cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical utility of surveillance and clinically prompted right heart catheterization in patients listed for heart transplantation

Background and objectives The 2016 ISHLT guidelines recommend that patients listed for orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) undergo periodic surveillance right heart catheterization (RHC) to re-assess hemodynamics (Class I, level of evidence C). However, the impact of RHC on management remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of both surveillance and clinically prompted RHCs in patients listed for OHT. Methods A retrospective study was conducted in adult patients listed for OHT at our hospital from 2006 through 2014. Each patient included had at least one RHC after being listed for OHT. The primary outcome was management change: hospitalization, surgery (OHT or mechanical circulatory support [MCS]), change in United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) status, or initiation/modification of vasoactive drugs, diuretics or neurohormonal blockade. Results Of the 194 patients included, 85 (43%) patients had more than one RHC. The median time between listing and transplantation was 115 days. Of the 376 RHCs performed, 187 (50%) were prompted by a clinical change; 189 (50%) were performed for surveillance. In 90.4% of clinically prompted RHCs and 42.9% of surveillance RHCs, a clinically important management change was implemented. Initiation/modification of vasoactive drugs, placement of MCS and/or change in UNOS transplant status occurred in 61 (33%) of the clinically prompted RHCs and 26 (14%) of the surveillance RHCs. Patients who underwent management change were more likely to receive a heart transplant (HR 1.58; CI 1.15-2.18) without an increased rate of death over the study period compared to those who did not have a management change. Multivariable analysis revealed that a hemoglobin level 0.9 mg/dL (OR 5.07; CI 2.09-12.3) were predictors of management change. Conclusions In patients awaiting OHT, RHCs prompted by clinical instability or routine surveillance resulted in frequent management changes, including earlier heart transplant and MCS implant. Our study supports the Class I recommendation to perform surveillance RHC in patients listed for OHT and suggests that centers should consider maintaining a low threshold for repeat RHC during the formal waiting time.
Are You Willing to Die for Reductionism

Reductionism was one of the greatest themes of twentieth century biology. It began early in the century with genetics explaining single traits with single genes. It rose further with the inference that DNA encoded genetic information. It culminated with genetic cloning and genetic engineering. With disorders like sickle cell anemia or Huntington’s Disease, reductionism is indeed a scientific triumph. Similar claims have been made about aging, which has been attributed to a single agent in the case of the free-radical theory of aging. In other hands, up to seven specific cell-molecular mechanisms have been offered as the entire foundation of aging. Meanwhile, the last 15 years of genomic research has shown that most functional characters, from human height to aging in fruit flies, are affected by hundreds if not thousands of sites genome-wide. Furthermore, these sites cannot be delineated as hereditary factors tuning one or a few pathways, as reductionism would require. That is, at the genomic frontier of biology, reductionism is now seen as a special and unrepresentative case. Most of the genetic machinery of animals does not work using simple isolated pathways. Rather, it usually operates as part of large encompassing networks. Given this, it is doubtful that aging interventions founded on reductionist premises will succeed. Does this mean that aging cannot be re-tuned radically? Evolutionary theory and experiments suggest otherwise. More recent evolutionary research even raises the possibility that there might be straightforward and powerful interventions that can control human aging on a very short timescale. Those who stick to twentieth century reductionist theories of aging may be risking their lives. They may indeed die for their beliefs.
Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 frazzles the brain in Alzheimer’s disease

Inhibition of ADAM10 α-secretase activity in neurons by secreted frizzled-related protein 1 may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression.
Examining the Relationship between Citizen Contact with the Community Prosecutor and Fear of Crime

Fear of crime has been studied extensively in the extant criminological literature, although the majority of these studies focused on fear of crime through the lens of policing. Put differently, th...
Experiments in Scale: Humanitarian Psychiatry in Post-Disaster Turkey

A massive earthquake that struck Turkey in 1999 generated an unprecedented mobilization of Turkish psychiatrists and psychologists to address the mental and emotional aftermath of the disaster. In this article I examine how these mental health professionals, swept up in a wave of humanitarian compassion, confronted the limits of their own expertise and struggled to improvise a therapeutic response that could match the scale of psychological suffering precipitated by the earthquake. Framing humanitarian and global health interventions as inescapably scalar projects, I explore the pragmatic and imaginative labor involved in making psychiatric expertise scalable, what I characterize as their "work of therapeutic scalability." In doing so, I raise a series of questions about the psychological subject of disaster, the transnational mobility of technoscientific expertise, and the politics of both life and scale at play in psychiatric humanitarian intervention.
Posting About Cancer: Predicting Social Support in Imgur Comments:

People who are affected by cancer can benefit greatly from social support and digital social networks, though our understanding of online support is primarily founded in dominant platforms like Fac...
Taste: A Scattered Affair.

Summary In vivo two photon calcium imaging in the gustatory cortex of alert mice reveals that taste-responsive cells can vary in their breadth of tuning across taste qualities and that they are sparse and spatially distributed across the cortex.
Abstract 418: Lower survival among HIV-infected head and neck cancer patients

Introduction: Incidence of non-AIDS-defining cancers, including head and neck cancer (HNC), is rising among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study compares outcomes of HIV+ and Uninfected HNC patients at a single institution. Methods: Yale Tumor Registry query identified 3,488 HNC patients, including 50 with HIV, for analysis (Clinical Cohort, 2002-2018). Quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) was performed on tumor tissue among 22 HIV+ and 75 matched Uninfected patients. Results: Within our clinical cohort, HIV+ HNC patients were younger compared to Uninfected patients (55.5 vs. 62.0, p Conclusion: HNC patients with HIV were significantly younger compared to the general HNC population, and experienced lower 1-yr survival with early stage disease. CD8 T cell infiltration, which is associated with improved outcomes, appears lower among PLWH. Further evaluation of HIV-HNC subgroups, with detailed analysis of tumor site, HPV status and treatment disparities, is warranted to better delineate differences in outcome. Citation Format: Syim Salahuddin, Margaret Wu, Javier Perez Irizarry, Teresita Vega, Natalia Isaeva, Kurt Schalper, Wendell G. Yarbrough, Brinda Emu. Lower survival among HIV-infected head and neck cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 418.
Neural Network Tuning for Analog-RF Self-Interference Cancellation

In-band full-duplex (IBFD) technology can empower multi-function wireless systems to simultaneously operate different modalities if the consequential self-interference is properly mitigated. Analog-RF cancellation represents one of the few techniques that allows for the additional suppression of transmit noise and nonlinearities before the receiver input, but has lacked the tuning speed required to enable advanced IBFD applications. This paper discusses a novel tuning approach based on machine learning principles, and introduces the optimal neural network configuration that drastically enhances tuning speed. The statistical performance of a prototype canceller was measured over a 20 MHz bandwidth centered at 2.5 GHz, and averaged more than 30 dB of cancellation with only 9 tuning iterations. These results are additionally compared to a survey of previously-reported cancellers, and reveal that this unique tuning approach provides the fastest convergence speed to date.
Operators, matrices, and group theory

An operator is a symbol that stands for one or more mathematical operations. If an operator A operates on a function f the result is a new function. Operator algebra manipulates operator symbols according to rules that are slightly different from those of ordinary algebra. One difference is that operator multiplication is not necessarily commutative, and another is that division by an operator is not defined. An eigenvalue equation has the form Af = af where A is an operator, f is an eigenfunction, and a is an eigenvalue. Symmetry operators move points in space relative to a symmetry element. If a symmetry operator belongs to a symmetrical object it leaves that object in the same conformation after operating on all particles of the object. Symmetry operators can operate on functions as well as on points and can have eigenfunctions with eigenvalues equal to 1 or to −1. An electronic wave function of a molecule can be an eigenfunction of the symmetry operators which belong to the nuclear framework of a molecule. A matrix is a list of quantities, arranged in rows and columns. Matrices can be manipulated according to the rules of matrix algebra, which are similar to the rules of operator algebra. The inverse of a matrix is a matrix such that its product with the original matrix yields the identity matrix. The inverse of a given matrix can be obtained by the Gauss-Jordan elimination procedure. A group is a set of elements obeying certain conditions, with a single operation combining two elements to give a third element of the group. This operation is called multiplication and is possibly noncommutative. The symmetry operators belonging to a symmetrical object form a mathematical group. A set of matrices obeying the same multiplication table as a group is a representation of the group. Various theorems of group theory are useful in studying the symmetry properties of molecules.
Real-Time PCR Measurement by Fluorescence Anisotropy

We have developed an instrument for monitoring real-time PCR using fluorescence anisotropy, enabling an assay chemistry in which the fluorescence from a labeled primer elucidates amplification. The instrument holds the sample temperature constant to within ±0.03 °C during measurement in the extension phase of each PCR cycle and achieves 0.116 mP FA resolution. Primer conjugation with Alexa-Fluor 488, when compared with other fluorophores, is shown to provide the greatest FA range between primer and product. Comparable reproducibility and linearity of the crossing point for a range of target copy numbers is observed between the FA-based assay run in our instrument and the SYBR green assay run in commercial instrumentation. Reproducibility is also consistent with Poisson-distributed experimental error in aliquoting starting copies, a theoretical limit to instrument/assay performance.
An example of variable levels of detail for object-based decomposition in J-MASS

In an object-based modeling system such as the Joint Modeling and Simulation System (J-MASS), software objects are selected to represent items in the real world. An item model reflects, at implementation, compromises among the realism needed to reach a simulation goal, the data and algorithms available to capture desired behaviors in software. And the desired throughput of the simulations in which the item model will run. Other weighting factors for design choices are possible based on the client, the budget, and the development schedule. This paper describes the object decomposition of the human operator portion of some large complex system, perhaps an aircraft, a nuclear power plant, or a subway train. By assuming that the human operator has both an active role (follows a plan) and a reactive role (responds to cues from the workplace), and also that operator responses to the external world are predominantly indirect (sending a message, pressing a switch, setting a new number), one can identify and map out some of the objects found in the operator part of a human-managed complex machine. The main focus of the discussion is on the process and criteria for selecting objects at several levels of detail based on simulation goals and costs. The "penalties" incurred by choosing a coarse level of detail as opposed to a fine level of detail are noted. The paper also addresses some basic issues, including perception versus ground truth, repetitive tasks versus interruptions, and handling of human factor phenomena such as task saturation and fatigue.
Genetics and Gene Science (Classical)

Fundamentals of Genetics Defining the Gene Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) Mutations of Genes Recombinant DNA Technology Genes and Diseases New Advances in Understanding DNA Replication The Human Genome Project (HGP) To Know Ourselves: The Human Genome Project 1983–2001 Keywords: genetics; gene science (classical)
Evolving characteristics of AIDS-related lymphoma

Over time, the epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of AIDS have changed in the United States, while the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy has changed the natural history of the disease. The goal of the study was to ascertain any changes in the epidemiologic, immunologic, pathologic, or clinical characteristics of AIDS-related lymphoma (ARL) over the course of the AIDS epidemic. Records of 369 patients with ARL diagnosed or treated at a single institution from 1982 through 1998 were reviewed. Single institutional data were compared to population-based data from the County of Los Angeles. Significant changes in the demographic profile of patients with newly diagnosed ARL have occurred, with the later time intervals associated with a higher prevalence in women (P =.25), in Latino/Hispanic individuals (P <.0001), and in those who acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) heterosexually (P =.01). These changes were similar in both countywide, population-based analyses and in those from the single institution. The median CD4(+) lymphocyte count at lymphoma diagnosis has decreased significantly over the years, from 177/dL in the earliest time period (1982-1986), to 53/dL in the last time period from 1995 to 1998 (P =.0006). The pathologic spectrum of disease has also changed, with a decrease in the prevalence of small noncleaved lymphoma (P =.0005) and an increase in diffuse large cell lymphoma (P <.0001). Despite changes in the use of antiretroviral or chemotherapy regimens, the median survival has not significantly changed.
The Escherichia coli cysG gene encodes S-adenosylmethionine-dependent uroporphyrinogen III methylase

The Escherichia coli cysG gene was successfully subcloned and over-expressed to produce a 52 kDa protein that was purified to homogeneity. This protein was shown to catalyse the S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methylation of uroporphyrinogen III to give a product identified as sirohydrochlorin on the basis of its absorption spectra, incorporation of 14C label from S-adenosyl[Me-14C]methionine and mass and 1H-n.m.r. spectra of its octamethyl ester. Further confirmation of the structure was obtained from a 14C-n.m.r. spectrum of the methyl ester produced by incubation of the methylase with uroporphyrinogen III, derived from [4.6-13C2]porphobilinogen, and S-adenosyl[Me-13C]methionine.
First-trimester serum levels of the β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin in a tubal molar pregnancy

A woman is described in whom the levels of the R-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin were rising in a pattern consistent with a tubal pregnancy. A tubal molar pregnancy was found. Thus an early ectopic molar pregnancy is not distinguishable from a nontrophoblastic tubal pregnancy on the basis of human chorionic gonadotropin levels.
Joint Committee to Create a National Policy to Enhance Survivability from Mass Casualty Shooting Events: Hartford Consensus II

PREAMBLE The Joint Committee to Create a National Policy to Enhance Survivability from Mass Casualty Shooting Events was initiated by the American College of Surgeons in an effort to ensure that victims receive expeditious treatment of their injuries. The Committee included individuals from select public safety organizations including health, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement, fire, prehospital care, trauma care, and the military. They met in Hartford, Connecticut on April 2, 2013 and on July 11, 2013. Attendance at the second meeting was broadened to include representatives from the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency and theNational Security Staff of the Office of the President. These meetings became known as Hartford Consensus I and Hartford Consensus II. The concepts put forth and supported by both meetings are referred to as the Hartford Consensus. The Hartford Consensus II Statement is a call to action–no one should die from uncontrolled hemorrhage.
Effectiveness of three different zinc fertilizers and two methods of application for the control of “little‐leaf’ in peach trees in south texas

Abstract Fall soil treatments of ZnEDTA and ZnSO4 at three increasing rates of 32.2, 64.4, and 128.8 g Zn/tree, and one, two, or three spring foliar treatments of NZN (0.35 g Zn/tree application) replicated four times in a randomized complete block design were tested to find the most effective Zn source, method and rate of application, and economical method for controlling Zn deficiency in three year old ‘Earligrande’ peach trees from 1989 to 1990. The Zn fertilizers had no statistical influence on the soil pH change. The high rates of ZnSO4, NZN, and ZnEDTA produced equal chlorophyll contents and had no statistical difference in tree appearance. Neither those trees which received three foliar applications of NZN nor those that received the high ZnEDTA soil treatment showed Zn‐deficiency symptoms other than a few chlorotic leaves on top of the trees as a result of Zn being a non‐mobile element. A fourth NZN application, or a delay in initiation of the three NZN spray schedule, would be necessary to compen...
Effects of an Upstream Circular Manipulator on the Flow Past a Cylinder-Flat Plate Junction

Measurements of three components of mean velocity and simultaneous time-resolved measurements of axial and vertical turbulent velocities and their cross moment were made at three perpendicular planes slightly upstream of the corner and in the downstream interaction region of a cylinder-flat plate junction with and without an upstream circular manipulator. The circular manipulator was a smooth circular cylinder of 1.25 mm diameter, which was placed upstream of the cylinder at X/D = 1.2, within the boundary layer above the flat plate surface. Results show that when the manipulator is in place, there is a decrease in the axial mean velocity and increases in the axial mean squared turbulent velocity and turbulent shear stress at the first plane. There is an expanded region of secondary flow with reduced circulation, indicating that the manipulator has reduced the strength of the horseshoe vortex in this region.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Finance editorial board membership and research productivity

The research productivity of board members of the top academic finance journals—Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and Financial Management—is investigated. Discipline specific benchmarks for substantial research excellence are determined and an evaluation of influential finance journals is presented. Publication in Journal of Finance is the most notable benchmark for selection to the editorial board of any of the finance journals evaluated. The results imply that publishing one article in Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics or Review of Financial Studies in a 5-year period coupled with additional appearances in the broader top tier finance journals would be representative of exceptional research achievement.
Intrinsic rotation generation in NSTX ohmic H-mode plasmas

Intrinsic rotation generation was observed and investigated in NSTX ohmic plasmas, by utilizing passive views of charge exchange recombination diagnostics. Focus was placed on ohmic L–H transitions to minimize the effects by other momentum exchange and sources such as the NTV torque by intrinsic error fields. Results indicated that intrinsic rotation generation in the edge is well correlated with ion temperature gradient change, compared with much weaker correlations with electron temperature gradient or density gradient change. This is consistent with a corresponding theory of residual stress, and the measured torque could be directly compared with the theoretical prediction using χi as a free parameter. However, an uncertainty on the order of diamagnetic rotation exists in many places across measurement and theory, as will be discussed in detail in this paper.
Nonparametric multiple function fitting

Abstract Consider the d-dimensional unit cube [0,1]d and portion it into n regions, A1,…, An. Select and fix a point in each one of these regions so we have x1,…, xn. Consider observable variables Yi, i = 1,…, n, satisfying the multivariate regression model Yi = g(xi) + ei, where g is an unknown real-valued function defined on [0,1]d and ei, i = 1,…, n, are independent random variables with Eei = 0. This paper studies gn(x) = Σni=1YiKh(x − xi)λ(Ai) as an estimate of g(x), where Kh(·) = h−dK(·/h) is a known function, h = h(n) is a sequence of positive reals converging to zero as n → ∞, and λ(Ai) is the Lebesgue measure of region Ai. Under suitable conditions, it is shown that gn is asymptotically pointwise weakly, mean square and completely consistent. Asymptotic normality of the estimate is also established. The class of applicable kernel functions {K(·)} includes those discontinuous kernels and kernels with unbounded support. Finally, some global results are stated.
A New Method of Preparing Insects for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Acidified 2,2-dimethoxypropane (DMP), used as an alternative to regular fixation and dehydration methods for insects, was found to be the only successful means of preparing the sugarbeet root maggot larva, Tetanops myopaeformis (Roder) (Diptera:Otitidae), for the scanning electron microscope. No morphological changes were evident when DMP treated sugarbeet root maggot adults were compared to fresh (unfixed) adults and glutaraldehyde-osmium tetroxide fixed adults. The method has been used with success on several gropus of insects. Acidified CMP is quickly hydrolyzed by water in tissue to acetone and methanol. DMP is advantageous in that it penetrates water impermeable cuticles rapidly and saves several steps and time in the fixation and dehydration process.
The backdrop of Serbian statehoods: morphing faces of the National Assembly in Belgrade

The mixture of neo-Renaissance and neo-Classical forms of the National Assembly in Belgrade was to become a visual paradigm of the democratic course and national sovereignty of the Kingdom of Serbia, affirming the status of this newly born nation-state in nineteenth-century Europe. Yet, the interpretation of political messages associated with the building's nineteenth-century architectural features is still in progress. The aim of this paper is to explore how the image of the National Assembly developed into the visual repository of different ideological connotations depending on the character of public events being organized, in the building or in the space in front of it either to support state ideologies or to fight against them. In addition to ideological settings of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this research will focus on political meetings and public gatherings of the post-WWII state constructs, from the socialist federation of Marshal Tito to the more recent emanations of Serbian s...
Traditional Managerial Activities and Interscholastic Athletic Directors: Examining the Differences, Similarities, and Connections between Engagement, Gender, and Success of High School Sports Administrators

The business realities of operating an interscholastic athletic program suggest that there is a rise in the behavioral similarities among traditional business managers and sport managers. This study explored how interscholastic athletic directors allocated their time when engaged in managerial activities; determined if gender influenced behavior; and to what extent the level of engagement in those activities influenced success. The findings indicated most of their time was spent on traditional management activities and the least time engaged in networking. Gender differences did not exist, however, the time spent on traditional management activities was positively correlated to success.
Commercialism in nonprofit hospitals

The private nonprofit hospital is the dominant organizational form in the U.S. hospital industry. Various reasons have been advanced for its high market share. As hospitals undergo massive changes due in large part to changes in payment practices, there is widespread concern that nonprofit hospitals may become less committed to noncommercial activities. This may even be more likely when such hospitals convert to for-profit status. The empirical evidence indicates that, on average, hospitals of nonprofit and for-profit ownership are similar in the provision of uncompensated care, the quality of care, and the adoption of technology. Conversion of a nonprofit to for-profit status does not adversely affect the provision of uncompensated care on average. However, for-profits are more likely to be located in areas where consumers have the ability to pay for care. As hospital markets become more competitive and the opportunity for cross-subsidizing more unprofitable, collective-good activities will become increasingly difficult. Support for such activities, if they are to exist, will have to come from explicit public subsidies.
Rural two-lane passing headways and platooning

Field observations and video records were made at three northwest Arkansas locations where vehicles on a two-lane rural highway encountered passing/climbing lane sections. At all three sites, vehicles had traversed roadway sections with limited passing opportunities before they encountered passing sections on slight to moderate upgrades. By studying traffic at such sites, one can observe the behaviors of motorists who may have been restrained by slower traffic ahead, but who then encounter a relatively unconstrained environment that allows them to pass if they have been displeased or frustrated with any constraint. It was concluded from the data that at higher traffic volumes (450 vehicles per hour or higher in one direction), the arrival rate of vehicles in the samples taken probably did not follow a Poisson distribution. A simple linear regression equation was developed to express the proportion of vehicles in platoons as a function of the total one-direction traffic volume. Two of the sites had shorter passing lanes, whereas the passing lane at the third site was almost twice as long as those at the other two sites. Passing success declined when headways were greater than 2.0 sec. At both the short-passing-lane and the long-passing-lane sites, when headways were 3.0 sec or more and platoon speeds were 80 kph (50 mph) or more, 85 percent of drivers did not exhibit a desire to pass. This suggests that many drivers find a low level of congestion or platooning on two-lane rural roads to be tolerable.
Reliable bioelectrical impedance analysis estimate of fat-free mass in liver, lung, and heart transplant patients.

Background: Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can be valuable in evaluating the fat-free (FFM) and fat masses (FM) in patients, provided that the BIA equation is valid in the subjects studied. The purpose of the clinical evaluation was to evaluate the applicability of a single BIA equation to predict FFM in pre- and posttransplant patients and to compare FFM and FM in transplant patients with healthy controls. Methods: Pre- and posttransplant liver, lung, and heart patients (159 men, 86 women) were measured by two methods—50-kHz BIA-derived FFM (FFMBIA) by Xitron instrument and DXA-derived FFM (FFMDXA) by Hologic QDR-4500 instrument—and compared with healthy controls (196 men, 129 women), aged 20 to 79 years. Results: The high correlation coefficient (r = .974), small bias (0.3 ± 2.3 kg), and small SEE (2.3 kg) suggest that BIA using the GENEVA equation is able to predict FFM in pre- and posttransplant patients. The study shows that the lower weight seen in transplant men and women than in controls w...
Preparation and characterization of desoctapeptide-insulin.

Abstract Desoctapeptide-insulin was prepared by tryptic digestion of insulin and was readily purified by chromatography in urea-containing buffers on columns of DEAE-Sephadex. The preparation was highly purified as judged by electrophoretic and amino acid analyses. The biologic activity of desoctapeptide-insulin was found to be less than 0.2 I.U./mg by mouse convulsion assay, and the immunologic reactivity was found by quantitative immune hemolysis to be about 1% of that of a standard insulin.
INSIGHT INTO THE FLUID-PHASE MISCIBILITY OF ESTER AND ETHER PHOSPHOLIPIDS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF NEAREST-NEIGHBOR RECOGNITION

The mixing behavior of three saturated ester phospholipids with one ether analog has been examined in the bilayer state by use of nearest-neighbor recognition methods [Vigmond, S. J.; Dewa, T.; Regen, S. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 7838]. Specifically, the miscibility of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DMPE), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE), and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DSPE) with 1,2-dihexadecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DHPE) has been investigated by analyzing mixtures of corresponding dithidipropionyl-based dimers that have been chemically equilibrated via thiolate−disulfide interchange reactions. In the fluid phase, those membranes derived from DMPE plus DHPE were found to exhibit lateral heterogeneity. In contrast, fluid membranes that were derived from DPPE plus DHPE, and also DSPE plus DHPE, were randomly arranged. Inclusion of cholesterol did not significantly alter the lateral distribution of any of these phospholipid m...
Down-regulation of α2 adrenoceptors in ventrolateral medulla of spontaneously hypertensive rats

The binding of [3H]idazoxan [correction of idaxazon] to imidazole sites and [3H]rauwolscine to alpha 2 adrenoceptors of neuronal membranes prepared from cerebral cortex and ventrolateral medulla of 10 week old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was determined. [3H]idazoxan [correction of idaxazon] bound to the membranes of cerebral cortex and ventrolateral medulla at a single high affinity site. The binding of [3H]idazoxan [correction of idaxazon] in ventrolateral medulla and cerebral cortex was found to be similar in SHR and WKY rats. [3H]Rauwolscine bound to the membranes of cerebral cortex and ventrolateral medulla at a single high affinity site. The binding of [3H]rauwolscine in the cerebral cortex was found to be similar in SHR and WKY rats. However, in the ventrolateral medulla [3H]rauwolscine binding was found to be significantly lower in SHR as compared to WKY rats. The decreased binding was due a decrease (32%) in the Bmax value in SHR rats as compared to WKY rats. The Kd values were similar in SHR and WKY rats. It is concluded that imidazole binding sites are not affected while, alpha 2 adrenergic binding sites are decreased in the ventrolateral medulla of SHR rats and may be contributing to the regulation of blood pressure.
Existence of solutions of a generalized Blasius equation

The theorem established includes, as a special case, the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the Falkner-Skan problem, where .f(y”) = X(1 Y’~), h > 0, and its special cases such as the Homan problem (A = t). The Blasius problem, h = 0, is omitted for convenience but, of course, it is well-known that it has a unique solution. So far as the special case of the Falkner-Skan problem, per se, is concerned the results of the paper are known. In this paper we establish a unique solution for a rather general boundary problem that includes problems frequently encountered in the study of boundary layer theory, the flow of fluids in general and, hopefully, elsewhere. The book [13] of H. Schlichting is a classical reference to boundary layer theory. The mathematics of the Falkner-Skan problem prior to about 1963 is very well brought together by Philip Hartman [7]. Major papers prior to 1963 include the original Falkner-Skan paper [6], papers of H. Weyl [14], W. A. Coppel [5] (which was prepared independently of the significant papers [I 1, 121 of R. Iglisch) and a paper of Philip Hartman [8] d evoted especially to the asymptotic behavior of solutions. Recent papers (of which [l, 2, 3, 4, 9, 101 are only a sample) have contributed to certain refinement questions such as reverse flow possibilities, further asymptotic properties, etc. In the present paper we are concerned with the existence and uniqueness of solutions of (1) with boundary conditions
Generalized framework for auxiliary extra dimensions

Abstract The theory of gravity with an auxiliary extra dimension is known to give the ghost-free cubic completion of the Fierz–Pauli mass term in the decoupling limit. Our work generalizes the boundary condition in the auxiliary dimension that avoids ghosts order-by-order, and to all orders, in the decoupling limit. Furthermore, we extend the formalism to the case of many auxiliary dimensions, and we show that the multi-dimensional extension with the rotationally invariant boundaries of the bulk, is equivalent to the model with a single auxiliary dimension. The above constructions require the appropriate adjustment of the boundary condition, which we discuss in detail. The other possible extension of the original model by the Gauss–Bonnet term is studied as well.
Performance dependence of SWCNT/n-silicon hybrid solar cells on the charge carrier concentration in silicon substrates

In this work, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/n-silicon based hybrid solar cells have been fabricated and characterized in order to investigate the effect of different doping levels/charge carrier concentrations in silicon. The SWCNT films were characterized by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy for optical absorption, photoluminescence spectroscopy for chirality determination, and resistivity measurements. The n-type silicon substrates were characterized by Hall-effect measurements for mobility of charges, charge carrier concentration, and resistivity measurements. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to study the morphology of SWCNT films. The solar cells were characterized by current–voltage measurements under AM1.5 solar irradiance. We have found that a heavily doped silicon substrate does not result in a functional solar cell, whereas lightly doped silicon substrate produces much less photocurrent. The SWCNT/n-silicon solar cells with silicon substrate resistivity of 1.82 Ω cm and change carrier concentration of 2.33 × 1015 produced the best power conversion efficiency of 2.35% among the silicon substrates under investigation. These studies provide sufficient insight into material selection parameters for the SWCNT/n-silicon solar cell architectures to optimize device efficiencies.
Amino acid and poly(ethylene glycol) based self-organizing polymeric systems: Chemo-enzymatic synthesis and characterization

A chemo/regio selective enzymatic methodology has been designed to synthesize amphiphilic copolymers based on amino acid diesters and poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG]. The condensation polymerization was catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozyme 435) under solvent-less conditions. The synthesized polymers 3a–c were derivatized with long chain acid chlorides by chemical acylation to get the amphiphilic polymers 4a–c. The physical properties of the synthesized amphiphilic polymers viz: aggregation number, critical micelle concentration (CMC), radius of gyration (Rg), hydrodynamic radius (Rh) and particle size distribution were studied by static and dynamic light scattering (SLS and DLS) techniques. The polymers were found to be promising in drug delivery applications.
The Sense of Scents: Olfactory Behaviors in the Zebrafish

The olfactory sensory system is perhaps the most intriguing of the sensory systems making up the peripheral nervous system. Understanding how olfactory sensory stimuli result in behaviors relevant to the animal is made complicated by the fact that olfactory stimuli are more difficult to quantify than light and sound stimuli. Furthermore, in all vertebrates the olfactory sensory neurons regenerate throughout life, presenting a fascinating problem of how both the functional repertoire of olfactory sensory neurons and fidelity of connections to the central nervous system are maintained. Olfactory behaviors are crucial for feeding and reproduction and the olfactory information essential to these behaviors appears to be processed separately in distinct regions of the central nervous system. Zebrafish represent an excellent model system in which the strength of genetics and development can be combined with neuroethological techniques to unravel the mechanisms underlying olfactory behaviors in vertebrate animals.
Membrane protein synthesis in Escherichia coli: sensitivity to chloramphenicol.

Abstract Analysis of the labeled proteins of Escherichia coli synthesized in the presence of chloramphenicol (30 or 100 μg/ml) showed: (A) no significant difference in the relative inhibitions of the envelope and cytoplasmic fractions but striking differences in the gel electrophoresis patterns of preparations from chloramphenicol-treated cells versus exponential phase cells; and (B) the average molecular weight of proteins labeled in chloramphenicol (100 μg/ml) was almost half the average of proteins from cells labeled in the absence of chloramphenicol, suggesting that they probably include some incomplete peptides. These results suggest that septation occurs in bacteria by assembly of preexisting envelope proteins in mutants that divide in the presence of high concentrations of chloramphenicol (100 μg/ml).
Inhibition of ovarian cancer cell proliferation by a cell cycle inhibitory peptide fused to a thermally responsive polypeptide carrier

Current treatment of solid tumors is limited by normal tissue tolerance, resulting in a narrow therapeutic index. To increase drug specificity and efficacy and to reduce toxicity in normal tissues, we have developed a polypeptide carrier for a cell cycle inhibitory peptide, which has the potential to be thermally targeted to the tumor site. The design of this polypeptide is based on elastin-like polypeptide (ELP). The coding sequence of ELP was modified by the addition of the cell penetrating peptide Bac-7 at the N-terminus and a 23 amino acid peptide derived from p21 at the C-terminus (Bac-ELP1-p21). Bac-ELP1-p21 is soluble in aqueous solutions below physiological temperature (37°C) but aggregates when the temperature is raised above 39°C, making it a promising thermally responsive therapeutic carrier that may be actively targeted to solid tumors by application of focused hyperthermia. While Bac-ELP1-p21 at 37°C did not have any effect on SKOV-3 cell proliferation, the use of hyperthermia increased the antiproliferative effect of Bac-ELP1-p21 compared with a thermally unresponsive control polypeptide. Bac-ELP1-p21 displayed both a cytoplasmic and nuclear distribution in the SKOV-3 cells, with nuclear-localized polypeptide enriched in the heated cells, as revealed by confocal microscopy. Using Western blotting, we show that Bac-ELP1-p21 caused a decrease in Rb phosphorylation levels in cells treated at 42°C. The polypeptide also induced caspase activation, PARP cleavage, and cell cycle arrest in S-phase and G2/M-phase. These studies indicate that ELP is a promising macromolecular carrier for the delivery of cell cycle inhibitory peptides to solid tumors.
Self-Calibrating Mass Flow Sensor

This paper discusses the development of a method for on-the-fly, self-calibration of a mass-flow sensing system on a harvest combine in order to enable accurate mass-flow sensing and, consequently, yield mapping, under varying input conditions, for example due to changes in the moisture content of harvested grains or the aging of elevator paddles. The proposed method relies on a known or estimated physics-based relationship between the grain dynamics through the grain elevator and a measured force imparted on an impact plate through collisions with the grains. The paper provides a summary description of the modeled relationship between the rate of mass flow and impact-plate sensor readout and conceptualizes the self-calibration scheme through the introduction of an additional, controllable, degree of freedom of the plate. The validity of the self-calibration technique is illustrated through off-line application to bench-top and full-scale experimental test data.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
High‐Stakes Testing and English Language Learners: Using Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Literacy Practices in the High School English Classroom

This multicase study investigated the impact of high-stakes testing on the literacy practices of teachers of high school English language learners (ELLs) in three Long Island, New York, school districts, in one of the most racially and socioeconomically segregated regions of the United States. The goal of the study was to explore what kinds of literacy tasks and materials were implemented in order to develop ELLs' literacy skills and prepare them to be successful on the state's high-stakes English exam. Findings indicate that all four teachers participating in the study engaged in (a) instructional activities and materials that directly prepared students for the state's high-stakes exam (teaching to the test) and (b) culturally and linguistically responsive practices. It is also apparent from the data that teachers were addressing the duality of helping students succeed on the exam and preparing them to become lifelong learners by reflecting on the impact of high-stakes testing on students' diverse needs.
Politics in the Schools: A Case for Partisan Board Elections.

In this article the author contends that the selection of school board members through partisan elections can improve board effectiveness. Prior to developing his position through five propositions...
A THERMODYNAMIC MECHANISM BEHIND AN ACTION POTENTIAL AND BEHIND ANESTHESIA

It has been proposed that an action potential going through a nerve cell is not merely an electrochemical phenomenon, but also involves a traveling wave of compression and partial freezing of the lipid bilayer membrane. Below we present the results of experiments that are intended to discriminate between the electrochemical and the thermodynamic mechanism. We find that a nerve that is affected by an anesthetic can nevertheless reach the same compound action potential as an unaffected nerve when it receives a higher stimulus voltage. The result is hard to reconcile with the electrochemical Hodgkin–Huxley model and consistent with the thermodynamic mechanism.
Platonism and mathematical intuition in Kurt Go¨del's thought

The best known and most widely discussed aspect of Kurt GA¶del's philosophy of mathematics is undoubtedly his robust realism or platonism about mathematical objects and mathematical knowledge. This has scandalized many philosophers but probably has done so less in recent years than earlier. Bertrand Russell's report in his autobiography of one or more encounters with GA¶del is well known: GA¶del turned out to be an unadulterated Platonist, and apparently believed that an eternal â€œnotâ€ was laid up in heaven, where virtuous logicians might hope to meet it hereafter. On this GA¶del commented: Concerning my â€œunadulteratedâ€ Platonism, it is no more unadulterated than Russell's own in 1921 when in the Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy â€¦ he said, â€œLogic is concerned with the real world just as truly as zoology, though with its more abstract and general features.â€ At that time evidently Russell had met the â€œnotâ€ even in this world, but later on under the infuence of Wittgenstein he chose to overlook it. One of the tasks I shall undertake here is to say something about what GA¶del's platonism is and why he held it. A feature of GA¶del's view is the manner in which he connects it with a strong conception of mathematical intuition, strong in the sense that it appears to be a basic epistemological factor in knowledge of highly abstract mathematics, in particular higher set theory. Other defenders of intuition in the foundations of mathematics, such as Brouwer and the traditional intuitionists, have a much more modest conception of what mathematical intuition will accomplish.
Southern African contradictions: Part I, the role of U.S. based multinational corporations (MNCs)

This is the first of two articles which seek to explain how the distorted growth of South Africa has enabled it to dominate and underdevelop the entire southern African region while itself becoming increasingly dependent externally on Western multinational corporations. A simple model provides the theoretical framework for this analysis. A brief historial sketch of the handful of powerful mining finance houses, led by the Anglo American Group involving U.S. and British interests, have joined the racist South African Government to build state capitalism and coerce the black Africn majority to work for less than subsistence wages. In this context, the largest U.S. multinational corporations, many of them linked through their boards of directors and financial ties to each other and high U.S. officials, play an increasingly critical role in providing sorely-needed capital and advanced technology to strengthen South Africa's industrial complex. At the same time, U.S. interests are attempting to influence the South African black trade union movement to acquiesce to the basic structure of the resulting exploitative political economy.
THE USE OF A TANTALUM-BASED AUGMENTATION PATELLA IN PATIENTS WITH A PREVIOUS PATELLECTOMY

Patients with previous patellectomies for anterior knee pain syndrome, can remain symptomatic and develop osteoarthrosis or instability. We report our experience of the use of a novel implant to substitute for the absent native patella. Seven patients, with previous patellectomies, were treated with the Augmentation Patella (Zimmer, Allendale, USA). This implant was sutured to the patellar tendon, as part of a patello-femoral joint replacement (four cases) or total knee replacement (three cases). In three patients, the implant loosened and failed within 15 months. Two patients remained symptomatic despite solid fixation. One patient developed wound complications due to the bulk of the implant, and the procedure was abandoned in one patient as wound closure was not possible. The results of this implant in our patients with previous patellectomies have been disappointing. Previous studies where this implant has been used, have also shown high loosening and failure rates. We do not recommend its use to substitute for the absent patella.