cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 535: IGF-I stimulates amino acid transporter xC- function to reduce intracellular ROS level and promote proliferation in human breast cancer cells.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Our laboratory identified SLC7A11/xCT as an IGF-I-induced gene specifically regulated through the adaptor protein IRS-1 in breast cancer cells. xCT encodes the functional subunit of the heterodimeric plasma membrane transport system xC-, which is critical for the cellular uptake of cystine in exchange for intracellular glutamate. xC- transporter is involved in the regulation of proliferation, metastasis, and treatment resistance in cancer. To determine the role for xC- expression in IGF-mediated breast cancer cell biology, two classes of breast cancer cell lines were studied: estrogen receptor (ER) positive cell lines (IRS-1 activated) MCF-7, ZR-75-1, and T47D; basal-like cell lines (IRS-2 activated) MDA-MB-231, BT549, and HS578T. Significantly increased xCT mRNA expression was observed only in ER positive cell lines, which was eliminated by IRS-1 specific siRNA (25 nM). IGF-I increased xCT protein expression measured by immunblots and flow cytometry only in ER positive cells in an IRS-1 dependent manner. To measure the function of upregulated xC-, extracellular levels of glutamic acid and intracellular level of total glutathione were measured in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. IGF-I regulated xC- transporter function only in IRS-1 activated MCF-7 cells. In MCF-7 cells, IGF-I-stimulated monolayer and anchorage-independent growth were suppressed by treating cells with xCT shRNA or the xCT chemical inhibitor sulfasalazine (SASP, 0.1 mM). Direct measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and levels of phospho-p38MAPkinase showed that IGF-I reduced cellular ROS level (induced by 10 Gy of irradiation or 1 ug/ml of mitomycin C), SASP (0.1 mM) reversed this IGF-I effect. Anchorage-independent growth assays suggested that inhibiting xC- function by 0.1 mM SASP sensitized the response of MCF-7 cells to anti-IGF-IR monoclonal antibody humanized EM164 (ImmunoGen, Inc.) and tyrosine kinase inhibitor NVP-AEW-541. These data suggest that IGF-I promotes the proliferation of ER positive breast cancer cells by regulating xC- transporter function in an IRS-1 dependent manner. Furthermore, IGF-I protects cells from ROS via upregulation of xC-. Our findings also imply that combination of xC- transporter inhibitor with anti-IGF-IR agents may have synergic therapeutic effects. Citation Format: Yuzhe Yang, Marc A. Becker, Douglas Yee. IGF-I stimulates amino acid transporter xC- function to reduce intracellular ROS level and promote proliferation in human breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 535. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-535
An extreme temperature Raman cell

Abstract A novel Raman cell is described which makes use of a light pipe in place of the flat plate which is customarily used for the window of Raman cells.
Nasogastric intubation: Morbidity in an asymptomatic patient

An unusual case of a misdirected nasogastric tube is described. An elderly woman was brought to an emergency department following intentional drug overdose. Initially unrecognized errant placement of a large-bore nasogastric tube resulted in tension pneumothorax, pneumonia, and subsequent death. Pertinent medical literature is reviewed, clinical considerations for the elderly patient are discussed, and suggestions for proper nasogastric tube placement are offered.
Survivorship, Spatial Pattern, and Habitat Structure of Field Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) in Two Old Fields

This study was designed to describe patterns in abundance and habitat structure of populations of field crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) in old fields in northeastern Ohio. Vegetation and crickets were sampled at regular spatial intervals in two old fields in close proximity. Vegetation was sampled in June 1980. Crickets were sampled biweekly from 25 June to 17 October 1980 in the larger north field, and they were sampled sporadically from 17 July to 28 August 1980 in the south field. In the north field, the cricket assemblage was dominated by Allonemobius allardi . Abundance of all Nemobiinae peaked at mid to late July, and first adults appeared 21 August 1980. Immature Nemobiinae were spatially aggregated, and adults of the two species of Nemobiinae, A. allardi and Eunemobius carolinus carolinus , were independently distributed throughout the north field. Densities of immature Nemobiinae were positively correlated with amount of grasses in each quadrat and negatively correlated with total cover of vegetation. The south field differed from the north field in composition of vegetation, dominated by orchard grass, and in composition of crickets, dominated by E. c. carolillus . Nemobiinae nymphs were aggregated in mid-July, but adults of both species were randomly distributed at later dates. Density of Nemobiinae nymphs within each quadrat was related to grass dominance, peaking at intermediate levels of grass dominance, but density of nymphs was unrelated to total cover.
Lack of proteolytic processing of α‐L‐fucosidase in human skin fibroblasts

Acid hydrolases are synthesized as precursors that undergo several posttranslational modifications including proteolytic processing to a smaller mature enzyme. The amount of proteolytic processing varies for different acid hydrolases, and many details of the intracellular pathways are not known. The processing of alpha-L-fucosidase was distinguished from that of other acid hydrolases reported when studied in systematic pulse-chase labeling experiments. Only one form of alpha-L-fucosidase, Mr 56,000-57,000, was demonstrated intra- and extracellularly. Under the same conditions, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase was shown to be processed with several forms, as previously reported by Hasilik and Neufeld (1980a). To obtain these results, human skin fibroblasts were labeled metabolically with L-[3H]leucine for periods of 20 min to 8 hr with varying periods of chase from 1 to 96 hr with nonradioactive L-leucine. alpha-L-Fucosidase was immunoprecipitated by a polyclonal antibody from material extracted from cells and ammonium sulfate precipitated medium and was examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. N-Acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase was examined with similar procedures and served as a control for the methods. Tunicamycin treatment of the cells was used to show that glycosylation did not obscure proteolytic processing because, again, only one form of the intra- and extracellular enzyme was observed, although of smaller size, Mr 52,000-53,000. In addition, separation of the cells into prelysosomal and lysosomal fractions showed only one form of the enzyme. It is concluded that alpha-L-fucosidase does not undergo proteolytic processing in human skin fibroblasts in the usual manner described for other acid hydrolases.
RECIPROCATING MONADS: INDIVIDUALS, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS, and THE DREAM OF ECONOMIC SCIENCE

The Wealth of Nations is a pivotal point for understanding the place of the individual in economic theory. Individuals in The Wealt of Nations are reciprocating monads, engaged in necessary relations with others but only for their own self-interest. Looking back to The Theory of Moral Sentiments we can see that Smith was forced to this formulation by the new requirements of economic science. Looking forward, we see the exigencies of economic science, especially in neoclassical economics, force the individual to become entirely a monad. This raises the question as to whether the demands of science are conducive to an economic theory adequate to its subject matter. Copyright 1994 by Scottish Economic Society.
A.c. loss induced quenching in multicoil adiabatic superconducting magnets

Abstract In a multicoil adiabatic superconducting magnet composed of nested solenoids, each shunted with a resistor, an initial quench in one solenoid can induce quenches in the other solenoids even when they are thermally isolated. The present work investigates induced quenching in such magnets. Specifically, we have identified that coupling a.c. loss is responsible for induced quenching in thermally isolated coils. An existing computer code has been modified accordingly to incorporate a.c. losses. The modified code has been tested against experimental results of premature quenches recorded for a 750 MHz NMR magnet presently under development at MIT; agreement between the results of the code and experiment is excellent. In multifilamentary composite conductors, the coupling loss produced by a time-varying magnetic field depends on the square of the filament twist pitch. The new finding implies that filament twist pitch is an important parameter for protection of high current density multicoil superconducting magnets; by properly adjusting the twist pitch of the conductor in each coil, it may be possible to make each coil self-protecting without reliance on, for example, heaters for protection.
The association of adverse childhood experiences with mid-life depressive symptoms and quality of life among incarcerated males: exploring multiple mediation

Objectives: To explore the association of experiencing death, trauma, and abuse during childhood with depressive symptoms and quality of life at mid-life among incarcerated men and to understand how current social support and coping strategies mediate the impact of childhood trauma histories on mental health.Methods: Study participants were 192 male inmates in a maximum security prison. Participants completed measures of adverse childhood experiences related to death, trauma, and abuse, and depressive symptoms and quality of life. Data were analyzed using multiple mediation modeling.Results: Men who reported having experienced adverse childhood experiences reported more depressive symptoms and lower quality of life than their counterparts. The results showed that in models both unadjusted and adjusted for age, race, education, number of years served, and whether the inmate had a life sentence, the association between adverse childhood experiences and quality of life were partially explained by the total o...
Psychology from the Other Side of the Line: Editorial Processes and Publication Trends at JPSP

The experience of editorial responsibility can produce many surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant, and some of these are outlined. The author also responds to Reis and Stiller (this issue), who carefully document how the length and complexity of articles published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology have increased over the past three decades and attribute this growth to the increasing sophistication and depth of psychological research Although this characterization is surely correct about much modern research in psychology, some articles may begetting longer for the wrong reasons, including obsessiveness and pseudosophistication. He reviewers and editor of our journals need to distinguish between articles that are truly sophisticated or are breaking new ground and those that are obsessively detailed reports of trivial, albeit complicated, variations on the same old theme. To make this distinction wisely, we may need to read and evaluate research within a broader frame of reference than i...
Optimal Control of Non-Ballistic Muscular Movements : A Constraint-Based Performance Criterion for Rising from a Chair

To understand how humans perform non-ballistic movements, we have developed an optimal control model to simulate rising from a chair. The human body was modeled as a three-segment, articulated, planar linkage, with adjacent links joined together by frictionless revolutes. The skeleton was actuated by eight musculotendinous units with each muscle modeled as a three-element entity in series with tendon. Because rising from a chair presents a relatively ambiguous performance criterion, we chose to evaluate a number of different performance criteria, each based upon a fundamental dynamical property of movement; muscle force. Through a quantitative comparison of model and experiment, we found that neither a minimum-impulse nor a minimum-energy criterion is able to reproduce the major features of standing up. Instead, we introduce a performance criterion based upon an important and previously overlooked dynamical property of muscle: the time derivative of force. Our motivation for incorporating such a quantity into a mathematical description of the goal of a motor task is founded upon the belief that non-ballistic movements are controlled by gradual increases in muscle force rather than by rapid changes in force over time. By computing the optimal control solution for rising from a static squatting position, we show that minimizing the integral of a quantity which depends upon the time derivative of muscle force meets an important physiological requirement: it minimizes the peak forces developed by muscles throughout the movement. Furthermore, by computing the optimal control solution for rising from a chair, we demonstrate that multi-joint coordination is dictated not only by the choice of a performance criterion but by the presence of a motion constraint as well.
"The only truth I know is what I felt with my entire body": Traumatic Memory in Zulu Love Letter

Zulu Love Letter expands the repertoire of films often labeled "Truth and Reconciliation films" in its portrayal of Thandeka Khumalo, a political activist, journalist, and mother. Her painful journey recognizes the moral ambivalence of a victim who has to learn to forgive herself for a past for which she holds herself responsible. With its frequent temporal shifts, highly subjective point of view, and self-conscious narration, the film employs a "modernist" representational style that intends to represent the trauma of the past and its post-traumatic resonance in the present. Such a visual landscape, however, also challenges the audience's ability (and will- ingness) to engage with a character whose testimony already threatens their sense of moral order and human compassion. In this article, I examine the aesthetic and ethical challenges of rendering personal pain accessible to an audience often far removed from the experience of the victim.
Cavity dispersion tuning spectroscopy of tellurium near 4444 nm

We present saturation absorption spectroscopy of transitions in Te2 near 444.4 nm. These spectra were taken using a blue diode laser locked to a Fabry–Perot (FP) cavity that is in turn locked to a Zeeman-stabilized helium–neon laser. Tuning of the diode laser frequency is accomplished by N2 pressure tuning of the FP cavity. The result is a tuning frequency that is proportional to the dispersion of the index of refraction between the helium neon and diode laser wavelengths. We assess the stability of the blue laser frequency by scanning over a single Te2 absorption line repeatedly over a 48 h period. This work is motivated by our desire to produce a versatile frequency-locked source of radiation for use in molecular optical polarization experiments.
Tandem histone folds in the structure of the N-terminal segment of the ras activator Son of Sevenless.

Abstract The Ras activator Son of Sevenless (Sos) contains a Cdc25 homology domain, responsible for nucleotide exchange, as well as Dbl/Pleckstrin homology (DH/PH) domains. We have determined the crystal structure of the N-terminal segment of human Sos1 (residues 1–191) and show that it contains two tandem histone folds. While the N-terminal domain is monomeric in solution, its structure is surprisingly similar to that of histone dimers, with both subunits of the histone "dimer" being part of the same peptide chain. One histone fold corresponds to the region of Sos that is clearly similar in sequence to histones (residues 91–191), whereas the other is formed by residues in Sos (1–90) that are unrelated in sequence to histones. Residues that form a contiguous patch on the surface of the histone domain of Sos are conserved from C. elegans to humans, suggesting a potential role for this domain in protein-protein interactions.
Nitric oxide production by Tunguska meteor

The nonequilibrium chemical processes of nitric oxide formation are computed for the wake of the Tunguska meteor of 1908. The wake characteristics are derived by carrying out an optically-thick radiation field analysis for ablation of the meteoroid. The wake flow field is approximated by a one-dimensional, well-stirred reactor model. Known characteristics of the Tunguska event are imposed as constraints, and three controlling parameters - chemical composition, density, and velocity - are varied over a range around the values derived by Korobeinikov et al. (1976) and Petrov and Stulov (1975). The calculation shows that at least 19 million tons of nitric oxide is produced between the altitudes of 10 and 50 km. The anomalous atmospheric phenomena following the event are attributed to the reactions involving nitric oxide thus produced and atmospheric ozone. It is speculated that the nitric oxide produced by the event fertilized the area near the fall, causing the observed rapid plant growth.
Applications of color graphics to complex aerodynamic analysis

A variety of uses for color graphics in the display of large sets of complex aerodynamic data in two and three dimensions are summarized. These methods improve the ability of a scientific researcher to interactively review three-dimensional displays of aircraft panel geometries for the purposes of eliminating errors, and allow him to rapidly display an assortment of smooth-shaded, color-coded illustrations for his experimental and computational results.
Handbook of screen format design

Wilbert Galitz directs a seminar on applying communication and psychology principles to screen format design, and this book is the manual used for the course. While the book doesn't disclose many innovative ideas, it does pull together some of the best of recent research in human factors and cognitive psychology, the behavioral disciplines, and people-machine interfaces.
MTV: 360° of the industrial production of culture

A political economic analysis of mass media and culture is conspicuously absent in geography. The symbolic or textual emphasis of most materialist media theories presents media simply as a struggle over images, omitting space from the equation altogether, except in metaphorical terms. This paper presents a framework for understanding the conditions under which culture is increasingly produced by media corporations for the global accumulation of capital. The paper first discusses the importance of thinking about the production of culture as the ‘industrial production of culture’ and its relationship to the media as part of the capitalist division of labour. Second, it explores more fully the spatial and material limits to the industrial production of culture through mass media. Lastly, it uses MTV and its ‘360°’ initiative as a critical case study to describe the role of a particularly successful industrial cultural producer within the spatial division of labour, as an advertising platform for international marketing.
Assessing Cultural and Regime-Based Explanations of Russia's Foreign Policy. ‘Authoritarian at Heart and Expansionist by Habit’?

Abstract Scholars disagree on how to interpret Russia's assertive foreign policy. According to some observers, Russia's authoritarian culture and political system have historically required the Kremlin to depend on the Western threat image at home and to engage in revisionist behaviour abroad. These observers recommend that Western nations abstain from engaging Russia as an equal contributor to shaping the global system. This article assesses the validity of the authoritarian expansionism theory by comparing it to other prominent perspectives on foreign policy, realism and constructivism. The article argues that, by perceiving Russia's historical and institutional distinctness as fundamentally threatening to the West, the theory overlooks important sources of foreign policy contestation at home and potentially varying directions abroad. The article selects the historically important cases of the Crimean War, the Cold War and the Russia–Georgia War to demonstrate the theory's flaws and to highlight the rol...
The early development of the soviet government bureaucracy: Center, localities, nationality areas

Although the Soviet Union was a developing country from 1917 to 1940, the government bureaucracy was not a strong political actor as in most developing countries. The lack of a pre-revolutionary gestation period and the narrow base of the October Revolution forced the Bolsheviks to rely on a hostile and ponderous Czarist bureaucracy during the civil war (1918–1920). The local apparats, especially in rural and nationality areas, functioned very poorly. In the 1920s the Bolsheviks lacked the human and material resources to transform the bureaucracy, which remained a limited political actor until Stalin's death.
Finite Dimensional Approximations of Doubly Bezout Factors

In this note, a sequence of finite dimensional approximations is constructed for semigroup systems with bounded input and output operators. First, it is shown that the doubly Bezout factorization of the approximating systems converge to those of the semigroup systems correspondingly. Then it is revealed that the unstable parts of the semigroup system will be recovered by the finite dimensional approximations when their dimensions are sufficiently high. The problem of stabilization by feedbacks output injections designed according to finite dimensional approximations investigated. Finally, it is proved that optimally robust controllers of approximating systems stabilize semigroup system.
Controller design and implementation of six-degree-of-freedom magnetically levitated positioning system with high precision

This paper presents the controller design and implementation of a high-precision six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) magnetically levitated (maglev) positioner. This high-precision positioning system consists of a novel concentrated-field magnet matrix and a triangular single moving part that carries three three-phase permanent-magnet planar-levitation-motor armatures. Since only a single levitated moving part, namely the platen, generates all required fine and coarse motions, this positioning system is reliable and potentially low-cost. The three planar levitation motors based on the Lorentz force law not only produce the vertical force to levitate the triangular platen but also control the platen's position and orientation in the horizontal plane. The main contribution of this paper is that all 6-DOF motions are solely controlled by magnetic forces without any other means to support the platen's weight against gravity, and the most suitable controller of the magnetic levitation system was designed and impleme...
Exploring the Moderating Influence of Delinquent Peers on the Link Between Trauma, Anger, and Violence Among Male Youth: Implications for Social Work Practice

This study's objective was to explore the influence of delinquent peer exposure, on the relationship between male youths' histories of trauma, anger, and violent behavior. Using a nationally representative sample of male adolescents aged 12-17 and self report interviews, information was gathered on their levels of exposure to violence, stressful life events (SLE), anger, depression, delinquent peer exposure, and violent behavior. Results of a moderation analyses revealed that youth who reported higher levels of exposure to trauma, anger, and delinquent peers were at an increased risk for anger and for violent offending. Delinquent peer exposure exerted a significant interaction effect on the relationship between anger and violent offending. The implications for prevention and intervention efforts are delineated.
Biogeography and diversity among montane populations of mouse shrew (Soricidae: Myosorex) in Tanzania

We assess variation in morphological and molecular characters among three species of Myosorex (the mouse shrew) –Myosorex geata, Myosorex kihaulei, and Myosorex zinki– as a means to test previously proposed biogeographic hypotheses for Tanzanian ‘sky islands’ and systematic hypotheses for Tanzanian mouse shrews. We analyse 17 cranial and dental variables using multivariate statistics and perform phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses on sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA; samples are drawn from every known Tanzanian population of Myosorex. Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses reveal that M. zinki is distinct, but that currently isolated populations of M. geata and M. kihaulei are relatively similar to one another, and may not have been isolated over geological time scales. Analyses of molecular variance identify statistically significant, but limited, genetic variation within and between isolated populations of M. geata and M. kihaulei. Between two putative regional biogeographic boundaries, greater genetic variation is explained by grouping populations on either side of the Ruaha River than by grouping populations on either side of the Makambako Gap. Our results are in agreement with recent studies illustrating the close relationship between faunas of the Southern Highlands and southern Eastern Arc Mountains, diminishing the apparent importance of the Makambako Gap as a historical biogeographic barrier. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100, 669–680.
Negotiating Blackness, for Richer or for Poorer

For decades, Chicago's South Side has provided the material for the iconic representation of black urban poverty in the USA. Today, the poorest (but best-located) parts of this vast homeland - where land and homes could be had for a pittance two decades ago - are being celebrated by the City, eyed by developers, and featured by the media for their rise from the dust. This article focuses on how they are also being reclaimed by affluent African Americans, and the resulting contests over the representations of blackness. Three years of ethnographic research in North Kenwood - Oakland, located near the heart of black Chicago, highlight the class and lifestyle fractures within black identity, while affirming the persistence of blackness as a collective experience and endeavor. Nonetheless, the distinctions made by affluent blacks, which marginalize the behaviors and interests of their poor black neighbors, have real consequences for the distribution of neighborhood resources.
Role of polyphosphate in regulation of the Streptomyces lividans KcsA channel.

Abstract We examine the hypotheses that the Streptomyces lividans potassium channel KcsA is gated at neutral pH by the electrochemical potential, and that its selectivity and conductance are governed at the cytoplasmic face by interactions between the KcsA polypeptides and a core molecule of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). The four polypeptides of KcsA are postulated to surround the end unit of the polyP molecule with a collar of eight arginines, thereby modulating the negative charge of the polyP end unit and increasing its preference for binding monovalent cations. Here we show that KcsA channels can be activated in planar lipid bilayers at pH 7.4 by the chemical potential alone. Moreover, one or both of the C-terminal arginines are replaced with residues of progressively lower basicity–lysine, histidine, valine, asparagine–and the effects of these mutations on conductance and selectivity for K+ over Mg2+ is tested in planar bilayers as a function of Mg2+ concentration and pH. As the basicity of the C-terminal residues decreases, Mg2+ block increases, and Mg2+ becomes permeant when medium pH is greater than the pI of the C-terminal residues. The results uphold the premise that polyP and the C-terminal arginines are decisive elements in KcsA channel regulation.
Digital holographic image synthesis

The temporal heterodyne technique measures both amplitude and phase from a coherently illuminated object. If the objectpsilas complex field is measured at spatially separated sub-apertures, then a higher resolution image can be synthesized post detection.
Synthesis and opioid activity of 2-substituted dynorphin A-(1-13) amide analogues1

A series of 2-substituted dynorphin A-(1-13) amide (Dyn A-(1-13)NH2) analogues was prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis and evaluated for opioid receptor affinities in radioligand binding assays and for opioid activity in the guinea pig ileum (GPI) assay. Amino acid substitution at the 2 position produced marked differences in both opioid receptor affinities and potency in the GPI assay; Ki values for the analogues in the radioligand binding assays and IC50 values in the GPI assay varied over three to four orders of magnitude. The parent peptide, Dyn A-(1-13)NH2, exhibited the greatest affinity and selectivity for kappa receptors and was the most potent peptide examined in the GPI assay. The most important determinant of opioid receptor selectivity and opioid potency for the synthetic analogues was the stereochemistry of the amino acid at the 2 position. Except for [D-Lys2]Dyn A-(1-13)NH2 in the kappa receptor binding assay, the analogues containing a D-amino acid at position 2 were much more potent in all of the assays than their corresponding isomers containing an L-amino acid at this position. The L-amino acid-substituted analogues generally retained some selectivity for kappa opioid receptors. The more potent derivatives with a D-amino acid in position 2, however, preferentially interacted with mu opioid receptors. Introduction of a positively charged amino acid into the 2 position generally decreased opioid receptor affinities and potency in the GPI assay.
Evaluation of CMIP5 continental precipitation simulations relative to satellite-based gauge-adjusted observations

Numerous studies have emphasized that climate simulations are subject to various biases and uncertainties. The objective of this study is to cross-validate 34 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) historical simulations of precipitation against the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) data, quantifying model pattern discrepancies and biases for both entire data distributions and their upper tails. The results of the Volumetric Hit Index (VHI) analysis of the total monthly precipitation amounts show that most CMIP5 simulations are in good agreement with GPCP patterns in many areas, but that their replication of observed precipitation over arid regions and certain sub-continental regions (e.g., northern Eurasia, eastern Russia, central Australia) is problematical. Overall, the VHI of the multi-model ensemble mean and median also are superior to that of the individual CMIP5 models. However, at high quantiles of reference data (e.g., the 75th and 90th percentiles), all climate models display low skill in simulating precipitation, except over North America, the Amazon, and central Africa. Analyses of total bias (B) in CMIP5 simulations reveal that most models overestimate precipitation over regions of complex topography (e.g. western North and South America and southern Africa and Asia), while underestimating it over arid regions. Also, while mostmore » climate model simulations show low biases over Europe, inter-model variations in bias over Australia and Amazonia are considerable. The Quantile Bias (QB) analyses indicate that CMIP5 simulations are even more biased at high quantiles of precipitation. Lastly, we found that a simple mean-field bias removal improves the overall B and VHI values, but does not make a significant improvement in these model performance metrics at high quantiles of precipitation.« less
4B2 - Pulsed and steady-state infrared emission studies of CO 2 laser systems

Transient and steady-state infrared emission at 2.5 to 15 μ from low-lying vibrational-rotational levels of CO 2 has been studied using a dc discharge. The time-dependent behaviors of several levels important for laser excitation and relaxation were examined following a pulsed discharge. The decays were, in general, different and were not simple exponentials. Relaxation of vibrational energy of CO 2 appears to occur by collisions involving vibration-vibration exchange between different vibrational modes and vibration-translation relaxation of the bending mode. The rate of transfer of vibrational excitation from N 2 to various vibrational modes of CO 2 was investigated as a function of CO 2 pressure. The addition of He reduced the emission from the lower laser levels with respect to that from the upper laser level and increased the nonradiative decay rate of the lower vibrational levels by CO 2 -He collisions. Under pulsed excitation, in addition to CO 2 laser action nearly coincident with the pulse, a weaker, delayed output was observed.
Unilateral Effects Analysis and the Upward Pricing Pressure Model: Evidence from the Federal Trade Commission

This paper explores the Federal Trade Commission’s unilateral effects analysis from the perspectives of both the 1992 and 2010 Merger Guidelines. Historical enforcement data is used to define a diversion benchmark of 30 percent, but is unable to detect a role for the margin variable. A related analysis shows a deterministic model based on the number of significant rivals appears to out-perform alternative structural proxies. Case study evidence explores the factors that tend to affect the implications of the structural model, with evidence showing diversions are low suggesting closing merger investigations involving few rivals, while evidence of high diversions supports a challenge even in the presence of an unusually high number of rivals. A broader case study identifies a range of considerations under which a unilateral effects model should not be applied to a differentiated products merger. This paper is a reorganized and streamlined version of an earlier working paper "Counting Rivals or Measuring Share: Modeling Unilateral Effects for Merger Analysis," 2011, available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1722846.
Evaluation of Real-Time Parking Information: Case Study of Isolated University Campus

Although parking is an important issue in transportation engineering and planning, little research has examined the use of new parking information technologies in rural communities. The Clemson University campus, in South Carolina, was used as a case study to determine the ability of roadside parking information systems to reduce delay, cut travel time, and manage changing volumes of cars. To examine these effects, a traffic simulation model of the campus was built, calibrated, and validated. The model used a dynamic assignment approach to capture the rerouting of vehicles in response to parking availability information for several key parking lots. It was found that use of roadside parking information systems, such as dynamic message signs, can reduce delay while not significantly affecting volumes, travel times, or speeds. The findings suggested that delay reduction was caused by a decrease in vehicle circulation time.
A parametric Bayesian method to test the association of rare variants

Testing statistical association of individual rare variants is underpowered due to low frequency. A common approach is to test the aggregated effects of individual variants in a locus such as genes. Current methods have distinct power profiles that are determined by underlying assumptions about the genetic model and effect size. Here we describe a parametric Bayesian approach to detect the association of rare variants. We express the assumptions about effect size by setting the prior distribution in the model, which can be adjusted based on the experimental design. This flexibility allows our method to achieve optimal power. The algorithmic contribution includes a dynamic program for efficient calculation of the association test statistic. We tested the method in simulated data, and demonstrated that it is better powered to detect rare variant association under various scenarios.
Optimal rate allocation for entropy-coded uniform scalar quantization of dependent sources in nonbinary hypothesis testing

We propose a closed-form rate allocation scheme (RAS) for entropy-coded uniform scalar quantization of dependent sources in classification problems. The proposed RAS is applicable to nonbinary classification with piecewise monotonic unquantized Bayes decision boundaries. The RAS is also extended to joint compression and classification.
Homeopathic ear drops as an adjunct to standard therapy in children with acute otitis media

Objective To assess the effectiveness of a homeopathic ear drop for treatment of otalgia in children with acute otitis media (AOM). Methods Children with AOM were enrolled in the study at the time of diagnosis and randomized to receive either standard therapy alone or standard therapy plus a homeopathic ear drop solution that was to be used on as needed basis for up to 5 days. Parents of children in both treatment groups rated the severity of 5 AOM symptoms twice daily for 5 days in a symptom diary. A symptom score was computed for each assessment with lower scores denoting less severe symptoms. Parents of children randomized to receive ear drops also recorded information regarding symptoms being treated and response to treatment. Results A total of 119 eligible children were enrolled in the study; symptom diaries were received from 94 (79%). Symptom scores tended to be lower in the group of children receiving ear drops than in those receiving standard therapy alone; these differences were significant at the second and third assessments (P = 0.04 and P = 0.003, respectively). In addition, the rate of symptom improvement was faster in children in the ear drop group compared with children in standard therapy alone group (P = 0.002). The most common reason for administration of ear drops was ear pain, recorded for 93 doses; improvement was noted after 78.4% of doses for this indication. There were no significant side effects related to use of the ear drops. Conclusions This study suggests that homeopathic ear drops were moderately effective in treating otalgia in children with AOM and may be most effective in the early period after a diagnosis of AOM. Pediatricians and other primary health care providers should consider homeopathic ear drops a useful adjunct to standard therapy.
Substantive Due Process after McDonald v. Chicago

Few were terribly surprised when the Supreme Court announced at the end of June that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states and municipalities to respect the same individual right to keep and bear arms independent of militia service that the Court had enforced against the federal government two years before in Heller v. District of Columbia. The case was nonetheless hotly anticipated, less out of uncertainty over whether one of the Heller majority might actually vote against incorporation, but for details of the decision’s scope and rationale. This short essay canvasses what the various opinions in McDonald have to say about the scope of Fourteenth Amendment gun rights, the nature of Fourteenth Amendment fundamentality, constitutional theory, and constitutional meta-theory.
Investigating the Heterogeneity of Product Feature Preferences Mined Using Online Product Data Streams

This work investigates the “must have” and “deal breaker” product feature preferences expressed by users of online platforms (e.g., customer review websites or social media networks) in order to inform designers of product features that should be investigated during the next iteration of a product’s launch. Existing design literature highlights the risks of aggregating group preferences, and suggest that design teams should instead, focus on maximizing enterprise value by optimizing the attributes of a product. However, design knowledge about products and product attributes are influenced by market information, which is dynamic and difficult to acquire. The use of online product review platforms has emerged in the design community as a viable source of product data acquisition and demand model prediction. However, as the heterogeneity of product preferences increases, so does the complexity of understanding which product attributes should be optimized by the design team to maximize enterprise value. These challenges are exacerbated in product preference acquisition techniques that rely on mining online data, as the customer is typically unknown to the designer, which limits the amount of follow up data available to be mined. By quantifying the degree of “must have” and “deal breaker” product preferences expressed online, designers will be able to understand what product-features should be omitted from next generation product design optimization models (i.e., “deal breaker” features) and what product features should be considered (i.e., “must have” features). A case study involving customer electronics mined from online customer review websites is used to demonstrate the validity of the proposed methodology.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
A Scanning Electron-Microscope Study of Starches

The shapes and surface characteristics have been investigated for some root and tuber starches, using a scanning electron microscope. Considerable detail which is not apparent from ordinary light m...
Primary and secondary punishment of toe sucking in the infant rhesus monkey

A 10-week-old rhesus monkey was given a mild electric shock contingent on sucking her thumb or large toe. This totally suppressed sucking during several hours of testing, and apparently reduced sucking in the home cage immediately after testing. A sound which was inadvertently paired with shock during training was used during extinction of sucking-suppression to reduce the occurrence of another behavior. This indicated that sound had become a secondary punishing stimulus. Extinction procedures brought a return of sucking in both test and home environments.
Introduction of the quality documentation requirements on investigational new drug applications for phase 1 studies of drugs in FDA and EMA

Guidelines on the requirements to the pharmaceutical quality documentation of investigational medicinal products in clinical trials are issued by FDA and EMA.In this paper,we discribed main contents of the quality documentation requirements concerning investigational new drug applications for phase 1 studies of drugs.It would like to work a source of inspiration,and will help expedite entry of new drugs into clinical testing.
A risk-averse analog of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation

In this paper, we study the risk-averse control problem for diffusion processes. We make use of a forward–backward system of stochastic differential equations to evaluate a fixed policy and to formulate the optimal control problem. Weak formulation is established to facilitate the derivation of the risk-averse dynamic programming equation. We prove that the value function of the risk-averse control problem is a viscosity solution of a risk-averse analog of the Hamilton– Jacobi–Bellman equation. On the other hand, a verification theorem is provedwhen the classical solution of the equation exists.
An intact zona pellucida is not necessary for successful mouse embryo cryopreservation.

Objective To determine the developmental potential of mouse embryos that underwent cryopreservation after micromanipulation of the zona pellucida. Design Gaps were produced in the zona pellucida of mouse oocytes or two-cell embryos by zona drilling with acid Tyrode's solution. Zona-drilled oocytes were fertilized in vitro and cultured to the two-cell stage. Two-cell embryos were frozen, thawed, and cultured to the expanded blastocyst stage. Results There was no difference in the rate of embryo survival post-thaw (248/318, 77% versus 288/345, 83.4%), or in the rate of development to the expanded blastocyst stage (91/248, 36.7% versus 88/288, 30.6%), between embryos that were zona drilled as oocytes and unmanipulated controls. Similarly, there was no difference in the rate of cryosurvival (206/217, 94.9% versus 168/187, 89.8%) or development to the blastocyst stage (154/206, 74.7% versus 132/168, 78.6%) between embryos that were fertilized in vivo and zona drilled at the two-cell stage and embryos that were unmanipulated. Conclusions These findings indicate that small gaps in the zona pellucida, such as those that result from micromanipulation, do not significantly alter the ability of embryos to withstand cryopreservation.
Transition from paediatric surgery: how many patients do we need to plan for?

INTRODUCTION Transitional care is an NHS priority with newly published NICE guidance. Many paediatric surgical patients need quality care to continue into adulthood. We undertook an evaluation of our departmental activity to assess the magnitude of this issue. METHODS We identified all outpatients ≥ 15 years (potentially requiring imminent transition) seen over a 12 month period for all five general paediatric surgery consultants in our tertiary centre. Those patients requiring transition were highlighted and the appropriate adult team for referral recorded. RESULTS There were 2989 general paediatric surgery clinic appointments within the year; 289 (9.7%) were for young people aged 15 years or older; 62 patients (28% of those ≥ 15years) were deemed to require transition into adult care. Significantly more patients having colorectal surgery required follow-up (P = 0.0009 Chi-square test) compared with patients in other subspecialties. CONCLUSIONS More patients than expected required transition. This may be...
Quality of Canned Celery Produced from Sliced Celery Stored Under Modified Atmospheres.

Canned celery that was acceptable to a laboratory sensory panel was produced from fresh, sliced celery which had been held up to 3 weeks at 4 C under modified atmospheres in closed polyethylene bags. Sliced celery held in air at 4 C became unacceptable within 1 week. Celery packaged in 0.7-mil high density/4.4-mil low density coextruded polyethylene developed the highest CO2 levels (25%) of samples prepared, and became progressively dark olive-green colored. Similar darkening was not observed for celery in 3-mil low density polyethylene packages. Modified-atmosphere packaged celery became more firm than fresh celery during storage. Sliced celery dipped in sodium bisulfite solutions was a lighter, pale-green color than untreated celery. Celery tissue and microbial respiratory action rapidly modified atmospheres in closed bags to give ca. 2% O2 and 12% CO2 in 2 days, and ca. 1.5% O2 and 17-25% CO2 after 16 days.