cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long Live the Queen!: The Yaa Asantewaa Centenary and the Politics of History Village

In the fall of 1999, I went to Kumase, Ghana as a Fulbright professor to teach two history courses at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. As a lecturer in African history, I was of course familiar with the Ashanti queenmother, Yaa Asantewaa’s last ditch effort to preserve Asante sovereignty in the Yaa Asantewa War of 1900, and I looked forward to visiting her town and gaining a better understanding of the cultural and historical context of her resistance struggle. As I expressed an interest in finding out more about Yaa Asantewaa, colleagues in my department informed me that preparations were then underway to celebrate the centenary of Yaa Asantewaa’s war in July and August of the next year. A committee had been formed and numerous experts and community representatives had come together to organize an ambitious commemorative event. I was invited to come to committee meetings and lend whatever expertise I might have to offer. Honored, I attended as many meetings as I could to both learn and share as much as possible. I hoped that my experience in planning cultural programs for the public would help me to bring something to the group. As an African American woman, I saw Yaa Asantewaa as one of my own cultural foremothers who should by all means receive her due recognition in the year of the centenary of her sacrifice. I was heartened by the idea that Yaa Asantewaa could generate so much interest and energy on the part of so many people who were not even historians.
Digital Alloy InAlAs Avalanche Photodiodes

InAlAs digital alloy avalanche photodiodes exhibit lower excess noise than those fabricated from conventional random alloy material. Experiment and Monte Carlo simulation both show that relative to the random alloy the ionization probability for electrons is slightly lower while that of holes is greatly suppressed. We propose that the suppression of carrier ionization probability in digital alloys happens because of the creation of minibands that localize carriers. The difference of suppression between conduction bands and valence bands comes from the difference of scattering path.
Learning Informative and Private Representations via Generative Adversarial Networks

It is of crucial importance to simultaneously protect against sensitive attributes in data while building predictive models. In this paper, we tackle the problem of learning representations from raw data that are i) informative and predictive of desirable variables, and ii) private and protect against adversaries that attempt to recover sensitive variables. We cast this problem under the generative adversarial network (GAN) framework and design three components: an encoder, an ally that predicts the desired variables, and an adversary that predicts the sensitive ones. As a use case, we apply our approach to learn representations of raw student clickstream event data captured as they watch lecture videos in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Through experiments on a real- world dataset collected from a MOOC, we demonstrate that our method can learn a low-dimensional representation of each user that i) excels at classifying whether a user will answer a quiz question correctly, and ii) prevents an adversary from recovering each user’s identity. Our results indicate that our approach is effective in learning representations that are both informative and private.
Missing the “Moment of Grace” in James Baldwin’s Going to Meet the Man

In “Going to Meet the Man,” James Baldwin illustrates Flannery O’Connor’s theory that violence serves as a catalyst for a “moment of grace.” Through the remembrances of the main character during on...
(234) Cortical Hemodynamic Response to Contact Thermal Stimuli in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Pilot Study

Since the brain is the organ that is principally responsible for processing the experiences of pain, the emergence of neuroimaging for quantifying pain-related responses is promising. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is particularly favorable for studying pain since this optical method is noninvasive, portable, and cost-effective. However, no studies have directly evaluated the cortical hemodynamic response to pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) using fNIRS. In this pilot study, we sought to investigate the cortical response of older adults with knee OA to contact thermal stimuli. Fourteen community-dwelling adults with knee OA pain aged 50 – 85 years underwent testing. Using a blocked design paradigm consisting of 6 blocks of 20 seconds of stimuli followed by 30 seconds of rest, we applied contact thermal stimuli at 45 degree Celsius to the ventral part of the ipsilateral forearm to the most affected knee using a computer-controlled Medoc TSA-II Neurosensory Analyzer. We used a continuous wave, multichannel fNIRS imaging system (LIGHTNIRS, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) incorporating three semiconductor lasers at 780, 805, and 830 nm and an avalanche photodetector in each optical channel to measure cerebral hemodynamic activity. The instrument encompasses an array of 8 sources and 8 detectors connected to the subject's scalp in a geometrical layout that covered the prefrontal and somatosensory cortex regions bilaterally. Results indicate substantial brain activation patterns in contralateral prefrontal and somatosensory regions, with differing intensity between subjects in response to the stimulus. Our findings extend the use of fNIRS imaging to older adults with knee OA, and adds to the growing literature regarding neuroimaging measures of pain using fNIRS.
Child and family traumatic stress intervention (CFTSI) reduces parental posttraumatic stress symptoms: a multi-site meta-analysis (MSMA)

Abstract Background Following traumatization, caregiver support is a crucial factor contributing to children's successful management of posttraumatic reactions and their recovery. Caregivers who have been traumatically impacted themselves, however, may be compromised in this posttraumatic caregiving role. Although there are a number of evidence-based child trauma treatments that are effective in reducing children's trauma symptoms, the impact of child treatment on participating caregiver's posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) has received less attention. Objective Explore PTS reduction caregivers experience through participation in their child's evidence-based trauma-focused mental health treatment. Participants and setting 640 Child-Caregiver dyads referred for the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) following formal disclosure of abuse in a Child Advocacy Center (CAC). Methods Data were collected from 10 community treatment sites trained in CFTSI. A multi-site meta-analytic approach was used to evaluate pooled and site-specific therapeutic effect sizes for caregivers and children. Results CFTSI was associated with significant changes (Hedge's g = 1.17, Child-rated; g = 0.66, caregiver-rated) in children's PTS and with clinically meaningful improvements in PTS for 62% of participating caregivers who had started CFTSI with clinical levels of PTS as measured by the Post Traumatic Checklist–Civilian Version (PCL-C). The overall mean PCL-C change (9.31, SD = 12.9) in paired, pre-post PCL-C scores is close to a clinically meaningful change of 10 or higher. There was a robust moderate pooled effect size (g = 0.70, N = 640, p Conclusion The value of a reduction in caregiver PTS as a secondary outcome of children's trauma-focused treatment is discussed.
Princess Bee Effect: The Reverse Queen Bee Phenomenon

Accumulated research has found a surprising but consistent effect of gender bias in masculine organizational cultures: female leaders in male dominated environments often disassociate from their ge...
Freestanding Polymer Assembly Conductor by Contact-Free Annealing

Molecular chain ordering and geometrical confinement of conjugated polymers determine the structural and electronic activity of entire organic systems. Here, we present a surface-tension induced spontaneous formation of freestanding conjugated polymer nanosheets followed by a contact-free annealing treatment to achieve the optimum crystallization and conductivity. Nanoconfinement in macroscopic crystalline polymer nanosheets produces mechanical robustness and high mobility. The conductivity of freestanding nanosheets displays an increase of 3 orders of magnitude from 4.2 × 10–3 to 5.5 S cm–1 through halogen induced charge-transfer interactions. Meanwhile, the densely compacted and freestanding electronic-active polymer nanosheets open up the route for thermal energy conversion with the output thermovoltage of 16.93 mV K–1.
Strategic Alignment of E-commerce in Retail Firms

About fifty percent of online retailers make a profit, while fifty percent take a loss (Swanson, 2002), and that motivates us to understand the factors that make online retailers profitable. Among other possibilities, the alignment between business strategy and e-commerce strategy might be one of the critical factors that influence a firm’s profitability. In this paper we explore this influence by using Porter’s theory of competitive advantage and Chan’s alignment model.
Why Do Men Accumulate Abdominal Visceral Fat

Men have a higher tendency to accumulate abdominal visceral fat compared to pre-menopausal women. The accumulation of abdominal visceral fat in men, which is a strong independent predictor of mortality, is mainly due to the higher dietary fat uptake by their abdominal visceral fat. Since dietary fat is absorbed by the enterocytes and transported to the circulation in the forms of chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs), it is crucial to understand how these lipoproteins are different between men and women. The chylomicrons in men are generally bigger in size and more in quantity than those in women. During the postprandial state, these chylomicrons congest the lamina propria and the low-pressure lymphatics. In this paper, we propose that this congestion predisposes the chylomicron triglycerides to hydrolysis by lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The liberated fatty acids are then stored by the nearby abdominal visceral adipocytes, leading to the accumulation of abdominal visceral fat. These mechanisms perhaps explain why men, through their bigger and higher production of chylomicrons, are more likely to accumulate abdominal visceral fat than pre-menopausal women. This accumulation eventually leads to belly enlargement, which confers men their apple-shaped body.
Brazilian Immigrant Parents’ Awareness of HPV and the HPV Vaccine and Interest in Participating in Future HPV-Related Cancer Prevention Study: an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in the USA

This exploratory community-based study assessed Brazilian immigrant parents’ awareness of HPV and the HPV vaccine, HPV information sources, and their interest in participating in a future HPV-related cancer prevention study. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of data from a convenience sample of Brazilian immigrant parents living in selected cities in Massachusetts. Participants completed a brief survey in their language of preference (English or Portuguese) administered by bilingual interviewers. Forty-seven Brazilian immigrant parents, each representing a unique family, participated in the study. All participants completed the survey in Portuguese. Although the majority reported being aware of HPV (93.6%, n = 44), only 74.5% (n = 35) were aware of the HPV vaccine. Fewer fathers than mothers had heard of the HPV vaccine (61.9%; n = 13 vs. 84.6%, n = 22; p = 0.04). Of those who were aware of the HPV vaccine (n = 35), 82.6% (n = 29) reported hearing about the HPV vaccine from their child’s physician. Additionally, nearly all participants (97.9%, n = 46) reported being interested in participating in future HPV-related cancer prevention study. Findings of this exploratory study indicate parents’ low to moderate awareness of the HPV vaccine and high interest in participating in future HPV-related cancer prevention study. These findings are important and serve as a valuable first step toward building a knowledge foundation that is critically needed for developing future studies targeting Brazilians immigrant parents and adolescents living in the USA.
Childhood Innocence for Settler Children: Disrupting Colonialism and Innocence in Early Childhood Curriculum

This article explores the challenges of rewriting prescriptive early childhood curriculum wherein settler colonialism and childhood innocence as a discourse reinforce one another. We attend to two ...
Social Resilience to Climate Change during the Late Antique Little Ice Age: A Replication Study

AbstractIn a recent Weather, Climate and Society article two hypotheses about social resilience to disaster were tested. One was that societies allowing greater political participation and access t...
The utilitarian–maximin social welfare function and anomalies in social choice

Two major criteria of distributive justice are the utilitarian criterion and the maximin criterion. We offer a simple axiomatic characterization of a mixed utilitarian–maximin social welfare function. This social welfare function explains recent empirical violations of the standard cardinal social choice theory such as the social Allais paradox and the social common ratio effect. In addition, it offers a new foundation for the positively skewed wealth distributions in society. It also provides an objective function for mechanism design applications that trades off maximizing surplus and minimizing inequality.
Effects of Asymmetric Molecular Architecture on Chain Stretching and Dynamics in Miktoarm Star Copolymers

We use broad-band dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to investigate the impact of architectural asymmetry in the miktoarm star copolymer on the dielectric polymer...
The effect of overconfidence on insurance demand

Sandroni and Squintani (Am Econ Rev 97(5):1994–2004, 2007) argue that in the presence of overconfident agents, the findings of Rothschild and Stiglitz (Q J Econ 90:629–649, 1976) no longer hold since compulsory insurance makes the low-risk agents worse off. The main assumption of Sandroni and Squintani (2007) is that there exists a causal link between overconfidence and insurance-purchasing behavior. In this paper, I use a design similar to Camerer and Lovallo (Am Econ Rev 89(1):306–318, 1999) to establish this causal link. I show that overconfident subjects purchase significantly less actuarially fair insurance when the probability of loss is unknown and it depends on their own unknown ability than when the probability of loss is known.
Calculating Digital Electric Drive Control Systems with a Finite Time of Free Process Attenuation

The calculation of a digital regulator intended to ensure the full attenuation of free processes in a linear regulation system for a finite number of quantization periods is considered. It is shown that the full attenuation of a free process cannot be achieved for a number of sampling periods smaller than the order of the continuous part of the system. The digital regulator of the system of stabilizing the dc engine rotation frequency, an example of calculating which is discussed in this article, allows trying out a continuous setting action for two time sampling periods at the operation in the linear zone.
Research on Knowledge Graph Construction for Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Electrical Transformers

In the process of transformer equipment operation and maintenance, power companies encounter some problems, including of unstructured text data difficult to use, full caliber data difficult to deeply integrate and shallow equipment knowledge application. Based on artificial intelligence technology such as semantic web, knowledge map, natural language processing, etc., this paper studies the key technologies of equipment intelligent service, and proposes a knowledge intelligent technology framework for transformer. This framework includes three components: unstructured text intelligent recognition and extraction, device centered device knowledge representation and storage, and device knowledge intelligent application.
Evaluation of indoor PM2.5 concentrations in a Native American Community: a pilot study.

Background Indoor air pollution is associated with adverse health effects; however, few studies exist studying indoor air pollution on the Navajo Nation in the southwest U.S., a community with high rates of respiratory disease. Methods Indoor PM2.5 concentration was evaluated in 26 homes on the Navajo Nation using real-time PM2.5 monitors. Household risk factors and daily activities were evaluated with three metrics of indoor PM2.5: time-weighted average (TWA), 90th percentile of concentration, and daily minutes exceeding 100 μg/m3. A questionnaire and recall sheet were used to record baseline household characteristics and daily activities. Results The median TWA, 90th percentile, and daily minutes exceeding 100 μg/m3 were 7.9 μg/m3, 14.0 μg/m3, and 17 min, respectively. TWAs tended to be higher in autumn and in houses that used fuel the previous day. Other characteristics associated with elevated PM exposure in all metrics included overcrowded houses, nonmobile houses, and houses with current smokers, pets, and longer cooking time. Conclusions Some residents of the Navajo Nation have higher risk of exposure to indoor air pollution by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Efforts to identify the causes and associations with adverse health effects are needed to ensure that exposure to risks and possible health impacts are mitigated.
Myopia Progression as a Function of Sex, Age, and Ethnicity.

Purpose To model juvenile-onset myopia progression as a function of race/ethnicity, age, sex, parental history of myopia, and time spent reading or in outdoor/sports activity. Methods Subjects were 594 children in the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study with at least three study visits: one visit with a spherical equivalent (SPHEQ) less myopic/more hyperopic than -0.75 diopter (D), the first visit with a SPHEQ of -0.75 D or more myopia (onset visit), and another after myopia onset. Myopia progression from the time of onset was modeled using cubic models as a function of age, race/ethnicity, and other covariates. Results Younger children had faster progression of myopia; for example, the model-estimated 3-year progression in an Asian American child was -1.93 D when onset was at age 7 years compared with -1.43 D when onset was at age 10 years. Annual progression for girls was 0.093 D faster than for boys. Asian American children experienced statistically significantly faster myopia progression compared with Hispanic (estimated 3-year difference of -0.46 D), Black children (-0.88 D), and Native American children (-0.48 D), but with similar progression compared with White children (-0.19 D). Parental history of myopia, time spent reading, and time spent in outdoor/sports activity were not statistically significant factors in multivariate models. Conclusions Younger age, female sex, and racial/ethnic group were the factors associated with faster myopic progression. This multivariate model can facilitate the planning of clinical trials for myopia control interventions by informing the prediction of myopia progression rates.
Verbal Conditioning by a Simulated Experimenter

Abstract : The present study sought to control for absolute consistency in experimenter behavior and reaction to the subject's verbal emissions. To attain this end, a computer was programmed to simulate the functions of the experimenter. Not only were the instructions to the subject and the experimental stimuli presented in a standardized manner, but invariance in the reinforcing operations was attained. The computer was programmed to recognize the preselected response class and reinforce it with the typed message 'very good.' The result is a highly replicable and consistent presentation of stimuli and reinforcement.
Lymphadenectomy in endometrioid uterine cancer staging: how many lymph nodes are enough? A study of 11,443 patients.

BACKGROUND. The purpose of the current study was investigate the association between the number of lymph nodes examined and the probability of detecting at least a single lymph node involved by metastatic disease in patients with endometrioid corpus cancer. METHODS. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and surgical information were obtained from the National Cancer Institute between 1990 and 2001. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the relation between the number of lymph nodes identified and the probability of detecting at least a single positive lymph node. RESULTS. Of 11,443 patients, the median age was 64 years (range, 22–74 years). In all, 78.7% had stage I disease, 10.3% had stage II disease, and 11.0% had stage III disease; 31.5% had grade 1 histology, 40.6% had grade 2 histology, and 24.3% had grade 3 histology. The median number of lymph nodes reported was 9 (range, 1–90 lymph nodes). The median number of lymph nodes and the percent of patients with positive lymph nodes have increased from 1988 to 2001. An increasing number of lymph nodes removed was associated with a higher likelihood of identifying those with lymph node metastases. Based on the logistic regression model, the largest increase in probability of detecting at least a single positive lymph node was observed when 21 to 25 lymph nodes were resected (odds ratio [OR] of 1.45; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.08–1.94 [P < .01]). Removing greater than 25 lymph nodes did not improve the statistical probability (OR of 1.23; 95% CI, 0.94–1.61 [P = .13]). CONCLUSIONS. The current study data suggest that the removal of 21 to 25 lymph nodes significantly increases the probability of detecting at least 1 positive lymph node in endometrioid uterine cancer. The definition of an adequate lymphadenectomy deserves further investigation. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
The molecular basis of articular lubrication. I. Purification and properties of a lubricating fraction from bovine synovial fluid.

Abstract The unique lubricating quality of synovial fluid between apposed articular cartilages suggests that this fluid contains a moiety which is able to interact in a specific manner with the cartilaginous surfaces. Fractionation of whole synovial fluid using ultrafiltration on Millipore filters, density gradient centrifugation, and column chromatography resulted in the preparation of a fraction (approximately 0.05% of the original protein) which was able to lubricate articular cartilage in a test system in a similar manner to whole synovial fluid. This fraction was eluted in the void volume of a Bio-Gel A-5m column, gave a single precipitin line both with antisera to synovial fluid and serum and a single sedimenting boundary (s20, w = 4.6) in the analytical centrifuge. Threonine, glutamic acid, and proline were the major amino acids present and galactose, galactosamine, and sialic acid were the major carbohydrate constituents determined by gas liquid chromatography after methanolysis. After denaturation and reduction of the lubricating fraction two glycopeptides and one peptide were found to be the major constituents using sodium dodecyl sulfate disc electrophoresis. The data suggest that the lubricating moiety is a complex macromolecule composed of these three constituents. The tendency of the purified fraction to form insoluble precipitates, however, made it impossible to determine whether these constituents were components of 1 or more than 1 macromolecule.
p53 family interacting pathways in carcinogenesis and cellular response to ionizing radiation.

5183 A global view of all three p53 family members (p53, p63, and p73) is needed to understand their interacting roles in tumor development and response to ionizing radiation (IR). We found that keratinocytes with reduced p73 protein expression were radioresistant in vitro and produced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in vivo even in the presence of wild type p53. We investigated p53 family functions in genetically related mouse keratinocytes; precancerous 03C (IR sensitive control), 03C si-p73 (siRNA knock-down of p73 in precancerous cells), and malignant 03R (IR resistant, producing SCC), based upon our observations of reduction of p63 and dramatic loss of p73 proteins upon spontaneous conversion of 03C precursor cells to 03R malignant cells. Compared to the IR sensitive controls, the malignant 03R cells exhibited reduced p53 family member DNA binding to p21 and noxa probes, a lack of p21 or Noxa mRNA induction, failure to arrest in G1, and a lack of normal apoptotic response following treatment with IR. Like the 03R cells, the 03C si-p73 cells were resistant to IR in vitro , and produced SCC in vivo . Further, the DNA binding capabilities of p63 protein isoforms but not p53 protein were altered after p73 knock-down in the 03C si-p73 cells. We observed reduced DNA binding of lower molecular weight p63 protein isoforms in the absence of p73, and a loss of p53 target gene induction in response to IR, in spite of p53 DNA binding. This suggests a cooperative interaction between p53 family members, specifically that p73 protein is required for p53 family-dependent cellular response to IR. We will test which specific p73 isoforms are required for the coordinated p53 family response to IR using stable transfection of each p73 isoform into keratinocyte lines heterozygous or null for p63 and/or p73. Insight regarding p53 family members’ roles in tumor suppression and the etiology of radiation response in epithelial cancer could suggest new therapeutic approaches to IR radiation-resistant human solid tumors of epithelia. Supported by NCI CA98893, OHSU Cancer Institute CA69533, Medical Research Foundation of Oregon and the Tartar Trust Fellowship.
FDA warns on mercury in tuna.

Personnel from several black fly control programs have reported that the efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelesis (Bti) is reduced during periods when algal concentrations are high in the waterways. Although the reduction in Bti-induced mortality in black fly larvae is presumed to be related to the presence of algae, no scientific data support this theory. In this study, 4 genera of algae (Microcytis, Scenedesmus, Dictrosphaerium, and Chlorella) commonly detected in Pennsylvania rivers where Bti-induced mortality in black fly larvae has been reduced were assessed to determine their respective effects on Bti-induced mortality by using an orbital shaker bioassay with laboratory-reared black fly larvae (Simulium vittatum cytospecies IS-7). A significant reduction in Bti-induced mortality was observed when Scenedesmus was present in the flasks at concentrations > or = 16,000 cells/ml. The Bti-induced mortality of larvae was not significantly reduced when Chlorella, Dictyosphaerium, or Microcytis was present in the flasks, even at concentrations > or = 250,000 cells/ml. These results indicate that the presence of certain types of algae can reduce the mortality of black flies exposed to Bti. Although not clearly defined, the mechanisms involved may be related to algal morphology due to overall size and structures associated with certain types of algae, and possible interference with feeding.
Modular Reasoning for Actor Specification Diagrams

Specification diagrams are a novel form of graphical notation for specifying open distributed object systems. The design goal is to define notation for specifying message-passing behavior that is expressive, intuitively understandable, and that has formal semantic underpinnings The notation generalizes informal notations such as UML’s Sequence Diagrams and broadens their applicability to later in the design cycle. In this paper we show how it is possible to reason rigorously and modularly about specification diagrams. An Actor Theory Toolkit is used to great advantage for this purpose.
Spin and Gradient Echoes

This unit discusses the basic concept of an echo. The phase of the spins plays the fundamental role in this process. A general description as to how an echo occurs is followed by a discussion on both spin echoes and gradient echoes.
Conformational Changes in Aspartate Transcarbamylase III. A FUNCTIONAL MODEL FOR ALLOSTERIC BEHAVIOR

Abstract Evidence concerning conformational changes in aspartate transcarbamylase of Escherichia coli is reviewed in order to evaluate the level of structural organization at which the changes relevant to allosteric behavior take place, and to assess the contribution of each kind of subunit to this behavior. It is suggested that the conformational change responsible for allosteric behavior is a slight quaternary rearrangement, rather than a tertiary structural change which modifies the active centers. A functional unit is postulated which consists of two catalytic chains separated by a dimer of the regulatory chains. The conformational change resulting in allosteric behavior is generated by the pivoting of the regulatory dimer between two positions, in one of which the two catalytic sites are blocked by the dimer. In the catalytically active conformation the blocking portions of the regulatory dimer become exposed. The unit is symmetrical and acts in a concerted manner. This hypothesis accounts for the observations that (a) both homotropic and heterotropic effects depend on the integrity of the regulatory subunits; (b) the intact, isolated catalytic trimer is incapable of allosteric behavior; (c) in the T state not only is there no catalytic activity, but the active sites cannot bind substrate; (d) the reactivity of thiol groups and peptide bonds of the regulatory subunit is increased when substrate is bound to the catalytic subunit; and (e) upon treatment with mercurials the enzyme dissociates into regulatory dimers and catalytic trimers, rather than into mixed protomers. Depending on the manner in which three such functional units are linked together to form the complete oligomer, the allosteric properties can be amplified and can yield either concerted or sequential behavior. The properties of two such oligomers are discussed.
Price Adjustment and Liquidity in a Residential Real Estate Market with an Accelerated Information Cascade

We examine the effect of an unannounced information event, Hurricane Katrina, on the liquidity of the residential real estate market in an area proximately located to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Us...
Identification and initial characterization of the 3′ end of gene transcripts encoding putative members of the pheromone receptor subfamily in Lepidoptera

Semiochemicals, including pheromones and kairomones, used in pest management programs reduce the need for chemical insecticides, and understanding their interactions with their membrane receptors may help make them more effective in the field. Identification of odorant receptors in the Lepidoptera has mainly been achieved using bioinformatics to search DNA sequences generated by genome or expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing projects. This study reports a rapid method to identify members of the pheromone receptor subfamily in Lepidoptera. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers were designed against a conserved amino acid sequence in the carboxyl terminus of known lepidopteran pheromone receptors, and the primers were used in a 3′ rapid amplification of complementary DNA (cDNA) ends procedure. Polymerase chain reaction products generated from seven different lepidopteran species were TA cloned and sequenced. The cDNA sequences of 25 transcripts were determined to encode potential members of the pheromone receptor subfamily. These cDNAs ranged from 238 to 642 bp and encoded 49–54 amino acids of the carboxyl terminus. Analysis of the 3′ untranslated region reveals that most of the transcripts contain multiple polyadenylation signal sequences, and in the case of Manduca sexta, an alternate polyadenylation signal appears to be used in transcript processing. The 3′ untranslated region was also useful in determining unique receptors encoded by transcripts having highly similar nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Overall, this technique provides a complementary method of pheromone receptor identification in EST sequencing projects, or can be used as a stand-alone method in conjunction with 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends procedures.
Electromagnetic fields: can't live without them, can't live with them

The main objective of this paper is to show that we are surrounded by the electromagnetic fields (EMF) at home, work, and play. It also discusses some major epidemiological and laboratory studies showing the dangerous effects of EMF. Some safety measures that can be implemented to minimize these exposures are discussed.
Invited Making graphics tangible

This is a write-up of material presented at keynote talks at Virtual Reality 2012 and at Shape Modeling International 2012. Producing tangible, physical output becomes a growing role for computer graphics due to the emergence of inexpensive rapid-prototyping machines and on-line fabrication services. While producing small models with a layered manufacturing process has become very easy, creating larger and more durable objects still requires a designer to address an expanded list of issues. In this paper some of these issues are discussed based on experiences the author has gained while designing various physical artifacts ranging from mathematical visualization models and geometrical puzzles to large scale sculptures. Tangible artifacts also gain importance at the beginning of a design process and as input to computer graphics tools. An argument is made and an outline is given for new ways and better user interfaces to enter the geometry of inspirational artifacts into our virtual CAD environments.
Photosynthetic parameters of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) under low radiation: Influence of stable overexpression of Miscanthus × giganteus PPDK on responses to light and CO2 under warm and cool growing conditions

Abstract Background Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) is one of the leading candidates to provide lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production. Switchgrass is capable of relatively high productivity on marginal land or when intercropped with trees. Production of switchgrass is dependent upon light use efficiency at the canopy level. Thus, maintenance of photosynthesis at light limiting and cool conditions ought to elongate the growing season and increase productivity of switchgrass. Photosynthesis under cool conditions and low light is maintained higher in giant miscanthus ( Miscanthus × giganteus ) than switchgrass by retaining relatively high expression of pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK). Our main goal was to create lines of switchgrass with upregulated PPDK and to evaluate photosynthetic responses of those lines to growth temperature under low radiation conditions. Our approach was to grow replicate plants of each transgenic event with an untransformed control in low light environments at either warm (28 °C day/24 °C night) or cool (14 °C day/12 °C night) conditions. Photosynthesis parameters of all plants were assessed with fluorescence kinetics, light response curves and carbon dioxide response curves. Results We created several lines of transgenic switchgrass with documented upregulation of cDNA for the PPDK gene (C4ppdk1). Photoinhibition was higher in the transgenic lines, but electron transport rates (ETR) and quantum yield of photosystem II were not inhibited by cool conditions. The higher than expected ETR under cool conditions was associated with increased non-photochemical quenching, which indicated that enzymatic reactions of photosynthesis were inhibited more by cool conditions than photochemical processes. In all except one transgenic line, most metrics of biochemical processes decreased under cool growth conditions, which resulted in significantly lower productivity under cool conditions. Conclusions All transgenic lines were able to balance electron transport and biochemical process at low radiation keeping apparent quantum yield constant and the light saturation point relatively low. Thus, the photosynthetic changes associated with the transgenic events could make the transgenic lines appropriate for use in low light regions such as forest intercropping systems if productivity was increased. Although one transgenic line had weakly improved photosynthesis under cool conditions in this study, improving cold temperature photosynthesis in switchgrass will require more than manipulating the expression of a single gene.
Integrated optic device modules for signal processing

In this paper, a selective review on the multichannel integrated acoustooptic (AO) and magnetooptic (MO) device modules and their applications to RF signal processing, optical space switching, and optical frequency shifting is presented. >
The relevance of subject variables in cognitive self-instructional programs for impulsive children

Although it has become increasingly clear that cognitive self-instructional (CSI) programs are effective in altering the style and behavior of impulsive children, individual differences in responses to these programs have not received much attention. The relevance of these subject variables is stressed inasmuch as they can be used to make more efficient and individualized intervention plans. The CSI research literature and other self-control paradigms are review3d for indications of subject variables that would predict improvement from CSI training. Although theoretically and empirically based suggestions can be made about who should receive CSI training, there is clearly a need for further research in this area.
Coercive Federalism and the Search for Constitutional Limits

This article explores several constitutional bases for questioning the federal government's use of unfunded mandates and other forms of coercive intergovernmental regulation. The "anti-coercion" and "anti-commandeering" principles of the Tenth Amendment are proposed as general arguments against these forms of regulation. The constitutional requirement of "uniformity" attached to indirect taxation, the "anti-discrimination rule" in the area of intergovernmental tax immunity, and the "equality rule," which stems from the unwritten tradition of maintaining equality among the states, are developed as additional bases for striking down federal laws that distribute mandate burdens disproportionately among the states.
Headwaters of the zebrafish — emergence of a new model vertebrate

The understanding of vertebrate development has advanced considerably in recent years, primarily due to the study of a few model organisms. The zebrafish, the newest of these models, has risen to prominence because both genetic and experimental embryological methods can be easily applied to this animal. The combination of approaches has proven powerful, yielding insights into the formation and function of individual tissues, organ systems and neural networks, and into human disease mechanisms. Here, we provide a personal perspective on the history of zebrafish research, from the assembly of the first genetic and embryological tools through to sequencing of the genome.
GPredict: generic predictive concurrency analysis

Predictive trace analysis (PTA) is an effective approach for detecting subtle bugs in concurrent programs. Existing PTA techniques, however, are typically based on adhoc algorithms tailored to low-level errors such as data races or atomicity violations, and are not applicable to high-level properties such as "a resource must be authenticated before use" and "a collection cannot be modified when being iterated over". In addition, most techniques assume as input a globally ordered trace of events, which is expensive to collect in practice as it requires synchronizing all threads. In this paper, we present GPredict: a new technique that realizes PTA for generic concurrency properties. Moreover, GPredict does not require a global trace but only the local traces of each thread, which incurs much less runtime overhead than existing techniques. Our key idea is to uniformly model violations of concurrency properties and the thread causality as constraints over events. With an existing SMT solver, GPredict is able to precisely predict property violations allowed by the causal model. Through our evaluation using both benchmarks and real world applications, we show that GPredict is effective in expressing and predicting generic property violations. Moreover, it reduces the runtime overhead of existing techniques by 54% on DaCapo benchmarks on average.
Electrocardiographic stress tolerance tests.

Abstract We have tried to condense the information about some main characteristics in the recommended stress tests in Table 6.
Developing competency-based methods for near­ real-time air combat problem solving assessment*

Air combat scenarios present unique problems where the solution is not obvious. An advanced networked simulation environment can be used to train high-level cognitive air combat skills such as problem solving. A problem in the development of principled and construct oriented assessment is related to determining the level of specificity of the assessment. We present a detailed discussion of the definition of critical competencies associated with combat mission problem solving performance, and we describe our approach to develop and implement an embedded performance assessment system that maps outcomes to these competencies. Finally, we discuss the implications for our approach for comprehensive assessment and discuss our goals for an evaluation of the competency-based approach to assessment.
Mutant p53 exerts oncogenic functions by modulating cancer cell metabolism

The metabolic function of p53 is important for its oncosuppressive function. Mutant p53 (mutp53) with gain of oncogenic function can regulate cell metabolism. Our recent study revealed a novel transcription-independent mechanism for a gain-of-function mutp53 that directly inhibits activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to promote cancer cell metabolism.
Isolation and quantitation of sulfated and unsulfated steroids in human feces

Abstract An improved method for separation and quantitation of sulfated neutral and acidic steroids in human feces was developed. The procedure consists of separation of sulfated steroids on Sephadex LH-20 and hydrolysis by cholylglycine hydrolase followed by quantitation and identification of the trimethylsilylether derivatives by gas-liquid chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Using this procedure, we detected no sulfated bile acids in human feces. However, sulfated cholesterol was detected in the sulfated bile acid fraction obtained from human fecal extracts. Analysis showed that cholesterol sulfate comprised 12.3, 11.2, and 31.0% of the total neutral sterol fraction in the three fecal samples. Using our procedures, cholesterol sulfate and bile acid sulfates in a biological mixture can be quantitated and identified when they are present.
Therapeutic considerations in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma previously treated with antiangiogenic therapies.

The recent application of antiangiogenic therapies has opened a new corridor of treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. These therapies influence intracellular pathways that are important in angiogenesis and tumor progression. Although each of these agents produces objective responses as well as progression-free survival benefits, durable complete responses have not generally been observed, and thus, resistance to these chronic therapies is almost universal. The increasing use and eventual resistance to these agents has defined an increasing population of patients with targeted therapy–refractory disease. However, there are limited clinical and preclinical data to guide treatment decisions for these patients. This review will examine the existing data in this setting, describe ongoing clinical investigations, and discuss challenges unique to this patient population.
Extraction and Quantitation of FD&C Red Dye #40 from Beverages Containing Cranberry Juice: A College-Level Analytical Chemistry Experiment

A chemical separation experiment can be an interesting addition to an introductory analytical chemistry laboratory course. We have developed an experiment to extract FD&C Red Dye #40 from beverages containing cranberry juice. After extraction, the dye is quantified using colorimetry. The experiment gives students hands-on experience in using solid phase extraction to extract the red dye from other colorants in the red beverages. Students are also given experience with colorimetry, the Beer–Lambert law, and some wet chemical techniques. The recovery of the red dye from spiked cranberry juice was found to be 99% with a standard deviation of 2%.
The production of oxyluciferin during the firefly luciferase light reaction.

Abstract The luciferase-product complex (E · P) was isolated from the reaction mixture after light emission had occurred. The spectral properties of the product in the E · P complex are similar to those of oxyluciferin, with a broad absorption at 385 nm. The enzyme from the complex regains full activity upon the addition of substrates. The product is not covalently bound to the enzyme and readily dissociates in the presence of 6 m urea. The isolated E · P complex was found to have 1 mol of oxyluciferin per 100,000 daltons of luciferase. No AMP could be detected in the E·P complex unless inorganic pyrophosphatase was present during the reaction. In that case 1 mol of AMP per 100,000 daltons was found. Stopped flow studies showed that an increase in 385 nm absorption occurred concomitant with light emission. Measurement of the initial rate of product formation and the rate of photon emission showed they were identical, suggesting that oxyluciferin is indeed the light-emitting product. In the initial burst of the reaction two oxyluciferin moles per 100,000 daltons of luciferase are formed. A plot of the log of the initial rate of product formation was biphasic, indicating that the first mole of product is formed at a faster rate than the second. These results are consistent with previous experiments. However, they do not resolve the question of the molecular weight of the catalytically active species.
Motivational Interviewing with Alcohol Outpatients

Outpatients from a V.A. outpatient substance abuse treatment program (N = 32) were assigned at random either to receive or not receive a brief motivational intervention in addition to standard outpatient treatment. The additional intervention consisted of two additional hours of assessment and a one-hour motivational interview. Control subjects received the same additional assessment, but with an attention-placebo interview in place of the motivational interview. Those assigned to receive the additional intervention demonstrated superior clinical outcome at three month follow-up on a composite variable composed of three individual variables: (1) total standard drinks, (2) peak blood alcohol level, and (3) percent days abstinent. These results were substantially corroborated by reports of significant others. By six month follow-up, the superiority of the treatment group was modest, and no longer significant. These findings support the utility of this approach for use with clinically severe alcohol populations on at least a time-limited basis.