cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PROFESS: a PROtein Function, Evolution,Structure and Sequence database

The proliferation of biological databases and the easy access enabled by the Internet is having a beneficial impact on biological sciences and transforming the way research is conducted. There are approximately 1100 molecular biology databases dispersed throughout the Internet. To assist in the functional, structural and evolutionary analysis of the abundant number of novel proteins continually identified from whole-genome sequencing, we introduce the PROFESS (PROtein Function, Evolution, Structure and Sequence) database. Our database is designed to be versatile and expandable and will not confine analysis to a pre-existing set of data relationships. A fundamental component of this approach is the development of an intuitive query system that incorporates a variety of similarity functions capable of generating data relationships not conceived during the creation of the database. The utility of PROFESS is demonstrated by the analysis of the structural drift of homologous proteins and the identification of potential pancreatic cancer therapeutic targets based on the observation of protein-protein interaction networks. Database URL: http://cse.unl.edu/~profess/
Towards an integrated linkage map of common bean 2. Development of an RFLP-based linkage map

A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-based linkage map for common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) covering 827 centiMorgans (cM) was developed based on a F2 mapping population derived from a cross between BAT93 and Jalo EEP558. The parental genotypes were chosen because they exhibited differences in evolutionary origin, allozymes, phaseolin type, and for several agronomic traits. The segregation of 152 markers was analyzed, including 115 RFLP loci, 7 isozyme loci, 8 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker loci, and 19 loci corresponding to 15 clones of known genes, 1 virus resistance gene, 1 flower color gene, and 1 seed color pattern gene. Using MAPMAKER and LINKAGE-1, we were able to assign 143 markers to 15 linkage groups, whereas 9 markers remained unassigned. The average interval between markers was 6.5 cM; only one interval was larger than 30 cM. A small fraction (9%) of the markers deviated significantly from the expected Mendelian ratios (1∶2∶1 or 3∶1) and mapped into four clusters. Probes of known genes belonged to three categories: seed proteins, pathogen response genes, and Rhizobium response genes. Within each category, sequences homologous to the various probes were unlinked. The I gene for bean common mosaic virus resistance is the first disease resistance gene to be located on the common bean genetic linkage map.
Contribution of large airways to respiratory system input impedance

Mechanical properties of the human respiratory system are studied using input-output pressure-flow relationships. This input impedance data is fitted to lumped electrical analogs of the system, and the estimated parameters are then assigned a physiological significance. The authors present a technique to refine the interpretation of these parameters. They independently obtain geometrical information describing the large airways and calculate its contribution to the system impedance. Simulations show that this part acts as a resistive-inertial element. >
Retrieval Can Increase or Decrease Suggestibility Depending on How Memory Is Tested: The Importance of Source Complexity.

Taking an intervening test between learning episodes can enhance later source recollection. Paradoxically, testing can also increase people’s susceptibility to the misinformation effect – a finding termed retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (RES, Chan, Thomas, & Bulevich, 2009). We conducted three experiments to examine this apparent contradiction. Experiment 1 extended the RES effect to a new set of materials. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that testing can produce opposite effects on memory suggestibility depending on the complexity of the source test. Specifically, retrieval facilitated source discriminations when the test contained only items with unique source origins. But when the source test included some items that had appeared in multiple sources, the intervening test actually increased source confusions. These results have implications for a wide variety of learning situations. We focused our discussion on eyewitness memory, source complexity, and reconsolidation.
Effect of Surface Chemistry on the diffusion of Copper in nanoporous dielectrics

This work is aimed at understanding the nature of the interactions between metal interconnects and nanoporous dielectrics in integrated circuits. Electrical testing of MIS capacitors is used to assess Cu diffusion and charge injection in the dielectric in the presence of an electric field. We have found that surface modification of nanoporous silica reveals the importance of chemically bound or adsorbed water species in the dielectric and how they trigger metal diffusion. We propose that a combination of moisture-related species in the dielectric and interfacial oxygen oxidize Cu. The copper oxide acts as a source for Cu ions available for diffusion. A quantitative analysis of Cu drift in nanoporous dielectrics that shows the importance of surface chemistry is presented and the mechanism of metal diffusion and charge injection in nanoporous dielectrics is discussed.
Clock period constrained minimal buffer insertion in clock trees

In this paper we investigate the problem of computing a lower bound on the number of buffers required when given a maximum clock frequency and a predefined clock tree. Using generalized properties of published CMOS timing models, we formulate a novel non-linear and a simplified linear buffer insertion problem. We solve the latter optimally with an O(n) algorithm. The basic formulation and algorithm are extended to include a skew upper bound constraint. Using these algorithms we propose further algorithmic extensions that allow area and phase delay tradeoffs. Our results are verified using SPICE3e2 simulations with MCNC MOSIS 2.0m models and parameters. Experiments show our buffer insertion algorithms can be used effectively for high-speed clock designs.
Lesions of the Petrous Apex: Diagnosis and Management

Management of petrous apex pathology poses a unique challenge even to the most seasoned skull base surgeons. The central location in the skull base with adjacent critical neurovascular structures makes access to this region more than a trivial matter. Significant advances in diagnostic imaging have greatly facilitated the diagnosis of petrous apex lesions. The introduction of modern skull base surgery techniques also has provided skull base surgeons with numerous avenues to the petrous apex while significantly decreasing morbidity. The latest diagnostic and management strategies are discussed and an update of some of the more common pathologic entities is provided.
Utilization of Sex‐sorted Semen

This method can produce populations of X or Y sperm with up to 90% accuracy and subsequent offspring whose phenotypic sex is consistent with the initial accuracy of the sex-sorted sperm population. Limitations of the technology are associated with the number of sperm required for fertilization, timing of insemination, individual bull variation in sexed-sperm sorting, and subsequent production of offspring. This technology examines each sperm separately for its DNA content, thus limiting the number of sorted X or Y sperm to approximately 5–6 million sperm per hour.
Contribution of single-channel properties to the time course and amplitude variance of quantal glycine currents recorded in rat motoneurons.

Contribution of single-channel properties to the time course and amplitude variance of quantal glycine currents recorded in rat motoneurons. The amplitude of spontaneous, glycinergic miniature inhi...
Danger Zone: The Causal Effects of High-Density and Mixed-Use Development on Neighborhood Crime

Since the seminal work of Jane Jacobs, it has become conventional wisdom among scholars and professional planners that high residential density and mixed commercial and residential land use reduce street crime. This notion has been influential in guiding planning decisions, but empirical evidence is limited. This paper examines the impact of mixed land use and residential density on crime using a unique high-resolution dataset from Chicago over the period 2008-2013. I employ a novel instrumental variable strategy based on the city's 1923 zoning code. I find that commercial uses, especially liquor stores and late-hour bars, lead to more street crime in their immediate vicinity, with relatively weak spillover effects. Higher residential density leads to lower per capita crime rates and ameliorates the criminogenic externalities of commercial activity. I discuss the implications for zoning policy and policing strategy.
Research Universities and The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Competition, Resource Concentration, and the ‘Great Recession’ in the United States

This paper conceptualizes the US federal government’s response to the ‘Great Recession’ as a ‘natural experiment’ whose broad emphasis on counter-cyclical spending contrasts with the tendency towards stratification within the quasi-market for academic research support. Regression results indicate that resources tended to flow towards a few already-advantaged universities, but also supported universities with lower levels of investment in research equipment and smaller bases of support from business and industry. Because the extent to which these results describe quasi-market mechanisms generally or merely reflect the peculiarities of the US system is unclear, the paper concludes with propositions that could be critiqued and refined through studies in other national contexts.
Southwestern Internal Medicine Conference: Normal and Abnormal Regulation of 1,25-(OH)2D Synthesis

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-(OH)2D) plays a crucial role in the maintenance of blood calcium and phosphorus levels and in normal skeletal mineralization. The concentration of this metabolite in the blood is, by necessity, tightly regulated. The most important stimuli for renal 1,25-(OH)2D synthesis include parathyroid hormone (PTH), its second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and phosphate deprivation. Hypocalcemia and calcitonin, initially thought to act via stimulation of PTH release, have now been shown to directly stimulate 1-hydroxylation. Estrogens also increase 1,25-(OH)2D production, probably by upregulating renal PTH receptors. Inhibitors of the renal 25-(OH)D 1 alpha-hydroxylase include 1,25-(OH)2D itself, hypercalcemia, and phosphate loading. The PTH-vitamin D axis as modulated by the serum ionized calcium level controls adaptation to alterations in dietary calcium and sodium intake and to changes in skeletal turnover based on the level of physical activity. Although normally the renal production of 1,25-(OH)2D is tightly regulated and changes little in response to vitamin D challenge, there are certain conditions in which 1,25-(OH)2D appears to be substrate-dependent. These include hypoparathyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, sarcoidosis and the anephric state, conditions in which PTH is not well-modulated by alterations in serum ionized calcium or in which extrarenal synthesis of 1,25-(OH)2D occurs. In several disorders, including absorptive hypercalciuria, pseudohypoparathyroidism, hypophosphatemic rickets, and tumoral calcinosis, the regulation of the renal 1 alpha-hydroxylase appears to be altered.
The Notion of Restraint of Trade under Section 1 of the German Anticartel Law

Whereas the Rome Treaty tackles the problem of restrictive trade agreements in two basic substantive provisions, the German statute against restraints of competition utilizes a substantially different technique. It has been drafted in the most detailed manner and contains a wide range of both substantive and procedural rules, which deal with a specific situation. (1) Its main characteristic is its pretension to be a self-contained code, but the language used is not as broad as that commonly found in such legislation. Obviously, the attempt was to define, as precisely as possible, the basis on which courts and the administrative enforcement agency would proceed, so that discretionary decisions of economic policy would be confined within narrow limits. If it can be said that Article 85 of the Rome Treaty has, like the Sherman Act, “a generality and adaptability comparable to that found to be desirable in constitutional provisions (2) ”, conversely, it is certainly the rigidity and the technicality of the German statute which first strikes the comparative lawyer. Differences of the same kind exist, for instance, between the French and the German law of torts. While the French Civil Code has limited itself to laying down a few broad and general principles, entrusting the courts with their application to all factual situations, the German Civil Code has formulated a series of rules, each of which, again, provides for a particular situation.
PROSPRO/1800

PROSPRO is a real-time on-line system for implementing automatic control of process units. It requires a knowledge of the industrial process and its control characteristics, but not of computer programming. Fill-in-the-blanks forms are provided for specifying generalized logic, calculation, and control procedures with the capacity for implementing not only normal control actions, but also special-exception operations and advanced control techniques. The generalized features permit reliable interprogram communications and automatic documentation.
Quantitative and cell-cycle differences in progenitor cells mobilized by recombinant human interleukin-7 and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Administration of recombinant human interleukin-7 (rhIL-7) to mice increases the exportation of myeloid progenitors (colony-forming unit [CFU]-c and CFU-granulocyte erythroid megakaryocyte macrophage [CFU-GEMM]) from the bone marrow (BM) to peripheral organs, including blood, and also increases the number of primitive progenitor and stem cells in the peripheral blood (PB). We now report that combined treatment of mice with rhIL-7 and recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) stimulates a twofold to 10-fold increase in the total number of PB CFU-c, and a twofold to fivefold increase in the total number of PB CFU-spleen at day 8 (CFU-S8) over the increase stimulated by rhIL-7 or rhG-CSF alone. In addition, the quality of mobilized cells with trilineage, long-term marrow-repopulating activity is maintained or increased in mice treated with rhIL-7 and rhG-CSF compared with rhIL-7 or rhG-CSF alone. These differences in mobilizing efficiency suggest qualitative differences in the mechanisms by which rhIL-7 and rhG-CSF mobilize progenitor cells, in fact, the functional status of progenitor cells mobilized by rhIL-7 differs from that of cells mobilized by rhG-CSF in that the incidence of actively cycling (S-phase) progenitors obtained from the PB is about 20-fold higher for rhIL-7-treated mice than for mice treated with rhG-CSF. These results suggest the use of rhIL-7-mobilized progenitor/stem cells for gene-modification and tracking studies, and highlight different functions and rates of repopulation after reconstitution with PB leukocytes obtained from mice treated with rhIL-7 versus rhG-CSF.
Reasonable Rules and Rules of Reason: Vertical Restrictions on Distributors:

This article proposes a set of guidelines for the application of the “rule of reason” to vertical restrictions imposed by manufacturers on independent distributors. The guidelines have been developed from an analysis of the economic impact of vertical restrictions, the needs of manufacturers for distribution control, and a public policy that fosters effective competition.
Impact of smoking on complication and pseudarthrosis rates after single- and 2-level posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine.

Study Design. Retrospective study. Objective. To study the impact of smoking status on postoperative complications and pseudarthrosis in adult patients undergoing posterolateral fusion (PLF) of the lumbar spine. Summary of Background Data. Results of studies analyzing the impact of smoking on complication and pseudarthrosis rates after spine surgery are conflicting. Methods. A retrospective medical record review was performed to identify all adult patients who underwent single- and 2-level instrumented PLF without interbody devices for degenerative spine disease in a 21-year period at a single institution. Patients were divided into smokers and nonsmokers. The main outcome variables were development of at least one postoperative complication and development of pseudarthrosis. Results. A total of 281 patients underwent single- or 2-level PLF in the 21-year period. Of these, 231 (82.21%) patients were nonsmokers and 50 (17.9%) were smokers. For patients undergoing single-level PLF, complication rates in nonsmokers (3.57%) versus smokers (7.69%) were not significantly different (P = 0.353); pseudarthrosis in nonsmokers occurred in 9.82% of cases compared with 7.69% in the smokers group (P = 0.738). Nonsmokers undergoing 2-level PLF had complication rates of 6.72%, compared with 4.17% in smokers (P = 0.638), but pseudarthrosis rates were significantly higher in the smokers group than in the nonsmokers group (29.17% vs. 10.92%; P = 0.019). Patients were followed up for an average of 53.5 months. Conclusion. The findings in this study suggest that smoking has a significant impact on pseudarthrosis rates after 2-level PLF of the lumbar spine, but not necessarily on single-level PLF. Conclusion. Level of Evidence: 4
Hepatic catalase is not essential for the hypolipidemic action of peroxisome proliferators.

SummaryTo evaluate the role of peroxi-somal catalase in lipid metabolism the hypo-lipidemic drugs clofibrate, methyl clofena-pate, and nafenopin were administered to rats in combination with allylisopropylace-tamide, an agent which inhibits catalase synthesis. The number of peroxisomes in liver cells was increased, but these organelles did not contain cytochemically demonstrable catalase. A marked reduction in liver catalase activity was also noted. Although the proliferated peroxisomes were deficient in catalase activity, a substantial hypolipidemic effect was observed in these animals, suggesting that peroxisome catalase is not necessary for the hypolipidemic effect. The increase in carnitine acetyltransferase activity in these animals emphasizes the need to delineate other peroxisomal enzymes which may be involved in lipid metabolism.
Consonant differentiation mediates the discrepancy between non‐verbal and verbal abilities in children with ASD

Background Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate verbal communication disorders reflected in lower verbal than non-verbal abilities. The present study examined the extent to which this discrepancy is associated with atypical speech sound differentiation. Methods Differences in the amplitude of auditory event-related potentials elicited by contrasting consonant–vowel syllables during a passive listening paradigm were used to assess speech sound differentiation in 24 children with ASD and 18 chronological age-matched children with typical development (TD), M age 6.90 years (SD = 1.39). Results Results revealed that compared with TD peers, children with ASD showed reduced consonant differentiation in the 84- to 308-ms period. Brain responses indexing consonant differentiation were negatively related to the degree of discrepancy in non-verbal and verbal abilities and mediated the relationship between diagnostic group membership and the greater discrepancy. Conclusions We discuss the theoretical and clinical implications of the brain's response to speech sound contrasts possibly explaining the greater non-verbal versus language ability in children with ASD compared with that in typically developing children.
Clinical application of serum Hs-CRP and SAA in infectious disease of children

Objective To explore clinical value of serum High sensitive C reactive protein(hs-CRP)and Serum amyloid protein A(SAA)in diagnosis of bacterial and viral infection,value of them in distinguishing bacterial and viral infection,provide the experimental base for diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease.Methods To examine the serum level of hs-CRP and SAA in patients with virus infection(n=120),bacterial infection(n=120),and un-infection group(n=120),to analyze the relationship in the different infection groups about each index by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results hs-CRP and SAA of three groups were statistically significant different(P0.05).The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of hs-CRP and SAA in diagnosing systemic bacterial infection were0.960,0.948,The AUC of hs-CRP and SAA in diagnosing systemic virus infection were 0.722,0.745,The AUC of hs-CRP and SAA in distinguishing bacterial and viral infection were 0.866,0.816.Conclusion Detection of serum hs-CRP and SAA levels can be used for the diagnosis of bacterial infections,hs-CRP has higher efficiency in distinguishing bacterial and viral infection than SAA.
MRI of the Fetal Head and Neck

Common anomalies of the fetal head and neck span a wide variety ranging from dysmorphisms (such as macro-/microcephaly, hypo-/hypertelorism, or cleft lip/palate) to lymphovascular malformations to neoplasms (such as hemangiomas, teratomas, and neuroblastomas). Fetal MRI often provides more detailed assessment of such lesions than is possible on ultrasound, while also allowing evaluation of associated anomalies (commonly intracranial). MRI is also valuable in determining the need for prepartum surgery and delivery planning, with particular attention needed in masses of the head and neck to assess for potential pharyngeal obstruction.
A new variant of hereditary hemolytic anemia with stomatocytosis and erythrocyte cation abnormality.

A new variant of congenital hemolytic anemia associated with stomatocytosis, reticulocytosis, decreased osmotic fragility, type I autohemolysis and shortened erythrocyte survival without specific splenic sequestration was discovered in three siblings of Swiss-German ancestry. Increased intracellular sodium (two to three times normal) and slightly decreased intracellular potassium were detected. Total sodium efflux was eight-fold greater than normal but total potassium influx was normal and ouabain-sensitive potassium influx was decreased. The ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux: potassium influx ratio was 26:1 rather than the 3:2 ratio noted in normal cells. The consanguineous parents, four other siblings, and 44 other family members had mild stomatocytosis, reticulocytosis, and, when studied, decreased osmotic fragility, increased autohemolysis, intermediate abnormalities of cation content, cation flux, and moderate shortening of erythrocyte survival. Autosomal dominant inheritance was suggested. No abnormalities of RBC enzymes, hemoglobin or lipids were observed. No abnormalities of membrane protein were detected on acrylamide gel. Substrate depletion of these hypermetabolic cells resulted in intracellular dehydration with potassium loss in excess of sodium gain and decreased deformability. Although the exact nature of the defect responsible for hemolysis is unknown, this syndrome differs from other hereditary hemolytic anemias associated with stomatocytosis.
Cytokines and growth factors in renal injury.

D ESPITE DECADES of investigative work, our understanding of the pathogenesis of renal disease remains rudimentary. A large body of experimental work has defined mechanisms that initiate renal injury, including classical immune mechanisms’-3 and abnormalities in local physical forces.4 Recent interest has focused on the intermediary pathways, which are activated by these initial insults and that culminate in progressive nephron destruction. As a result of this effort, a number of studies have found that the intrinsic population of renal cells are key participants in both the restorative and destructive processes that follow renal injury. Of particular interest is the rapidly increasing body of evidence that renal cells serve both as a source and target of biological modifiers, including cytokines. The term cytokine, as used in this article, refers to peptides that function as messengers between cells (cell to cell communication) to modify cellular growth, to induce change in cellular differentiation, or to alter cellular function. This definition of cytokines clearly includes growth factors as a subgroup but also describes other peptides, whose effects are not primarily mitogenic, as well as hormones. The molecular biology, biochemistry, structure, and biology of all cytokines has been extensively discussed in many reviews and will be mentioned only if pertinent. The role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of inflammatory/immune renal disease is too broad in scope to discuss exhaustively in this article, and the reader is referred to the many excellent published discussions that focus on a particular cytokine in renal injury (Table 1). Rather than cataloging the effects of cytokines on renal
The immigrant experience: Houstonians’ family attitudes and behaviors

ABSTRACTAlthough there is extensive scholarship that examines differences in family behaviors and attitudes between whites and blacks, there are very few studies that examine these differences across whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians in the United States. In the current study, we do so by examining data from the 2011 Houston Area Survey. We explore Houstonians’ likelihood of engaging in interracial relationships, attitudes toward working mothers, and attitudes toward same-sex marriage. Houston was selected as the target of the study given its rise as the most racially and ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the nation. Non-white Houstonians are more likely to date members of other racial/ethnic groups. With regard to attitudes toward working mothers, only Latino and Asian immigrants hold less accepting views than whites. Finally, the results with regard to same-sex marriage equality suggest that increased migration and diversity within Houston could hasten social change and acceptance.
Radio over fiber for mobile communications

Radio over fiber is becoming an increasingly important technology for the in-building wireless market. The dynamic range requirements and optimum choice of laser are identified for this application. Furthermore, a novel architecture based on switched radio over fiber is proposed, which gives important benefits in terms of design, installation and operation of the systems used.
Psychophysiological endophenotypes to characterize mechanisms of known schizophrenia genetic loci.

Background Endophenotypes are laboratory-based measures hypothesized to lie in the causal chain between genes and clinical disorder, and to serve as a more powerful way to identify genes associated with the disorder. One promise of endophenotypes is that they may assist in elucidating the neurobehavioral mechanisms by which an associated genetic polymorphism affects disorder risk in complex traits. We evaluated this promise by testing the extent to which variants discovered to be associated with schizophrenia through large-scale meta-analysis show associations with psychophysiological endophenotypes. Method We genome-wide genotyped and imputed 4905 individuals. Of these, 1837 were whole-genome-sequenced at 11× depth. In a community-based sample, we conducted targeted tests of variants within schizophrenia-associated loci, as well as genome-wide polygenic tests of association, with 17 psychophysiological endophenotypes including acoustic startle response and affective startle modulation, antisaccade, multiple frequencies of resting electroencephalogram (EEG), electrodermal activity and P300 event-related potential. Results Using single variant tests and gene-based tests we found suggestive evidence for an association between contactin 4 (CNTN4) and antisaccade and P300. We were unable to find any other variant or gene within the 108 schizophrenia loci significantly associated with any of our 17 endophenotypes. Polygenic risk scores indexing genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia were not related to any of the psychophysiological endophenotypes after correction for multiple testing. Conclusions The results indicate significant difficulty in using psychophysiological endophenotypes to characterize the genetically influenced neurobehavioral mechanisms by which risk loci identified in genome-wide association studies affect disorder risk.
Electronic display system for computational holography

We present an electro-optical apparatus capable of displaying a computer generated hologram (CGH) in real time. The CGH is calculated by a supercomputer, read from a fast frame buffer, and transmitted to a high-bandwidth acousto-optic modulator (AOM). Coherent light is modulated by the AOM and optically processed to produce a three-dimensional image with horizontal parallax.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Synergistic Effects of Lipids and Peptides on Membrane Dynamics

There is a growing appreciation that the membrane physical properties are essential to cell and protein function. Simply altering the thickness of model membranes has been shown to influence the biological activity of several proteins, while incorporating peptides into lipid membranes also is known to affect the bilayer structural properties. Clearly there is a synergy in lipid-protein interactions in determining the membrane properties; however, the nature of these interactions are not well understood. Here we use a combination of small angle scattering techniques and neutron spin echo spectroscopy (NSE) to investigate the effects of incorporating a small peptide on both the structure and dynamics of model membrane systems. In particular, we investigated the effects of the antimicrobial peptides gramicidin and alamethecin on the lipid bilayer structure using small angle x-ray and neutron scattering. The structural studies were complemented by NSE experiments to probe the collective bending and thickness fluctuation dynamics in these model systems. Notably, the NSE results revealed enhanced thickness fluctuation dynamics in lipid bilayers containing low concentration of gramicidin that were dampened with increasing peptide concentration. An enhancement in dynamics was not seen in bilayers containing alamethicin, suggesting that the dynamics not only depend on peptide concentration, but also peptide orientation within the membrane
Is conversion to resection possible with hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) and systemic (SYS) even in previously treated patients (pts) with unresectable colorectal liver metastases (UnCLM)

3577 Background: Previously, we showed thatHAI with FUDR + dexamethasone (Dex) plus SYS produced a 47 % resectability rate in a retrospective study of 49 pts with UnCLM. Methods: Prospectively evaluated UnCLM pts in a new protocol were combined with the above protocol (n=105 pts) and all were treated with HAI FUDR/Dex + Sys. Unresectability was defined as diffuse bilateral metastases, involvement of all hepatic/portal veins, and/or inability to preserve remaining liver with adequate perfusion. Factors associated with conversion were identified using a multivariate logistic regression model. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were calculated from pump placement by the Kaplan-Meier method. Resectability was a time-dependent covariate in a Cox regression model. Results: 61 of the 105 pts had prior SYS (56 %with prior Oxali) and 45 (74%) were progressing at the time of pump placement. In previously treated pts, 44% underwent resection, with a median OS of 45 mos. Of 44 chemo-naive pts, ...
Collaboration and the Development of Experimental Economics: A Personal Perspective

Traditionally the economics profession has long been identified with the sole proprietor model of research, publication, and education. The history of economic thought shows that economics was written by lone contributors from classical to neo-classical economics, and into the twentieth century. Graduate students of Smith have read vintage articles and books by individual scholars, as did our predecessors. With minor exceptions he followed that tradition for the first two decades of his career. The great change came in the years 1975 to 1985, his first decade at the University of Arizona. He had followed a similar seminar teaching model at Purdue, from 1963 to 1967, then imported that model into Caltech in 1974, but with little in the form of joint collaborative research exercises.
Expanding and exporting instructional communication scholarship: a necessary new direction

Communication is, by its nature, inherently interdisciplinary. In no other subfield of the discipline is this truer than instructional communication. To that end, instructional communication schola...
The Liberal World Order and the Job-Offshoring Backlash—In Structuralist Perspective

Many factors have contributed to the current wave of anti-globalization sentiments in the advanced world. This paper focuses on one of such factors, MNEs’ job-offshoring through their overseas netw...
Funding Favored Sons and Daughters: Nonprosecution Agreements and 'Extraordinary Restitution' in Environmental Criminal Cases

Over the past eight years, the federal government has entered into more than two hundred nonprosecution agreements with corporations in white-collar crime cases. In such agreements the government promises to cease its investigation and forego any potential charges so long as the corporation agrees to certain terms. And there’s the rub: given the economic realities of just being charged with a white-collar crime these days, corporations are more than willing to accept nonprosecution agreements. Prosecutors are cognizant of this willingness, as well as of the fact that these agreements are practically insulated from judicial review. This results in the prosecution possessing a seemingly unfettered discretion in choosing the terms of a nonprosecution agreement. The breadth of this discretion is nowhere more apparent than in environmental criminal cases. Nonprosecution agreements in such cases have begun to require corporations to donate monetarily to a nonprofit of the government’s choosing. Indeed, in 2012 British Petroleum agreed to pay more than $2.394 billion to nonprofit agencies. This Article critiques this practice by highlighting the inconsistencies between nonprosecution agreements and plea bargaining — the latter are subject to judicial review while the former are not — and unearthing the differences between these payments and any common-law understanding of restitutionary principles. The Article then suggests that the practical result of these nonprosecution agreements is that prosecutors are diverting money that ought to be paid to the Treasury to government-chosen nonprofit agencies, a power constitutionally granted to legislative actors. Finally, the Article concludes by suggesting a modest reform: judicial review by a United States magistrate judge, so as not to run into any Article III concerns, to ensure that prosecutors do not take advantage of the nonprosecution-agreement process.
Factors influencing high school girls’ enrolment in elective physical education: an exploratory qualitative inquiry

This exploratory study sought to describe the meaning high school girls in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA ascribe to their physical education (PE) experiences, inquire about the factors influen...
Object-based design modeling and optimization with genetic algorithms

DOME (Distributed Object-based Modeling Environment) is a software framework for product design system modeling where designers are distributed geographically and make use of different software tools. Designers develop their own local software components, and distributed object technology is used to integrate their services via the Internet to form an overall system model. Designers can then explore alternatives by making changes to local models or remote services while observing how the entire model responds. This exploration is amenable to automated search, which involves both continuous parameters (changing the value of services) and discrete changes (selecting different objects to substitute entire local models). A genetic optimization object and appropriate direct representation genomes and operators were developed for this purpose. The effectiveness of several genetic algorithms was compared and a new variation of restricted tournament selection (RTS) was developed. The RTS variation, called the Struggle GA, most reliably located the global optima and the most local optima. Other crowding algorithms reliably located the global optima but were less successful identifying multiple local solutions. The global algorithms (simple and steady state) did not reliably locate the global optima in mixed variable problems. Finally, a realistic beverage container design example is presented.
The Case for BPA as an Obesogen: Contributors to the Controversy

Since the inception of the term endocrine disruptor, the idea that the environment is an important determinant of phenotype has motivated researchers to explore the effect of low dose exposure to BPA during organogenesis. The syndrome observed was complex, affecting various endpoints such as reproduction and reproductive tissues, behavior, mammary gland development and carcinogenesis, glucose homeostasis, and obesity. This constellation of impacted endpoints suggests the possibility of complex interactions among the multiple effects of early BPA exposure. One key finding of our rodent studies was alterations of energy and amino-acid metabolism that were detected soon after birth and continued to be present at all time points examined through 6 months of age. The classical manifestations of obesity and associated elements of metabolic disease took a longer time to become apparent. Here we examine the validity of the often-mentioned lack of reproducibility of obesogenic effects of BPA, starting from the known environmental causes of variation, which are diverse and range from the theoretical like the individuation process and the non-monotonicity of the dose-response curve, to the very pragmatic like housing, feed, and time and route of exposure. We then explore environmental conditions that may hinder reproducibility and discuss the effect of confounding factors such as BPA-induced hyperactivity. In spite of all the potential sources of variation, we find that some obesogenic or metabolic effects of BPA are reproducibly observed when study conditions are analogous. We recommend that study authors describe details of their study conditions including the environment, husbandry, and feed. Finally, we show that when experimental conditions are strictly maintained, reproducibility, and stability of the obese phenotype is consistently observed.
Abstracts from the Eighteenth Annual Education Conference of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (Oakland, California, October 1999).

s from the Eighteenth Annual Education Conference of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (Oakland, California, October 1999) Karen Wcislo and Leah Hoechstetter Abstracts have been arranged by the Abstract Committee into the following categories:s have been arranged by the Abstract Committee into the following categories: I. Award Papers II. Cancer Genetics III. Prenatal and Preconception Issues IV. Clinical Genetics V. Genetic Counseling and Genetic Counselors VI. Genetics Education
The Roles of Grandparents in Child Development: A Cultural Approach

Researchers in the field of child development have typically downplayed the influence of grandparents on their grandchildren and on their adult children, and most studies of grandparents have taken place in Western societies. This chapter focuses on three sets of research questions. First, how do grandparents influence their young or preschool age grandchildren, how are they influenced by their grandchildren, and how do grandparents influence their adult children? Second, what are some similarities and differences among grandparents, between and within cultural groups? Third, how do grandparents affect, and how are they affected by, cultural variations in children’s social worlds and in social competencies valued by different cultures? As an assessment of the growing social science research literature on grandparenthood in cultural context, this chapter illustrates many contextual influences on grandparents and indicates that a multi-disciplinary and cultural approach is necessary to better understand and support grandparents worldwide.
How to Develop a Mapping Sentence: The Example of Avian Sleep

In this chapter I consider the potential of investigating one particular form of avian behaviour: sleep. This type of behaviour incorporates multiple variables within a complex field research design. I suggest that the concurrent effects of several variables may be reliably investigated using facet analysis and the mapping sentence. After introducing this research, I will specify some of the notions that are core to my argument including the need for precise definitions to be developed and investigated in avian behavioural research. I offer the example of the rate at which sleeping ducks blink as an example of a type of bird behaviour that ornithologists may be interested in, and I develop a mapping sentence framework for investigating this behaviour. I advance an initial mapping sentence that is rudimentary and provide successively more intricate mapping sentences that reflect an increasingly complex design for blinking research to investigate the rate at which a sleeping duck blinks. I then use the same example to illustrate the analysis of behavioural profiles of individual birds or of particular species of birds. Throughout, I stress the importance of using a consistent research framework to facilitate understanding, consistency of interpretations and cumulative knowledge.
Abstract MP03: The Association of the Parent-Child Acculturation Gap With Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk in Hispanic/Latino Youth: Results From the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth)

Introduction: Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionately burdened by obesity and have a high prevalence of pre-diabetes and dyslipidemia. Acculturation may help explain this elevated cardiometabo...
Chapter 5 – Radiology

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the angiographic vasospasm. The fundamental concept of vasospasm (VSP) rests on angiographic observations. It is also abundantly clear that VSP is not the only cause of delayed ischemic symptomatology. Fine judgment is required to select the radiologic study of choice in an attempt to sort out the relative contribution of arterial narrowing and other adverse physiological mechanisms. Digital subtraction angiography is currently the gold standard against which all other methods must be compared. Catheter angiography has its own independent risk of inducing ischemic brain damage and there is also the consideration of moving extremely sick patients and the resource utilization involved. Angiographic VSP tends to occur in the basal conducting arteries within the subarachnoid space, which are surrounded by the most blood clot. It generally takes three or four days to develop and often becomes maximal about a week following the subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Vessel calibers are generally back to normal dimensions within two or three weeks after the SAH. Angiography can visualize not only arterial but also venous abnormalities related to aneurysms and associated arteriopathies, vascular malformations, fibromuscular dysplasia, dissections, moya moya, and venous sinus thrombosis. All of these may coexist with VSP in some patients.
An understudied population? Exploring the factors associated with fear of crime in a semi-rural environment

The intersection of fear of crime and media consumption has been examined in urban environments extensively. However, like many aspects of criminal justice research, much less is known about these ...
Considering dependencies between bug reports to improve bugs triage

Software development teams need to deal with several open reports of critical bugs to be addressed urgently and simultaneously. The management of these bugs is a complex problem due to the limited resources and the deadlines-pressure. Most of the existing studies treated bug reports in isolation when assigning them to developers. Thus, developers may spend considerable cognitive efforts moving between completely unrelated bug reports thus not sharing any common files to be inspected. In this paper, we propose an automated bugs triage approach based on the dependencies between the open bug reports. Our approach starts by localizing the files to be inspected for each of the pending bug reports. We defined the dependency between two bug reports as the number of common files to be inspected to localize the bugs. Then, we adopted multi-objective search to rank the bug reports for programmers based on both their priorities and the dependency between them. We evaluated our approach on a set of open source programs and compared it to the traditional approach of considering bug reports in isolation based mainly on their priority. The results show a significant time reduction of over 30% in localizing the bugs simultaneously comparing to the traditional bugs prioritization technique based on only priorities.
Rising Gun Sales in the Wake of Mass Shootings and Gun Legislation

Although gun control laws are intended to reduce exposure to gun violence in communities across the country, the passage of gun control laws is often linked to a substantial rise in the number of guns sold in the U.S. National polls indicate that most individuals purchase firearms for protection, but some cite the fear of gun-buying restrictions as the main reason for purchasing a gun. It is unclear what impact gun legislation has on patterns of gun sales, as mass shootings continue to bring the U.S. gun debate to the forefront. Using statewide data on gun transactions in Massachusetts from 2006 to 2016, we examined patterns in gun sales following the passage of gun legislation and high profile mass shootings. Specifically, we used three events to test and refine the argument during this time period: (1) the Newtown shooting, (2) the San Bernardino shooting, and (3) the passage of the 2014 Massachusetts Gun Violence Reduction Act. Results from these time-series analyses indicated different patterns in handgun sales, with significantly larger increases occurring among first-time handgun buyers. Our findings complement prior work explaining the impact of mass shootings and gun control laws on the exposure to guns in communities.
Governing risk society: the socio-technological experiences of China and South Korea in the COVID-19 pandemic

This is a critical comparative analysis of the systematic ways in which technology and big data practices are employed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in China and South Korea. This stud...