cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrocarbon biosynthesis in Periplaneta americana

Abstract The hydrocarbon content on the cuticle of adult Periplaneta americana is reasonably constant throughout adult life. The hydrocarbon synthesis by adults is probably only to replace material lost by abrasion and other means. During the teneral period (the first few hours after the adult ecdysis) hydrocarbon biosynthesis is very low. Hydrocarbon biosynthesis via an elongation-decarboxylation pathway does not occur at this time as demonstrated by the fact that acetate-1-14C and propionate-1-14C are not incorporated into hydrocarbons by teneral adults. The optimum for hydrocarbon biosynthesis by adult P. americana occurs during the 1- to 4-week period and decreases after 2 months of adult life. The incorporation of even carbon fatty acids from octanoate to stearate, and linoleate are studied in each of the adult periods. The possibilities of the hydrocarbon biosynthesis from fatty acids via the elongation-decarboxylation pathway, the head-to-head condensation pathway, or both are discussed.
Characterization and Manipulation of Exposed Ge Nanocrystals

Isotopically pure 70Ge and 74Ge nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 thin films on Si substrates have been fabricated through ion implantation and thermal annealing. Nanocrystals were subsequently exposed using a hydrofluoric acid etching procedure to selectively remove the oxide matrix while retaining up to 69% of the implanted Ge. Comparison of transmission electron micrographs (TEM) of as-grown crystals to atomic force microscope (AFM) data of exposed crystals reveals that the nanocrystal size distribution is very nearly preserved during etching. Therefore, this process provides a new means to use AFM for rapid and straightforward determination of size distributions of nanocrystals formed in a silica matrix. Once exposed, nanocrystals may be transferred to a variety of substrates, such as conducting metal films and optically transparent insulators for further characterization.
Drug-induced syndromes in rats with large, chronic lesions in the corpus striatum.

The aim of the study was to determine the role of the neostriatum in the syndromes produced by some drugs which affect monoaminergic transmission. Thirty days after bilateral destruction of the neostriatum, and in some cases the pallidum, rats were studied while under the action of reserpine, apomorphine or amphetamine. Under reserpine, intact rats developed rigidity, in operated animals rigidity was absent; otherwise the syndrome was the same in the two groups. Apomorphine and amphetamine produced sniffing and gnawing in operated as well as unoperated animals. In both groups haloperidol blocked the stereotyped behavior. Thus, of the symptoms produced by the examined drugs, only rigidity depends on an intact neostriatum.
Parenting Predictors of Early-Adolescents’ Health Behaviors: Simultaneous Group Comparisons Across Sex and Ethnic Groups

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the invariance of predictive relations across early-adolescent sex and ethnic groups regarding parenting factors and externalizing and internalizing problems and victimization. Data (n = 598; 54% female) from a triethnic (Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black) probability sample of fifth graders collected from three sites (Birmingham, AL, Houston, TX, and Los Angeles, CA) were used in the analyses. Simultaneous group structural equation modeling supported the invariance of parenting-early adolescent outcomes across sex and ethnic groups. Parental monitoring and parental norms were relatively robust predictors of early-adolescent externalizing problems and victimization, and to a lesser extent, of internalizing problems. A maternal nurturance by parental monitoring interaction was statistically significant for all outcome behaviors, indicating that higher monitoring in conjunction with higher maternal nurturance was associated with lower levels of early-adolescent problem behaviors. The findings suggest that core parenting factors such as nurturance, monitoring, and normative expectations for early adolescent problem behaviors may serve as a foundation for parenting components of multi-component intervention studies.
Regenerative growth in fossil horsetails following burial by alluvium

Evidence for regenerative growth in fossil plants is limited to reports of wound repair caused by plant‐animal interactions. No paleobotanical data, to date, have documented the regenerative capability of ancient plants following trauma, particularly flood‐generated burial. An erect, in situ equisetalean pith‐cast of Late Carboniferous age has been discovered from which it can be demonstrated that fossil horsetails possessed regenerative capabilities following alluviation. The character and mode of regeneration appears to be a homologue to that of modern Equisetum and is suggestive that this feature evolved early in the history of the group.
Ensemble corrections for the molecular-dynamics ensemble

Expressions are derived which relate the averages of a dynamical variable in the molecular-dynamics ensemble and in the generalized canonical ensemble. Fluctuations in the two ensembles are also related. These results make the full equilibrium theory of classical statistical mechanics accessible to evaluation by molecular-dynamics computations.
Kinetic mechanisms of rat polymerase β-ssDNA interactions. quantitative fluorescence stopped-flow analysis of the formation of the (pol β)16 and (pol β)5 ssDNA binding mode

Abstract Kinetics of rat polymerase β (pol β) binding to the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in the (pol β)16 and (pol β)5 binding modes has been examined, using the fluorescence stopped-flow technique. Binding of the enzyme to the ssDNA containing fluorescein is characterized by a strong increase of the DNA fluorescence, which provides an excellent signal to quantitatively study the complex mechanism of the ssDNA recognition process. The experiments were performed with a 20-mer ssDNA, which can engage the enzyme in the (pol β)16 binding mode, i.e. it encompasses the entire, total DNA-binding site of rat pol β, and with a 10-mer which binds the enzyme exclusively in the (pol β)5 binding mode where only the 8 kDa domain of the enzyme is engaged in interactions with the DNA. The data indicate that the formation of the (pol β)16 binding mode occurs by a minimum three-step mechanism with the bimolecular binding step followed by two isomerizations: Rat pol β+ ssDNA ↔ k −1 k 1 ( P 16 − ssDNA ) 1 ↔ k −2 k 2 ( P 16 − ssDNA ) 2 ↔ k −3 k 3 ( P 16 − ssDNA ) 3 A similar mechanism is observed in the formation of the (pol β)5 binding mode, although at low salt concentrations there is an additional, slow step in the reaction. The data analysis was performed using the matrix projection operator technique, a powerful method to address stopped-flow kinetics, particularly, amplitudes. The binding modes differ in the free energy changes of the partial reactions and ion effects on transitions between intermediates that reflect different participation of the two structural domains. The formation of both binding modes is initiated by the fast association with the ssDNA through the 8 kDa domain, followed by transitions induced by interactions at the interface of the 8 kDa domain and the DNA. In the (pol β)16 binding mode, the subsequent intermediates are stabilized by the DNA binding to the DNA-binding subsite on the 31 kDa domain. The data indicate that interactions of the ssDNA-binding subsite of the 8 kDa domain with the ssDNA, controlled by the ion binding, induce conformational transitions of the formed complexes in both binding modes. The sequential nature of the determined mechanisms indicates a lack of kinetically significant conformational equilibrium of rat pol β, prior to ssDNA binding.
Microdetermination of phosphorylated intermediates of sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase

Abstract We have described a simple, rapid, reliable, and sensitive method for measuring the covalent phosphoenzyme intermediates that form in the reaction of ATP and sodium-potassium sensitive adenosine triphosphatase. Results are reproducible even when microgram amounts of microsomal protein are used. The method involves recovery of 32P-labeled phosphoenzyme intermediates on a Millipore filter.
A plea for readable pleas for a readable Prolog programming style

Writing a plea for a readable Prolog programming style is not like writing most pleas. In writing a plea for a readable Prolog programming style in particular, one could possibly bring forth many results. This means that special care must be taken when writing a plea for a readable Prolog programming style. Not only must the plea be readable, it must also be written in such a way as to make clear the process of writing well-styled Prolog programs.Plea writing makes use of a set of rules to specify how a certain task might be accomplished. In general, if these rules are written without attention to their meaning, there is no telling how the style of a particular Prolog program will be affected. It is from this aspect of plea writing both the power and danger of plea writing arise.We will attempt to discuss ways in which pleas for a readable Prolog programming style may be written so that they may be clearly understood and applied to make Prolog programs more readable. We will also give an example of the application of plea writing rules by writing a plea and then applying this plea to excerpts of Prolog code.
Peroxynitrite Diminishes Myogenic Activity and Is Associated With Decreased Vascular Smooth Muscle F-Actin in Rat Posterior Cerebral Arteries

Background and Purpose— This study investigated the effect of peroxynitrite (ONOO−) on pressure-induced myogenic activity and vascular smooth muscle (VSM) actin of isolated posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs). Methods— Histochemical staining of nitrotyrosine (NT) was used to demonstrate the presence of ONOO− in the cerebrovasculature after 1 hour of middle cerebral artery occlusion with 30 minutes of reperfusion. To determine the effect of ONOO− on pressure-induced myogenic activity, third-order PCAs from nonischemic animals were isolated and mounted in an arteriograph chamber. Diameter in response to changes in pressure was determined in the absence and presence of ONOO− (10−8 to 10−4 mol/L). Filamentous actin (F-actin) and globular actin (G-actin) were quantified using confocal microscopy in PCAs with and without exposure to ONOO−. Results— NT staining of vascular cells was greater in ischemic brain versus sham animals (56±3% versus 35±3%; P<0.01). Addition of low concentrations of ONOO− (≤10−6 mol/L) to...
Longitudinal label-free tracking of cell death dynamics in living engineered human skin tissue with a multimodal microscope

We demonstrate real-time, longitudinal, label-free tracking of apoptotic and necrotic cells in living tissue using a multimodal microscope. The integrated imaging platform combines multi-photon microscopy (MPM, based on two-photon excitation fluorescence), optical coherence microscopy (OCM), and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Three-dimensional (3-D) co-registered images are captured that carry comprehensive information of the sample, including structural, molecular, and metabolic properties, based on light scattering, autofluorescence intensity, and autofluorescence lifetime, respectively. Different cell death processes, namely, apoptosis and necrosis, of keratinocytes from different epidermal layers are longitudinally monitored and investigated. Differentiation of the two cell death processes in a complex living tissue environment is enabled by quantitative image analysis and high-confidence classification processing based on the multidimensional, cross-validating imaging data. These results suggest that despite the limitations of each individual label-free modality, this multimodal imaging approach holds the promise for studies of different cell death processes in living tissue and in vivo organs.
Reducing Maternal Psychological Distress after the NICU Experience through Journal Writing.

Parents of infants served in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) often experience extreme levels of stress that might be associated with elevated symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. We examined the effect of a brief journal writing exercise on the depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms of mothers of NICU graduates using an experimental group-comparison design. Participants were 38 women who had an infant hospitalized in an NICU in the previous 2 to 14 months. Dependent measures were a measure of depression, the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1977) and a measure of posttraumatic stress, the Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R; Weiss, 1996). We found statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups at posttest.
Longevity of shattercane seed in soil across Nebraska

Summary: Longevity of shattercane [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] seed buried 22 cm deep in soil at three locations across Nebraska, U.S.A. was followed for 14 years. Shattercane seed lost viability more quickly when buried in a Keith very fine sandy loam in western Nebraska (Alliance, average seed germination 21%) than in a Holdrege silt loam in central (North Platte, 37% germination) or in a Sharpsburg silty clay loam in eastern Nebraska (Lincoln, 38% germination) which were similar. The maximum survival of the open-panicle shattercane biotype, with glumes tightly enclosing the seeds, used in this study was 11, 12, and 13 years at Alliance, North Platte, and Lincoln, Nebraska, respectively. Resume: Longevite des semences de Sorghum bicolor dans le sol du Nebraska. La longevite des semences de Sorgho [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] enterrees a une profondeur de 22 cm dans le sol, dans trois stations du Nebraska, U.S.A., a ete suivie pendant 14 annees. Les semences de sorgho perdent leur viability plus rapidement lorsqu'elles sont enterrees dans un limon sableux, bien caracterise, dans l'ouest du Nebraska (Alliance, taux moyen de germination 21%) que dans un sol de limon de Holdrege, dans le centre (North Platte, 37% de germination) ou un sol de limon argileux de Sharpsburg dans le Nebraska oriental (Lincoln, 38% de germination), qui se sont comportes de facon similaire. La survivance maximale du biotype de Sorgho a penicule ouverte, dont les glumes enferment etroitement les semences, et qui a ete utilise dans cette etude, a ete de 11, 12 et 13 ans respectivement, a Alliance, North Platte et Lincoln, (Nebraska). Zusammenfassung Die Lebensdauer von Sorghum bicolor-Samen im Boden in verschiedenen Gebieten Nebraskas Es wurde die Lebensdauer von Sorghum bicolor-Samen (L.) Moench, die in 22 cm Bodentiefe an drei verschiedenen Orten in Nebraska, U.S.A. vergraben waren, 14 Jahre lang beobachtet. Die Samen verloren die Keimfahigkeit schneller, wenn sie in einem sehr feinsandigen Keith-Lehm in Westnebraska vergraben waren (Alliance, durchschnittliche Keimung 21%), als in einem Schlufflehm in Zentralnebraska (North Piatte, 37% Keimung) oder in einem schluffigen Sharpsburg Ton-Lehm in Ostnebraska (Lincoln, 38% Keimung). Die hochste uberlebensrate des fur diese Untersuchungen verwendeten Biotyps mit offener Rispe und engansschliessenden Spelzen, betrug 11 Jahre in Alliance, 12 Jahre in North Platte und 13 Jahre in Lincoln.
Synthesis of DOT Use of Beam End Protection for Extending the Life of Bridges

As the national transportation infrastructure ages and deteriorates, many existing bridges require frequent and costly maintenance and repairs. The objective of this work was to synthesize new and existing types of beam end coatings and treatments that have been proven to extend the life of new and existing concrete and steel bridge beams. A comprehensive literature review, along with online surveys and phone interviews of State department of transportations (DOTs) and coating manufacturers was conducted to gather information about existing and recently developed technologies. The study revealed that while many promising coatings and treatments are offered on the market, there is a lack of readily available laboratory results that would enable direct comparison of the available methods. This finding applies in terms of the coatings’ durability and the potential for extending the service life of existing bridges. Most of the interviewed State DOTs’ personnel assessed the products listed in respective DOT’s Qualified Products Lists as performing ‘well’. However, there was significant variability between states in the type of the products used. Among the agencies contacted, none was able to suggest the most promising or advanced products, either for concrete or steel bridge beam end treatments. This suggests that comprehensive laboratory evaluation would be necessary for selecting the best available beam end treatments and coatings.
Nonlinear control of a continuously variable transmission (CVT)

Automotive engineers are continuously exploring various engine, transmission, and chassis technologies to increase overall vehicle performance, fuel economy, and safety. One promising powertrain concept is the continuously variable transmission (CVT), which offers a continuum of infinitely variable gear ratios between established minimum and maximum limits. This continuous gear ratio spectrum can increase the overall powertrain efficiency and eliminate the unwanted jerks associated with manual and automatic transmissions. Although basic CVT designs may have difficulty with high torque/low speed requirements, a power split continuously variable transmission configuration offers both fixed gearing and adjustable pulleys to satisfy driving demands. The effective control of the variable radius pulleys allows the designation of engine torque/speed to improve overall system performance for a given operating condition. In this paper, the fundamental components, configuration, and kinematics of a power split CVT will be briefly introduced. The problem of wheel speed (i.e., cruise) control of a CVT equipped vehicle will be considered. An innovative adaptive nonlinear controller will be designed to ensure asymptotic tracking of the desired wheel speed. Representative numerical results are presented and discussed to demonstrate the ability of the integrated CVT and engine controller in tracking the prescribed wheel speed.
Fast landmark-based registration via deterministic and efficient processing, some preliminary results

Preliminary results of a method for range view registration are presented. The method incorporates the LeRP algorithm, which is a deterministic means to approximate subgraph isomorphisms. Graphs are formed that describe salient scene features. Graph matching then provides the scene-to-scene correspondence necessary for registration. A graphical representation is invariant with respect to sensor standoff. Test results from real and synthetic images indicate that a reasonable tradeoff between speed and accuracy is achievable. A mean rotational error of /spl sim/1 degree was found for a variety of test cases. Mean compute times were found to be better than 2 Hz, with image sizes varying from 128/spl times/200 to 240/spl times/320. These tests were run on a 900 MHz PC The greatest challenge to this approach is the stable localization and invariant characterization of image features via fast, deterministic techniques.
Just Caring: Defining a Basic Benefit Package

What should be the content of a package of health care services that we would want to guarantee to all Americans? This question cannot be answered adequately apart from also addressing the issue of fair health care rationing. Consequently, as I argue in this essay, appeal to the language of "basic," "essential," "adequate," "minimally decent," or "medically necessary" for purposes of answering our question is unhelpful. All these notions are too vague to be useful. Cost matters. Effectiveness matters. The clinical circumstances of a patient matters. But what we must ultimately determine is what we mutually agree are the just claims to needed health care of each American in a relatively complex range of clinical circumstances. Answering this question will require a public moral conversation, a fair process of rational democratic deliberation aimed at defining both just claims to needed health care and just limits.
The Perceived Purposefulness of Job Behavior: Antecedents and Consequences

“Perceived purposefulness of job behavior” is introduced as a possible link through which role ambiguity affects work satisfaction. A measure of this concept was developed and its explanatory value...
Comprehensive management of dysfunctional voiding.

Objective. Dysfunctional voiding is a major problem leading to daytime-wetting and recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). Our center is devoted to treating children with dysfunctional voiding. We offer a multidisciplinary approach with a pediatric nephrologist, nurse practitioners, and a psychologist. This article is the first to describe the efficacy of this approach on a large population of American children. Patients. Between 1992 and 1995, 366 children with symptoms of voiding dysfunction were referred for urodynamic studies. Criteria were based on the child9s age, symptoms, and failure to respond to empirical therapy. Females made up 77% of the population, and the mean age at referral was 8.5 years (range, 4 to 18 years). Day-wetting occurred in 312 (89%), night-wetting in 278 (79%), recurrent UTI in 218 (60%), and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in 48 (20%) of those undergoing voiding cystourethrography. Results. A minimum of 6 months9 follow-up data (mean, 22 months) is available on 280 children (77% studied). Urge syndrome was the predominant urodynamic finding in 52%, followed by bladder sphincter dysfunction in 25%. Treatment consisted of antibiotic prophylaxis (59%), anticholinergic medication (49%), biofeedback (25%), and psychological counseling (15%). Of the 222 children with daytime-wetting (45%), 100 are cured (off all medication, no wetting) and 82 (37%) are improved (on medication or >50% reduction in symptoms). Improvement or cure was seen in 69% of children with night-wetting. Of the 199 children with UTI, 127 (64%) never developed another infection. Vesicoureteral reflux resolved in 16 of 30 (53%) children undergoing repeat voiding cystourethrography. Conclusion. Our comprehensive approach demonstrates a favorable outcome that promises to reduce the medical and psychological morbidity seen in patients with voiding dysfunction. urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, vesicoureteral reflux, biofeedback.
A hyper optimal encoding scheme for self-checking circuits

A typical self-checking circuit has an unordered code encoded output. The optimal scheme needs [log(r+1)] check bits, where r is the number of unique weights in all output patterns. A hyper optimal scheme for self-checking output encoding is proposed in this paper where the number of check bits will be further reduced in some cases. Two algorithms are presented to search for the hidden m-out-of-n code words. The hidden m-out-of-n code words are found when all unique output patterns, specified by the circuit specification, in the n selected output bits have exactly m 1s. The output bits that belong to the hidden m-out-of-n code words are then excluded from further encoding. Typically, the number of added check bits of the proposed technique ranges from 0 to [log(p+1)], where p/spl les/r. When hidden m-out-of-n code words exist, applying the proposed scheme usually results in significant hardware cost and delay time reduction. In the five MCNC FSM benchmark circuits that have been identified with hidden m-out-of-n code words, 10% to 41% hardware reductions are exhibited compared to the theoretically optimal separable code encoding scheme. In addition, 7% to 45% reductions in checking delays are demonstrated for the same circuits compared to the separable code encoding scheme.
Enhanced cytokinin synthesis in tobacco plants expressing PSARK::IPT prevents the degradation of photosynthetic protein complexes during drought.

To identify genes associated with the cytokinin-induced enhanced drought tolerance, we analyzed the transcriptome of wild-type and transgenic tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum ‘SR1’) plants expressing P SARK ::IPT (for senescence-associated receptor kinase::isopentenyltransferase) grown under wellwatered and prolonged water defi cit conditions using the tomato GeneChip. During water defi cit, the expression of genes encoding components of the carotenoid pathway leading to ABA biosynthesis was enhanced in the wild-type plants, but repressed in the transgenic plants. On the other hand, transgenic plants displayed higher transcript abundance of genes involved in the brassinosteroid biosynthetic pathways. Several genes coding for proteins associated with Chl synthesis, light reactions, the Calvin– Benson cycle and photorespiration were induced in the transgenic plants. Notably, increased transcript abundance of genes associated with PSII, the cytochrome b 6 / f complex, PSI, NADH oxidoreductase and the ATP complex was found in the P SARK ::IPT plants. The increased transcript abundance was assessed by quantitative PCR and the increased protein levels were confi rmed by Western blots. Our results indicated that while the photosynthetic apparatus in the wild-type plants was degraded, photosynthesis in the transgenic plants was not affected and photosynthetic proteins were not degraded. During water defi cit, wild-type plants displayed a signifi cant reduction in electron transfer and photochemical quenching, with a marked increase in non-photochemical quenching, suggesting a decrease in energy transfer to the PSII core complexes and an increase in cyclic electron transfer reactions.
Effect of Surfactants on the Structure and Morphology of Magnesium Borate Hydroxide Nanowhiskers Synthesized by Hydrothermal Route

Magnesium borate hydroxide (MBH) nanowhiskers were synthesized using a one step hydrothermal process with different surfactants. The effect surfactants have on the structure and morphology of the MBH nanowhiskers has been investigated. The X-ray diffraction profile confirms that the as-synthesized material is of single phase, monoclinic MgBO2(OH). The variations in the size and shape of the different MBH nanowhiskers have been discussed based on the surface morphology analysis. The annealing of MBH nanowhiskers at 500 °C for 4 h has significant effect on the crystal structure and surface morphology. The UV–vis absorption spectra of the MBH nanowhiskers synthesized with and without surfactants show enhanced absorption in the low-wavelength region, and their optical band gaps were estimated from the optical band edge plots. The photoluminescence spectra of the MBH nanowhiskers produced with and without surfactants show broad emission band with the peak maximum at around 400 nm, which confirms the dominant contribution from the surface defect states.
A Comparison of the Reinvestment Risk of the Price Level Adjusted Mortgage and the Standard Fixed Payment Mortgage

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the risk of the indexed mortgage, commonly referred to as the price level adjusted mortgage (PLAM). This is accomplished by comparing, analytically, the reinvestment risk of the PLAM and the standard fixed-payment mortgage (FPM) under conditions of stochastic inflation and real interest rates. The conclusion is that the PLAM has less reinvestment risk. From the viewpoint of an investor concerned with periodically reinvesting payment streams, the PLAM is the superior mortgage.
Identifying the hepatic organic anion transporter: One of many?

Using expression cloning in Xenopus laevis oocytes, we have isolated a cDNA encoding a rat liver organic anion-transporting polypeptide (oatp). The cloned oatp mediated Na+-independent uptake of sulfobromophthalein (BSP) which was Cl−-dependent in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) at low BSP concentrations (e.g., 2 μM). Addition of increasing amounts of BSA had no effects on the maximal velocity of initial BSP uptake, but it increased the Km value from 1.5 μM (no BSA) to 24 μM (BSA/BSP molar ratio, 3.7) and 35 μM (BSA/BSP ratio, 18.4). In addition to BSP, the cloned oatp also mediated Na+-independent uptake of conjugated (taurocholate) and unconjugated (cholate) bile acids. Sequence analysis of the cDNA revealed an open reading frame of 2010 nucleotides coding for a protein of 670 amino acids (calculated molecular mass, 74 kDa) with four possible N-linked glycosylation sites and 10 putative transmembrane domains. Translation experiments in vitro indicated that the transporter was indeed glycosylated and that its polypeptide backbone had an apparent molecular mass of 59 kDa. Northern blot analysis with the cloned probe revealed crossreactivity with several mRNA species from rat liver, kidney, brain, lung, skeletal muscle, and proximal colon as well as from liver tissues of mouse and rabbit, but not of skate (Raja erinacea) and human.
From Loss to Lack: Stories of Organizational Change as Encounters with Failed Fantasies of Self, Work and Organization

This study advances research on storytelling and organizational change by exploring forty stories of change from a psychoanalytic, particularly Lacanian, perspective. It suggests that stories of or...
Large-Scale Orthology Predictions for Inferring Gene Functions across Multiple Species

An effective approach to infer the functions of genes is to use the concept of gene orthology. Because orthologous genes are likely to share similar functions, the functions of genes in an unstudied species can be inferred through the functions of their orthologs in a studied model species. To infer gene functions for a multitude of species, we developed a high-throughput orthology prediction method, termed PhyloTrace. PhyloTrace is both highly accurate and computationally efficient for large-scale applications, having the ability to infer orthologous genes across thousands of species. This is accomplished through three major steps: 1) all-against-all gene comparisons for every pair of genes, 2) pair-wise orthology predictions for every two genomes, and 3) the generation of orthologous clusters that contain orthologous genes across multiple genomes. We employed the previously developed Pipe man parallelization program to break down a set of millions of input sequences into small chunks and then processed them in parallel. We successfully predicted orthologs for over 900 bacterial genomes, achieving a false-positive prediction rate of 2.0%, which was a significant improvement compared with the widely used bidirectional best-hit method, which yielded a false-positive rate of 5.5%.
Comparative genomics as a tool in the understanding of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation

Comparative genomics approaches are having a remarkable impact on the study of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes. Many eukaryotic genome sequences are being explored by new computational methods and high-throughput experimental tools such as DNA arrays and genome-wide location analyses. These tools are enabling efficient panning for common regulatory cassettes underlying fundamental biological processes, extending the use of existing techniques for the discovery of response elements to mammals, deciphering the transcriptional regulatory code in eukaryotes and providing the first global insights into a recently described post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism. Collectively, these approaches are rapidly expanding both our knowledge and our definition of transcriptional regulation.
An Analytical and Experimental Investigation for Heat Transfer in Fuel-Cell Cooling Systems

A heat transfer analysis for the cooling system of a phosphoric-acid fuel-cell module is carried out. A correlation for the overall heat transfer coefficient in terms of coolant thermophysical properties, fluid flow characteristics, thermal contract resistance and cooling channel configuration is also developed. The analysis is necessary because excess heat and unsuitable cooling systems and coolants cause a nonuniform temperature along the surface of the cell plate which results in high thermal stresses, metal warping, distortion and subsequent failure of the plate.
Performance Management, High-Powered Incentives, and Environmental Policies in China

ABSTRACTChina has a highly centralized bureaucracy that is no longer strictly monitored by political loyalty but by governance performance (e.g., economic growth), rewarded with promotion and monetary incentives. In the early 2000s, environmental criteria were added to this system. As part of this effort, a high-powered performance management system was introduced in 2006. It held high-level provincial officials, who are part of the nomenklatura, personally responsible for meeting specific emissions targets. Using data from China Statistics Yearbooks and several official news archives, the empirical results indicate that the implementation of the new performance management system reduced emissions only for air pollutants, which are the most publicly visible among the targeted pollutants. Water pollution, which is less visible but also a mandated target, was unaffected. Emissions of soot, an untargeted pollutant, were also unaffected. The findings imply that, even in centrally managed systems like China, c...
Chemotherapeutic Effects on Breast Malignant Cells Evaluated by Native Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The decreasing relative content of tryptophan, NADH and flavin of the retinoic acid-treated breast cancerous cells were demonstrated using native fluorescence spectra. The changes may be used to evaluate the chemotherapeutic effects on cancer.
Experiences on Tea Brand Construction in Taiwan and Its Illuminations for Fujian

Tea in Taiwan originated in Fujian,and its brand construction is distinctive.Though the tea brand in Fujian has been popularized on the domestic and international market in recent years,but it should be strengthened compared to tea brand construction in Taiwan.This paper analyzed the experiences of tea brand construction in Taiwan from five aspects such as paying attention to quality,management,market,originality and marketing,and the illuminations for Fujian were summarized from the experiences of tea brand construction in Taiwan.
Multi-point/Objective Design of Low-speed Airfoils Using Optimization

An aerodynamic design method for low-speed airfoils is developed which couples RANS(Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) code and Response Surface Methodology(RSM) to find an airfoil geometry with improved aerodynamic performance at single or multiple design-objectives while maintaining other aerodynamic and geometric constraints.The design cases shows that reduced model without second-order cross items with more design variables can obtain better design results than full quadratic polynomials model,and multi-objective design improves the off-design performance in single-objective design.
Conjunctival eyelashes: a rare presentation of dermoid.

Purpose: To describe a previously unreported presentation of a conjunctival dermoid. Case Report: An 8-year-old girl presented with a progressively enlarging mass in the right conjunctival fornix composed of normal appearing eyelashes. The patient had a history of aberrant conjunctival eyelash growth that had caused recurrent conjunctivitis in her right eye over the past few years. The mass was surgically removed and the pathology report revealed it to be a conjunctival dermoid. The patient had an excellent surgical result with normal cosmetic appearance. Conclusion: Mature hair follicle growth from the conjunctiva is another possible presentation of a conjunctival dermoid that can be cured by simple surgical excision.
Raman sensing in optical microresonantors(Conference Presentation)

Ultrahigh-quality whispering gallery mode optical microresonators have been studied for their use as highly sensitive sensors. In this talk, we discuss the use of microsphere microresonators in Raman spectroscopy for interrogating particles adhered to the surface of the resonator. An external cavity diode laser is tuned to a resonant high-Q mode and the circulating optical field experiences a large buildup, resulting in enhanced Raman scattering. Here we present studies of Raman scattering spectroscopy of single particles. Raman sensing with different Q's is discussed.
An Elegant Circuit for Balancing Risk and Reward.

Animals constantly encounter conflicting cues in natural environments. To survive and thrive, they must make appropriate behavioral decisions. In this issue, Ghosh et al. (2016) identified a neural circuit underlying multisensory threat-reward decision making using an elegant C. elegans model.
Pleiotropy and pathway analyses of genetic variants associated with both type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer.

Aims: Epidemiological evidence shows that diabetes is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. The objective of this study was to identify genes that may contribute to both type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer outcomes and the biological pathways these diseases may share. Methods: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study is a population-based prospective cohort study in four U.S. communities that included a baseline examination in 1987-89 and three follow-up exams at three year intervals. Participants were 45-64 years old at baseline. We conducted a genomewide association (GWA) study of incident type 2 diabetes in males, summarized variation across genetic loci into a polygenic risk score, and determined if that diabetes risk score was also associated with incident prostate cancer in the same study population. Secondarily we conducted a separate GWA study of prostate cancer, performed a pathway analysis of both type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer, and qualitatively determined if any of the biochemical pathways identified were shared between the two outcomes. Results: We found that the polygenic risk score for type 2 diabetes was not statistically significantly associated with prostate cancer. The pathway analysis also found no overlap between pathways associated with type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer. However, it did find that the growth hormone signaling pathway was statistically significantly associated with type 2 diabetes (p=0.0001). Conclusion: The inability of this study to find an association between type 2 diabetes polygenic risk scores with prostate cancer or biological pathways in common suggests that shared genetic variants may not contribute significantly to explaining shared etiology.
Design and usability testing of a user interface for three-way document merging

Word processing merge tool interfaces can show users the changes made by each editor and allow a primary editor to accept or reject individual changes to create a finished document. But when there are many changes, possibly from many editors, users may be confused by the wealth of detail and find themselves unable to be select changes thoughtfully. In this paper, we present a new merging interface that enables users to filter changes based on the type of change being made, as well as providing controls that help users choose among conflicting changes in order to produce a correctly merged document.The interface's usability was tested via a usability study conducted with ten graduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The study was designed to test whether the interface would help users better understand the changes made in two revisions and enable them to choose the best revisions. While the study found both positive and negative qualities in the prototype, most participants valued the change classification feature, suggesting that it is worthy of further research.
Psychosocial, Legal, Ethical, and Cultural Aspects of Organ Donation and Transplantation

Organ donation is largely dependent on the attitude and timing of health care professionals working with donor families. Critical care nurses are in a unique position to increase the supply of organs for donation, and they must assume some professional responsibility for the existence of the current supply and demand disparity. The transplant recipient and his or her family undergo extraordinary stresses in dealing with the uncertainty generated by this desperate situation. Various mechanisms exist to at least partially allay the fears and anxiety of this period, generally through the use of a multidisciplinary approach. Because organ transplantation is a relatively new field, national standards have not yet been established. Although this helps decrease the risk of malpractice in this arena, it contributes to the ethical controversy associated with organ transplantation. It is certain that transplantation will be scrutinized ever more closely owing to the current crisis in health care coverage. Racial and cultural differences do appear to exist in regard to organ donation and transplantation. Further study of HLA antigens and possible differences in immunoreactivity in nonwhites may narrow the gap in both graft and patient survival. Aggressive educational efforts to increase organ donation in blacks and Hispanics need to be undertaken to better serve the needs of their transplant populations.
Introducing data visualization techniques in computer information systems curriculum

Universities world-wide have incorporated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems into their curriculum to provide students with a better understanding of business process theory and concepts. In many of these universities, the SAP ERP software package is used where student focus is in entering transactions via the SAP GUI interface. Students typically become very good at data entry into an ERP system, however just like computer science majors who write programs that capture and store data, students never really see the big picture as to how this big data is ultimately used. Because data-visualization is both an art and a science [1], in which the goal is to communicate information clearly and efficiently using graphs, plots and charts, the authors have found that by complementing your course with Lumira, students are more able to clearly see the management side of big data. Therefore, this paper focuses on Lumira, a graphical analytical tool that allows users to drill deep down into data. Topics in this paper include a background on SAP and Lumira, and examples of how Lumira can be used in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) curriculum.
French Electoral Poster Campaigns in the Twenty-First Century

France has a several centuries-long history of political posters, starting as early as the French Revolution, and for most of their history, posters have been one of the most popular and far reaching communication means. This chapter focuses on poster campaigns in the twenty-first century. To better understand their role in the general campaign, the chapter reviews the current legal regulations. It then discusses the evolution of poster content throughout the centuries and presents new evidence of contemporary poster campaigns using data from the 2007 electoral year. In a nutshell, the presence of posters in the streets is a credible signal of party and candidate campaign strength. The candidate gender can play a role in the content of posters, and this visual information may be particularly important for male candidates’ chances of victory. The final section summarizes the main points and highlights some new research directions.
Path following for a tractor-trailer system using model predictive control

In this paper, an optimal controller is designed for a tractor-trailer system to solve the path tracking problem. A kinematic model with control delay is derived to describe the system. The error state is properly defined based on the curvature of reference path, and a model-based predictive controller (MPC) is proposed to minimize the trailer tracking error. In each sample, the optimal solution based on a cost function with constraints and desired system outputs are calculated. The proposed controller can guide the system forward and backward. Simulation results show that the system performance is very satisfactory, especially significantly reducing the tracking error at the intersections of line and arc segments.
Atomistic modelling of moisture sensitivity: a damage mechanisms study of asphalt concrete interfaces

Moisture-induced damage mechanisms are characterised by adhesive bond strength reduction at the aggregate–asphalt interfaces. This research examined the physicochemical phenomena that occur at the asphalt–aggregate interfaces, as well as the nanoscale effect of water molecules on the asphalt–aggregate bond using atomistic simulations. The moisture sensitivity behaviour of model asphalt, water molecules, and mineral aggregates of various components was evaluated. Steered molecular dynamics was used to study the interfacial atomic separation under dry and wet conditions. The effect of water on the bond strength between asphalt and aggregate was described through surface free energy studies. It was found that the adhesion and stripping behaviours between asphalt and aggregate were more strongly influenced by the aggregate chemistry and properties than those of the asphalt. The adhesion of different asphalt–aggregate pairs and their susceptibility to water were also validated by available experimental results...
New Media, Old Labor, and the Art of Toppling Dictators

The Arab Spring movements that rolled across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region were seen by many outsiders as beginning in 2011, as if they popped up from out of nowhere. These two boo...
Circulating primitive erythroblasts establish a functional, protein 4.1R-dependent cytoskeletal network prior to enucleating

Hematopoietic ontogeny is characterized by distinct primitive and definitive erythroid lineages. Definitive erythroblasts mature and enucleate extravascularly and form a unique membrane skeleton, composed of spectrin, 4.1R-complex, and ankyrinR-complex components, to survive the vicissitudes of the adult circulation. However, little is known about the formation and composition of the membrane skeleton in primitive erythroblasts, which progressively mature while circulating in the embryonic bloodstream. We found that primary primitive erythroblasts express the major membrane skeleton genes present in similarly staged definitive erythroblasts, suggesting that the composition and formation of this membrane network is conserved in maturing primitive and definitive erythroblasts despite their respective intravascular and extravascular locations. Membrane deformability and stability of primitive erythroblasts, assayed by microfluidic studies and fluorescence imaged microdeformation, respectively, significantly increase prior to enucleation. These functional changes coincide with protein 4.1 R isoform switching and protein 4.1R-null primitive erythroblasts fail to establish normal membrane stability and deformability. We conclude that maturing primitive erythroblasts initially navigate the embryonic vasculature prior to establishing a deformable cytoskeleton, which is ultimately formed prior to enucleation. Formation of an erythroid-specific, protein 4.1R-dependent membrane skeleton is an important feature not only of definitive, but also of primitive, erythropoiesis in mammals.