cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The neural correlates of religious experience

McNamara's claim that there is overlap between the brain sites implicated in religious experience and those implicated in the sense of self and self-consciousness rests on two postulates: (1) that the ‘executive Self’ can be identified as a neural entity in specific regions of the brain; and (2) that the neural correlates of religious experience can be identified as a consistent set of activations in these regions. Although McNamara is clearly well informed in terms of functional neuroanatomy, he fails to make a convincing argument for his first postulate regarding the existence of the self as a controlling entity at the neurological level. This is unfortunate because his claim that religious experience decenters the self from its control over body and cognition in order to contemplate and optimize the self rests on this assumption. Furthermore, with respect to his second postulate, since the data currently available do not afford a description of religious experience as a uniform category, it is difficul...
Proactive Interference in Short-Term Memory as a Function of Prior-Item Retention Interval:

The experiment was conducted to examine the effect of prior-item retention interval on the retention of a given item in a short-term memory test series. There were five conditions. The retention in...
Low message sensation health promotion videos are better remembered and activate areas of the brain associated with memory encoding.

Greater sensory stimulation in advertising has been postulated to facilitate attention and persuasion. For this reason, video ads promoting health behaviors are often designed to be high in “message sensation value” (MSV), a standardized measure of sensory intensity of the audiovisual and content features of an ad. However, our previous functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study showed that low MSV ads were better remembered and produced more prefrontal and temporal and less occipital cortex activation, suggesting that high MSV may divert cognitive resources from processing ad content. The present study aimed to determine whether these findings from anti-smoking ads generalize to other public health topics, such as safe sex. Thirty-nine healthy adults viewed high- and low MSV ads promoting safer sex through condom use, during an fMRI session. Recognition memory of the ads was tested immediately and 3 weeks after the session. We found that low MSV condom ads were better remembered than the high MSV ads at both time points and replicated the fMRI patterns previously reported for the anti-smoking ads. Occipital and superior temporal activation was negatively related to the attitudes favoring condom use (see Condom Attitudes Scale, Methods and Materials section). Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis of the relation between occipital and fronto-temporal (middle temporal and inferior frontal gyri) cortices revealed weaker negative interactions between occipital and fronto-temporal cortices during viewing of the low MSV that high MSV ads. These findings confirm that the low MSV video health messages are better remembered than the high MSV messages and that this effect generalizes across public health domains. The greater engagement of the prefrontal and fronto-temporal cortices by low MSV ads and the greater occipital activation by high MSV ads suggest that that the “attention-grabbing” high MSV format could impede the learning and retention of public health messages.
International Business, Human Rights, and Moral Complicity: A Call for a Declaration on the Universal Rights and Duties of Business

The purpose of this article is to call for the formulation and adoption of a declaration on the universal rights and duties of business. We do not attempt to define the specific contents of such a declaration, but rather attempt to explain why such a declaration is needed and what would be some of its general characteristics. The catalyst for this call was the recognition that even under optimal conditions, good companies sometimes are susceptible to moral lapses, and when companies undertake ventures in authoritarian countries with poor human rights records, even those with the best intentions may find themselves drawn into complicity in human rights abuses. There, market exigencies may persuade them to leave their codes of ethics and commitments to human rights at home. Pragmatism, it would seem, requires thatthey accept the ethical inconsistencies that follow from a “When in Rome, do as they Romans do” outlook. When facing the moral dilemma about whether or not to invest in human rights abusing countries, companies are offered two alternatives: they can operate in those countries and accept potential complicity or they can stay away. We suggest, however, that a preferable option is to address the underlying problem, and to this end we advocate the promulgation of a declaration for business that is comparable to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our proposed name for this is the “Declaration on the Universal Rights and Duties of Business.” To be effective, such a declaration would require enforcement mechanisms. To illustrate this issue, we focus on China, not because China is unique in its human rights abuses, but because China occupies such a central place in the globalization efforts of the major companies from around the world. A robust international declaration is needed to provide a common framework for the practice of consistent and fair business competition everywhere.
Microstructure in n-alkane-water-electrolyte mixtures with small ethoxylated alcohol amphiphiles

The ability of an amphiphilic molecule to form topologically ordered, surfactant-like aggregates is probed by studying the ethoxylated alcohols 3-oxaheptanol (C4 E1) and 3,6-dioxadodecanol (C6 E2). Density, refractive index, and NMR measurements indicated C4 E1-water-(NaCl salt) solutions are ideal dilute solutions with no solute association up to a C4 E1 mole fraction of about 0.018 (ca. 11 wt%). Above this concentration, the amphiphile forms aggregates which appear to be at least weakly cooperative. At high C4E1 concentrations, 23Na NMR and quasielastic light scattering (QLS) measurements indicated the existence of small brine-rich domains (<10A˚) which though probably of short life (⩽1 μs) can interact and exchange with the amphiphile. Addition of n-decane to C4E1-water-salt and of n-dodecane to C6E2-water-salt mixtures leads to strong solution nonidealities evidenced by both brine-rich and oil-rich critical points. The spectroscopic and QLS data obtained from amphiphile-oil-brine mixtures at low brine content (1–13 wt% brine) indicated larger brine-rich domain sizes (25–40A˚) than those in the oil-free mixtures. The 23Na NMR data in the oil-containing mixtures were very sensitive to nearness to the binodal separating one- and two-phase samples, which indicates that the domain size was largest when there was just enough amphiphile present to completely solubilize oil and brine. 13C NMR measurements suggested that both amphiphiles were oriented in the oil-containing mixtures with ethylene oxide groups toward water and tail groups toward oil. From the magnitude of the chemical shifts observed, C6E2 appeared to be more oriented than C4E1. Hence, even with these simplest ethoxylated alcohols, there are indications of surfactant-like aggregation, i.e., topological ordering, between oil and brine domains.
CAAT/Enhancer-binding Protein δ and cAMP-response Element-binding Protein Mediate Inducible Expression of the Nerve Growth Factor Gene in the Central Nervous System *

Nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis in the rat cerebral cortex is induced by the β2-adrenergic receptor agonist clenbuterol (CLE). Because NGF is a crucial neurotrophic factor for basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, defining the mechanisms that regulate its transcription is important for developing therapeutic strategies to treat pathologies of these neurons. We previously showed that the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein δ (C/EBPδ) contributes to NGF gene regulation. Here we have further defined the function of C/EBPδ and identified a role for cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in NGF transcription. Inhibition of protein kinase A in C6-2B glioma cells suppressed CLE induction of an NGF promoter-reporter construct, whereas overexpression of protein kinase A increased NGF promoter activity, particularly in combination with C/EBPδ. A CRE-like site that binds CREB was identified in the proximal NGF promoter, and C/EBPδ and CREB were found to associate with the NGF promoter in vivo. Deletion of the CRE and/or C/EBP sites reduced CLE responsiveness of the promoter. In addition, ectopic expression of C/EBPδ in combination with CLE treatment increased endogenous NGF mRNA levels in C6-2B cells. C/EBPδ null mice showed complete loss of NGF induction in the cerebral cortex following CLE treatment, demonstrating a critical role for C/EBPδ in regulating β2-adrenergic receptor-mediated NGF expression in vivo. Thus, our findings demonstrate a critical role for C/EBPδ in regional expression of NGF in the brain and implicate CREB in CLE-induced NGF gene transcription.
Ultrastructural characterization of somatic embryos regenerated from NaCl selected and nonselected calli ofDactylis glomerata

Calli were induced from leaf expiants of aDactylis glomerata L. (orchardgrass) genotype which has a high capacity for somatic embryogenesis. After 7 months culture on SH medium containing NaCl, a line was selected which was tolerant to 200 mM NaCl. When both selected and nonselected calli were maintained for 56 days on media containing 0 to 300 mM NaCl, the selected line showed significantly higher regeneration capacity than nonselected calli when placed on media containing more than 50 mM NaCl. Ultrastructural features of control somatic embryos not exposed to the salt were compared to those from nonselected and selected embryos cultured on 200 mM NaCl medium. In the presence of NaCl there were changes in the appearance of cell walls and mitochondria, accumulation of lipids and a higher degree of vacuolation in cells of nonselected embryos compared to control and selected embryos.
Theoretical limitations on sensing selectivity in nucleic acid microarrays

Microarray analysis has become increasingly complex due to the growing size of arrays. In this work we explore the effects that temperature and SNP, mismatch, concentration have on the dynamic range of detection in a two component system. A finite element software is used to simulate the mass transport of DNA through a microfluidic chamber to the sensing surface where hybridization of DNA is modeled using the corresponding kinetic equation. We compare the theoretical maximum dynamic range with those from simulations when the match target is 90% of its equilibrium value. Results show that even though the maximum dyamic range decreases as temperature increases the observed dynamic range at 90% match equilibrium grows.
Genome Sequence of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357, a Strain That Causes Aflatoxin Contamination of Food and Feed

ABSTRACT Aflatoxin contamination of food and livestock feed results in significant annual crop losses internationally. Aspergillus flavus is the major fungus responsible for this loss. Additionally, A. flavus is the second leading cause of aspergillosis in immunocompromised human patients. Here, we report the genome sequence of strain NRRL 3357.
A measure theoretic derivation of Richardson's equation

Abstract Richardson's empirical equation relating length to measuring scale has been used extensively to assign fractal dimensions to regged curves. The inconsistency in units, length on one side of the equation vs. fractional units of length on the other has led to considerable debate. This letter presents a derivation of Richardson's equation based upon measure theory. In this context, the constant appearing in Richardson's equation is shown to have a precise meaning; it is the Hausdorff measure of the curve.
Alternative Splicing of a Multi-Drug Transporter from Pseudoperonospora cubensis Generates an RXLR Effector Protein That Elicits a Rapid Cell Death

Pseudoperonospora cubensis, an obligate oomycete pathogen, is the causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew, a foliar disease of global economic importance. Similar to other oomycete plant pathogens, Ps. cubensis has a suite of RXLR and RXLR-like effector proteins, which likely function as virulence or avirulence determinants during the course of host infection. Using in silico analyses, we identified 271 candidate effector proteins within the Ps. cubensis genome with variable RXLR motifs. In extending this analysis, we present the functional characterization of one Ps. cubensis effector protein, RXLR protein 1 (PscRXLR1), and its closest Phytophthora infestans ortholog, PITG_17484, a member of the Drug/Metabolite Transporter (DMT) superfamily. To assess if such effector-non-effector pairs are common among oomycete plant pathogens, we examined the relationship(s) among putative ortholog pairs in Ps. cubensis and P. infestans. Of 271 predicted Ps. cubensis effector proteins, only 109 (41%) had a putative ortholog in P. infestans and evolutionary rate analysis of these orthologs shows that they are evolving significantly faster than most other genes. We found that PscRXLR1 was up-regulated during the early stages of infection of plants, and, moreover, that heterologous expression of PscRXLR1 in Nicotiana benthamiana elicits a rapid necrosis. More interestingly, we also demonstrate that PscRXLR1 arises as a product of alternative splicing, making this the first example of an alternative splicing event in plant pathogenic oomycetes transforming a non-effector gene to a functional effector protein. Taken together, these data suggest a role for PscRXLR1 in pathogenicity, and, in total, our data provide a basis for comparative analysis of candidate effector proteins and their non-effector orthologs as a means of understanding function and evolutionary history of pathogen effectors.
Divergent Preferences for Song Structure between a Field Cricket and its Phonotactic Parasitoid

In many animals, males produce signals to attract females for mating. However, eavesdropping parasites may exploit these conspicuous signals to find their hosts. In these instances, the strength and direction of natural and sexual selection substantially influence song evolution. Male variable field crickets, Gryllus lineaticeps, produce chirped songs to attract mates. The eavesdropping parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea uses cricket songs to find its hosts. We tested female preferences for song structure (i.e., chirped song vs. trilled song) in crickets and flies using choice experiments. Female crickets from a parasitized and a non-parasitized population significantly preferred the species-typical chirped song, whereas flies significantly preferred a trilled song, which is expressed by other hosts in different regions. Sexual selection due to female choice and natural selection due to fly predation both appear to favor the chirped song structure of G. lineaticeps in the parasitized population, whereas sexual selection favors the chirped structure in the non-parasitized population.
Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) inhibits lytic replication of gamma oncogenic herpesviruses in vitro

Background The major psychoactive cannabinoid compound of marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has been shown to modulate immune responses and lymphocyte function. After primary infection the viral DNA genome of gamma herpesviruses persists in lymphoid cell nuclei in a latent episomal circular form. In response to extracellular signals, the latent virus can be activated, which leads to production of infectious virus progeny. Therefore, we evaluated the potential effects of THC on gamma herpesvirus replication.
Implementing QFD for Improving Quality in Education

Abstract In these times of changing student demographics, diminishing government funding, and dramatically increased competition, educational institutions in the United States have discovered the need for implementing the principles of total quality management. With resources becoming more limited, efficiency and effectiveness in meeting the needs of the customer becomes more critical. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the quality function deployment (QFD) method can be used to measure customer satisfaction in educational institutions. Specifically, this paper reviews TQM concepts in an educational context, briefly summarizes the application of these concepts at several institutions, and demonstrates the QFD principles as utilized to review the MBA program at Grand Valley State University. By using the QFD method as a model, this paper demonstrates how a complex process can become manageable.
Political Conflict, Fiscal Stress, and Administrative Turnover in American Cities

is often citedas a coveted feature of the civilservice, top-level administratorsat all levels of government usually cannot ex-pect to stay very long in any particular po-sition. Sometimes top administrators suffera falling out with elected officials and may bedismissed (or at least fail to gain reappoint-ment) for an additional term. In other cases,high-level executives may seek out greenerpastures, often with another government thatoffers higher salaries , better working condi-tions, or perhaps more satisfying work. Thistrend has been especially striking for high-ranking city administrators, including citymanagers. In response to this trend, severalrecent empirical analyses have examined thefactors that account for turnover of localgovernment managers (DeSantis and Renner1993; Renner 1990; DeHoog and Whitaker1990; Whitaker and DeHoog 1991; Feiockand Stream 1998).Much of this research suggests that tenureand turnover patterns of local governmentadministrators are affected by “push” and“pull” factors (see, e.g., DeHoog and Whit-
Efficient logic optimization using regularity extraction

This paper presents a new method to extract functionally structures from logic netlists. It uses a fast regularity extraction algorithm based on structural equivalence. The goal of the proposed algorithm is the speedup of logic optimization of large circuits by reusing functionally equivalent structures of the design. It is particularly suited for circuits containing a large amount of datapaths. The regularity extraction algorithm uses an AND/XOR representation of the netlist to allow high correlation of functional and structural equivalence. It then extracts regular structures which can take any possible shape. The final optimization task is greatly reduced by optimizing only one copy of each regular structure while reusing the result for all other occurrences. In addition, structural regularity is widely preserved, resulting in higher packing density, shorter wiring length and improved delay during physical layout.
Distress in spouses of chronic pain patients

This paper critiques the research on distress in spouses of chronic pain patients and includes a review of two studies of spouses conducted at the Miriam Hospital Chronic Pain Research Unit. The clinical implications of this research are discussed and case material is presented to illustrate the role of spouse distress in the treatment of patients with chronic pain. Future directions for research in this area are recommended.
The SloR/Dlg Metalloregulator Modulates Streptococcus mutans Virulence Gene Expression

Metal ion availability in the human oral cavity plays a putative role in Streptococcus mutans virulence gene expression and in appropriate formation of the plaque biofilm. In this report, we present evidence that supports such a role for the DtxR-like SloR metalloregulator (called Dlg in our previous publications) in this oral pathogen. Specifically, the results of gel mobility shift assays revealed the sloABC, sloR, comDE, ropA, sod, and spaP promoters as targets of SloR binding. We confirmed differential expression of these genes in a GMS584 SloR-deficient mutant versus the UA159 wild-type progenitor by real-time semiquantitative reverse transcriptase PCR experiments. The results of additional expression studies support a role for SloR in S. mutans control of glucosyltransferases, glucan binding proteins, and genes relevant to antibiotic resistance. Phenotypic analysis of GMS584 revealed that it forms aberrant biofilms on an abiotic surface, is compromised for genetic competence, and demonstrates heightened incorporation of iron and manganese as well as resistance to oxidative stress compared to the wild type. Taken together, these findings support a role for SloR in S. mutans adherence, biofilm formation, genetic competence, metal ion homeostasis, oxidative stress tolerance, and antibiotic gene regulation, all of which contribute to S. mutans-induced disease.
Hemodynamics of complete atrioventricular canal and its evolution with age.

Abstract Analysis of 27 cardiac catheterization studies performed on 24 children with complete atrioventricular canal (age range 1 month to 20 years) revealed a progressive and predictable rise of the pulmonary vascular resistance with age after early infancy. As a consequence there was a reduction of the left to right shunt and an increase of the right to left shunt and the pressures of the right-sided heart chambers. The rate of rise of pulmonary vascular resistance with age in the complete form of atrioventricular canal is thought to represent the maximal rate of change for defects involving the ventricular septum.
Electrical Transport and Chemical Sensing Properties of Individual Conducting Polymer Nanowires

The electrical transport and chemical sensing properties of individual multisegmented Au-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT)-Au nanowires have been investigated. Temperature dependent conductivity measurements show that different charge transport mechanisms influence these properties in two types of PEDOT nanowires. Charge transport in PEDOT/poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS) nanowires is in the insulating regime of the metal−insulator transition and dominated by hopping, while PEDOT/perchlorate (ClO4) nanowires are slightly on the metallic side of the critical regime. The vapor sensing properties of individual nanowires to water and methanol reflect the fact that the two kinds of PEDOT nanowires operate in different transport regimes. Nanowires in the metallic transport regime show much greater sensitivity to vapor-phase analytes than those in which transport is dominated by hopping.
Direct measurement of the impact of impaired erythrocyte deformability on microvascular network perfusion in a microfluidic device.

The ability of red blood cells (RBCs, erythrocytes) to deform and pass through capillaries is essential for continual flow of blood in the microvasculature, which ensures an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients, prompt removal of metabolic waste products, transport of drugs and hormones, and traffic of circulating cells to and from all living tissues. This paper presents a novel tool for evaluating the impact of impaired deformability of RBCs on the flow of blood in the microvasculature by directly measuring perfusion of a test microchannel network with dimensions and topology similar to the real microcirculation. The measurement of microchannel network perfusion is compared with RBC filtration—a conventional assay of RBC deformability. In contrast to RBC filterability, network perfusion depends linearly on RBC deformability modulated by graded exposure to glutaraldehyde, showing a higher sensitivity to small changes of deformability. The direct measurement of microchannel network perfusion represents a new concept for the field of blood rheology and should prove beneficial for basic science and clinical applications.
Derivation of porcine circovirus type 2-negative pigs from positive breeding herds

Summary Objective: To summarize procedures uti-lized to derive piglets negative both forporcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and forantibody to PCV2, from PCV2-positivebreeding herds.Methods: Sow herds were screened forantibodies to PCV2 by ELISA, withsample-to-positive (S:P) ratios ≥ 0.2 con-sidered positive. Piglets were obtained bysegregated early weaning (SEW) at 10 to12 days of age. Maternal anti-PCV2 anti-body was determined by testing weeklyblood samples by ELISA and indirectimmunoﬂuorescence assay. Absence ofPCV2 was determined by polymerasechain reaction (PCR) on weekly serumsamples and by PCR and immunohis-tochemistry assays on lymphoid tissues col-lected at necropsy (8 to 15 weeks of age).Results: Piglets negative for PCV2 by PCRand for anti-PCV2 antibody were derivedfrom PCV2-positive breeding herds. MeanPCV2-antibody half-life in weanlings wasestimated to be 19.0 days (95% conﬁdenceintervals, 17.6 and 20.3 days). Passivelyacquired PCV2-antibody present at 10 to12 days of age declined to S:P ratios < 0.2by 4.9 – 1.2 weeks of age in piglets withS:P ratios ≥ 0.2 and < 0.6; by 8.1 – 1.9 weeksin piglets with S:P ratios ≥ 0.6 and ≤ 1.0;and by 11.1 – 2.5 weeks in piglets with S:Pratios ≥ 1.0. Pigs kept in isolation re-mained PCV2-negative by PCR andELISA through 8 to 15 weeks of age.Implications: SEW may be an effectivetechnique to derive PCV2-negative pigletsfrom positive breeding herds.Keywords: swine, porcine circovirus type2, passive antibody decay, ELISA, segre-gated early weaningReceived: July 3, 2003Accepted: December 16, 2003
Using Communications Analysis to Understand Team Development: An Example:

Team communication and coordination are thought to be key elements in understanding team performance. Almost every major theory and training program emphasizes these factors in attempting to improve team performance. However, the scientific literature regarding effective communication is actually quite sparse. In this paper, we discuss how the precision of analyzing communication frequency data might be improved by analyzing communication patterns. We conclude with an example from a recent study of communications to describe the development of newly-formed teams.
Perirhinal cortex represents nonspatial, but not spatial, information in rats foraging in the presence of objects: comparison with lateral entorhinal cortex.

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is involved in mnemonic processing. The perirhinal cortex (PRC) plays a role in object recognition memory, while the hippocampus is required for certain forms of spatial memory and episodic memory. The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) receives direct projections from PRC and is one of the two major cortical inputs to the hippocampus. The transformations that occur between PRC and LEC neural representations are not well understood. Here, we show that PRC and LEC had similarly high proportions of neurons with object-related activity (PRC 52/94; LEC 72/153), as expected from their locations in the “what” pathway into the hippocampus. However, LEC unit activity showed more spatial stability than PRC unit activity. A minority of LEC neurons showed stable spatial firing fields away from objects; these firing fields strongly resembled hippocampal place fields. None of the PRC neurons showed this place-like firing. None of the PRC or LEC neurons demonstrated the high firing rates associated with interneurons in hippocampus or medial entorhinal cortex, further dissociating this information processing stream from the path-integration based, movement-related processing of the medial entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. These results provide evidence for nonspatial information processing in the PRC-LEC pathway, as well as showing a functional dissociation between PRC and LEC, with more purely nonspatial representations in PRC and combined spatial-nonspatial representations in LEC.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ACTIVE VIBRATION ISOLATION

The modern control methods of state space modelling and Hi (or LQG) synthesis are applied to the control of a soft active vibration isolation system. With the plant described in dimensionless parameters, the regulator design is shown to set the closed loop mount resonance which is the low frequency, roll-up crossover of the loop transfer function. Similarly, the estimator design is shown to set the control bandwidth which is the high frequency, roll-off crossover of the loop transfer function. Frequency weighting is used to shape the loop gain to alter the closed loop transmissibility and add robustness. Specifically, frequency weighting of the performance metric and the control in the regulator design allows increased effectiveness of isolation in the control bandwidth and to allow simultaneous broadband and narrowband active isolation. Limits to modern control are explored with experiments using digital controllers on an the active Dstrut™ single-axis isolation of a nominally rigid payload rigid base system. The active D-strut isolator provides good passive isolation performance while also serving as the actuator for active control. Active isolation is limited in bandwidth at high frequency by sensor noise, computer time delay, and the need to stabilize unmodelled high frequency modes. Below mount resonance, the bandwidth limitations are actuator stroke limits, and cross-axis stiffness. Pushing the bandwidth limits by identifying and compensating high frequency resonances and the low-frequency cross-axis effect with model based control significantly increases performance.
On Trends and Possible Artifacts in Global Ocean Cloud Cover between 1952 and 1995

Abstract Synoptic surface cloud observations are used to examine interdecadal variability in global ocean cloud cover between 1952 and 1995. Global mean total cloud cover over the ocean is observed to increase by 1.9% (sky cover) between 1952 and 1995. Global mean low cloud cover over the ocean is observed to increase by 3.6% between 1952 and 1995. Trends in zonal mean total and low cloud cover in 10°-latitude bands between 40°S and 60°N are all positive, and trends in the Southern Hemisphere and Tropics are generally as large or larger than trends in the midlatitude Northern Hemisphere. This argues against attribution of increased cloud cover to increased anthropogenic aerosol. Although it is possible that global cloud cover is responding to some other global parameter, perhaps global temperature, it is not clear what underlying physical mechanism would cause substantially different processes in the Tropics, subtropics, and midlatitudes to all produce increasing cloudiness. On the other hand, the fact th...
Management of Technology Commercialization – Ghana’s Experience

By an Act of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, CSIR Act 521 of 1996, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, Ghana’s main R&D Organisation was re-established with a new mandate to conduct market-oriented, demand-driven research and also to commercialise the research results & technologies developed. The CSIR was tasked to recover three-quarters of its annual operating expenses through contract research and services. Over five years of implementation, what are the experiences? This paper looks at the management of the commercialization process. The implementation process, the attitude of research scientists towards the change and the impact of the commercialisation process on the socio-economic development of Ghana are discussed. The constraint of commercialisation including inadequate uptake of research, which is a reflection of inappropriate monitoring and evaluation, is discussed. The means to harness innovative energy in any enacting organization or alliance must ultimately be considered in the design of organizational architecture and the ways communities are linked to each other. This architecture should preserve and enhance the healthy autonomy of communities, while simultaneously building interconnectedness through which to disseminate the results of R&D. In some form or another, the stories that support learning-in-working and innovation should be allowed to circulate. The technological potential to support this distribution--e-mail, bulletin boards, and other devices that are capable of supporting narrative exchanges--is available. But narratives are embedded in the social system in which they arise and are used. They cannot simply be uprooted and repackaged for circulation without becoming prey to exactly those problems that beset the old abstracted canonical accounts. Moreover, information cannot be assumed to circulate freely just because technology to support circulation is available. The Ghanaian experience is not unique, but a microcosm of what pertains on the entire sub-continent of sub-Saharan Africa.
Do Economic Downturns Have a Silver Lining

Do economic downturns provide a long term boost to the growth of potential output? The answer, based on an examination of Depression era experience, is nuanced. TFP growth across the 1930s resulted from the confluence of three tributaries. The first was the continuing high rate of TFP growth within manufacturing, the result of the maturing of a privately funded research and development system. The second was associated with spillovers from the build out of the surface road network, which boosted private sector productivity, particularly in transportation and wholesale and retail distribution. The third influence, which I call the adversity/hysteresis effect, reflects the ways in which crisis sometimes leads to new and innovative solutions with persistent effects. In the absence of the economic downturn, we would probably have gotten roughly the same contribution from the first two tributaries. The experience of railroads during the Depression, on the other hand, illustrates the potential of the third.
Preliminary evaluation of a fully automated quantitative framework for characterizing general breast tissue histology via color histogram and color texture analysis

Visual characterization of histologic specimens is known to suffer from intra- and inter-observer variability. To help address this, we developed an automated framework for characterizing digitized histology specimens based on a novel application of color histogram and color texture analysis. We perform a preliminary evaluation of this framework using a set of 73 trichrome-stained, digitized slides of normal breast tissue which were visually assessed by an expert pathologist in terms of the percentage of collagenous stroma, stromal collagen density, duct-lobular unit density and the presence of elastosis. For each slide, our algorithm automatically segments the tissue region based on the lightness channel in CIELAB colorspace. Within each tissue region, a color histogram feature vector is extracted using a common color palette for trichrome images generated with a previously described method. Then, using a whole-slide, lattice-based methodology, color texture maps are generated using a set of color co-occurrence matrix statistics: contrast, correlation, energy and homogeneity. The extracted features sets are compared to the visually assessed tissue characteristics. Overall, the extracted texture features have high correlations to both the percentage of collagenous stroma (r=0.95, p<0.001) and duct-lobular unit density (r=0.71, p<0.001) seen in the tissue samples, and several individual features were associated with either collagen density and/or the presence of elastosis (p≤0.05). This suggests that the proposed framework has promise as a means to quantitatively extract descriptors reflecting tissue-level characteristics and thus could be useful in detecting and characterizing histological processes in digitized histology specimens.
Analysis of tropical storm damage using buffered probability of exceedance

This paper explains the new concept of buffered probability of exceedance (bPOE). Through averaging of data in the tail, bPOE compactly presents probability as well as loss value of the tail and has the capability to revolutionize the concept of risk-averse engineering. bPOE is demonstrated using tropical storm damage along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the USA from 1900 to 2013 (average yearly damage $14.776 billion). It can be shown, under general assumptions, that bPOE is more than double the probability of exceedance (POE). For instance, with a $50 billion threshold of damages per year, POE is 10.6 %, while the bPOE is 26.1 %. We also considered expected excess (EE) over some threshold (deductible), which is a minimum premium that insurer should charge per year. We demonstrate that EE equals the difference between the damage associated with POE and bPOE multiplied by bPOE. For instance, for a 25 % tail probability, the value at risk (quantile) determined using POE is $11.181 billion, while the conditional value at risk (average damage in excess of the quantile) determined by the bPOE is $51.753 billion. This $40.572 difference leads to EE of 0.25 * $40.572 = $10.143 billion over the threshold $11.181 billion. Furthermore, subdividing the data by landfall state, at the 50 % probability level, Florida, the state most often hit by tropical storms also has the highest value for EE at $8.111 billion; thus, quantifying the need for insurers to charge Floridians high insurance premiums.
Characterizations of Pneumocystis carinii and rat lung lipids: glyceryl ethers and fatty alcohols

Pneumocystis carinii carinii and rat lung phospholipids contained 3-6% 1-alkyl-2-acyl glycerols composed of the glyceryl ether species, 1-O-octadecyl glycerol (batyl alcohol), 1-O-octadec-9-enyl glycerol (selachyl alcohol), 1-O-hexadecyl glycerol (chimyl alcohol), and 1-O-hexadec-9-enyl glycerol. Of the major phospholipid classes, phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine contained the highest percentage of alkyl acyl glycerols. Methylprednisolone treatment caused an increase in alkyl acyl PI of rat lung lipids from 12% to 45%. As the PI concentration in lung phospholipids increases in rats treated with methylprednisolone, the increase in alkyl acyl PI was substantial; the proportions of alkyl acyl phosphatidylethanolamine and alkyl acyl lyso phosphatidylcholine (PC) also increased. Pneumocystis phospholipids contained higher proportions of alkyl acyl PC than the phospholipids of the lungs from normal and immunosuppressed uninfected rats. The glyceryl ether compositions of P. carinii carinii PC and lyso PC were similar, which suggests that lyso PC in the organism is derived by phospholipase A2 action on PC. This was not the case for PC and lyso PC of the lung controls. Analysis of the free fatty alcohols, precursors of glyceryl ethers identified only saturated species in P. carinii carinii and rat lung controls. Thus, the introduction of a double bond in the alcohol moiety of glyceryl ethers occurs after formation of the ether linkage between fatty alcohol and the glyceryl backbone.
Immediate Reconstruction of the Breast Following Modified Radical Mastectomy for Carcinoma of the Breast

Immediate reconstruction offers an adjunct to the standard modified radical mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast in highly selected patients. It provides early reestablishment of breast form with a low complication rate and high patient satisfaction. There has been no evidence to date that immediate reconstruction affects the natural course of the primary breast cancer.
Two-color immunofluorescence flow cytometric analysis of lymphocytes in long-term renal allograft recipients.

AbstractWe used 2-color immunofluorescence flow cytometry (FACS 440) and monoclonal antibodies (Becton-Dickinson) to study peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets from 26 patients with well functioning renal allografts for longer than 5 years. Comparisons were made to a group of 25 healthy volunteers and 25 dialysis patients awaiting renal transplantation. As anticipated, there was no significant difference with respect to the absolute number or percentage of activated (T11+ and HLA-DR+) and cytotoxic (Leu-2+ and Leu-15−) T lymphocytes among the 3 groups. However, there was a significantly decreased absolute number (p equals 0.0001) and percentage (p equals 0.0001) of suppressor cells (Leu-2+ and Leu-15+) in the transplant patients compared to the healthy control group. No significant difference existed between the transplant and dialysis groups. There also was an increase in the percentage (p equals 0.002) but not in the absolute number of T helper lymphocytes (Leu-3+ and Leu-8−) in the transplant population...
Wine and health perceptions: Exploring the impact of gender, age and ethnicity on consumer perceptions of wine and health

This study explores U.S. wine consumers’ perception of wine and health by gender, age, and ethnic background. An extensive body of epidemiological studies suggests that there are health benefits from moderate wine drinking. In light of an increased consumer preference over healthier foods and beverages, it is important to understand the health orientation of wine consumers and the effect of gender, age, or ethnicity on their perceptions of wine and health. An online survey was used to collect data from more than 1000 U.S. wine consumers. The results show that there is a statistically significant difference across demographic segments in terms of the level of health consciousness. Millennials and Asians are the most concerned, whereas Whites are the least, about health in their respective segments. Red wine is considered the healthiest wine type compared to other colors and styles. Moreover, more than 80% of the sample believes drinking red wine is healthier than drinking beer or spirits. However, nearly 50% of the sample thinks sulfites in wine can cause headaches. Managerial implications are discussed.
"iRun!" An Evaluation of the Addition of Nutrition Education and a Fitness Log to an Existing After-School Fitness Program

Objective: The primary objective of this project was to evaluate if there were significant differences between pre- and post-outcomes for physical fitness levels, nutrition knowledge and preference, physical activity self-efficacy among conventional and experimental intervention groups. Methods: This study was a convenience sample, pre-and post-test, quasi-experimental design with between-subject factors of nutrition education and a fitness log (receive education plus fitness log and did not receive education plus fitness log). Physical fitness was measured using the PACER fitness test; nutrition knowledge and preference and physical activity self-efficacy were assessed using The Catch nutrition knowledge and preference and physical activity self-efficacy survey. Results:Nutrition knowledge and preference, physical fitness, and physical activity self-efficacy increased significantly in the experimental group (p Conclusion: The iRun program showed that combining physical activity, nutrition education, and a fuel and fitness log may increase nutrition knowledge and preference, physical fitness, and physical activity self-efficacy. While the iRun program conventionally implemented without nutrition education increased fitness levels, the addition of nutrition education and fuel and fitness logs, increased the experimental groups’ nutrition knowledge and preference and self-efficacy for physical activity in addition to increased fitness levels, all of which are important outcomes for childhood obesity prevention programs.
Two-dimensional nitrogen-rich transition metal compounds: The case of TiN2

Abstract In search of novel two-dimensional materials, here we present a density functional theory study of TiN 2 as a representative of layered transition metal nitrides isotypic to MoS 2 . Owing to the difficulty of synthesizing binary nitrogen-rich transition metal compounds at ambient temperature and pressure conditions, we first study the properties of ternary compounds of the form MTiN 2 where M is an early alkali metal (Li, Na, and K). We show that the binary TiN 2 can be obtained by chemical or electrochemical deintercalation of M in MTiN 2 only for Na and K. In the case of Li, and at low Li content, the interlayer separation of intercalated as well as empty galleries decreases significantly thus inhibiting Li migration. We find that this problem, that would pose serious challenges for full alkali metal deintercalation, is not present in Na and K intercalated TiN 2 . Additionally, we studied the electronic properties of bulk, bilayer, and monolayer TiN 2 . We found that TiN 2 is a direct band gap semiconductor in both the monolayer and bulk limits, with no significant influence of interlayer interaction on the electronic structure. Furthermore, we show that the interlayer binding energy in TiN 2 is smaller than in other layered materials such as MoS 2 and MoSe 2 , indicating that layered TiN 2 can be easily exfoliated into two-dimensional sheets.
Optimal microgrid placement for enhancing power system resilience in response to weather events

Extreme weather events can potentially cause multiple component outages in power systems and result in electricity supply interruptions. The installation of microgrids in proper places in power systems can be considered as a viable solution to this problem which is under investigation by many electric utilities in the Unites States. Considering this issue and the growing number and intensity of extreme events, this paper develops a microgrid optimal placement model that determines the optimal size and location of microgrids in power systems that can maximize system resilience. The model is developed considering multiple component outages and limited investment budget. The problem is formulated using mixed-integer linear programming (MIP), and its merits and effectiveness are demonstrated using the standard IEEE 118-bus system.
Amplifier means gains for atom optics

In 1929 Prince Louis de Broglie was awarded the Nobel prize for discovering the wave nature of massive particles. He showed that particles had an associated wavelength of λ = h/p, where h is the Planck constant and p is the particle's momentum. An inescapable consequence of the wave-like nature of matter is the field of matter-wave optics. This principle was first demonstrated with electrons, then later with neutrons and, most recently, with atoms and molecules. However, the early work with atoms was severely hindered by the difficulty of producing high-flux beams of monoenergetic atoms.
Measurement of T-Cell Telomere Length Using Amplified-Signal FISH Staining and Flow Cytometry.

Exposure to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS), damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPS), and physiologically challenging stimuli either positively or negatively affect leukocyte maturity. Cellular maturity has implications for the effectiveness of host response to bacterial or viral infection and/or tissue injury. Thus, the ability to accurately assess cellular maturity and health is important to fully understand immune status and function. The most common technique for measuring cellular maturity is to measure telomere length; however, existing techniques are not optimized for single-cell measurements using flow cytometry. Specifically, existing methods used to measure telomere length are PCR-based, making it difficult for a researcher to measure maturity within specific leukocyte subsets (e.g., T cells). In this report, we describe a new approach for the measurement of telomere length within individual T cells using an amplified fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique (PrimeFlow RNA Assay). The unique aspect of this technique is that it amplifies the fluorescent signal rather than the target up to 3000-fold, resulting in the detection of as few as 1 copy of the target nucleic acid. While the current technique focuses on human T cells, this method can be broadly applied to a variety of cell types and disease models. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: senescence; cellular aging; disease risk; cell health