cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using tactile detection response tasks to assess in-vehicle voice control interactions

Abstract In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) are becoming more accessible to drivers but also contain more complex communication features. Voice control systems are shown to be less distracting than visual-manual interfaces, but they can still impose cognitive workload. This study examined the cognitive workload associated with interactions with voice systems while driving. Cognitive workload was assessed using a Tactile Detection Response Task (TDRT) protocol. A driving simulator study with 48 participants was conducted using an interface with a Wizard-of-Oz based voice control system. Drivers conducted several voice tasks that included radio channel selection, address navigation, and scheduling a calendar appointment. Recognition accuracy and system delay time was manipulated within these voice tasks. Using a mixed linear model, cognitive workload was shown to be higher for navigation and calendar tasks when compared to radio tasks. Recognition errors and time delays in the calendar task significantly decreased TDRT response time. Drivers that are distracted by voice control systems that also contained system delays and errors do not necessarily increase TDRT response time. In fact, drivers may adapt over time to these system imperfections.
Review of Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration by Teresa M. Bejan (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2017)

Review of Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration by Teresa M. Bejan (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2017).
Antihypertensives, Diuretics, and Antidysrhythmics

Anesthesiology, pain medicine, and critical care all experience heavy exposure to antihypertensives, diuretics, and antidysrhythmics. Whether patients require new therapy acutely or have used therapies for a long time, whether requiring titration or merely knowledge of how they affect medical decision making, and whether using them to improve patient outcomes or in an emergency situation, these therapies represent great advances in healthcare as well as potentially very dangerous pitfalls. Thorough knowledge of classification, mechanism of action, medical indication, dosing options, drug-drug interactions, and side effects help the clinician wisely choose and titrate therapy while minimizing patient harm.
Biochemical and Biophysical Approaches to Probe CFTR Structure

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) is a multi-domain integral membrane protein central to epithelial fluid secretion (see Chapter 21). Its activity is defective in the recessive genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF). The most common CF-causing mutation is F508del in the first nucleotide binding domain (NBD1) of CFTR. This mutation is found on at least one allele of more than 90% of all CF patients. It is known to interfere with the trafficking/maturation of CFTR through the secretory pathway, leading to a loss-of-function at the plasma membrane. Notably, correction of the trafficking defect by addition of intragenic second-site suppressor mutations, or the alteration of bulk solvent conditions, such as by reducing the temperature or adding osmolytes, leads to appearance of functional channels at the membrane – thus, the rescued F508del-CFTR retains measurable function. High-resolution structural models of NBD1 from X-ray crystallographic data indicate that F508 is exposed on the surface of the domain in a position predicted by homologous ABC transporter structures to lie at the interface with the intracellular loops (ICLs) connecting the transmembrane spans. Determining the relative impact of the F508del mutation directly on NBD1 folding or on steps of domain assembly or both domain folding and assembly requires methods for evaluating the structure and stability of the isolated domain.
Abstract 14704: Dietary Endotoxin Mediated Impairments in Mesenteric Lymphatic Vessel Contractility is Regulated by Neighboring Immune Cells in Mesentery

Introduction: We have previously shown that metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) impairs the intrinsic contractility of collecting lymphatics. Elevated levels of dietary endotoxins like lipopolysaccharide (...
Microphysics of Ice Particle-Drop Interactions

In Chapter 13 we discussed the growth of ice particles by vapor diffusion from drops to ice crystals, and in Chapter 14 we described ice particle growth by the accretion of supercooled drops, and the formation of snowflakes by the process of ice crystal aggregation. In this chapter we shall look closer at the microphysics of ice particle-drop interactions, and also at the physics of melting and freezing of individual cloud particles.
Phenylethylamine Deamination in the Noradrenergic Neurotransmitter System

Phenylethylamine’s locomotor stimulating properties have generally been attributed to indirect, amine-releasing effects dependent upon functioning brain noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems, as well as to contributions from direct effects on dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors, and possibly specific brain receptors for phenylethylamine itself (ANTELMAN et al., 1977; HAUGER et al., 1982; JACKSON, 1978; SLOVITER et al., 1980).
School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs: Are They Effective?.

The efficacy of adolescent suicide prevention programs in school settings has recently been criticized, especially for students who are at-risk for suicidal behavior. The theoretical orientation, t...
Grain growth and the microstructural effects on the properties of YBa2Cu3O7− y superconductor

The microstructural development and grain growth of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{ital y}} ceramics at 925, 950, and 975 {degree}C were studied. Densification occurred quite rapidly at temperatures below 925 {degree}C. The grain growth of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{ital y}} followed a {ital D}{sup 5}{minus}{ital D}{sub 0}{sup 5}={ital Kt} relation when sintered at 925 and 950 {degree}C. At 975 {degree}C, the kinetics changed to cubic ({ital D}{sup 3}) behavior which can be attributed to the formation of a liquid phase at grain boundaries. A trend of decreasing {ital J}{sub {ital c}} with increasing sintering temperature was observed. Other properties including {ital T}{sub {ital c}} and the width of the transition were virtually unaffected by the change in microstructure. Without prolonged annealing, a relatively homogeneous oxygen stoichiometry of 6.8 was obtained for fairly dense samples ({gt}93% of theoretical). These results suggest that the oxygenation rate of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{ital y}} was quite rapid between the tetragonal phase and the orthorhombic composition of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6.8}.
The Full Spectrum of Alzheimer's Disease Is Rooted in Metabolic Derangements That Drive Type 3 Diabetes.

The standard practice in neuropathology is to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD) based on the distribution and abundance of neurofibrillary tangles and Aβ deposits. However, other significant abnormalities including neuroinflammation, gliosis, white matter degeneration, non-Aβ microvascular disease, and insulin-related metabolic dysfunction require further study to understand how they could be targeted to more effectively remediate AD. This review addresses non-Aβ and non-pTau AD-associated pathologies, highlighting their major features, roles in neurodegeneration, and etiopathic links to deficits in brain insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling and cognitive impairment. The discussion delineates why AD with its most characteristic clinical and pathological phenotypic profiles should be regarded as a brain form of diabetes, i.e., type 3 diabetes, and entertains the hypothesis that type 3 diabetes is just one of the categories of insulin resistance diseases that can occur independently or overlap with one or more of the others, including type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Eliminating the Pupillary Light Response from Pupil Diameter Measurements Using an RGB Camera.

This paper describes our approach to remove the effect of the Pupillary Light Reflex (PLR) component from pupil diameter signals obtained by an Eye-Gaze Tracking device (Eyetech Digital TM3) using the RGB camera from Kinect as a way to measure the illuminance around the eyes of the user. The purpose of this study is to obtain filtered pupil diameter signals that mainly contain the Pupillary Affective Response (PAR) used to estimate the arousal level in the response of a human subject to affective stimuli. The approach includes using the Adaptive Interference Canceller (AIC) technique to filter out the Pupillary Light Reflex (PLR) from pupil diameter signals (PD). We also present the empirical method followed to replace a stand-alone light meter with the RGB camera from Kinect to measure illuminance.
Mythology and Brands

After defining myths, and suggesting that myths still play a role in contemporary life, even though they do this in disguised form, we use myth to understand the mythic dimensions of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company, suggesting it is connected to the myth of Hades. We show this by using my “myth model” in which various aspects of myths, as they inform psychoanalytic theory, historical experience, elite culture, popular culture, and everyday life, are examined and applied to Harley-Davidson.
Adapting Approximate Entropy as a Health Indicator of Rotating Machinery for Estimation of Remaining Useful Life

Despite significant attention to online health monitoring and prognostics of bearings, many common health indicators are not sensitive to early stages of degradation. This research investigates the use of approximate entropy (ApEn), previously developed for fault diagnostics, as a health indicator for prognostics. ApEn quantifies the regularity of a signal; as bearings degrade, the frequency content of vibration signals changes and affects the ApEn as the vibration becomes more chaotic. Early results suggest ApEn supports earlier degradation detection and more predictable progression from fault to failure. This research focuses on optimizing parameters of the ApEn calculation to provide guidance across a variety of bearing types, sizes, and geometries in both steady-state and transient operation.
2 – Fundamentals of Chemical Vapor Deposition

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the fundamental aspects of the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology combining several scientific and engineering disciplines including thermodynamics, plasma physics, kinetics, and fluid dynamics. CVD is a synthesis process in which the chemical constituents react in the vapor phase near or on a heated substrate to form a solid deposit. A CVD reaction is governed by thermodynamics and kinetics. It may occur in the gas phase instead of at the substrate surface if the supersaturation of the reactive gases and the temperature are sufficiently high. This proves to be detrimental as the gas-phase precipitated particles, in the form of soot, become incorporated in the deposit, causing nonuniformity in the structure, surface roughness, and poor adhesion. A film is formed on a surface by CVD considering three important factors that control the nature and properties of the deposit to some degree. These factors are: epitaxy, gas-phase precipitation, and thermal expansion. The epitaxial CVD of silicon III–V and II–VI compounds is a major process in the semiconductor industry and plays an important part in improving the performance of the semiconductor and optoelectronic designs.
A Population-Based Study of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Following Cataract Surgery.

Purpose To determine if there is an increased incidence rate of post–cataract surgery (pcs) anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) compared to spontaneous AION (sAION). Design Retrospective, population-based cohort. Methods Patients diagnosed with AION from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2016, while residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Patients with cataract surgery preceding AION were included in the pcsAION cohort defined in 2 ways: AION within 2 months and AION within 1 year of cataract surgery. The incidence rates of pcsAION and sAION were compared using Poisson regression models. Results During the study period, 102 residents developed AION. The median age was 65 years (range, 40-90 years), 44 (43.1%) were female. Twenty of 102 (19.6%) patients had previous cataract surgery, of which 2 and 9 developed AION within 2 months and 1 year of surgery, respectively. The annual incidence rate of pcsAION within 2 months of surgery (8.6 per 100,000) was not significantly greater than the annual incidence rate of sAION (6.9 per 100,000; P = .78). However, the annual incidence rate of pcsAION within 1 year of surgery (38.9 per 100,000) was significantly higher than the incidence rate of sAION (6.5 per 100,000; P Conclusion The incidence of AION is increased in the first year after cataract surgery, but not in the early (i.e., 2 months) postoperative period.
Content Is King: Impact of Task Design for Eliciting Participant Agreement in Crowdsourcing for HRI

This work investigates how the design of crowdsourced tasks can influence responses. As a formative line of inquiry, this study sought to understand how users would respond either through movement, response, or shift of focus to varying flight paths from a drone. When designing an experiment, running several proto-studies can help with generating a dataset that is actionable, but it has been unclear how differences in things such as phrasing or pre- and post-surveys can impact the results. Leveraging methods from psychology, computer-supported cooperative work, and the human-robot interaction communities this work explored the best practices and lessons learned for crowdsourcing to reduce time to actionable data for defining new communication paradigms. The lessons learned in this work will be applicable broadly within the human-robot interaction community, even outside those who are interested in defining flight paths, because they provide a scaffold on which to build future experiments seeking to communicate using non-anthropomorphic robots. Important results and recommendations include: increased negative affect with increased question quantity, completion time being relatively consistent based on total number of responses rather than number of videos, responses being more related to the video than the question, and necessity of varying question lengths to maintain engagement.
Climate Change and Women’s Health: Risks and Opportunities

Climate change impacts on health – including increased exposures to heat, poor air quality, extreme weather events, altered vector-borne disease transmission, reduced water quality, and decreased food security – affect men and women differently, depending on local geographic and socioeconomic factors. As a result of this differential impact, climate change threatens to widen existing gender-based health disparities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Gender differences in health impacts are mediated through socioeconomic, cultural, and physiologic factors. Therefore, policy action targeted toward these factors, which are often modifiable, can decrease negative health outcomes. The integration of a gendered perspective into existing climate, development, and disaster risk reduction policy frameworks requires improvement in data acquisition, monitoring of gender-specific targets, coordination between sectors and equitable stakeholder engagement.
Portfolio Risk Management with CVaR-Like Constraints

Abstract A current research stream in the portfolio allocation literature develops models that take into account the asymmetric nature of asset return distributions. Our paper contributes to this research stream by extending the Krokhmal, Palmquist, and Uryasev approach. We add CVaR-like constraints in the traditional portfolio optimization problem to reshape the tails of the portfolio return distribution while not significantly affecting its mean and variance. We illustrate how to apply this approach, called the “MV + CVaR approach,” to manage tail risk of an insurer’s asset-liability portfolio. Finally, we compare the MV + CVaR approach with the traditional Markowitz method and a method recently introduced by Boyle and Ding. Our numerical analysis provides empirical support for the effectiveness of the MV + CVaR approach in controlling downside risk. Moreover, we find that the MV + CVaR approach may improve skewness of mean-variance portfolios, especially for high-variance portfolios.
Interactions of Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Systems with Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical Faults in Distribution Feeders

In this paper, the response of a single-phase rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system has been studied with the occurrence of symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults. From the results obtained, it was observed that the behavior of solar photovoltaic systems to faults depend largely on the control scheme used for the power electronic converter which connects it to the grid. It has been shown through simulations that the solar PV system shuts down its operation when a fault occurs between line conductors and the ground whereas it is able to ride through the fault when it does not have a ground path. Overcurrents and overvoltages were observed in the system immediately after the fault is cleared due to electromagnetic transients. These results are helpful in understanding fault behavior of solar PV systems and can be utilized to design better controllers for power electronic converters and suitable protection schemes for hybrid power systems.
Performance globali e interculturali (tradotto e introdotto da Carmela Cutugno)

The following essay is a section of the eighth chapter of “Performance Studies An Introduction” by Richard Schechner. The author, one of the fathers and leaders of the American Performance Studies, focuses on the analysis of what he defines as “Global and Intercultural Performances”. In the second part of his writing, starting from the assumption that “anything can be studied ‘as’ performance”, Schechner makes the ‘performative’ example of the jihad/terrorism, in order to understand how terrorism works, how it functions in a globalized world, and why its effects are far in excess of its actual death or property toll.
A North Star for Gerontology: Using the Threshold Concept Framework to Transform Ageism Education.

Threshold concepts are fundamental to the learning process and are said to transform the way we view and understand the world around us. Although a new framework to gerontology, the threshold concept framework has been utilized in many fields inside (e.g., psychology, social work) and outside (e.g., clinical and research settings) of academia. This framework facilitates understanding learning, exposing expert blind-spots, and designing curricula for complex concepts that are challenging to learn. For decades gerontologists have grappled with ageism and its dire consequences including unemployment, negative health outcomes, and rationing of health care. Education is one of, if not the most, powerful tools to combat ageism. This paper demonstrates the utility of the threshold concept framework for gerontologists by conceptualizing ageism as a threshold concept. The purpose of this article is to provide an innovative approach to education on complex gerontological topics in different clinical, research, and educational settings using ageism as a primary example of a threshold concept in gerontology.
Amplification of whistler-mode hiss inside the plasmasphere

[1] Chorus generated outside the plasmasphere has been suggested to be the source of plasmaspheric hiss. A detailed evaluation of the propagation and Landau damping of chorus waves can account for most of the properties of dayside hiss, but the intensity is underestimated by 10–20 dB compared to the observed hiss intensity. We show that this important discrepancy is due to the neglect of cyclotron resonant growth inside the plasmasphere. Careful modeling of the access of chorus to form an embryonic source outside the plasmapause, together with internal amplification inside the plasmasphere can account for the spectral intensity of dayside plasmaspheric hiss.
Studies on the mechanism of fatty acid synthesis. XXVI. Purification and properties of malonyl-coenzyme A--acyl carrier protein transacylase of Escherichia coli.

Abstract Malonyltransacylase, purified 950-fold from extracts of Escherichia coli , was found to he homogeneous by disc-gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 35,500 daltons, based upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate. The enzyme, while insensitive to sulfhydryl inhibitors, is strongly inactivated by phenylmethanesulfonylfluoride, suggesting that it possesses an active serine residue. The transacylase accepts the malonyl group from malonyl-CoA or malonyl-ACP to form a malonyl-enzyme intermediate. This intermediate is stable to performic acid oxidation; on hydrolysis with pepsin it yields peptic peptides also stable to performic acid. The malonyl group from malonyl-enzyme intermediate can be transferred to ACP, CoA, pantetheine, N -( N -acetyl-β-alanyl) cysteamine, or N -acetylcysteamine. The enzyme is specific for the malonyl group and does not transfer acetyl group from acetyl-CoA. But acetyl-CoA is a competitive inhibitor of malonyl-CoA, with a K i , value of 115 μ m . Data from kinetic studies of the transacylase reaction are consistent with the formation of a malonyl-enzyme intermediate during the reaction. Lineweaver-Burk plots at different concentrations of malonyl-CoA and at various fixed concentrations of ACP give a series of parallel lines. Moreover, CoA is found to be a competitive inhibitor of ACP, and malonyl-ACP a competitive inhibitor of malonyl-CoA. These findings are consistent with a Ping-Pong Bi Bi kinetic scheme for the malonyltransacylase reaction.
Certain Malvaceae Plants Have a Unique Accumulation of myo-Inositol 1,2,4,5,6-Pentakisphosphate.

Methods used to quantify inositol phosphates in seeds lack the sensitivity and specificity necessary to accurately detect the lower concentrations of these compounds contained in the leaves of many plants. In order to measure inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) and inositol pentakisphosphate (InsP5) levels in leaves of different plants, a method was developed to concentrate and pre-purify these compounds prior to analysis. Inositol phosphates were extracted from leaves with diluted HCl and concentrated on small anion exchange columns. Reversed-phase solid phase extraction cartridges were used to remove compounds that give peaks that sometimes interfere during HPLC. The method permitted the determination of InsP6 and InsP5 concentrations in leaves as low as 10 µM and 2 µM, respectively. Most plants analyzed contained a high ratio of InsP6 to InsP5. In contrast, certain members of the Malvaceae family, such as cotton (Gossypium) and some hibiscus (Hibiscus) species, had a preponderance of InsP5. Radiolabeling of cotton seedlings also showed increased amounts of InsP5 relative to InsP6. Why some Malvaceae species exhibit a reversal of the typical ratios of these inositol phosphates is an intriguing question for future research.
Yellow Fever Vaccination of a Primary Vaccinee During Adalimumab Therapy

In this case report, we describe a 63-year-old female with Crohn's disease since age 16 years, and on adalimumab therapy, who inadvertently received a yellow fever vaccine (YFV) 4 days before her next dose of adalimumab. She had never received YFV. Her next dose of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist was held. She did not report any adverse effects referable to the vaccine. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for yellow fever (YF) viral RNA on days 12 and 18 postvaccination was negative. Neutralizing antibody to YF virus vaccine was immunoprotective on day 18 following vaccination, which further increased by day 26. A neutralizing antibody obtained 2 years following vaccination also remained immunoprotective.
HYDROGEN ABSORPTION AND TEMPERATURE PROGRAMMED DESORPTION (TPD) STUDIES OF IRON AND CHROMIUM SUBSTITUTED ZrV2

The hydrogen absorption proterties of the alloys Zr(V/sub 1-x/Cr/sub x/)/sub 2/, x = 0.4 and 0.5, were studied at 450/sup 0/C from 10/sup -3/ atm to 10 atm. the alloy ZrV/sub 0.8/Cr/sub 1.2/ was studied at 350/sup 0/, 400/sup 0/, and 450/sup 0/C from 10/sup -3/ atm to 10 atm, and from these data partial molar enthalpies and entropies of solution were calculated for several hydride compositions. A free energy against cell volume plot of the cubic chromium-containing materials compared with earlier data on hexagonal as well as cubic iron-substituted alloys shows that electronic factors are probably more important than structural factors in determining the free energies of the ternary Zr(V/sub 1-x/B/sub x/)/sub 2/ systems. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of several hydride compositions in the systems ZrV/sub 1.6/Fe/sub 0.4/H/sub y/ and ZrV/sub 1.2/Cr/sub 0.8/H/sub y/ revealed two distinct peaks. The TPD results appear to correlate with changes in the pressure-composition isotherms when plotted on a log-log plot. These changes may be related to thermodynamic changes in the desorption of hydrogen. The so called trapping model (Pfeiffer and Wipf, 1976; Flanagan, Wulff, and Bowerman, 1980) is presented as a possible explanation of the observed TPD behavior. 7 figures, 2 tables.
Characterization of the Reaction Intermediates in a Model Oxidative Phosphorylation Reaction

Abstract Methods are described to separate or trap and subsequently characterize the intermediates in the previously reported model oxidative phosphorylation reaction in which ATP is produced from orthophosphate and AMP or ADP during the oxidation of a ferrohemochrome by molecular oxygen in N, N-dimethylacetamide solution containing an excess of imidazole. By using 14C-labeled imidazole and 32P-labeled Pi, it is shown that the "energy-rich" intermediate is indistinguishable from 1-phosphoimidazole in its chromatographic, electrophoretic, and chemical properties. Similar phosphorylated intermediates can be formed with 2-methylimidazole and 2,4-dimethylimidazole, but not with 1,2-dimethylimidazole. A molecular mechanism of this model oxidative phosphorylation reaction is suggested.
Preparation and properties of salt-soluble elastin.

Abstract Salt-soluble elastin was extracted from the aortas of copper-deficient pigs and purified to homogeneity as judged by ultracentrifugation, disc electrophoresis, and amino acid analysis. Purification took advantage of the differing solubilities of glycoproteins, salt-soluble collagen, and salt-soluble elastin in salt solutions of differing ionic strength, pH, and temperature. The amino acid composition of this protein is like that of insoluble elastin with the exceptions of a higher lysine content and the absence of cross-linking amino acids in the former. Analyses excluded the presence of α-amino adipic δ-semialdehyde, neutral sugars, glucosamine, galactosamine, tryptophan, cysteine, cystine, methionine, and histidine. The protein exhibits cationic behavior during electrophoresis at pH 8.9, consistent with its content of lysine as the predominant polar amino acid. Salt-soluble elastin has a subunit molecular weight of 74,000 as judged by sedimentation equilibrium in 6 m guanidine-mercaptoethanol. It is proposed that this protein is a precursor of insoluble elastin.
Boyhood Gender Nonconformity: Reported Parental Behavior and the Development of Narcissistic Issues

Abstract Reported childhood gender nonconformity, parental behavior, and measures of narcissistic symptomatology were examined in a sample of 109 gay and bisexual men. Childhood gender nonconformity was not related to narcissistic personality but was related to feelings of impostorhood and self-esteem, two possible symptoms of narcissistic damage. This association was partially mediated by parental variables, especially reports of an accepting and supportive father. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that both homosexuality and narcissism stem from early family dynamics. These results provide support for an alternative theory which, recognizing that childhood gender nonconformity and same-sex adult sexual orientation are linked, posits that narcissism results from parental reactions to childhood gender nonconformity. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed.
THE LINKAGE BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT: A CO-INTEGRATION ANALYSIS OF A PANEL OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

While economists agree that investment has a positive effect on economic growth, they have not produced a consensus on whether public or private investment has a larger impact on economic activity and whether there is a link between the two. A frequently cited study by Aschauer [1989] highlighted the importance of public investment, indicating that the decline in public infrastructure spending explains large part of the productivity slowdown in the US economy in 1980s. Following this study, there has been a growing body of literature that investigates whether public investment leads to an increase in output growth and/or the productivity of private capital [e.g., Munnell, 1990; Khan and Reinhart, 1990; Barro, 1990; Easterly and Rebelo, 1993; Tatom, 1991, 1993; Evans and Karras, 1994a,b; Ramirez, 1998; Khan and Kumar, 1997]. The hypothesis has been tested either directly, using a neoclassical production function where public capital enters as a separate input, or indirectly by looking at the productivity of private capital and labor, and the rate of return to private capital derived from the production function. Overall, the empirical evidence from the US and from developing countries suggests that private capital is more productive than public investment, and that although public investment contributes to the productivity of private capital, it does not explain the major part of the variation in output growth. The finding that public investment contributes less to overall productivity than private investment does not necessarily undermine the role of public investment, because public investment may increase productivity indirectly by enhancing the productivity of private capital. For example, public infrastructure expenditures may be complementary to private investment. Another approach to examining the effect of public investment on economic growth and productivity is, therefore, to test the hypotheses that public investment either promotes or displaces private investment by specifying a private investment model. There have been a small number of studies using a model of private investment to address this hypothesis. The studies by Greene and Villanueva [1991] for a panel of developing countries and Ramirez [2000] for a panel of Latin American countries found that public investment stimulates private
Chapter 4 Mechanism of action of Ca2+-dependent hormones

Publisher Summary This chapter describes mechanism of action of Ca 2+ -dependent hormones. Ca 2+ is a major and nearly universal intracellular messenger throughout the animal kingdom. An important aspect of Ca 2+ messenger function is its complexity. There are multiple mechanisms by which a Ca 2+ messenger can be generated or terminated. Messenger generation can result from the turnover of polyphosphoinositides, the activation of the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-messenger system, and the activation of receptor-operated or potential-dependent Ca 2+ channels in the plasma membrane. The most common mechanism by which Ca 2+ -dependent hormones act is via a receptor-linked phospholipase C which catalyses the hydrolysis of polyphosphatidylinositol, resulting in the production of two intracellular messengers: inositol 1,4,5- trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. The mechanisms by which the Ca 2+ message leads to a change in cell function are also complex. The action of Ca 2+ can be achieved via either amplitude or sensitivity modulation. The actions of Ca 2+ can also be expressed in different spatial domains within the cell, and these domains may change during a sustained cellular response.
Introductory Speech for Patrick O. Brown

It is my honor to introduce the 2005 Curt Stern awardee, Patrick Brown, M.D., Ph.D. Established in 2001, the Curt Stern Award recognizes scientific excellence in the field of human genetics on the basis of research performed over the last 10 years. In particular, this award is given to a recipient not only as a mark of outstanding scientific achievement, but also to a researcher who has pioneered an area of research that has significantly advanced the field of human genetics. The revolutionary research of Dr.
SU-E-T-21: A D-D Based Neutron Generator System for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: A Feasibility Study

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of a deuterium-deuterium (DD) neutron generator for application in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of brain cancer Methods: MCNP simulations were performed using a head phantom and a monoenergetic neutron source, which resembles the point source in a DD generator that emits 2.45-MeV neutrons. Source energies ranging from 5eV to 2.45MeV were simulated to determine the optimal treatment energy. The phantom consisted of soft tissue, brain tissue, skull, skin layer, and a brain tumor of 5 cm in diameter. Tumor depth was varied from 5–10 cm. Boron-10 concentrations of 10 ppm, 15 ppm, and 30 ppm were used in the soft/brain tissues, skin, and tumor, respectively. The neutron flux required to deliver 60 Gy to the tumor as well as the normal tissue doses were determined. Results: Beam energies between 5eV and 10keV obtained doses with the highest dose ratios (3.3–25.9) between the tumor and the brain at various depths. The dose ratio with 2.45-MeV neutrons ranged from 0.8–6.6. To achieve the desired tumor dose in 40 minutes, the required neutron flux for a DD generator was between 8.8E10 and 5.2E11 n/s and the resulting brain dose was between 2.3 and 18 Gy, depending on the tumor depth. The skin and soft tissue doses were within acceptable tolerances. The boron-neutron interaction accounted for 54–58% of the total dose. Conclusion: This study shows that the DD neutron generator can be a feasible neutron source for BNCT. The required neutron flux for treatment is achievable with the current DD neutron technology. With a well-designed beam shaping assembly and treatment geometry, the neutron flux can be further improved and a 60-Gy prescription can be accurately delivered to the target while maintaining tolerable normal tissue doses. Further experimental studies will be developed and conducted to validate the simulation results.
Contact stimulation of cell migration

Mass migrations of dense cell populations occur periodically during embryonic development. It is known that extracellular matrices, through which the cells migrate, facilitate locomotion. However, this does not explain how cells, such as neural crest, can migrate as a dense cohort of cells in essentially continuous contact with one another. We report here that unique behavioral characteristics of the migrating cells may contribute to cohesive migration. We used time-lapse video microscopy to analyze the migration of quail neural crest cells and of two crest derivatives, human melanoma cells and melanocytes. These cells migrated poorly, if at all, when isolated, but could be stimulated up to 200-fold to travel following contact with migrating cells. This phenomenon, which we have termed "contact-stimulated migration," appeared to activate and sustain migration of the mass of cells. Cells that became dissociated from the others ceased directional migration, thereby limiting aberrant cell dispersion. Fibroblasts were minimally responsive to this novel phenomenon, which may be crucial for major, mass cell migrations.
Flow cytometric crossmatch results using lymphocytes isolated from donor peripheral blood and spleen tissue on five consecutive days

Aim A negative flow crossmatch (FXM) is considered as a “go ahead” to transplant solid organs at many centers. FXM is a biologic assay where donor lymphocytes are reacted with recipient sera to identify donor specific antibodies (DSA). Lymphocytes can be derived from different sources like peripheral blood (PB), lymph node or spleen. Mix of cellular components from all three sources are different and also may have different HLA expression depending on the age of the sample. We present our data to understand this variability. Methods Lymphocytes were isolated from PB and spleen of the same donor on five consecutive days using a different sample aliquot. Lymphocytes from PB were isolated by Ficoll–Hypaque technique. Lymphocytes from spleen tissue were isolated using a cell separation kit (Stemcell Technologies). Recovered cells were treated with 1mg/2mL pronase and re-suspended for testing in PBS containing 2% fetal calf serum. FXM was performed in a tray after mixing 3 × 10 5 cells with 20 μ l of serum. After washing, cells were labeled with FITC goat anti-human IgG, anti-CD3 PerCP and anti-CD19 PE then acquired on a FACS Calibur to detect DSA. A comparison of the FXM mean channel shift (MCS) results for PB and spleen with a cutoff of 52 for T-cells and 106 for B-cells were made for 5 consecutive days. Results The negative control mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) increased with specimen age for PB and spleen (Figure A), which caused a decrease in MCS in the positive control over time for both lymphocyte sources (Figure B). Patient samples with FXM results close to the T-cell and B-cell cutoffs were discrepant based on lymphocyte source and age of specimen (Table 1). Conclusions Older samples have a higher negative control which results in a decrease in the MCS and may cause borderline positive results to be reported as negative. The isolation of lymphocytes from PB by day 5 proved to be difficult as the prep was contaminated with whole blood components. Our data showed that the interpretation is dependent on the donor sample source and quality. Download : Download full-size image
Sliding wear of 304 and 310 stainless steels

Abstract Blocks of 304 (metastable) and 310 (stable) austenitic stainless steels were tested in argon against M2 tool steel rings. Scanning, transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis, together with microhardness measurements, showed that the strain-induced martensite transformation in 304 steel affects the form and composition of the wear debris and the nature of the transfer layer. The hardness of the transfer layer relative to the hardness of the adjacent deformed base material is also important, as shown in earlier work on Cu-Be. During early stages of sliding, the friction values for both alloys are similar, but whereas the friction continues to rise smoothly to a steady state value for 310 steel, the formation of α'-martensite in 304 steel gives a lower average value of friction coefficient with large fluctuations.
Global loss of DNA methylation uncovers intronic enhancers in genes showing expression changes

Gene expression is epigenetically regulated by a combination of histone modifications and methylation of CpG dinucleotides in promoters. In normal cells, CpG-rich promoters are typically unmethylated, marked with histone modifications such as H3K4me3, and are highly active. During neoplastic transformation, CpG dinucleotides of CG-rich promoters become aberrantly methylated, corresponding with the removal of active histone modifications and transcriptional silencing. Outside of promoter regions, distal enhancers play a major role in the cell type-specific regulation of gene expression. Enhancers, which function by bringing activating complexes to promoters through chromosomal looping, are also modulated by a combination of DNA methylation and histone modifications. Here we use HCT116 colorectal cancer cells with and without mutations in DNA methyltransferases, the latter of which results in a 95% reduction in global DNA methylation levels. These cells are used to study the relationship between DNA methylation, histone modifications, and gene expression. We find that the loss of DNA methylation is not sufficient to reactivate most of the silenced promoters. In contrast, the removal of DNA methylation results in the activation of a large number of enhancer regions as determined by the acquisition of active histone marks. Although the transcriptome is largely unaffected by the loss of DNA methylation, we identify two distinct mechanisms resulting in the upregulation of distinct sets of genes. One is a direct result of DNA methylation loss at a set of promoter regions and the other is due to the presence of new intragenic enhancers.
Decomposable searching problems I. Static-to-dynamic transformation

Abstract Transformations that serve as tools in the design of new data structures are investigated. Specifically, general methods for converting static structures (in which all elements are known before any searches are performed) to dynamic structures (in which insertions of new elements can be mixed with searches) are studied. Three classes of such transformations are exhibited, each based on a different counting scheme for representing the integers, and a combinatorial model is used to show the optimality of many of the transformations. Issues such as online data structures and deletion of elements are also examined. To demonstrate the applicability of these tools, several new data structures that have been developed by applying the transformations are studied.
Testosterone effect on the expression of genes that mediate testosterone metabolism and genes that mediate the effect of those metabolites on the prostate.

Abstract Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of testosterone treatment on the proliferation index and the mRNA expression levels of 5α-reductase, CYP7B1, androgen receptor (AR), and estrogen receptor β (ERβ) in the canine prostate. Main methods Immature dogs were treated with testosterone for one month, after which prostate gland growth was assessed by comparing the proliferation index in prostates from testosterone-treated dogs with that of untreated control dogs. The relative mRNA expression levels of the aforementioned genes in the prostate glands of testosterone-treated and untreated dogs were determined by real time PCR. Key findings Testosterone treatment induced a highly significant reduction in proliferation index in prostate gland. This inhibition of prostate gland growth was associated with differential mRNA expression of 5α-reductase, CYP7B1, AR, and ERβ by the prostate gland of testosterone-treated dogs, as compared to that of untreated dogs. While the expression levels of 5α-reductase and CYP7B1 mRNA were significantly down-regulated by testosterone treatment, the expression level of ER-β mRNA was highly up-regulated. In contrast, AR mRNA expression was not significantly altered. Significance Prostate gland proliferation appeared to be associated with the expression levels of genes that encode proteins that control intra-prostatic levels of testosterone metabolites and their respective receptors. Testosterone treatment may regulate gene expression in the prostate to generate a phenotype that suppresses growth-promoting signaling through AR and enhances anti-proliferative signaling through ERβ. Therefore, targeting disturbances of this genetic machinery in benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer is of a therapeutic potential.
Should we discard sparse or incomplete videos

In this paper, we determine whether incomplete videos that are often discarded carry useful information for action recognition, and if so, how one can represent such mixed collection of video data (complete versus incomplete, and labeled versus unlabeled) in a unified manner. We propose a novel framework to handle incomplete videos in action classification, and make three main contributions: (1) We cast the action classification problem for a mixture of complete and incomplete data as a semi-supervised learning problem of labeled and unlabeled data. (2) We introduce a two-step approach to convert the input mixed data into a uniform compact representation. (3) Exhaustively scrutinizing 280 configurations, we experimentally show on our two created benchmarks that, even the videos are extremely sparse and incomplete, it is still possible to recover useful information from them, and classify unknown actions by a graph based semi-supervised learning framework.
Modeling the Influence of Histone Proteins on the Sensitivity of DNA to Ionizing Radiation

The DNA-binding proteins that are present in chromatin significantly affect the sensitivity of cells to ionizing radiation and to the radiation chemistry of DNA damage. The interaction between protein and DNA modifies the radiation chemistry of the latter. To model these processes, we have examined the effects of ionizing radiation on the minichromosome form of SV40 (which contains histone proteins arranged in nucleosomes) and also on plasmid DNA in the presence of lysozyme. Although high concentrations of lysozyme can bring about an extensive radioprotection by condensation of the plasmid, at lower levels it still produces significant radioprotective effects under conditions where this associative phase separation does not take place. The presence of histones or of lysozyme decreases the yield of modified guanines produced by ionizing radiation. Comparison with previous observations made with oligopeptides suggests that the mechanism responsible is electron donation to guanyl radicals in the DNA by tryptophan and tyrosine residues in the proteins. However, there was no evidence for DNA-protein crosslink formation.
The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase FGFR4 Negatively Regulates NF-kappaB Signaling

Background: NFkB signaling is of paramount importance in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and inflammatory responses during human development and homeostasis, as well as in many human cancers. Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs), including the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors (FGFRs) are also important in development and disease. However, a direct relationship between growth factor signaling pathways and NFkB activation has not been previously described, although FGFs have been known to antagonize TNFa-induced apoptosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we demonstrate an interaction between FGFR4 and IKKb (Inhibitor of NFkB Kinase b subunit), an essential component in the NFkB pathway. This novel interaction was identified utilizing a yeast two-hybrid screen [1] and confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis. We demonstrate tyrosine phosphorylation of IKKb in the presence of activated FGFR4, but not kinase-dead FGFR4. Following stimulation by TNFa (Tumor Necrosis Factor a) to activate NFkB pathways, FGFR4 activation results in significant inhibition of NFkB signaling as measured by decreased nuclear NFkB localization, by reduced NFkB transcriptional activation in electophoretic mobility shift assays, and by inhibition of IKKb kinase activity towards the substrate GST-IkBa in in vitro assays. FGF19 stimulation of endogenous FGFR4 in TNFa-treated DU145 prostate cancer cells also leads to a decrease in IKKb activity, concomitant reduction in NFkB nuclear localization, and reduced apoptosis. Microarray analysis demonstrates that FGF19 + TNFa treatment of DU145 cells, in comparison with TNFa alone, favors proliferative genes while downregulating genes involved in apoptotic responses and NFkB signaling. Conclusions/Significance: These results identify a compelling link between FGFR4 signaling and the NFkB pathway, and reveal that FGFR4 activation leads to a negative effect on NFkB signaling including an inhibitory effect on proapoptotic signaling. We anticipate that this interaction between an RTK and a component of NFkB signaling will not be limited to FGFR4 alone.
Guestworkers and second-class citizenship

This paper takes up the question of rights restrictions for guestworkers from a liberal-democratic perspective. Is it ever legitimate to offer migrants job opportunities in exchange for their agree...