch devices and this limit has also been evaluated for a variety of impurity species.
c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK)-dependent Acute Liver Injury from Acetaminophen or Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Requires Mitochondrial Sab Protein Expression in Mice

Sustained JNK activation plays a critical role in hepatotoxicity by acetaminophen or GalN/TNF-α. To address the importance of JNK translocation to mitochondria that accompanies sustained activation in these models, we assessed the importance of the expression of a potential initial target of JNK in the outer membrane of mitochondria, namely Sab (SH3 domain-binding protein that preferentially associates with Btk), also known as Sh3bp5 (SH3 domain-binding protein 5). Silencing the expression of Sab in the liver using adenoviral shRNA inhibited sustained JNK activation and mitochondrial targeting of JNK and the upstream MKK4 (MAPK kinase 4), accompanied by striking protection against liver injury in vivo and in cultured hepatocytes in both toxicity models. We conclude that mitochondrial Sab may serve as a platform for the MAPK pathway enzymes and that the interaction of stress-activated JNK with Sab is required for sustained JNK activation and toxicity.
Watermarking XML Structures Using Multi-valued Dependencies

This article examines the basic concepts and offers an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of common XML watermarking methods. It presents a notational system to describe XML documents and its structures. Then, this notation is used to describe multi-valued dependencies in XML documents and its properties. These concepts are used to present a framework to watermark XML documents using multi-valued dependencies. It also offers suggestions on where future research would benefit in this area.