cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
You Don’t Need A Name To Be Traded: Valuing Minor-League Prospects

When a trade is reported on the sports ticker, the acronym PTBNL often accompanies the running scroll. The abbreviation stands for “Player To Be Named Later;” which means one club has agreed to give up one or more players now in return for another player who will switch teams at a later date. A player-to-be-named-later is an IOU issued by a club that allows its trading partner to select an individual from a pre-determined list of players to complete a trade. This gives a club an opportunity to scout players with whom it is unfamiliar, and thus lessens the risk of doing a deal. A player-to-be-named-later can be included in a trade as long as the deal is consummated within six months and the player has never played in the league he’s moving to. It’s this last requirement that makes most players-to-be-named-later minor leaguers.
Healthcare dialogue: project highlights

A year-long experiment was conducted to better understand the potential of web-based deliberations to inform public policy. Focused on health care reform, the project drew from periodic surveys and a series of online group deliberations to examine the interaction of policy elites and ordinary citizens in online settings, and to test hypotheses related to group composition, discussion processes, and decision making.
The Structure of the Universe

Edwin Hubble (1889–1953) was born in Marshfield, Missouri. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Chicago in 1910, where he concentrated on astronomy, mathematics and philosophy. As a Rhodes scholar at The Queens College, Oxford, he studied jurisprudence, literature and Spanish. He returned to his interest in astronomy after serving as a high-school teacher for a few years, earning his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1917. There, he carried out photographic studies of faint nebulae at the Yerkes observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin—home to the largest refracting telescope in the world (see Fig. 26.1). After serving in the United States Army in World War I, he went to work at the Mount Wilson Observatory, where he studied Cepheid variables in spiral nebulae. Building upon the work of Henrietta Leavitt, Ejnar Hertzsprung, Vesto Slipher and Harlow Shapley, he was able to establish a relationship between the recessional velocities of galaxies and their distances from the earth—what is now known as Hubble’s Law. The Hubble Space Telescope, named after the famous cosmologist, was launched into low-earth orbit in 1990 and has subsequently produced thousands of popular and beautiful images of galaxies and other astronomical objects. In the following reading selection, which appeared in The Scientific Monthly in 1934, Hubble begins by describing how nebulae appear when viewed through powerful telescopes, and also how their distribution throughout the observable regions of the universe is calculated. After this he proceeds to explain his famous velocity–distance relationship. As you study this text, try to identify any assumptions made by Hubble. Are his reasonable assumptions? Is there a better approach?
Both attentional control and the ability to make remote associations aid spontaneous analogical transfer

Given the widespread belief that analogical processing is an important mechanism for creative problem solving, despite the rarity of spontaneous transfer in laboratory studies, a critical direction for future research is to address which abilities may allow for the spontaneous analogizing between distant (superficially dissimilar) sources and targets. This study explores the role of individual differences in attentional control and the ability to make remote associations and their possible combined effects on spontaneous analogical transfer. Participants attempted to solve Duncker's radiation problem after having been exposed to a distant source as part of an earlier task. Results indicated that both measures of attentional control and the ability to make remote associations uniquely predicted spontaneous transfer between a superficially dissimilar source and target. Further, a critical role was seen for the quality of the representation of the source analog on the likelihood of transfer. The present results affirm that the likelihood of spontaneous transfer depends critically on the quality of the representation for the source, but also suggest that individual differences in the ability to make remote associations may be more conducive to constructing a broader representation of that source than individual differences in attentional control.
INCORPORATING CAREER DEVELOPMENT SKILLS INTO THE STEM CLASSROOM WITH FLIPPED METHODS

Career development is a lifelong process encompassing many factors and stages essential to achieving occupational aspirations. In flipped classrooms, students watch instructional videos as homework and engage in concept exploration and problem-solving activities in class. A surge in the utilization of the flipped classroom strategy has resulted in an increase in pedagogical research in which investigators employ mixed methods research designs to explore student attitudes and learning outcomes. While many empirical studies have been done to clarify the effects of flipped classrooms on student learning in various disciplines including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, very few studies have been conducted to evaluate the use of the flipped classroom model to enhance college students' career development skills. The purpose of this scalable pilot qualitative research study is to investigate STEM student perceptions of utilizing the flipped classroom approach to inculcate critical skills required to enter the workforce. Qualitative data analysis revealed that implementation of the flipped classroom format improved students' understanding and application of STEM job interview techniques. Results also demonstrate that over 90% of the respondents believe that flipped classroom methods would serve as an effective instructional strategy to enhance comprehension of additional career development skills.
Neural coding by electroencephalography (EEG)

Abstract The central nervous system controls the motor function of the body. It consists of two parts: the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is the origin of voluntary movement control. It generates the neural signal traveling through the corticospinal tract to activate the musculoskeletal system for executing the movement. Scalp electroencephalography (EEG) is an electrophysiological monitoring method that records the neural signal generated from the brain. Measuring and analyzing the EEG signal during movement control allows the identification of motor intentions. That can help individuals suffering from damage to the corticospinal tract to regain their movement ability by building a direct communication between the brain and assisted devices (e.g., wheelchair, neuroprosthesis). This chapter introduces the mechanism of neural coding during movement by EEG and reviews the current advances in EEG measurement and analysis for identifying motor intentions.
Pipeline Interventions.

We introduce the \emph{pipeline intervention} problem, defined by a layered directed acyclic graph and a set of stochastic matrices governing transitions between successive layers. The graph is a stylized model for how people from different populations are presented opportunities, eventually leading to some reward. In our model, individuals are born into an initial position (i.e. some node in the first layer of the graph) according to a fixed probability distribution, and then stochastically progress through the graph according to the transition matrices, until they reach a node in the final layer of the graph; each node in the final layer has a \emph{reward} associated with it. The pipeline intervention problem asks how to best make costly changes to the transition matrices governing people's stochastic transitions through the graph, subject to a budget constraint. We consider two objectives: social welfare maximization, and a fairness-motivated maximin objective that seeks to maximize the value to the population (starting node) with the \emph{least} expected value. We consider two variants of the maximin objective that turn out to be distinct, depending on whether we demand a deterministic solution or allow randomization. For each objective, we give an efficient approximation algorithm (an additive FPTAS) for constant width networks. We also tightly characterize the "price of fairness" in our setting: the ratio between the highest achievable social welfare and the highest social welfare consistent with a maximin optimal solution. Finally we show that for polynomial width networks, even approximating the maximin objective to any constant factor is NP hard, even for networks with constant depth. This shows that the restriction on the width in our positive results is essential.
The wound microbiome

Abstract The wound microbiome consists of living microbial communities (“microbiota”) that interact with each other and their surroundings in the injured tissue. The role of the wound microbiota in impaired healing and progression to infection-related complications is an area of active investigation, which has benefited from advances in next-generation sequencing methods. Here, we discuss these methods and approaches, while highlighting the advances in understanding afforded by each. Amplicon-based sequencing (e.g., bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing) and metagenomic shotgun sequencing approaches have revealed the previously underappreciated microbial diversity in diabetic wounds, the stability of microbiota over time, responses to interventions, and associations with clinical outcomes. These findings have implications for fundamental understanding of host-microbial interactions during diabetic wound healing as well as the management and treatment of diabetic wounds.
Uptake and binding of serotonin by the platelet and its granules.

Publisher Summary The chapter reviews the current information on the mechanisms of uptake and binding of 5-HT by platelets and isolated granules. The uptake of 5-HT by platelets increases with temperature and reaches maximal velocity at 40°C. However, temperature sensitivity cannot be regarded as strong evidence for active transport, because enzymic mechanisms of storage in granules might well facilitate diffusion across the platelet membrane by increasing the rate of removal of 5-HT from the cytoplasm. Under appropriate conditions the uptake of 5-HT by platelets can be facilitated by the addition of potassium and phosphate (or citrate) to the medium. All structural modifications of 5-HT have been shown to be accumulated by platelets less readily and less extensively than 5-HT. Many drugs interfere with the uptake of 5-HT by platelets. The binding of 5-HT in platelets involves attachment to cytoplasmic macromolecules as well as storage in granules.
Thinking about Democracy: Power Sharing and Majority Rule in Theory and Practice

Part 1: Introduction 1. Developments in Power-Sharing Theory and Practice Part 2: Consociational and Consensus Democracy 2. "Consociational Democracy," World Politics, January 1969 3. "The Puzzle of Indian Democracy: A Consociational Interpretation," American Political Science Review, June 1996 4. "Constitutional Design for Divided Societies," Journal of Democracy, April 2004 5. "Self-Determination Versus Pre-Determination of Ethnic Minorities in Power-Sharing Systems" in David Schneiderman, ed., Language and the State: The Laws and Politaics of Identity, Cowansville, Quebec: Editions Yvon Blais, 1991 6. "The Quality of Democracy: Consensus Democracy Makes a Difference," Chapter 16 of Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999 Part 3: Majority Rule 7. "Majority Rule in Theory and Practice: The Tenacity of a Flawed Paradigm," International Social Science Journal," August 1991 8. "Back to Democratic Basics: Who Really Practices Majority Rule?", in Axel Hadenius, ed., Democracy's Victory and Crisis, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997 Part 4: Presidential vs. Parliamentary Government 9. "Presidentialism and Majoritarian Democracy: Theoretical Observations," in Juan J. Linz and Arturo Valenzuela, eds., The Failure of Presidential Democracy, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. 10. "Europe, the European Union, and Democracy," NIAS Newsletter, Spring 2002 Part 5: Proportional vs. Majoritarian Election Systems 11. "Constitutional Choices for New Democracies," Journal of Democracy, Winter 1991 12. "Double-Checking the Evidence," Journal of Democracy, Summer 1991 13. "The Alternative Vote: A Realistic Alternative for South Africa?", Politikon, June 1991 14. "Electoral Engineering: Limits and Possibilities," Chapter 7 of Electoral Systems and Party Systems: A Study of Twenty-Seven Democracies, 1945-1990, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994 Part 6: Conceptual Links to the Fields of Political Behavior, Foreign Policy, and Comparative Methodology 15. "Unequal Participation: Democracy's Unresolved Dilemma," American Political Science Review, March 1997 16. "Types of Democracy and Generosity with Foreign Aid: An Indirect Test of the Democratic Peace Proposition" (with Peter J. Bowman), in Erik Beukel, Kurt Klaudi Klausen, and Poul Erik Mouritzen, eds., Elites, Parties and Democracy, Odense, Denmark: Odense University Press, 1999 17. "Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method," American Political Science Review, September 1971 Part 7: Conclusion 18. Conclusions: Power-Sharing and the Future of Democracy Part 8: Bibliography
Phylogenetic Analysis, Vegetative Compatibility, Virulence, and Fungal Filtrates of Leaf Curl Pathogen Colletotrichum fioriniae From Celery.

Leaf curl of celery, caused by Colletotrichum acutatum sensu lato, has been reported in the United States. A multilocus phylogenetic analysis with three genes was conducted with a collection of isolates from celery (n = 23) and noncelery (n = 29) hosts to evaluate their taxonomic position within C. acutatum sensu lato. The three DNA regions used for phylogenetic analysis included the introns of the glutamine synthase GS and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase GPDH genes, and the partial sequence of the histone3 his3 gene. Moreover, celery and noncelery isolates were evaluated for vegetative compatibility and pathogenicity on celery. Culture filtrates from celery and noncelery isolates were also evaluated for their ability to reproduce leaf curl symptoms. A total of 23 celery isolates were evaluated based on phylogenetic analysis, which showed that all celery isolates were closely related and belonged to the newly described species C. fioriniae. The celery isolates were grouped into six vegetative compatibility groups, indicating that the population was not clonal. Isolates of C. fioriniae from celery (22 of 23) and other hosts (26 of 29) caused leaf curl symptoms. Isolates of C. acutatum, C. nymphaeae, and C. godetiae were pathogenic but did not cause leaf curl symptoms. Isolates of C. lupini, C. johnstonii, and C. gloeosporioides were not pathogenic on celery. In addition, cell-free fungal culture filtrates caused leaf curl symptoms on celery, indicating that certain isolates produce a metabolite that can cause leaf curl symptoms on celery, possibly indole acetic acid.
Declining propensity to pay? A re-examination of the lifecycle theory

Abstract Our results indicate that the declining propensity to pay is a function of the changing composition of firms over time and not a declining propensity in individual firms themselves. In particular, the propensity to pay is greater than expected following the 2003 dividend tax cut. The decade a firm went public is also a major determinant of its initial payout policy. Finally, while the strength of the relation between earned/contributed capital and payout propensity declines across IPO decades, there is still a lifecycle effect — within a given IPO cohort, the likelihood of payout increases as firms age.
Sexual Disembodiment: Sexual Energy, Trauma, and the Body:

This article introduces the concept of sexual disembodiment as a functional term for understanding the bodily dynamics of sexual trauma and the dissociative process that may follow. Its contributio...
Effect of Pharmacist Home Visits on Weight Control in Overweight Elderly Hypertensive African American Patients: Managing Your Blood Pressure (My Bp) Program.

Objective The objective was to investigate the effect of a home-based pharmacy intervention on body mass index (BMI) in a cohort of older hypertensive overweight African American (AA) patients. Design A secondary analysis of data collected in a community-based intervention study. Setting Community-based. Participants AA patients, ≥ 65 years old, residing independently, with hypertension diagnosis and BMI ≥ 25. Interventions During a 6month period, patients received 1) two in-home pharmacist-led consultations on weight management, 2) bi-weekly telephone counseling, and 3) health education strategies. Main outcome measures BMIs at baseline and 6 months; stages of behavioral change in diet and exercise based on the Transtheoretical Model. Results At baseline and 6-month follow-up, a total of 153 participants had BMI ≥ 25 and received a completed assessment of behavioral stages. Participants' mean age was 74.2 years. A reduction of BMI from 31.7 (obese) at baseline to 29.8 (overweight) at 6-months (p=0.0008) was observed. For every stage of improvement in diet, there was a reduction of 1.24 points in BMI (p=0.008). For every stage of progress in exercise, there was a reduction of 0.77 points in BMI (p=0.013). Conclusion Pharmacists-led in-home consultations coupled with telephone follow-ups and health education strategies may improve lifestyle and lower BMIs in this cohort. Further studies are needed to investigate these strategies on weight management in geriatric patients with chronic illnesses.
Eleven New Species of Free-Living Marine Nematodes

The genus Hahiaimus is reviewd and divided inb four groups based on characters of the male. Characters used to separate the groups of males include presence or absence of caudal alae and the presence or absence of a precloacal sensillum and/or pore. Ten new species are described from St. Andrew Bay. Bay County, Florida, and H. gerlachi n. sp. is proposed for H.gmcilk sensu GerIach, 1967. New species from St. Andrew Bay are H . thiassinw, N. terjuni, H. +mkz H. bulbomudntus, H . varkbilk, H . paracon", H. mrican l rs . H.floridanus, H . brimi, and H. purafletcheri. Keys to the species of each group are provided based on characters of the male. A key to the females of the genus is also provided.
The Capacity of the Relay Channel

Consider the following seemingly simple discrete memoryless relay channel: Open image in new window Here Y 1, Y 2 are conditionally independent and conditionally identically distributed given X, that is, \(p(y_1,\, y_2\, |\, x) = p(y_1\, |\, x) p(y_2\, |\, x)\). Also, the channel from Y 1 to Y 2 does not interfere with Y 2. A (2nR, n) code for this channel is a map \(x : 2^{nR} \rightarrow X^n\), a relay function \(r :Y_1^{n}\rightarrow 2^{nC_{0}}\), and a decoding function \(g : 2^{nC_{0}} \times Y_2^{n} \rightarrow 2^{nR}\). The probability of error is given by $$ P_e^{(n)} = P \{\,g(r(y_1),y_2) \ne W\}$$ , where W is uniformly distributed over 2nR and $$ p(w, y_1, y_2) = 2^{-nR}\,\, \underset {i=1}{\overset {n}{\Pi}} p(y_{1i}\, |\, x_i(w)) \,\,\underset {i=1}{\overset {n}{\Pi}}\,\, p(y_{2i}\, |\, x_i(w))$$
Mechanix: A Sketch-Based Tutoring and Grading System for Free-Body Diagrams

Introductory engineering courses within large universities often have annual enrollments which can reach up to a thousand students. It is very challenging to achieve differentiated instruction in classrooms with class sizes and student diversity of such great magnitude. Professors can only assess whether students have mastered a concept by using multiple choice questions, while detailed homework assignments, such as planar truss diagrams, are rarely assigned because professors and teaching assistants would be too overburdened with grading to return assignments with valuable feedback in a timely manner. In this paper, we introduce Mechanix, a sketch-based deployed tutoring system for engineering students enrolled in statics courses. Our system not only allows students to enter planar truss and free body diagrams into the system just as they would with pencil and paper, but our system checks the student's work against a hand-drawn answer entered by the instructor, and then returns immediate and detailed feedback to the student. Students are allowed to correct any errors in their work and resubmit until the entire content is correct and thus all of the objectives are learned. Since Mechanix facilitates the grading and feedback processes, instructors are now able to assign free response questions, increasing teacher's knowledge of student comprehension. Furthermore, the iterative correction process allows students to learn during a test, rather than simply displaying memorized information.
Trauma, growth, and personality

This collection of papers focuses on the interaction of maturation phases and special traumas in the first few years of life and the probable effect of these early patterns on the structure of the later personality.
Semantic context facilitates odor identification in children and adults.

The current study investigated the influence of semantic cues on odor identification in preschool-aged children and adults. We tested the hypothesis that odor identification in a multiple-choice task is facilitated when choices belong to different semantic categories compared to when they belong to the same category. Participants were shown three color pictures, one of which represented the target odor and the other two depicted items that were either from the same or different semantic categories as the target odor. After smelling the target odor, participants were asked to identify the odor they had just smelled by pointing to one of the three pictures. Results indicated that while adults outperformed children, performance in both age groups was better when the picture of the target odor was semantically unrelated to the foil pictures. These data support the idea that well-known deficits in odor identification may result from weak associations between the olfactory percept and semantic memory rather than from poor olfactory perception per se. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 592–598, 2014.
Harsanyi 2.0

How should we make interpersonal comparisons of well-being levels and differences? One branch of welfare economics eschews such comparisons, which are seen as impossible or unknowable; normative evaluation is based upon criteria such as Pareto or Kaldor-Hicks efficiency that require no interpersonal comparability. A different branch of welfare economics, for example optimal tax theory, uses “social welfare functions” (SWFs) to compare social states and governmental policies. Interpersonally comparable utility numbers provide the input for SWFs. But this scholarly tradition has never adequately explained the basis for these numbers.John Harsanyi, in his work on so-called “extended preferences,” advanced a fruitful idea. While an ordinary preference is a ranking of outcomes, an “extended preference” is a ranking of individual histories. To say that individual k has an extended preference for history (x; i) over (y; j) means something like the following: k prefers to have the attributes of individual i in outcome x, as opposed to having the attributes of individual j in outcome y. Harsanyi’s proposal was to endow individuals with “extended preferences”; to represent such preferences using “extended” utility functions; and to employ such functions, in turn, as the basis for interpersonal comparisons of well-being levels and differences.Harsanyi’s analysis, however, had various gaps and flaws. In this Article, I both diagnose these difficulties, and show how they can be remedied - yielding a viable account of interpersonal comparisons, one sufficient for the needs of the SWF approach.
New generic indexing technology

There has been no fundamental change in the dynamic indexing methods supporting database systems since the invention of the B-tree twenty-five years ago. And yet the whole classical approach to dynamic database indexing has long since become inappropriate and increasingly inadequate. We are moving rapidly from the conventional one-dimensional world of fixed-structure text and numbers to a multi-dimensional world of variable structures, objects and images, in space and time. But, even before leaving the confines of conventional database indexing, the situation is highly unsatisfactory. In fact, our research has led us to question the basic assumptions of conventional database indexing. We have spent the past ten years studying the properties of multi-dimensional indexing methods, and in this paper we draw the strands of a number of developments together - some quite old, some very new, to show how we now have the basis for a new generic indexing technology for the next generation of database systems.
Cheap rugged autoreporting bottom-positioned oxygen/temperature sensors (CRABPOTS) for industry/tribal/academic collaboration

The Oregon Fishermen in Ocean Observing Research (OrFIOOR) program is a collaboration between Oregon State University researchers and commercial Dungeness crab fishermen in Oregon and Washington which utilizes fishing gear (crab pots) as sensor platforms of opportunity. The program was started in 2005 using small temperature sensors and has since expanded to include observations of near bottom dissolved oxygen. To provide better near real-time products to the fishermen participating in the project and research interested in hypoxia data, we propose a number of technology improvements to the current dissolved oxygen units which will automate data collection using wireless communications and improve sensor endurance through hardware enhancements.
An Examination of Factors Influencing Effectiveness of 15-Second Advertisements

This study investigates a relatively new and unresearched advertising phenomenon: the 15-second advertisement. The effects of various claim-types (factual and evaluative), musical backgrounds (positive, negative, neutral, and no music), and advertisement attention/involvement levels (high and low) on brand attitudes were examined in a 15-second television advertising format. The results provide some interesting insights into the dynamics of the 15-second advertisement. It appears that an advertiser's choice of narrative (factual versus evaluative) in a 15-second format can have a significant influence on brand attitudes. The findings suggest, however, that the impact of narratives may be moderated by music, with factual narratives being most persuasive when coupled with favourable (or no) music, and evaluative narratives being most persuasive under neutral music conditions. The moderating effects of consumer involvement levels, while less pronounced, were also demonstrated under certain advertising claim/...
Predictors of Mortality in Acute Ischemic Stroke Intervention: Analysis of the North American Solitaire Acute Stroke Registry

Background and Purpose—Failure to recanalize predicts mortality in acute ischemic stroke. In the North American Solitaire Acute Stroke registry, we investigated parameters associated with mortality in successfully recanalized patients. Methods—Logistic regression was used to evaluate baseline characteristics and recanalization parameters for association with 90-day mortality. A multivariable model was developed based on backward selection with retention criteria of P<0.05 from factors with at least marginal significance (P≤0.10), then refit to minimize the number of excluded cases (missing data). Results—Successfully recanalized patients had lower mortality (25.2% [59/234] versus 46.9% [38/81] P<0.001). There was no difference in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage between patients with successful versus failed recanalization (9% [21/234] versus 14% [11/79]; P=0.205). However, mortality was significantly higher in patients with symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (72% [23/32] versus 26% [73/281]; P<0.001)...
Precessional frequency tuning in Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19//(Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19/)/sub 1-x/Eu/sub x/ (50 nm) bilayers

We present a study of the precessional dynamics of exchange coupled Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19//Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19/:Eu/sub x/ bilayers, 50 nm thick. Eu codopants are of interest in soft ferromagnetic films since they can be used to enhance the gigahertz precessional frequency (f/sub p/) in Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19/ thin films without contributing to damping. Underdamped precessional dynamics with f/sub p/ "tunable" by as much as roughly 0.3 GHz were observed. Dynamical behavior agrees well with a single-domain Landau-Lifshitz simulation at constant relaxation rate /spl lambda//4/spl pi/=150 MHz across the series. The variation of precessional frequency with bias field shows that the enhancement of resonant frequency arises from an increase of dynamic anisotropy H/sub K/, matched well by static H/sub K/ as measured by SQUID. An increasing contribution in g factor (2.1-2.4) is mostly balanced by a decreasing saturation magnetization M/sub s/.
Diabetes. Gene therapy for rats and mice.

Delivery of an insulin-encoding gene into diabetic rats and mice has helped them to regulate their blood glucose levels. But there are still obstacles to overcome before this approach can be used in humans.
NF2/Merlin mediates contact-dependent inhibition of EGFR mobility and internalization via cortical actomyosin

The proliferation of normal cells is inhibited at confluence, but the molecular basis of this phenomenon, known as contact-dependent inhibition of proliferation, is unclear. We previously identified the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) tumor suppressor Merlin as a critical mediator of contact-dependent inhibition of proliferation and specifically found that Merlin inhibits the internalization of, and signaling from, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in response to cell contact. Merlin is closely related to the membrane-cytoskeleton linking proteins Ezrin, Radixin, and Moesin, and localization of Merlin to the cortical cytoskeleton is required for contact-dependent regulation of EGFR. We show that Merlin and Ezrin are essential components of a mechanism whereby mechanical forces associated with the establishment of cell-cell junctions are transduced across the cell cortex via the cortical actomyosin cytoskeleton to control the lateral mobility and activity of EGFR, providing novel insight into how cells inhibit mitogenic signaling in response to cell contact.
The Subtelomeric Y' Repeat Family in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae: An Experimental System for Repeated Sequence Evolution

The subtelomeric Y' repeated sequence families in two divergent strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been characterized in terms of copy number, location and restriction site differences. The strain YP1 has 26 to 30 Y's that fall into two previously described, long (6.7 kb) and short (5.2 kb), size classes. These Y's reside at 19 of the 32 chromosome ends and are concentrated in the higher molecular weight chromosomes. Five ends contain tandem arrays, each of which has only one size class of Y's. There is restriction site homogeneity among the Y's of YP1 even between size classes. The Y's of strain Y55 contrast sharply with the Y's of YP1 in terms of copy number, location and sequence differences. There are 14 to 16 Y's, both long and short, most of which are found at different chromosome ends than those of YP1. None of these are tandemly arrayed. Four to six of the Y's appear degenerate in that they have homology with a telomere distal end Y' probe but no homology with sequences at the telomere proximal end. The majority of the Y55 Y's have the same restriction sites as in YP1. Despite the conservation of restriction sites among Y's, a great deal of restriction fragment length heterogeneity between the strains is observed. The characterized Y' repeated sequence families provide an experimental system in which repeated sequence interactions and subsequent evolution can be studied.
Time- Dependent Origin-Destination Estimation : Genetic Algorithm-Based Optimization with Updated Assignment Matrix

An estimation of origin-destination (OD) demand matrix is one of key elements to ensure the success in traffic modeling analysis. Even with widely deployed traffic sensors and advanced computational technologies, an estimation of time-dependent OD matrices is still a key barrier for the implementation of dynamic traffic assignment as well as simulation-based traffic modeling analysis. This paper proposes an improvement of existing time-dependent OD estimation method by updating assignment matrix at each step of OD estimation process and quantifies benefits and costs of doing so. The results from a case study with Florian network showed that the estimated OD flows from the proposed GA-based method with updated assignment matrix reduced the sum of square errors by 40% when compared with the OD flows from the DynaMIT OD estimation method with fixed assignment matrix, one of the most commonly used OD estimation methods. However, the proposed method would require significantly higher computational time than the traditional DyanMIT OD estimation method.
Recombinant Osteopontin Attenuates Brain Injury after Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Mice

Osteopontin (OPN), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, has been reported to inhibit inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). We examined if recombinant OPN (r-OPN) inhibits iNOS and prevents brain injury in a mouse collagenase-induced intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) model. One hundred one mice were randomly assigned to five groups: sham, ICH + vehicle, ICH + r-OPN (10, 50, or 100 ng per mouse) groups. Vehicle or r-OPN was administered via an intracerebroventricular infusion 20 min pre-ICH. Neurological scores and brain water content were evaluated at 24 and 72 h, and hemoglobin assay, Nissl staining and Western blot for iNOS, Stat1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 were performed at 24 h post-ICH. r-OPN did not affect hematoma formation. Middle (50 ng)- and high (100 ng)-dose, but not low (10 ng)-dose of r-OPN treatment significantly improved neurological scores and brain water content compared with the vehicle group. The protective effect of r-OPN was associated with significantly rescued neuronal cells in the peri-hematoma region as well as a decrease in the Stat1 phosphorylation, iNOS induction, MMP-9 activation, and ZO-1 degradation. This study suggests that r-OPN may down-regulate iNOS expression by the inhibition of Stat1 phosphorylation, and therefore suppressing the MMP-9 activation, preventing ICH-induced brain injury in mice.
Air/light-free hyphenated extraction/analysis system: supercritical fluid extraction on-line coupled with liquid chromatography-UV absorbance/electrospray mass spectrometry for the determination of hyperforin and its degradation products in Hypericum pertoratum.

Hyperforin, which is a major active constituent of the antidepression herbal medicineHypericum pertoratum (St. John's wort), is very sensitive to oxygen and light. Our paper reports for the first time an air/light-free extraction−separation−detection hyphenated system and its application to St. John's wort. It involves on-line coupling of supercritical fluid extraction with liquid chromatography-UV absorbance/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (SFE-LC-UV/ESI-MS). Mass spectral data on the extract that was produced on-line suggested the presence of the major degradation compound of hyperforinfurohyperforin and two of its analogues. Thus, some degradation process must have already occurred in our sample during plant drying or storage. The feasibility of quantitative extraction and analysis of hyperforin by on-line SFE-LC was made possible by optimizing the extraction pressure, temperature, and CO2 modifier content. High recovery (∼90%) relative to liquid−solid extraction was achieved under optimized ...
Dissociation of amphetamine-induced release of norepinephrine from inhibition of neuronal uptake in isolated brain tissue

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the dissociation of amphetamine-induced release of norepinephrine (NE) from inhibition of neuronal uptake in isolated brain tissue. Neuronal uptake of 3H-norepinephrine into chopped rat brain tissue was measured by a method involving a 10 min incubation of chopped rat brain tissue with 10−7 M 3H-norepinephrine, and measuring total radioactivity in the incubation medium, and tissue. Drugs were added to the incubation medium 10 min before, and during the incubation with 3H-norepinephrine. Experimental samples were incubated at 37°C, and compared to control samples incubated at 0°C. It is found that because there is relatively little metabolism of 3H-norepinephrine in this 10 min exposure, 3H-norepinephrine was not separated from the deaminated metabolites. Results were expressed as tissue to medium ratios. This ratio approaches 1.0 at 0°C which indicates a lack of specific uptake at this temperature. The ratio was 7.1 ± 0.4 at 37°C in the absence of drugs, and this reflects approximately a sevenfold increase in uptake, and accumulation of 3H-norepinephrine into the tissue.
A further evaluation of the origin, the course and the termination of the opossum corticospinal tract.

Abstract This study documents the granular postorbital, parietal and paramarginal origin of the opossum corticospinal tracts. The details of opossum cervical cord morphology were compared with what was previously described for the cat ( Rexed 1952) and certain differences were noted. The opossum corticospinal tracts coursed in both the dorsal and lateral funiculi and ended in Rexed's laminae III through VI. The predominant areas of termination were the medial and, to a lesser extent, the lateral parts of laminae IV and V. Relatively few fibers terminated in lamina VI and the possible significance of this finding is discussed. Because of the interesting paucity of corticospinal bundles arising from the agranular preorbital area, the projections of this cortex were determined and briefly described.
Reciprocal transplant of the seagrass Zostera marina L. Effect of substrate on growth

Abstract The seagrass Zostera marina L. is an important component of the temperate coastal ecosystem making it a candidate for reestablishment and transplantation. In this investigation, the effect of different substrate types on Zostera growth was studied utilizing transplantation of individual short shoots and rhizomes. Data analysis showed that the new leaves produced formed the most reliable parameter for relative production. The results indicate that transplants originating from a natural silt environment displayed best overall growth. Plants grown in a silt substrate continually afforded better growth. The quality of the sediment was also examined. The results indicate that plants grown in undisturbed natural sediments were more successful than plants in sediments which were disturbed. Aspects of the physiology and ecology of Zostera are discussed with reference to the substrate.
Unpacking the Complexity of Linear Equations from a Cognitive Load Theory Perspective.

The degree of element interactivity determines the complexity and therefore the intrinsic cognitive load of linear equations. The unpacking of linear equations at the level of operational and relational lines allows the classification of linear equations in a hierarchical level of complexity. Mapping similar operational and relational lines across linear equations revealed that multi-step equations are derivatives of two-step equations, which in turn, are derivatives of one-step equations. Hence, teaching and learning of linear equations can occur in a sequential manner so that learning new knowledge (e.g. two-step equations) is built on learners’ prior knowledge (e.g. one-step equations), thus reducing working memory load. The number and nature of the operational line as well as the number of relational lines also affects the efficiency of instructional method for linear equations. Apart from the degree of element interactivity, the presence of complex element (e.g. fraction, negative pronumeral) also increases the complexity of linear equations and thus poses a challenge to the learners.
Comparison of the Spreeta® surface plasmon resonance sensor and a quartz crystal microbalance for detection of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin

Abstract Small, low-cost sensors that rapidly detect pathogens or their toxic products in food and water supplies would facilitate environmental monitoring. However, they must be sufficiently easy to use and reliable enough to be widely deployed. In this study, a small surface plasmon resonance sensor (Spreeta® SPR) and a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) have been evaluated to determine whether the sensitivity, reliability, and ease of operation of one or both devices would be suitable for flow-cell format detection of pathogenic agents. Both make use of a gold-coated surface modified by deposition of a suitable capture agent. In each case, analyte binding to the capture agent results in a quantifiable signal. The model system consisted of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), responsible for travelers’ diarrhea, and its receptor analog, ganglioside GM1. Each device provided a roughly proportional response in a range between 3 (35 pmol) and 25 μg (300 pmol) of toxin protein, but began to saturate the adlayer of capture agent at higher toxin concentrations. The Spreeta® SPR produced a significant response to 6 μg (70 pmol) of E. coli enterotoxin, while the QCM device produced a measurable response to 3 μg (35 pmol) of E.coli enterotoxin. The two devices are comparable with respect to ease of operation and reliability. Both devices could be suitable for remote sensing of analyte from a flow stream with suitable enclosures and temperature-controlled buffering to prevent artifacts induced by temperature fluctuation. There appear to be no significant differences between the Spreeta® SPR device compared to a QCM device as a small, low-cost, rapid biodetector. While neither device matches the sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay(ELISA) for detection of picograms amounts of analyte, measurements can be obtained directly, in minutes, rather than the hours required to visualize results of an ELISA.
Single Molecule FRET Studies of Binding and Conformational Dynamics of HMGB -DNA Systems

HMGB proteins are abundant non-histone proteins in eukaryotic chromatin. HMGB proteins are thought to act as architectural factors that enhance DNA bending and flexibility. The dynamic aspects of DNA bending by these proteins remain elusive. It has been proposed that these proteins associate and dissociate from DNA at fast rates. This highly dynamic behavior makes it difficult to study binding and conformational dynamics by traditional biochemical techniques. In this work we use single molecule fluorescence resonant energy transfer (smFRET) to study the binding dynamics of human HMGB2A and S. cerevisiae Nhp6A sequence non-specific single box proteins to DNA substrates. Studies were done using both total internal reflection and confocal excitation. By using a FRET pair with dyes at the ends of the DNA substrates we are able to follow the bending dynamics of the substrates at the single molecule level. We carried on experiments with duplex DNA 15 bp and 18 bp long to determine binding affinity and potential binding of multiple units to the substrate. DNA substrates containing bulges were used for comparison to study the effect of pre-bent structures on binding affinity and conformational dynamics. Bending of the DNA substrates is observed by changes in FRET efficiency allowing determining the conformational dynamics of the system in real time with temporal resolution in the order of milliseconds.
Improving patient-specific dosimetry for intravascular brachytherapy.

Abstract Purpose Accurate patient-specific dosimetry in intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT) is generally difficult due to the extremely high-dose gradient, complexity of treatment device, and patient-specific geometry (e.g., calcification, stent, curvature, movement of target). The purpose of this study is to analyze quantitatively and systematically the dose effects of calcification, stent, guidewire, and source curvature on clinical dosimetry in an IVBT procedure, and propose a method that can be used to assess these effects in routine clinical practice. Methods and materials Monte Carlo techniques were used to calculate 3-D dose distribution in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous media for three most commonly used IVBT sources: 90 Sr beta (Novoste), 192 Ir gamma (Cordis/Best), and 32 P beta (Guidant). Dosimetric perturbations in the presence of metallic stents, calcified plaques, metallic guidewires, and source curvature were studied for situations commonly encountered in the clinic. The importance of each of these perturbations and their practical influence on patient-specific dosimetry were analyzed. Factors (plaque, stent, guidewire, and curvature) that may be used to correct/reduce these perturbations were introduced to prevent dosimetric cold spots during IVBT. Practical methods of using these correction factors are proposed. Results Dose perturbations are significant due to the presence of source curvature, metallic stents, calcified plaques, and metallic guidewires, especially for beta sources. These perturbations can be as high as 30% under normal clinical conditions, although they can be much higher in extreme situations. Empirical relationships of plaque factor with the thickness of calcified plaque, stent factor with stent metallic surface area, guidewire with guidewire thickness, and curvature factor with the bending angle are derived. These relationships are found to be useful in improving clinical dose accuracy in IVBT treatment planning or dose evaluation after treatment. Conclusions Significant dose perturbations due to the presence of source curvature, metallic stents, calcified plaques, and guidewires have been found in IVBT for in-stent restenosis. Because it has been reported that, with the current prescriptions for IVBT, higher doses consistently improve treatment outcomes, the empirical method derived from this work can be used to assess cold spots dosimetrically, thus improving patient-specific dosimetry for IVBT.
New limits on microwave background anisotropy at small angular scales

The Very Large Array has been used to examine a small piece of blank sky for possible angular variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background. This experiment differs from previous aperture synthesis studies in using a much shorter wavelength, 2 cm instead of 6 cm. As a result, these data yield finer spatial resolution and virtually eliminate radio source contamination, which has complicated the interpretation of the earlier work. The 95 percent confidence limits on sky variance obtained are Delta T/T less than 6.3 x 10 to the -4th with 5.3 arcsec resolution, and Delta T/T less than 1.6 x 10 to the -4th with 18 arcsec resolution. Comparable limits are obtained on polarized fluctuations on 18 arcsec scales. 14 refs.
Outcomes of Hand Surgery in the Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Purpose of Review Surgeons have long been striving to develop new surgical procedures to improve functional outcomes for a variety of hand and wrist deformities resulting from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this review is to assess the latest surgical outcomes related to hand and wrist surgery in the patient with RA.