cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Conflict of Generations in Ancient Mesopotamian Myths

Recent years have brought a proliferation of studies on the family on such topics as household composition, marriage patterns, childbearing practices, and life-cycle transitions. Scholars in ancient near eastern studies have contributed mainly to the legal and economic aspects of family history. Frequently the work done has centered on philological questions. The cuneiform data on the Mesopotamian family, accidental and all too often limited, is spread over a period of some three thousand years. Nevertheless it is time to broaden the focus despite the inherent problems. In this essay, I treat the question of the dynamics of Mesopotamian family life, more specifically intergenerational conflict, a topic barely touched upon by scholars in the field.
Chemical Tracer Method for Measurement of Flow Rates in Closed Conduits

Thermal output in a nuclear power plant is verified by a calorimetric heat balance on the secondary system of the power plant. The calorimetry involves the precise measurement of the feed water flow rate which should be designed to have ±1:0% of uncertainty. However, the indication of feed water flow rate obtained by a differential pressure measurement across a venturi can be affected by instrument errors, fouling, or a poorly developed velocity profile. These factors can lead to an inaccurate mass flow rate and consequently, an inaccurate estimate of power. The purpose of this study is to develop verification methods with accuracy better than ±0:5% for high-precision flow measurement to be used for measuring feed water flow rate. Such an improvement saves electric power. For a typical Korean nuclear power plant of 1,000MW, 10MW would be potentially saved. This chemical tracer method is a testing process using a tracer, which can be applied to quantify losses in electrical output caused by incorrect measu...
Knowledge, Practice, and Power: Court‐Ordered Cesarean Sections

Medical specialists command particular respect in this society, and the application of their specialized knowledge carries considerable weight. In obstetrics, expert knowledge is constituted as authoritative through a complex process in which actual social relations are obscured or misrecognized by the actors. When obstetric advice is actively rejected, birthing becomes an arena of struggle and these relations become more visible. Refusal by a woman to undergo cesarean section involves a challenge to medical authority, a challenge that may be overruled by legal orders supporting the practice of medicine and further legitimating medical knowledge. We review nine cases of court-ordered cesarean section to illustrate how medical power and privilege are maintained in cases of individual resistance.
Effects of inhaled ammonium sulfate on benzo[a]pyrene carcinogenesis.

The effect of inhaled ammonium sulfate on benzo[a]pyrene carcinogenesis in the lungs of Syrian golden hamsters was studied. Exposure to ammonium sulfate at an airborne concentration 20 times average United States ambient levels resulted in a significant depression (p < 0.05) of benzo[a]pyrene carcinogenesis in the first 6 mo of the study. However, at 2 yr, the termination of the study, there were no differences in cancer incidence between groups receiving benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene plus ammonium sulfate. In addition, at the concentration studied, inhaled ammonium sulfate did not significantly increase the incidence or severity of pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis in the hamster. However, this inhalation did increase the incidence of emphysema but not the severity. The decreased incidence of cancer during the first 6 mo of this study in animals receiving both benzo[a]pyrene and ammonium sulfate suggests that interaction between sulfate and benzofajpyrene does occur, but is insufficient to afford lon...
Effects of providing and withholding postfitting fine-tuning adjustments on outcome measures in novice hearing aid users: a pilot study.

This pilot study was designed to examine the effects of either providing or withholding subject-driven, postfitting electroacoustic changes (fine tuning) on hearing aid performance as measured by t...
Using Wang's two-dimensional cutting stock algorithm to optimally solve difficult problems

P. Y. Wang's classic bottom-up two-dimensional cutting stock algorithm generates cutting patterns by building rectangles both horizontally and vertically. This algorithm uses a parameter β1 to tradeoff the number of rectangles generated by the algorithm and hence the quality of the cutting pattern solution obtained versus the amount of computer resources required. Several researchers have made relatively straightforward modifications to Wang's basic algorithm resulting in improved computational times. However, even with these modifications, Wang's approach tends to require large amounts of computer resources in order to optimally or near-optimally solve difficult two-dimensional guillotine cutting stock problems. In this paper, we present an iterative approach that judiciously uses Wang's basic algorithm (with some previously defined modifications) to obtain optimal cutting patterns to difficult two-dimensional cutting stock problems in reasonable computer run times.
Short range solvation of phenols in proton transfer complexes: occurrence of solvation by proton donors

Abstract Short range solvation effects are alterations in the reactivity of solutes as a result of direct interaction, usually by hydrogen bonding, with solvent molecules. We report the occurrence of solvation structures involving dissolved phenolamine proton transfer structures between unshared electron pairs of the phenol, particularly the phenol oxygen, and proton donating solvents.
N-Linked Glycans with Similar Location in the Fusion Protein Head Modulate Paramyxovirus Fusion

N-linked glycans not only orchestrate the folding and intracellular transport of viral glycoproteins but also modulate their function. We have characterized the three glycans attached to fusion (F) proteins of the morbilliviruses canine distemper virus and measles virus. The individual Morbillivirus glycans have similar functional properties: the glycan at position 68 is essential for protein transport, and those at positions 36 and 75 modulate fusion (numbering according to the Newcastle disease virus [NDV] F protein sequence). Based on the crystal structure of the NDV F protein, we then predicted the locations of the Morbillivirus glycans: the glycan at position 36 is located in the F protein head, and those at positions 68 and 75 are located near the neck-stalk interface. NDV position 36 is not occupied by a glycan; the only glycan in that F protein head also has a fusion control function and grows from residue 366, located only 6 A from residue 36. We then exchanged the glycan at position 36 with the glycan at position 366 and showed functional complementation. Thus, structural information about the F proteins of Paramyxoviridae coupled with functional analysis disclosed a location in the protein head into which fusion-modulating glycans independently evolved.
Laparoscopic Living Donor Nephrectomy: A Look at Current Trends and Practice Patterns at Major Transplant Centers Across the United States

Purpose: Laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy is now the preferred technique for living donor renal transplantation. To our knowledge we provide the first published multi-institutional consensus describing practice patterns, technical considerations and interesting controversies involved in laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy.Materials and Methods: We designed a survey with 33 multiple choice questions looking at demographics, patient selection, technical considerations, postoperative care and followup involved in laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy. Surveys were sent to the 58 fellowship training programs in the United States accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.Results: The 32 responding programs performed approximately 40% of laparoscopic living donor nephrectomies in the United States in 2005. We found that almost all centers used a donor committee to screen candidates, enforce a body mass index cutoff, and use right kidneys when necessary and left kidneys in women of childbe...
Honing the message: post-transcriptional and post-translational control in attaching and effacing pathogens

Bacteria evolve their capacity to cause disease by acquiring virulence genes that are usually clustered in discrete genetic modules termed pathogenicity islands (PAI). Stable integration of PAIs into pre-existing transcriptional networks coordinates expression from PAIs with ancestral genes in response to diverse environmental cues. Such transcriptional controls are evident in the regulation of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), a PAI of enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. However, recent reports indicate that global post-transcriptional and post-translational regulators, including CsrA, Hfq and ClpXP, fine-tune the transcriptional output from the LEE. In this opinion article, we highlight recent advances in the understanding of post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation in attaching and effacing pathogens.
Management's Responsibility to Society: The Growth of an Idea*

Even in laissez-faire days there was a “corporate conscience,” well defined and with active, if limited, manifestations. Over the course of years not only criticism but changing social forces and modifications of the economic system itself exerted a broadening influence on the attitude of American business toward its public responsibilities.
A new technique of fascial closure for laparoscopic incisions.

ABSTRACT The objective was to develop a technique and instrumentation for closure of 10-mm and larger laparoscopic incisions with a single instrument under direct laparoscopic vision, ensuring complete fascial and peritoneal closure. The Carter-Thomason Needle-Point Suture Passer functions as both a needle and a grasper, allowing for performance of laparoscopic directed fascial and peritoneal closure. It uses a 2.7-mm diameter grasping tool with a single-action jaw. The device introduces the suture through the muscle, fascia, and peritoneal layers under direct laparoscopic vision, drops the suture, picks it up at the opposite side of the opening, and is withdrawn grasping the suture. The surgeon completes the mass closure of the layers by tying the suture below the skin. Pneumoperitoneum is maintained. The closed peritoneal layer is viewed through the laparoscope, and palpation of the closure ensures that the fascial layer is completely occluded. The Carter-Thomason Needle-Point Suture Passer has been use...
Pressure dependence of wall relaxation in polarized 3He gaseous cells

We have observed a linear pressure dependence of longitudinal relaxation time ${T}_{1}$ at 4.2 and 295 K in gaseous $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ cells made of either bare Pyrex glass or Cs- or Rb-coated Pyrex due to paramagnetic sites in the cell wall. The paramagnetic wall relaxation is previously thought to be independent of $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ pressure. We develop a model to interpret the observed wall relaxation by taking into account the diffusion process, and our model gives a good description of the data.
Urban Systems in General Systems Research

The coincidence of interest in urban problem solving and developments in cybernetics and general systems research and technology is fortunate. However, transfer of knowledge from one field to another is not simple. Urban systems are composed of some elements which require further specifications, and estimation is difficult. Knowledge of parameters and structural relations for urban systems must be transferred to those previously trained in more general systems analysis. The task can be eased by further research in general systems and by developing a team approach to the analysis of urban systems. This paper articulates some of the more general characteristics of urban systems.
Probing the phosphopantetheine arm conformations of acyl carrier proteins using vibrational spectroscopy.

Acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) are universal and highly conserved domains central to both fatty acid and polyketide biosynthesis. These proteins tether reactive acyl intermediates with a swinging 4′-phosphopantetheine (Ppant) arm and interact with a suite of catalytic partners during chain transport and elongation while stabilizing the growing chain throughout the biosynthetic pathway. The flexible nature of the Ppant arm and the transient nature of ACP–enzyme interactions impose a major obstacle to obtaining structural information relevant to understanding polyketide and fatty acid biosynthesis. To overcome this challenge, we installed a thiocyanate vibrational spectroscopic probe on the terminal thiol of the ACP Ppant arm. This site-specific probe successfully reported on the local environment of the Ppant arm of two ACPs previously characterized by solution NMR, and was used to determine the solution exposure of the Ppant arm of an ACP from 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthase (DEBS). Given the sensitivity of...
Improving Distance Mentoring: Challenges and How to Deal with them in Global Development Project Courses

In an attempt to provide real-world industrial experience, an increasing number of academic programs are broadening their portfolio to include global development projects. In these projects, the customer, the team or even the faculty are in different locations than those of their students creating a set of real world experiences and educational challenges. Various project elements such as asynchronous communications, remote assessment, and required knowledge transfer make effective learning challenging and problematic. To understand how to help faculty members overcome some of these challenges, faculty at Carnegie Mellon have studied recent and past projects specifically where clients, and/or faculty advisors were not co-located with their students. This paper presents some of their findings, provides recommendations and explains where specific attention is required for project and learning success.
Comparison of the ability of seven gonadotropin preparations from different mammalian sources to interact with the adenylyl cyclase system in corpora lutea from rabbits and rats

The effects of guanine nucleotides and magnesium (Mg2+) on the interaction of seven different gonadotropin preparations with their rabbit and rat luteal receptors were studied and compared to the ability of these gonadotropins to stimulate luteal adenylyl cyclase activity. In both the rabbit and rat, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human luteinizing hormone (hLH) were less efficacious than the other gonadotropin preparations in stimulating luteal adenylyl cyclase activity and thus behaved as partial agonists. Addition of 2 mM MgCl2 increased the affinity of the rat luteal receptors for all seven gonadotropins tested, while in the rabbit Mg2+ increased the affinities for porcine, bovine, ovine, rat and rabbit LH but did not significantly alter the affinities for hCG or hLH. In no instance did the addition of 100 microM GTP alter the affinity of the receptor from that observed in the absence or presence of Mg2+. A positive correlation existed for both species between the Kd values calculated from binding experiments and the Kact values obtained in adenylyl cyclase assays suggesting that the specific gonadotropin-binding sites present in rabbit and rat luteal membranes represent receptors which mediate the stimulatory effect of LH. The magnitude of the Mg2+-induced increase in affinity of a given gonadotropin preparation for its receptor was correlated with the efficacy with which that gonadotropin stimulated luteal adenylyl cyclase activity in both the rabbit and rat.
Lipids from heterotrophic microbes: advances in metabolism research

Heterotrophic oleaginous microorganisms are capable of producing over 20% of their weight in single cell oils (SCOs) composed of triacylglycerols (TAGs). These TAGs contain fatty acids, such as palmitic, stearic and oleic acids, that are well-suited for biodiesel applications. Although some of these microbes are able to accumulate SCOs while growing on inexpensive agro-industrial biomass, the competition with plant oil resources means that a significant increase in productivity is desired. The present review aims to summarize recent details in lipid metabolism research and engineering (e.g. direct fatty acid ethyl ester production), as well as culture condition optimization and innovations, such as solid-state or semi-solid-state fermentation, that can all contribute to higher productivity and further advancement of the field.
Electrostatic self-assembly of macroscopic crystals using contact electrification

Self-assembly of components larger than molecules into ordered arrays is an efficient way of preparing microstructured materials with interesting mechanical and optical properties. Although crystallization of identical particles or particles of different sizes or shapes can be readily achieved, the repertoire of methods to assemble binary lattices of particles of the same sizes but with different properties is very limited. This paper describes electrostatic self-assembly of two types of macroscopic components of identical dimensions using interactions that are generated by contact electrification. The systems we have examined comprise two kinds of objects (usually spheres) made of different polymeric materials that charge with opposite electrical polarities when agitated on flat, metallic surfaces. The interplay of repulsive interactions between like-charged objects and attractive interactions between unlike-charged ones results in the self-assembly of these objects into highly ordered, closed arrays. Remarkably, some of the assemblies that form are not electroneutral-that is, they possess a net charge. We suggest that the stability of these unusual structures can be explained by accounting for the interactions between electric dipoles that the particles in the aggregates induce in their neighbours.
Risks and complications of orthodontic miniscrews

The risks associated with miniscrew placement should be clearly understood by both the clinician and the patient. Complications can arise during miniscrew placement and after orthodontic loading that affect stability and patient safety. A thorough understanding of proper placement technique, bone density and landscape, peri-implant soft-tissue, regional anatomic structures, and patient home care are imperative for optimal patient safety and miniscrew success. The purpose of this article was to review the potential risks and complications of orthodontic miniscrews in regard to insertion, orthodontic loading, peri-implant soft-tissue health, and removal.
The calibration methods for Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer: a review

The continuous, over two-decade data record from the Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) is ideal for climate research which requires timely and accurate information of important atmospheric components such as gases, aerosols, and clouds. Except for parameters derived from MFRSR measurement ratios, which are not impacted by calibration error, most applications require accurate calibration factor(s), angular correction, and spectral response function(s) from calibration. Although a laboratory lamp (or reference) calibration can provide all the information needed to convert the instrument readings to actual radiation, in situ calibration methods are implemented routinely (daily) to fill the gaps between lamp calibrations. In this paper, the basic structure and the data collection and pretreatment of the MFRSR are described. The laboratory lamp calibration and its limitations are summarized. The cloud screening algorithms for MFRSR data are presented. The in situ calibration methods, the standard Langley method and its variants, the ratio-Langley method, the general method, Alexandrov’s comprehensive method, and Chen’s multi-channel method, are outlined. The reason that all these methods do not fit for all situations is that they assume some properties, such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), total optical depth (TOD), precipitable water vapor (PWV), effective size of aerosol particles, or angstrom coefficient, are invariant over time. These properties are not universal and some of them rarely happen. In practice, daily calibration factors derived from these methods should be smoothed to restrain error.
Olfactory responses of adultTribolium castaneum (Herbst), to volatiles of wheat and millet kernels, milled fractions, and extracts.

Olfactory responses of 72- to 96-hr-old, 24-hr starved adult male, female, or mixed-sex groups of the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), to volatiles from wheat and millet kernels, certain milled fractions, and solvent extracts were recorded by using a lightsensitive apparatus. Wheat-germ volatiles from intact germ or solvent extracts were generally more attractive than volatiles of wheat endosperm or wheat bran. Volatiles of whole wheat kernels were the least attractive among test materials of wheat origin, whereas there were no significant differences among whole wheat flour, germ, and endosperm. Wheat-germ extracts, however, were more attractive than were extracts of the other fractions. Whole millet flour or fermented millet flour volatiles were more attractive than those from whole millet kernels or millet starch. Beetles reached maximum responsiveness to grain volatiles by 72–96 hr after adult ecdysis. Groups of virgin female beetles generally were more responsive than male or mixed-sex groups to volatiles of substances tested.
On quick oscillations in functional equations with deviating arguments

Abstract For the functional equation L n y ( t ) + H ( t , y ( g ( t )) = f ( t ), n ⩾ 2, where L n = 1 p n (t) d dt 1 P n − 1 (t) d dt … d dt 1 P 1 (t) d dt · P 0 (t) sufficient conditions have been found to ensure that a solution is either quickly oscillating or else it is nonoscillatory. Both canonical and noncanonical forms of L n have been studied.
The Diversity of Hydrostatic Skeletons

A remarkably diverse group of organisms rely on a hydrostatic skeleton for support, movement, muscular antagonism and the amplification of the force and displacement of muscle contraction. In hydrostatic skeletons, force is transmitted not through rigid skeletal elements but instead by internal pressure. Functioning of these systems depends on the fact that they are essentially constant in volume as they consist of relatively incompressible fluids and tissue. Contraction of muscle and the resulting decrease in one of the dimensions thus results in an increase in another dimension. By actively (with muscle) or passively (with connective tissue) controlling the various dimensions, a wide array of deformations, movements and changes in stiffness can be created. An amazing range of animals and animal structures rely on this form of skeletal support, including anemones and other polyps, the extremely diverse wormlike invertebrates, the tube feet of echinoderms, mammalian and turtle penises, the feet of burrowing bivalves and snails, and the legs of spiders. In addition, there are structures such as the arms and tentacles of cephalopods, the tongue of mammals and the trunk of the elephant that also rely on hydrostatic skeletal support but lack the fluid-filled cavities that characterize this skeletal type. Although we normally consider arthropods to rely on a rigid exoskeleton, a hydrostatic skeleton provides skeletal support immediately following molting and also during the larval stage for many insects. Thus, the majority of animals on earth rely on hydrostatic skeletons.
Effect of Processing Variables on the Microbial, Physical and Sensory Characteristics of Pork Sausage

A randomized block design with a 4 × 3 × 5 factorial arrangement of treatments involving four fat levels, three grinding systems and five storage periods was utilized to determine the effects of processing variables on microbial, physical and sensory characteristics of pork sausage. In general, microbial numbers decreased as the level of fat increased and increased with reduced particle size and time in storage. The surface color became lighter and less red with increasing levels of fat and time in storage. Higher cook yields (%) were associated with higher degrees of maceration while lower yields were observed for sausage manufactured to contain high levels of fat (40 and 45%). Length of storage had the greatest effect on the desirable sensory characteristics of the product. An optimum processing system was postulated from the results of the study.
Cardiodynamic effects of mitral commissurotomy.

During commissurotomy for stenosis of the mitral valve, it has been possible to record the moment to moment changes in left auricular and pulmonary arterial pressures, using an electronic manometer system. The left auricular pulse patterns have varied depending on the degree of stenosis and the presence or absence of auricular fibrillation or unsuspected regurgitation. The degree of success attending operative intervention on the mitral valve has been predictable by a study of the postcommissurotomy tracings.
Triangular system solutions on an optical systolic processor

It is noted that the simplified system of equations presented by Casasent and Ghosh (1983) can also be solved optically. One realization of this is described, with attention given to data flow and speed for the case of a lower triangular system of equations. The solution of an upper triangular system of equations can be handled in analogous fashion. The problem requires a matrix-vector processor. Only one carrier frequency input to the acoustooptic cell and only one output detector are used. To multiply a matrix by a vector in this system, the time-multiplexed vector elements are fed into the acoustooptic cell.
Total synthesis by modern chemical ligation methods and high resolution (1.1 A) X-ray structure of ribonuclease A

The total chemical synthesis of RNase A using modern chemical ligation methods is described, illustrating the significant advances that have been made in chemical protein synthesis since Gutte and Merrifield's pioneering preparation of RNase A in 1969. The identity of the synthetic product was confirmed through rigorous characterization, including the determination of the X-ray crystal structure to 1.1 Angstrom resolution.
Use of methotrexate in inflammatory bowel disease in 2014: A User’s Guide

Methotrexate has been used an immunomodulator in many autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. However, many physicians are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with its use in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. We summarize the data for use of methotrexate in common clinical scenarios: (1) steroid dependant Crohn’s disease (CD); (2) maintenance of remission in steroid free CD; (3) azathioprine failures in CD; (4) in combination therapy with Anti-TNF agents in CD; (5) decreasing antibody formation to Anti-TNF therapy in CD; (6) management of fistulizing disease in CD; and (7) as well as induction and maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis. An easy to use algorithm is provided for the busy clinician to access and safely prescribe methotrexate for their inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Understanding how low-income families prioritize elements of health care access for their children via the optimal care model.

Insurance coverage alone does not guarantee access to needed health care. Few studies have explored what “access” means to low-income families, nor have they examined how elements of access are prioritized when availability, affordability, and acceptability are not all achievable. Therefore, we explored low-income parents’ perspectives on accessing health care. In-depth interviews with a purposeful sample of 29 Oregon parents who responded to a previously administered statewide survey about health insurance. Transcribed interviews were analyzed by a multidisciplinary team using a standard iterative process. Parents highlighted affordability and limited availability as barriers to care; a continuous relationship with a health care provider helped them overcome these barriers. Parents also described the difficult decisions they made between affordability and acceptability in order to get the best care they could for their children. We present a new conceptual model to explain these experiences accessing care with health insurance: the Optimal Care Model. The model shows a transition from optimal care to a breaking point where affordability becomes the driving factor, but the care is perceived as unacceptable because it is with an unknown provider. Even when covered by health insurance, low-income parents face barriers to accessing health care for their children. As the Affordable Care Act and other policies increase coverage options across the United States, many Americans may experience similar barriers and facilitators to health care access. The Optimal Care Model provides a useful construct for better understanding experiences that may be encountered when the newly insured attempt to access available, acceptable, and affordable health care services.
Delayed decision-feedback sequence estimation

The authors delayed-decision-feedback sequence estimation (DDFSE) for uncoded PAM signals is considered. Estimates on the performance of the algorithm are given, and simulation results are provided for several examples. A more general form of DDFSE applicable to coded modulation systems is also presented. As an example, detection of trellis-coded QPSK (quadrature phase-shift keyed) signals over intersymbol interference channels is discussed. >
Big pictures: Ethnic identity as a mutable concept in New York City street murals

Long‐term collaborative participant observation of street murals in New York City shows many ways in which aspects of culture are flexible and mutable. Even the concept of self‐defined ethnic identity, supposedly a bedrock notion within culture, changes greatly. Ethnic identity moves back and forth across a continuum, extremely exclusive at one end and comprehensive at the other. The degree of exclusivity or comprehensiveness depends on the mural's theme. Important factors determining this process are the global/local infrastructure, the process of perception itself, and time‐honored muralists' conventions such as representational ambiguity.
Signal transduction pathways involved in oxidative stress-induced intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating inflammatory condition of the gut that occurs in premature infants. Ischemia-reperfusion gut injury with production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is thought to contribute to NEC; the exact cellular mechanisms involved are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the intracellular signaling transduction pathways involved in oxidative stress-induced intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis. H2O2 treatment resulted in rat intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner; the caspase inhibitor, zVAD-fmk, blocked this response. Western blotting was performed to determine phosphorylation of kinases and ELISA was used to assess DNA fragmentation, as a measure of apoptosis. A rapid increase in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)1/2, and Akt was noted. Inhibition of ERK and JNK decreased H2O2-induced apoptosis. Additionally, inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) attenuated and enhanced H2O2-mediated apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential decrease, respectively. Furthermore, activation of PKC reduced the Akt phosphorylation, while inhibition of PKC attenuated H2O2-mediated activation of caspase-3 and enhanced the H2O2-induced Akt phosphorylation. This study shows that activation of multiple signaling transduction pathways occurs during oxidative stress-induced intestinal epithelial cell injury. In contrast to ERK, JNK and PKC, PI3-K/Akt may play an important role as a protective cellular signaling pathway during this process.
More on cosmology for supersymmetric GUTS

Abstract It is argued that phase transitions which would occur at finite temperatures in supersymmetric grand unified theories (with supersymmetry unbroken at the tree level) proceed very slowly. In the simplest models, the universe would supercool in a phenomenologically unacceptable phase, essentially forever. Criteria which a supersymmetric GUT must satisfy to avoid this fate are briefly discussed.
Reflections on Linguistic and Literary Colonization and Decolonization in Africa

Une approche sociolinguistique qui envisage l'evolution des rapports complexes entre l'imperialisme de la langue francaise et l'expression de l'ontologie traditionnelle dans la litterature africaine depuis les annees 1950
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: antiemetic trials that impacted clinical practice.

Objective. To review the scientific evidence related to serotonin and substance P and the clinical impact targeting these two neurotransmitters have had managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vom...
Influence of Bedrock Geology on Water Chemistry of Slope Wetlands and Headwater Streams in the Southern Rocky Mountains

We characterized the water chemistry of nine slope wetlands and adjacent headwater streams in Colorado subalpine forests and compared sites in basins formed on crystalline bedrock with those formed in basins with a mixture of crystalline and sedimentary bedrock. The pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4+, acid neutralizing capacity, and electrical conductivity of wetland porewater and streamwater were higher in the basins with mixed geology. Bryophyte cover was higher in lower pH, crystalline basins, and vascular plant cover was higher in the mixed bedrock basins. On average, wetland porewater had lower pH and higher concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen and several other ions than streamwater; however, because discharge from these small wetlands is low, their direct influence on stream solute concentrations was generally undetectable. Dilution altered stream solute concentrations during peak flow in both basin types, but had little effect on wetland chemistry. In contrast to other solutes, the concentration of DOC in streams increased marginally during peak runoff and its concentration in wetland porewater was stable throughout the year. These findings further knowledge of the influence of watershed characteristics on wetland and stream chemistry and will inform future decisions regarding conservation and management in headwater basins.
Generalizing semantic role annotations across syntactically similar verbs

Abstract : Large corpora of parsed sentences with semantic role labels (e.g. PropBank) provide training data for use in the creation of high-performance automatic semantic role labeling systems. Despite the size of these corpora, individual verbs (or rolesets) often have only a handful of instances in these corpora, and only a fraction of English verbs have even a single annotation. In this paper, we describe an approach for dealing with this sparse data problem, enabling accurate semantic role labeling for novel verbs (rolesets) with only a single training example. Our approach involves the identification of syntactically similar verbs found in Prop-Bank, the alignment of arguments in their corresponding rolesets, and the use of their corresponding annotations in Prop-Bank as surrogate training data.
Use of Bison Wallows by Anurans on Konza Prairie

Abstract Historically, bison were of great importance to the grassland ecosystem, affecting plants and other organisms directly through grazing and indirectly by creating soil disturbances, such as wallows. When bison were reintroduced to the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, they reactivated relic wallows as well as created new ones. Wallows, like other ephemeral pools, may be used by organisms as aquatic habitat and as breeding sites. The objective of our study was to systematically monitor bison wallows after they filled and to ascertain their use by amphibians. We also examined long-term climatic records from the Konza Prairie area to assess the past viability of bison wallows as breeding habitats for anurans, which must complete metamorphosis before wallows dry. The amount of precipitation and cool temperatures required to prolong the hydroperiod necessary for completion of metamorphosis occurred in only about 20% of the years examined. Bison may have been important in the life histories of p...
A Superfamily of Proteins with Novel Cysteine-Rich Repeats

One of the most intriguing discoveries from the studies of the last several years is the presence of a large number of genes encoding receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) in plants. In Arabidopsis, there are at least 340 genes that code for proteins, each consisting of an N-terminal signal sequence
Increased Risk of Papillary Thyroid Cancer in Celiac Disease

Patients with celiac disease have an increased rate of malignancies that are not limited to lymphomas. Thyroid carcinoma has not previously been associated with celiac disease. However, among a cohort of patients with celiac dis- ease, we identified an increased risk of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, standard morbidity ratio of 22.52 (95% confi- dence interval 14.90-34.04; P < .001), compared to United States national surveillance data. These patients were on a gluten-free diet. Only 1 had Hashimoto's thyroiditis, sug- gesting that mechanisms apart from autoimmune thyroiditis contribute to the increased risk of carcinoma of the thyroid in celiac disease.
Akquisitionscontrolling — Grundfragen und Lösungskonzeptionen

Mit der steigenden Akzeptanz des Shareholder Value als Unternehmenszielsetzung, die in den letzten Jahren auch die Erwartungen des Kapitalmarktes an die Unternehmensentwicklung in den Fokus der Unternehmen geruckt hat, stellte sich verstarkt die Frage: Was muss getan werden, um den Unternehmenswert kontinuierlich zu steigern? In Anlehnung an die von Rappaport vorgeschlagenenWerttreiberwurden als wesentliche Einflussfaktoren auf den Unternehmenswert das Umsatzwachstum, die Profitabilitat — beeinflussbar durch das Streben nach operativer Exzellenz —, die Ressourcenbindung und das Tatigkeitsumfeld des Unternehmens sowie die Senkung des Kapitalkostensatzes identifiziert (vgl. Coenenberg/ Salfeld 2003, Kap. 3.1.2.).
The Role of Ease of Retrieval and Attribution in Memory Judgments: Judging Your Memory as Worse Despite Recalling More Events

Participants who had to recall 12 childhood events (a difficult task) were more likely to infer that they could not remember large parts of their childhood than participants who had to recall 4 events (an easy task), although the former recalled three times as many events. This pattern of results suggests that memory judgments are based on the experienced ease or difficulty of recall. Accordingly, the negative impact of recalling 12 events was attenuated when participants were led to attribute the experienced difficulty to the task rather than to the poor quality of their memory. The findings emphasize the role of subjective experiences and attribution in metamemory judgments.
Lymphocytic meningoradiculitis in the United States

Lymphocytic meningoradiculitis (Bannwarth9s syndrome) is a radicular neuralgia associated with a chronic lymphocytic pleocytosis in cerebrospinal fluid and frequently with unilateral or bilateral peripheral facial weakness. Most reported cases have occurred during the summer among adults living in central Europe. Lymphocytic meningoradiculitis has occurred in the United States in a few patients with Lyme disease and erythema chronicum migrans. However, it may occur independently. We describe a woman with no erythema chronicum migrans, in whom lymphocytic meningoradiculitis preceded a migratory oligoarthropathy by 5 months.
Mapping the early modern city

This paper analyses in their political context the festival decorations created by Paolo Amato, architect to the Senate of Palermo, in 1686 for the festival of the patron saint of that city. One of these decorations, that of the main altar in the cathedral, is of particular interest in that it represents a map of the city itself. An analysis of this map in relation to other seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century maps of Palermo reveals its political and social aim and biases, but also shows that it was unusually up to date and accurate as a representation of the city at that date. Such a representation not only marks a striking cul-de-sac in the history of the development of cartography, but sheds light on the relationship between forging politically acceptable identities for a city and their representation in the early modern period. The map in particular, but all the decorations, or apparati, in general are interpreted in the context of the weakened Spanish empire (to which Sicily belonged) and of the internal politics of the island and of Palermo.
Super-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging of Telomeres Reveals TRF2-Dependent T-loop Formation

Summary We have applied a super-resolution fluorescence imaging method, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), to visualize the structure of functional telomeres and telomeres rendered dysfunctional through removal of shelterin proteins. The STORM images showed that functional telomeres frequently exhibit a t-loop configuration. Conditional deletion of individual components of shelterin showed that TRF2 was required for the formation and/or maintenance of t-loops, whereas deletion of TRF1, Rap1, or the POT1 proteins (POT1a and POT1b) had no effect on the frequency of t-loop occurrence. Within the shelterin complex, TRF2 uniquely serves to protect telomeres from two pathways that are initiated on free DNA ends: classical nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) and ATM-dependent DNA damage signaling. The TRF2-dependent remodeling of telomeres into t-loop structures, which sequester the ends of chromosomes, can explain why NHEJ and the ATM signaling pathway are repressed when TRF2 is present.
An evaluation of RGB-D skeleton tracking for use in large vocabulary complex gesture recognition

An essential component of any hand gesture recognition system is the hand detector and tracker. While a system with a small vocabulary of sufficiently dissimilar gestures may work well with approximate estimations of hand locations, more accurate hand position information is needed for the best results with a large vocabulary of complex two-handed gestures, such as those found in sign languages. In this paper we assess the feasibility of using a popular commercial skeleton tracking software solution in a large vocabulary gesture recognition system using an RGB-D gesture dataset. We also provide a discussion of where improvements in existing methods utilizing the advantages of depth-sensing technology can be made in order to achieve the best possible results in complex gesture recognition.
Empirical Study Of The Relationship Between Energy Consumption And Gross Domestic Product In The U.S.A.

The role of energy in the economy is an important issue. There is a general belief and agreement amongst economists, researchers, analysts, and policymakers, that energy consumption is related to economic activity and plays a key role in the process of economic development. However, the precise nature of this relationship between energy consumption and economic growth remains debatable. While some ambiguity has remained regarding the direction of causation--- whether from energy to economy or from economy to energy --- the importance of the energy –GDP interaction is well recognized. Energy use is a necessary input to economic growth and is also a function of growth. This paper begins with a literature review of the work that has been done to date on the energy-GDP relationship in several countries. Then, an analysis of the historical data for the U.S.A. from 1949 – 2003 is presented along with mathematical models. The contributions from this paper are that first, we clarify that energy conservation policies will not harm the U.S. economy. Second, we employed a macroeconomic model based on Multiple Model Estimation to determine the relationship between energy consumption and GDP in the United States for the stated time period. Our model suggests that the causation goes both ways: from energy to the components of GDP, and from GDP to energy consumption.
Hamdan, Fundamental Fairness, and the Significance of Additional Protocol II

One significant aspect of the recent decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld was the applicability of the fundamentally fair trial requirement derived from the laws of war. A majority of the Court determined that the procedures established for the military commission violated the "regularly constituted tribunal" requirement of Common Article 3 of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949. In a more controversial portion of the decision, a plurality of the Court relied on the procedural requirements established by Article 75 of Protocol I Additional to the Four Geneva Conventions to bolster this conclusion, even though President Reagan rejected that treaty as "fundamentally flawed." Ironically, an identical provision exists in Protocol II Additional to the Four Geneva Conventions, a treaty that both Presidents Reagan and Clinton have sought Senate advice and consent in order to ratify. Although textually inapplicable to armed conflicts occurring outside the territory of a contracting party, the United States opposition this scope limitation, coupled with the fact that unlike Additional Protocol I, this treaty was specifically intended to regulate non-international armed conflicts, makes this treaty an equally if not more compelling source of authority in support of the Court's holding. This article will briefly explore the semiliterate between the fundamental fairness provisions of Additional Protocols I and II, and the United States position related to these treaties.
Property, efficiency, the commons, and theft

It is easy to get the impression from reading economics that property generally, and property in ideas in particular, is efficient. This impression is meaningful because it suggests that there is no efficiency rationale for government regulation of any kind other than the institution and defense of a property system itself. The purpose of this Chapter is to explain why this impression is false. The Chapter shows that two stories economists tell about the efficiency of property, the Tragedy of the Commons and what I call the Parable of Theft, do not establish that property or intellectual property is efficient.
Internationalizing Colleges and Universities

Dean Cordier has cautioned wisely that centers of international studies should concentrate on excellence rather than on universality of coverage and should not expand beyond the limits of their expertise. I shall develop a complementary theme, asserting that within any college or university a number of departments and professional schools have responsibility for international studies. Centers of international studies cannot reach their maximum potential if these responsibilities are not carried out. The first portion of my comments will be concerned with international relations but later discussion will be broadened to include other aspects of international studies. Over the past two decades the experience of university departments and centers traditionally concerned with international relations has been rather similar to that of foreign offices in national governments. Until recently the foreign office served as the agent of government through which most foreign affairs were conducted. As a variety of economic, social, cultural, and scientific problems were added to the agendas of intergovernmental dialogue, other departments of government became increasingly involved in international relations. Foreign offices have attempted to control, or at least coordinate, the foreign relations of their sister departments of government but with limited success. As each department of government becomes involved directly in international relations there are wider and wider areas of international activity in which the foreign office is involved only marginally. Similarly, departments and professional schools of colleges and universities heretofore uninterested in international relations now are increasingly involved. This includes direct participation in international relations through expanding activities of international pro-