cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PAR-dependent and geometry-dependent mechanisms of spindle positioning

During intrinsically asymmetric division, the spindle is oriented onto a polarized axis specified by a group of conserved PAR proteins. Extrinsic geometric asymmetry generated by cell shape also affects spindle orientation in some systems, but how intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms coexist without interfering with each other is unknown. In some asymmetrically dividing cells of the wild-type Caenorhabditis elegans embryo, nuclear rotation directed toward the anterior cortex orients the forming spindle. We find that in such cells, a PAR-dependent mechanism dominates and causes rotation onto the polarized axis, regardless of cell shape. However, when geometric asymmetry is removed, free nuclear rotation in the center of the cell is observed, indicating that the anterior-directed nature of rotation in unaltered embryos is an effect of cell shape. This free rotation is inconsistent with the prevailing model for nuclear rotation, the specialized cortical site model. In contrast, in par-3 mutant embryos, a geometry-dependent mechanism becomes active and causes directed nuclear rotation. These results lead to the model that in wild-type embryos both PAR-3 and PAR-2 are essential for nuclear rotation in asymmetrically dividing cells, but that PAR-3 inhibits geometry-dependent rotation in nonpolarized cells, thus preventing cell shape from interfering with spindle orientation.
Comparison of adapted Vryghem macular function test and Lotmar-light interferometer in predicting visual acuity after cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of a newly described macular function test (Vryghem macular function test) adapted to our examination equipment and to compare it to the Lotmar-light interferometer for the preoperative evaluation of cataract patients at the University Eye Clinic, Geneva, Switzerland. METHODS: This prospective study included 71 consecutive patients (72 eyes) who were undergoing uneventful cataract surgery. Testing with the Lotmar-light interferometer and an adapted form of Vryghem macular function test (AVMFT) using a Birkhauser reading chart, a hyperaddition of +8 D and halogen illumination were performed to assess macular function and to predict postoperative visual acuity (VA). The duration of each test and the density and location of lens opacities were also noted. Best-corrected postoperative VA was compared to the predicted values of each test. RESULTS: The positive predictive value was 94.2% for AVMFT compared to 92.2% for the Lotmar-light interferometer. The negative predictive value was 50% for AVMFT compared to 42.9% for the Lotmar-light interferometer. The sensitivity was 83.1% for AVMFT and 79.7% for the Lotmar-light interferometer. The specificity was 76.9% for AVMFT and 69.2% for the Lotmar-light interferometer. The correlation coefficient for AVMFT and preoperative Lotmar results (both in LogMAR) with postoperative best-corrected VA (poBCVA; LogMAR) were similar (0.74 and 0.77 respectively). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that AVMFT is as reliable as the Lotmar-light interferometer in predicting postoperative VA after uneventful cataract surgery. The correlation coefficients with postoperative VA were 0.74 and 0.77, respectively. Both tests showed a high positive (94.2% and 92.2%, respectively) but a low negative (50.0% and 42.9%, respectively) predictive value.
What is implicit about implicit self-esteem?

Abstract Modern advances in implicit social cognition enabled development of novel methods for examining less conscious aspects of self-worth. The use of such “implicit” measures of self-esteem is based on the premise that because they circumvent direct self-reports, they must capture more implicit, automatic components of self-evaluation. Whether self-evaluations captured via “implicit” measures actually have these functional properties requires empirical verification, however. This investigation critically examined the evidence for such assumptions regarding the Name-Letter Test, one of the most popular implicit measures, by adopting a phenomenological approach. The results revealed that many respondents were aware of the self-relevant nature of the measure at the time of assessment. Moreover, at least some variance in the “implicit” measurement outcomes was accounted for by relevant conscious beliefs, particularly among those aware of the self-relevant nature of the task. The implications for understanding the nature and assessment of unconscious self-worth are discussed.
The influence of concentration of two salicylate derivatives on rectal insulin absorption enhancement

— 3,5-Diiodosalicylate sodium (DIS), a highly lipophilic salicylate, was evaluated against 5-methoxysalicylate sodium (MS) as a potential adjuvant absorption promoter for rectal insulin delivery. Comparative blood glucose measurements were made using the two adjuvants under identical conditions as promoters of rectal insulin absorption in rats. Concentrations of DIS greater than and including 0.1 M produced an unexpected, progressive decrease in adjuvant activity as determined by a decline in observed hypoglycaemic response. This was not due to formation of an insulin-DIS complex. The adjuvant MS produced a classical, sigmoidal log-dose response curve. Possible reasons for the occurrence of the DIS optimum phenomenon are discussed as well as are the observed differences in adjuvant potency of these agents in a propylene glycol-containing vehicle.
The addition of SPECT/CT lymphoscintigraphy to breast cancer radiation planning spares lymph nodes critical for arm drainage.

Background This prospective cohort study was designed to determine whether the amount of radiation delivered to the nonpathological lymph nodes (LNs) that drain the arm can be significantly reduced by integrating single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) scans into radiation treatment planning. Methods SPECT-CT scans were acquired for the 28 patients with stage I or II breast cancer and fused with the routinely obtained radiation oncology planning CT scans. Arm-draining LNs were contoured with 0.5-cm margins automatically using a threshold of 50% maximum intensity. Two treatment plans were generated: 1 per routine clinical practice (standard; STD) and the second (modified; MOD) with treatment fields modified to minimize dose to the arm-draining LNs visible on SPECT/CT images without interfering with the dosage delivered to target tissues. Participants were treated per the MOD plans. Arm volumes were measured prior to radiation and thereafter at least three subsequent 6-month intervals. Results Sixty-eight level I-III arm-draining LNs were identified, 57% of which were inside the STD plan fields but could be blocked in the MOD plan fields. Sixty-five percent of arm-draining LNs in the STD versus 16% in the MOD plans received a mean of ≥10 Gy, and 26% in the STD versus 4% in the MOD plans received a mean of ≥40 Gy. Mean LN radiation exposure was 23.6 Gy (standard deviation 18.2) with the STD and 7.7 Gy (standard deviation 11.3) with the MOD plans ( P Conclusions The integration of SPECT/CT scans into breast cancer radiation treatment planning reduces unnecessary arm-draining LN radiation exposure and may lessen the risk of lymphedema.
Rule induction for identifying multi layer tool commonalities

A methodology based on association rule concepts is given for detecting fab tool commonality of affected lots. The performance of the methodology is then compared to several traditional methods such as ANOVA and contingency tables using eight actual production cases. In each case, the offending tool is affecting lots at multiple process layers.
Explanation of timing jitter mechanisms in multisegment mode-locked semiconductor lasers

Multisegment mode-locked semiconductor lasers offer a simple, high performance solution for short pulse generation. Six mode-locking techniques used in multisegment mode-locked semiconductor lasers are shown. This paper concentrates on a theoretical explanation of the timing jitter mechanisms in these lasers with supporting experimental measurements. The analysis covers passive, hybrid, and active mode-locking techniques for both monolithic and external cavity devices. Timing jitter is a very important system consideration for most applications of mode-locked lasers. >
The microRNA miR-34 modulates ageing and neurodegeneration in Drosophila

Human neurodegenerative diseases have the temporal hallmark of afflicting the elderly population. Ageing is one of the most prominent factors to influence disease onset and progression, yet little is known about the molecular pathways that connect these processes. To understand this connection it is necessary to identify the pathways that functionally integrate ageing, chronic maintenance of the brain and modulation of neurodegenerative disease. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are emerging as critical factors in gene regulation during development; however, their role in adult-onset, age-associated processes is only beginning to be revealed. Here we report that the conserved miRNA miR-34 regulates age-associated events and long-term brain integrity in Drosophila, providing a molecular link between ageing and neurodegeneration. Fly mir-34 expression exhibits adult-onset, brain-enriched and age-modulated characteristics. Whereas mir-34 loss triggers a gene profile of accelerated brain ageing, late-onset brain degeneration and a catastrophic decline in survival, mir-34 upregulation extends median lifespan and mitigates neurodegeneration induced by human pathogenic polyglutamine disease protein. Some of the age-associated effects of miR-34 require adult-onset translational repression of Eip74EF, an essential ETS domain transcription factor involved in steroid hormone pathways. Our studies indicate that miRNA-dependent pathways may have an impact on adult-onset, age-associated events by silencing developmental genes that later have a deleterious influence on adult life cycle and disease, and highlight fly miR-34 as a key miRNA with a role in this process.
Specifying agents in the SF specification language

The traditional object paradigm is evolving into a paradigm of distributed, self initiating agents. To specify the functional requirements of agent systems, we need languages capable of analytic and coherent description of self initiation. The paper assesses the suitability of SF relative to other approaches, using criteria that consider the requirements of traditional software engineering and interactive systems development. The paper shows that SF has important advantages and suggests some directions for future work. >
Should postprandial glucose be routinely measured and treated to a particular target? No!

Diabetes is a serious medical condition associated with disability, premature death, and enormous medical costs (1). Arguably more important is the insidious way in which the diagnosis of diabetes afflicts people with worry and despair over the loss of health as well as the burden of self-care. As health care professionals, our recommendations to patients regarding methods and targets of treatment can dramatically influence the quality of patients’ lives. The issue at hand is this: Should postprandial glucose (PPG) be routinely measured and treated to a particular target? I will answer this from the perspective of guidelines generally applicable in the medical community, with the recognition that for particular patients, very different approaches could be appropriate. The problem with attempting to answer this question is that there is essentially no direct clinical trial evidence to inform the decision, leaving a great deal to opinion. There are numerous epidemiological studies, such as DECODE (Diabetes Epidemiology: Collaborative Analysis Of Diagnostic Criteria in Europe), suggesting that 2-h glucose levels >140 mg/dl obtained after a 75-g oral glucose load are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), in excess of the risk defined by fasting glucose (2). These results have been used as the primary evidence that patients and providers should work to attain glucose levels <140 mg/dl 2 h after meals in patients with diabetes. At face value, it seems illogical to base the clinical care of people with diabetes eating several meals a day on single glucose measurements obtained during an oral glucose tolerance test in “normal” individuals. Furthermore, interpretation of these epidemiologic studies is confounded by the fact that postchallenge glucose is also a marker of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome (3). Since other components of the metabolic syndrome cosegregate with postchallenge glucose in these studies, it leaves unanswered …
Live imaging of multicolor-labeled cells in Drosophila

We describe LOLLIbow, a Brainbow-based live imaging system with applications in developmental biology and neurobiology. The development of an animal, including the environmentally sensitive adaptation of its brain, is thought to proceed through continual orchestration among diverse cell types as they divide, migrate, transform and interact with one another within the body. To facilitate direct visualization of such dynamic morphogenesis by individual cells in vivo, we have modified the original Brainbow for Drosophila in which live imaging is practical during much of its development. Our system offers permanent fluorescent labels that reveal fine morphological details of individual cells without requiring dissection or fixation of the samples. It also features a non-invasive means to control the timing of stochastic tricolor cell labeling with a light pulse. We demonstrate applicability of the new system in a variety of settings that could benefit from direct imaging of the developing multicellular organism with single-cell resolution.
AN EXPERIMENT IN TEACHING SPANISH

AN EXPERIMENT in modern-language teaching which we have been making for three years with apparent success in the Spanish department at Vassar consists of an arrangement of class work by which each class has part of its work under an American and part under a Spanish instructor. I am using 'American' reluctantly to distinguish a resident of the United States from a Spaniard, whether from Spain or Spanish-America. To speak of English-speaking and Spanish-speaking teachers is cumbersome and is not satisfactory since the American also speaks Spanish and the Spaniard English. It seems to me that this plan of combining the instruction of the two types of teachers has distinct advantages which recommend it even under ideal conditions of modern language teaching; but that for a time like the present, when the demand for good teachers of both French and Spanish is far in excess of the supply, such a plan, modified, of course, to suit the needs of the various colleges and institutions, is especially helpful. I think it may also offer suggestions for making our foreign-exchange students contribute more directly to general departmental work than they could otherwise do.
Biomarkers in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive cancer, with a median patient survival of less than one year. Clinically useful biomarkers capable of accurately assessing prognosis, as well as response to therapy, are urgently needed. At the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, Maus et al. (Abstract #e15199) and Neuzillet et al. (Abstract #e15200) present data on use of c-met as a prognostic biomarker, and Shultz et al. (Abstract #4133) use a multiplex antibody panel to identify predictive markers of response to gemcitabine and erlotinib.
Detecting veterinary drug residues in feed and cattle.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of veterinary drug residue issues and the general analytical techniques used for their detection in animal food tissues and feed. The regulation of drug residues in animal-derived foods is an integral component of food safety programs worldwide. Furthermore, since animal drugs are often administered through feed, formulation requirements and proper labeling must be upheld to promote lawful production, marketing, and use of the feed product. Analytical methods to monitor veterinary pharmaceuticals in feed and their residues in animal tissues are essential to help protect human and animal health, reduce impact on the environment, support the enforcement of laws and regulations (including labeling requirements, such as feed ingredients and certified organic foods), monitor consumer exposure to the drugs, and facilitate international trade of animal food products. Most veterinary drugs are not of acute toxicological concern, but some substances, such as nitrofurans, chloramphenicol, diethylstilbestrol, and clenbuterol, have been banned in most developed countries due to their demonstrated carcinogenicity. A percentage of humans can have severe allergic reactions to antibiotics, such as penicillin, which is an important reason for setting maximum residue (or tolerance) concentrations in edible animal tissues. Another important justification for limiting antibiotic usage is to reduce the risk of pathogenic microorganisms becoming antibiotic-resistant. Concern about endocrine-disrupting effects has become another reason to regulate certain veterinary drug residues in food and feed. The chapter briefly describes the issues pertaining to animal drug usage on cattle and highlights the analytical methods used for their detection in feed and bovine tissues. It also describes new detection methods that are expected to impact current monitoring programs for screening, quantitation, and identification of drugs in food and feed.
The Nature of People's Perceptions of Wolves

An abstract of the thesis of Laura Briana Nobel for the Master of Science in Education: Educational Policy, Foundations, and Administrative Studies prese_nted
Double-ended Synchronous Reluctance Motor Drive with Extended Constant Power Speed Ratio and Increased Power Factor

AbstractThis article proposes a double-ended synchronous reluctance machine drive to increase the constant power speed ratio and the power factor of a synchronous reluctance machine. The proposed double-ended synchronous reluctance machine drive is formed by two inverters, one connected to an energy source and the other one connected to a floating capacitor bank for reactive power compensation. Two control strategies are presented: the unity power factor control can keep the power factor unity seen from the energy source side inverter under all operating conditions; the optimum inverter utilization control can increase torque output ability and the constant power speed ratio while increasing the power factor. Detailed modeling and simulation of the proposed double-ended synchronous reluctance machine drive are presented. Compared to the traditional single-inverter synchronous reluctance machine drive, the proposed drive is able to reduce the conversion ratio of the front-end DC/DC converter and the rating...
Abstract CN14-01: A genome-wide association study identifies variation in nicotine acetylcholine receptors that influence risk for lung cancer and smoking behavior

Abstracts: Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research 2008 CN14-01 In order to identify genetic factors that influence risk for developing lung cancer wer performed a genome-wide analysis using 315,450 SNPs queried on 1154 lung cancer cases and 1137 controls. Results from this analysis and follow-up studies involving 2714 lung cancer cases and 3694 controls identified a region on chromosome 15q that contains nicotinic acetylcholine genes as showing an extremely consistent and significant association with lung cancer risk. The genes that are implicated in this region play a role in signal transduction after exposure to nicotine or its metabolites. The associated SNPs were shown by us and others to play a role in smoking behavior, but further detailed analyses have demonstrated an independent effect of this locus on lung cancer risk beyond that which can be explained solely by smoking behavior. These findings support earlier biological studies suggesting a direct role of nicotine or its metabolites in promoting lung cancer development. Variations in the SNPs on chromosome 15 do not associate with lung cancer risk in nonsmokers, indicating a gene-environment interaction. Studies including cases with a family history of lung cancer show a higher risk for lung cancer in this subset of individuals. In a further study, 9531 lung cancer cases and 9674 controls have been queried to identify additional genetic factors that reliably increase lung cancer risk and additional loci on chromosomes 6 and 5 have been identified. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):CN14-01.
Mandate for medical schools.

At the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio, clinical experience is offered in the first year. A program in human ecology begins in the first year and continues throughout the four years. First-year students are assigned to community centers to observe firsthand the environmental factors that will influence total health care.
Monitoring of Rubella and Mumps Antibody Levels Among Healthy Population in Changping District,Beijing

Objective To investigate the antibody levels of rubella and mumps among the healthy crowd in Changping District,and to provide a scientific basis for infectious disease control work.Methods Totally 220 serum samples were collected from the local and floating population in 10 villages of Changping District.The rubella and mump IgG antibody levels were determined by ELISA.The medical history,immune history and demographic characteristics of rubella and mumps were surveyed.Results The positive rate of rubella antibody in 220 investigated objects was 75.00%,the antibody positive rate of 110 local investigated objects was 74.55% and that of 110 non-permanent residents was 75.45%.The mean IgG antibody concentration of rubella was 64 IU/ml,among them the age group of 1~4 years was the highest(124 IU/ml),while the age group of 0~1 years was the lowest(3 IU/ml).The antibody positive rate of mumps in 220 investigated objects was 80.45%,among them the antibody positive rate of 110 local investigated objects was 80.91% and the antibody positive rate of 110 non-permanent residents was 80.00%.The mean IgG antibody concentration of mumps was 436 IU/ml,among them the age group of 20~24 years was the highest(664 IU/ml) and the age group of 0~1 years was the lowest(122 IU/ml).Conclusions Improving the basic vaccination rate and completing the booster immunization before children going to school have an important significance in control of rubella and mumps.At the same time,it is necessary to focus on the immunization of adults especially women at childbearing age so as to reduce the occurrence of congenital rubella syndrome.
A Panaroma of Harmonic Analysis

A Panorama of Harmonic Analysis treats the subject of harmonic analysis, from its earliest beginnings to the latest research. Following both an historical and a conceptual genesis, the book discusses Fourier series of one and several variables, the Fourier transform, spherical harmonics, fractional integrals, and singular integrals on Euclidean space. The climax of the book is a consideration of the earlier ideas from the point of view of spaces of homogeneous type. The book culminates with a discussion of wavelets-one of the newest ideas in the subject. A Panorama of Harmonic Analysis is intended for graduate students, advanced undergraduates, mathematicians, and anyone wanting to get a quick overview of the subject of cummutative harmonic analysis. Applications are to mathematical physics, engineering and other parts of hard science. Required background is calculus, set theory, integration theory, and the theory of sequences and series.
A macroblock optimization for grid-based nonlinear elasticity

We introduce a new numerical approach for the solution of grid-based discretizations of nonlinear elastic models. Our method targets the linearized system of equations within each iteration of the Newton method, and combines elements of a direct factorization scheme with an iterative Conjugate Gradient method. The goal of our hybrid scheme is to inherit as many of the advantages of its constituent approaches, while curtailing several of their respective drawbacks. In particular, our algorithm converges in far fewer iterations than Conjugate Gradients, especially for systems with less-than-ideal conditioning. On the other hand, our approach largely avoids the storage footprint and memory-bound nature of direct methods, such as sparse Cholesky factorization, while offering very direct opportunities for both SIMD and thread-based parallelism. Conceptually, our method aggregates a rectangular neighborhood of grid cells (typically a 16 × 8 × 8 subgrid) into a composite element that we refer to as a "macroblock". Similar to conventional tetrahedral or hexahedral elements, macroblocks receive nodal inputs (e.g., displacements) and compute nodal outputs (e.g., forces). However, this input/output interface now only includes nodes on the boundary of the 16 × 8 × 8 macroblock; interior nodes are always solved exactly, by means of a direct, highly optimized solver. Models built from macroblocks are solved using Conjugate Gradients, which is accelerated due to the reduced number of degrees of freedom and improved robustness against poor conditioning thanks to the direct solver within each macroblock. We explain how we attain these benefits with just a small increase of the per-iteration cost over the simplest traditional solvers.
Error-resilient image and video coding over lossy networks

The rapid growth of the Internet and increasing bandwidth in the past decade has heightened the interest in robust transmission of image and video signals over error-prone links. Recent literatures highlight the multiple description (MD) coding as a promising approach to solve this problem. MD coding is a source coding technique that provides a graceful quality degradation in the presence of packet losses during transmission. Topics of interest to construct MD coders with high coding efficiency and robustness are studied in this thesis. To minimize the overall distortion of reconstructed image, we propose an edge-adaptive estimation algorithm that is able to capture the arbitrarily-oriented edges around the corrupted coefficients. It reconstructs the lost samples more accurately compared to the previously proposed methods in the literatures. A feature-oriented MD coding scheme is proposed by adopting this estimation algorithm to smartly identify the coefficients that are sensitive to packet loss. The redundancy is then inserted to each channel by jointly optimizing the subsets of sensitive coefficients and the related quantizers. The corrupted samples are reconstructed with the proposed estimation algorithm at the receiver. By introducing the extra prediction loops to the correlating transform based MD video coder, the mismatching error, i.e. the drift, incurred by the one-channel reconstruction is decreased. However, the problem of effective redundancy allocation is introduced by the drift coding. An efficient algorithm is developed to solve this problem. The proposed approach optimally adjusts the source coding rates for the correlating transform coefficients and drifts in a coordinated fashion. The proposed algorithms are implemented based on the image/video MD coding systems using DCT or wavelet transforms. The advantages of the introduced approaches to achieve high coding efficiency and error-resilience for transmission are demonstrated.
Personality traits predicting quality of life and overall functioning in schizophrenia

Abstract Introduction Clinical symptoms and sociodemographic variables predict level of functioning and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. However, few studies have examined the effect of personality traits on quality of life and overall functioning in schizophrenia. Personality traits are premorbid to illness and may predict the way patients experience schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to examine the individual and additive effects of two core personality traits—neuroticism and extraversion—on quality of life and functioning. Methods Patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders ( n = 153) and healthy controls ( n = 125) completed personality and quality of life questionnaires. Global functioning was assessed during a clinician-administered structured interview. Neuroticism and extraversion scores were analyzed both as continuous variables and as categorical extremes (High versus Normal Neuroticism, Low versus Normal Extraversion). Results Quality of life was significantly associated with neuroticism, extraversion, and the neuroticism × diagnosis and extraversion × diagnosis interactions. For patients, a lower neuroticism score (in the normal range) was associated with quality of life scores comparable to controls; whereas high neuroticism scores in patients were associated with the lowest quality of life. For overall functioning, only diagnosis had a significant effect. Conclusion Neuroticism modulates quality of life and may provide an important key to improving the life of patients with schizophrenia.
Marketing the 21st Century Library: The Time is Now

The contents of Debra Lucas-Alfieri's book Marketing the 21st Century Library: The Time is Now strongly emphasizes the critical need for librarians to market their skills and services in order to e...
Systematic Studies of Chiral Recognition Mechanisms

A general discussion of chiral stationary phase structure/activity relationships is presented. Against this background, a discussion of the systematic approach used in our development of broad-spectrum chiral stationary phases suitable for liquid chromatographic separation of enantiomers is given. Specific applications are cited, and the logic behind the development of N-aryl alanine-derived phases described, their performances compared, and their modes of action addressed.
Are electric utilities aboard the ‘train to Ithaca’?

Abstract Increasing competition for electric utilities, including distributed generation in the form of renewables, such as wind and solar has given rise to a paradigm shift in the industry that poses complex questions. How should the carrier-of-last resort obligation be administered? What form of price restructuring is required? The telecommunications industry traversed a similar path. The lessons from that experience suggest that regulation changes markedly slower than technology. This inertia poses a considerable risk for the utilities.
Waveform engineering in a mm-Wave stacked-HBT switching power amplifier

A new family of hybrid stacked power amplifiers (named as ‘Class-K’) are presented where each of the series stacked transistors can operate independently as different class of switching amplifiers. The voltage and current waveforms of the stacked transistors are shaped by independent harmonic load networks connected to the collector nodes of each of the stacked HBTs. A properly-designed Class-K amplifier can simultaneously achieve the high efficiency of Class-E/F amplifiers, high output power of Class-EF amplifiers, and high power gain of Class-E amplifiers. A proof-of-concept two-stage two-stacked balanced Class-K amplifier implemented in a 0.18 µm SiGe HBT BiCMOS process demonstrates 25.5 dBm output power and 26% peak PAE at 34 GHz.
Enhancing foam stability in porous media by applying nanoparticles

ABSTRACTSeveral new foaming agent formulations (surfactants and polymers) in the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were developed in 3% salinity (NaCl, 2.4 wt%, CaCl2, 0.6 wt%). The dispersion stability of the MWCNT and the viscosity of the solutions were examined as a prerequisite for reservoir applications. Foam was generated in situ and one-dimensional flow-through tests were performed by co-injecting air and foaming solution either in the presence of MWCNT or at particle-free condition. The pressure drop (Δp) across the sand-pack and the nanoparticles breakthrough were closely monitored. The fluid injection rate, gas fraction, and the effect of MWCNT on foams in porous media were investigated.Our results reveal that foams stabilized by the selected nanoparticles are capable of generating stronger foams leading to higher apparent Δp. The Δp profile varies with gas fraction, which largely affects the foam texture and quality. Also, the viscosity of foaming agent solutions influences Δp va...
Decisional Quality in Patients With Small Renal Masses.

Objective To measure decisional quality in patients being counseled on treatment for small renal masses and identify potential areas of improvement. Materials and Methods A total of 73 patients diagnosed with small renal masses at the University of California, Los Angeles Health completed an instrument measuring decisional conflict, patient satisfaction with care, disease-specific knowledge, and patient impression that shared decision-making occurred in the visit after counseling by a specialist. Participant characteristics were compared between those with high and low decisional conflict using chi-square or Student t test (or Wilcoxon rank-sum test). Results Participants were mostly older (mean age 63.5), white (84%), in a relationship (61%), and unemployed or retired (63%). Mean knowledge score was 59% correct. The mean (standard deviation) decisional conflict score was 16.4 (18.4) indicating low levels of decisional conflict but with a wide range of scores. Comparing participants with high decisional conflict with those with low decisional conflict, there were significant differences in knowledge scores (Wilcoxon P = .0069), patient satisfaction with care ( P = .0011), and perceived shared decision-making ( P Conclusion Patients with small renal masses generally have low levels of decisional conflict and can identify a preferred treatment after a physician visit. However, both groups lack overall knowledge about their disease even after counseling, and thus may be heavily influenced by paternalistic care. Those patients with decisional conflicts are less likely to perceive their care as satisfactory and are less likely to be involved in decision-making.
Teaching American Political Thought to Students of American Government

Since the behavioral revolution, political scientists have characteristically distinguished between American political thought on the one hand and the scientific study of American politics on the other. Although courses in American government – at least at the introductory level – typically start with the Constitution, most of the analysis proceeds without engaging the political thinking of political actors on its own terms. Political speech is seen to be immediately practical and inevitably partisan; the political scientist avoids such traps by examining interests and ambitions from a distance, determining identity by objective characteristics rather than expressed opinion, and treating opinion itself as data to be counted, not as emergent truth. But if politics is more than the aggregation of preferences and their strategic competition, as in practice everyone except the most cynical campaign operative assumes it is, then, however useful analysis of data might be in unmasking hidden intentions and discovering unintended consequences, political analysis is incomplete unless political thought is considered on its own terms. I propose a three-fold framework to analyze American political thought, distinguishing (a) arguments about constitutional rights and forms, (b) arguments about first principles, and (c) arguments that aim to build or advance party coalitions. Using this framework and applying it to one or two significant debates in American political history, I aim to show how such analysis extends (or perhaps calls into question) common findings of political science on some standard topic – for example, parties and interest groups, or federalism and public policy. Finally, I will consider the pedagogical implications through analysis of the corresponding chapter or chapters from a basic introductory textbook. Are citizens being well-formed by contemporary political analysis, or would they be better served by being introduced to American politics through the leading debates in the history of American political thought? Is there a way to integrate the two?
Alpha-adrenergic mRNA subtype expression in the human nasal turbinate

Purpose: Alpha-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist drugs (e.g., epinephrine) are commonly used for upper airway procedures, to shrink the mucosa, retard absorption of local anesthetic agents, and improve visualization by limiting hemorrhage. Decongestant therapy often also includes αAR agonist agents, however overuse of these drugs (e.g., oxymetazoline) can result in chronic rhinitis and rebound increases in nasal secretion. Since current decongestants stimulate αARs non-selectively, characterization of αAR subtype distribution in human airway (nasal turbinate) offers an opportunity to refine therapeutic targets while minimizing side-effects. We, therefore, investigated αAR subtype expression in human nasal turbinate within epithelial, duct, gland, and vessel cells using in situ hybridization. Methods: Since sensitive and specific anti-receptor antibodies and highly selective αAR subtype ligands are currently unavailable, in situ hybridization was performed on sections of three human nasal turbinate samples to identify distribution of αAR subtype mRNA. Subtype specific 35 S-labelled mRNA probes were incubated with nasal turbinate sections, and protected fragments remaining after RNase treatment analyzed by light and darkfield microscopy. Results: In non-vascular tissue α 1d AR mRNA predominates, whereas notably the α 2c is the only αAR subtype present in the sinusoids and arteriovenous anastamoses. Conclusion: Combined with the current understanding that AR-mediated constriction of nasal sinusoids underpins decongestant therapies that minimize secretions and shrink tissues for airway procedures, these findings suggest that α 2c AR subtypes provide a novel selective target for decongestant therapy in humans.
Science and Government in the United States since 1945

L'universite reste le lieu principal ou s'effectue la recherche fondamentale, mais bugetairement, il existe un probleme pour separer les credits de la recherche de ceux des autres charges d'enseignement. Pour le gouvernement et les scientifiques, l'ideologie releve a la fois de problemes institutionnels et de conception
Marc Dudey on Hugo F. Sonnenschein

I’ve felt Hugo’s influence in so many ways, but here are three examples. First, the way he talked about his subject helped me to believe it was something I could spend my professional life on. Second, when I expressed an interest in writing a Finance dissertation, Hugo introduced me to his friend Rich Kihlstrom, who met with me once a week at Penn and became an unofficial member of my committee. Third, I can’t imagine that I would have studied mathematics (or met my wife, Yan) after leaving Princeton, if not for Hugo.
Expression of Virus-Associated Functions in Cells Transformed in Vitro by Epstein-Barr Virus: Epstein-Barr Virus Cell Surface Antigen and Virus-Release from Transformed Cells

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects resting human B lymphocytes in vitro and induces up to 10% of the infected cells to proliferate as measured in a clonal transformation assay (1–5). This virus also infects B lymphocytes in vivo; up to 20% of the peripheral B cells in patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) express an EBV-associated nuclear antigen, EBNA (6), When peripheral lymphocytes from IM patients are collected and cloned directly in soft agar, some B cells are found to proliferate indefinitely and to express EBNA (7). Although it is not known that virus infections in vitro and in vivo are functionally equivalent, no differences between B cells infected in vitro and in vivo have yet been identified once the cells are studied in vitro. We have studied cells transformed by EBV in vitro with the hope that such studies will help to define characteristics of some of the cells infected by EBV in vivo. The advantage of studying cells transformed in vitro is that we can chart their history from their exposure to EBV to the time of study.
Multifunctional Nanosystem for Targeted and Controlled Delivery of Multiple Chemotherapeutic Agents for the Treatment of Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer

By targeting CD44 receptors, inhibiting multidrug resistance (MDR), controlling drug release, and synergistically inhibiting tumor growth, a multilayered nanosystem was developed to serve as a multifunctional platform for the treatment of drug-resistant breast cancers. The multilayer nanosystem is composed of a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) core, a liposome second layer, and a chitosan third layer. The chitosan-multilayered nanoparticles (Ch-MLNPs) can co-deliver three chemotherapeutic agents: doxorubicin (DOX), paclitaxel (PTX), and silybin. The three drugs are released from the multilayered NPs in a controlled and sequential manner upon internalization and localization in the cellular endosomes. The presence of a chitosan layer allows the nanosystem to target a well-characterized MDR breast cancer biomarker, the CD44s receptor. In vitro cytotoxicity study showed that the nanosystem loaded with triple drugs, DOX-PTX-silybin, resulted in better antitumor efficacy than the single-drug or dual-drug nano-formulations. Likely attributed to the MDR-inhibition effect of silybin, the co-delivered DOX and PTX exhibited a better synergistic effect on MDR breast cancer cells than on non-MDR breast cancer cells. The in vivo study also showed that the multilayered nanosystem promoted MDR inhibition and synergy between chemotherapeutic agents, leading to significant tumor reduction in a xenograft animal model. Ch-MLNPs reduced the tumor volume by fivefold compared to that of the control group without causing overt cytotoxicity.
Urinary oligosaccharide excretion in disorders of glycolipid, glycoprotein and glycogen metabolism. A review of screening for differential diagnosis.

In recent years great interest has centered around metabolic disorders in which excessive oligosacchariduria is a prominent feature. This review describes the methods of both structural and diagnostic investigations of oligosaccharides in a number of these diseases. Special emphasis has been laid upon simple screening methods which would avail themselves to the clinical chemistry laboratory.
Supply and consumption of glucose 6-phosphate in the chloroplast stroma

Fructose 6-phosphate is an intermediate in the Calvin-Benson cycle and can be acted on by phosphoglucoisomerase to make glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) for starch synthesis. A high concentration of G6P is favorable for starch synthesis but can also stimulate G6P dehydrogenase initiating the glucose-6-phosphate shunt an alternative pathway around the Calvin-Benson cycle. A low concentration of glucose 6-phosphate will limit this futile cycle. In order to understand the biochemical regulation of plastidic glucose 6-phosphate supply and consumption, we characterized biochemical parameters of two key enzymes, phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) and G6P dehydrogenase (G6PDH). We have found that the plastidic PGI in has a higher Km for G6P compared to that for fructose 6-phosphate. The Km of G6PDH isoform 1 is increased under reducing conditions. The other two isoforms exhibit less redox regulation; isoform 2 is the most inhibited by NADPH. Our results support the conclusion that PGI restricts stromal G6P synthesis limiting futile cycling via G6PDH. It also acts like a one-way valve, allowing carbon to leave the Calvin-Benson cycle but not reenter. We found flexible redox regulation of G6PDH that could regulate the glucose-6-phosphate shunt.
Ir-Catalyzed Intermolecular Branch-Selective Allylic C–H Amidation of Unactivated Terminal Olefins

An efficient method for intermolecular branch-selective allylic C-H amidation has been accomplished via Ir(III) catalysis. The reaction proceeds through initial allylic C-H activation, supported by the isolation and crystallographic characterization of an allyl-Ir(III) intermediate, followed by a subsequent oxidative amidation with readily available dioxazolones as nitrenoid precursors. A diverse range of amides are successfully installed at the branched position of terminal alkenes in good yields and regioselectivities. Importantly, the reaction allows the use of amide-derived nitrenoid precursors avoiding problematic Curtius-type rearrangements.
British colonialism and democracy: Divergent inheritances and diminishing legacies

Abstract Did British colonial rule promote post-independence democracy? We provide evidence that the relationship follows a strong temporal pattern. Former British colonies were considerably more democratic than other countries immediately following independence, but subsequent democratic convergence has largely eliminated these differences in the post-Cold War period. Existing theories expounding superior British culture or alternative colonial institutions cannot account for divergent inheritances and diminishing legacies. To explain the time-varying pattern, we analyze European powers’ varying policy approaches to decolonization as well as changes in the international system. Britain more consistently treated competitive democratic elections as a prerequisite for gaining independence, leading to higher initial democracy levels. However, nascent democracies that lacked deep-rooted societal transformation faced challenges to democratic consolidation because of Cold War superpower competition. Later shifts in the international system toward promoting democracy further contributed to convergence by destabilizing colonially rooted dictatorships.
Balancing the non-linear rosmarinic acid biosynthetic pathway by modular co-culture engineering

Pathway balancing is a critical and common challenge for microbial biosynthesis using metabolic engineering approaches. Non-linear biosynthetic pathways, such as diverging and converging pathways, are particularly difficult for bioproduction optimization, because they require delicate balancing between all interconnected constituent pathway modules. The emergence of modular co-culture engineering offers a new perspective for biosynthetic pathways modularization and balancing, as the biosynthetic capabilities of individual pathway modules can be coordinated by flexible adjustment of the subpopulation ratio of the co-culture strains carrying the designated modules. This study developed microbial co-cultures composed of multiple metabolically engineered E. coli strains for heterologous biosynthesis of complex natural product rosmarinic acid (RA) whose biosynthesis involves a complex diverging-converging pathway. Our results showed that, compared with the conventional mono-culture strategy, the engineered two-strain co-cultures significantly improved the RA production. Further pathway modularization and balancing in the context of three-strain co-cultures resulted in additional production improvement. Moreover, metabolically engineered co-culture strains utilizing different carbon substrates were recruited to improve the three-strain co-culture stability. The optimized co-culture based on these efforts produced 172 mg/L RA, exhibiting 38-fold biosynthesis improvement over the parent strain used in mono-culture biosynthesis. The findings of this work demonstrate the strong potentials of modular co-culture engineering for overcoming the challenges of complex natural product biosynthesis involving non-linear pathways.