cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Book Review: International Environmental Law and the Global South

At the intersection between what constitutes international environmental law (IEL) and how IEL can create effective legal mechanisms for environmental justice in the global South is the book’s entry into the academic discussion. Incidentally, this collection is not merely a book; much more, it represents a movement stemming from Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), which has operated on the margins of international law. Likewise, IEL finds itself at the boundaries of international law but is gaining a new tide of support in its bid for legitimacy, equality, and human dignity. International Environmental Law and the Global South understands and recognizes these pressures, and it sheds new light on this often undervalued area of international law.
Probes for monitoring regulated exocytosis

Regulated secretion is a fundamental cellular process that serves diverse functions in neurobiology, endocrinology, immunology, and numerous other aspects of animal physiology. In response to environmental or biological cues, cells release contents of secretory granules into an extracellular medium to communicate with or impact neighboring or distant cells through paracrine or endocrine signaling. To investigate mechanisms governing stimulus-secretion coupling, to better understand how cells maintain or regulate their secretory activity, and to characterize secretion defects in human diseases, probes for tracking various exocytotic events at the cellular or sub-cellular level have been developed over the years. This review summarizes different strategies and recent progress in developing optical probes for monitoring regulated secretion in mammalian cells.
Systematic analysis of residual density suggests that a major limitation in well-refined X-ray structures of proteins is the omission of ordered solvent.

In the residual electron density map of a fully refined X-ray protein model, there should be no peaks arising from modeling errors or missing atoms. Any residual peaks that do occur should be contributed by random residual intensity differences between the model and the data. If the model is incomplete (i.e., some atoms are missing), there will be more positive peaks than negative ones. On the other hand, if the model includes inappropriately located atoms, there will be an excess of negative peaks. In this study, random residual peaks are quantified using the probability density function P(x), which is defined as the probability for a peak having peak height between x and x + dx. It is found that P(x) is single-exponential and symmetric for both positive and negative peaks. Thus, P(x) can be used to discriminate residual peaks contributed by random noise in complete models from residual peaks being attributable to modeling errors in incomplete models. For a number of representative structures in the PDB it is found that P(x) has far more large (greater than 5 sigma) positive peaks than large negative peaks. This excess of large positive peaks suggests that the main defect in these refined structures is the omission of ordered water molecules.
Communication as a Positive Relationship Outcome with Families Participating in a Therapeutic Wilderness Program

Communication in families is essential for healthy family functioning. However, when youth act out and exhibit high-risk behaviors, trust is broken and communication in families is negatively impacted. When this occurs, some families turn to therapeutic wilderness programs for help. One such program is Intercept, a program for struggling teens and their families at the Voyageur Outward Bound School. Every year approximately 130 families participate in the Intercept program, hoping for improvements in family functioning; however, little research has been done on the impact of this type of program on the parent/child relationship or how families function after participation. This chapter presents an example of phenomenological research in which qualitative data was collected from nine families to determine what positive relationship outcomes emerged between parent(s) and their adolescent child post program, as well as what aspects of the program curriculum were helpful in improving the parent/child relationship. The results of the study are presented and the utility of phenomenological research in adolescent treatment settings is discussed.
An Identification of the Mechanisms that Lead to Arctic Warming During Planetary-Scale and Synoptic-Scale Wave Life Cycles

AbstractThe dynamical mechanisms that lead to wintertime Arctic warming during the planetary-scale wave (PSW) and synoptic-scale wave (SSW) life cycles are identified by performing a composite analysis of ERA-Interim data. The PSW life cycle is preceded by localized tropical convection over the western Pacific. Upon reaching the midlatitudes, the PSWs amplify as they undergo baroclinic conversion and constructively interfere with the climatological stationary waves. The PSWs flux large quantities of sensible and latent heat into the Arctic, which produces a regionally enhanced greenhouse effect that increases downward IR and warms the Arctic 2-m temperature. The SSW life cycle is also capable of increasing downward IR and warming the Arctic 2-m temperature, but the greatest warming is accomplished in the subset of SSW events with the most amplified PSWs. Consequently, during both the PSW and SSW life cycles, wintertime Arctic warming arises from the amplification of the PSWs.
Multilevel examination of burnout among high school staff: Importance of staff and school factors.

Abstract Previous studies have linked teacher burnout with job performance, satisfaction, and retention; however, there has been limited exploration of potential individual and school contextual fa...
A tunable reflection-mode N-path filter using 45-nm SOI CMOS

A tunable 700-to 3000-MHz reflection-mode N-path filter in 45-nm SOI CMOS is presented. The filter employs a reflective architecture in which two eight-phase passive mixers are combined with an external 90-degree hybrid coupler to realize a circuit that passes in-band signals and absorbs out-of-band signals. The filter achieves insertion loss 0.8 to 2.1 dB and noise figure of 0.9 to 3.9 dB over the entire tuning range, while consuming 4 to 8 mW from a 0.9-V supply. Input-referred 1-dB compression point is +0 dBm, and input-referred third-order intercept point (HP3) is +10 dBm in-band and +22 dBm out-of-band.
The effect of orthographic complexity on Spanish spelling in Grades 1–3

This study was designed to identify a continuum of orthographic features that characterize Spanish spelling development in Grades 1–3. Two research questions guided this work: (1) Is there a hierarchy of orthographic features that affect students’ spelling accuracy in Spanish over and above other school-level, student-level, and word-level factors? and (2) If there is such a hierarchy, do students master these orthographic features in a knowledge-based continuum that supersedes grade placement? The authors used logistic regression modeling to demonstrate that the orthographic features tested in this study represent a developmental hierarchy, moving from sound-based features to context-dependent pattern-based features and finally to meaning-based, or morphological, features. Results showed that the probability of correctly representing specific spelling features decreases as a student moves along the continuum of orthographic knowledge, regardless of the student’s spelling ability, although the probability of spelling any given feature correctly is greater for students with higher levels of overall spelling development. The authors controlled for school-, student- and word-level factors other than orthographic features that might affect students’ spelling in Spanish (i.e., school placement, student grade level, student gender, word frequency, and word length).
Child well-being when fathers return from prison

A majority of men incarcerated are fathers, but little research has been conducted on the children’s well-being after their father’s release from incarceration. We measured changes in internalizing...
Detection for Active Sonars by Means of Autoregressive Noise Modeling

The problem of detecting a known signal in colored Gaussian noise of unknown covariance is addressed. The noise is modeled as an autoregressive process of known order but unknown coefficients. By use of the theory of generalized likelihood ratio testing, a detector structure is derived and then analyzed for performance. It is proven that for large data records the detection performance is identical to that of an optimal prewhitener and matched filter, and therefore the detector itself is optimal. Simulation results indicate that the data record length necessary for the asymptotic results to apply can be quite small. Thus, the proposed detector is well suited for practical applications.
Fedoroff's translation of McClintock: The uses of chemistry in the reorganization of genetics

Discussions of reduction in the philosophy of science have had little to say about the role played by modes of representation in scientific discourse. Once we admit that modes of representation are conceptually essential, and not merely decorative, features of scientific thought and discourse, the question of what happens to modes of representation when scientific fields are brought into a novel alignment (involving various partial integrations and subordinations) becomes compelling. The case discussed in this essay presupposes the “reduction” of biology to chemistry that produced molecular biology, and studies in particular the effect of translating problems that arose in genetics into the idiom of molecular biology, that is, a specific “reduction” of genetics to molecular biology. I try to show that this novel alignment of fields is accompanied by an important shift in modes of representation, and that the latter play a central role in the clarification and solution of the engendering problems.
Targeting IL22: a potential therapeutic approach for Kras mutant lung cancer?

It is now well accepted that inflammation plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. Multiple cytokines have been implicated in tumor promoting inflammation.
Parametric feedback cooling of rigid body nanodumbbells in levitated optomechanics

We theoretically investigate the rigid body dynamics of an optically levitated nanodumbbell under parametric feedback cooling and provide a simplified model for describing the motion. Differing from previous studies, the spin of the nanoparticle about its symmetry axis is considered nonnegligible. Simulations reveal that standard parametric feedback cooling can extract energy from two of the five rotational degrees of freedom when the nanoparticle is levitated using a linearly polarized laser beam. The dynamics after feedback cooling are characterized by a normal mode describing precession about the laser polarization axis together with spin about the nanoparticle's symmetry axis. Cooling the remaining mode requires an asymmetry in the two librational frequencies associated with motion about the polarization axis as well as information about the two frequencies of rotation about the polarization axis. Introducing an asymmetric potential allows full cooling of the librational coordinates if the frequencies of both are used in the feedback modulation and is an avenue for entering the librational quantum regime. The asymmetry in the potential needs to be large enough for practical cooling times as the cooling rate of the system depends nonlinearly on the degree of asymmetry, a condition that is easily achieved experimentally.
Further Evaluation of Teaching Behavior Technicians to Input Data and Graph Using GraphPad Prism

We replicated and extended Mitteer, Greer, Fisher, and Cohrs (2018) by examining the effects of a video model on inputting data into GraphPad Prism, which is a necessary skill for graph construction. We used a concurrent multiple-probe-across-behavior design with two behavior technicians to assess data-input and graphing skills separately prior to and during access to relevant video models. We evaluated the generality of the training procedures by assessing both skills during data-input-plus-graphing sessions without access to the video models. The video models resulted in mastery of data-input and graphing skills when assessed individually. We observed training effects generalize to data-input-plus-graphing sessions once behavior technicians experienced all relevant video models. These results suggest that individuals should view both data-input and graphing video models prior to depicting single-case design data in Prism but that these skills can maintain at high levels of accuracy without continued access to the training materials.
An approach for calibrating laser-based N2O isotopic analyzers for soil biogeochemistry research

Rationale Technological advances have motivated researchers to transition from traditional gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry to rapid, high-throughput, laser-based instrumentation for N2 O isotopic research. However, calibrating laser-based instruments to yield accurate and precise isotope ratios has been an ongoing challenge. To streamline the N2 O isotope research pipeline, we developed the calibration protocol for laser-based analyzers described here. While our approach is targeted at laboratory soil incubations, we anticipate that it will be broadly applicable for diverse types of stable isotope research. Methods We prepared standards diluted from USGS52 and from a commercial cylinder to develop a calibration curve spanning from 0.3 to 300 ppm N2 O. To calibrate over this broad range, we binned each isotopocule (N2 O, N15 NO, 15 NNO, and NN18 O) into low, medium, and high concentration ranges and then used mathematically similar polynomial functions to calibrate the isotopocules within each concentration range. We also assessed the temporal stability of the instrument and the capacity for our calibration approach to work with isotopically enriched gas samples. Results Our calibration approach yielded generally accurate and precise data when isotopocules were calibrated in concentration ranges, and the measurements appeared to be temporally stable. For all isotopocules at natural abundance, the residual percentage error was smallest in the medium N2 O range. There was more noise in the corrected isotopomers and isotopologue at natural abundance in samples with the lowest and highest N2 O concentrations. Corrected isotopomer results from isotopically enriched samples were very precise. Conclusions Developing our calibration strategy involved learning several key lessons: (1) calibrate isotopocules in distinct concentration ranges, (2) use mathematically similar models to calibrate the isotopocules in each range, (3) calibrated N2 O concentrations and δ values tend to be most accurate and precise in the medium N2 O range, and (4) we encourage users to take advantage of isotopic enrichment to capitalize on laser-based instrument strengths.
A unifying framework for rare variant association testing in family-based designs, including higher criticism approaches, SKATs, and burden tests.

Motivation Analysis of rare variants in family-based studies remains a challenge. Transmission-based approaches provide robustness against population stratification, but the evaluation of the significance of test statistics based on asymptotic theory can be imprecise. In addition, power will depend heavily on the choice of the test statistic and on the underlying genetic architecture of the locus, which will be generally unknown. Results In our proposed framework, we utilize the FBAT haplotype algorithm to obtain the conditional offspring genotype distribution under the null hypothesis given the sufficient statistic. Based on this conditional offspring genotype distribution, the significance of virtually any association test statistic can be evaluated based on simulations or exact computations, without the need for asymptotic approximations. Besides standard linear burden-type statistics, this enables our approach to also evaluate other test statistics such as SKATs, higher criticism approaches, and maximum-single-variant-statistics, where asymptotic theory might be involved or does not provide accurate approximations for rare variant data. Based on the p-values, combined test statistics such as the aggregated Cauchy association test (ACAT) can also be utilized. In simulation studies, we show that our framework outperforms existing approaches for family-based studies in several scenarios. We also applied our methodology to a TOPMed whole-genome sequencing dataset with 897 asthmatic trios from Costa Rica. Availability FBAT software is available at https://sites.google.com/view/fbatwebpage. Simulation code is available at https://github.com/julianhecker/FBAT_rare_variant_test_simulations. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Impact of Mobile Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion on Lung Transplant Finances

Purpose Donor lungs may be transported to the recipient while maintaining perfusion and ventilation, mobile Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (mEVLP), utilizing the Transmedics Organ Care System (OCS). Although safe and effective, the impact of its adoption on lung transplant program finances has not been studied. Methods We reviewed adult lung transplants at our center between 2016 and 2020 for which the program received reimbursement. Transplants were dichotomized into those with use of standard cold preservation (STD) and those with use of mEVLP for preservation and transport. Baseline recipient characteristics, peri-operative data, outcomes and cost/reimbursement were collected and compared. Benefit-Cost Ratios (BCR) were calculated. Results We identified 17 STD transplants followed by 6 consecutive transplants with mEVLP reflecting a non-selective change in practice. LAS was significantly lower and use of intra-operative ECMO was more frequent in the mEVLP group. Post-operative ICU and hospital length of stay were comparable (median 5 and 26 days for STD, median 5 and 20 days for mEVLP). All patients survived to hospital discharge. Differences in direct costs and expected net revenue between STD and mEVLP were not statistically significant for all patients. BCR among Medicare patients was 2.32. Conclusion Mobile EVLP for allograft preservation was adopted in all lung transplants without a negative impact on program finances in this single center experience. The BCR for Medicare patients suggests that mEVLP may be cost-effective relative to standard preservation and warrants further study.
Association of Postangioplasty Femoropopliteal Dissections With Outcomes After Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty in the Femoropopliteal Arteries

Purpose:Balloon angioplasty for the treatment of femoropopliteal lesions is often complicated by postangioplasty dissections. While dissections are known to affect patency and reintervention after ...
The clinical role of FDG PET in patients with recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma

1655 Objectives: Medullary carcinoma is a tumor of parafollicular C-cells in the thyroid gland. Its prognosis is poor and recurrence is relatively common after initial treatment. The only curative treatment is the removal of tumor tissue and therefore, early detection of recurrent disease may lead curative surgical intervention and optimal outcome. No single imaging modality has been shown to localize all tumor sites accurately. In this study we assessed the role of FDG PET in detecting recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Methods: Seventeen FDG PET scanning were performed in 16 MTC patients (11 male, 5 female, age range 13-80). In this population either there was a clinical suspicion of recurrence due to elevated serum calcitonin levels (range; 66.7-60962.6 ng/ml) or a positive radiological finding on a routine follow up study. A second PET study was performed for restaging after radical neck dissection in one patient. PET imaging was acquired one-hour following intravenous administration of FDG. Positive findings were correlated with those of histopathological and the conventional imaging procedures. Results: FDG PET revealed 26 sites of hypermetabolic foci in 13 cases and 11 of these proved to be true positive. There were two false positive results; a lymph node with reactive changes in the neck and an inflammatory lesion in right distal arm. All procedures including serum calcitonin measurement and PET were negative in one patient who underwent a second PET imaging after cervical dissection. In 3 patients with elevated serum calcitonin levels, all imaging modalities including FDG PET were negative and no clear-cut explanation was found for the abnormal laboratory results. The overall sensitivity of FDG PET was 78.5%. Conclusions: FDG PET appears to complement other imaging modalities in detecting of MTC recurrence. As such, it may improve the outcome of patients with this cancer following radical surgery and during the course of the disease when recurrence is suspected.
Restaging Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces: Multimodal Interdisciplinary Curriculum in the Performing Arts: Designing a Performance-As-Research Curriculum for Higher Education

In this article I will discuss "Performance-As-Research," as a method of pedagogy, an approach to learning and problem solving, as a practice of inquiry and of making meaning in the performing arts, and as a conduit for students to develop physical, cognitive and affective proficiencies; in the context of a first year undergraduate dance repertory course. Over the past academic year, I have begun to collaborate with entering Bachelor of Fine Arts Dance majors at Temple University (where I am an assistant professor) to restage and perform Les Noces, (French; English: The Wedding; Russian: Свадебка, Svadebka), a ballet and orchestral concert work composed by Igor Stravinsky for percussion, pianists, chorus, and vocal soloists. Stravinsky subtitled the work "Choreographed Scenes with Music and Voices." The ballet, commissioned by Serge Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes, was choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska and premiered in Paris in 1923. In my Repertory I course, the students and I have worked together to collaboratively craft a creative reimagining of the original work. This article will describe that process, and demonstrate the multiple avenues for teaching and learning that Performance-As-Research opens up in the pedagogical context of the higher education performing arts curriculum.
Discovery, a New Way of Searching (Thinking): The Challenges, Trials, and Tribulations

Google and like search engines have changed the way library users search and retrieve information. The typical library user has come to expect discovery or other search tools to provide one‐stop (one‐box) searching with seamless and immediate results. While our students and faculty are traveling on this new discovery highway, not all of our library faculty and staff have made it to the on‐ramp for this new approach of searching (Thinking).
Evidence for the formation of the 4a-carbinolamine during the tyrosine-dependent oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin by rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase.

In the presence of phenylalanine and molecular oxygen, activated phenylalanine hydroxylase catalyzes the oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin. The oxidation of this tetrahydropterin cofactor also proceeds if the substrate, phenylalanine, is replaced by its product, tyrosine, in the initial reaction mixture. These two reactions have been defined as coupled and uncoupled, respectively, because in the former reaction 1 mol of phenylalanine is hydroxylated for every mole of tetrahydrobiopterin oxidized, whereas in the latter reaction there is no net hydroxylation of tyrosine during the oxidation of the tetrahydropterin. During the course of the coupled oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin, a pterin 4a-carbinolamine intermediate can be detected by ultraviolet spectroscopy (Kaufman, S. (1976) in Iron and Copper Proteins (Yasunobu, K. T., Mower, H. F., and Hayaishi, O., eds) pp. 91-102, Plenum Publishing Corp., New York). Dix and Benkovic (Dix, T. A., and Benkovic, S. J. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 5839–5846) have postulated that the formation of this intermediate only occurs when the oxidation of the tetrahydropteridine is tightly coupled to the concomitant hydroxylation of the aromatic amino acid. However, during the tyrosine-dependent uncoupled oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin by phenylalanine hydroxylase, we have detected the formation of a spectral intermediate with ultraviolet absorbance that is essentially identical to that of the carbinolamine. Furthermore, this absorbance can be eliminated by the addition of 4a-carbinolamine dehydratase, an enzyme which catalyzes the dehydration of the 4a-carbinolamine. Quantitation of this intermediate suggests that there are two pathways for the tyrosine-dependent uncoupled oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin by phenylalanine hydroxylase because only about 0.3 mol of the intermediate is formed per mol of the cofactor oxidized.
Chapter 5 - Multivariate Receptor Models

All multivariate receptor models have two fundamental difficulties that must be appreciated if they are to be applied in an intelligent manner. First, the problem of deducing the source compositions and contributions using only the data and natural, physical constraints can be shown to be mathematically indeterminate—that is, there is no unique solution. Secondly, observed correlations between species, which are assumed to bear source composition information may instead the result of the mutual effects of meteorology and coincident source location. This chapter reviews the major multivariate methods, which have been applied to receptor modeling. The Source Apportionment by Factors with Explicit Restrictions (SAFER) model is discussed in the chapter in greater detail than other models because all the others suffer from the fundamental mathematical indeterminacy. The other models continue to be important as semi-quantitative methods to estimate composition of sources from the data alone. All the multivariate methods can be extremely valuable in identifying the existence of unsuspected sources. The chapter introduces the concepts basic to multivariate receptor models and provides a detailed description of the SAFER model and its application to Los Angeles PM-10 data.
Current Views of Membrane Structure

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of recent developments in the structure of membrane components and their certain interactions. The interaction between lipids and proteins is central to the understanding of membrane function. Lipid structure is reasonably well understood at the angstrom level of resolution. X-Ray diffraction studies on single crystals and X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance of aqueous lipid dispersions provide a reasonably complete picture of the molecular structure of the major lipids. Molecular structures of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine obtained from single crystals and the properties of the bilayer normal to the surface are discussed. Phase transitions in lipid bilayers provide an important tool for investigating membrane structure. The phenomenon is a collective one, and it holds the key to many important cellular events. It is readily observed in model bilayers and its occurrence is observed in some cellular membranes. Lateral immiscibility in the form of lateral phase separation is demonstrated in model systems. Phase separation is also demonstrated in specialized biological membranes or those perturbed by the enrichment or depletion of a particular component. Phase behavior has been studied in model membranes composed primarily of binary mixtures. Investigations are focused on the mixtures of phosphatidylcholine, using virtually every biophysical method as well as many biochemical techniques. The salient features of membrane protein structure are reviewed, with emphasis on the portion of the protein associated with lipid. Interactions between lipids and proteins are studied by observing the effect of lipid on protein and the effect of protein on lipid structure.
Radioactive Decay Energy Deposition in Supernovae and the Exponential/Quasi-Exponential Behavior of Late-Time Supernova Light Curves

The radioactive decay energy (RDE) deposition in supernovae from the decay chain Ni56-Co56-Fe56 usually directly powers the UV/optical/IR (UVOIR) bolometric luminosity of supernovae in their quasi-steady state phase until very late times. The result for this phase is exponential/quasi-exponential UVOIR bolometric light curves and often exponential/quasi-exponential broad band light curves. A presentation is given of a simple, approximate, analytic treatment of RDE deposition that provides a straightforward understanding of the exponential/quasi-exponential behavior of the UVOIR bolometric luminosity and a partial understanding of the exponential/quasi-exponential behavior of the broad band light curves. The treatment reduces to using a normalized deposition function N_{Ni}^{*}(t) as an analysis tool. The one free parameter of N_{Ni}^{*}(t) is a fiducial time t_{0} which governs time-varying gamma-ray optical depth behavior of a supernova. The N_{Ni}^{*}(t) function is used to analyze the preliminary UVOIR bolometric light curve of SN Ic 1998bw (the possible cause of gamma-ray burst GRB980425). The SN 1998bw t_{0} is found to be 134.42 days and a prediction is made for the evolution of the SN 1998bw RDE deposition curve and quasi-steady state UVOIR bolometric light curve out to day 1000 after the explosion. A very crude estimate of the SN 1998bw mass obtained from the light curve analysis is 4.26 M_{Sun}. As further examples of the simple analytic treatment, the RDE deposition and luminosity evolution of SN Ia 1992A and SN II 1987A have also been examined. The simple analytic treatment of RDE deposition has actually existed for 20 years at least without, apparently, being discussed at length. The main value of this paper is the explicit, detailed, general presentation of this analytic treatment.
Covert channels in IPv6

A covert channel is a communication path that allows transferring information in a way that violates a system security policy. Because of their concealed nature, detecting and preventing covert channels are obligatory security practices. In this paper, we present an examination of network storage channels in the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). We introduce and analyze 22 different covert channels. In the appendix, we define three types of active wardens, stateless, stateful, and network-aware, who differ in complexity and ability to block the analyzed covert channels.
The insulin gene contains multiple transcriptional elements that respond to glucose.

Abstract The beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans increase insulin gene transcription in response to increased glucose concentration. We have mapped sequences within the rat insulin I gene 5'-flanking DNA (rInsI promoter) that direct this transcriptional response to glucose. When linked to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and expressed in cultured beta cells, no single mutation of the rInsI promoter removes its ability to respond to glucose, although several mutations cause marked reductions in basal chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression. A 50-bp sequence isolated from the rInsI promoter, the Far-FLAT minienhancer, can confer glucose responsiveness to nonresponsive promoters. Fine mapping of this minienhancer further localizes a glucose response to the sequence GGCCATCTGGCC, or the Far element. Nuclear extracts from islets grown in various glucose concentrations demonstrate a glucose-stimulated increase in a protein complex that binds the Far element and contains the transcription factors Pan-1 and Pan-2. Overexpression of intact or partially deleted Pan-1 ablates the Far-directed transcriptional response to glucose. We conclude that the full glucose response of the insulin promoter involves the interaction of multiple sequence elements. Part of this response, however, results from activation of a complex binding at the Far element.
Reforming land and real estate markets

Land and real estate reforms have not been effective at achieving their objectives, in part because of how they have been designed and implemented. To be successful, reforms must become comprehensive in design, argue the authors, although implementation may be phased over time and take local conditions into account. Reform must include three elements: 1) Institutional reforms that better define property rights, reduce information asymmetry, and improve contract enforcement. 2) Capital market reforms that make mortgage finance available at reasonable rates, especially for the poor. 3) Market reforms that reduce or eliminate the main distortions in the prices of goods and services produced by land and real estate assets. In their review of land and real estate reforms supported by the World Bank, the authors find that such reforms receive less attention at the conceptual stage than they should, considering their great impact on poverty, growth, and stability. They base their conclusion on the limited coverage of land and real estate issues in country assistance strategies, the main vehicle for identifying priority areas for reform. Most Bank-supported projects do not address all three elements critical for reform. And most provide no justification for excluding them, and no plan for follow-up. The Bank's Operations Evaluation Department rates Bank-supported land and real estate projects relatively well on outcome and sustainability but not on institutional development. But land and real estate reform is institutional by nature. The authors urge the Bank and policymakers to change course. After a comprehensive assessment of the status of real estate institutions and markets, all actors in this sector should be pulled together to develop a comprehensive approach to land and real estate reform.
Footwear print retrieval system for real crime scene marks

Footwear impression evidence has been gaining increasing importance in forensic investigation. The most challenging task for a forensic examiner is to work with highly degraded footwear marks and match them to the most similar footwear print available in the database. Retrieval process from a large database can be made significantly faster if the database footwear prints are clustered beforehand. In this paper we propose a footwear print retrieval system which uses the fundamental shapes in shoes like lines, circles and ellipses as features and retrieves the most similar print from a clustered database. Prints in the database are clustered based on outsole patterns. Each footwear print pattern is characterized by the combination of shape features and represented by an Attributed Relational Graph. Similarity between prints is computed using Footwear Print Distance. The proposed system is invariant to distortions like scale, rotation, translation and works well with the partial prints, color prints and crime scene marks.
Two-phase upflow in rectangular channels

Abstract A comparison of a theoretical and experimental investigation of a two-phase concurrent flow of air and water in a vertical rectangular channel has been obtained. The model shows the importance of considering a lateral interfacial term in a fully developed flow situation. The one parameter model shows also that the extended idea of an “eddy diffusivity” as used in a single phase flow is feasible to model shear stress in the continuous phase.
Purification and characterization of polyphenol oxidase in redhaven peaches

Summary Polyphenol oxidase from Redhaven peaches ( Prunus persica BATSCH) was purified by column chromatography on, Phenyl Sepharose, ECTEOLA Cellulose, Hydroxylapatite, and benzoylated DEAF Sephadex. The partially purified enzyme showed two major bands on, disc gel electrophoresis when stained for polyphenol oxidase activities, proteins, glycoproteins, and lipoproteins. Thin layer isoelectric focusing data indicated a pI between p H 4.5 and 5.5. The purified enzyme was stable for two months in buffered 20 % sucrose, glycerol, or ethylene glycol solutions at −15°C. Digestion of the enzyme with carbohydrases and proteases generated new isoenzymic forms of the enzyme.
Multinational corporate social responsibility, ethics, interactions and Third World governments: An agenda for the 1990s

A critical literature on mulitnational corporate social responsibility has developed in recent years. Many authors addressed the issue in the Third World countries. This paper reviews the literature, focusing on the relationship between the multinational corporations (MNCs) and Third World governments in fulfilling the social responsibility, based on the underlying ethical imperative. There is a growing consensus that both corporations and governments should accept moral responsibility for social welfare and individual interests in their economic transactions. A collaborative relationship is proposed where the MNCs share information based on global experiences and offer input into host government developmental policies, and aid their implementation. The government, in turn, provides a reasonable regulatory environment. This calls for ongoing interactions among officials at all levels of the two institutions, with the local corporate subsidiary playing a pivotal role. The desired conduct of the parties is reinforced by international organizations and other constituents, representing common human concerns across cultures. These relationships are examined and an agenda for policy and action by the MNCs and the Third World governments is developed. The accelerated growth in the number of multinational corporations (MNCs) and their worldwide scope, with concentration of economic and political power draws attention to corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, a meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1987, with delegates from 141 developed and developing countries concluded with a major agreement.
Revised Version of the Automobile Level-of-Service Methodology for Urban Streets in the Highway Capacity Manual 2010

The Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM 2010) contains a significantly revised automobile analysis and level-of-service (LOS) methodology for arterials. This study compared the arterial LOS results of the HCM 2000 and HCM 2010 methodologies for an experimental set of arterial segments and analyzed the effects of the revised methodology. In addition, existing Florida field data sets were also analyzed with arterial segments obtained from Gainesville, Tallahassee, and Tampa, all in Florida, as well as data received from the Florida Department of Transportation Districts 2 and 3. The HCM 2010 results showed that for shorter, lower-speed arterial segments [such as in central business districts (CBDs)] it was not possible to obtain LOS Ratings A or B. Therefore, many CBD arterials that had good LOS values under the HCM 2000 methodology would now have moderate to poor LOS values. Consequently, the research team tested several revisions of the HCM 2010 methodology to find an approach that would not be as punitive ...
The keratoconus corneal proteome: loss of epithelial integrity and stromal degeneration

Abstract Keratoconus is a thinning corneal dystrophy that begins in the early teenage years and ultimately requires cornea transplantation to restore vision. Here we conducted a highly sensitive mass spectrometric analysis of the epithelium and the stroma from keratoconus and normal donor corneas. We identified a total of 932 and 1157 proteins in the consolidated data of the epithelium and stroma, respectively. Technical replicates showed strong correlations (≥ 0.88) in levels of all common proteins, indicating very low technical variations in the data. Analysis of the most increased (≥ 1.5 fold) and decreased (≤ 0.8 fold) proteins in the keratoconus corneal epithelial protein extracts identified proteins related to dermal diseases, inflammation, epithelial stratification and mesenchymal changes. Increased proteins included keratins 6A, 16 and vimentin, while the iron transporter lactotransferrin was decreased. The keratoconus stromal proteome suggests endoplasmic reticular stress, oxidative stress and widespread decreases in many extracellular matrix proteoglycan core proteins, lumican and keratocan, collagen types I, III, V and XII. Marked increase in apoptosis and endocytosis-related proteins suggest degenerative changes in keratocytes, the resident cells of the stroma. This is the most comprehensive proteome analysis of the cornea that highlights similarities of keratoconus with other neurodegenerative diseases. Biological significance This study provides, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive proteomic analysis of the vision threatening disease keratoconus, which affects a significant portion of the US and global populations. Using iTRAQ and LC/MS/MS, we have identified significant changes in the human corneal epithelium and stromal proteome that correlate to in vivo clinical findings. The protein changes identified will lead to molecular insights into disease pathogenesis and provide candidate genes for genetic studies of keratoconus.
The chromosomes of skipper butterflies from southwestern North America (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae).

Chromosome numbers and karyotypic observations are reported for 22 species of Hesperiidae (Pyrginae and Hesperiinae) found in southwestern North America. Characteristic haploid numbers for certain genera are found: Amblyscirtes (N=29), Chiodes (N=31), Erynnis (N=30 or 31), Heliopetes (N=29 or 30), Panoquina (N=29), and Wallengrenia (N=28, 29, 30). Two genera with widely varying chromo-some numbers are Achalarus (N=16, 29) and Pyrgus (N=28, 32). The pheno-typically unusual Celotes nessus (Edwards) is shown to be cytogenetically distinct from all other Pyrginae with a haploid number of 13-14, the lowest number reported to date for the family Hesperiidae.
Cognitive leisure activities, but not watching TV, for future brain benefits

Loss of cognition is a common and feared neurologic problem of old age. Up to 10% of older persons have dementia,1 and at least 10% more have mild cognitive impairment (MCI).2 This number with impaired cognition will increase markedly in the coming decades.1 The large and growing public health burden of cognitive impairment would best be ameliorated by the identification of modifiable risk factors for dementia and MCI.3 Engagement in cognitively stimulating leisure activities has recently been reported to reduce the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) and to be associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline.4–9 These studies have been conducted primarily in the United States and Western Europe. In this issue of Neurology , the association between engagement in cognitively stimulating leisure activities and cognitive impairment has been extended to include risk of incident MCI, and risk of cognitive impairment in a population-based study in China.10,11 Verghese et al.10 examined risk of incident amnestic MCI in the Bronx Aging Study. The Bronx Aging Study is a prospective cohort of 437 community-residing individuals older than 75 years who were initially free of dementia or amnestic MCI. In this study, subjects were interviewed about frequency of participation in 6 cognitive activities and 10 physical activities from which composite scores were derived. Over more than 5 years of follow-up, more than 50 persons developed …
132Sn half-life and fractional cumulative yield from thermal-neutron induced fission of 235U

Abstract The half-life and fractional cumulative yield of 132 Sn have been determined to be 2·1 ± 0·2 min and 0·32 ± 0·03, respectively. The yield is considerably larger than had been estimated and may be enhanced due to stabilization resulting from nucleon pairing and shell closures.
Plasmode simulation for the evaluation of pharmacoepidemiologic methods in complex healthcare databases

Longitudinal healthcare claim databases are frequently used for studying the comparative safety and effectiveness of medications, but results from these studies may be biased due to residual confounding. It is unclear whether methods for confounding adjustment that have been shown to perform well in small, simple nonrandomized studies are applicable to the large, complex pharmacoepidemiologic studies created from secondary healthcare data. Ordinary simulation approaches for evaluating the performance of statistical methods do not capture important features of healthcare claims. A statistical framework for creating replicated simulation datasets from an empirical cohort study in electronic healthcare claims data is developed and validated. The approach relies on resampling from the observed covariate and exposure data without modification in all simulated datasets to preserve the associations among these variables. Repeated outcomes are simulated using a true treatment effect of the investigator's choice and the baseline hazard function estimated from the empirical data. As an example, this framework is applied to a study of high versus low-intensity statin use and cardiovascular outcomes. Simulated data is based on real data drawn from Medicare Parts A and B linked with a prescription drug insurance claims database maintained by Caremark. Properties of the data simulated using this framework are compared with the empirical data on which the simulations were based. In addition, the simulated datasets are used to compare variable selection strategies for confounder adjustment via the propensity score, including high-dimensional approaches that could not be evaluated with ordinary simulation methods. The simulated datasets are found to closely resemble the observed complex data structure but have the advantage of an investigator-specified exposure effect.
The properties of parsley ferredoxin and its selenium-containing homolog.

The ferredoxin from parsley has been purified to a high degree. The protein contains 2.0 iron atoms per molecule, has an iron to labile sulfide ratio of unity and consumes 9 moles of mercurial, leading to calculated molecular weights of 10800, 10750 and 10960, respectively. These compare well with the results of amino acid analysis which gave a molecular weight of 10660. The dithionite-reduced material showed an EPR spectrum with the experimental g values: 1.899, 1.959, 2.061. CL− was found to have a specific broadening effect upon this spectrum. Selenium has been substituted for the labile sulfur of the native protein to yield a biologically active homolog. A new method for this reaction has been developed. The optical and circular dichroism spectra of the oxidized and reduced forms of the selenium protein have been recorded and are compared with the corresponding state of the native protein. The following isotopic derivatives have been prepared and studied by EPR spectroscopy: 32S56Fe (native), 32S57Fe, 30Se56Fe, 77Se56Fe and 80Se57Fe. The 32S57Fe derivative shows a broadened EPR spectrum but no hyperfine structure is resolved, this is presumably due to the broad line of the native material. The 80Se56Fe spectrum tended toward axial symmetry with apparent g values of 1.937, 1.965, 2.062. This derivative also showed a substantially narrower line width in the z-region. Hyperfine structure is resolved in the z-region of the 77Se56Fe homolog, and the EPR spectrum has been analyzed to determine the number of I = 12 hyperfine centers contributing to the line widths. Hyperfine structure was not resolved in the 80Se57Fe species; analysis of the line shape of the low field resonance suggests that the broadening observed is consistent with two iron (I = 12) centers with similar effective hyperfine splitting constants.