cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rabbit ileal brush-border membrane Cl-HCO3 exchanger is activated by an internal pH-sensitive modifier site

The purpose of these studies was to look for evidence of a pH-sensitive modifier site on the Cl-HCO3 exchanger on the brush-border membrane in rabbit ileum utilizing membrane vesicles. When internal pH and HCO3 were increased, Cl uptake was stimulated in a sigmoidal fashion consistent with a modifier effect. Increasing internal HCO3 alone did not have a similar effect, and increasing pH alone in the absence of HCO3 resulted in very little uptake of Cl. These results suggested that OH was a poor substrate for the exchanger but that it "activated" the transport of HCO3. Further evidence for this hypothesis was provided by the observation that increasing internal pH also stimulated Cl-Cl exchange. Altering the membrane potential with K and valinomycin had no effect on Cl uptake at high internal pH, suggesting no change in the 1:1 coupling ratio for Cl-HCO3 exchange at high internal pH. These studies provide evidence that there is an internal pH-sensitive modifier site on the Cl-HCO3 exchanger.
The Chief Accountant and Mathematical Friend of Ramanujan—S. Narayana Aiyar

AbstractS. Narayana Aiyar was chief accountant at the Madras Port Trust office, where Ramanujan worked as a clerk in 1912–1914. In this article, a short biography of S. Narayana Aiyar is given, his...
Single-pot ZnO nanostructure synthesis by chemical bath deposition and their applications

Abstract ZnO is commonly synthesized using many different techniques. Among them, the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique is appealing as it is low cost and environmentally friendly, owing partly to the low temperature conditions used. An exploration of the variety of ZnO nanostructures that can be synthesized using this technique is presented in this study. ZnO fibers, nanorods, cauliflowers, nanorod balls, nanoforest, nanopencils, ellipsoids and nanotubes are synthesized using CBD by using different additives and conditions that alter the growth of the ZnO nanostructures. The application of these nanostructures in a wide variety of devices is analyzed.
Multispectral fluorescence imaging of human ovarian and fallopian tube tissue for early-stage cancer detection

With early detection, 5-year survival rates for ovarian cancer exceed 90%, yet no effective early screening method exists. Emerging consensus suggests over 50% of the most lethal form of the disease originates in the fallopian tube. Twenty-eight women undergoing oophorectomy or debulking surgery provided informed consent for the use of surgical discard tissue samples for multispectral fluorescence imaging. Using multiple ultraviolet and visible excitation wavelengths and emissions bands, 12 fluorescence and 6 reflectance images of 47 ovarian and 31 fallopian tube tissue samples were recorded. After imaging, each sample was fixed, sectioned, and stained for pathological evaluation. Univariate logistic regression showed cancerous tissue samples had significantly lower intensity than noncancerous tissue for 17 image types. The predictive power of multiple image types was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression (MLR) and quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA). Two MLR models each using two image types had receiver operating characteristic curves with area under the curve exceeding 0.9. QDA determined 56 image type combinations with perfect resubstituting using as few as five image types. Adaption of the system for future in vivo fallopian tube and ovary endoscopic imaging is possible, which may enable sensitive detection of ovarian cancer with no exogenous contrast agents.
Pathway Interventions and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: The Case of Mary Anne

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex and typically chronic illness, producing a wide variety of symptoms and an unpredictable course. SLE is an autoimmune condition, commonly affecting the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs. This article describes the application of a multilevel integrative care plan, following the pathways model, to assist a patient with SLE in managing and moderating symptoms and improving quality of life. The patient, Mary Anne, was a 33-year-old female nurse with a 14-year history of SLE. Her initial response to lupus was biomedical, with a passive reliance on a wide range of medications and an increasingly inactive, sedentary lifestyle. Along with lupus she developed obesity, hypertension, migraine, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety. Her rheumatologist referred her for behavioral health interventions to help her to learn nonpharmacologic forms of pain management and motivate her for illness self-management for her various chronic conditions. The interv...
Minimizing additive distortion functions with non-binary embedding operation in steganography

Most practical steganographic algorithms for empirical covers embed messages by minimizing a sum of per-pixel distortions. Current near-optimal codes for this minimization problem [7] are limited to a binary embedding operation. In this paper, we extend this work to embedding operations of larger cardinality. The need for embedding changes of larger amplitude and the merit of this construction are confirmed experimentally by implementing an adaptive embedding algorithm for digital images and comparing its security to other schemes.
Incorporating poly(3-hexyl thiophene) into orthogonally aligned cylindrical nanopores of titania for optoelectronics

Abstract The incorporation of hole conducting polymer poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) into the 8–9 nm cylindrical nanopores of titania is investigated using films with a unique orthogonally oriented hexagonal close packed mesostructure. The films are synthesized using evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) with Pluronic triblock copolymer F127 as the structure directing agent. The orthogonally oriented cylindrical nanopore structure was chosen over a cubic structure because confinement in uniform cylindrical channels is hypothesized to enhance hole conductivity of P3HT by inducing local polymer chain ordering. Orthogonal orientation of the cylindrical nanopores is achieved by modifying the substrate (FTO-coated glass slides) with crosslinked F127. After thermal treatment to remove organic templates from the films, P3HT is infiltrated into the nanopores by spin coating a 1 wt% P3HT solution in chlorobenzene onto the titania films followed by thermal annealing under vacuum at 200 °C. The results show that infiltration is essentially complete after 30 min of annealing, with little or no further infiltration thereafter. A final infiltration depth of ∼14 nm is measured for P3HT into the nanopores of titania using neutron reflectometry measurements. Photoluminescence measurements demonstrate that charge transfer at the P3HT-TiO 2 interface improves as the P3HT is infiltrated into the pores, suggesting that an active organic-inorganic heterojuction is formed in the materials.
Survival and detection of coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, and gram-negative bacteria in Greek yogurt

Despite the widespread use of coliforms as indicator bacteria, increasing evidence suggests that the Enterobacteriaceae (EB) and total gram-negative groups more accurately reflect the hygienic status of high-temperature, short-time pasteurized milk and processing environments. If introduced into milk as postpasteurization contamination, these bacteria may grow to high levels and produce a wide range of sensory-related defects. However, limited information is available on the use and survival of bacterial hygiene indicators in dairy products outside of pasteurized fluid milk and cheese. The goal of this study was to (1) provide information on the survival of a diverse set of bacterial hygiene indicators in the low pH environment of Greek yogurt, (2) compare traditional and alternative detection methods for their ability to detect bacterial hygiene indicators in Greek yogurt, and (3) offer insight into optimal hygiene indicator groups for use in low-pH fermented dairy products. To this end, we screened 64 bacterial isolates, representing 24 dairy-relevant genera, for survival and detection in Greek yogurt using 5 testing methods. Before testing, isolates were inoculated into plain, 0% fat Greek yogurt (pH 4.35 to 4.65), followed by a 12-h hold period at 4 ± 1°C. Yogurts were subsequently tested using Coliform Petrifilm (3M, St. Paul, MN) to detect coliforms; Enterobacteriaceae Petrifilm (3M), violet red bile glucose agar and the D-Count (bioMerieux, Marcy-l'Etoile, France) to detect EB; and crystal violet tetrazolium agar (CVTA) to detect total gram-negative bacteria. Overall, the non-EB gram-negative isolates showed significantly larger log reductions 12 h after inoculation into Greek yogurt (based on bacterial numbers recovered on CVTA) compared with the coliform and noncoliform EB isolates tested. The methods evaluated varied in their ability to detect different microbial hygiene indicators in Greek yogurt. Crystal violet tetrazolium agar detected the highest portion of coliforms, whereas EB Petrifilm detected the highest portion of EB, as well as highest portion of total gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, the D-Count method allowed for faster detection of EB in yogurt by generating results in approximately 13 h rather than the 24 h required when using EB Petrifilm and violet red bile glucose agar. Results from this study indicate that the coliform and EB groups encompass a broad range of dairy-relevant gram-negative bacteria with the ability to survive in Greek yogurt, supporting their use as microbial hygiene indicator groups in low-pH fermented dairy products.
Myelopathy Due to Spinal Paraganglioma

Paraganglioma is a rare tumor arising from extra-adrenal paraganglia and accounts for 0.3 % of all neoplasms. Less common sites include the retroperitoneum, the para-arotic region, bladder, filum terminale, skull, larynx and others. According to Zileli et al. 2008, paragangliomas are tumors that arise from the paraganglia cells of the autonomic nervous system, ultimately derived from the neural crest. The majority of paragangliomas are nonfunctional and benign; however, they may produce excess catecholamines or have malignant potential. Paragangliomas arise within or near the carotid bod or the glomus jugulare in 80–90 % of cases. Other locations are the middle ear, thyroid, GI tract and pancreas. In the CNS paragangliomas have been seen in the pineal region, the petrous ridge, and the sella turcica. Paragangliomas of the spine are uncommon and usually present as intradural tumors within the cauda equina, thoracic tumors are even more rare.
The Seam Between Romanticism and Realism

This essay examines "Life in the Iron Mills" to discern the differences and similarities between American Romanticism and Realism. Using popular convention of both literary movements, this study shows that "Life in the Iron Mills" is a unique piece of writing that straddles the line between the two movements in its own distinct way. The contributing factors to his conclusion are related to labor, environment, history, and more. A confirmed piece of Romanticism and Realism are used for comparison to show that "Life" is a hybrid genre that serves the time in which it was written, and the subject matter that it discusses.
Floods and Deserts: Why the Dream of a Secure Pension for Everyone Is Still Unattained

Many public defined-benefit pension plans, after entering this century adequately funded, have become seriously underfunded because pension sponsors behaviorally “anchored” on exceptionally high stock market returns in 1982–1999. They made pension promises and budgeted for pension contributions as if these high returns would continue. Instead, starting in 2000, returns were well below expectations. In addition, the present values of plan liabilities have mushroomed because interest rates have fallen to historic lows. The authors suggest that public plan sponsors and beneficiaries can contribute to fixing their pension programs by improving public sector productivity and using the cost savings from these gains to fill current funding gaps.
Preoperative dilatation to facilitate repair of the high transverse vaginal septum

A difficult resection and anastomosis of the high transverse vaginal septum at puberty may result in long-term vaginal stenosis. In this report, we describe an alternative approach to the patient with a transverse vaginal septum to include the following: (1) US-directed needle aspiration with broad spectrum antibiotic prophylaxis to decompress the hematocolpos and relieve the acute pain; (2) continuous suppression of ovulation to prevent acute recurrence of the hematocolpos; and, most importantly, (3) vaginal dilatation before resection of the obstructing membrane to lengthen the lower vagina and ensure postoperative compliance with dilatation before vaginal anastomosis is attempted. Using this approach, we have obtained excellent results in three patients. Further study is necessary to validate this surgical modification.
Bending or Breaking: Appropriating edTPA Policy in Special Education Teacher Education:

The Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) has been widely adopted in schools of higher education across the United States. Different state education departments have set policies, to varying degre...
Renal cancer at unenhanced CT: imaging features, detection rates, and outcomes

To describe and quantify the rate of detection of renal cancer on unenhanced CT. This retrospective, HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. Electronic health records for all patients who underwent unenhanced abdominal CT at our institution between 2000 and 2005 were reviewed to identify patients subsequently diagnosed with renal cancer during a follow-up period of up to 12 years. Images were reviewed to determine if the cancer was visible at index (first) unenhanced CT and their findings recorded. Original radiology reports were reviewed to determine whether the renal cancer was reported; Fisher’s Exact Test compared imaging features of detected and missed cancers. Clinical outcomes including time until diagnosis and stage at diagnosis were used to assess the potential impact of missed cancers. Of 15,695 patients, 82 (0.52%) were diagnosed with renal cancer. Of these, 43/82 (52%) cancers were retrospectively detectable on index unenhanced CT. Among retrospectively detectable cancers, 63% (27/43) were originally detected and reported on index CT and 37% (16/43) were missed. Size was the only feature associated with detection; 83% (20/24) of cancers > 3.0 cm were detected versus 37% (7/19) of cancers ≤ 3.0 cm (p = 0.0036). Although none of the 16 missed renal cancers developed metastases between index CT and time of diagnosis (median 33.5 months), 4 (25%) progressed in stage. Renal cancer was rare in patients undergoing unenhanced abdominal CT. Over one-third of potentially detectable cancers were missed prospectively. However, missed cancers did not metastasize and infrequently progressed in stage before being diagnosed.
Creative and Imaginative Thinking

Creativity and imagination are defined and distinguished from one another. Various models are described and research supporting them is summarized. Divergent thinking, stage models, and the role of both controlled and undirected processes are tied to creativity and imagination. Extra- and meta-cognitive (e.g., tactical, strategic) contributions to creative and imaginative thinking are recognized and implications for businesses, organizations, and the understanding of development and the fulfillment of potential are each briefly explored.
Neutron Scattering as a Probe of Magnetic Superconductors and Intermediate Valence Compounds

Owing to the fortunate circumstances of their possessing a magnetic moment, neutrons have been for over 25 years a central tool in our microscopic investigations of magnetic phenomena in condensed matter. This is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future as well. In this article, I shall attempt to review what neutron scattering has revealed in recent years about two rapidly expanding areas of magnetism. The first is the field of the so-called “magnetic superconductors” which got its impetus from the discovery of certain families of ternary compounds [1,2] in the late seventies. The second is the field of intermediate valence and so-called “Kondo-type” magnetic materials, which have also been vigorously studied since the mid-seventies. The physics in both of these areas is not completely understood at present, but neutrons have turned out to be a very useful probe in these investigations.
Abstract # 2065 Markers of peripheral immune cells are increased in regions of blood-brain barrier disruption after repetitive blast injury

Cycles of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption have been observed in a variety of rodent brain injury models. Changes in BBB permeability are correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokine production and brain infiltration of peripheral leukocytes. Whether the influx of peripheral leukocytes through a permeable BBB affords prolonged neuroprotection, or promotes detrimental changes to the anatomical site of entry remains to be elucidated. In a mouse model of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI), we observed brain-region specific BBB permeability to radiolabeled albumin at 72 h. Moreover, we measured an increase in pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF α ) protein expression and mRNA abundance in brain regions vulnerable to BBB disruption. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) attenuated TNF α levels and abrogated albumin permeability. We hypothesize that leukocyte infiltration into vulnerable brain regions after TBI may also be mediated by nitric oxide dependent mechanisms. Using flow cytometry, we measured an increase of blood-derived monocytes (Ly6C/G-high and CD45-high) and T-cells (CD3+ and CD4+) in brain regions vulnerable to BBB disruption at 72 h post-TBI. The physiological process of leukocyte infiltration could be driven by nitric oxide dependent mechanisms, which could be exploited, at the right time, to assist in chronic neurotrauma resolution.
Design and modeling of biomimetic soft jellyfish robots with IPMC actuators (Conference Presentation)

Smart materials and soft robotics have been seen to be particularly well suited for developing biomimetic devices and are active fields of research. In this presentation, the design, modeling, and optimization of a new biomimetic soft robot is discussed. In particular, we will discuss the modeling of a biomimetic robot based on the locomotion and kinematics of jellyfish. Modifications were made to the governing equations for jellyfish locomotion that accounted for geometric differences between biology and the robotic design. Particularly, the capability of the model to account for the mass and geometry of the robot design. Also, the linear beam theory is coupled to an equivalent circuit model to actuate the robot with ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators. The newly created physics-based model of the soft robot is compared to that of the geometric model as well as biological jellyfish swimming to highlight its improved efficiency. The optimized design shows clear improvement over the unoptimized counterpart, with the newly proposed biomimetic swimming mode offering enhanced swimming efficiency.
Impaired Conflict Detection Differentiates Suicide Attempters From Ideating Nonattempters: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials

Abstract Background Existing research suggests that inhibitory control deficits may differentiate individuals who think about suicide from those who make a suicide attempt. However, no available research, to our knowledge, has examined whether suicidal behaviors are associated with disruptions in the ability to determine when inhibitory control is needed or the ability to engage inhibition of an inappropriate or maladaptive behavior. The current study utilized event-related potentials to investigate specific facets of inhibitory control and their associations with suicide attempt history among a heterogeneous clinical sample who reported current suicidal ideation. Methods Ideators with no past suicide attempts (n = 46) and those with a history of suicide attempts (n = 22) completed a complex go/no-go task. Raw waveforms and temporospatial principal components analysis were used to index conflict detection (i.e., ΔN2) and motor inhibition (i.e., ΔP3a). Behavioral performance indices were also examined. Results Suicide attempters exhibited deficits in detecting the need for inhibitory control, as indexed by a more positive ΔN2 factor, than did ideating nonattempters, even when accounting for psychiatric comorbidity and age. However, these results only emerged in the principal components analysis–derived latent factor. No differences in behavioral performance or ΔP3a amplitude emerged. Conclusions A relative inability to detect when to inhibit a maladaptive behavior, but not the ability to engage motor inhibition to stop that behavior, may distinguish suicide ideators who make a suicide attempt from those who do not. However, future research with prospective designs are needed to determine how conflict detection deficits may contribute to the emergence or escalation of a suicidal crisis.
Integrating Mindfulness Into Eating Behaviors

Food choices and eating behaviors are influenced by a wide variety of factors. However, traditional dietary advice primarily addresses health-related reasons for eating. Lifestyle medicine outcomes may be improved by helping individuals become more aware of why they eat and support individuals to increase their skills in reconciling eating for health and nonhealth purposes. Intuitive eating aims to increase individuals' awareness of why, what, and how much they eat through mindfulness. This framework and concepts such as flexible restraint can be used to teach individuals skills that may help them improve psychological well-being and manage their weight.
Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World Today

For the past 30 years, the question of the compatibility of human rights and liberal democratic regimes with the civilizational heritage of Muslim-majority societies has figured prominently in West...
Opening the Minds’ Eye: The Pivotal Role of Sympathy in Depression Coverage Effectiveness

Depression is one of the most severe health threats to the college student population. Depression communication plays an essential role in reducing stigma and discrimination against sufferers. Howe...
Use of the Pigmented Lesion Assay to rapidly screen a patient with numerous clinically atypical pigmented lesions.

The goal of early melanoma detection is to biopsy melanomas before they become invasive and avoid unnecessary biopsies of benign pigmented lesions.1 Noninvasive gene expression profile testing has the potential to serve both purposes by improving clinical diagnostic accuracy and informing biopsy decision making. The Pigmented Lesion Assay (PLA) (DermTech, La Jolla, CA) involves tape-stripping lesions to obtain stratum corneum from which RNA is isolated and expression levels of the noncoding long RNA Linc00518 (Linc) and PRAME genes are assessed.2 Lesions showing elevated expression levels of both Linc and PRAME, either Linc or PRAME, or neither gene are interpreted as high, moderate, or low risk, respectively.2 In a validation study of 398 pigmented lesions, Gerami and colleagues3 reported that the PLA test had a 91% sensitivity and 69% specificity for histologic diagnosis of melanoma. Reports of the diagnostic performance of the PLA test have been limited to individual lesions from separate patients. To our knowledge, its utility in screening patients with numerous clinically atypical pigmented lesions has not been described.
The Oxygen-Affinity of Hemoglobin: Influence of Blood Replacement and Hemodilution after Cardiac Surgery

Red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) is an important factor affecting the affinity between oxygen and hemoglobin (2). The infusion of stored blood during and after operations employing cardiopulmonary bypass produces a decrease in the 2,3-DPG concentration in erythrocytes (4,5). Low concentrations cause an increase of the oxygen affinity for hemoglobin resulting in a left shifted oxygen dissociation curve. From a high arterial oxygen tension to a given tissue pO2, less oxygen is unloaded from the blood to the tissue. In addition, blood loss and fluid replacement during and after surgery cause an acute decrease of hemoglobin, lowering the arterial oxygen content. Oxygen transport to the tissues may be compensated by an increase in cardiac output or oxygen extraction. Reduced hemoglobin concentration has been found to decrease affinity of oxygen for hemoglobin by adaptive rise in red cell 2,3-DPG (6,9). The purpose of this study was to examine the possible compensation of the progressing hemodilution by a decreasing oxygen affinity to hemoglobin in order to maintain a sufficient oxygen supply to the tissue.
Hierarchical Frequency Control in Multi-Area Power Systems with Prioritized Utilization of Inverter Based Resources

We propose a new hierarchical frequency control design for multi-area power system models integrated with renewable energy resources. Primary control is proposed based on fast re-dispatch of available headroom in the renewable capacity following a contingency. Secondary control is applied using a new optimization-based approach named Area Prioritized Power Flow (APPF). The APPF methodology prioritizes and maximizes the utilization of area-specific Inverter Based Resources (IBRs). Results are validated using simulations of a 9-machine, 6-IBR, 33-bus, 3-area power system model to show that APPF ensures better steady-state performance, while the hierarchical actuation of IBR setpoints improves the dynamic frequency response performance. The overall scheme mitigates a disturbance faster and more efficiently by prioritizing the use of local area-resources.
Abstract 3220: Adiponectin, Insulin Resistance (HOMA), and the HOMA/Adiponectin Ratio: Powerful Predictors of Prospective Coronary Heart Disease Risk in the Framingham Offspring Study

Our aim in this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that a low plasma adiponectin level is an independent predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD), since the data are conflicting. We measured adiponectin, glucose, and insulin levels in stored plasma samples (−80°C) in a total of 3,188 male and female participatants in cycle 6 of the Framingham Offspring Study (1995–1998). HOMA index was calculated as a parameter of insulin resistance. In the prospective analysis, we excluded CHD cases at baseline and followed up the rest of the participants for a mean of 7.5 years. At baseline, mean age was 57 years in both men and women, while the mean BMI was 28.5 kg/m 2 in men and 27.3 kg/m 2 in women. Plasma adiponectin levels (mean±SD) were significantly lower in female CHD cases than in female controls (13.8±6.8 vs. 15.8±7.8, p=0.0121), while in men, such differences did not reach a statistical significance (9.9±5.4 in CHD vs. 10.1±5.1 in controls, p=0.27). In the prospective analysis, we adjusted for age, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, treatment for hypertension, diabetes status, use of cholesterol-lowering medication, total cholesterol level, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. After adjustment, a decreased plasma adiponec-tin level was a highly significant predictor of future CHD events (n-117) in men, with a hazards ratio of 0.4822 (p=0.0029). A bottom-quartile value of
Interaction and extended cognition

In contemporary philosophy of the cognitive sciences, proponents of the ‘Hypothesis of Extended Cognition’ (HEC) have focused on demonstrating how cognitive processes at times extend beyond the boundaries of the human body to include external physical devices. In recent years the HEC framework has been put to use in cases of “socially” extended cognition. The guiding intuition in this paper is that exploring the cognitive incorporations of genuinely social elements may advance HEC debates. The paper provides an analysis of emotion regulation in ‘dyadic synchronic interaction’ between infant and caretaker and argues that some ‘socially extended’ cases of cognition cannot be captured with the HEC. Instead, the ‘Hypothesis of Emergent Extended Cognition’ (HEEC) is introduced that complements the HEC and helps in understanding how cognitive properties are sometimes irreducibly emergent, non-programmed properties of coupled social systems. It will be concluded that operating with the HEEC leads to both a more precise grip on the explanandum and to a more robust explanans.
An ETL gate array implementation of a 2.5 Gb/s, 48-bit wide, channel programmable demultiplexer for fiber optic data transmission

Describes unique circuit and logic design techniques in the implementation of a 48-channel programmable demultiplexer using a mature, high-yielding, bipolar ECL gate array for data transmission at 2.5 Gb/s. The new high-frequency macros and the unique design of the timing control circuitry enable a mature process technology to be used to more than double the operating rate of the technology compared to standard methods. >
Chapter 32 Financial intermediation and the market for credit

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the services produced by financial intermediaries (FIs) and their role in the allocation of credit. For FIsto provide valuable qualitative asset transformation (QAT) services, they must take on unavoidable risks. These risks create potential instabilities in the financial services industry and give rise to a rationale for regulatory intervention to stabilize the industry. However, the level of risks assumed by an FI is manipulable, and it is difficult to tell which risks are essential for QAT and which risks are speculative in nature. Regulation intended to enhance the stability of the industry can create perverse private incentives for individual FIs to take excessive risks, paving the way for further regulatory intervention to monitor/control these incentives. Hence, regulation and the raison d’etre for the existence of FIs are intertwined. While this observation suggests that a completely unregulated banking system may be a myth, it does not make a case for highly intrusive regulation either. Recent work on a borrower's choice of financing source from a menu consisting of venture capitalists, banks and the capital market suggests that the manner in which these financing sources (banks in particular) are regulated is likely to affect the services they provide and hence the allocation of credit in the economy.
MnTBAP reduces diet-induced adiposity independent of β-adrenergic receptor signaling (854.8)

Manganese tetrakis benzoic acid porphyrin (MnTBAP) is a superoxide dismutase mimetic that has recently been shown to reduce visceral adiposity (Pires et al., 2013). In visceral fat of mice treated with MnTBAP, we have observed significant increases in hormone sensitive lipase activity and PGC-1α expression. These observations indicate that MnTBAP may activate the sympathetic nervous system, which is known to stimulate lipolysis and brown/beige adipocyte activity. To test whether the ability of MnTBAP to reduce adiposity is dependent on β-adrenergic receptor signaling, mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) or a low fat diet (LFD) for six months. During the last six weeks of the dietary intervention mice were treated with MnTBAP alone or in combination with a β-adrenergic receptor antagonist cocktail (β-Blockers) containing propranolol and the β3-adrenergic receptor antagonist SR59230A. Prior to treatment, mice fed a HFD weighed significantly more than mice fed a LFD, but no significant differences in body we...
Genome wide identification of regulatory motifs in Bacillus subtilis

To explain the vastly different phenotypes exhibited by the same organism under different conditions, it is essential that we understand how the organism's genes are coordinately regulated. While there are many excellent tools for predicting sequences encoding proteins or RNA genes, few algorithms exist to predict regulatory sequences on a genome wide scale with no prior information. To identify motifs involved in the control of transcription, an algorithm was developed that searches upstream of operons for improbably frequent dimers. The algorithm was applied to the B. subtilis genome, which is predicted to encode for approximately 200 DNA binding proteins. The dimers found to be over-represented could be clustered into 317 distinct groups, each thought to represent a class of motifs uniquely recognized by some transcription factor. For each cluster of dimers, a representative weight matrix was derived and scored over the regions upstream of the operons to predict the sites recognized by the cluster's factor, and a putative regulon of the operons immediately downstream of the sites was inferred. The distribution in number of operons per predicted regulon is comparable to that for well characterized transcription factors. The most highly over-represented dimers matched σ A , the T-box, and σ W sites. We have evidence to suggest that at least 52 of our clusters of dimers represent actual regulatory motifs, based on the groups' weight matrix matches to experimentally characterized sites, the functional similarity of the component operons of the groups' regulons, and the positional biases of the weight matrix matches. All predictions are assigned a significance value, and thresholds are set to avoid false positives. Where possible, we examine our false negatives, drawing examples from known regulatory motifs and regulons inferred from RNA expression data. We have demonstrated that in the case of B. subtilis our algorithm allows for the genome wide identification of regulatory sites. As well as recovering known sites, we predict new sites of yet uncharacterized factors. Results can be viewed at http://www.physics.rockefeller.edu/~mwangi/ .
Political Equality and Nationalist Opposition in the French Colonial Empire

Why did nationalist movements seeking independence erupt in the 20th century French Empire? Why did demands to reform and reshape colonial rule give way to nationalist demands to end it? What prompted those living under imperial rule to begin making nationalist demands? Though the answers to these questions may seem obvious in hindsight, in fact nationalist mobilization against colonial rule varied considerably. Despite an international environment increasingly hostile to imperial rule and favorable to the principle of self-determination, nationalist opposition in the colonial world was neither omnipresent nor automatic. Nationalist claims were not the only claims colonized populations articulated; indeed in many places and time periods, they were not the dominant way to oppose colonialism. This paper investigates how and why nationalist mobilization replaced calls to reform colonial rule. It argues that nationalist mobilization only erupted when and where the French refused to make colonial subjects political equals. It was not ethnic, racial, or religious differences that prompted nationalism in the empire, but exclusion: the failure of the French to extend rights to colonized subjects triggered a turn to nationalism.
A presumptive helicase (MOT1 gene product) affects gene expression and is required for viability in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract Exposure of a haploid yeast cell to mating pheromone induces transcription of a set of genes. Induction is mediated through a cis-acting DNA sequence found upstream of all pheromone-responsive genes. Although the STE12 gene product binds specifically to this sequence element and is required for maximum levels of both basal and induced transcription, not all pheromone-responsive genes are regulated in an identical manner. To investigate whether additional factors may play a role in transcription of these genes, a genetic screen was used to identify mutants able to express pheromone-responsive genes constitutively in the absence of Ste12. In this way, we identified a recessive, single gene mutation (mot1, for modifier of transcription) which increases the basal level of expression of several, but not all, pheromone-responsive genes. The mot1-1 allele also relaxes the requirement for at least one other class of upstream activating sequence and enhances the expression of another gene not previously thought to be involved in the mating pathway. Cells carrying mot1-1 grow slowly at 30 degrees C and are inviable at 38 degrees C. The MOT1 gene was cloned by complementation of this temperature-sensitive lethality. Construction of a null allele confirmed that MOT1 is an essential gene. MOT1 residues on chromosome XVI and encodes a large protein of 1,867 amino acids which contains all seven of the conserved domains found in known and putative helicases. The product of MOT1 is strikingly homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SNF2/SW12 and RAD54 gene products over the entire helicase region.
Empirical Software Engineering Research Ethics

Software engineering - unlike other empirical fields such as psychology, medicine, anthropology - has yet to address ethical principles and their application to data collection and analysis. This pane1 will explore ethical issues, in particular, with regards to metrics and their use.Ethical issues are important to researchers for several reasons. First, within the U.S. and Canada, researchers receiving federal grants for their research are required to follow ethical principles regarding informed consent, confidentiality, and minimization of harm. Research grants can be canceled for non-compliance to ethical standards. In rare cases, funding to an entire department can be at risk, as was recently the case for Duke University's Medical School.Another important issue to researchers has to do with ethical codes and their creation. In Canada, a joint council has recently created a new ethical code to be used in assessing research from several major granting councils (including those that would be responsible for software engineering research). Because this code was not created with software engineering research in mind, it might not conform to how software engineers view ethics. Yet it will still be applied to software engineering proposals. Therefore, as researchers, it is important to be proactive in both defining ethics as regards metrics and ensuring compliance to those standards. Without this proactive voice, ethical standards that do not make sense might be imposed upon the community. With software engineering research's close ties to industry and its products, it is not clear how traditional standards should be applied or modified to fit current practices.Industrial leaders should be concerned about ethics as well. Ethical reasoning supplies the basis for law. Therefore, industrial representatives need to ensure that the research that occurs in their environments follows ethical codes in order to protect themselves from litigation. Knowledge of ethics or ethical codes also informs industrial representatives about their rights with respect to the research content, such as how the data will be used, how it will be stored, and who will have access to it. Awareness of these rights is critical in today's competitive environment, especially with regard to university policies. For instance, in the U.S., OMB Circular A-110 - currently under review, requires all data collected with federal research monies to be made publicly available. Industries that have a stake in university research would be well advised to understand and address policies such as this.In the end, though, good ethics makes for good research. It therefore behooves us, as researchers and users of research, to understand issues regarding an ethical approach to metrics research. This panel will address informed consent, data sharing, confidentiality, analysis, access, and other important ethical issues.
Fatty acids inhibit apical membrane chloride channels in airway epithelia.

Abstract Apical membrane Cl- channels control the rate of transepithelial Cl- secretion in airway epithelia. cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C regulate Cl- channels by phosphorylation; in cystic fibrosis cells, phosphorylation-dependent activation of Cl- channels is defective. Another important signaling system involves arachidonic acid, which is released from cell membranes during receptor-mediated stimulation. Here we report that arachidonic acid reversibly inhibited apical membrane Cl- channels in cell-free patches of membrane. Arachidonic acid itself inhibited the channel and not a cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase metabolite because (i) inhibitors of these enzymes did not block the response, (ii) fatty acids that are not substrates for the enzymes had the same effect as arachidonic acid, and (iii) metabolites of arachidonic acid did not inhibit the channel. Inhibition occurred only when fatty acids were added to the cytosolic surface of the membrane patch. Unsaturated fatty acids were more potent than saturated fatty acids. Arachidonic acid inhibited Cl- channels from both normal and cystic fibrosis cells. These results suggest that fatty acids directly inhibit apical membrane Cl- channels in airway epithelial cells.
A novel approach for the modeling of advanced photovoltaic devices using the SILVACO / ATLAS virtual wafer fabrication tools

In this paper a new method for developing a realistic model of any type of solar cell is presented. Taking into account the high cost of research and experimentation involved with the development of advanced cells, we present here this novel methodology. In our opinion, the introduction of this modeling technique to the photovoltaic community will prove to be of great importance in aiding in the design and development of advanced solar cells. Two models of a single GaAs and an InGaP/GaAs/Ge multi-junction solar cell are prepared and are fully simulated. The major stages of the process are explained and the simulation results are compared to published experimental data to demonstrate the accurate results produced by the model utilizing this technique. The flexibility of the proposed methodology is illustrated and example results are shown throughout the whole process, demonstrating some of the different parameters effects on the model performance.
Hospital volume and failure to rescue after head and neck cancer surgery.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between hospital volume and mortality, complications, and failure-to-rescue rates among patients undergoing head and neck cancer (HNCA) surgery.Study DesignCross-sectional analysis.SettingNationwide Inpatient Sample.Subjects and MethodsDischarge data for 159,301 patients who underwent an ablative procedure for a malignant oral cavity, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, or oropharyngeal neoplasm from 2001 to 2010 were analyzed using cross-tabulations and multivariate regression modeling. Failure to rescue was defined as death after a major complication, including acute myocardial infarction, acute renal failure, venous thromboembolism, pneumonia, gastrointestinal bleed, pulmonary failure, hemorrhage, or surgical site infection. We compared the incidence of mortality, major complications, and failure-to-rescue rates across hospital volume tertiles.ResultsThe majority of hospitals performing HNCA surgery were low-volume hospitals, which performed a mean of 6 HNCA cases per ye...
Evaluating and designing the optimal 2D collector profile for a 300 GHz SiGe HBT

Abstract An optimally designed selectively implanted collector (SIC) doping profile allows keeping a SiGe-HBT's current in a vertical flow under the emitter while minimizing the parasitic collector-base capacitance ( C cb ). TCAD simulations were used to provide insight into a 300 GHz HBT's current flow lines and to derive design guidelines for the optimal mask width of the SIC implant. This boosted the HBT's transit frequency ( f t ) by 6.5% and the unity power gain ( f max ) by 23%.
Simple Surface-Trap-Filling Model for Photoluminescence Blinking Spanning Entire CdSe Quantum Wires

The mechanism for synchronous photoluminescence intensity fluctuations, blinking, spanning entire micrometer-long CdSe quantum wires (Glennon, J. J.; Tang, R.; Buhro, W. E.; Loomis, R. A. Nano Lett. 2007, 7, 3290) is likely different than that commonly cited for semiconductor quantum dots. We present a simple model for the intensity blinking in quantum wires that is based on the dynamic, transient filling of surface-trap sites by photogenerated excitons and the emptying of these occupied trap sites. The model implements a kinetic Monte Carlo scheme and a dynamic photoluminescence quantum yield that depends on the fraction of trap sites filled. When a majority of the surface traps are filled, one-dimensional excitons are formed and a high emission efficiency is realized. Autocorrelation analysis of both experiment and simulation reveal the nonergodic kinetics governing the blinking phenomenon.
Effects of two diketopiperazines, cyclo (His-Pro) and cyclo (Asp-Phe), on striatal dopamine: a microdialysis study.

The effects of two diketopiperazines, Cyclo (His-Pro) (CHP) and Cyclo (Asp-Phe) (CAP), on striatal extracellular levels of dopamine (DA), dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were examined using in vivo microdialysis in anaesthetized rats. Treatment with neither CHP (0.1-10 mg/kg IP and 0.3 mg/kg i.v.) nor CAP (0.1-10 mg/kg IP and 10 mg/kg PO) significantly changed the efflux of DA, DOPAC, HVA, or 5-HIAA when compared to the effects of treatment with saline. Our results suggest that systemic administration of CHP or CAP alone does not modify striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission. The previous findings of enhanced DA release by systemic administration of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) are probably not explained by formation of CHP from TRH.
APOLIPOPROTEIN E2 REDUCES THE LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN LEVEL IN TRANSGENIC MICE BY IMPAIRING LIPOPROTEIN LIPASE-MEDIATED LIPOLYSIS OF TRIGLYCERIDE-RICH LIPOPROTEINS

Apolipoprotein (apo) E2 is often associated with low levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high levels of plasma triglycerides in humans. Mice expressing apoE2 also have low LDL levels. To evaluate the possible role of the LDL receptor in the cholesterol-lowering effect of apoE2, we bred transgenic mice expressing low levels of apoE2 with LDL receptor-null mice (hE2(+/0), LDLR-/-). Even in the absence of the LDL receptor, plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels decreased progressively with increasing levels of plasma apoE2. At plasma apoE2 levels >20 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol was approximately 45% lower than in LDLR-/- mice. Thus, the LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of apoE2 is independent of the LDL receptor. In contrast, plasma triglyceride levels increased (mostly in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL)) progressively as apoE2 levels increased. At plasma apoE2 levels >20 mg/dl, triglycerides were approximately 150% higher than in LDLR-/- mice. Furthermore, in apoE-null mice (hE2(+/0), mE-/-), apoE2 levels also correlated positively with plasma triglyceride levels, suggesting impaired lipolysis in both hE2(+/0),LDLR-/- and hE2(+/0),mE-/- mice. Incubating VLDL or IDL from the hE2(+/0),LDLR-/- or the hE2(+/0),mE-/- mice with mouse postheparin plasma inhibited lipoprotein lipase-mediated lipolysis of apoE2-containing VLDL and IDL by approximately 80 and approximately 70%, respectively, versus normal VLDL and IDL. This observation was confirmed by studies with triglyceride-rich emulsion particles, apoE2, and purified lipoprotein lipase. Furthermore, apoE2-containing VLDL had much less apoC-II than normal VLDL. Adding apoC-II to the incubation partially corrected the apoE2-impaired lipolysis in apoE2-containing VLDL or IDL and corrected it completely in apoE2-containing emulsion particles. Thus, apoE2 lowers LDL cholesterol by impairing lipoprotein lipase-mediated lipolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (mostly by displacing or masking apoC-II). Furthermore, the effects of apoE2 on both plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels are dose dependent and act via different mechanisms. The increase in plasma cholesterol caused by apoE2 is due mostly to impaired clearance, whereas the increase in plasma triglycerides is caused mainly by apoE2-impaired lipolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.