cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dr. Y. C. Fung's Contributions to Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Humanity: Warmest Celebration for a Magnificent Centenarian

Professor Y.C. Fung has made superb contributions to science, engineering and humanity through his research and its applications, as well as his words and deeds. By setting the highest standards of rigor and excellence, training many outstanding students and their students, and providing his exemplary leadership, Dr. Fung has made tremendous impacts that spread across the world and transcend time. He established the foundations of biomechanics in a variety of living tissues, including the lung, the heart, blood vessels, blood cells, ureter, intestine, skin, as well as other organs and tissues. Through his vision of the power of "making models" to explain and predict biological phenomena, Dr. Fung opened up new horizons for bioengineering, from organs/systems to molecules/genes. He has initiated and fostered the research activities in many institutions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. He has made outstanding contributions to education in bioengineering, as well as service to the professional organizations and translation to industry and clinical medicine. He is widely recognized as the Father of Biomechanics and the leading Bioengineer in the world. His extraordinary accomplishments and commands in science, engineering and the arts make him a Renaissance Man whom the world is most fortunate to have.
Epstein - Barr virus association with plasma cell neoplasms.

Aims. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) expression has been reported in several hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic disorders but its expression in plasma cell neoplasms has been largely limited to immunodeficiency-related cases such as in the setting of post-organ transplantation or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of EBV with plasma cell neoplasms, mainly in immunocompetent patients. Methods and results. We retrospectively studied 147 cases of patients with different plasma cell neoplasms (109 plasma cell myelomas, 22 plasmacytomas, and 16 monoclonal gammopathy cases). Six patients were immunocompromised. EBV was positive in 6 cases; 3 immunocompromised (2 patients with HIV infection and 1 patient was post-renal transplant) and 3 immunocompetent patients with plasmacytoma and variable plasmablastic features. Conclusions. Our data shows that EBV was negative in all plasma cell myeloma cases in immunocompetent patients and has an overall low association with the different plasma cell neoplasms in the immunocompetent setting. When expressed, it is usually associated with variable plasmablastic features.
The Mobius Function of a Restricted Composition Poset.

We study a poset of compositions restricted by part size under a partial ordering introduced by Bjorner and Stanley. We show that our composition poset Cd+1 is isomorphic to the poset of words A ∗ d. This allows us to use techniques developed by Bjorner to study the Mobius function of Cd+1. We use counting arguments and shellability as avenues for proving that the Mobius function is μ(u,w) = (−1)|u|+|w| ( w u ) dn , where ( w u ) dn is the number of d-normal embeddings of u in w. We then prove that the formal power series whose coefficients are given by the zeta and the Mobius functions are both rational. Following in the footsteps of Bjorner and Reutenauer and Bjorner and Sagan, we rely on definitions to prove rationality in one case, and in another case we use finite-state automata.
Towards Scientific Study of Technical Interviews Using Eye Tracking

A technical interview is a stage in industry hiring process for assessing developers’ skills. Despite several critics against technical interviews, there is no reported scientific approach to assess their effectiveness. In my work, I first study developers’ concerns about technical interviews. Then, I propose a framework to study whiteboard interview in particular and investigate the factors that introduce extraneous challenges for developers. My thesis proposes studying each technical interview style and finding out the factors that negatively affect developers’ performance. This may help in propounding interventions and enhancing technical interviews.
Incidence of supraventricular tachycardia after inhaled short-acting beta agonist treatment in children

Introduction: Albuterol can trigger supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). The clinical characteristics, incidence, and risk factors of SVT after inhaled SABA treatment in children are currently unkno...
The translucens group of Xanthomonas translucens: Complicated and important pathogens causing bacterial leaf streak on cereals.

Xanthomonas translucens is a group of gram-negative bacteria that can cause important diseases in cereal crops and forage grasses. Different pathovars have been defined according to their host ranges, and molecular and biochemical characteristics. Pathovars have been placed into two major groups: translucens and graminis. The translucens group contains the pathovars causing bacterial leaf streak (BLS) on cereal crops such as wheat, barley, triticale, rye, and oat. In recent years, BLS has re-emerged as a major problem for many wheat- and barley-producing areas worldwide. The biology of the pathogens and the host-pathogen interactions in cereal BLS diseases were poorly understood. However, recent genome sequence data have provided an insight into the bacterial phylogeny and identification and pathogenicity/virulence. Furthermore, identification of sources of resistance to BLS and mapping of the resistance genes have been initiated. Taxonomy Kingdom Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Order Xanthomonadales; Family Xanthomonadaceae; Genus Xanthomonas; Species X. translucens; translucens group pathovars: undulosa, translucens, cerealis, hordei, and secalis; graminis group pathovars: arrhenatheri, graminis, poae, phlei; newly established pathovar: pistaciae. Host range X. translucens mainly infects plant species in the Poaceae with the translucens group on cereal crop species and the graminis group on forage grass species. However, some strains have been isolated from, and are able to infect, ornamental asparagus and pistachio trees. Most pathovars have a narrow host range, while a few can infect a broad range of hosts. Genome The complete genome sequence is available for two X. translucens pv. undulosa strains and one pv. translucens strain. A draft genome sequence is also available for at least one strain from each pathovar. The X. translucens pv. undulosa strain Xt4699 was the first to have its complete genome sequenced, which consists of 4,561,137 bp with total GC content approximately at 68% and 3,528 predicted genes. Virulence mechanisms Like most xanthomonads, X. translucens utilizes a type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver a suite of T3SS effectors (T3Es) inside plant cells. Transcription activator-like effectors, a special group of T3Es, have been identified in most of the X. translucens genomes, some of which have been implicated in virulence. Genetic factors determining host range virulence have also been identified.
Prophetic Pragmatism: Toward a Bangsamoro Philosophy of Education

Drawing on the work of Cornel West (1989) to reconcile religious belief with philosophical pragmatism—prophetic pragmatism—this chapter posits an Islamized and indigenized prophetic pragmatism as a philosophical modus vivendi that might provide a theoretical framework adequate to the task of formulating educational policies and practices that meet the desires of Muslim parents to preserve their children’s identity as Muslims while enhancing their prospects for success in the modern world. It problematizes one key aspect of prophetic pragmatism—namely its reliance on pragmatist epistemology—as anathema to devout Muslims, proposing instead an ethic of epistemic humility as a functional equivalent that might open the way for an Islamized prophetic pragmatism. At a historical moment punctuated by the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, it offers this revision of prophetic pragmatism as a framework for a new approach to education at this new moment in the history of Muslim Mindanao, an approach that might also hold promise for other communities plagued by ethno-religious conflict in other parts of the world.
Dietary fructose enhances angiotensin II-stimulated Na+ transport via activation of PKC-α in renal proximal tubules.

Angiotensin II (ANG II) stimulates proximal nephron transport via activation of classical protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. Acute fructose treatment stimulates PKC and dietary fructose enhances ANG ...
Supporting Community Connections: Experiential Student Philanthropy and Engaged Learning in Social Work.

Community engagement and philanthropic learning have gained traction in university settings as a method to help prepare students for both workplace competency and citizenship. Experiential student philanthropy is a learning method that offers students an opportunity to examine community and social issues and nonprofit organizations, while providing them with the unique opportunity to invest funding in nonprofit organizations. This study examined the impact of an experiential student philanthropy project in a graduate level social work course at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) through the use of a pretest and post-test among involved students. The results indicate that incorporation of the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project (MSPP) with this class ultimately strengthened learning outcomes as related to both course engagement and community engagement.
Hepatic angiomyolipoma with predominant epithelioid component: Diagnostic clues on aspiration and core needle biopsies

Hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that belongs to the perivascular epithelioid tumor family. Though it is characteristically, a triphasic tumor composed of smooth muscle, blood vessels, and adipocytes, the smooth muscle cells are often epithelioid and can represent the near-entirety of the tumor. A HAML composed predominantly of epithelioid smooth muscle cells occurring in the liver presents significant diagnostic challenges as many liver tumors are composed of large epithelioid cells. Furthermore, even if the tumor is not composed predominantly of epithelioid smooth muscle cells, this may be the only component present in a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or core needle biopsy. A 38-year-old female with a 3 month history of abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea was found to have a 12 cm right hepatic lobe mass. FNA biopsy revealed a moderately cellular specimen composed of plump epithelioid cells with indistinct cell borders, low N:C ratio, round to oval nuclei, fine chromatin, occasional nucleoli, and abundant vacuolated to fibrillary cytoplasm. Rare intranuclear inclusions and occasional foamy macrophages were noted. Concurrent core biopsy revealed large polygonal cells with eccentric nuclei and clear, vacuolated to granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm that stained strongly for HMB45, confirming the diagnosis of HAML. Because HAML is a rare tumor, this diagnosis can be easily overlooked; cognizance of the typical cytologic, histologic, and immunophenotypic findings is crucial to establishing a diagnosis.
Adult large print collections in the United States: An exploratory survey:

What is the status of adult large print collections in public libraries across the United States? This nationwide survey explored adult large print collections, methods of collection development, l...
10. NMR Imaging of Fluids and Flow in Porous Media

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of the techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to probe fluids and flow in porous media, for which the imaging methods and interpretations of image data are often complicated because of the effects that the solid matrix has on the fluid. Although the fundamental imaging principles used in biomedical imaging are generally applicable to imaging fluid flow in porous media, obtaining quantitative images sensitive to only one of the desired NMR parameters in porous solids requires special considerations. The challenges and experimental techniques developed to probe fluids and flow in porous media are discussed in the chapter, along with some applications of MRI to processes in porous media. NMR provides many exciting new opportunities for probing fluid states and flow within porous media. It is a noninvasive method that is sensitive to molecular-level events within fluids, and with imaging, fluid states and properties can be resolved spatially. While other techniques, such as optical, ultrasonic, and x-ray methods, can be used to visualize fluid saturations and flow patterns, nuclear MRI provides unique and effective methods for obtaining quantitative information on the distribution and flow of fluids within porous media. MRI can image nuclear spin density, NMR relaxation processes, chemical compositions, and the fluid transport processes of diffusion and flow.
Analysis of protein localization by use of gene fusions with complementary properties.

This report describes a new transposon designed to facilitate the combined use of beta-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase gene fusions in the analysis of protein localization. The transposon, called TnlacZ, is a Tn5 derivative that permits the generation of gene fusions encoding hybrid proteins carrying beta-galactosidase at their C termini. In tests with plasmids, TnlacZ insertions that led to high cellular beta-galactosidase activity were restricted to sequences encoding either cytoplasmic proteins or cytoplasmic segments of a membrane protein. The fusion characteristics of TnlacZ are thus complementary to those of TnphoA, a transposon able to generate alkaline phosphatase fusions whose high-activity insertion sites generally correspond to periplasmic sequences. The structure of TnlacZ allows the conversion of a TnlacZ fusion into the corresponding TnphoA fusion (and vice versa) through recombination or in vitro manipulation in a process called fusion switching. Fusion switching was used to generate the following two types of fusions with unusual properties: a low-specific-activity beta-galactosidase-alkaline phosphatase gene fusion and two toxic periplasmic-domain serine chemoreceptor-beta-galactosidase gene fusions. The generation of both beta-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase fusions at exactly the same site in a protein permits a comparison of the two enzyme activities in evaluating the subcellular location of the site, such as in studies of membrane protein topology. In addition, fusion switching makes it possible to generate gene fusions whose properties should facilitate the isolation of mutants defective in the export or membrane anchoring of different cell envelope proteins. Images
A stochastic sediment delivery model for a steep Mediterranean landscape

[1] It is a truism in geomorphology that climatic events operate on a landscape to drive sediment transport processes, yet few investigations have formally linked climate and terrain characteristics with geomorphological processes. In this study, we incorporate sediment transport equations derived from fieldwork into a computer model that predicts the delivery of sediment from hillslopes in a steep Mediterranean landscape near Santa Barbara, California. The sediment transport equations are driven by rainstorms and fires that are stochastically generated from probability distributions. The model is used to compare the rates and processes of sediment delivery under two vegetation types: coastal sage scrub and grasslands. Conversion of vegetation from sage to exotic grasses is a common land management strategy in the region and may also be engendered by regional climate change due to global warming. Results from the model suggest that (1) approximately 40% more sediment is delivered from grasslands (98 t km−2 yr−1) than the sage scrub (71 t km−2 yr−1) and (2) chronic soil creep processes dominate under grasslands whereas catastrophic processes dominate under coastal sage scrub. Results from the model also suggest that changes in the spatial distribution of vegetation arising from climate change will have a greater effect on sediment delivery than changes in the magnitude and frequency of meteorological events.
The Cultural Turn and A New Social History: Folk Dance and the Renovation of Class in Social History

English Country Dance, a recreational folk dance activity of largely professional managerial workers in the twentieth-century United States, provides a window on the subjectivity and political culture of a class fraction that illustrates how middle-class studies imbricate that of working-class history. Moreover the income level, status, cultural and social capital of this quintessential middle-class fraction provides a window on the culture of liberalism in America. Self-identified liberal professionals and semiprofessionals constitute the modern dance community at the end of this century which was reconstituted out of the 1960s counterculture. Feminists, environmentalists and "spiritual," the modern dance community, which identifies as left-wing or liberal, reflects the shoals of race on which the modern political culture of liberalism flounders: originally an Anglo-American group, the "white" ethnic dancers who now predominate in ECD celebrate the dance floor as an anti-materialist "safe" urban space at the same time as they bemoan the lack of people of color on the dance floor. The modern folk dance community has become an alternative space, not an oppositional one.
The effect of the dipole moment on the second virial coefficient of polyelectrolytes

The basic equations for equilibrium ultracentrifugation of polyelectrolytes were examined. It was concluded that if a polyelectrolyte possesses a permanent dipole moment such as zwitterions or if one polyelectrolyte molecule is capable of inducing a dipole moment on another, then this permanent or induced dipole moment may appreciably decrease the concentration dependence in molecular weight determinations. Die Grundgleichungen fur die Gleichgewichtsultrazentrifugierung von Polyelektrolyten wurden untersucht. Es wurde gefunden, das ein Dipolmoment der Polyelektrolytmolekule eine merkliche Verkleinerung der Konzentrationsabhangigkeit bei Molekulargewichtsbestimmungen bewirken kann. Das Dipolmoment kann permanent sein, wie B. bei Zwitterionen; es kann auch durch gegenseitige Induktion der Polyelektrolytmolekule verursacht sein.
Uncertainty, Safety, and Decision in Soil Engineering

Probability and decision theory are used to solve the decision problems in subsoil exploration, design of a foundation on clay, and design of a foundation on sand. The uncertainties that arise out of inaccuracies in measurement of soil strength and variability of natural soil deposits are considered and a model of the design and decision process is developed to account for the available information, the experience and judgment of the engineer, and the costs of investigation and failure.
Influence of brown stink bug feeding, planting date and sampling time on common smut infection of maize.

Phytopathogen infections are frequently influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors in a crop field. The effect of brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), feeding and planting date and sampling time on common smut (Ustilago maydis) infection percentage of maize plants was examined in 2005 and 2006, and 2010 and 2011, respectively. Brown stink bug adult feeding on maize hybrid "DKC6971" at flowering in 2005 and 2006 did not influence smut infection percentage when examined using 3 treatments (i.e., 0 adult, 5 adults, and 5 adults mixed with the smut spores). The smut infection percentages were <3% (n = 12) in the 3 treatments. The smut infection percentage among the 4 weekly samplings was the same, so was natural aflatoxin contamination at harvest among the treatments. The 2nd experiment showed that planting date did not affect the smut infection percentage in either 2010 or 2011. But, the smut infection percentage from the postflowering sampling was greater than preflowering sampling in both years. The smut infection percentage varied among the germplasm lines in 2010, but not in 2011. This study demonstrated that brown stink bug feeding at flowering had no effect on smut infection in maize, and the best time for smut evaluation would be after flowering. The temperature and precipitation might have also influenced the percentage of smut-infected maize plants during the 4 years when the experiments were conducted. The similarity between kernel-colonizing U. maydis and Aspergillus flavus infections and genotype × environment interaction were also discussed.
Overcoming Hadoop Scaling Limitations through Distributed Task Execution

Data driven programming models like MapReduce have gained the popularity in large-scale data processing. Although great efforts through the Hadoop implementation and framework decoupling (e.g. YARN, Mesos) have allowed Hadoop to scale to tens of thousands of commodity cluster processors, the centralized designs of the resource manager, task scheduler and metadata management of HDFS file system adversely affect Hadoop's scalability to tomorrow's extreme-scale data centers. This paper aims to address the YARN scaling issues through a distributed task execution framework, MATRIX, which was originally designed to schedule the executions of data-intensive scientific applications of many-task computing on supercomputers. We propose to leverage the distributed design wisdoms of MATRIX to schedule arbitrary data processing applications in cloud. We compare MATRIX with YARN in processing typical Hadoop workloads, such as WordCount, TeraSort, Grep and RandomWriter, and the Ligand application in Bioinformatics on the Amazon Cloud. Experimental results show that MATRIX outperforms YARN by 1.27X for the typical workloads, and by 2.04X for the real application. We also run and simulate MATRIX with fine-grained sub-second workloads. With the simulation results giving the efficiency of 86.8% at 64K cores for the 150ms workload, we show that MATRIX has the potential to enable Hadoop to scale to extreme-scale data centers for fine-grained workloads.
COX-2: Where are we in 2003? - Specific cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

The use of analgesic anti-inflammatory agents in patients with asthma is clinically challenging because of the prevalence (10–20%) of aspirin hypersensitivity. Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), or aspirin-induced asthma, is characterized by asthma and rhinitis triggered by the ingestion of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. AERD is associated with upper and lower respiratory-tract mucosal inflammation, progressive sinusitis, nasal polyposis, and asthma regardless of whether patients avoid triggering drugs. The mechanism underlying the propensity of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to cause this reaction is thought to involve inhibition of the synthesis of protective prostaglandins (PGs), resulting in an increase in the synthesis of cysteinyl leukotrienes by eosinophils and mast cells. Clinical data suggest that protective PGs are derived from cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 because studies have now confirmed that drugs specifically inhibiting COX-2 are not cross-reactive with aspirin in patients with AERD.
The solution structure of an RNA loop–loop complex: the ColE1 inverted loop sequence

Abstract Background: Replication of the ColE1 plasmid of Escherichia coli is regulated by the interaction of sense and antisense plasmid-encoded transcripts. The antisense RNA I negatively regulates the replication of the plasmid by duplex formation with complementary RNA II. The interaction is initiated by the formation of a double helix between seven-nucleotide loops from each RNA and is stabilized by binding of the RNA one modulator (ROM) protein. The ROM protein is thought to recognize a specific RNA structure, regardless of sequence. Results: The solution structure of a loop–loop complex between model RNA hairpins that resemble RNA I and RNA II has been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The model hairpins have loop sequences inverted 5′ to 3′ relative to the wild-type sequence and were chosen because of their complex's slow dissociation in comparison to the wild type. The complex has continuous stacking from the 3′-side of one stem helix through the loop–loop helix to the other stem helix. One residue from each hairpin has a unique phosphodiester bond which bridges and narrows the major groove. These bridging phosphates are in close proximity to the phosphate groups of the adjacent bases, forming unique structural motifs called phosphate clusters. The purine residue at the 3′-end of the loop–loop helix of one RNA stacks on a purine residue on the 5′-side of the other RNA stem, and there are strong cross-strand stacking interactions between guanine bases in the stem helices adjacent to the loops. Conclusions: Unique distortions, such as the strong bend and the phosphate clusters flanking the major groove of the loop–loop helix, provide an attractive nonsequence-specific structural feature for recognition by the ROM protein. The structure provides a basis for rationalizing the sequence dependence of the stability of loop–loop interaction.
Lane Change Warning Design Guidelines

Five design guidelines were created to aid in the development of lane change crash avoidance systems (LCAS), using on-road data. In preparation for guideline development, field data were used to characterize a sample of lane changes and baseline (straight-ahead) driving events. Analysis of lane change frequency and duration, as well as turn signal use and eye glance movements revealed unique patterns among drivers and conditions. The “vehicle + signal” predictive logistic regression model is recommended, taking advantage of distance, time-to-collision (TTC), and turn signal data. Design guidelines as the basis for LCAS development were: 1) Warning levels should include presence detection and imminent warnings; 2) Display modality should be visual displays for presence detection and auditory/tactile displays for imminent warnings; 3) Display location (visual) should include forward and mirror locations; 4) Predictive warning algorithms should include TTC, distance, brake and turn signal use, eye behavior, ...
Architectural considerations in the design of nonlinear joint transform correlators

An experimental investigation is conducted of joint-power spectrum nonlinear transformation effects on the performance of a joint transform correlator. Attention is given to correlation-peak intensity, SNR, peak/sidelobe value, and peak width, for various degrees of the nonlinearity employed at the Fourier plane. The results obtained indicate increases of peak intensity, SNR, and peak/sidelobe, in conjunction with a decrease of the correlation, as the severity of the joint power spectrum''s nonlinear transformation increases. Attention is given to the performance of the liquid crystal light-valve spatial light modulator employed.
Erosion ripple formation mechanism in aluminum and aluminum alloys

Abstract The formation of ripples on pure Al and Al12Si alloy surfaces was investigated. Sharp angular Al 2 O 3 and spherical glass beads were used as erodent particles accelerated in an air-blast type system. The experimental variables were erodent particle shape, angle of impact, and abrasive particle mixture. Scanning electron and optical microscopy used to study the morphology of impacted surfaces showed the well-developed ripple formation on Al12Si with beads used as abrasive. As the fraction of Al 2 O 3 sharp particles mixed with glass beads was increased, the ripple formation on Al12Si diminished. An investigation of the surface morphology of the eroded samples provided evidence for a mechanism of ripple formation based on material displacement instead of material removal.
Evaluation of a methacrylate bonded cyclodextrins as a monolithic chiral stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography (CEC)-UV and CEC coupled to mass spectrometry

Glycidyl methacrylate-bonded β-cyclodextrin (GMA-β-CD) is synthesized as a new chiral monomer by direct chemical bonding with GMA using a fast and simple alternative procedure. Next, rigid and homogenous monolithic columns were prepared by polymerization of GMA-β-CD monomer with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), in the presence of commonly used porogens and a charged achiral monomer to form a versatile chiral monolith. This is the first report in which a preparation procedure for a methacrylate-bonded CD is introduced for chiral separations in CEC. The degree of substitution of GMA-β-CD monomer and mobile-phase parameters were optimized to achieve the highest enantioselectivity and plate number. To evaluate the GMA-β-CD monolithic column, different classes of chiral compounds were screened. Under the optimized β-CD monolith phase and the optimum mobile-phase conditions, 30 neutral and basic chiral compounds and two acidic compounds could be separated. The high chemical and mechanical stability, homogenous microflow and no loss of material at the interface allows for the first time the feasibility of applying this polymer-based monolithic column for CEC coupled to ESI-MS. Compared with CEC-UV, CEC-ESI-MS showed higher sensitivity and lower resolution. However, resolution greater than 1.0 can still be obtained for majority of the select tested compound in CEC-ESI-MS with at least three out of seven compound providing Rs≥1.5. The results reinforce the potential of GMA-β-CD monolithic columns for chiral separations with high sensitivity in CEC-ESI-MS. Finally, using hexobarbital as the model chiral analyte, the monolithic column demonstrated excellent stability and reproducibility of retention time and enantioselectivity.
Optimal advance selling strategies using coupons in a monopoly market

Recently many small businesses are advance selling their products or services through some coupon websites. This new advance selling coupons have the fashion of advance selling — ‘pay today, consume tomorrow’. They also have the features of traditional coupon promotion: deep discounts and a long coupon duration. Since this new selling technique has altered consumer behavior and influenced the seller's regular selling and performance. In this paper, we build the advance selling model and investigate the effect of advance selling coupons on consumer behavior and the seller's overall profits. We find that when the seller's marginal cost is moderately small, the profit gains from coupon buyers exceed the profits loss from regular selling. We provide the specific marginal cost conditions where the profitability of advance selling coupons is the biggest. We also suggest the optimal advance selling strategies in terms of optimal prices and optimal coupon duration.
Initialization and Validation of a Simulation of Cirrus Using FIRE-II Data

Abstract Observations from a wide variety of instruments and platforms are used to validate many different aspects of a three-dimensional mesoscale simulation of the dynamics, cloud microphysics, and radiative transfer of a cirrus cloud system observed on 26 November 1991 during the second cirrus field program of the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program (ISCCP) Regional Experiment (FIRE-II) located in southeastern Kansas. The simulation was made with a mesoscale dynamical model utilizing a simplified bulk water cloud scheme and a spectral model of radiative transfer. Expressions for cirrus optical properties for solar and infrared wavelength intervals as functions of ice water content and effective particle radius are modified for the midlatitude cirrus observed during FIRE-II and are shown to compare favorably with explicit size-resolving calculations of the optical properties. Rawinsonde, Raman lidar, and satellite data are evaluated and combined to produce a time–height cross section...
Membrane Order and Molecular Dynamics Associated with IgE Receptor Cross-Linking in Mast Cells

Cholesterol-rich microdomains (or ''lipid rafts'') within the plasma membrane have been hypothesized to exist in a liquid-ordered phase and play functionally important roles in cell signaling; however, these microdomains defy detection using conventional imaging. To visualize domains and relate their nanostructure and dynamics to mast cell signaling, we use two- photon (760 nm and 960 nm) fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and fluorescence polarization anisotropy imaging, with comparative one-photon anisotropy imaging and single-point lifetime and anisotropy decay measurements. The inherent sensitivity of ultrafast excited-state dynamics and rotational diffusion to the immediate surroundings of a fluorophore allows for real-time monitoring of membrane structure and organization. When the high affinity receptor for IgE (FceRI) is extensively cross-linked with anti-IgE, molecules associated with cholesterol-rich microdomains (e.g., saturated lipids (the lipid analog diI- C18 or glycosphingolipids)) and lipid-anchored proteins coredistribute with cross-linked IgE-FceRI. We find an enhancement in fluorescence lifetime and anisotropy of diI-C18 and Alexa 488-labeled IgE-FceRI in the domains where these molecules colocalize. Our results suggest that fluorescence lifetime and, particularly, anisotropy permit us to correlate the recruitment of lipid molecules into more ordered domains that serve as platforms for IgE-mediated signaling.
Characterization of cocaine and antidepressant-sensitive norepinephrine transporters in rat placental trophoblasts

1. This paper reports on a primary cell culture system that predominantly expresses native norepinephrine (NE) transporters (NETs), and is amenable to biophysical as well as biochemical analyses. 2. Previous research has identified human and rat placentas as rich sources of NET. We have exploited this to develop primary cultures of rat placental trophoblasts. NE uptake in these cultures is about 10 times higher when compared to 5HT uptake. The presence of NET protein is revealed by immunoblot analysis, while there is no detectable SERT protein. 3. NE transport in rat trophoblasts is sensitive to NET-specific antagonists, desipramine (DS) and nisoxetine (NX), but not to the dopamine-transporter (DAT) specific antagonist, GBR12909 or to the serotonin (5HT) transporter (SERT) specific antagonist paroxetine (PX). Drugs of abuse such as cocaine and amphetamine also inhibit NE transport in these cells. Together these results suggest that rat placental trophoblasts predominantly express NET over other monoamine transporters. 4. Patch-clamp analysis reveals that NETs in intact rat trophoblasts are electrogenic. Comparison of NE uptake with NE-induced currents suggests that these two modes of transporter activity are differentially regulated.
Defiant Behavior in Two- and Three-Year-Olds: A Vygotskian Approach

Defiant behavior in two- and three-year-olds is a natural expression of a young child’s growing autonomy, and, although frustrating to adults, is a natural phase of a child’s socio-emotional growth. L.S. Vygotsky’s socio-historical theory of the development included a discussion of “crisis” periods, one of which he felt occurred at age three. The crisis that Vygotsky asserted occurred at three is characterized by a group of seven “behaviors”, all of which indicate a struggle with the child’s position in relation to family social structures. This study examined the occurrences and characteristics of defiant behavior in two-and three-year-old children during outdoor play at a child development center, and the existence and context of defiant behaviors the modern childcare setting. Patterns in defiant behaviors during play in different age groups were apparent, and suggested an instrument to facilitate the documentation and analysis of defiant behavior in modern group-care settings.
Structure-activity relationships for N6-substituted adenosines at a brain A1-adenosine receptor with a comparison to an A2-adenosine receptor regulating coronary blood flow.

Abstract A series of 145 N 6 -substituted adenosines have been screened as inhibitors of the binding of [ 3 H]cyclohexyladenosine to an A 1 -adenosine receptor in rat brain membranes and the results compared to the potencies of these analogs in increasing coronary blood flow via activation of an A 2 -adenosine receptor. The A 1 receptor shows greater stereoselectivity in the N 6 region of the receptor towards asymmetric aralkyl substituents, and shows greater bulk tolerance in the N 6 region such that it retains affinity for certain N 6 -tertiary alkyladenosines and N 6 -cycloalkyladenosines that are inactive at the coronary A 2 receptor. At the A 1 receptor, the most potent analogs have either aliphatic N 6 -substituents with four or more methylene residues or have an N 6 -halophenyl substituent. At the A 2 receptor, the most potent analogs have an N 6 -phenethyl or similar heteroarylethyl substituent. Certain sets or series of analogs appear useful for identifying the subtypes of adenosine receptors involved in physiological functions.
Bayesian autoregressive filter and squared gain estimation

This article describes a Bayesian small sample approach to making inferences for the operator (or filter) and squared gain of a p — th order Gaussian univariate autoregressive process. Simultaneous pos¬terior probability bands are developed for the real and the imaginary parts of the frequency-response function of an autoregressive operator as well as for the squared gain of an autoregressive process.
Update on guidelines for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a major—and growing—burden on today’s ageing populations. Professional organisations including the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), American Pain Society (APS) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) have published treatment guidelines within the past 5 years to assist clinicians achieve effective pain management. Safety is a core concern in all these guidelines, especially for chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis that require long-term treatment. Hence, there is a consensus among recommendations that paracetamol should be the first-line analgesic agent due to its favourable side effect and safety profile, despite being somewhat less effective in pain relief than anti-inflammatory drugs. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-selective anti-inflammatory drugs were developed with the goal of delivering effective pain relief without the serious gastrointestinal (GI) side effects linked with traditional non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Clinical trial evidence supported these benefits, and COX-2 inhibitors were widely adopted, both in clinical practice and in official guidelines. Recently, accumulating data have linked COX-2 inhibitors with serious cardiovascular and/or cardiorenal effects and/or serious cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), particularly at anti-inflammatory doses or when used long term. Regulatory authorities in both Europe and the USA have responded to these data with the withdrawal of rofecoxib and valdecoxib, and the strengthening of prescribing advice on all anti-inflammatory drugs. COX-2 inhibitors and non-selective NSAIDs should now be used with increased caution in patients at increased cardiovascular and/or cardiorenal risk, e.g., patients with congestive heart failure, hypertension, etc. Regulatory advice and good clinical practice are to use anti-inflammatory drugs at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest possible time. There are as yet no updated official guidelines that incorporate these new data and regulatory advice. An international multidisciplinary panel, the Working Group on Pain Management, has generated new recommendations for the treatment of moderate-to-severe musculoskeletal pain. These guidelines, formulated in response to recent developments concerning COX-2 inhibitors and other NSAIDs, focus on paracetamol as the baseline drug for chronic pain management; when greater analgesia is desired, the addition of weak opioids is recommended based on a preferable GI and cardiovascular profile, compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
A Tale of Two O's: Odysseus and Oedipus in the Black Atlantic

[First paragraphs]Crossroads in the Black Aegean: Oedipus, Antigone, and Dramas of the African Diaspora. Barbara Goff & Michael Simpson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. xii + 401 pp. (Cloth US$ 150.00)Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey. Robert G. O’Meally. New York: DC Moore Gallery, 2007. 116 pp. (Cloth$ 45.00)Commenting on cultural imperialism under European colonialism, Frantz Fanon (1990:39) remarked that “The settler makes history; his life is an epoch, an Odyssey.” In Fanon’s analysis the settler’s sense of history derived from the history of the “mother country,” rather than the history of the colony that he or she inhabited. But history did not stop here: the reference to the Odyssey reminds us that behind the modern colonial metropolis was a fictional line of descent reaching back to a Greco-Roman cradle, such that theEuropean settler could lay claim to an even more ancient cultural inheritance. The two books examined here make short work of these classical imperial fictions; O’Meally demonstrates how Romare Bearden’s collages of theOdyssey collaborate with Homer, jazz style, to produce an epic that Black America can recognize as its own. If the voyage of Odysseus is sometimes taken to symbolize the migration of ancient Greek civilization toward the West, Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson interject the troubled figure of Oedipus, who plays Poseidon to the settler’s Odyssey, disrupting the voyage and confusing the trajectory (p. 268).Both studies are timely and speak to a wave of recent research on Black Classicism – an examination of the work to which the classical tradition has been put in Africa and the African diaspora, ranging from the hegemonic appropriation of Classics by colonizers and slave-owners to the use ofClassics as an ironic counterdiscourse that writes back to racism and imperialism, or as a source of mythopoiesis in the formation of modern black identity.
Synthesis and phosphorylation of chromosomal nonhistone proteins during embryonic development of neural retina.

Abstract To determine if chromosomal nonhistone proteins are involved in the differentiation of the neural retina in the chick embryo, we looked for changes in these proteins in the course of the normal development of this tissue and during premature induction by hydrocortisone of glutamine synthetase (an enzyme marker of retina differentiation). A special advantage of this system is that differentiation progresses in the absence of cell replications. A remarkable uniformity in the composition, synthesis, and phosphorylation of chromosomal nonhistone proteins was found in the retina throughout the period of development examined and during precocious induction of glutamine synthetase. No significant quantitative or qualitative differences were detected in the relative amounts of incorporation of amino acids and phosphate into the various nonhistone proteins. The absence of detectable changes in chromosomal nonhistone proteins in the embryonic retina in the course of its normal development and during enzyme induction suggest that such changes, if they occur, may be below the sensitivity of the available methods, or that specific gene expressions in this tissue are otherwise regulated.
Fatality after report to a child abuse registry in Washington State, 1973-1986.

Abstract Between 1973 and 1986, 11,085 children born in Washington State were reported to the state child abuse registry. We analyzed the fatality rate subsequent to reported abuse for this cohort of children compared to a population of nonabused children matched on sex, couny of birth, and year of birth. Children reported to the child abuse registry had an almost threefold greater than the comparison population. A report of physical abuse carried the greatest risk of subsequent death. However, the relative risks were also elevated for children who suffered neglect or sexual abuse. Children reported to the registry were almost 20 times more likely than the comparison population to die from homicide. Children less than 1 year of age at time of reported abuse had the highest fatality rate subsequent to abuse, but adolescents had the highest relative risk for fatality after abuse, compared to the population of nonabused children. Rates of fatality subsequent to abuse were equal for males and females. Although this study could not measure the extent to which any given intervention reduced the risk of subsequent fatality in abused children, registries can serve a valuable function in identifying subpopulations at risk and quantifying that risk relative to the general population.
Antioxidant Activity of an Ultrafiltration Permeate from Acid Whey

Acid whey inhibited up to 90% of iron-catalyzed oxidation of phosphatidylcholine liposomes. Ultrafiltration, dialysis, heat treatment and chloroform extraction indicated that the primary antioxidant(s) in acid whey were polar, heat-stable compound(s) with molecular weights between 500 and 5,000. Lipid oxidation catalysts, including iron, lipoxidase, photoactivated riboflavin and hydrogen peroxide-activated metMb, were inhibited by acid whey and its ultrafiltration permeate. The antioxidant activity of the UF permeate increased with increasing pH (5.4–7.0). These data suggest that acid whey and its UF permeate could be used as a “natural” antioxidant.
Formation of Si:CP layer through in-situ doping and implantation process for n-type metal–oxide–semiconductor devices

Abstract In this study, the effect of Cluster Carbon implantation and thermal annealing for recrystallization on the properties of phosphorus doped Si (Si:P) epitaxial films was investigated. Several Cluster Carbon implantation conditions and recrystallization annealing techniques based on solid phase epitaxy with rapid thermal annealing (RTA), spike RTA (sRTA), and millisecond laser annealing have been employed. It was found that a high substitutional carbon concentration can be achieved by laser annealing while high thermal budget annealing caused the loss of almost half of the substitutional carbon. The reduction of end of range defects and stacking faults/dislocation loops at the surface of carbon and phosphorus doped Si (Si:CP) layers through the use of cold implantation and fewer implantations was confirmed. Although sRTA activates phosphorus, additional laser annealing improves phosphorus activation further in the Si:CP layer. The phosphorus profile is abrupt with Cluster Carbon implantation when compared to no carbon implantation.