cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NF-κB plays a key role in hypoxia-inducible factor-1–regulated erythropoietin gene expression

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to further define the signal transduction pathways leading to hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) erythropoietin (EPO) gene expression. Materials and Methods Human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep3B) were exposed to hypoxia (1% oxygen) and examined for mRNA expression, as well as gene trans activation with RT-PCR and luciferase reporter gene assays, respectively. Results Treatment with LY294002 (a selective pharmacological inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) significantly inhibited EPO protein and mRNA expression in Hep3B cells exposed to hypoxia for 24 hours, while treatment with PD098059 or SB203580 (selective pharmacological inhibitors of the MEK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, respectively) had no significant effects. The activity of AKT, a downstream target of PI3K, was increased by hypoxia and was also inhibited by LY294002. Genetic inhibition of AKT resulted in significant inhibition of NF-κB and HIF-1-mediated trans activation, as well as EPO gene expression, in response to hypoxia. Overexpression of constitutively active AKT resulted in increased NF-κB and HIF-1 trans activation. The selective inhibitor of NF-κB, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), significantly blocked HIF-1 protein expression. Inhibition of NF-κB with a superrepressor dominant negative IκBα genetic construct also significantly blocked NF-κB and HIF-1 trans activation, as well as EPO gene expression. Conclusion We propose a key role for NF-κB in EPO gene regulation in response to hypoxia.
Measurement of Renin Activity, Concentration and Substrate in Rat Plasma by Radioimmunoassay of Angiotensin I

The measurement of renin activity, concentration, and substrate in rat plasma has been performed by radioimmunoassay of the angiotensin I generated during incubation of plasma in vitro. The sensitivity of the method permits measurements of all three renin parameters in small plasma samples, allowing sequential determinations to be performed in individual animals. The specificity of the method has been demonstrated by the complete absence of renin in plasma from nephrectomized male rats, by the identical assay slopes of generated angiotensin and angiotensin I standards, and by the parallel changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and renin concentration (PRC) measured by bioassay and immunoassay after furosemide administration and water deprivation. Also, radioimmunoassay determination of the pH optimum for renin activity, and of the correlations between PRA and PRC, were identical with those obtained by bioassay. The absolute values for renin substrate were similar to those measured by bioassay. However, th...
The biochemistry of nitric oxide, nitrite, and hemoglobin: role in blood flow regulation

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a fundamental role in maintaining normal vasomotor tone. Recent data implicate a critical function for hemoglobin and the erythrocyte in regulating the activity of NO in the vascular compartment. Intravascular hemolysis releases hemoglobin from the red blood cell into plasma (cell-free plasma hemoglobin), which is then able to scavenge endothelium-derived NO 600-fold faster than erythrocytic hemoglobin, thereby disrupting NO homeostasis. This may lead to vasoconstriction, decreased blood flow, platelet activation, increased endothelin-1 expression (ET-1), and end-organ injury, thus suggesting a novel mechanism of disease for hereditary and acquired hemolytic conditions such as sickle cell disease and cardiopulmonary bypass. Furthermore, therapy with NO gas inhalation or infusion of sodium nitrite during hemolysis may attenuate this disruption in vasomotor balance by oxidizing plasma cell-free hemoglobin, thereby preventing the consumption of endogenous NO and the associated pathophysiological changes. In addition to providing an NO scavenging role in the physiological regulation of NO-dependent vasodilation, hemoglobin and the erythrocyte may deliver NO as the hemoglobin deoxygenates. While this process has previously been ascribed to S-nitrosated hemoglobin, recent data from our laboratories suggest that deoxygenated hemoglobin reduces nitrite to NO and vasodilates the human circulation along the physiological oxygen gradient. This newly described role of hemoglobin as a nitrite reductase is discussed in the context of blood flow regulation, oxygen sensing, and nitrite-based therapeutics.
Early Response of Inflammatory Proteins in the Striatum and Hippocampus of Newborn Piglets Following Cardiopulmonary Bypass and Circulatory Arrest

Background and aims: Inflammation plays a key role in ischemic brain injury. We examined the levels of select inflammatory proteins in the striatum and hippocampus of newborn piglets in a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) ischemia model. Methods: Piglets were placed on CPB, cooled to 18°C, subjected to 30min of DHCA and 1hr of low-flow (20ml/kg/min), rewarmed to 37°C, separated from CPB, monitored for 2hrs and then striatum and hippocampus were isolated for protein analysis. Protein levels are presented in arbitrary units (mean±SE). Results: Striatum: CPB/DHCA increased, as compared with sham operated animals, pro-inflammatory cytokines implicated in ischemic brain injury: interleukin 1 (365±12.7 vs 583±83, p< 0.047) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (318±37 vs 402±18, p< 0.05); chemotactic cytokines: growth regulated protein (GRO) (226±16 vs 376±42, p< 0.02), GRO-alpha (178±16 vs 297±17, p< 0.001) and interleukin-8 (591±47 vs 728±40, p< 0.05); chemokines: macrophage inflammatory protein-3 (58±8 vs 88±7, p< 0.05) and eotaxin (107±7 vs 164±17, p< 0.02). Vascular endothelial growth factor, potentially protective, was decreased (25±5 vs 11±3, p< 0.05). Hippocampus: There were no significant differences in the above proteins after CBP/DHCA. However, potentially protective proteins, interleukin-10 (338±18 vs 405±5, p< 0.02) and transforming growth factor beta (389±24 vs 460±16, p< 0.05), were increased. Conclusions: In piglet model of CBP/DHCA, early response of proteins regulating inflammation in the brain is region-dependent: proteins exacerbating ischemic injury are increased in the striatum, whereas those with potential protective role are increased in the hippocampus.
Charge and sequence effects on the self-assembly and subsequent hydrogelation of Fmoc-depsipeptides

Herein we report on the self-assembly of a family of Fmoc-depsipeptides into nanofibers and hydrogels. We show that fiber formation occurs in depsipeptide structures in which the fluorenyl group is closely associated and that side-chain charge and sequence affect the extent of self-assembly and subsequent gelation. Using fluorescence emission spectroscopy and circular dichroism, we show that self-assembly can be monitored and is observed in these slow-gelling systems prior to hydrogel formation. We also demonstrate that the ionic strength of salt-containing solutions affects the time at which self-assembly results in gelation of the bulk solution. From transmission electron microscopy, we report that morphological changes progress over time and are observed as micelles transitioning to fibers prior to the onset of gelation. Gelled depsipeptides degraded at a slower rate than non-gelled samples in the presence of salt, while hydrolysis in water of both gels and solution samples was minimal even after 14 days. Our work shows that while incorporating ester functionality within a peptide backbone reduces the number of hydrogen bonding sites available for forming and stabilizing supramolecular assemblies, the substitution does not prohibit self-assembly and subsequent gelation.
Profiling Mechanisms of RGK Inhibition Across the Family of High-Voltage-Activated Cav1/Cav2 Calcium Channels

Rad/Rem/Rem2/Gem (RGK) proteins are Ras-like monomeric G-proteins that powerfully potently inhibit all high-voltage-activated CaV1 and CaV2 calcium channels. Since all RGKs bind auxiliary CaVβs it was generally assumed that the RGK-β interaction is essential for CaV channel inhibition. Recently, using a mutated β (βTM) which), which selectively loses the ability to interact with RGKs, we reported that Rem inhibits CaV1.2 channels using both β-binding-dependent and direct α1-binding-dependent mechanisms (Yang et al, 2013, PLoS One, 7:e37079). Our aims here were twofold: (1) to identify determinants and mechanisms underlying direct Rem binding to, and inhibition of, CaV1.2 pore-forming α1C subunit;; (2) to profile the relative prevalence of β-binding-dependent and -independent mechanisms of inhibition across the RGK and CaV1/CaV2 channel families. Using a combination of FRET, co-immunoprecipitation assays, systematic truncations, and whole-cell electrophysiology we found that Rem C-terminus interacts with α1C N-terminus to inhibit CaV1.2 current (ICa,L) and gating charge. For profiling, we compared the impact of the four RGKs on currents through recombinant channels (CaV1.3, CaV2.1, CaV2.2) reconstituted with either wt β2a or β2a,TM, respectively. When reconstituted with wt β2a, all three channel types were strongly inhibited by each RGK. By contrast, when reconstituted with β2a,TM, CaV1.3 and CaV2.1 were completely refractory to all four RGKs indicating these channels display only CaVβ-binding-dependent mechanisms of inhibition. CaV2.2 channels reconstituted with β2a,TM displayed a strong inhibition solely to Rad, identifying a second example of CaVβ-binding-independent regulation of a CaV channel by an RGK protein. The results reveal latent capabilities of distinct RGKs to selectively inhibit particular CaV1/CaV2 channels in an isoform-specific manner. These dormant capabilities may be exploitable to develop novel genetically-encoded isoform-selective CaV1/CaV2 channel inhibitors.
The Role Of Simulation In Top Down Distributed Signal Processor Design

Military radar systems require complex and adaptive signal processing to achieve optimum performance. In addition to this performance requirement is the need for high system reliability. A signal processing architecture that is modular and programmable has been a critical requirement for many years. The approach used to meet this requirement necessitates the use of identical VLSI/VHSIC components. The task of evaluating a design is normally accomplished by breadboarding. However, this can not be done until the IC's have been developed. An obvious alternative is to simulate the system at the register-transfer and or gate level. This method has been used in the past but is limited to system fragments due to the excessive storage and CPU time required. In order to validate advanced radar signal processor hardware, software, and firmware, a digital simulation tool has been developed which allows the system designer to evaluate alternatives with minimum effort, storage, and execution time. The top-down design procedure is utilized to guide the user from system requirements to final system design.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
New Concepts in Modelling Interfacial Defects in Yba 2 Cu 3 0 7−X

The {110} twin planes and the dislocations at orthogonal domain interfaces which form in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−x during cooling from =950 ° C have been modelled using a simple geometric approach. A summary of the stereochemistries of the distorted copper(II)-oxygen complexes associated with these interfacial defects has been compiled. The localization of holes at these distorted copper(II) complexes and the effect they have on thesuperconducting properties of YBa 2 Cu 3 0 7−x materials arediscussed.
An assay for iduronate sulfatase (hunter corrective factor)

Abstract A substrate for α- l -idopyranosyluronic acid 2-sulfate 2-sulfohydrolase (iduronate sulfatase), the enzyme deficient in the Hunter syndrome, was prepared by deaminative cleavage of heparin and subsequent reduction of the disulfated disaccharide fragment with sodium borotritide, to give O -(α- l -idopyranosyluronic acid 2-sulfate)-(1→4)-2,5-anhydro- d -[ 3 H-1]mannitol 6-sulfate. Incubation of this compound with enzyme gave a monosulfated radioactive product, which can be separated from the substrate by paper chromatography or electrophoresis. The reaction follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a K M of 3m m . The phosphate ion is a potent inhibitor.
A Client-Transparent Approach to Defend Against Denial of Service Attacks

Denial of Service (DoS) attacks attempt to consume a server's resources (network bandwidth, computing power, main memory, disk bandwidth etc) to near exhaustion so that there are no resources left to handle requests from legitimate clients. An effective solution to defend against DoS attacks is to filter DoS attack requests at the earliest point (say, the web site's firewall), before they consume much of the server's resources. Most defenses against DoS attacks attempt to filter requests from inauthentic clients before they consume much of the server's resources. Client authentication using techniques like IPSec or SSL may often require changes to the client-side software and may additionally require superuser privileges at the client for deployment. Further, using digital signatures (as in SSL) makes verification very expensive, thereby making the verifi- cation process itself a viable DoS target for the adversary. In this paper, we propose a light-weight client transparent technique to defend against DoS attacks with two unique features: (i) Our technique can be implemented entirely using JavaScript support provided by a standard client-side browser like Mozilla FireFox or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Client transparency follows from the fact that: (i) no changes to client-side software are required, (ii) no client-side superuser privileges are required, and (iii) clients (human beings or automated clients) can browse a DoS protected website in the same manner that they browse other websites. (ii) Although we operate using the client-side browser (HTTP layer), our technique enables fast IP level packet filtering at the server's firewall and requires no changes to the application(s) hosted by the web server. In this paper we present a detailed design of our technique along with a detailed security analysis. We also describe a concrete implementation of our proposal on the Linux kernel and present an evaluation using two applications: bandwidth intensive Apache HTTPD and database intensive TPCW. Our experiments show that our approach incurs a low performance overhead and is resilient to DoS attacks.
Structure and functional interactions of the Tsg101 UEV domain

Human Tsg101 plays key roles in HIV budding and in cellular vacuolar protein sorting (VPS). In performing these functions, Tsg101 binds both ubiquitin (Ub) and the PTAP tetrapeptide ‘late domain’ motif located within the viral Gag protein. These interactions are mediated by the N-terminal domain of Tsg101, which belongs to the catalytically inactive ubiquitin E2 variant (UEV) family. We now report the struc ture of Tsg101 UEV and chemical shift mapping of the Ub and PTAP binding sites. Tsg101 UEV resembles canonical E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzymes, but has an additional N-terminal helix, an extended β-hairpin that links strands 1 and 2, and lacks the two C-terminal helices normally found in E2 enzymes. PTAP-containing peptides bind in a hydrophobic cleft exposed by the absence of the C-terminal helices, whereas ubiquitin binds in a novel site surrounding the β-hairpin. These studies provide a structural framework for understanding how Tsg101 mediates the protein–protein interactions required for HIV budding and VPS.
Noncoding RNAs and Atherosclerosis

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent a class of RNA molecules that typically do not code for proteins. Emerging data suggest that ncRNAs play an important role in several physiological and pathological conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. The best-characterized ncRNAs are the microRNAs which are small, approximately 22-nucleotide sequences of RNA that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level through transcript degradation or translational repression. MicroRNAs control several aspects of atherosclerosis, including endothelial cell, vascular smooth cell, and macrophage functions as well as lipoprotein metabolism. Apart from microRNAs, recently ncRNAs, especially long ncRNAs, have emerged as important potential regulators of the progression of atherosclerosis. However, the molecular mechanism of their regulation and function as well as the significance of other ncRNAs such as small nucleolar RNAs during atherogenesis is largely unknown. In this review, we summarize the recent findings in the field, highlighting the importance of ncRNAs in atherosclerosis and discuss their potential use as therapeutic targets in cardiovascular diseases.
Molecular targets in therapy for human soft-tissue and bone sarcomas

Sarcomas represent a heterogeneous group of tumors with different natural histories and therapeutic approaches. Recent discoveries have identified molecular alterations in the pathogenesis of these tumors that lead to distinct effects on sarcoma cell biology. These tumor cell characteristics include independence from growth factors, evasion of apoptosis, and maintenance of genomic integrity. Inhibition of these molecular alterations represents a therapeutic opportunity to reverse the biologic basis of tumor formation in soft-tissue sarcomas and bone tumors.
Evaluating the Content of the Communication Items in the CAHPS® Clinician and Group Survey and Supplemental Items with What High-Performing Physicians Say They Do

Background A doctor’s ability to communicate effectively is key to establishing and maintaining positive doctor–patient relationships. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (CAHPS®) Clinician and Group Survey is the standard for collecting and reporting information about patients’ experiences of care in the USA.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Media

Scholars have long been concerned that mass media depictions of those with mental disorders foster stigma. Research is needed extricating how particular disorders are represented and perceived, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This article examines what images of obsessions and compulsions exist in the media, and how persons interpret these. It employs two methods: qualitative in-depth interviews and content analysis. Data indicate the media represents obsessions and compulsions in distinguishable ways that both reinforce and complicate common media stereotypes of those with mental disorders—fostering a stigma hierarchy and having contradictory effects on mental health literacy.
Malnutrition secondary to non-compliance with vitamin and mineral supplements after gastric bypass surgery: What can we do about it?

Background Nutritional deficiency due to loss of follow up and non-compliance with routine mineral and multivitamin supplements is not uncommonly encountered following bariatric surgery. In this report, and utilizing a case study, we will address issues related to loss of long term medical follow up and the measures that can be taken to prevent it in this patient population. Case report The case of a 38-year-old female patient who was recently managed for severe vitamin deficiency and iron deficiency anemia following bariatric surgery is presented. Non-compliance with routine vitamin and mineral supplements was believed to be the main culprit of her condition. Articles published in English addressing issues related to non-compliance with supplementations and regular follow up after bariatric surgery were accessed from PubMed and are discussed. Conclusions Multiple factors affecting long term follow up and compliance have been studied including age, financial costs, distance from the clinic and psychiatric comorbidities. Preventive measures have also been tested and some of them have shown significant benefit. More research is needed to identify other modifiable factors and preventive measures influencing compliance and long term follow up following bariatric surgery.
Cellugyrin is a marker for a distinct population of intracellular Glut4-containing vesicles.

Abstract Although Glut4 traffic is routinely described as translocation from an “intracellular storage pool” to the plasma membrane, it has been long realized that Glut4 travels through at least two functionally distinct intracellular membrane compartments on the way to and from the cell surface. Biochemical separation and systematic studies of the individual Glut4-containing compartments have been limited by the lack of appropriate reagents. We have prepared a monoclonal antibody against a novel component protein of Glut4 vesicles and have identified this protein as cellugyrin, a ubiquitously expressed homologue of a major synaptic vesicle protein, synaptogyrin. By means of sucrose gradient centrifugation, immunoadsorption, and confocal microscopy, we have shown that virtually all cellugyrin is co-localized with Glut4 in the same vesicles. However, unlike Glut4, cellugyrin is not re-distributed to the plasma membrane in response to insulin stimulation, and at least 40–50% of the total population of Glut4 vesicles do not contain this protein. We suggest that cellugyrin represents a specific marker of a functionally distinct population of Glut4 vesicles that permanently maintains its intracellular localization and is not recruited to the plasma membrane by insulin.
Opportunities and obstacles in low-power system-level CAD

A case study in low-power system-level design is presented. We detail the design of a low-power embedded system, a touchscreen interface device for a personal computer. This device is designed to operate on excess power provided by unused RS232 communication lines. We focus on the design and measurement procedures used to reduce the power requirements of this system to less than 50 mW. Additionally, we highlight opportunities to use system-level design and analysis tools for low-power design and the obstacles that prevented using such tools in this design.
Quantum Mechanics in Nonintertial Reference Frames

Abstract The Galilean covariance of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics is generalized to acceleration transformations. Projective representations of the group of acceleration transformations are constructed and the resulting unitary operators are shown to implement arbitrary accelerations. These unitary operators are used to modify the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and produce the quantum mechanical analog of fictitious forces. The relationship of accelerating systems to gravitational forces is discussed, as well as the effects of accelerations on the internal structure of quantum mechanical systems.
Solubility of Alkylbenzenes and a Model for Predicting the Solubility of Liquid Organics in High-Temperature Water

The solubility of ethylbenzene, m-xylene, and benzene in water was determined using a laboratory-made system at temperatures ranging from 298 K to 473 K and a pressure of 50 bars. The solubility was enhanced by at least 1 order of magnitude by increasing the temperature from ambient to 473 K. A simple approximation model was developed to predict the solubility of liquid organics in high-temperature water. This model delivers an excellent estimation of the solubility of small molecules of liquid organic compounds in water at temperatures at or higher than 373 K.
Minimization of acoustic radiation from thick multilayered sandwich beams

A study is presented of structural-acoustic optimizations of multilayered sandwich beams for minimal sound radiation. A sublaminate modeling approach of multilayered structures with a proper balance of accuracy and computational efficiency is adopted in this work. Finite elements are used to compute the vibration response and acoustic radiation of the structure. The material and geometric properties of an anisotropic sandwich beam are treated as design parameters. The objective of optimization is to minimize the acoustic power radiated by the structure. A piecewise objective function is studied that inherently includes nonlinear constraints of the optimization problem by taking advantages of the pattern search algorithm. Numerical examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the structural-acoustic optimization for the reduction of the radiated sound power.
Modeling the integration of stakeholder knowledge in social–ecological decision-making: Benefits and limitations to knowledge diversity

Abstract Integrating stakeholder knowledge into natural resource governance is considered to add flexibility to social–ecological systems (SES) because knowledge diversity reduces rigidity, represents multiple perspectives, and promotes adaptability in decision-making. Characterizing the differences between knowledge systems, however, is not easily accomplished. There are few metrics readily available to compare one knowledge system to another. This paper characterizes knowledge about a model SES, the summer flounder fishery in the mid-Atlantic, to evaluate differences and similarities in the structural and functional characteristics of stakeholder mental models. To measure these differences, we collected Fuzzy-Logic Cognitive Maps (FCM) from several stakeholder groups (managers, scientists, harvesters, pre and post harvest sectors, and environmental NGOs) which comprise social agents within the SES. We then compared stakeholder groups’ maps using graph theory indices to characterize the structure and function of the model system. We then combined stakeholder FCM to generate a community map which represents a theoretical model of the combination of stakeholder knowledge. Our study indicates that while there may be benefits to integrating knowledge in resource decision-making, it also has costs associated with it. Although integrating knowledge may increase structural knowledge, it may also decrease precision in understanding of how a system functions and be overly focused on driving components which would reduce the ability of decision-makers to predict system reaction to a decision or policy plan.
Response to: Clarification of Issues Raised in the Editorial “A New Age for Cancer Information Seeking: Are We Better Off Now?”

To the Editor:—I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Arora’s careful corrections and clarifications of my manuscript and regret the misunderstandings included in the original editorial.
Considerations and simulations of subfrequency excitation of series integrated resonant tunneling diodes oscillator

A subfrequency pulse initiation of an oscillator of two series-integrated RTD's is considered and simulated. A voltage-dependent current source is adopted to separate the input and output power to represent a circulator in simulations. Simulations show, for example, a 100 GHz integrated RTD oscillator can be excited by a 50 GHz pulse with about 1 ns decay time (a characteristic decay time of 0.2 ns) without the DC instability problem, while a voltage ramp of 1 ns rise or fall time is far too slow to initiate such an oscillator. The mechanism that RTD's are driven by subfrequency into the negative differential resistance (NDR) from the positive differential resistance (PDR) is analyzed in detail. A preliminary analysis of the transition from 50-100 GHz oscillation is also presented. >
STUDIES IN THE ORGANIC SOLID STATE

This paper describes an approach to crystal engineering based on designing and analyzing hierarchical levels of crystalline architecture. The system under study consists of 1:1 co-crystals of melamines and barbituric acids that self- assemble into crystallographically infinite hydrogen-bonded tapes. The formation of structural elements can be rationalized and controlled using familiar molecular concepts such as steric repulsion. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Controlling the packing of organic molecules in crystals presents a major design challenge for molecular engineering.l-3 The ultimate goal of patterned, functional arrays of organic molecules is of potentially great interest and rer,vard. Fundamental investigations of the physical-organic chemistry of the solid state should find application throughout materials science. Design of Our System.a-6 Our approach attempts to simplify the packing of molecules by constraining them to adopt only a handful of orientations. Thc problem of rationally stuclying (let alone designing) molecular crystals rvould be intractable without some kind of control of this sort: the number of possible three- dimensional orientations of molecules in a crystal could be very large. Competing packin_g arrangements might have similar energies, and although progress is beirrg made,7-9 computational routines to predict the most energetically favorable arrangements are in their infancy. The geometries that result from our constraints simplify comparison of packing motifs and render the overall crystal structures analyzable in terms of successive levels of organization. The particular system that we used as a conceptual guide is the 1:1 complex betr,veen cyanuric acid and melamine (Fig. 1) 10,1t The planar molecules in this structure are proposed to hyclrogen bond with each other to give infinite hydrogen-bonr-lecl sheets. We hypothesized that by appending substituents to certain positions of these molecules, r,t'e could prevent hydrogen bonding in some directions and obtain structural elements that would be responsive to physical- organic-type investigations. Hydrogen bonds possess several prc-rperties that recommend them as stiuctural linkage units in molecular solids: they are directional, their formation is reversible at room temperature, and they can be incorporated into many different organic structures. Norr-clirectional, dispersion-type interactions such as the stacking of van der Waals surfaces coulcl lead to numerous options for the geometries of aclducts. The three-fold hydrogen bonding of these planar molecules (or analogues of them) pcrmits, by contrast, only two intermolecular orientations, lr'hich are related by rotation arouud the ccrrtral Nil---N corrtact. The planar, rigid e
Age, fitness, and regional blood flow during exercise in the heat.

Ho, C. W., J. L. Beard, P. A. Farrell, C. T. Minson, and W. L. Kenney. Age, fitness, and regional blood flow during exercise in the heat. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(4): 1126–1135, 1997.—During dynamic ex...
Surgical Closure of End-Stage Palatal Fistulas Using Anteriorly-Based Dorsal Tongue Flaps

Effective closure of the recurrent palatal fistula demands proper diagnosis and anatomically-based classification, combined with an appreciation of surgical options. The anteriorly-based dorsal tongue flap is recommended to close large and/or compromised end-stage residual palatal fistula, provided that patient selection and surgical technique are meticulous. It has proved to be a safe and effective method of solving a difficult problem.
Dissociation of Storage and Rehearsal in Verbal Working Memory: Evidence From Positron Emission Tomography

Current cognitive models of verbal working memory include two components a phonological store and a rehearsal mechanism that refreshes the contents of this store We present research using positron emission tomography (PET) to provide further evidence for this functional division In Experiment 1, subjects performed a variant of Sternberg's (1966) item recognition task Experiment 2 used a continuous memory task with control conditions designed to separate the brain regions underlying storage and rehearsal The results show that independent brain regions mediate storage and rehearsal In Experiment 3, a dual-task procedure supported the assumption that these memory tasks elicited a rehearsal strategy
Regulated Expression Systems for Mycobacteria and Their Applications

For bacterial model organisms like Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, genetic tools to experimentally manipulate the activity of individual genes have existed for decades. But for genetically less tractable yet medically important bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, such tools have rarely been available. More recently, several groups developed genetic switches that function efficiently in M. tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. Together these systems utilize six transcription factors, eight regulated promoters, and three regulatory principles. In this chapter we describe their design features, review their main applications, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of regulating transcription, translation, or protein stability for controlling gene activities in bacteria. Genetic elements that enable specific and quantitative control over the activity of individual genes are irreplaceable components of the modern genetic toolbox. They facilitate not only the purification of proteins for biochemical, structural, or immunological studies but can also be applied to improve our understanding of in vivo gene functions. Until recently, only one such tool was available for use in mycobacteria, and its applicability in slowly growing mycobacteria was limited. But during the last decade at least a dozen new systems have been developed. In this chapter we review the design, components, and regulatory mechanisms of the different systems and discuss their main applications.
Software representation to support change

Research methodology from cognitive science and artificial intelligence is applied to the problem of software representation to support the process of software change. A model of software to support change, suggested by the current research, is presented. Populating that model requires data from tasks related to code-based functional decomposition, data abstraction, and functional data flows. A competence model for the task of code-based functional decomposition is proposed. >
Reconceptualizing Collective Action in the Contemporary Media Environment

Collective action theory, which is widely applied to explain human phenomena in which public goods are at stake, traditionally rests on at least two main tenets: that individuals confront discrete decisions about free riding and that formal organization is central to locating and contacting potential participants in collective action, motivating them, and coordinating their actions. Recent uses of technologies of information and communication for collective action appear in some instances to violate these two tenets. In order to explain these, we reconceptualize collective action as a phenomenon of boundary crossing between private and public domains. We show how a reconceptualized theory of collective action can better account for certain contemporary phenomena, and we situate traditional collective action theory as a special case of our expanded theory.
Characterization of a Hepatic Congestion Model in the Rat: Application to Pharmacological Studies

AbstractModels for producing toxic liver injury and cirrhosis have been developed in rats and applied to the study of drug pharmacokinetics, but lack of a well-characterized model of hepatic congestion has prevented previous investigation of the effects of elevated hepatic venous pressure on drug metabolism in the rat. Chronic hepatic congestion was produced in rats by partial ligation of the inferior vena cava immediately below the diaphragm and above the entrance of the hepatic veins. Significant elevation of hepatic venous pressure, prolongation of prothrombin time, and pericentral fibrosis, and sinusoidal dilitation on histological examination were seen 6 weeks after initial surgery. Liver weight in the hepatic congestion group was significantly increased when compared to sham-operated controls, while no significant difference was seen between the two groups with regard to body weight gain, bile flow, bile acid output, serum bilirubin, and alanine aminotransferase. Pentobarbital pharmacokinetic parame...
A novel multipath light signal dispersion reduction technique based on controlled-polarization optical wireless link setup

The detection characteristics of an indoor-optical communication system, which utilizes infrared radiation as carrier, has been explored and enhanced for telemedicine and wireless local area network applications. The novelty of the presented technique consists of the fact that multipath dispersion can be reduced under controlled polarization link setup. The design of such a network is based on the specifications set by the IEEE 802.11 standard.
Implementing Self-compassion Strategies with Female College Gymnasts

This article describes practical strategies that can be used to infuse self-compassion into practice and competition. While the target audience is women's gymnastic coaches, the concepts that are discussed have relevance for coaches, educators, and practitioners in an array of sport and physical activity settings. Strategies are described and then a brief critique is provided of the benefits as well as challenges of each activity from a coach's perspective. The aim is to present self-compassion as a multifaceted psychological construct that is a valuable, albeit underutilized, tool for coaches and athletes seeking optimal performance as well as personal well being.
In-place delay constrained power optimization using functional symmetries

In-Place Optimization (IPO) has become the backend methodology of choice to resolve the gap between logic synthesis and physical design as the optimization can be guided by accurate physical information. To perform optimization without perturbing too much the placed netlist, only buffer insertion and gate sizing are commonly used in current design tools. In this paper, we address the problem of delay-constrained power optimization by introducing another degree of freedom: functional symmetry based rewiring. Theoretical results on the effect of using functional symmetry on transition density for power estimation is also derived. Experimental results show that, under the same delay constraint, our technique achieves much better power reduction as compared to the discrete gate sizing only technique.
How Bacteria Sense and Swim

Cells of Escherichia coli or Salmonella typhimurium can sense chemicals in their environment and respond by moving toward some and away from others. The ability to sense and swim requires the products of approximately 50 genes, about 10 for detecting and processing sensory cues and the rest for assembly and operation of the flagella. The function of each component in the chemosensory signaling pathway is well understood. Signaling is known to involve phosphorylation of a set of cytoplasmic proteins, but questions remain concerning the protein conformational changes and interactions that take place. Functions have been assigned to almost all of the approximately 40 flagellar proteins, and the sequence of events in flagellar assembly has been largely determined. Flagellar assembly depends on a specialized apparatus for exporting certain flagellar components to their appropriate locations. The structure and mechanism of this apparatus remain a mystery, as does the mechanism by which the flagellar motor generates torque.
Turmoil of Triads? Nuclear Reductions after New START

The United States and Russia have options for resuming their strategic nuclear arms reductions, should more favorable political circumstances present themselves. Both share a responsibility for leadership in the global nonproliferation regime, and both the U.S. and Russia will face future trade-offs between domestic economic priorities and nuclear force modernization. Analysis suggests that reductions to a maximum number of 1,000 deployed nuclear weapons on intercontinental launchers for each state should allow for sufficient numbers of second-strike-survivable weapons for stable deterrence. Below that number, either the U.S. or Russia might feel a sense of insufficient flexibility and resilience in its strategic nuclear forces, and in addition, reductions significantly below 1,000 deployed weapons would require the participation of other nuclear weapons states.
Intricacies Of Treating Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia With Preexisting Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Renal Insufficiency

Treatment of heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) requires the use of alternatives anticoagulants, such as a direct thrombin inhibitor – argatroban. Use of argatroban relies on frequent laboratory monitoring of the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) to maintain an adequate level of anticoagulation. This requirement poses a challenge in patients with prolonged baseline aPTT, such as in antiphospholipid syndrome. While other assays are being explored they require an extended turn around time because of their limited availability. We present a case of a 63 year old male with a history of antiphospholipid syndrome, end stage renal disease on hemodialysis, hepatitis C, and on long term anticoagulation with warfarin for cerebral vein thrombosis. His hospital course required transition to unfractionated heparin and subsequently developed thrombocytopenia. A heparin-platelet factor 4 ELISA antibody assay was performed for an intermediate clinical likelihood of HIT and returned positive. Although not confirmed with the gold standard serotonin release assay (SRA), clinical suspicion for HIT obligated treatment with an alternative anticoagulant. Conventional dosing and administration of argatroban however could not be performed because of the patient’s prolonged baseline aPTT. Other agents such as fondaparinux were also not possible in the setting of renal insufficiency. Short of other treatment techniques accepted in this unique set of circumstances we practiced a fixed dose argatroban (0.5 mcg/kg/min for Child’s class B cirrhosis). The patient tolerated the empiric dosing well until discontinued because of a negative SRA. This case demonstrates the limitations of current treatment recommendations of HIT and need for further investigation in similar patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Boom, Bugs, Bust: Egypt's Ecology of Interest, 1882–1914

A century ago, Egypt's British-run government conscripted thousands of peasant children annually to pick caterpillars from cotton plants. Amidst a double crisis of agro-ecological degradation and financial collapse, the nationalist movement simultaneously critiqued the exploitation of peasant labor by unproductive foreign finance and endorsed these cotton-worm campaigns as a national obligation. This article builds upon recent efforts to re-theorize capitalism as world-ecology in order to explain this apparently paradoxical position. Rather than frame such confrontations between “society” and “nature” as instances of an elite regime of “techno-politics”, it argues that both the nationalist critique of foreign capital and the widely felt imperative to wage “war against insects” were features of an “ecology of interest” that multiple waves of financial investment had produced. Egypt's crises provided fodder for anti-colonial mobilizations. But they also inaugurated a new predicament of developing national capital in a landscape already pillaged as a commodity frontier for empire.
Obama the Con Law Professor; Obama the President with Judicial Appointment Power

This essay explores whether, how or, perhaps, to what extent President Barack Obama’s time as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago is reflected in his approach to judicial appointments. Three things are striking about President Obama’s initial approach to judicial selection. First, he has appointed the most diverse bench of any President. Second, he has appointed judges rather slowly compared to his predecessors. And, finally, he has appointed a rather politically moderate bench. How might these particular and in some ways surprising aspects of President Obama’s judicial appointments reflect – or not reflect – his time as a constitutional law professor?
Sensor Deployment Through Geometric Cooperation

Mobile ad hoc sensor networks often need cooperation—sensors working together to achieve their common goal. How does cooperation help mobile autonomous sensors position themselves in effective locations? This paper uses mathematical simulation to study this question about sensor deployment and efficiency. The goal is to distribute sensors over a region of interest in the plane in a balanced way to ensure uniform coverage and equalized load. This paper generalizes an algorithm for accomplishing this in a distributed, cooperative, computationally efficient manner, while also allowing for a generalized notion of balance for nonhomogeneous zones and variable-capable sensors (i.e., some zones are more important than others and some sensors are more capable than others).
Phospholipid turnover in man as affected by differences in thyroid function.

Abstract An apparent serum phospholipid turnover time was calculated by the Zilversmit technique in a series of patients with carefully documented thyroid function. The results show a significantly shorter turnover time in the hyper-thyroid group compared to the hypo- and euthyroids. Since the hyperthyroids have proportionally lower serum phospholipid levels, the amount of phospholipid actually turned over per hour appears to be independent of thyroid function. A comparison with the turnover times calculated from the clearance of peripherally injected labeled phospholipids indicates that the assumptions made in calculating turnover by Zilversmit's method are valid.
Blue Ribbon Abstract Award: Staphylococcus warneri in two neonatal intensive care units

BACKGROUND: This study reports on the prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) on the hands of nurses, specifically large numbers of Staphylococcus warneri, and the clinical relevance of this organism among neonates in two neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). METHODS: A total of 119 full-time nurses were recruited from two high-risk NICUs in New York City. Hand cultures from nurses were obtained at baseline and on a quarterly basis from March 2001 to January 2003. Data regarding healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) were collected prospectively on all neonates admitted during the same study period. All samples were analyzed to identify bacterial growth and antimicrobial susceptibilities. Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of S. warneri from nurse hand cultures were determined by E-test. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to compare S. warneri isolates of neonates and staff. RESULTS: A total of 834 hand cultures were obtained from the nurses; 1195/1442 (83%) isolates were CNS. The majority of nurse CNS isolates were S. epidermidis (n = 524, 44%) and S. warneri (n = 520, 44%). As detected by E-test, decreased susceptibilities to vancomycin (MIC >2) were demonstrated by 117 (23%) of S. warneri isolates recovered from nurse hands. A total of 647 clinical isolates were recovered from neonates, 221 (34%) were CNS species, with 202 (91.4%) available for analysis. Seventeen neonates (8%) had HAIs caused by S. warneri, including 15 bloodstream infections, one skin infection, and one eye infection. Thirteen of 15 (87%) neonatal blood isolates were available for molecular typing; four (31%) were indistinguishable from each other (PFGE designated clone A) and eight (61%) were related (clone A1-A2a). Eighteen isolates from nurses who provided direct patient care to six of the neonates were typed; 5/6 (83%) of neonates had a strain (clone A-A2a) indistinguishable or related to the nurse caregiver. CONCLUSIONS: S. warneri is commonly carried on the hands of healthcare workers but is an uncommon cause of neonatal infection, despite clonal spread within a NICU. Our finding of decreased vancomycin susceptibilities among S. warneri strains, underscores the need for continued surveillance for vancomycin resistance. Further research is warranted to determine if S. warneri is emerging as a pathogen associated with HAI and whether the decreased susceptibilities of vancomycin were causally related to our findings.