cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The mechanism of action of the fragile histidine triad, Fhit: isolation of a covalent adenylyl enzyme and chemical rescue of H96G-Fhit.

The human fragile histidine triad protein Fhit catalyzes the Mg 2 + -dependent hydrolysis of P 1 -5'-O-adenosine-P 3 -5'-O-adenosine triphosphate, Ap 3 A, to AMP and ADP. The reaction is thought to follow a two-step mechanism, in which the complex of Ap 3 A and Mg 2 + reacts in the first step with His96 of the enzyme to form a covalent Fhit-AMP intermediate and release MgADP. In the second step, the intermediate Fhit-AMP undergoes hydrolysis to AMP and Fhit. The mechanism is inspired by the chain-fold similarities of Fhit to galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, which functions by an analogous mechanism, and the observation of overall retention in configuration at phosphorus in the action of Fhit (Abend, A., Garrison, P. N., Barnes, L. D., and Frey, P. A. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 3668-3676). Direct evidence in support of this mechanism is reported herein. Reaction of Fhit with [8,8'- 3 H]-Ap 3 A and denaturation of the enzyme in the steady state leads to protein-bound tritium corresponding to 11% of the active sites. Similar experiments with the poor substrate MgATP leads to 0.9% labeling. The mutated protein H96G-Fhit is completely inactive against MgAp 3 A. However, it is chemically rescued by free histidine. H96G-Fhit also catalyzes the hydrolysis of adenosine-5'-phosphoimidazolide, AMP-Im, and of adenosine-5'-phospho-N-methylimidazolide, AMP-N-MeIm. The hydrolyses of AMP-Im and of AMP-N-MeIm by H96G-Fhit are thought to represent chemical rescue of the covalent Fhit-AMP intermediate. Wild-type Fhit is also found to catalyze the hydrolyses of AMP-Im and of AMP-N-MeIm nearly as efficiently as the hydrolysis of MgAp 3 A. The results indicate that Mg 2 + in the reaction of Ap 3 A is required for the first step, the formation of the covalent intermediate Fhit-AMP, and not for the hydrolysis of the intermediate in the second step.
Economics and societal impacts of tornadoes

[1] During the spring of 2011, there were a record number of unusually strong and devastating tornadoes in the United States, which killed more than 500 people, the most in the country since 1953. Tornadoes are responsible for more than $1 billion annually (adjusted to 2007 U.S. dollars) in property damage and for disrupting thousands of lives and businesses. The most notable tornado this past spring devastated Joplin, Mo.; tornadoes also struck such diverse locations as Springfield, Mass.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Raleigh, N. C.; communities near Oklahoma City, Okla.; Minneapolis, Minn.; central and east Texas; Philadelphia, Pa.; and St. Louis, Mo. It is therefore timely to assess the economic and societal impacts of tornadoes. In this book the authors use various statistical techniques to evaluate the cost of tornadoes to society. They begin by reviewing the methodologies of formulating a tornado climatology across diverse regions according to tornado intensity, deaths, injuries, and property damage, and they then provide a history of the U.S. National Weather Service's (NWS) public warning efforts, describe tornado shelters and how the public responds to warnings, and suggest ways to reduce tornado risk.
The wide-field optical sectioning of microlens array and structured illumination-based plane-projection multiphoton microscopy

We present a theoretical investigation of an optical microscope design that achieves wide-field, multiphoton fluorescence microscopy with finer axial resolution than confocal microscopy. Our technique creates a thin plane of excitation light at the sample using height-staggered microlens arrays (HSMAs), wherein the height staggering of microlenses generate temporal focusing to suppress out-of-focus excitation, and the dense spacing of microlenses enables the implementation of structured illumination technique to eliminate residual out-of-focus signal. We use physical optics-based numerical simulations to demonstrate that our proposed technique can achieve diffraction-limited three-dimensional imaging through a simple optical design.
A Novel Trustworthiness Measurement Model for Cloud Service

Recent surveys show that there is enormous increase of organizations intending to adopt cloud, but one of their major obstructions is the trustworthiness evaluation of cloud service candidates. Performing evaluations of cloud service candidates is expensive and time consuming, especially with the breadth of services available today. In this situation, this paper proposes a novel trustworthiness measurement model to evaluate cloud service trustworthiness. By using the proposed trustworthiness measurement model, we first recognize and categorize trust factors in group of shared factors and unique factors. After special treatment of unique factors, all the trust factors in two groups are located in our designed trust dimension by different weighting and positioning approach. Then all the trust factors are converted to trust vectors, these various trust vectors of the services are considered by the designed multi-criteria analysis mechanism which can help us to analyze trust features from different perspectives and provide a comprehensive trustworthiness evaluation. In case the measurement result is inconsistent with user preference, we also provide an adjustment approach based on knowledge learning to enhance the accuracy of measurement result. At the end of this paper, our designed trustworthiness measurement model is validated by several experiments. The experiments are designed based upon real world dataset and the results indicate the accuracy of our measurement can be guaranteed.
Gangliogliomatous maturation in cerebellar medulloblastoma

Two cases of gangliogliomatous maturation of cerebellar medulloblastomas are presented in support of Bailey and Cushing's concept of the medulloblast as a bipotential element capable of both neurogenesis and gliogenesis. The presence of mature but atypical neuronal and glial elements was demonstrated histologically by specific procedures. The suggestion is made that cellular maturation in cerebellar medulloblastomas, as in extracranial neuroblastomas, may be more frequent in females than in males.
An Empirical Analysis of the Optimal Advertising Policy

This paper determines an optimal policy for investment in advertising for a firm that wishes to maximize its discounted profits. To that end, an integrated approach consisting of model formulation, empirical investigation, and optimization is carried out. A model of market share response to advertising is formulated as a first-order Markov process, with nonstationary transition probabilities. These probabilities are assumed to be a function of the advertising goodwill accumulated by the firm and its competitors. The model as specified is nonlinear in its parameters, and nonlinear regression techniques are applied to estimate them. It is shown that this nonlinear form offers, via likelihood ratio tests, a unique opportunity for testing the model, and in a resulting empirical test, the model is found to be consistent with the data. Given these empirical findings, an optimal advertising policy is derived by the use of optimal control theory. The managerial implications of the recommended multi-period policy are examined, and the policy's sensitivity to managerial inputs and economic conditions is analyzed and illustrated.
Bait worm packaging as a potential vector of invasive species

Invasive species have become an increasingly greater concern for the ecological health of coastal ecosystems, yet vectors of these introductions often are unclear. This project evaluated the potential for the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum ecad scorpiodes (Hauck) Reinke, packaged with bait worms (Nereis virens) harvested from the coast of Maine (USA), as a vector of invasive marine fauna and flora. Often, the seaweed and contents of the bait boxes are discarded into the water by recreational fishermen after using the bait worms, and any included non-native species may then be introduced. Bait boxes were purchased from several commercial vendors in Connecticut and New York over a two-year period. Subsamples of the seaweed were placed in laboratory culture and the growth of associated macro- and microalgae was monitored. Marine invertebrate species present in the samples were also identified and quantified. Results indicated 13 species of macroalgae and 23 species of invertebrates were associated with baitboxes. Among the highly diverse microbial assemblage detected, two species of potentially toxic marine microalgae, Alexandrium fundyense Balech and Pseudonitzschia multiseries (Hasle) Hasle, were found both prior to and after incubation at various temperatures, indicating these harmful algae are brought to and can survive in receiving waters. These findings highlight the need to consider alternative choices of bait box packaging materials or appropriate disposal methods of the seaweed in order to minimize the transport of species which are not native to the receiving coastal waters.
A subspace-based parameter estimation algorithm for Nakagami-m fading channels

Estimation of channel fading parameters is an important task in the design of communication links such as maximum ratio combining (MRC). The MRC weights are directly related to the fading channel coefficients. In this paper, we propose a subspace based parameter estimation algorithm for the estimation of the parameters of Nakagami-m fading channels in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise. Comparisons of our proposed approach are made with other techniques available in the literature. The performance of the algorithm with respect to the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) is investigated. Computer simulation results for different signal to noise ratios (SNR) are presented.
Influence of Supplemental Fat on Weights of Eggs and Yolks During Early Egg Production

Abstract An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of dietary fat on weight of eggs and egg yolks of White Leghorn hens from 24 to 38 wk of age. Beginning at 24 wk of age, nine experimental units of eight hens each were fed one of five diet treatments. Treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal diet containing no added fat, diets containing 3 or 6% animal-vegetable fats (A-V fat) formulated to be isocaloric and equinitrogenous with the no added fat diet, and diets containing 3 or 6% A-V fat in which the metabolizable energy (ME) concentration increased 105 kcal/kg with each 3% increment of A-V fat. Weights of eggs, yolks, and whites were measured biweekly. Supplemental A-V fat did not affect rate of egg production, but feed efficiency was improved significantly as ME increased from diets of increasing ME. No effect of A-V fat on egg or yolk weight was observed until after 4 wk of treatment (28 wk of age). From this time through 12 wk of treatment, a linear increase in yolk weight with increments of A-V fat (P
Exporting Gender Injustice: The Impact of the U.S. War on Drugs on Ecuadorian Women

Numerous researchers have documented the gendered impact of the United States’ domestic war against drugs. Women incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses are the fastest growing segment of America’s prison population because of the harsh penalties for using, selling and transporting illegal substances. The impact of U.S. drug policy on women in other countries, in contrast, has been overlooked. This paper argues that the greatly increased imprisonment of women in Ecuador for drug-related offenses is collateral damage of the U.S. war on drugs. The impact of the expansion of women’s imprisonment in Ecuador appears to be particularly damaging to the inmate’s children who frequently join their mother in prison. U.S. policy should not be exported to other countries before having a clear picture of the unintended negative consequences.
Stressful events in early childhood: An ecological approach

Many factors influence the way a child responds to stress. This article describes how the developmental-ecological approach can clarify the interplay between developmental and environmental phenomena. Relevant findings from the literature on stress are considered in relation to certain aspects of developmental theory. Case material is presented to illustrate the dynamic interaction between the somatic, psychological, and social dimensions of the child's development. This approach intends to emphasize the multiple realities in the lives of children and encourage more effective interventions on their behalf.
Colorectal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Brief Review

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare lesions that constitute the majority of mesenchymal tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. Within the colon and rectum, they represent 0.1% of all cancers. They can present with a variety of symptoms but are often asymptomatic. Although many lesions may be benign, up to half of patients develop recurrent disease within a few years. Almost all GISTs contain a mutation in the c-kit tyrosine kinase that leads to its constitutive activation and results in cell proliferation. This discovery has led to the immunostaining of the c-kit antigen (CD117) to distinguish GISTs from other malignancies. Radiologic examinations can be helpful in initial diagnosis and staging. Surgery is the best treatment for cure, but recent advances have led to the use of imatinib mesylate, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, to treat metastatic or unresectable disease, or both. There are currently many clinical trials available to help treat GISTs.
Temporal and Compositional Characteristics of Salivary Protein Adsorption to Hydroxyapatite

Salivary proteins bind to enamel surfaces and hydroxyapatite in a highly selective manner. Numerous studies have identified these proteins as primarily proline-rich proteins, cystatins, statherin, and histatins. Previously, the hydroxyapatite-binding potential of these proteins had been characterized in systems consisting of singly purified protein and adsorbent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the adsorption of each protein in the presence of complete salivary secretion. Proteins, shown to adsorb to hydroxyapatite, were purified, biotinylated, and added back to the remaining proteins to form a series of reconstituted secretions. The adsorption of each biotinylated protein in the reconstituted secretion to hydroxyapatite was then measured as a function of time. Results indicated that three different adsorption patterns occur. A simple hyperbolic pattern is characteristic of amylase, glycosylated proline-rich protein (PRG), and cystatin. A faster adsorption process is observed for PRP-3, PRP-4, PIF-f, and statherin. A more complex pattern, exhibiting a rapid phase followed by a slower phase, is characteristic of PRP-1, PRP-2, PIF-s, and histatins. These results suggest that there are different adsorption processes involved in the binding of salivary proteins to hydroxyapatite. Two possible mechanisms are direct adsorption of protein to hydroxyapatite and indirect adsorption of protein by interacting with other proteins already bound to hydroxyapatite.
The Role of Retinoid X Receptor α in Regulating Alcohol Metabolism

There is substantial overlap in retinol and alcohol metabolism. Mice that lack retinoic acid (RA) receptor retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRalpha) expression in the liver are more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease. To investigate the interaction between RXRalpha and alcoholic liver disease, ethanol metabolism was studied in hepatocyte RXRalpha-deficient [RXRalpha knockout (KO)] mice. Hepatocyte RXRalpha deficiency resulted in a significant increase in hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, ADH1 protein, but not Adh1 mRNA. Polysomal distribution analysis indicated that more polysome-associated Adh1 mRNA was present in the mutant mouse livers, suggesting increased ADH1 protein synthesis in RXRalpha KO mice compared with wild-type mice. However, ADH2 and ADH3 enzyme activities were not affected by RXRalpha deficiency. Although ethanol clearance was increased, acetaldehyde elimination was reduced when RXRalpha was not expressed in the liver. Both mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 2 and cytosolic ALDH activities were reduced in the mutant mice compared with the wild type. Western blot analysis revealed that the levels of ALDH1A1 and ALDH1A2 were decreased in the mutant mice. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction indicated that liver Aldh1a1 mRNA level was also reduced due to the lack of RXRalpha expression. Thus, RXRalpha differentially affects ADH and ALDH activity, leading to an increase in alcohol clearance, but a reduction in acetaldehyde elimination. In addition, CYP2E1 as well as mitochondrial and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase activities were significantly lower in RXRalpha KO mice than in wild-type mice. Our results reveal the central role of RXRalpha in ethanol metabolism.
The ultrastructure of Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa.

The young pillars of Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa are highly vacuolate and contain the usual cytoplasmic organelles including nuclei, mitochondria, microfibers and microtubules. Distinctive structures c...
Problems of beginning teachers of physical education in the high schools of California

(1945). Problems of Beginning Teachers of Physical Education in the High Schools of California. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 42-48.
High Repetition Rate Optical Frequency Combs – Generation and Applications

High repetition rate optical frequency combs are generated by electro-optic modulation and nonlinear optical wave mixing and applied to radio-frequency photonic filtering. In addition, line-by-line shaping of Kerr combs generated in microresonators is demonstrated.
Thyroid transcription factor-1, hepatocyte nuclear factor-3β and surfactant protein A and B in the developing chick lung

Expression of surfactant proteins SP-A, SP-B and the transcription factors TTF-1 and HNF-3β was identified by immunohistochemistry in the developing chicken. SP-B, a small hydrophobic peptide critical for lung function and surfactant homeostasis in mammals, was detected in the epithelial cells of parabronchi in embryonic chicken lung from the 15th day of incubation, prior to the onset of the breathing movements and was expressed at high levels in the posthatching chicken lung. SP-A, an abundant surfactant protein involved in innate defence of the mammalian lung, was detected in the chick embryo in subsets of epithelial cells in the mesobronchus, starting from d 15 and was detected in the posthatching chicken lung. The transcription factors hepatocyte nuclear factor 3β (HNF-3β) and thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), both regulators epithelial cell differentiation and gene expression in mammalian species, were detected at the onset of lung bud formation (d 4 of incubation) and throughout lung development. Abundant nuclear expression was detected in nuclei of respiratory epithelial cells of developing bronchial tubules for both transcription factors. In contrast to the surfactant proteins, expression of both TTF-1 and HNF-3β decreased markedly in posthatching chicken lung. The expression of SP-A and SP-B in chick lung demonstrates the conservation of surfactant proteins in vertebrates. The temporospatial pattern of TTF-1 and HNF-3β overlaps with that of SP-A and SP-B, supporting their potential roles in chick lung development and demonstrating the conservation of regulatory mechanisms contributing to gene expression in respiratory epithelial cells in vertebrates.
Associations between household responsibilities and academic competencies in the context of education accessibility in Zambia

Abstract The relationship between education and socioeconomic status has been demonstrated in studies of the developed and the developing world, yet there are communities in which schooling is either not available to all children or not a preferred activity for all children. In this study, we investigated the differences between children in-school and out-of-school in rural and peri-urban communities of Zambia. As expected, we found that the children in-school performed higher in domains of adaptive behavior and on assessments of academic achievement (i.e., mathematics, reading). Somewhat unexpectedly, however, when controlling for socioeconomic status, household responsibilities (i.e., chores, work) were a positive predictor for the performance of the children out-of-school, but a negative predictor for the children in-school. The relationship between household responsibilities and academic performance may be bidirectional and differential; for example, our findings allow for the hypothesis that for in-school children household responsibilities take time away from the studies, but for out-of-school children they provide some limited mathematics exposure.
Simultaneous measurements of scalar and velocity field evolution in turbulent crossflowing jets

Simultaneous planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) yield measurements of two-dimensional jet fluid concentration and velocity fields in turbulent crossflowing jets. The jet-to-crossflow velocity ratio is r = 5.7 and the jet exit Reynolds number is approximately 5000. The measurements are focused on the developing region of the flow. Two flow configurations are studied, one in which the jet nozzle is flush with the tunnel wall and the other where the nozzle protrudes into the uniform region of the tunnel flow. The jet nozzle in both cases is a simple pipe. The averaged scalar and velocity fields show a strong similarity in growth rates and centreline decay rates between the two nozzle configurations when using the centreline downstream coordinate s
Self-punitive responding in rats with goal shock and color change

After acquisition avoidance training, rats were assigned on the basis of matched run speed to the following groups: (1) maintenance of avoidance training, (2) extinction procedures with the addition of a brief shock in the goalbox, and (3) regular extinction procedures. Each group was further divided into two minor groups which experienced either change or no change in goalbox color. The results indicated : (1) that self-punitive responding was increased by goal shock, (2) that self-punitive responding was reduced by goalbox color change, and (3) that generalization of goal shock to the startbox and runway areas is a factor in self-punitive responding.
Hemorrhagic death associated with a high titer factor V inhibitor.

An acquired bleeding diathesis was first noted in a 51-year-old patient 11 days following an exploratory laparotomy. Laboratory studies indicated the cause of bleeding to be the development of a circulating anticoagulant which inhibited factor V activity. The inhibitor, an immunoglobulin of the IgG class, was separated by use of Sephadex G-200 filtration, disc electrophoresis, and isoelectric focusing. Despite vigorous immunosuppressive, antifibrinolytic, and replacement therapy, including the use of a “prothrombin complex” and plasmaphoresis, the bleeding diathesis could not be reversed and the patient died of hemorrhage. Although inhibitors to factor V are not usually associated with major life-threatening hemorrhage, this case demonstrates that the development of such an inhibitor can be an ominous finding. The use of an aminoglycoside antibiotic in this and other patients so reported may be one of the contributing causes to the development of such an inhibitor.
Inability of overexpressed des(1-3)human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) to inhibit forced mammary gland involution is associated with decreased expression of IGF signaling molecules.

Overexpression of des(1‐3) human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in the mammary glands of transgenic mice (WAP-DES) inhibits apoptosis during natural, but not forced, mammary involution. We hypothesized that this differential response would correlate with the expression of IGF signal transducers. Forced and natural involution were analyzed in nontransgenic and WAP-DES mice beginning on day 16 postpartum. During natural involution, mammary gland wet weight was higher and apoptosis was lower in WAP-DES than in nontransgenic mice. The WAP-DES transgene had no effect on these parameters during forced involution. Mammary tissue concentrations of the transgene protein were 2- to 10-fold higher than those of endogenous IGF-I. Western blot analysis of pooled mammary tissue extracts demonstrated only slightly higher phosphorylation of the IGF signal transducers insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and Akt in the WAP-DES than in nontransgenic mice. Dramatic early reductions in phospho-IRS-1, phospho-Akt, IRS-1, IRS-2, and Akt proteins occurred during forced, but not natural, involution. The abundance of the IGF-I receptor and the messenger RNAs for the IGF-I receptors, IRS-1 and -2, were not affected by either genotype or involution. These findings support the conclusions that mammary cells lose their responsiveness to insulin-like signals during forced involution, and that posttranscriptional or posttranslational regulation of IRS-1 and IRS-2 may play a role in this loss. (Endocrinology 142: 1479 ‐1488, 2001)
Relationship between value of open space and distance from housing locations within a community

This research uses a sequence of hedonic spatial regressions for a metropolitan housing market in the Southeastern United States to explore a new procedure that establishes the relationship between the value attributable to open space and distance from housing locations (a “distance-decay function”) within a given community. A distance-decay function allows identification of the range of distance over which open space affects housing values and the estimation of a proxy for the value added to nearby houses resulting from hypothetical open space preservation. Ex post analyses of the open-space regression coefficients suggest marginal implicit price functions for three types of open space that decay as open space area increases with respect to house location. After controlling for other factors in the spatial hedonic model, simple distance-decay functional relationships were established between the implicit prices of developed open space, forest-land open space, and agriculture-wetland open space and the buffer radius of the open-space areas surrounding a given housing location. The proposed method may be useful for identifying the range over which preferences for different types of open space are exhibited.
Ecological notes on two sympatric Psammophis species from East Africa

We investigated the ecology of two sympatric whipsnakes from East Africa (Psammophis punctulatus trivirgatus and P. biseriatus) by examining preserved museum specimens (n = 40). Both species lacked any significant sexual size dimorphism and displayed seasonal reproductive cycles. These findings are consistent with previous investigations of allopatric congeners using similar methodologies. While sample sizes for this study are small, our data lend support to the notion that many ecological traits of this speciose genus are constant across the heterogeneous environments of Africa and Asia they inhabit.
Collaborative Learning and the Importance of the Discussion Board

Distance education appears to be a relatively new idea to many, yet its roots are at least 160 years old. A number of formal diagnostic medical sonography programs are adopting this learning vehicle; therefore, more avenues for educational success are being encountered. One instructional tool often implemented for both asynchronous and synchronous courses is the discussion board. This article describes the various aspects a discussion board can lend to enhance the sense of a learning community.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms and functional analysis of class II transactivator (CIITA) promoter IV in persistent HBV infection

Abstract Background/Aims CIITA plays a pivotal role in immune response, and the outcome of HBV infection is influenced by immune response. The aims of this study were to analyze the effect of CIITA promoter IV polymorphisms on its activity, and their association with persistent HBV infection. Methods The polymorphisms in promoter IV (C-1350T and G-944C) were analyzed by tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR), and four haplotypes were assigned in 1420 HBV infected subjects. The functional analysis on haplotypes of promoter IV was studied using pGL3-basic and pGL3-promoter vectors. Results There were significantly decreased-TG and increased-CC haplotype frequencies in persistent HBV infected subjects (34.8% and 41.3%), compared with spontaneously recovered subjects (46.5% and 36.2%). There were significantly higher CC/CC and lower TG/TG genotype frequencies in persistent infected subjects (20.3% and 11.1%) than in spontaneously recovered subjects (10.9% and 23.1%). The mean relative luciferase activity of promoter IV were the highest in TG haplotype (0.558 ± 0.023), and the lowest in CC haplotype (0.302 ± 0.016). Conclusions The polymorphisms of CIITA promoter IV are associated with persistent HBV infection. The CC haplotype with the lowest activity of promoter and CC/CC genotype are responsible for persistent HBV infection.
A dual-mode technique for improved blind equalization for QAM signals

A dual-mode blind equalization technique for adaptive channel equalization of quadrature amplitude modulation signals is introduced. The equalizer uses the constant modulus algorithm (CMA) in the initial phase and then switches to a proposed constellation-matched error (CME) minimization algorithm at appropriate values of the mean-square error. The proposed CME cost function can be constructed using finite- or infinite-order polynomials with desirable properties over the constellation region. This dual-mode equalization technique is applied to a linear equalizer and is shown to provide superior performance or simplicity over the conventional CMA and some other dual-mode schemes.
Comparative Judicial Review and Constitutional Politics

The rapid spread of judicial review around the world has resulted in several studies of constitutional courts in various countries. Because of their differing methodological approaches and analytical frameworks, these studies are of limited theoretical value and, in some instances, only incidentally relevant to politics. Nevertheless, they constitute a foundation on which to build a meaningful and unified body of knowledge in the developing field of comparative judicial politics. Three research directions are proposed as a means of accomplishing this objective: to classify judicial review on a worldwide basis and chart its relation to legal and political variables; to systematically study the political roles of courts of judicial review in individual countries; and to embark upon cross-cultural studies of constitutional doctrine.
Novel SRAM bias control circuits for a low power L1 data cache

This paper proposes two novel bias control circuits to manage the power consumption of inactive cache cells in data retention mode. Both circuits have lower power consumption and area overheads when compared to previous proposals. The first proposed circuit (Dynamic Bias Control circuit or DB-Control circuit) dynamically tracks the reference current and sets the bias voltage of cells, while the second (Self-Adjust Bias Control circuit or SAB-Control circuit) has a self-adjust property to set the bias voltages and also alleviates the instability problems that appear due to noise injection. Although any SRAM array can benefit from these circuits, to show their usefulness, we frame our study on a recently proposed dual-versioning L1 data cache that has been designed for chip multi-processors that implement optimistic concurrency proposals, where leakage current has more effect on power dissipation and on circuit instability. Therefore, we add the proposed bias control circuits to a 32KB dual-versioning SRAM (dvSRAM) cache and simulate and optimize the entire cache with 45-nm CMOS technology at 2GHz processor frequency and 1V supply voltage. The simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed circuits to reduce the energy consumption of dvSRAM L1 data cache by 35.8% on average compared to the typical dvSRAM cache. This is achieved with a modest area increase of 1.6% per sub-array and negligible delay overhead. We also show that instability problems are alleviated by using the SAB-Control circuit.
Backscattering and linear response in a disordered metal.

On considere l'interaction entre moments locaux dans un metal faiblement desordonne. En supposant un desordre faible et en utilisant une description semi-classique des electrons non interagissant, on montre que les correlations spin-electrons et de densite sont differentes de celles du metal pur, meme sur des distances plus courtes que le passage libre moyen de la diffusion elastique
Psychiatric genomics: outlook for 2015 and challenges for 2020

The field of psychiatric genomics has recently experienced unprecedented advances that are beginning to reveal the genetic architecture of these enigmatic disorders. Here we provide a historical context for these findings and projections for where the field may be at the end of 2015. Of note, the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium has entered a growth phase that will, by the end of 2015, result in a tripling of the number of psychiatric cases with GWAS data from ∼80 000 to ∼240 000. This is expected to accelerate gene discovery and provide greater insight into interrelationships between disorders. We conclude this commentary by posing three major challenges for the field over the next five years and proposing a three-stage approach to meet these challenges.
Neurotrophic Factors Improve Motoneuron Survival and Function of Muscle Reinnervated by Embryonic Neurons

Motoneuron death can occur over several spinal levels with disease or trauma, resulting in muscle denervation. We tested whether cotransplantation of embryonic neurons with 1 or more neurotrophic factors into peripheral nerve improved axon regeneration, muscle fiber area, reinnervation, and function to a greater degree than cell transplantation alone. Sciatic nerves of adult Fischer rats were cut to denervate muscles; 1 week later, embryonic ventral spinal cord cells (days 14-15) were transplanted into the tibial nerve stump as the only source of neurons for muscle reinnervation. Factors that promote motoneuron survival (cardiotrophin 1; fibroblast growth factor 2; glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor; insulin-like growth factor 1; leukemia inhibitory factor; and hepatocyte growth factor) were added to the transplant individually or in combinations. Inclusion of a single factor with the cells resulted in comparable myelinated axon counts, muscle fiber areas, and evoked electromyographic activity to cells alone 10 weeks after transplantation. Only cell transplantation with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor 1 significantly increased motoneuron survival, myelinated axon counts, muscle reinnervation, and evoked electromyographic activity compared with cells alone. Thus, immediate application of a specific combination of factors to dissociated embryonic neurons improves survival of motoneurons and the long-term function of reinnervated muscle.
Vegetation on patent foramen ovale presenting as a cryptogenic brain abscess

This paper describes a case of 51-year-old man with a vegetation on his patent foramen ovale presenting with a cryptogenic brain abscess. He received surgical evacuation and was successfully managed with septal occlusion. This is the first reported case of cryptogenic brain abscess caused by a vegetation on a patent foramen ovale directly documented with transesophageal echocardiography.
Indistinguishable transcriptional profiles between in vitro- and in vivo-produced bovine fetuses.

During the past several decades, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been increasingly used both in animal production and human infertility treatment. Animals derived from in vitro manipulation are occasionally associated with abnormal offspring syndrome (AOS) and other developmental abnormalities. By studying gene expression of in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos/animals, we gain an indicator of how well this procedure mimics the in vivo environment. Most previous studies of this nature have focused on only a few genes at a time or have been limited to studying the pre-implantation stage; a global view of how gene transcription may be influenced by in vitro procedures during fetal development has yet to be ascertained. To this end, we collected liver and placental tissue samples from IVP and in vivo control bovine fetuses at days 90 and 180 of gestation. We used a bovine 13K oligonucleotide microarray to investigate the transcriptional profiles in both tissues from IVP fetuses, and compared them with those of their age-matched in vivo counterparts. Surprisingly, in both liver and placental tissues, the transcriptional profiles between IVP and control fetuses, at either 90 or 180 days of gestation, were indistinguishable. A total of 879 genes were found to be significantly regulated during liver development from 90 to 180 days of gestation, but there were no gene expression changes in the placental tissue during this developmental period. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR on 11 selected genes confirmed these results. Our results have certain implications for IVF technologies, both in agriculture and in human medicine. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 78:642–650, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Damage accumulation and defect relaxation in 4H-SiC

A nonlinear dependence of damage disorder on dose is observed for both $\mathrm{Si}$ and $\mathrm{C}$ sublattices in $4\mathrm{H}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{SiC}$ under $2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}$ Au irradiation at $165\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. The relative disorder observed along the $⟨\overline{4}40\overline{3}⟩$ direction is much higher than that along the $⟨0001⟩$ direction. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations demonstrate that most interstitial configurations are formed on the $\mathrm{Si}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{C}$ dimer rows that are parallel to the $⟨0001⟩$ direction. As a result, these interstitials are shielded by the $\mathrm{Si}$ and $\mathrm{C}$ atoms on the lattice sites, which significantly reduces the contribution of these interstitials to the backscattering/reaction yield along the $⟨0001⟩$ direction. During isochronal annealing below room temperature, the relative disorder decreases along the $⟨0001⟩$ direction, as expected; however, the disorder is stable on the $\mathrm{Si}$ sublattice and increases slightly on the $\mathrm{C}$ sublattice when measured along the $⟨\overline{4}40\overline{3}⟩$ direction due to relaxation of some metastable defects to lower energy configurations. As the annealing temperature increases, similar recovery behavior on both $\mathrm{Si}$ and $\mathrm{C}$ sublattices along the $⟨0001⟩$ direction indicates coupling of $\mathrm{Si}$ and $\mathrm{C}$ recovery processes; however, slightly higher recovery temperatures on the $\mathrm{C}$ sublattice along the $⟨\overline{4}40\overline{3}⟩$ direction suggests some decoupling of the $\mathrm{Si}$ and $\mathrm{C}$ recovery processes. Based on the structures and energetics of defects from MD simulations, new insights into defect configurations and relaxation processes are described.
Short term memory disorders following temporal lobe removals in humans.

Summary Patients with unilateral removals of the left or right temporal lobe were compared to normal controls on tests of short-term visual (geometric patterns, consonant trigrams) and auditory (consonant trigrams) memory. Both temporal lobe groups evidenced severe retention deficits on the auditory task, but normal performance on the patterned and verbal visual tests. These findings are discussed with respect to the issue of modality vs. material specific memory storage in humans.
High-order FDTD methods for transverse electromagnetic systems in dispersive inhomogeneous media.

This Letter introduces a novel finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) formulation for solving transverse electromagnetic systems in dispersive media. Based on the auxiliary differential equation approach, the Debye dispersion model is coupled with Maxwell’s equations to derive a supplementary ordinary differential equation for describing the regularity changes in electromagnetic fields at the dispersive interface. The resulting time-dependent jump conditions are rigorously enforced in the FDTD discretization by means of the matched interface and boundary scheme. High-order convergences are numerically achieved for the first time in the literature in the FDTD simulations of dispersive inhomogeneous media.
QRS voltage changes for posterior unipolar chest leads in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy.

1. The posterior chest leads (V7, V8 and V9) of 20 patients with LVH were measured to determine the nature of the effects of left ventricular hypertrophy on the posterior chest leads. 2. The Q and S waves were not affected by LVH. 3. The R wave in V7, V8 and V9 was increased in 11 patients. 4. An R wave greater than 11.6mm in V7, greater than 9.7mm in V8 or greater than 7.7mm in V9, constitutes strong evidence that a patient does have LVH.
On the origin of life

On the basis of the recently proposed new fundamental equation of mathematical biophysics, a suggestion is made for a theory of the formation of a primitive cell from nonliving material. The discussion includes a suggestion for a quantitative formulation of the degree of biological organization. It is shown that according to the fundamental equation of mathematical biophysics, organization of the nonliving material may spontaneously increase under certain conditions, leading to a formation of a primitive organism. This process however, is a very slow one, requiring time intervals of several years or even decades. This may account for the failure in observing or artificially producing spontaneous generation.
Chromatic adaptation in the pigeon

This study presents evidence that adaptation to colored light alters the apparent hue of subsequently presented stimuli in pigeons. During training, right and left keypecks were reinforced following responses to colored and nominally achromatic slides, respectively. During test sessions, subjects continued to observe and report on the two classes of slides while 6-min components alternated, such that the experimental chamber was illuminated with either a green flood lamp or a nominally white bulb. The proportion of right keypecks following achromatic slides was much higher during green components than during white components, indicating that the achromatic slides appeared more like the chromatic slides.
A LEGENDRIAN STRATIFICATION OF RATIONAL TANGLES

A subset of legendrian 2-string tangles are defined to be minimal if the strands realize the minimum absolute value of the Bennequin invariant. The restrictiveness of this condition is examined by studying which topological rational tangles have minimal representatives. It is shown that a rational of finite parity has a minimal representative if and only if its standard continued fraction expansion contains only non-negative entries, is of odd length, and has every horizontal entry even. This is proved by applying recent results of Fuchs and Tabachnikov or Chmutov and Goryunov that give an upperbound for the Bennequin invariant of links in terms of the minimal exponent of the framing variable of the Kauffman polynomial and Yokota's precise formula for this topological invariant. A second geometric stratum of rational tangles with infinite parity is defined and it is then shown a positive rational has a minimal represenative if and only if its continued fraction expansion is a particular extension of a minimal of finite parity and a negative rational of infinite parity has a minimal representative if and only if it has even length with every vertical entry even.
Revised Staging Classification Improves Outcome Prediction for Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors

Purpose Small intestinal (SI) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have heterogeneous outcomes. The NET societies have recently proposed a TNM staging classification. In this study, we used population-based data to assess the validity of the staging system. Patients and Methods We identified patients with SI-NETS diagnosed between 1988 and 2009 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis to assess disease-specific survival according to TNM status. Cox models were constructed to evaluate differences in prognosis after controlling for potential confounders. Results We identified 6,792 patients with SI-NET. Although the current staging system was predictive of prognosis, there was overlap among some groups (stage I/IIA, P = .36; stage IIB/IIIB, P = .70). Additionally, stage IIIB patients had better survival than stage IIIA patients (P < .001). Adjusted analyses showed similar outcomes for T1 versus T2 disease (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02; 95% CI, 0.63 to 1.66). Patients w...
Potential Biases in Feedback Diagnosis from Observational Data: A Simple Model Demonstration

Abstract Feedbacks are widely considered to be the largest source of uncertainty in determining the sensitivity of the climate system to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations, yet the ability to diagnose them from observations has remained controversial. Here a simple model is used to demonstrate that any nonfeedback source of top-of-atmosphere radiative flux variations can cause temperature variability, which then results in a positive bias in diagnosed feedbacks. This effect is demonstrated with daily random flux variations, as might be caused by stochastic fluctuations in low cloud cover. The daily noise in radiative flux then causes interannual and decadal temperature variations in the model’s 50-m-deep swamp ocean. The amount of bias in the feedbacks diagnosed from time-averaged model output depends upon the size of the nonfeedback flux variability relative to the surface temperature variability, as well as the sign and magnitude of the specified (true) feedback. For model runs produ...
Cardiovascular disease risk factors and menopausal status in midlife women from the former Soviet Union.

The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis is to examine modifiable CVD risk factors in relation to menopausal status, age, and length of residence in the U.S. of midlife women from the former Soviet Union. The analysis includes baseline data for 193 women, aged 40-70, who lived in the U.S. fewer than 8 years and were enrolled in an ongoing four-year study of post-immigration health and behavior change. Data collection was conducted in women's homes or other community locations. The presence of seven health risk indicators (obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and excessive alcohol use) was assessed. In addition, Framingham 10 year risk scores for heart disease, and the presence of metabolic syndrome, were calculated using recent National Cholesterol Education Program (ATP-III) guidelines. Consistent with the age distribution, 60% of the women were postmenopausal. Four risk indicators (obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and sedentary lifestyle) were identified as significant areas of concern. Although the Framingham risk scores did not seem excessively high, almost 25% of the women had metabolic syndrome. Older and postmenopausal women had significantly higher scores on all risk estimates. When age and menopausal status were held constant, menopausal status remained an independent contributor for the number of CVD risk indicators. Issues specific to this group of women because of their pre- and post-migration lifestyles are discussed in relation to their CVD risk status.