cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Essential role of the Box II cis element and cognate host factors in regulating the promoter of Rice tungro bacilliform virus.

Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus with a single, tissue-specific promoter that is expressed primarily in phloem tissues. Rice transcription factors RF2a and RF2b bind to Box II, a cis element adjacent to the TATA box, and control gene expression from the promoter. Mutations were made in the promoter to delete or mutate Box II and the mutated promoters were fused to a reporter gene; the chimeric genes were expressed in transient BY-2 protoplast assays and in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. The results of these studies showed that Box II is essential to the activity of the RTBV promoter. A chimeric β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene containing the Box II sequence and a minimal promoter derived from the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter were co-transfected into protoplasts with gene constructs that encoded RF2a or RF2b. The reporter gene produced threefold higher GUS activity when co-transfected with RF2a, and 11-fold higher activity when co-transfected with RF2b, than in the absence of added transcription factors. Moreover, chimeric reporter genes were activated by approximately threefold following induction of expression of the RF2a gene in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. The work presented here and earlier findings show that Box II and its interactions with cognate rice transcription factors, including RF2a and RF2b, are essential to the activity of the RTBV promoter and are probably involved in expression of the RTBV genome during virus replication.
Vernier judgments in the absence of regular shape information.

Vernier acuity is a form of hyperacuity in which the threshold offset between a test object and a reference object is smaller than the size of a foveal cone. Because the test and the reference objects usually have regular shapes (e.g. rectangular, triangular or circular), relatively few studies have addressed the role of shape information in determining hyperacuity thresholds. In this study, we investigated the effect of shape information on hyperacuity performance using targets of irregular shape with different skew and symmetry properties. Vernier thresholds smaller than 10 arc-sec were obtained for closely spaced asymmetric irregular-shape targets. Thresholds for dots and asymmetric irregular shapes increased with increase in center-to-center gap between the targets. Unlike dots, the thresholds for asymmetric irregular shapes also increased with target area. Although the thresholds for asymmetric irregular shapes were higher than those for dots, thresholds for symmetric irregular shapes were similar. Target skew below a certain level had a negligible effect on Vernier thresholds for asymmetric shapes. Our results suggest the existence of feature-independent neural circuitry that can support hyperacuity thresholds and are consistent with the use of the centroid as a primitive for relative localization.
Factors contributing to the utilization of mental health services in a rural setting.

The purpose of this study was to examine if age, attitudes toward help-seeking, education, and sex were related to previous or intended future mental health utilization in a rural population. Data were collected via a mail survey from 438 adults. Regression analyses suggested that positive attitudes toward help-seeking, being female, and being younger were significantly related to both previous and intended future mental health service utilization. In addition, prior mental health use was significantly related to whether one would seek out mental health services in the future. Implications for mental health practitioners in rural settings are addressed, and limitations of the study discussed.
Detection of anal dysplasia is enhanced by narrow band imaging and acetic acid.

Aim Anal intraepithelial neoplasia precedes the development of anal squamous cell carcinoma. Detection of the lesion is essential to management. This paper describes a prospective study to detect and ablate anal squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) using white light narrow band imaging (NBI) and NBI with acetic acid (NBIA).
Increased weed diversity, density and above-ground biomass in long-term organic crop rotations

While weed management is consistently a top priority among farmers, there is also growing concern for the conservation of biodiversity. Maintaining diverse weed communities below bioeconomic thresholds may provide ecosystem services for the crop and the surrounding ecosystem. This study was conducted to determine if weed diversity, density and biomass differ within and among organic and conventional crop rotations. In 2007 and 2008, we sampled weed communities in four long-term crop rotations near Mead, Nebraska using seedbank analyses (elutriation and greenhouse emergence) and above-ground biomass sampling. Two conventional crop rotations consisted of a corn (Zea mays) or sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)–soybean (Glycine max)–sorghum or corn–soybean sequence and a diversified corn or sorghum–sorghum or corn– soybean–wheat (Triticum aestivum) sequence. Two organic rotations consisted of an animal manure-based soybean–corn or sorghum–soybean–wheat sequence and a green manure-based alfalfa (Medicago sativa)–alfalfa–corn or sorghum–wheat sequence. Species diversity of the weed seedbank and the above-ground weed community, as determined by the Shannon diversity index, were greatest in the organic green manure rotation. Averaged across all sampling methods and years, the weed diversity index of the organic green manure rotation was 1.07, followed by the organic animal manure (0.78), diversified conventional (0.76) and conventional (0.66) rotations. The broadleaf weed seedbank density in the tillage layer of the organic animal manure rotation was 1.4r, 3.1r and 5.1r greater than the organic green manure, diversified conventional and conventional rotations, respectively. The grass weed seedbank density in the tillage layer of the organic green manure rotation was 2.0r, 6.1r and 6.4r greater than the organic animal manure, diversified conventional and conventional rotations, respectively. The above-ground weed biomass was generally greatest in the organic rotations. The broadleaf weed biomass in sorghum and wheat did not differ between organic and conventional rotations (CRs), but grass weed biomass was greater in organic compared to CRs for all crops. The above-ground weed biomass did not differ within CRs, and within organic rotations the grass weed biomass was generally greatest in the organic green manure rotation. The weed seedbank and above-ground weed communities that have accumulated in these rotations throughout the experiment suggest a need for greater management in long-term organic rotations that primarily include annual crops. However, results suggest that including a perennial forage crop in organic rotations may reduce broadleaf weed seedbank populations and increase weed diversity.
Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in children following the Ross procedure.

OBJECTIVES: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) frequently accompanies the progression of aortic valve disease in children. The extent of LVH regression following surgical relief of aortic valve disease in children has not been clearly elucidated. We hypothesized that significant regression of LVH will occur in children following the Ross procedure. METHODS: We examined LVH over time in children 39 g/m 2.7 and a z score of >1.6. RESULTS: Twenty-five children underwent the Ross procedure. The left ventricular mass increased proportionally with the growth of the child from baseline to the latest follow-up at 7.3 ± 2.9 years (121.1 ± 81.5 vs 133.1 ± 79.8 g, P= 0.4). However, 96% (24/25) of children demonstrated LVMI regression from baseline. Mean LVMI decreased from 70.8 ± 31.2 to 41.8 ± 16.6 g/m 2.7 (P< 0.001). Similarly, LVMI z scores decreased from 2.2 ± 1.2 to 0.2 ± 1.9 (P< 0.001). Freedom from LVH was 83% at 10 years. Examination of LVMI and z scores over time demonstrated that the largest decrease occurred after the first year, with continued gradual decline over 10 years of follow-up.
Sustainability in the Boardroom

Research by The Conference Board shows that, despite formal assignment of responsibilities to top business leaders, many companies still lack the structural framework to enable proper director oversight of corporate sustainability. In particular, what appears to be largely missing is access to independent sources of information as well as the detailed procedures and metrics for effectively integrating social objectives into daily business activities. However, a rapidly developing regulatory climate and the increased sensitivity of enforcement authorities to the risk implications of environmental issues have opened the door to shareholder activism in this field. Most recently, the success rate of social funds demanding change has risen to levels that were unimaginable only a few years ago.The report illustrates the research findings on the following trends:• The motivational drivers of board oversight of sustainability initiatives• Board structure issues, including the allocation of resources and the assignment of responsibility for sustainability initiatives• The use of widely recognized standards to define and plan sustainability initiatives• Sustainability performance measures and reporting issues, and• Corporate response to shareholder activism in this area.
Characterization of double-strand break-induced recombination: homology requirements and single-stranded DNA formation

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a double-strand chromosome break created by the HO endonuclease is frequently repaired in mitotically growing cells by recombination between flanking homologous regions, producing a deletion. We showed that single-stranded regions were formed on both sides of the double-strand break prior to the formation of the product. The kinetics of the single-stranded DNA were monitored in strains with the recombination-deficient mutations rad52 and rad50 as well as in the wild-type strain. In rad50 mutants, single-stranded DNA was generated at a slower rate than in the wild type, whereas rad52 mutants generated single-stranded DNA at a faster rate. Product formation was largely blocked in the rad52 mutant. In the rad50 rad52 double mutant, the effects were superimposed in that the exonucleolytic activity was slowed but product formation was blocked. rad50 appears to act before or at the same stage as rad52. We constructed strains containing two ura3 segments on one side of the HO cut site and one ura3 region on the other side to characterize how flanking repeats find each other. Deletions formed preterentially between the homologous regions closest to the double-strand break. By varying the size of the middle ura3 segment, we determined that recombination initiated by a double-strand break requires a minimum homologous length between 63 and 89 bp. In these competition experiments, the frequency of recombination was dependent on the length of homology in an approximately linear manner.
Hybrid Wing Body Planform Design with Vehicle Sketch Pad

The objective of this paper was to provide an update on NASA s current tools for design and analysis of hybrid wing body (HWB) aircraft with an emphasis on Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP). NASA started HWB analysis using the Flight Optimization System (FLOPS). That capability is enhanced using Phoenix Integration's ModelCenter(Registered TradeMark). Model Center enables multifidelity analysis tools to be linked as an integrated structure. Two major components are linked to FLOPS as an example; a planform discretization tool and VSP. The planform discretization tool ensures the planform is smooth and continuous. VSP is used to display the output geometry. This example shows that a smooth & continuous HWB planform can be displayed as a three-dimensional model and rapidly sized and analyzed.
Mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry of the lunar samples

On July 24, 1969, the first extraterrestrial samples, with the exception of meteorites, were returned to earth by Apollo 11. Since then these samples and the samples returned by Apollo 12 have been subjected to scientific investigations by hundreds of scientists from many countries. Drawing on advances from the last 25 years of study of meteorites and terrestrial rocks the variety and sophistication of the techniques used on these samples is truly impressive. It can truthfully be said that 10 years ago we could not have made the measurements, and that, even if we had had the data, we could not have interpreted it. The electron microprobe, the scanning electron microscope, and the mass spectrometer, as well as other instruments and techniques, have joined the microscope as routine tools with which to attack a petrologic problem.
Conformal Refinement of Unstructured Quadrilateral Meshes

A multilevel adaptive refinement technique is presented for unstructured quadrilateral meshes in which the mesh is kept conformal at all times. This means that the refined mesh, like the original, is formed of only quadrilateral elements that intersect strictly along edges or at vertices, i.e., vertices of one quadrilateral element do not lie in an edge of another quadrilateral. Elements are refined using templates based on 1:3 refinement of edges. It is demonstrated that by careful design of the refinement and coarsening strategy, high quality elements can be maintained in the refined mesh. The method is demonstrated on a number of examples with dynamically changing refinement regions.
Evaluation of the spatial linear model, random forest and gradient nearest-neighbour methods for imputing potential productivity and biomass of the Pacific Northwest forests

Increasingly, forest management and conservation plans require spatially explicit information within a management or conservation unit. Forest biomass and potential productivity are critical variables for forest planning and assessment in the Pacific Northwest. Their values are often estimated from ground-measured sample data. For unsampled locations, forest analysts and planners lack forest productivity and biomass values, so values must be predicted. Using simulated data and forest inventory and analysis data collected in Oregon and Washington, we examined the performance of the spatial linear model (SLM), random forest (RF) and gradient nearest neighbour (GNN) for mapping and estimating biomass and potential productivity of Pacific Northwest forests. Simulations of artificial populations and subsamplings of forest biomass and productivity data showed that the SLM hadsmallerempiricalroot-mean-squaredpredictionerrors(RMSPE)forawidevarietyofdatatypes,withgenerally lessbiasandbetterintervalcoveragethanRFandGNN.Thesepatternsheldforbothpointpredictionsandforpopulationaverages,withtheSLMreducingRMSPEby30.0and52.6percentovertwoGNNmethodsinpredictingpoint estimates for forest biomass and potential productivity.
Acute management of sudden cardiac death in adults based upon the new CPR guidelines.

Purpose of the review The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive description of interventions that can improve outcomes in adults with sudden cardiac death. The new American Heart Association 2005 Guidelines introduced a number of changes for the initial management of cardiorespiratory arrest based on new data that accumulated over the last 5 years. Acute management of sudden cardiac death Appropriate interventions targeting the three phases of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (electrical, circulatory, and metabolic) should be implemented. Early defibrillation in early witnessed arrest with one shock is very effective and can improve survival outcomes. When resuscitation efforts are delayed and CPR is performed by paramedics, 2 min of CPR before shock is recommended. Emphasis has been placed on fast and forceful continuous compressions with minimal interruptions, adequate decompression, and decrease in the rate of ventilations to 8-10/min for intubated patients with two rescuers and a universal increase in compression to ventilation ratio to 30:2 for lone rescuers. Mechanical adjuncts to improve circulation have been adapted in the recommendations. The inspiratory impedance threshold device that enhances negative intrathoracic pressure and improves venous preload has been recommended for application in intubated and bag-mask ventilated patients. Owing to the difficulty of endotracheal intubation, airway management devices (Combitube and Laryngeal Mask Airway) can be used as alternatives with minimal extra training. Conclusion The new guidelines for CPR have focused on early defibrillation, uninterrupted compressions, complete decompression, fewer ventilations, and simplification and uniformity of the process.
Toxicity of Amphetamine-Related Drugs and Resulting Behavioral Changes

It is well known that brief exposure to a variety of amphetamine analogs causes long- lasting neurotoxic changes in dopamine and/or serotonin neurons in the CNS. The functional consequences of this toxicity have not been determined. Administration of fenfluramine to rats twice daily for 4 days produces long-lasting depletions of serotonin and results in tolerance to both anorectic and neurochemical effects of acute fenfluramine. On the other hand, a 4 day regimen of MDMA enhances the effects of acute MDMA on a DRL schedule of reinforcement as well as morphine analgesia. These studies indicate that short-term exposure to neurotoxic amphetamines can cause long-lasting changes in sensitivity to either the same or different drugs.
Determining the extent of quality health care for hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Since few data are available concerning the clinical course of decompensated hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis, the aim of the present study was to define the natural long-term course after the first hepatic decompensation. METHODS: Cohort of 200 consecutive patients with HCV-related cirrhosis, and without known hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), hospitalized for the first hepatic decompensation. RESULTS Ascites was the most frequent first decompensation (48%), followed by portal hypertensive gastrointestinal bleeding (PHGB) (32.5%), severe bacterial infection (BI) (14.5%) and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (5%). During follow-up (34+/-2 months) there were 519 readmissions, HCC developed in 33 (16.5%) patients, and death occurred in 85 patients (42.5%). The probability of survival after diagnosis of decompensated cirrhosis was 81.8 and 50.8% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. HE and/or ascites as the first hepatic decompensation, baseline Child-Pugh score, age, and presence of more than one decompensation during follow-up were independently correlated with survival. CONCLUSIONS Once decompensated HCV-related cirrhosis was established, patients showed not only a very high frequency of readmissions, but also developed decompensations different from the initial one. These results contribute to defining the natural course and prognosis of decompensated HCV-related cirrhosis.
Ideas, Institutions, and Political Order: Explaining Political Change

Institutional approaches to explaining political phenomena suffer from three common limitations: reductionism, reliance on exogenous factors, and excessive emphasis on order and structure. Ideational approaches to political explanation, while often more sensitive to change and agency, largely exhibit the same shortcomings. In particular, both perspectives share an emphasis on discerning and explaining patterns of ordered regularity in politics, making it hard to explain important episodes of political change. Relaxing this emphasis on order and viewing politics as situated in multiple and not necessarily equilibrated order suggests a way of synthesizing institutional and ideational approaches and developing more convincing accounts of political change. In this view, change arises out of “friction” among mismatched institutional and ideational patterns. An account of American civil rights policy in the 1960s and 1970s, which is not amenable to either straightforward institutional or ideational explanation, demonstrates the advantages of the approach.
Cognitive ecology and social learning inspired machine learning: with particular reference to the evolving of resilient Airborne Networks (AN)

This paper tries to bring together three seemingly only remotely related fields: animal cognition in biology, machine learning in computer science, and the planning and deployment of resilient Airborne Networks. The underlying motivation is that the latest advances in animal behavior ecology such as social learning, innovation, and cognitive ecology may offer some meaningful insights for computational intelligence such as machine learning. Motivated by this expectation, I first review some of the latest advances in the field of animal cognition, with focusing on social learning, teaching, innovation and cognitive ecology. The justification for this focus is not only because they are interesting and are among the most actively studied topics in behavior biology, but also because the existing machine learning research, which from time to time takes cues from cognitive science, seems to only incorporate the traditional learning theory such as associative learning and reinforcement learning. After a briefly review of the major advances in animal learning and cognitive ecology, I look into the possibility to incorporate the principles and mechanisms from social learning and cognitive ecology into a typical machine learning architecture. By examining the Gadanho's (2001, 2003) ALEC (Asynchronous Learning by Emotion and Cognition) architecture, I propose to add a high layer to the ALEC architecture, and the resulting CEML (Cognitive Ecology and social learning inspired Machine Learning) offers a framework that uses a population of agents and can readily consider social learning, teaching, and innovation as well as the influences of environment in a comprehensive manner. Finally, I consider the problem of planning and deployment of Airborne Networks (AN) and suggests that the new CEML should be ideal for tackling the AN problem.
Azimuthal asymmetry at large p t seem to be too large for a pure “jet quenching”

We discuss a simple generic model of ``jet quenching'' in which matter absorption is defined by one parameter. We show that as absorption grows, the azimuthal asymmetry parameter ${v}_{2}$ grows as well, reaching the finite limit ${v}_{2}^{*}$ which has a simple geometric interpretation. We show that this limit is still below the experimental values for $6g{p}_{t}g2 \mathrm{GeV},$ according to preliminary data from the STAR experiment at RHIC. We thus conclude that jet quenching models alone cannot account for the observed phenomenon, and speculate about alternative scenarios.
Analyses of Histone Proteoforms Using Front-end Electron Transfer Dissociation-enabled Orbitrap Instruments

Histones represent a class of proteins ideally suited to analyses by top-down mass spectrometry due to their relatively small size, the high electron transfer dissociation-compatible charge states they exhibit, and the potential to gain valuable information concerning combinatorial post-translational modifications and variants. We recently described new methods in mass spectrometry for the acquisition of high-quality MS/MS spectra of intact proteins (Anderson, L. C., English, A. M., Wang, W., Bai, D. L., Shabanowitz, J., and Hunt, D. F. (2015) Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 377, 617-624). Here, we report an extension of these techniques. Sequential ion/ion reactions carried out in a modified Orbitrap Velos Pro/Elite(TM) capable of multiple fragment ion fills of the C-trap, in combination with data-dependent and targeted HPLC-MS experiments, were used to obtain high resolution MS/MS spectra of histones from butyrate-treated HeLa cells. These spectra were used to identify several unique intact histone proteoforms with up to 81% sequence coverage. We also demonstrate that parallel ion parking during ion/ion proton transfer reactions can be used to separate species of overlapping m/z that are not separated chromatographically, revealing previously indiscernible signals. Finally, we characterized several truncated forms of H2A and H2B found within the histone fractions analyzed, achieving up to 93% sequence coverage by electron transfer dissociation MS/MS. Results of follow-up in vitro experiments suggest that some of the truncated histone H2A proteoforms we observed can be generated by cathepsin L, an enzyme known to also catalyze clipping of histone H3.
Feminist Framework Plus: Knitting Feminist Theories of Rape Etiology Into a Comprehensive Model

The radical-liberal feminist perspective on rape posits that the assault is motivated by power and control rather than sexual gratification and is a violent rather than a sexual act. However, rape is a complex act. Relying on only one early strand of feminist thought to explain the etiology of rape limits feminists' understanding of rape and the practice based upon the theory. The history of the adoption of the "power, not sex" theory is presented and the model critiqued. A more integrated model is developed and presented, the Feminist Framework Plus, which knits together five feminist theories into a comprehensive model that better explains the depth and breadth of the etiology of rape. Empirical evidence that supports each theory is detailed as well as the implications of the model on service provision, education, and advocacy.
Static Differential Program Analysis for Software-Defined Networks

Networks are increasingly controlled by software, and bad updates can bring down an entire network. Network operators therefore need tools to determine the impact of changes. To address this, we present static differential analysis of software-defined network (SDN) controller programs. Given two versions of a controller program our tool, Chimp, builds atop Alloy to produce a set of concrete scenarios where the programs differ in their behavior. Chimp thus enables network developers to exploit the power of formal methods tools without having to be trained in formal logic or property elicitation. Furthermore, we show that there are many interesting properties that one can state about the changes themselves. Our evaluation shows that Chimp is fast, returning scenarios in under a second on several real applications.
Food Habits of Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat in Southeastern Kentucky

The diet of Rafinesque's big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus rafinesquii ) was determined from 94 fecal pellets and 86 culled wings of moths collected from four roosts and five feeding shelters in southeastern Kentucky. Seven orders of insects were consumed, with Lepidoptera occurring at >90% volume and 100% frequency in all samples, suggesting that C. rafinesquii is a moth-specialist. Five families and seven species of moths were identified from culled wings. The average wingspan for the species of moths was 45.4 mm ( SD = 8.4). This and other studies suggest that Corynorhinus preys primarily upon moths ranging in size from 31 to 57 mm.
Estimation of Latent Class Models with Heterogeneous Choice Probabilities: An Application to Market Structuring:

Recently, Grover and Srinivasan developed a latent-class-based approach to analyze market structure by using brand-switching data. The authors provide an iterative maximum likelihood procedure for ...
Stored grain pack factors for wheat: Comparison of three methods to field measurements

Storing grain in bulk storage units results in grain packing from overbearing pressure, which increases grain bulk density and storage unit capacity. This study compared pack factors of hard red winter (HRW) wheat in vertical storage bins using different methods: the existing packing model (WPACKING), the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) method, and the USDA Farm Service Agency Warehouse Licensing and Examination Division (FSA-W) method. Grain bins containing HRW wheat were measured in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Packing was measured in corrugated steel bins and reinforced concrete bins with diameters ranging from 4.6 to 31.9 m (15.0 to 104.6 ft) and equivalent level grain heights ranging from 4.1 to 41.6 m (13.4 to 136.6 ft). The predicted masses of compacted stored wheat based on WPACKING, RMA, and FSA-W were compared to the reported mass from scale tickets. Pack factors predicted by WPACKING ranged from 0.929 to 1.073 for steel bins and from 0.986 to 1.077 for concrete bins. Pack factors predicted by the RMA method ranged from 0.991 to 1.157 for steel bins and from 0.993 to 1.099 for concrete bins. Pack factors predicted by the FSA-W method ranged from 0.985 to 1.126 for steel bins and from 1.012 to 1.101 for concrete bins. The average absolute and median differences between the WPACKING-predicted mass and reported mass were 1.64% and -1.26%, respectively, for corrugated steel bins and 3.75% and 2.16%, respectively, for concrete bins. In most cases, WPACKING underpredicted the mass in corrugated steel bins and overpredicted the mass in concrete bins. Comparison of the RMA-predicted mass and reported mass showed an average absolute difference of 4.41% with a median difference of 1.91% for HRW wheat in steel bins and an average absolute difference of 3.25% with a median difference of 1.03% for concrete bins. For the FSA-W-predicted mass versus reported mass, the average absolute and median differences were 3.40% and 3.86%, respectively, for steel bins and 4.34% and 3.50%, respectively, for concrete bins. Most of the mass values were overpredicted by both the RMA and FSA-W methods. Some of the large differences observed for concrete bins can be attributed to the unique geometry of these bins and the difficulty in describing these bin shapes mathematically. Overall, compared to the reported mass, WPACKING predicted the mass of grain in the bins with less error than the current RMA and FSA-W methods. Some of the differences may be because the RMA and FSA-W methods do not include the effects of grain moisture content, bin wall type, and grain height on pack factors.
Pathogenesis and Immunology of Bacterial Endophthalmitis

Bacterial endophthalmitis is one of the most severe and sight-threatening ocular infectious diseases. It is characterized by massive inflammation and tissue damage caused by both bacteria and the subsequent immune response. Bacterial endophthalmitis occurs in the context of ocular surgery, trauma, microbial keratitis, or hematogenous spread of bacteria to the eye. Clinical findings and visual prognosis are determined by virulence factor of causative pathogens or the host response. Therefore, understanding the precise role of bacterial and host factors in the pathogenesis of endophthalmitis is required to develop novel therapies to improve the outcome of this infection.
Renal hemodynamic and functional effects of 10 days' partial urinary obstruction in the fetal lamb.

Abstract We studied fetal lambs to define the renal pathophysiology of chronic in utero partial bladder outlet obstruction. These fetal lambs, 115 to 120 days gestation (term = 145 days), underwent urethral ligation, placement of a urachal catheter and positioning of an ultrasonic flow transducer around the left renal artery. Partial obstruction was created by placing a narrow connector between the urachal and an amniotic catheter. In control animals a large connector was placed to allow free drainage of the bladder into the amniotic cavity. Renal blood flow was measured daily, and urine was collected at days 5 and 10 to evaluate renal function. In control animals, no significant changes in any parameters were observed. In the partially obstructed fetal lambs, renal blood flow increased to 165% of baseline after 5 days; from 5 to 10 days, it decreased, but remained above baseline values through 10 days (128%). Urine production dropped significantly after 10 days (67%). Glomerular filtration rate increased slightly after 5 days (127%), but decreased after 10 (56%). Filtration fraction steadily decreased after 5 (70%) and 10 days (33%). Fractional and total sodium excretion did not change. Renal blood flow increases, filtration fraction decreases and renal function trends progressively diminish in response to partial bladder outlet obstruction over a period of 10 days in the fetal lamb.
In Search of Fundamentals

In the past two decades political science has diverged sharply. From its past assumptions about political behavior, it has increasingly adopted the REMM model: resourceful, evaluative, maximizing man of politics. Of increasingly less interest to students within the mainstream of formalized and empirical political science is the traditional SRSM model: socialized, role-playing, and sanctioned man of society and politics. As Brunner (1987:375) explains, in the SRSM model "Man emerges fully programmed by his social context," while REMM focuses on the egoistical motivations, conditioned by context, which through repeated interactions create the rules and procedures that define power relations in society. The SRSM model focuses on the reasons that shape the rules; REMM on the outcomes and structural patterns that lay in the wake of purposive decisions and bargains construed by maximizing individuals. Studies of political development ordinarily assume the SRSM model. They reflect a concern with the institutions that shape and motivate conflict and consensus and offer useful profiles of the contours of power and authority that distinguish nation-states and regions. It is in this body of literature that Jackman's work finds its logical home. Intended to reevaluate many of the most important studies of development, Power Without Force focuses relentlessly on the basics of political structure. Power, organization, force, and legitimacy are the principle ontological building-blocks for the student of comparative politics. This book surveys the literature and places into conceptual context the study of development and political capacity. It should not be mistaken, however, for an original interpretation designed to extend or to redirect our thinking about politics. Importantly, Power Witho/ut Force is also not reflective of the REMM model of society or politics. While it is unfair to criticize a work for what it does not intend to do, it is fair to ask whether what it offers is either clear to the reader or significant to the current analysis of comparative politics. On this scale, Jackman's work stands as an outstanding example of careful and thoughtful restatement of the basics, but it falls short of being an important synthesis. As such, it leaves room for the most basic of criticisms: what is the purpose of this study, does it offer compelling evidence to warrant careful attention, and does it provide fruitful and profitable guidance for the progressive advance of the subfield? The evidence seems mixed.
Formation control for cooperative localization of MAV swarms (demonstration)

Large UAVs depend on GPS technology to accurately describe their position, and navigate to their objectives successfully. However, Micro Air Vehicles (MAVS) cannot rely on GPS technology when navigating indoors. Much research has been conducted to develop robust control systems for MAV formations. Most of this research requires off-board sensing to provide formation control. In this work we demonstrate a formation control technique for MAVs, using on-board sensing and off-board processing. We demonstrate the usage of on-board vision and inertial sensors to localize two MAVs relative to each other. Our hardware platform is the Parrot AR Drone, which has a vast sensor suite including two on-board cameras, an inertial measurement unit, compass, and ultrasonic range-finder for altitude measurement. The drones are controlled using National Instrument's LabView 2011, and commands are issued wirelessly via a 802.11 WIFI network.
Should Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Be Used for the Early Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

A 48-year-old African American man with a medical history notable for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and active tobacco use presented to his primary care physician (PCP) with a 5-day history of progressive shortness of breath, productive cough, generalized malaise, and body aches. He traveled to Florida 1 week prior to presentation and was exposed to “moldy” water due to flooding of his basement the preceding week. He denied any recent sick contacts. At his PCP’s office, his room air oxygen saturation was 78 %.
Galerkin method for wave equations with uncertain coefficients

Polynomial chaos methods (and generalized polynomial chaos methods) have been extensively applied to analyze PDEs that contain uncertainties. However this approach is rarely applied to hyperbolic systems. In this paper we analyze the properties of the resulting deterministic system of equations obtained by stochastic Galerkin projection. We consider a simple model of a scalar wave equation with random wave speed. We show that when uncertainty causes the change of characteristic directions, the resulting deterministic system of equations is a symmetric hyperbolic system with both positive and negative eigenvalues. A consistent method of imposing the boundary conditions is proposed and its convergence is established. Numerical examples are presented to support the analysis. AMS subject classifications: 65C20, 65C30
Neuropsychological Functioning and Brain Imaging

As reviewed in this text, tremendous progress has been made over the past 15 years in the development of brain-imaging techniques and our ability to link imaging data with important aspects of behavior. These advances have had a great impact on both theoretical and clinical issues in the neurosciences and have greatly refined neurological diagnostics, as has been discussed by Rutledge (Chapter 2). Likewise, the greater specificity and precision of current brain-imaging techniques have provided a more complete paradigm for the study of the neurological patient in which the effects of focal, lateralized, and/or generalized neurological damage/dysfunction can be compared with neuropsychological function. Much past research in cognitive neuroscience had been hampered by the inability to study simultaneously anatomy and pathology of the brain and function. As the current generation of research unfolds, we have to rethink our understanding of the brain and its relationship to cognition and neuropsychological function. For example, as pointed out by Knopman, Seines, and Rubens (Chapter 5), the language system of the brain may not be as localized as was once thought, and Haaland and Yeo (Chapter 8) make similar statements about motor control in their attempt to elucidate the complex factors that are involved in motor function.
Acoustic Excitation of a Flanged Joint

Bolts, screws, rivets, and pins can significantly complicate the prediction of damping, stiffness, and resonance frequencies of built-up systems. Because the interaction of interfacial joints is not well understood, current predictive models incorporating fastened joints often require over-designing for safety. To better understand the behavior of fastened joints, several experiments have been performed on a built-up structure with two rectangular 1/4″ plates fastened together by two screws on a 1/2″ thick flange. The structure was excited via acoustic excitation, and acceleration was measured at multiple locations on the flange and plate during and after ensonifying. While the energy input to the system may be lower for acoustic excitations than other direct contact methods, the results in this paper show that ensonifying the structure has two important advantages over traditional impact hammer and shaker methods. First, resonances of the structure can be excited and analyzed individually in both steady state and free-decay conditions, which is an advantage over impact excitation. Second, the excitation method is non-intrusive and does not change the system properties, which is an advantage over shaker excitation. The proposed method is shown to be an effective way to excite structures for both steady-state and decay measurements.
Distributed Power Sources for Mars

One of the fundamental needs for Mars colonization is an abundant source of energy (Shaban and Miley 2003). The total energy system will probably use a mixture of sources based on solar energy, fuel cells and nuclear energy. Here we concentrate on the possibility of developing a distributed system employing advanced nuclear energy, specifically a mixture of small fusion devices and low energy nuclear reaction (LENR) cells (Miley 1997; Miley et al. 2002a). The fusion devices would provide small central units in the 500 kWe - 1 MWe level. The LENR units would serve as small portable sources ranging from Watts up to kiloWatts. All units would be designed to minimize radiation emission and radioactive waste.
Iron Metabolism in Cancer and Infection

Progression through the G1, S, G2, and M phases of the cell cycle is regulated by sets of Cdks bound to corresponding cyclins (reviewed in [1]). Transition through the G1 phase is regulated by Cdk4/cyclin D1 and by Cdk6/cyclin D3. Cdk2/cyclin E is active at the late G1 phase and is responsible for the G1/S transition. Progression through the S phase is regulated by Cdk2/cyclin A. DNA synthesis during the S phase critically relies on the enzymatic activity of ribonucleotide reductase [2]. The S/G2 transition is regulated by Cdk1/cyclin A. Cdk1/cyclin B is responsible for the G2/M transition and for the completion of mitosis.
On the Social Psychology of Experiential States Associated with EEG Alpha Biofeeedback Training

Alpha feedback training involves presenting immediate moment-to-moment information feedback of the strength or density of the EEG alpha rhythm, providing the opportunity, in principle, to learn to increase, maintain, or decrease the strength of this brain rhythm. Of special significance is the observation by some researchers (Brown, 1970; Kamiya, 1968, 1969; Nowlis & Kamiya, 1970) that many persons report entering a quasi-meditational state of consciousness during alpha-enhancement feedback. This state of consciousness, often called the “alpha experience,” is said to be a pleasant, relaxed, and serene state, characterized by a loss of body and time awareness, an absence or dimunition of thought, and “egolessness.” Initially, researchers claimed that the alpha experience was intrinsically and directly associated with enhanced alpha levels, and that the alpha experience was achieved by virtue of enhanced alpha (hence, the name, alpha experience). However, more recently, several researchers have argued that the alpha experience is at least in part a result of certain social psychological variables such as suggestion, the demand characteristics of the experimental setting, expectation, and the degree of experienced success (Beatty, 1972; Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971; Lynch, Paskewitz, & Orne, 1974; Peper, 1971; Plotkin, 1976a, 1976b; Plotkin & Cohen, 1976; Plotkin, Mazer, & Loewy, 1976; Walsh, 1974).
Retinal Oxygen Tension in Diabetic Dogs Following Insulin Infusion

We measured preretinal oxygen tensions using a microelectrode in dogs made diabetic with alloxan. The intravenous administration of insulin did not affect preretinal oxygen tension over the two hours it could be continuously accurately measured. Furthermore, the oxygen-hemoglobin equilibrium curves measured before and two hours after insulin administration did not change.
Increasing the perceived malleability of gender bias using a modified Video Intervention for Diversity in STEM (VIDS)

Scholars are increasingly responding to calls for interventions to address persistent gender disparities in the sciences. Yet, interventions that emphasize the pervasiveness of bias may inadvertent...
Associations among knee muscle strength, structural damage, and pain and mobility in individuals with osteoarthritis and symptomatic meniscal tear

Sufficient lower extremity muscle strength is necessary for performing functional tasks, and individuals with knee osteoarthritis demonstrate thigh muscle weakness compared to controls. It has been suggested that lower muscle strength is associated with a variety of clinical features including pain, mobility, and functional performance, yet these relationships have not been fully explored in patients with symptomatic meniscal tear in addition to knee osteoarthritis. Our purpose was to evaluate the associations of quadriceps and hamstrings muscle strength with structural damage and clinical features in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and symptomatic meniscal tear. We performed a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Meniscal Tear in Osteoarthritis Research (MeTeOR) trial. We assessed structural damage using Kellgren-Lawrence grade and the magnetic resonance imaging osteoarthritis knee score (MOAKS) for cartilage damage. We used the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS) to evaluate pain, symptoms, and activities of daily living (ADL), and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test to assess mobility. We assessed quadriceps and hamstrings strength using a hand-held dynamometer and classified each into quartiles (Q). We used Chi square tests to evaluate the association between strength and structural damage; and separate analysis of covariance models to establish the association between pain, symptoms, ADL and mobility with strength, after adjusting for demographic characteristics (age, sex and BMI) and structural damage. Two hundred fifty two participants were evaluated. For quadriceps strength, subjects in the strongest quartile scored 14 and 13 points higher on the KOOS Pain and ADL subscales, respectively, and completed the TUG two seconds faster than subjects in the weakest quartile. For hamstrings strength, subjects in the strongest quartile scored 13 and 14 points higher on the KOOS pain and ADL subscales, respectively, and completed the TUG two seconds faster than subjects in the weakest quartile. Strength was not associated with structural damage. Greater quadriceps and hamstrings muscle strength was associated with less pain, less difficulty completing activities of daily living, and better mobility. These relationships should be evaluated longitudinally.
A graph-based approach to detecting tourist movement patterns using social media data

Understanding the characteristics of tourist movement is essential for tourist behavior studies since the characteristics underpin how the tourist industry management selects strategies for attract...
Clawbacks and Earnings Management

ABSTRACT This study addresses the effect of clawbacks on earnings management (EM). In a two-period model, the manager can report truthfully or distort an interim report using either accrual or real...
Longitudinal Association of Sleep Problems and Distress Tolerance During Adolescence

AbstractThe mechanism by which sleep problems adversely impacts adolescent health is poorly understood. Distress tolerance—a multifactorial trait indicative of one’s ability to withstand negative e...
Runtime reconfigurable memory hierarchy in embedded scalable platforms

In heterogeneous systems-on-chip, the optimal choice of the cache-coherence model for a loosely-coupled accelerator may vary at each invocation, depending on workload and system status. We propose a runtime adaptive algorithm to manage the coherence of accelerators. The algorithm's choices are based on the combination of static and dynamic features of the active accelerators and their workloads. We evaluate the algorithm by leveraging our FPGA-based platform for rapid SoC prototyping. Experimental results, obtained through the deployment of a multi-core and multi-accelerator system that runs Linux SMP, show the benefits of our approach in terms of execution time and memory accesses.