cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Postnatal testosterone concentrations and male social development.

Converging evidence from over 40 years of behavioral research indicates that higher testicular androgens in prenatal life and at puberty contribute to the masculinization of human behavior. However, the behavioral significance of the transient activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in early postnatal life remains largely unknown. Although early research on nonhuman primates indicated suppression of the postnatal surge in testicular androgens had no measurable effects on the later expression of the male behavioral phenotype, recent research from our laboratory suggests that postnatal testosterone concentrations influence male infant preferences for larger social groups and temperament characteristics associated with the later development of aggression. In later assessment of gender-linked behavior in the second year of life, concentrations of testosterone at 3-4 months of age were unrelated to toy choices and activity levels during toy play. However, higher concentrations of testosterone predicted less vocalization in toddlers and higher parental ratings on an established screening measure for autism spectrum disorder. These findings suggest a role of the transient activation of the HPG axis in the development of typical and atypical male social relations and suggest that it may be useful in future research on the exaggerated rise in testosterone secretion in preterm infants or exposure to hormone disruptors in early postnatal life to include assessment of gender-relevant behavioral outcomes, including childhood disorders with sex-biased prevalence rates.
Managing Cassini Safe Mode Attitude at Saturn

The Cassini spacecraft was launched on October 15, 1997 and arrived at Saturn on June 30, 2004. It has performed detailed observations and remote sensing of Saturn, its rings, and its satellites since that time. In the event safe mode interrupts normal orbital operations, Cassini has flight software fault protection algorithms to detect, isolate, and recover to a thermally safe and commandable attitude and then wait for further instructions from the ground. But the Saturn environment is complex, and safety hazards change depending on where Cassini is in its orbital trajectory around Saturn. Selecting an appropriate safe mode attitude that insures safe operation in the Saturn environment, including keeping the star tracker field of view clear of bright bodies, while maintaining a quiescent, commandable attitude, is a significant challenge. This paper discusses the Cassini safe table management strategy and the key criteria that must be considered, especially during low altitude flybys of Titan, in deciding what spacecraft attitude should be used in the event of safe mode.
Demodulation with dirty templates for UWB impulse radios

A low-complexity, high performance demodulation algorithm suitable for ultra-wideband impulse radio (UWB-IR) is developed. Capitalizing on the recently proposed acquisition scheme based on dirty templates (TDT), the novel demodulator can cope with unknown timing offsets, unknown time-hopping spreading codes, and unknown multipath channels. Both data-aided (DA) and non-data-aided (NDA) TDT schemes are considered. Performance of the resultant TDT-based demodulator is evaluated and shown to be robust to timing estimation errors. Comparisons are provided with the UWB-RAKE receiver when timing errors are absent. It is asserted that the TDT-based demodulator outperforms the RAKE with limited number of fingers in the medium to high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) range. Analytical results are corroborated by simulations
An Incremental Approach to Task and Message Scheduling for AUTOSAR Based Distributed Automotive Applications

An incremental message and task scheduling approach based on a time driven message schedule and priority driven task schedule is proposed. The hierarchical message and task scheduling methodology meets precedence, real-time, and deadline constraints. The global message system is supported by FlexCAN and the task scheduler system is supported by the AUTOSAR O.S. A detailed design example that includes a drive-by-wire application is used to illustrate the methodology.
Maintenance of variation in sexually selected traits in females: a case study using intrasexual aggression in tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor

A fundamental question in evolutionary biology is how phenotypic variation is maintained in the face of selection that ought to deplete that variation. Much research has investigated this question in traits favored via sexual selection in males, with a common solution implicating the condition dependence of sexually selected phenotypes. Despite growing interest in sexual selection on females, it is not clear if the same mechanisms maintain variation in female ornaments, weaponry or other female behaviors targeted by sexual selection. An important step in testing condition dependence in females is thus to identify whether sexually selected female phenotypes are associated with condition and also with potential costs. Here, I examine these two components of condition dependence for a sexually selected behavior, intrasexual aggression, in female tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor. I asked whether high levels of intrasexual aggression map onto natural variation in female condition and whether aggression is associated with one potential behavioral cost: performance in a vertically challenging test of flight. More aggressive females were heavier for their body size, heavier for their wing size and showed decreased flight ability, relative to less aggressive females. These findings are consistent with condition dependence, where only females in better condition are able to be highly aggressive. The association between high aggression and reduced flight ability may result from the additional lift required to power these relatively heavier birds. These associations between natural variation in aggressive behavior, morphology and flight ability are consistent with condition dependence because they confirm two basic assumptions of condition dependence: a link between aggression and condition, and a link between aggression and a behavioral cost, the speed of escape flight. As the first study to examine these assumptions for a conspicuous behavior favored by intrasexual selection in females, this study suggests broad relevance of condition dependence.
Absence of p53 Complements Defects in Abelson Murine Leukemia Virus Signaling

The v-Abl protein encoded by Abelson murine leukemia virus (Ab-MLV) induces transformation of pre-B cells via a two-stage process. An initial proliferative phase during which cells with limited tumorigenic potential expand is followed by a crisis period marked by high levels of apoptosis and erratic growth. Transformants that survive this phase emerge as fully malignant cells and usually contain mutations that disable the p53 tumor suppressor pathway. Consistent with the importance of p53 in this process, pre-B cells from p53 null animals bypass crisis. Thus, the transformation process reflects a balance between signals from the v-Abl protein that drive transformation and those coming from the cellular response to inappropriate growth. One prediction of this hypothesis is that Ab-MLV mutants that are compromised in their ability to transform cells may be less equipped to overcome the effects of p53. To test this idea, we examined the ability of the P120/R273K mutant to transform pre-B cells from wild-type, p53 null, and Ink4a/Arf null mice. The SH2 domain of the v-Abl protein encoded by this mutant contains a substitution that affects the phosphotyrosine-binding pocket, and this mutant is compromised in its ability to transform NIH 3T3 and pre-B cells, especially at 39.5°C. Our data reveal that loss of p53 or Ink4a/Arf locus products complements the transforming defect of the P120/R273K mutant, but it does not completely restore wild-type function. These results indicate that one important transforming function of v-Abl proteins is overcoming the effects of a functional p53 pathway.
Comparison of DNA-based typing methods to assess genetic diversity and relatedness among Candida albicans clinical isolates

Three serial isolates of Candida albicans were obtained from each of five HIV infected patients with recurrent oropharyngeal candidiasis from the same geographical area. Isolates from one patient remained susceptible to fluconazole whereas serial isolates from the other four patients showed decreasing susceptibilities to the drug. Strain identity was investigated by pulse-field gel electrophoretic (PFGE) separation of chromosomes, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of chromosomal DNA, Southern blot analysis with the moderately repetitive probe Ca3 of the materials present in the RFLP gels after transfer to nylon membranes, and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD). All techniques were able to group isolates obtained from the same patient. Techniques resulting in more complex banding profiles exhibited increased discriminatory power allowing detection of strain variants. Methods resulting in less complex banding patterns, especially Southern hybridization of SfiI digested chromosomal DNA with the moderately repetitive probe Ca3, were more helpful to determine isogenicity among isolates obtained from the same patient. The combination of results from methods with high discriminatory power (to maximize detection of strain variants) and methods resulting in less complex banding patterns (to allow determination of isogenic isolates) should facilitate the delineation of the epidemiology of C. albicans infection.
Independent effects of adding weight and inertia on balance during quiet standing.

Background: Human balance during quiet standing is influenced by adding mass to the body with a backpack, with symmetrically-applied loads to the trunk, or with obesity. Adding mass to the body increases both the weight and inertia of the body, which theoretically could provide counteracting effects on body dynamics and balance. Understanding the independent effects of adding weight and inertia on balance may provide additional insight into human balance that could lead to novel advancements in balance training and rehabilitation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the independent effects of adding weight and inertia on balance during quiet standing. Methods: Sixteen normal-weight young adult participants stood as still as possible on a custom-built backboard apparatus under four experimental conditions: baseline, added inertia only, added weight only, and added inertia and weight. Results: Adding inertia by itself had no measurable effect on center of pressure movement or backboard movement. Adding weight by itself increased center of pressure movement (indicated greater effort by the postural control system to stand as still as possible) and backboard movement (indicating a poorer ability of the body to stand as still as possible). Adding inertia and weight at the same time increased center of pressure movement but did not increase backboard movement compared to the baseline condition. Conclusions: Adding inertia and adding weight had different effects on balance. Adding inertia by itself had no effect on balance. Adding weight by itself had a negative effect on balance. When adding inertia and weight at the same time, the added inertia appeared to lessen (but did not eliminate) the negative effect of adding weight on balance. These results improve our fundamental understanding of how added mass influences human balance.
Solar Tower Radiation Testing of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator

2levels of concentrated solar radiation. Experimentalresultsarepresentedbothfromspectralmeasurementsonthinradiationtransporttestspecimens,aswell as from in-depth temperature measurements. Both spectral measurements and measured in-depth temperature profilesshowedthat,althoughitisaporouslow-densitymaterial,thismaterialdidnotexhibitproblematictransmission or in-depth absorption at the tested high levels of near-infrared radiation, for all pragmatic centimeter-to-inch scale thicknesses. This low-density carbon-fiber-based ablator functioned as a surface absorber to efficiently absorb the incident visible and near infrared incident radiation in the top 2 mm layer at radiative flux levels up to 150 W=cm 2
Trade Union Membership in Europe, 1960–1990: Rediscovering Local Unions

This article compares union density rates in seven Western European countries between 1960 and 1990. In contrast to conventional analyses, the paper argues that, in countries where workplace union organization is well developed, and where unions have managed to turn the official institutions for workers' participation such as works councils into extensions of their operations, they fared better during the 1960s and 1970s than in countries where this was not the case. This difference in the fate of unions was even more pronounced during the 1980s. Unions with strong locals lost few members or actually gained some, while unions without strong local structures saw union density drop by between one-quarter and one-third.
The Vsa Proteins Modulate Susceptibility of Mycoplasma pulmonis to Complement Killing, Hemadsorption, and Adherence to Polystyrene

The variable surface antigens (Vsa) of the murine respiratory pathogen Mycoplasma pulmonis are associated with the virulence of the microorganism in the lung. In strain UAB CT, the antigens consist of an N-terminal region that is combined with one of seven different C-terminal variable regions comprised of tandem repeats. M. pulmonis producing a VsaA protein with about 40 tandem repeats (R40) does not adhere to red blood cells or polystyrene. Strains that produce VsaH contain a short C-terminal region that lacks tandem repeats and adhere to red blood cells and plastic. We isolated and analyzed M. pulmonis strain CT variants (CT182 and derivatives) that produced a VsaA protein with only three tandem repeats (R3). These variants adhered to plastic and red blood cells similarly to the VsaH-producing strain. When the R3-producing CT182 strain or the VsaH-producing strains were incubated with normal guinea pig serum, they were efficiently killed. Killing was abolished when the serum was heat inactivated. In contrast, the M. pulmonis strains that produced VsaA R40 were highly resistant to complement killing. CT182R3 variants that survived the complement killing reactions all produced the R40 form of VsaA and were resistant to complement killing. VsaA R40 is the first mycoplasmal protein shown to be associated with resistance to complement. As both VsaH and VsaA can mediate adherence to plastic, cytadherence, and susceptibility to complement, we propose that Vsa modulates these phenotypes by nonspecific interactions.
Efficient computation of generalized median estimators

The generalized median (GM) estimator is a family of robust estimators that balances the competing demands of statistical efficiency and robustness. By choosing a kernel that is efficient for the parameter, the GM estimator gains robustness by computing the median of the kernel evaluated at all possible subsets from the sample. The GM estimator is often computationally infeasible because the number of subsets can be large for even modest sample sizes. Writing the estimator in terms of the quantile function facilitates an approximation using a sample of all possible subsets. While both sampling with and without replacement are feasible, sampling without replacement is preferred because of the reduction in variance from the sampling fraction. The proposed algorithm uses sequential sampling to compute an approximation within a user-chosen margin of error.
Cost-effectiveness study comparing cefoperazone-sulbactam to a three-drug combination for treating intraabdominal infections in an Indian health-care setting.

Objective: This article presents the methodology and results of the pharmacoeconomic analysis of the Magnex Against Standard COmbination Therapy study comparing cefoperazone-sulbactam (Magnex) versus ceftazidime+ amikacin+metronidazole, in the treatment of intraabdominal infections. Methods: This prospective, open label, phase IV study was conducted at 17 study sites in India and randomized subjects to receive either cefoperazone-sulbactam or the combination. Pharmacoeconomic analysis was included as a secondary objective and conducted in the clinical efficacy-evaluable (CEE) and the successfully treated patients. All comparisons between treatment groups were conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Wilcoxon Two-Sample tests. All costs were reported as Indian Rupee (INR) and actual unit costs collected in 2006 were used for the analyses [1 USD ~ 40 INR; 1 Euro ~ 56 INR]. Results: In the CEE and the successfully treated subset of patients, the average cost of treatment was numerically lower in the cefoperazone-sulbactam arm (not statistically significant). The analyses found that the cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) for cefoperazone-sulbactam was INR 17,640.53 and that for the comparator group was INR 22,075.16. Additionally, the incremental CER results showed that the cost of treatment was INR 21,505.59 lower per additional successfully treated patient in the cefoperazone-sulbactam group. Conclusions: The present study was the first of its kind to be conducted in the “price sensitive” Indian health-care setting. Though study was not powered for the difference in average cost of treatments, there was a trend favoring cefoperazone sulbactam. The findings from this study should encourage further conduct of similar analyses and increase the knowledge regarding pharmacoeconomics in India.
Rate-compatible low-density generator matrix codes

We propose a family of rate-compatible codes based on the concatenation of two linear codes with low-density generator matrix, which are a special class of LDPC codes with low encoding complexity. The proposed scheme is characterized by its simplicity of construction, and does not require optimization of the puncturing pattern.
Endogenous Vitronectin and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Promote Neointima Formation in Murine Carotid Arteries

We examined the roles of vitronectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in neointima development. Neointima formation after carotid artery ligation or chemical injury was significantly greater in wild-type mice than in vitronectin-deficient ( Vn −/− ) mice. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation did not differ between groups, suggesting that vitronectin promoted neointima development by enhancing VSMC migration. Neointima formation was significantly attenuated in PAI-1–deficient ( PAI-1 −/− ) mice compared with control mice. Because intravascular fibrin may function as a provisional matrix for invading VSMCs, we examined potential mechanisms by which vitronectin and PAI-1 regulate fibrin stability and fibrin-VSMC interactions. Inhibition of activated protein C by PAI-1 was markedly attenuated in vitronectin-deficient plasma. The capacity of PAI-1 to inhibit clot lysis was significantly attenuated in vitronectin-deficient plasma, and this effect was not explained simply by the PAI-1–stabilizing properties of vitronectin. The adhesion and spreading of VSMCs were significantly greater on wild-type plasma clots and PAI-1–deficient plasma clots than on vitronectin-deficient plasma clots. We conclude that endogenous levels of vitronectin and PAI-1 enhance neointima formation in response to vascular occlusion or injury. Their effects may be mediated to a significant extent by their capacity to promote intravascular fibrin deposition and by the capacity of vitronectin to enhance VSMC-fibrin interactions.
The case of ‘payment-by-results’: re-examining the effects of an incentive programme in nineteenth-century English schools

Performance-based management is a recurring and controversial strategy for education reform. This paper examines a nineteenth-century English experiment in paying schools by results and uses concepts from personnel and behavioural economics to understand its decline. Like many recent education reforms, payment-by-results sought to bring schools and teachers under the ‘laws of supply and demand’. The unintended outcomes of the policy, which ultimately led to its end, included narrowing of the curriculum, cheating and manipulation by schoolteachers and managers, and increased risk and uncertainty in the teaching profession. The paper begins by exploring the role of economics principles in the drafting of the policy. It continues to explore how the programme unravelled, with special attention to issues of perverse incentives, teacher motivation, risk, and uncertainty. Building on recent studies of analogous modern experiments in performance-based management, this paper finds important parallels to current po...
Effects of the Application of Neck Pressure by a Collar or Harness on Intraocular Pressure in Dogs

The effect on intraocular pressure (IOP) from dogs pulling against a collar or a harness was evaluated in 51 eyes of 26 dogs. The force each dog generated while pulling against a collar or a harness was measured. Intraocular pressure measurements were obtained during application of corresponding pressures via collars or harnesses. Intraocular pressure increased significantly from baseline when pressure was applied via a collar but not via a harness. Based on the results of the study, dogs with weak or thin corneas, glaucoma, or conditions for which an increase in IOP could be harmful should wear a harness instead of a collar, especially during exercise or activity.
Synthesis of hydrophenanthrenes through a ‘green’ Fischer carbene–alkyne coupling process

Abstract Coupling of alkynylbenzoyl systems with γ,δ-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes leads to the formation of hydrophenanthrene derivatives. This reaction is not affected by aqueous systems, which offer a further advantage such that chromium hexacarbonyl sublimes during the reaction process. Chromium carbene–alkyne coupling processes can thus be performed in environmentally friendly solvents with substoichiometric net consumption of chromium hexacarbonyl.
Oral administration of a recombinant attenuated Yersinia pseudotuberculosis strain elicits protective immunity against plague

A Yersinia pseudotuberculosis PB1+ (Yptb PB1+) mutant strain combined with chromosome insertion of the caf1R-caf1A-caf1M-caf1 operon and deletions of yopJ and yopK, χ10068 [pYV-ω2 (ΔyopJ315 ΔyopK108) ΔlacZ044::caf1R-caf1M-caf1A-caf1] was constructed. Results indicated that gene insertion and deletion did not affect the growth rate of χ10068 compared to wild-type Yptb cultured at 26 °C. In addition, the F1 antigen in χ10068 was synthesized and secreted on the surface of bacteria at 37 °C (mammalian body temperature), not at ambient culture temperature (26 °C). Immunization with χ10068 primed antibody responses and specific T-cell responses to F1 and YpL (Y. pestis whole cell lysate). Oral immunization with a single dose of χ10068 provided 70% protection against a subcutaneous (s.c.) challenge with ∼ 2.6 × 10(5) LD50 of Y. pestis KIM6+ (pCD1Ap) (KIM6+Ap) and 90% protection against an intranasal (i.n.) challenge with ∼ 500 LD50 of KIM6+Ap in mice. Our results suggest that χ10068 can be used as an effective precursor to make a safe vaccine to prevent plague in humans and to eliminate plague circulation among humans and animals.
Historical Review of Spinal Instrumentation for Fusion: Rods, Plates, Screws, and Cages

The objective of this chapter is to trace the history and development of implant technologies that have led to techniques currently used to stabilize and fuse the spine. This chapter covers the history of spine instrumentation starting with posterior applications for the thoraco lumbar and lumbo-sacral spine, including Harrington and Luque, and then continuing with anterior instrumentation for the thoraco lumbar spine. Then a historical review of intervertebral cages is presented. The development of spine instrumentation increased the armamentarium of tools available to spine surgeons as they treat patients with numerous pathologies with the goal of improving their quality of life. Even with more instrumentation choices available, success of their use in patients also depends on proper clinical evaluation of patient indications, as well as a thorough understanding of the biomechanical principles for their successful performance.Finally, a good understanding of the development of spinal instrumentation since the early 1900s lays the proper foundation for a better understanding of the clinical performance of these implants and of future developments.
Abl family kinases regulate neuronal nicotinic receptors and synapses in chick ciliary ganglion neurons.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission at neuronal nicotinic synapses in the autonomic nervous system and regulate synaptic transmission by modulating presynaptic vesicle release, in the brain. Their wide distribution and function link nicotinic synapses and nAChRs to several neurological and immunological disorders. Hence molecules that regulate nicotinic synaptic function and nAChRs are attractive therapeutic candidates. Abl family non-receptor tyrosine kinases (AFKs) have been shown to contribute to synaptic function and development. AFKs facilitate agrin-mediated clustering of nAChRs in developing muscle cells by mediating downstream tyrosine phosphorylation. Also, AFKs expressed in mature hippocampal synapses modulate synaptic efficacy. However the role of AFKs in regulating nicotinic synapses is unknown. Here we investigate the role of AFKs in regulating neuronal nicotinic synapses in chick ciliary ganglion (cCG) neurons and show that AFKs regulate nicotinic synapses by modulating postsynaptic nAChR function without affecting nAChR surface clusters. Inhibiting AFK kinase activity using STI571 concurrently decreases basal levels of synaptic activity by decreasing quantal size and down-regulating whole-cell nAChR responses. Unlike the developing muscle, inhibition of AFK activity was not associated with the dispersion of nAChR surface clusters. However, the effects of STI571 were specific to nAChRs, non-
The Anti-Proliferative Effect of Doxorubicin is Catalyzed through the Proteolytic Activation of CREB3L1

Doxorubicin is an extensively used chemotherapy agent, but the drug response rate is low owing to an unclear mechanism of action. Here we report that the anti-proliferative effect of doxorubicin is dependent upon the proteolytic activation of CREB3L1. CREB3L1 is synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor. The N-terminal domain of CREB3L1 projects into the cytosol and can function as a transcription factor. Doxorubicin stimulates the proteolytic cleavage of CREB3L1 to release the N-terminal domain from the membrane so that it can enter the nucleus to transcribe anti-proliferative genes. TM4SF20, a polytopic transmembrane protein, plays an important role in the regulation of CREB3L1 proteolytic activation. Under normal conditions, TM4SF20 prevents the proteolytic activation of CREB3L1 precursor. Doxorubicin activates CREB3L1 cleavage by inducing the de novo synthesis of ceramide. The accumulation of ceramide reverses the membrane topology of TM4SF20 by preventing the N-terminal peptide of TM4SF20 from functi...
A late-antique fountain at Aphrodisias and its implications for spoliation practices

In 1904–5, French railroad engineer Paul Gaudin conducted a campaign of excavation focusing on the SE sector of Aphrodisias where a villager had found a relief fragment. Gaudin there uncovered (fig. 1) the tetrastyle facade of a fountain, which he incorrectly designated a “gymnasium”. The intercolumniations were decorated with re-used relief panels, which are now on display in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The structure was further excavated, studied and reconstructed in 1989 by K. Gorkay, but has yet to be fully published. “Gaudin’s Fountain” was built in late antiquity entirely of spolia from other monuments. It thus provides insights into late-antique practices of spoliation and re-use; it also illustrates late-antique renovations undertaken in the city’s final, Christian phase.
Effect of Doping and Oxidation on Grain Growth in Polysilicon

We have studied the influence of doping and oxidation on grain growth of small grain polysilicon. Intrinsic and phosphorus doped (to 1021 /cc pseudo-amorphous layers of Si were prepared by chemical vapor decomposition of SiH4 at 600°C on thermally grown SiO2 on Si wafers. These samples were then annealed in N2 or O2 ambients at 1000°C for 30 minutes. Transmission electron microscopy examination of the samples revealed that grain boundary dislocations were commonly present at high angle boundaries and that there was a remarkable disparity in mean grain size, d, for the different samples. It was found that d was greater for (a) doped poly than intrinsic poly annealed in either N2 or O2, and (b) for the same polysilicon starting materials (doped or undoped) annealed in O2 than in N2. We propose that these phenomena may be explained by the influences of dopant and point defects on grain boundary dislocation mobility which in turn governs grain boundary migration. An atomistic model of grain boundary migration has been developed. A key aspect of the model is the formation and motion of jogs and kinks on grain boundary dislocations. These processes are directly influenced by the behavior of point defects in the material and its electronic properties.
Finding a diamond in the (mouse is) rough

In this issue of Blood, Devlin and colleagues use a new strategy to create a mouse model for the inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, DBA. The result, while recapitulating certain aspects of the disease and representing a positive step forward, also demonstrates that significant hurdles remain in faithfully creating a mammalian model for DBA.
ANABOLIC RESPONSES OF DIAPHRAGM MUSCLE TO INSULIN AND TO OTHER PANCREATIC PROTEINS.

SummarySeveral pancreatic hydrolases, when applied to rat diaphragm in the same concentration as 0.5 U/ml beef insulin, actually behaved like the hormone. One-hour cellular uptake of D-xylose was enhanced by insulin, chymotrypsin, and trypsin. Uptake of 3-0-methyl glucose was enhanced by insulin, chymotrypsin, and ribonuclease. Accumulation of L-proline, occurring simultaneously with that of sugar, was selectively increased by trypsin or chymotrypsin. DFP-inactivated chymotrypsin was half as effective as the active enzyme in stimulating pro-line accumulation. Glycogen contents of diaphragms incubated for one hour in 5 mg/ml glucose were increased by trypsin to the same extent as by insulin, and to a lesser extent by carboxypeptidases A and B, elastase, chymotrypsin, and pepsin. Ten-minute incubations in 2.8 mg/ml glucose with insulin or trypsin led to increased glycogen synthesis, while incubation with diiospropylfluorophosphate-inactivated trypsin did not. Attention is focused on the active serine residu...
Employee Turnover in Unique Contexts: How to Retain an Organization's Best Employees

Despite the well-known costs of employee turnover, both management scholars and practitioners require better understandings of the causes, consequences, and mitigating factors of turnover. Debate e...
Assessment on Impact of Negative-Sequence Component on Nearby Generators due to Grid-Connected Traction Load of Electrified Railway

A method to assess the impacts of negative-sequence components on nearby generators due to grid-connected traction load of electrified railway is proposed. The average negative-sequence capacity of traction load is calculated. On the basis of analyzing the features of negative-sequence flux path the negative-sequence properties of traditional generation sets and various kinds of wind power generators are discussed. Using superposition principle the negative-sequence voltages at generators' terminals are calculated and then the negative-sequence currents flows through generators can be obtained. Referring to the negative-sequence current limit of generator specified in the standard, the impact level of negative-sequence components is assessed. In the proposed method, the power flow data files and stability data files in PSD-BPA software are utilized to omit the complex process for re-modeling and re-simulation of regional power grid. Results of calculation examples show that the proposed method is effective.
Empathic responsiveness and helping behaviours in young children with Williams syndrome.

Background Anecdotal and caregiver reports often highlight the sociability and empathy of children with Williams syndrome (WS), a genetically based neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by a distinctive, cognitive and social phenotype. Despite these characteristics, people with WS have many difficulties navigating the social world. In this study, we investigated whether the heightened social motivation and empathy demonstrated by children with WS lead to prosocial behaviours such as instrumental helping. Methods We compared 2; 8 to 5; 8-year-olds with WS to an age-matched and developmental quotient-matched group of children with Down syndrome (DS) and an age-matched group of typically developing children, in their responses to semi-structured naturalistic situations designed to elicit empathic and helping behaviours. Results Children with WS showed more empathic concern than both comparison groups towards a person in distress but did not differ from controls in their level of helping behaviour. Children in both the WS and DS groups consistently received higher ratings on empathy than on helpfulness, in contrast to the balanced profile shown by the typically developing children. Discussion Findings suggest that the heightened emotional responsivity displayed by children with WS or DS does not readily translate into other forms of socially competent behaviour. The complex relations between empathy and prosocial behaviours in typical and atypical development are discussed.
A TALE OF TWO TOWNS: Assessing the Role of Political Resources in a Community Electronic Network

In this study we examine responses to the recent expansion of information technology in two rural Minnesota towns. One of these towns took a cooperative approach to technology access, developing a community electronic network, while the other town relied on a more individualistic, entrepreneurial model. The present study examines citizens' attitudes concerning social, political, and technological issues in these two communities, with the goal of uncovering what kinds of attitudes and resources citizens need to have in order to help support and sustain a community electronic network. Structural equation modeling is used to specify the relationships among individuals' economic, political, and social resources, technology ownership and use, and awareness of and support for the community network. Drawing on a theory of social capital, we consider the relative importance of privately- oriented social engagement versus publicly- oriented political engagement in relation to collective outcomes. Our analysis shows that in the town with the broadly- based community electronic network, individuals' political as well as economic resources are linked to knowledge and use of computer resources, whereas in the comparison community, economic stratification alone drives computer access. The implications of these findings for issues of equity, access to technology, and the development of strong community ties are discussed.
Global Imbalances and the Persistent US Trade Deficit

In 1980 the United States was the world’s largest international creditor country; its net foreign assets were larger than the combined net foreign assets of all other creditor countries as a group. Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland were the other large creditor countries. By 2000 the United States had become the world’s largest debtor country, and its net foreign liabilities were larger than the combined net foreign liabilities of all other debtor countries as a group. Between 2000 and 2008 US net international indebtedness increased from $1600 billion to $3200 billion; the ratio of the US net international indebtedness to US GDP increased from 16 percent in 2000 to 24 percent in 2008.
Ask and you shall receive? Right-wing authoritarianism shapes reactions to religious accommodation requests at work

Abstract Religious accommodation in the workplace remains a contentious issue in the United States. We conducted an experiment to examine how individual differences in right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) shape how people react to religious accommodation requests from Muslim versus Christian employees. Results reveal that participants exhibited more bias toward employees requesting religious accommodations when compared to employees requesting secular accommodations, but RWA determined which religion was stigmatized more: raters high in RWA stigmatized Muslims more heavily for requesting religious accommodations, but raters low in RWA stigmatized Christians more heavily for the same request. These results are consistent with the ideologically objectionable premise model (IOPM) of prejudice, demonstrating that those with both high and low RWA can exhibit symmetrical biases toward religious practices that are not aligned with their values. We discuss the implications of these findings for future scholarship on authoritarian traits.
The role of molecular genetics in medical oncology

Molecular genetics is a powerful new tool for detection, diagnosis, evaluation of treatment, and understanding of the biology of malignant disease. The first malignant disease to be characterized by a specific cytogenetic aneuploid abnormality was chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) which was first recognized in 1962 as an abnormal shortening of the long arm of either chromosome 21 or 22, the smallest chromosomes in the human genome. This cytogenetic abnormality was subsequently shown to represent not a loss of genetic material, but a pseudodiploid aneuploidy with a reciprocal translocation of chromosomal material from the long arms of chromosome 9 and 22. The discovery that the abl oncogene was located at the breakpoint on chromosome 9 allowed the molecular geneticists to identify the genetic material adjacent to the translocated material from chromosome 9 and because the breakpoint on chromosome 22 was variable but restricted to a small region, it was named the breakpoint cluster region (BCR). The BCR/abl gene has been found exclusively in leukemic cells from patients with CML. The somatic cells of the host are not involved and at least to date, every individual that has been found to have this gene has also had the disease CML. Approximately 15 % of CML patients lack the Philadelphia chromosome on cytogenetics. However, approximately half of these patients can be shown to have the BCR/abl neogene present as a masked translocation.
Pathology of Clear Cell Tumors

This chapter discusses the pathology of clear cell tumors: macroscopic and microscopic features, immunophenotype, molecular biology, and treatment and clinical outcomes. Clear cell carcinoma precursors are discussed (endometriosis, clear cell adenofibroma), as are differential diagnoses.
Epigenetic mechanisms of alcoholism and stress-related disorders

Stress-related disorders, such as anxiety, early life stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder appear to be important factors in promoting alcoholism, as alcohol consumption can temporarily attenuate the negative affective symptoms of these disorders. Several molecules involved in signaling pathways may contribute to the neuroadaptation induced during alcohol dependence and stress disorders, and among these, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and opioid peptides (i.e., nociceptin and dynorphin) are involved in the interaction of stress and alcohol. In fact, alterations in the expression and function of these molecules have been associated with the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders and alcoholism. In recent years, various studies have focused on the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate chromatin architecture, thereby modifying gene expression. Interestingly, epigenetic modifications in specific brain regions have been shown to be associated with the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism and stress. In particular, the enzymes responsible for chromatin remodeling (i.e., histone deacetylases and methyltransferases, DNA methyltransferases) have been identified as common molecular mechanisms for the interaction of stress and alcohol and have become promising therapeutic targets to treat or prevent alcoholism and associated emotional disorders.
Experimental Execution of 6DOF Tests Derived from Field Tests

Recent advances in 6DOF testing has made 6DOF subsystem/component testing a preferred method because field environments are inherently multidimensional and can be better replicated with this technology. Unfortunately, it is rare that there is sufficient instrumentation in a field test to derive 6DOF inputs. One of the most challenging aspects of the test inputs to derive is the cross spectra. Unfortunately, if cross spectra are poorly defined, it makes executing the tests on a shaker difficult. In this study, tests were carried out using the inputs derived by four different inverse methods, as described in a companion paper. The tests were run with all 6DOF as well with just the three translational degrees of freedom. To evaluate the best way to handle the cross spectra, three different sets of tests were run: with no cross terms defined, with only the coherence defined, and with the coherence and phase defined. All of the different tests were compared using a variety of metrics to assess the efficacy of the specification methods. The drive requirements for the different methods are also compared to evaluate how the specifications affect the shaker performance. A number of the inverse methods show great promise for being able to derive inputs to a 6DOF shaker to replicate the flight environments.
Synthesis of Functional Particles by Condensation and Polymerization of Monomer Droplets in Silicone Oils

We studied the synthesis of poly(4-vinylpyridine) and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) polymer particles in silicone oil using a sequential vapor phase polymerization method in which monomer droplets were first condensed onto a layer of silicone oil and subsequently polymerized via a free radical mechanism. The viscosity of the silicone oil was systematically varied. At lower viscosities, a heterogeneous particle size distribution was produced where small particles were formed by engulfment of the monomer droplets at the liquid surface and large particles were formed by coalescence of the monomer droplets inside the liquid layer. Coalescence could be inhibited by increasing the viscosity of the silicone oil leading to a decreased average radius and a narrower size distribution of the polymer particles. The advantages of our method for the fabrication of polymer particles are that it does not require surfactants or organic solvents.
Does Size Matter? Correlation of Excised Gastric Specimen Size in Sleeve Gastrectomy to Postoperative Weight Loss and Comorbidities.

We present the correlation between excised specimen size in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and patient demographics, comorbidities, and postoperative weight loss. This study aims to address whether the size of gastric specimen excised during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has any correlation with patient demographics, comorbidities, and postoperative percent of excess body weight lost. Study was performed at a community teaching hospital in Michigan. We examined data from 204 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy between August 2011 and January 2015. Data was collected retrospectively including demographics, comorbidities, body mass index (BMI), percent of excess body weight lost, and the size of the gastric specimen removed including specimen volume in cubic centimeters, length, width, and thickness in centimeters. We found that gastric specimen size does not correlate with initial BMI or change in BMI at 3, 6, or 12 months. Larger specimen sizes were found in males, increasing age, and patients with diabetes mellitus. There was no correlation between excised stomach size in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and postoperative weight loss (percent of excess body weight lost) or change in BMI. Male gender, diabetes, and increasing patients’ age correlated with larger excised stomach size. Initial BMI and having histological gastritis did not correlate with excised stomach size.
Cigarette Taxation, Regulation, and Illicit Trade in the United States

Tobacco products are highly taxed and regulated in the United States to deter consumption and raise revenues. These restrictions, especially differences in taxation by jurisdiction, invite an illicit trade in tobacco products (ITTP), particularly in cigarettes (illicit retail trade in cigarettes or IRTC). This IRTC amounts to billions of dollars annually in lost tax revenues, reduces the efficacy of smoking reduction efforts, and imposes the other attendant costs of a black market. Stricter controls may invite further evasion, presenting challenges to enforcement.
The 5' Untranslated Region of the Major Immediate Early mRNA Is Necessary for Efficient Human Cytomegalovirus Replication.

ABSTRACT The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate early 1 (IE1) and IE2 proteins are critical regulators of virus replication. Both proteins are needed to efficiently establish lytic infection, and nascent expression of IE1 and IE2 is critical for reactivation from latency. The regulation of IE1 and IE2 protein expression is thus a central event in the outcome of HCMV infection. Transcription of the primary transcript encoding both IE1 and IE2 is well studied, but relatively little is known about the posttranscriptional mechanisms that control IE1 and IE2 protein synthesis. The mRNA 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) plays an important role in regulating mRNA translation. Therefore, to better understand the control of IE1 and IE2 mRNA translation, we examined the role of the shared 5′ UTR of the IE1 and IE2 mRNAs (MIE 5′ UTR) in regulating translation. In a cell-free system, the MIE 5′ UTR repressed translation, as predicted based on its length and sequence composition. However, in transfected cells we found that the MIE 5′ UTR increased the expression of a reporter gene and enhanced its association with polysomes, demonstrating that the MIE 5′ UTR has a positive role in translation control. We also found that the MIE 5′ UTR was necessary for efficient IE1 and IE2 translation during infection. Replacing the MIE 5′ UTR with an unstructured sequence of the same length decreased IE1 and IE2 protein expression despite similar levels of IE1 and IE2 mRNA and reduced the association of the IE1 and IE2 mRNAs with polysomes. The wild-type MIE 5′-UTR sequence was also necessary for efficient HCMV replication. Together these data identify the shared 5′ UTR of the IE1 and IE2 mRNAs as an important regulator of HCMV lytic replication. IMPORTANCE The HCMV IE1 and IE2 proteins are critical regulators of HCMV replication, both during primary infection and during reactivation from viral latency. Thus, defining factors that regulate IE1 and IE2 expression is important for understanding the molecular events controlling the HCMV replicative cycle. Here we identify a positive role for the MIE 5′ UTR in mediating the efficient translation of the IE1 and IE2 mRNAs. This result is an important advance for several reasons. To date, most studies of IE1 and IE2 regulation have focused on defining events that regulate IE1 and IE2 transcription. Our work reveals that in addition to the regulation of transcription, IE1 and IE2 are also regulated at the level of translation. Therefore, this study is important in that it identifies an additional layer of regulation controlling IE1 and IE2 expression and thus HCMV pathogenesis. These translational regulatory events could potentially be targeted by novel antiviral therapeutics that limit IE1 and IE2 mRNA translation and thus inhibit lytic replication or prevent HCMV reactivation.