cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Q-Factor on Optimal Energy Loss: A Case of V2G in the Distribution System

The rising penetration of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and other distributed energy resources into the distribution circuits can make energy management a challenging task. However, proper system studies can help minimize energy losses in the distribution system thereby saving some operational costs and providing efficiency improvements. In this paper, the impact of reactive factor (Q-Factor) on optimal energy loss reduction is investigated when V2G injects reactive power into the distribution system. The Q-Factor is a measure of the utilization rate or efficiency of reactive energy usage. The results clearly show that the Q-Factors significantly impact the optimal energy loss reduction. This research offers an invaluable resource for energy management of the distribution system.
Reprint of: The vision of Developmental Teaching and Learning and Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives

Abstract Several well-known concepts in contemporary psychology and education are scrutinized from the standpoint of Developmental Teaching and Learning (DTL) framework grounded in Piotr Galperin's research. In particular, DTL reveals the need to take a fresh look at and radically revise the key suppositions that underlie the currently influential Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives. From the DTL perspective, the Taxonomy has multiple conceptual problems – it reflects a number of deeply entrenched and widely spread misconceptions about how the human mind works, how students learn, and therefore, how teachers need to teach. The major issue is that the Taxonomy is implicitly based on outdated mentalist assumptions and on the mechanistic model of human cognition as “information processing.” By contrast, DTL argues that knowledge is not “information” but rather a set of activities; activities cannot be “stored and retrieved” but can only be developed, enacted, and re-enacted. Thinking about the mind and students' cognitive abilities in terms of activities that are inseparable from the acting person, rather than in misleading terms of stages and levels of “objective information processing,” changes the entire discourse about educational goals, learning, and teaching.
When Does Natural Science Uncertainty Translate into Economic Uncertainty

Abstract Understanding the connection between ecological and economic uncertainty matters when calculating damage estimates used to inform environmental policy. Identifying the role uncertainty plays in market damage estimates is important for policy made using highly variable and stochastic projections on ecological losses. Herein we use the damages caused by invasive species as our motivating example to illustrate our point. We examine how a key economic assumption—the degree of substitutability across marketable goods—influences the importance of narrowing the uncertainty of ecological losses from invasive species. We use a computable general equilibrium model (CGE) capable of evaluating impacts from an invasive species under varying market structures. Focusing in on the emerald ash borer which is destroying ash trees throughout the contiguous United States, our results show why investing in narrowing natural science uncertainty is critical when the economy is constrained or when few economic substitutes exist. The key to understanding the value of natural science information on market damages is to understand how prices adjust given substitution possibilities and how people adapt to the newly invaded world. Mapping this ecological-economic relationship through relative prices has implications for a broader set of environmental issues like climate change and damage compensation given a damaged ecosystem.
Interpretation of International Criminal Law Principles by the Mexican Judiciary

This chapter will review how the Mexican judiciary—especially the Supreme Court—has applied and interpreted international criminal law (ICL) principles. The review of these interpretations will intertwine with the positions of the legislative and executive powers. Overall, the analysis will also provide the pathway of transitional justice at the political moment when it was expected, but which was not delivered. The intricate arguments of the Supreme Court in all three cases will be identified. Also their inconsistencies vis-a-vis international law and international customary law will be confronted. This chapter will also show that there is no foreseeable criterion when it comes to certain ICL principles, since it can be deduced that the Supreme Court’s arguments were more political than legal. Finally, these inconsistencies have paved the way for even more impunity, regardless of the IACtHR judgment on the Radilla case.
The Regulation of the Accounting Profession and the Problem of Enforcement

Glenn Perry focuses on regulation of auditors. He first describes tie forms of accounting regulation, including self-regulation, peer regulation, state licensing authorities, and private litigation. Perry then discusses the SEC's oversight of independent auditors and its remedies for misconduct. He describes the conflict that exists between punitive regulations and preventive- corrective regulations, and asserts that the latter is generally more beneficiaL Perry concludes that the accounting profession has made substantial improvements but more are necessary, including higher educational and licensing standards for certified pubhc accountants to ensure that they have adequate audit experience.
Biostratigraphic and Biogeographic Implications of Miocene Mammals from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Under the auspices of the U. S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington, detailed investigations of Miocene vertebrates and sediments in Jackson Hole, Wyoming commenced in 1979. Principal objectives of this research include: 1. Documenting the occurrence of mid-Tertiary mammals from Jackson Hole. Although fossils have been reported from Miocene rocks in the region (Love, 1956; Sutton and Black, 1972), existing collections are small. 2. Biostratigraphic correlation of isolated vertebrate localities throughout the northern Rocky Mountains with the superimposed localities in and near Grand Teton National Park. Such correlation will help determine whether regional or local tectonic events caused downwarping of Jackson Hole and uplift of the Teton Range. 3. Clarifying geographic variation of some small mammals through long periods of geologic time by comparison of West Coast (Rensberger, 1971, 1973;Â· Martin, 1979), Great Plains (Macdonald, 1963, 1970; Galbreath, 1953; Wilson, 1960), and the newly collected Jackson Hole faunas. This report summarizes accomplishments of the 1980 field season. Approximately one more season of field work and an ensuing year of data analysis are required before a final report will be available.
Automatic synthesis of VLSI control paths for high level specifications

A tool is presented for designing finite-state machines. The tool allows for several synthesis options which include: one-shot encoding; programmable logic arrays; and decoding and minimization. A common high-level description capability is provided for all three synthesis options. The proposed tool, called SSC (structured system control), is applied to the design of a control path for a neural net model. The advantages and disadvantages of each synthesis option are discussed. >
Synthetic analogues of TNP-470 and ovalicin reveal a common molecular basis for inhibition of angiogenesis and immunosuppression

TNP-470 (1), a synthetic derivative of the natural product fumagillin (2), potently inhibits angiogenesis in vivo and the growth of endothelial cell cultures in vitro. The structurally related natural product ovalicin (3) also inhibits angiogenesis but possesses potent immunosuppressive activity. The recent finding that all three drugs bind and inhibit the same target, methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2), raised the question of whether TNP-470 is also immunosuppressive and whether inhibition of MetAP2 underlies both activities of ovalicin. To address these questions, we synthesized a series of analogues of TNP-470 and ovalicin and tested them for their abilities to inhibit the proliferation of either endothelial cell or mixed lymphocyte cultures. TNP-470 and its analogues were found to possess both immunosuppressive and anti-angiogenic activities. A strong correlation was observed between the ability of compounds to inhibit bovine and human endothelial cell growth and their ability to inhibit the mouse mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), implying that the two activities share a common molecular basis, i.e., inhibition of MetAP2. Interestingly, ovalicin and several other compounds behaved differently in the human MLR than in either the mouse MLR or human endothelial cell proliferation assays, pointing to possible species-specific and cell type-specific differences in the metabolism or uptake of these compounds.
A Technology-Business-Environment Model for Effective Internet Entrepreneurship Education

As technological innovation and market competition continue to accelerate, college students need guidance and support on learning Internet Entrepreneurship more urgently now than ever before. Meanwhile most entrepreneurship programs offered only provide general Strategy-Innovation-Finance guidance for broad entrepreneurship and lack the relevance to Internet startups and the context of Internet technology. We proposed a Technology-Business-Environment model that could help guide universities in nurturing, building, and shaping their students' dreams and goals towards creating a successful Internet startup business. Finally, we demonstrated the design, implementation and evaluation for an undergrad Internet entrepreneurship course using this model.
Themes of Self‐Regulation and Self‐Exploration in the Life Stories of Religious American Conservatives and Liberals

A sample of 128 highly religious (Christian) midlife American adults completed a series of attitudinal and personality trait measures and narrated 12 important autobiographical scenes in their life stories. Individuals high on self-reported political conservatism tended to accentuate the theme of self-regulation in their life stories, repeatedly describing important autobiographical scenes wherein they struggled to control, discipline, manage, restrain, protect, or preserve the self. By contrast, individuals high on political liberalism tended to emphasize the theme of self-exploration, telling stories about expanding, discovering, articulating, or fulfilling the self. Demographics and dispositional traits (especially openness to experience) showed significant associations with conservatism-liberalism, as well, but these variables did not mitigate the robust relationship between life-narrative themes and political orientation. The results are discussed in terms of a broadened understanding of personality that conceives of dispositional traits and narrative identity as comprising distinct layers and complementary features of psychological individuality, both implicated in political lives.
Orbital forcing signal in sediments of two Amazonianlakes

Paleolimnological data from two ancient lakes at 0° latitudein Amazonia indicate that past lake level changes reflect precessional (19,000to 22,000 years) variations in insolation over the last 170,000 years. Waterlevel in Lakes Pata and Verde, Brazil, is determined by the ratio ofprecipitation:leakage. Times of low lake level are indicated in sediments byoxidized clays, evidence of algal blooms and high K+ concentrations.Peak K+ values are attributed to biogenic concentration when thelake was reduced to a shallow, productive pool. Low lake phases correlate withmaximum insolation during the dry season (June–July–August). Thusthe last glacial maximum 18,000 to 22,000 yr BP was a wet time in northernAmazonia, and the driest period of the last 170,000 years was from 35,000 to27,000 yr BP. These results from near the equator do not imply thatprecipitation changed synchronously across Amazonia, because geographiclocations throughout the vast watershed were undoubtedly influenced by localmoisture sources.
Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Decline in Elderly Latinos: Findings from the Sacramento Area Latino Study of Aging Study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of metabolic syndrome on cognitive function in an elderly Latino population and to determine whether inflammation modifies this association. DESIGN: A longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Sacramento area and the surrounding California counties from 1998 to 1999. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand six hundred twenty-four Latinos aged 60 and older who participated in the Sacramento Area Latino Study of Aging. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline metabolic syndrome was calculated using the Third Adult Treatment Panel of the National Cholesterol Education Program. Cognitive function was measured using the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) and the Delayed Word-List Recall (DelRec), a verbal memory test. The effect of metabolic syndrome on cognitive change scores was examined using random effects models; in addition, the effect of the individual components of the syndrome on cognitive change was examined. RESULTS: Of the 1,624 participants, 718 (44%) had metabolic syndrome at baseline. Those with metabolic syndrome had worse 3-year change scores on 3MS (P 5.04) and DelRec (P 5.03). Multivariate adjustment attenuated the results for DelRec but not for 3MS. This association was especially pronounced in participants with a high serum level of inflammation, resulting in an average 3MS score 0.64 points lower per year (P 5.03) for those with metabolic syndrome. Individual components of metabolic syndrome were not associated with cognitive decline except for elevated glucose on the DelRec (P 5.02) and high blood pressure on 3MS (P 5.05). CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome and inflammation may both contribute to cognitive decline in older people of diverse backgrounds. The results also suggest that, in elderly Latinos, the composite measure of metabolic syndrome is a greater risk for cognitive decline than its individual components. J Am Geriatr Soc 55:758–762, 2007.
Serum Progesterone Before and After Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Injection Depends on the Estradiol Response to Ovarian Hyperstimulation During In Vitro Fertilization–Embryo Transfer Cycles

Purpose: Our purpose was to assess if periovulatory serum progesterone is reflective of ovarian responsiveness in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). Methods: One-hundred forty-two in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer cycles in women using GnRH-a suppression and human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) stimulation were evaluated. Responses were studied according to ovarian response to hMG and age. Outcome measures included peak serum estradiol, serum progesterone and estrogen/progesterone ratios on the day of hCG injection, number of harvested oocytes, fertilization rates, and delivered pregnancy rates. Results: A periovulatory rise in serum progesterone (>0.9 ng/ml) occurred only among younger women (<40 years old) with a good response (P<0.05). Though the number of oocytes was greater in good responders, fertilization and pregnancy rates were similar among all women regardless of age and ovarian response. Conclusions: Periovulatory levels of serum progesterone vary according to ovarian response to COH. Elevations in progesterone do not appear to be a manifestation of poor responders. Reduced periovulatory progesterone may reflect inadequate steroidogenesis.
People are our most important product

The function of a keynote speech (if any) should be to give perspective. Coming from outside the software engineering research field, but from within the computer field, I would like to offer an outsider’s perspective on some current software engineering curricula proposals.
Robust control of nonlinear systems satisfying strict matching conditions with input field uncertainty

The robust stabilization problem of a certain class of nonlinear systems is considered. The underlying assumption is that the model uncertainty satisfies the structural matching conditions. Strict matching conditions are exploited and the effect of the induced input field uncertainty is compensated. The robust stabilization for this class of feedback linearizable systems is attained through an optimal control problem guaranteeing robustness against the uncertainties. The solution is obtained through the solution of an algebraic Riccati equation. Sufficient conditions are provided to establish the robust stability of the system.
Understanding work force diversity

Summary form only given, as follows. It is estimated by some studies that the Anglo-Saxon male, who used to dominate the nation's work place, now comprise less than 45 percent of America's work force. These studies also predict that this percentage will drop to 39 percent before the year 2000 because US-born white males will make up only 15 percent of the additions to the labor force between now and then. This means that the overwhelming percentage of new workers entering the work force in the next 10 years will be women and minorities. This will require organizations to adopt management strategies responsive to these new workers. Those who do not adapt could find that they may be unable to recruit the qualified workers they need. Companies will have to learn new ways, an approach often called managing diversity. This means recognizing that diversity is a fact of life, learning to understand culturally different workers, and creating an environment in which they will flourish. The author reports on one such approach for acknowledging and understanding diversity as well as developing competencies for use in a culturally diverse work place. >
Splicing remodels the let-7 primary microRNA to facilitate Drosha processing in Caenorhabditis elegans

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that use partial base-pairing to recognize and regulate the expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Mature miRNAs arise from longer primary transcripts (pri-miRNAs) that are processed to a shorter hairpin precursor miRNA (pre-miRNA) by the Microprocessor complex. In Caenorhabditis elegans the primary let-7 (pri-let-7) transcript undergoes trans-splicing, where pri-let-7 is cleaved at a 3' splice site and the splice-leader-1 (SL1) sequence is appended at the 5' end. Here we investigate the role of this splicing event in the biogenesis of let-7 miRNA. We hypothesized that splicing changes the secondary structure of the pri-let-7 transcript, creating a more favorable substrate for recognition by the Microprocessor. Supporting this idea, we detected conspicuous structural differences between unspliced and SL1-spliced pri-let-7 transcripts using in vitro ribonuclease (RNase) assays. Through the generation of transgenic worm strains, we found that the RNA secondary structure produced by splicing, as opposed to the act of splicing itself, optimizes processing of pri-let-7 by the Microprocessor in vivo. We also observed that the endogenous spliced, but not the unspliced, pri-let-7 transcripts bind to the Microprocessor and accumulate upon its depletion. We conclude that splicing is a key step in generating pri-let-7 transcripts with a structure that enables downstream processing events to produce appropriate levels of mature let-7.
Probe rotation near and below the glass transition temperature: Relationship to viscoelasticity and physical aging

Reorientation times ťc for two probes in several amorphous polymers near the glass transition temperature Tg are reported. Tg for these polymers ranges from 205 to 459 K. Probe reorientation was measured in the time window from 10−2 to 104 s with a recently developed photobleaching method. ťc for a given probe at the Tgs of the different polymers varies more than three decades. Viscoelastic relaxation times characteristic of the Rouse modes of the matrix polymers are closely related to probe rotation times and thus also not constant at Tg. The characteristic length scale of motions responsible for the glass transition varies significantly for the three polymers studied. Preliminary physical aging results indicate that probe reorientation in polystyrene ages slightly faster than the volume.
The influence of tryptophan metabolites on tissue uptake of glucose

Abstract Three indole acids accelerated glucose uptake in the rat diaphragm. The effect of indole butyric acid was greater than that of indole propionic, which in turn was greater than that of indole acetic. The in vitro hypoglycemic potency of the indole acids paralleled their in vivo potency. Increased hypoglycemic potency may be related to the number of carbon atoms in the indole acid side chain. These and earlier observations in experimental and human neoplasia associated with hypoglycemia suggest that the neoplasm is a rich source of tryptophan material which, in the bloodstream, produces hypoglycemia by increasing the glucose uptake in peripheral muscles, and possibly in the tumor itself.
Biological and immunological characterization of corticotropin-releasing activity in the bovine adrenal medulla.

Abstract Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-like activity in bovine adrenal medulla extracts were characterized by measurement of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release from rat anterior pituitary cells in vitro , and by a sensitive heterologous radioimmunoassay (RIA) for bovine hypothalamic CRF. Bovine adrenal medulla was boiled in 2 M acetic acid, homogenized, and submitted to acetone precipitation, followed by batch-wise treatment with C-18 resin. The partially purified adrenal medulla extract showed significant stimulation of ACTH release in vitro and CRF-like immunoreactivity (CRF-IR). After subsequent ion exchange chromatography on a SP-Sephadex column, most CRF bioactivity (CRF-BA) and CRF-IR were eluted with weakly basic materials in the SP-II fraction in which synthetic CRF is eluted. Minor CRF-BA and CRF-IR were also eluted in the SP-III fraction which contained basic peptides. Upon Sephadex G-50 gel filtration of the SP-II fraction, CRF-BA and CRF-IR coeluted, but slightly later than synthetic bovine CRF. However, rechromatography of the major CRF activity on a Sephadex G-50 column and reverse phase and ion exchange high performance liquid chromatographies (HPLC) indicated that CRF-BA and CRF-IR were eluted in the identical fraction as synthetic bovine CRF. Gel filtration in the SP-III fraction on a Sephadex G-50 column showed a few low CRF-BA peaks which lacked CRF-IR. This CRF-BA, however, contributed to less than 5% of the total CRF-BA. These results indicate that the majority of CRF-BA and CRF-IR in the bovine adrenal medulla is chromatographically indistinguishable from bovine hypothalamic CRF. The CRF concentration in the bovine adrenal medulla was 0.53 ng/g wet wt. as measured by two different RIAs, for CRF, and was comparable to that measured by bioassay (0.60 ng/g) in terms of synthetic CRF.
A benchmark study of different methods for calculating one- and two-dimensional optical spectra.

The accuracy and robustness of several approximate methods for computing linear and nonlinear optical spectra are considered. The analysis is performed in the context of a benchmark model that cons...
MRG15 activates the cdc2 promoter via histone acetylation in human cells.

Abstract Chromatin remodeling is required for transcriptional activation and repression. MRG15 (MORF4L1), a chromatin modulator, is a highly conserved protein and is present in complexes containing histone acetyltransferases (HATs) as well as histone deacetylases (HDACs). Loss of expression of MRG15 in mice and Drosophila results in embryonic lethality and fibroblast and neural stem/progenitor cells cultured from Mrg15 null mouse embryos exhibit marked proliferative defects when compared with wild type cells. To determine the role of MRG15 in cell cycle progression we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation with an antibody to MRG15 on normal human fibroblasts as they entered the cell cycle from a quiescent state, and analyzed various cell cycle gene promoters. The results demonstrated a 3-fold increase in MRG15 occupancy at the cdc2 promoter during S phase of the cell cycle and a concomitant increase in acetylated histone H4. H4 lysine 12 was acetylated at 24 h post-serum stimulation while there was no change in acetylation of lysine 16. HDAC1 and 2 were decreased at this promoter during cell cycle progression. Over-expression of MRG15 in HeLa cells activated a cdc2 promoter–reporter construct in a dose-dependent manner, whereas knockdown of MRG15 resulted in decreased promoter activity. In order to implicate HAT activity, we treated cells with the HAT inhibitor anacardic acid and determined that HAT inhibition results in loss of expression of cdc2 mRNA. Further, chromatin immunoprecipitation with Tip60 localizes the protein to the same 110 bp stretch of the cdc2 promoter pulled down by MRG15. Additionally, we determined that cotransfection of MRG15 with the known associated HAT Tip60 had a cooperative effect in activating the cdc2 promoter. These results suggest that MRG15 is acting in a HAT complex involving Tip60 to modify chromatin via acetylation of histone H4 at the cdc2 promoter to activate transcription.
Mental health and support among young key populations: an ecological approach to understanding and intervention

Introduction : The patterning of the HIV epidemic within young key populations (YKPs) highlights disproportionate burden by mental disorders in these populations. The mental wellbeing of YKPs is closely associated with biological predispositions and psychosocial factors related to YKPs’ sexual and gender identities and socio-economic status. The purpose of this paper is to highlight sources of risk and resilience, as well as identify treatment and supports for mental health disorders (MHDs) among YKPs. Discussion : This paper utilizes Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory and the Social Stress Model to explore the risk and protective factors for MHDs across YKPs’ ecological systems, and identify current gaps in treatment and support for MHDs among these youth. We emphasize the fluidity and intersections across these categorizations which reinforce the vulnerability of these populations, the lack of concrete data to inform mental health interventions among YKPs, and the need to ground YKP interventions and programmes with human rights principles stipulated in the convention on the rights of a child. Conclusions : We put forth recommendations for future research and strategies to address the mental wellbeing of YKPs, including the need for integrated interventions that address the multiplicity of risk factors inherent in the multiple group membership, rather than single-focus interventions whilst addressing the unique needs or challenges of YKPs. Keywords: youth; adolescents; psychiatric disorders; psychosocial; HIV/AIDS; treatment; programmes. (Published: 26 February 2015 Citation: Mutumba M and Harper GW. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2015, 18(Suppl 1) :19429 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/19429 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.18.2.19429
Removal of Contaminants from Aqueous Solution by Reaction with Iron Surfaces

Irrigation drainage and industrial wastewaters often contain elevated levels of toxic oxyanions and oxycations such as selenate, chromate, and uranyl. A potential remediation method is to react contaminated water with zero-valent iron, which transforms the mobile contaminants into immobile forms. In this work, iron foil was exposed to aqueous solutions containing the relevant ions, and the reacted surfaces were characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). STM images collected in situ show that the protrusions on the foil surface associated with iron oxides are smoothed out by the reaction. XPS indicates that partially reduced Se(IV) and Cr(III) are adsorbed on the surface, while uranium is deposited as U(VI), i.e., without reduction. More Se and Cr are deposited when the atmospheric gases are removed from solution because of the elimination of a competing process in which dissolved O2 increases the thickness of the iron oxide overlayer to the point where...
Functional evaluation of human donation after cardiac death donor hearts using a continuous isolated myocardial perfusion technique: Potential for expansion of the cardiac donor population.

Objective To investigate the resuscitation potential and contractile function in adult human donation after cardiac death (DCD) hearts by ex vivo perfusion. Methods With institutional review board approval and under the DCD protocol at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Organ Procurement Organization, 5 brain dead (BD) and 5 DCD donor hearts were evaluated. All BD hearts were declined for clinical transplantation because of coronary artery disease, advanced age, or social history. All hearts were preserved by flushing and cold storage with UW solution. By using our ex vivo perfusion system, the left ventricular end systolic pressure-volume relationship (LV-ESPVR) was assessed for 2 hours of oxygenated blood reperfusion. Results All BD (n = 5) and 4 DCD hearts were successfully resuscitated. One DCD heart was unable to be resuscitated due to prolonged warm ischemic time (WIT; 174 minutes). Mean WIT for resuscitated DCD hearts (from extubation to flushing with cold UW solution) was 34 ± 3 minutes (range, 26 to 40 minutes); mean cold ischemic time for BD donors was 211 ± 31 minutes compared with 177 ± 64 minutes for DCD donors. The calculated LV-ESPVRs for BD hearts after 1 and 2 hours of reperfusion were 6.9 ± 0.7 and 5.7 ± 1.0 mm Hg/mL, respectively; LV-ESPVRs for DCD hearts after 1 and 2 hours of reperfusion were 5.6 ± 1.5 ( P = .45) and 3.0 ± 0.7 mm Hg/mL ( P = .07), respectively. Conclusions We successfully resuscitated and measured ex vivo cardiac function in human DCD and BD donor hearts. Resuscitation potential in DCD hearts was achieved when the WIT was less than 40 minutes. Contractile performance in DCD hearts tended to be lower compared with BD hearts. Further investigation with longer reperfusion periods seems warranted.
Control of glycogen synthase activity in developing rat liver.

Abstract Fasting newborn and growing young rats, though capable of synthesizing liver glycogen when fed, are, unlike adult fasted animals, insensitive to glucocorticoid stimulation of the rate of glucose and lactate incorporation into glycogen. Hormone resistance parallels a decreased liver capability for the synthase b to a conversion reaction up to 2 days after birth, after which the b to a transformation becomes adult type in nature. A comparison of the level of glucose 6-phosphate in liver to the effect of the activator on the synthase activity from newborn rat shows that the enzyme has a greater affinity toward the activator than comparable enzyme from the adult, suggesting the presence of an intermediate metabolite-regulated form of synthase in neonatal liver.
A candidate vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome.

A DNA vaccine expressing part of the outer-coat protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus invokes humoral immunity in a mouse model of SARS.
Identification of aliphatic and aromatic tertiary N-oxide functionalities in protonated analytes via ion/molecule and dissociation reactions in an FT-ICR mass spectrometer.

A mass spectrometric method is presented for the identification of compounds that contain the aliphatic or aromatic N-oxide functional group. This method utilizes gas-phase ion/molecule reactions of tri(dimethylamino)borane (TDMAB), which rapidly derivatizes protonated aliphatic and aromatic tertiary N-oxides, amides, and some amines via loss of dimethylamine in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. The mechanism involves proton transfer from the protonated analyte to the borane, followed by addition of the analyte to the boron center and elimination of dimethylamine. The derivatized analytes are readily identified on the basis of their m/z value which is 98 Th (thomson) greater than that of the protonated analyte, and the characteristic boron isotope patterns. SORI-CAD of the product ions (adduct-(CH3)2NH) yields different fragment ions for aliphatic tertiary N-oxides, aromatic tertiary N-oxides, amides, and pyridines. Therefore, these analytes can be identified based on their ch...
Shear Thinning and Tumbling Dynamics of Single Polymers in the Flow-Gradient Plane

The conformational changes imparted on single, flexible DNA polymers by a steady, simple shear flow were directly visualized in the flow-gradient plane. Two fluorescently stained DNA double-strand sizes of 22 μm and 80 μm in contour length were employed, and Wi values of up to 584 were probed (Wi = shear rate × longest polymer relaxation time). By exploitation of the linear proportionality between polymer density and its recorded image, the accessible radius of gyration tensor elements (Gij) were measured. Of those, the ensemble-averaged 〈G22〉 and 〈G12〉 were related to the bulk shear viscosity and first normal stress coefficient, respectively, via the Giesekus stress tensor. We found their respective behaviors to follow power-law decays of Wi -0.52 and Wi -1.28 at large Wi. Polymer dynamics were also investigated. Like rigid ellipsoids of revolution, polymers displayed a constant partition between positive and negative orientations irrespective of shear rate at Wi ≫ 1. Unlike them, however, polymers prefe...
Regularization of Phase-Contrast MRI Velocity Measurements: Initial In Vivo Experience in a Canine Aneurysm Model

According to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, incidence of reported intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture is about 0.001%. In other words, there are thus about 27,000 people who may suffer stroke from ruptured cerebral aneurysms each year. The origin and natural history of IAs are closely associated with disturbed hemodynamics though exact mechanisms are unknown.[1, 2] Consequently, blood flow parameters measured from phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) [3, 4] may provide insight not only into factors relevant to the development and progression of IAs but also into their short and long term responses to therapeutic interventions (e.g. coil embolization and stent deployment).Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Rhizobacteria: Influence of cultivar and soil type on plant growth and yield of potato

Abstract The influence of potato cultivar and soil type on effectiveness of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) was examined. Rhizobacteria were isolated from potato roots and tubers obtained from fields with a history of high potato yields. Fluorescent pigment-producing rhizobacteria. identified as strains of Pseudomonas putida and P. fluorescens , were selected for their antibiosis against Erwinia carovotora ssp. carotovora and growth-promoting activity on potatoes. In greenhouse tests, treatments of potato seedpieces and stem cuttings increased shoot dry weight from 1.23- to 2.00-fold and root dry weight from 1.27- to 2.78-fold. Survival of PGPR in the rhizosphere was monitored using antibioticresistant strains. Populations of these strains decreased from 3.6 × 10 9 cgu g −1 dry root weight to 4.5 × 10 5 cfu g −1 dry root weight 4 weeks after treatment. In field trials, PGPR strains were applied to seedpieces of cultivars Kennebec, Pungo, Red Pontiac and Superior and planted in Cape Fear loam. Plymouth loamy sand or Delanco sandy loam. Significant yield increases of 1.17–1.37-fold over controls were observed in two of three field trials. Variability in plant growth-promoting activity was observed between greenhouse and field trials, and no given treatment combination of PGPR strain, potato cultivar and soil type was consistently better than another.
Measurements of fusion cross sections for heavy-ion systems at very low energies

Measurements of the fusion cross sections for $^{10,11}\mathrm{B}$+$^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$+$^{13}\mathrm{C}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$+$^{14}\mathrm{N}$, $^{14}\mathrm{N}$+$^{14}\mathrm{N}$, and $^{14}\mathrm{N}$+$^{16}\mathrm{O}$ at sub-Coulomb-barrier energies, together with earlier results for $^{12}\mathrm{C}$+$^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$+$^{16}\mathrm{O}$, and $^{16}\mathrm{O}$+$^{16}\mathrm{O}$, show that the average energy dependence of the fusion cross section can change dramatically with only small variations in the mass and charge of the interacting nuclei.
Field-Potential Evidence for Extrasynaptic Alterations in the Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Cell Population during Paired-Pulse Potentiation

The mechanisms of paired-pulse potentiation of the CA1 pyramidal cell population were examined by determining input-output relations for control and potentiated responses originating from the activation of radiatum fibers in the hippocampal slice preparation. Two types of potentiation for synchronously discharging pyramidal cells (population spike) were observed. In the first type, the potentiation of the population spike was found to be a combination of synaptic and extrasynaptic factors. This form of potentiation was observed in 16 of 28 slices. In the second type, the potentiation of the population spike was attributed entirely to the potentiation of summated dendritic depolarizations (population EPSP). This synaptic process of potentiation was observed in 12 of 28 slices. The involvement of only extrasynaptic mechanisms in the paired-pulse potentiation of the population spike was not observed. For the potentiation originating from a combination of synaptic and extrasynaptic mechanisms, 60% of the potentiation of the population spike was a result of synaptic factors and 40% could be attributed to extrasynaptic factors. These results support the concept that alterations in the excitability of postsynaptic neurons serve as a component of the mechanisms of paired-pulse potentiation in the radiatum fiber-CA1 pyramidal cell system.
Low molecular weight α-hydroxy carboxylic and dicarboxylic acids in reducing marine sediments

Abstract The occurrence and distribution of low molecular weight α-hydroxy carboxylic and dicarboxylic acids was studied in reducing marine sediments collected in the Santa Barbara Basin and the Cariaco Trench. Four compounds were found to occur in both basin sediments: glycolic, lactic, oxalic and succinic acids. In general concentrations were low (⩽ 1 μmol/g for the hydroxy acids and ⩽ 100μmol/g for the dicarboxylic acids), and generally decreased with depth. Subsurface maxima were observed for lactate and succinate in the Santa Barbara Basin. Both the vertical profiles and lactate enantiomer ratios suggested microbial origin and control for the distribution of these compounds. A preliminary model for the microbial mediation of the early diagenesis of organic compounds in reducing marine sediments is presented.
Abstract IA16: Kras-directed anabolic processes in PDAC tumor maintenance.

Tumor maintenance relies on continued activity of driver oncogenes, although their rate-limiting role is highly context-dependent. Oncogenic Kras mutation is the signature event in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), serving a critical role in tumor initiation. However, its function to maintain pancreatic cancer has not been characterized in vivo. Here, an inducible KrasG12D-driven PDAC mouse model establishes that advanced PDAC remain strictly dependent on KrasG12D expression. Transcriptome and metabolomic analysis indicate that KrasG12D serves a vital role in controlling tumor metabolism through stimulation of glucose uptake and channeling of glucose intermediates into the hexosamine biosynthesis and pentose phosphate pathways (PPP). These studies also reveal that oncogenic Kras promotes ribose biogenesis. Unlike canonical models, we demonstrate that KrasG12D drives glycolysis intermediates into the nonoxidative PPP, thereby decoupling ribose biogenesis from NADP/NADPH-mediated redox control. Together, this work provides in vivo mechanistic insights into how oncogenic Kras promotes metabolic reprogramming in native tumors and illuminates potential metabolic targets that can be exploited for therapeutic benefit in PDAC. Citation Format: Ronald A. DePinho. Kras-directed anabolic processes in PDAC tumor maintenance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr IA16.
When Stigma-by-Association Threatens, Self-Esteem Helps: Self-Esteem Protects Volunteers in Stigmatizing Contexts

Drawing from theory and research on self-esteem as an important coping resource, we hypothesized that higher self-esteem would protect volunteers from the pernicious effects of stigma-by-association. In a longitudinal study of AIDS volunteers, higher anticipated stigma-by-association deterred the initiation of volunteerism for people with lower self-esteem. Three months later, greater stigma-by-association was related to less contact with an HIV+client in public (relative to private) settings, but only among volunteers lower in self-esteem. Moreover, greater relative public client contact predicted less overall satisfaction, but only for volunteers with relatively lower self-esteem. Implications for coping, stigma, and volunteer organizations are discussed.
Tracking and elimination of an interfering polypeptide coexpressed with the vaccinia virus mRNA capping enzyme overproduced in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Vaccinia virus (vv) mRNA capping enzyme is composed of a large and a small subunit encoded by genes Dl and D12, respectively. A 38-kDa interfering polypeptide is copurified with the vaccinia virus capping enzyme overproduced in Escherichia coli, but the origin of this polypeptide is unknown (P. Guo and B. Moss, 1990, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 4023-4027). This polypeptide competes with the large subunit in binding to the small subunit during the assembly of the beterodimeric enzyme in the cell, resulting in a reduced yield of the active enzyme. Results from the studies of ribosome-binding site replacement, frame shifting, DNA deletion, and in vitro mutagenesis showed that the interfering polypeptide originated from a new translation initiation site within the D1 gene. Transfection of a plasmid containing an internal eukaryotic ribosome binding site into monkey kidney cells infected with vv producing T7 RNA polymerase resulted in the expression of the large subunit up to 30% of total cellular radiolabeled protein; however, the 38-kDa polypeptide was not detected. This finding suggests that the initiation site was recognized only by E. coli, not by eukaryotic cells. The Shine-Dalgarno sequence is not found in the corresponding region preceding the putative start codon, indicating that an unusual mechanism for ribosome binding exists. Mutagenesis of the putative initiation codon of the interfering polypeptide from ATG (Met), coding for residue 498 of the large subunit, to ATA (Ile) eliminated the expression of the interfering polypeptide. A stable and active mutant enzyme was expressed in E. coli HMS174(DE3) cell without the presence of the interfering polypeptide.
Water proton magnetic resonance studies of normal and sickle erythrocytes. Temperature and volume dependence.

Abstract The temperature and cell volume dependence of the NMR water proton linewidth, spin-lattice, and spin-spin relaxation times have been studied for normal and sickle erythrocytes as well as hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S solutions. Upon deoxygenation, the spin-spin relaxation time ( T 2 ) decreases by a factor of 2 for sickle cells and hemoglobin S solutions but remains relatively constant for normal cells and hemoglobin A solutions. The spin-lattice relaxation time ( T 1 ) shows no significant change upon dexygenation for normal or sickle packed red cells. Studies of the change in the NMR linewidth, T 1 and T 2 as the cell hydration is changed indicate that these parameters only slightly by a 10–20% cell dehydration. This result suggests that the reported 10% cell dehydration observed with sickling is not important in the altered NMR properties. Low temperature studies of the linewidth and T 1 for oxy and deoxy hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S solutions suggest that the “bound” water possesses similar properties for all four species. The low temperature linewidth ranges from about 250 Hz at −15°C to 500 Hz at −36°C and analysis of the NMR curves yield hydration values near 0.4 g water/g hemoglobin for all four species. The low temperature T 1 data go through a minimum at −35°C for measurements at 44.4 MHz and −50°C for measurements at 17.1 MHz and are similar for oxy and deoxy hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S. These similarities in the low temperature NMR data for oxy and deoxy hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S suggest a hydrophobically driven sickling mechanism. The room temperature and low temperature relaxation time data for normal and sickle cells are interpreted in terms of a three-state model for intracellular water. In the context of this model the relaxation time data imply that type III, or irratationally bound water, is altered during the sickling process.
From EPSDT to EHBs: The Future of Pediatric Coverage Design Under Government Financed Health Insurance

We review the evolution of federal financing for child health care over the past 40 years. The Social Security Amendments of 1967 established the program of early and periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment (EPSDT) as a required Medicaid benefit. The EPSDT amendments directed agencies to cover "early and periodic" screening and diagnostic services to ascertain "defects" and "chronic conditions" in children, as well as health care and treatment needed to "correct or ameliorate" such defects and conditions discovered during the screening examinations. The 1997 enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) shifted federal policy from the use of an early coverage standard to one that gives insurers much more discretion to define medical necessity and coverage exclusions. CHIP programs offer coverage that is narrower than the benefits available under Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires significantly more classes of care to be covered than does CHIP but well below the level of coverage under Medicaid. Implementation of the ACA to date suggests that the US Department of Health and Human Services will only demand pediatric coverage pegged to the commercial insurance market standards, rather than Medicaid's unique pediatric coverage standard. Although EPSDT's emphasis on early, developmental, and ameliorative services might result in more comprehensive benefits for children, particularly those with special health needs, one might still describe the ACA coverage as providing a basic, minimal level of services from a distributive justice perspective. It may, however, vary from state to state. States have the authority to decide whether to use an EPSDT-style approach or to follow the more restrictive approach of commercial insurance plans. Advocacy at the state level will determine which approach different states take.
Current-phase relation in an intermediately coupled superconductor-superconductor junction.

The limiting configuration of the S-N-S\ensuremath{'} junction in which the N-layer thickness is of the order of the screening length in metals (\ensuremath{\approxeq}1--2 \AA{}) may serve as a model for a clean S-S\ensuremath{'} interface. This configuration supports one N-layer-attached gap state (manifold), with eigenenergy close to and less than the smaller superconducting gap. This gap state is interpreted as the excitation associated with breakage of interface-attached Cooper pairs, comprised of one electron from each side of the thin-N layer. The corresponding junction's current-phase (\ensuremath{\psi}) relation is calculated. The gap state is shown to contribute an appreciable ``sin(2\ensuremath{\psi})'' correction term to the ``sin(\ensuremath{\psi})'' Josephson term. The corresponding maximum-current magnetic-flux dependence of a two-junction configuration (SQUID) is predicted to have zeros shifted from their common loci at half-integer flux quanta.
The wrath of Erdoğan

Dani Rodrik argues that in coming down hard on the Gezi protesters the Turkish PM was more concerned about his ‘loyal opposition’ than any new liberal political force.