cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatic ito cells contain calcium channels: Increases with transforming growth factor-β 1

Ito cells (fat-storing cells) have been implicated in mechanisms of liver fibrosis, and transforming growth factor-β1 is a key factor that stimulates collagen production by Ito cells. Moreover, Ito cells are reported to possess contractile proteins and to contract with ligands. We recently reported the presence of L-type voltage-operated Ca2+ channels in Kupffer cells. In this study, we examined whether Ito cells contain Ca2+ channels and also evaluated the effect of transforming growth factor-β1 on Ca2+ channels. Cytosolic free calcium concentration was measured in individual cultured Ito cells with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dye fura-2. Partial replacement of extracellular Na+ with K+ caused an increase in cytosolic free calcium, presumably as a result of transmembrane Ca2+ influx. Basal cytosolic free calcium levels were around 40 to 50 nmol/L in both control and transforming growth factor-β1—treated cells. In transforming growth factor-β1—treated cells, cytosolic free calcium increased in response to K+ at values as low as 10 mmol/L, whereas untreated cells did not respond. Half-maximal increases in cytosolic free calcium in transforming growth factor-β1—treated cells were observed with 63 ± 6 mmol/L K+. With 100 mmol/L K+, intracellular free calcium increased around fourfold above basal values in transforming growth factor-β1—treated cells but was only increased about twofold in untreated controls. We conclude that this increase in cytosolic free calcium occurs by way of voltage-operated calcium channels; it did not occur in the absence of extracellular calcium and cannot be explained by Na+/Ca2+ exchange mechanisms. The influx of Ca2+ was only about one third as large on subsequent depolarizations and was not sensitive to the dihydropyridine-type calcium channel agonist BAY K 8644. In contrast, Ca2+ influx was inhibited by the dihydropyridine-type calcium channel blocker nitrendipine. These data indicate that Ito cells contain voltage-operated Ca2+ channels. Furthermore, transforming growth factor-β1 activates or up-regulates these Ca2+ channels.(HEPATOLOGY 1994;20:1009-1014)
On the performance of UWB and DS-spread spectrum communication systems

We consider a binary spread spectrum system, with possibly episodic transmission; i.e., the system transmits n pulses per information bit, and allows for off time separation between pulses. Processing gain enables low power transmission, and the ultra wideband (UWB) spreading limits the interference effects into narrowband systems. We consider the issues of processing gain, jamming margin, coding gain and multiuser interference (MUI) for a single user matched filter receiver. The introduction of episodic transmission, with a corresponding reduction in bit rate, provides system flexibility with respect to both MUI rejection and handling of multipath channels. Highly episodic transmission provides nearly orthogonal users, even with system asynchrony and no power control. Performance of a single user matched filter in the presence of MUI is given via a Chernoff bound on bit error rate.
Large-scale localization using only a camera

The automation of a robot to measure ice sheets is necessary for CReSIS. The approach described in this paper is to use a single camera for localization for use in many types of large-scale environments. In order to operate in large-scale environments, a hybrid map approach has been used; both topological and geometric maps. An appearance-based approach is used for recognizing the different locations. In order to simplify testing, all experiments were performed offline and the topological and geometric testing was performed separately. The results of the testing showed that 94% of the images were localized correctly in the testing environment. The system typically required at least two images to solve the global localization problem, and around three images to solve the kidnapped robot problem. These images are localized to within 1 foot and 45 degrees of the actual position and orientation.
Image coding with the discrete cosine-III transform

The discrete cosine-III transform (DC3T) is the same as the discrete symmetric cosine transform (DSCT) with a specific preprocessing of input data. It has less computational complexity than the discrete cosine transform (DCT) in terms of multiplications. The DC3T is also related to the DCT by a weighting matrix. The performance of the DC3T is compared to the DCT when compression is performed by adaptive coding. Experimental results show that a significant improvement in visual performance and mean square reconstruction error can be achieved over what is possible with the DCT. The better performance is attributed to the weighting of the DCT coefficients, which is indirectly achieved at reduced computational cost. >
A Tight-Binding Model Beyond Two-Center Approximation

We present a tight-binding model which goes beyond the traditional two-center approximation and allows the hopping parameters and the repulsive energy to be dependent on the bonding environment. We show that this model works well for metallic as well as covalent systems.
The association of abnormal findings on transthoracic echocardiography with 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria and clinical impact

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) were developed to promote high-value care. We describe the prevalence of clinically significant abnormal TTE findings overall and in subgroups defined by appropriate and inappropriate AUC, and their association with clinical impact. 548 consecutive TTEs at an academic medical center were retrospectively reviewed for AUC, clinical impact, and TTE abnormalities. TTE reports within 1 year of the index TTE were reviewed to determine if abnormalities were new, unchanged, or resolved. Clinical impact was classified into no change, active change, or continuation of care. 91 % of TTEs were appropriate, 5 % were inappropriate, and 4 % were uncertain by AUC. 46 % of all TTEs and 57 % of first-time TTEs had no significant TTE abnormalities. Appropriate TTEs had a higher prevalence of ≥1 TTE abnormality than inappropriate TTEs (56 vs. 33 %, p = 0.029). Among repeat TTEs, 72 % had ≥1 TTE abnormality, however only 25 % had a new abnormality. The prevalence of a new abnormality was similar between inappropriate and appropriate repeat TTEs (25 vs. 26 %, p = 1.0). The prevalence of ≥1 abnormality was similar between TTEs that resulted in active change and no change in care (70 vs. 64 %, p = 0.06). Although most TTEs were appropriate as defined by AUC, the majority had no significant abnormalities. Although most TTEs were appropriate by AUC, >50 % of all TTEs and 25 % of repeat TTEs had no significant abnormalities. Appropriate TTEs had a higher prevalence of abnormalities, however the prevalence of abnormalities was similar between TTEs that resulted in active change versus no change in care.
Middle-Class Parents and Urban Public Schools: Current Research and Future Directions

Middle-class flight from urban public schools to suburban districts or private schools is a key source of educational inequality. Recently, however, a number of studies have focused on middle-class and upper-middle-class families who have made a different choice, opting to remain in the city and send their children to neighborhood public schools. While the movement of advantaged families into urban public schools has received positive attention in the media, this growing body of research tells a more complicated story. Middle-class families – with their economic, cultural, and social capital – can bring important resources to schools, resulting in widespread benefits. However, their engagement in urban public schools can also lead to marginalization and exclusion. We review the emergent literature on this topic, highlighting four themes: (i) parent preferences, identities, and values; (ii) the role of marketing campaigns and informal networks in attracting the middle class; (iii) the nature and consequences of middle-class parent engagement in urban schooling; and (iv) the relationship between neighborhood change and school change. We conclude by outlining a research agenda aimed at deepening our understanding of the mechanisms by which middle-class parent engagement in urban schooling may serve to mitigate, reproduce, or exacerbate educational inequalities.
Fruit Characteristics of Species Dispersed by the Black Lemur (Eulemur macaco) in the Lokobe Forest, Madagascar1

Abstract I describe the fruit characteristics of species closely associated with black lemur seed dispersal (i.e., species that are often dispersed by the black lemur and only dispersed by the black lemur in the Lokobe Forest). A black lemur group was habituated and observed during the day and night for all months of the year (total 1272 h). When fruits were eaten, the plant species was identified, the maturity of the fruit and treatment of the seeds noted, and the fruit described in terms of ripe fruit color, husk thickness, fruit length, and seed length and width. Black lemur feces were searched for seeds; these were identified and signs of damage noted. Other potential dispersers feeding on the fruits of species eaten by the black lemur were also noted. The black lemurs were seen eating the fruits of 70 species. Of these, 51 species were defined as closely associated with black lemur dispersal and 16 species had seeds that were either often preyed upon or wasted by the black lemur, or were seen being e...
A novel function of bamboo extract in relieving lipotoxicity

Lipotoxicity is closely related to the etiology and complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the protective effect of an extract from bamboo Phyllostachys edulis against palmitic acid (PA)-induced lipoapoptosis. The lipo-detoxification function of the bamboo extract (BEX) was evaluated using cell culture models. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay and cell apoptosis was monitored by Annexin V staining. Cellular uptake of fluorescent free fatty acid (FFA) analog was measured by flow cytometry. Protein levels of total protein kinase B (Akt) and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) were measured by western blotting. The results show that co-incubating BEX with mouse myoblast C2C12 cells had no effect on the cellular uptake of FFA, but dramatically decreased PA-induced cell apoptosis and protected cell viability. A similar antilipotoxicity effect of BEX was observed in other mammalian cells. BEX significantly decreased the protein levels of both Akt and p-Akt in C2C12 cells under normal cell culture conditions but not under lipotoxic conditions, indicating the regulatory effect of BEX on cell signaling pathways and its response to a high FFA environment. This study demonstrated a novel function of bamboo extract in preventing lipotoxicity in mammalian cells, implicating a promising phytotherapeutic approach for lipo-detoxification.
Postcardiac transplant survival in the current era in patients receiving continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

Objectives Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices have become the standard of care for patients with heart failure requiring mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to transplant. However, data on long-term post-transplant survival for these patients are limited. We evaluated the effect of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices on postcardiac transplant survival in the current era. Methods All patients who received a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplant at a single center from June 2005 to September 2011 were evaluated. Results Of the 167 patients who received a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplant, 77 (46%) underwent cardiac transplantation, 27 died before transplantation (16%), and 63 (38%) remain listed for transplantation and continued with left ventricular assist device support. The mean age of the transplanted patients was 54.5 ± 11.9 years, 57% had an ischemic etiology, and 20% were women. The overall mean duration of left ventricular assist device support before transplantation was 310 ± 227 days (range, 67-1230 days). The mean duration of left ventricular assist device support did not change in patients who had received a left ventricular assist device in the early period of the study (2005-2008, n = 62) compared with those who had received a left ventricular assist device later (2009-2011, n = 78, 373 vs 392 days, P = NS). In addition, no difference was seen in survival between those patients supported with a left ventricular assist device for fewer than 180 days or longer than 180 days before transplantation ( P = NS). The actuarial survival after transplantation at 30 days and 1, 3, and 5 years by Kaplan-Meier analysis was 98.7%, 93.0%, 91.1%, and 88.0%, respectively. Conclusions The short- and long-term post-transplant survival for patients bridged with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device in the current era has been excellent. Furthermore, the duration of left ventricular assist device support did not affect post-transplant survival. The hemodynamic benefits of ventricular unloading with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices, in addition to their durability and reduced patient morbidity, have contributed to improved post-transplant survival.
Transforming growth factor-α stimulates insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4) expression and blocks follicle-stimulating hormone regulation of IGFBP-4 production in rat granulosa cells

Abstract The ability of TGF-α to regulate insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4), was investigated. Primary cultures of rat granulosa cells (GC) were grown in serum-free medium with rat (r) TGF-α and/or rFSH, and secreted IGFBP-4 protein and its steady state mRNA levels were measured by Western immunoblotting and Northern blotting, respectively. Control (untreated) cells secreted IGFBP-4 spontaneously, and the levels were increased by rTGF-α in a dose- and time-dependent manner. rTGF-α abolished FSH-induced IGFBP-4 protease activity and suppressed FSH-dependent effects on IGFBP-4 production. IGFBP-4 mRNA levels were decreased and increased by FSH and TGF-α, respectively, and TGF-α blocked the FSH effects. These results demonstrate that TGF-α is a potent stimulator of IGFBP-4 expression in rat GC and can overcome the regulatory effects of FSH on IGFBP-4 production. The consequence of these TGF-α effects is a marked, sustained increase in the levels of IGFBP-4 in the microenvironment.
Relative Importance of Weight, Quality Grade, and Yield Grade as Drivers of Beef Carcass Value in Two Grid-Pricing Systems

weight as a value-driver decreased, and the importance of carcass quality grade performance increased. Quality grade was the second most important driver of grid value, accounting for about 8 to 9 times more variation in revenue per head than yield grade when the Choice-Select spread was $20. Yield grade played a minor role in both pricing systems, accounting for <10% of the variation in total revenue per head. Relationships of gridprice signals and beef carcass marketing trends are discussed.
Niaspan increases angiogenesis and improves functional recovery after stroke

Objective High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is implicated in the modulation of angiogenesis. In this study, we investigated whether the Niacin-mediated increase of HDL regulates angiogenesis and thereby improves functional outcome after stroke. Methods Adult male rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion and were treated with or without different doses (40 and 80mg/kg) of Niaspan, starting 24 hours after middle cerebral artery occlusion and daily for 14 days. Neurological functional tests were performed, and serum HDL level was measured. Angiogenesis and angiogenic factor expression were measured by immunohistochemistry, corneal neovascularization and capillary tube formation assay, and Western blot, respectively. Results Niaspan significantly increased HDL level, promoted angiogenesis in the ischemic brain, and improved functional outcome after stroke. Niaspan also significantly increased corneal neovascularization compared with nontreatment control. Mechanisms underlying the Niaspan-induced vascular remodeling were investigated. Niaspan increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), and phosphorylation of Akt, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and Tie2 in the ischemic brain. Niacin upregulated Ang1 expression in cultured brain endothelial cells and increased vascular endothelial growth factor, Ang1, and endothelial NOS expression in cultured astrocytes, and dose-dependently increased capillary tube formation compared with nontreatment control. Inhibition of NOS partially decreased Niacin-induced capillary tube formation. Inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase or knockdown of Tie2 substantially and significantly decreased Niacin-induced capillary tube formation. Interpretation Niacin increases HDL and promotes angiogenesis, which may contribute to improvement of functional outcome after stroke. The Ang1/Tie2, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, and endothelial NOS pathways appear to mediate Niacin-induced angiogenesis. Ann Neurol 2007
Relative calibration of scatterometer antennas using land targets

In this paper a simple method for relative antenna calibration is applied to NSCAT (NASA Scatterometer), and the model used is described. Calibration data sets are extracted using high-resolution masks. Results are presented for the Amazon rain forest (traditionally used) and the Siberian plain. Beam correction tables are derived for balancing normalized radar backscatter coefficient measurements from different antennas.
Advances in the genetics of sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an uncommon disease of granulomatous inflammation. Genetic predisposition to sarcoidosis is indicated by observations of familial clustering, increased concordance in monozygotic twins over other siblings, and variations in susceptibility and disease presentation among different ethnic groups. Published studies on sarcoidosis have investigated a variety of genetic associations. These studies used techniques ranging from classic human lymphocyte antigen genotype correlations to genome-wide linkage scans. Results have both supported and refuted disease associations with a number of genes potentially involved in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Here, we review representative studies concerning the genetics of sarcoidosis. While investigations to date have failed to identify a unifying genetic signature associated with sarcoidosis, numerous studies have identified genetic associations with disease subtypes or within specific populations. These studies suggest that genetic susceptibility to sarcoidosis is complex and polygenic in nature. Future studies will help clarify the genetics of sarcoidosis and allow for the development of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic technologies.
The Impact of Professional Development and Student and Teacher Characteristics on the Quality of Postsecondary Goals

This study examined (a) the main effects of professional development on the quality of postsecondary goals in employment and postsecondary education/training, (b) the main effects of student and teacher characteristics on goal quality, and (c) whether professional development moderated the relationship between the impact of these characteristics and goal quality. Individual Education Program (IEP) documents were gathered from 18 teachers before and after professional development totaling 137 IEPs. Hierarchical linear modeling methods were used to account for the fact that student IEPs were nested within teachers. Results indicated professional development significantly improved goal quality for both goal areas. Teachers whose primary placement and caseload was within self-contained classrooms and those with more years of experience had higher quality employment goals than teachers with less experience and those in resource rooms or general education settings. Implications are discussed regarding the conti...
The number of Americans without health insurance rose in 2001 and continued to rise in 2002.

Data from the Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the number of uninsured Americans rose in 2001 and in the first quarter of 2002. The main reason insurance coverage fell was a drop-off in employer-sponsored insurance for workers and their dependents. This reduction was triggered by rising unemployment levels and rising health insurance premiums, which made it more difficult for employers to offer insurance or for workers to afford it. The downturn in private coverage was partially offset by increased enrollment in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). About two million more children and one million more adults would have been uninsured had it not been for the growth in these programs. Funding for the public programs is, however, threatened by budget shortfalls affecting most states, which administer these programs. Many states have cut their Medicaid programs and are planning further cutbacks. Increasing federal assistance to states...
Estimation of Monthly Rainfall over Oceans from Truncated Rain-Rate Samples: Application to SSM/I Data

Abstract A physical–statistical monthly rainfall retrieval algorithm has been developed using multichannel brightness temperatures from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). Since an emission-based retrieval algorithm gives the most physically direct estimation of rainfall over oceans, instantaneous rain rates are retrieved using brightness temperature–rain rate (T–R) relationships derived from a radiative transfer model. The retrieved rain rates, however, are only reliable and useful over a portion of a whole dynamic range of rain rate due to limitations of the emission-based algorithm. When monthly rainfall in a 5° × 5° box is estimated, the instantaneous rain-rate samples are actually truncated. The method used in this study assumes that monthly rainfall intensity in a 5° × 5° box has a mixed lognormal distribution. Thus, the contribution of the rain rates outside of the dynamic range can be estimated by extrapolation. Coefficients of the mixed lognormal distribution are determined by fitting th...
Afterword to the 2009 Edition

This Afterword to the 10th anniversary edition of Eli Clare's Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation considers how the critical perspectives offered by Clare's work a decade ago reflect on today's queer and trans political context. The afterword argues that in the context of an even more concentrated focus of resources on the quest for marriage inclusion and the racist aftermath of Proposition 8, Clare's intersectional disability, economic and racial justice focused analysis is as urgently needed as ever.
Integrated modeling of conflict and energy

The present paper summarizes the integration of two models, an energy security model and a national stability (conflict) model. The Energy Security Model uses system dynamics to represent national interactions in global markets for oil and natural gas. The Conflict Model employs multiscale agent-based modeling to represent international, national and subnational actors that must address complex scenarios in international relations. While this is a work in progress, the models are being integrated in order to support model interaction. So, instability in a major oil producing country can restrict global oil supplies and increase prices. Similarly, a fall in oil price might weaken a nation that is heavily dependent on oil revenue for stability. This overview provides an informative description of two alternate methods used to integrate two substantively distinct models.
Ascites in a 42-year-old woman.

She has had worsening shortness of breath, leg edema, and ascites for 4 months. What is the cause?
The Propaganda Function in Marketing

Advertising is more than a mere extension of personal selling techniques to the printed page or the television screen. The author maintains that it is a special form of propaganda, designed to gain...
Overland Flow from Time-Distributed Rainfall

The influence of time-varying rainfall on overland flow is investigated. The kinematic wave equations for turbulent flow (across a plane, impermeable surface) are solved using a time-varying rainfall appropriate for thunderstorms. The peak discharge is shown to be a function of surface length, total precipitation, storm duration, and time to equilibrium for rainfall of constant intensity. For rainfall durations equal or less than the time-of-concentration, there is little difference between peak discharges estimated using time-varying rainfall and rainfall of constant intensity. For rainfall of long relative duration, the thunderstorm distribution gives much higher peak discharges.
Implementation Considerations For Wireless Networked Control Systems

We show that delay impulsive systems are a natural framework to model wired and wireless NCSs with variable sampling intervals and delays as well as packet dropouts. Then, we employ discontinuous Lyapunov functionals to characterize admissible sampling intervals and delays such that exponential stability of NCS is guaranteed. These results allow us to determine requirements needed to establish exponential stability, which is the most basic Quality of Performance (QoP) required by the application layer. Then we focus on the question of whether or not the Quality of Service (QoS) provided by the wireless network suffices to fulfill the required QoP. To answer this question, we employ results from real-time scheduling and provide a set of conditions under which the desired QoP can be achieved.
High-Performance Inkjet-Printed Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Transistors Enabled by Embedded, Chemically Stable Graphene Electrodes.

Recent developments in solution-processed amorphous oxide semiconductors have established indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) as a promising candidate for printed electronics. A key challenge for this vision is the integration of IGZO thin-film transistor (TFT) channels with compatible source/drain electrodes using low-temperature, solution-phase patterning methods. Here we demonstrate the suitability of inkjet-printed graphene electrodes for this purpose. In contrast to common inkjet-printed silver-based conductive inks, graphene provides a chemically stable electrode-channel interface. Furthermore, by embedding the graphene electrode between two consecutive IGZO printing passes, high-performance IGZO TFTs are achieved with an electron mobility of ∼6 cm2/V·s and current on/off ratio of ∼105. The resulting printed devices exhibit robust stability to aging in ambient as well as excellent resilience to thermal stress, thereby offering a promising platform for future printed electronics applications.
Forensic anthropometry from voice: An articulatory-phonetic approach

This paper addresses a problem that is of paramount importance in solving crimes wherein voice may be key evidence, or the only evidence: that of describing the perpetrator. The term Forensic anthropometry from voice refers to the deduction of the speaker's physical dimensions from voice. There are multiple studies in the literature that approach this problem in different ways, many of which depend on the availability of sufficient volumes of speech for analysis. However, in the case of many voice-based crimes, the voice evidence available may be limited. In such cases it is especially advantageous to regard the recorded signal as comprising multiple pieces of evidence. In this paper, we show how this can be done. We explain why, for any anthropometric measurement from speech, it makes sense to consider the contributions of each articulatory-phonetic unit independently of others, and to aggregate the deductions from them only in the aftermath. This approach is based on the hypothesis that the relative evidence given by different compositional units of speech can be more indicative of the anthropometric factor being deduced, than the evidence derived from the aggregate voice signal. We explain the applicability of this approach through experiments on standard speech databases.
Memristor-Based Volistor Gates Compute Logic with Low Power Consumption

We introduce a novel volistor logic gate which uses voltage as input and resistance as output. Volistors rely on the diode-like behavior of rectifying memristors. We show how to realize the first logic level, counted from the input, of any Boolean function with volistor gates in a memristive crossbar network. Unlike stateful logic, there is no need to store the inputs as resistances, and computation is performed directly. The fan-in and fan-out of volistor gates are large and different from traditional memristor circuits. Compared to solely memristive stateful logic, a combination of volistors and stateful inhibition gates can significantly reduce the number of operations required to calculate arbitrary multi-output Boolean functions. The power consumption of volistor logic is computed and compared with the power consumption of stateful logic using the simulation results obtained by LTspice—when implemented in a 1 × 8 or an 8 × 1 crosspoint array, volistors consume significantly less power.
Relationship between gait variables and domains of neurologic dysfunction in multiple sclerosis using six-minute walk test

Most multiple sclerosis (MS) patients eventually suffer from mobility impairment, and thus it is critical that walking disability in MS be accurately assessed. The six-minute walk test (6MWT), a reliable MS measure, is traditionally used to determine the distance covered in six minutes using a standard protocol. With the availability of body sensor networks (BSNs), researchers are interested in leveraging BSN data for finding new gait assessment anchors for improved separability performance. Further, current methods for gait assessments are insufficient since assessments are absolute, performed by comparing outcomes to the statistical norms established from diverse patient data despite natural inter-patient variability. For example, walking at a slower pace may be a personal trait rather than a fatigue-induced impact in MS. Thus instead of using actual values, changes in gait features during a 6MWT can be used to draw clinical conclusions and remove inter-subject variability. We use 6MWT gait time series BSN data of MS subjects to determine changes in their gait speed and gait cycle length variance over six minutes. We also determine the relationships between these variables and three subjective assessments, namely functional systems scores, modified fatigue impact scale, and multiple sclerosis walking scale. These relationships are important in order to validate features and make them clinically meaningful for a doctor. In MS, feelings of fatigue can occur more often, and have a greater impact on a subject's daily life. The results show that MS patients who reported high motor-related fatigue slowed down and had high gait cycle length variance in the last minute of the test, in contrast to those on whom fatigue had minimal impact, enhancing the separability between MS subjects of varied disabilities based on their scores. It is also observed that FSS components related to coordination, balance, and physical activities show strong correlation with gait parameters.
Impact of the Energy Crisis on Food and Nutrition Systems

Energy is used for many processes and in many ways throughout the entire food and nutrition system. It is expended in seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tilling the soil, irrigating, harvesting, storaging, preserving, transporting, marketing, and finally in home preparation. Because the use of energy is so pervasive, the shortage of fossil energy, accompanied by higher energy prices, is affecting our food and nutrition systems.
Mutations in SLC5A6 associated with brain, immune, bone, and intestinal dysfunction in a young child.

The human sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter (hSMVT) is a product of the SLC5A6 gene and mediates biotin, pantothenic acid, and lipoate uptake in a variety of cellular systems. We report here the identification of mutations R94X, a premature termination, and R123L, a dysfunctional amino acid change, both in exon 3 of the SLC5A6 gene in a child using whole genome-scanning. At 15 months of age, the child showed failure to thrive, microcephaly and brain changes on MRI, cerebral palsy and developmental delay, variable immunodeficiency, and severe gastro-esophageal reflux requiring a gastrostomy tube/fundoplication, osteoporosis, and pathologic bone fractures. After identification of the SLC5A6 mutations, he responded clinically to supplemental administration of excess biotin, pantothenic acid, and lipoate with improvement in clinical findings. Functionality of the two mutants was examined by 3H-biotin uptake assay following expression of the mutants in human-derived intestinal HuTu-80 and brain U87 cells. The results showed severe impairment in biotin uptake in cells expressing the mutants compared to those expressing wild-type hSMVT. Live cell confocal imaging of cells expressing the mutants showed the R94X mutant to be poorly tolerated and localized in the cytoplasm, while the R123L mutant was predominantly retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. This is the first reporting of mutations in the SLC5A6 gene in man, and suggests that this gene is important for brain development and a wide variety of clinical functions.
Circadian Regulation of Benzo[a]Pyrene Metabolism and DNA Adduct Formation in Breast Cells and the Mouse Mammary Gland.

The circadian clock plays a role in many biologic processes, yet very little is known about its role in metabolism of drugs and carcinogens. The purpose of this study was to define the impact of circadian rhythms on benzo-a-pyrene (BaP) metabolism in the mouse mammary gland and develop a circadian in vitro model for investigating changes in BaP metabolism resulting from cross-talk between the molecular clock and aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Female 129sv mice (12 weeks old) received a single gavage dose of 50 mg/kg BaP at either noon or midnight, and mammary tissues were isolated 4 or 24 hours later. BaP-induced Cyp1a1 and Cyp1b1 mRNA levels were higher 4 hours after dosing at noon than at 4 hours after dosing at midnight, and this corresponded with parallel changes in Per gene expression. In our in vitro model, we dosed MCF10A mammary cells at different times after serum shock to study how time of day shifts drug metabolism in cells. Analysis of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 gene expression showed the maximum enzyme-induced metabolism response 12 and 20 hours after shock, as determined by ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity, metabolism of BaP, and formation of DNA-BaP adducts. The pattern of PER-, BMAL-, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor–induced P450 gene expression and BaP metabolism was similar to BaP-induced Cyp1A1 and Cyp1B1 and molecular clock gene expression in mouse mammary glands. These studies indicate time-of-day exposure influences BaP metabolism in mouse mammary glands and describe an in vitro model that can be used to investigate the circadian influence on the metabolism of carcinogens.
After the Cochabamba Water War of 2000: A Common Pool Resource Institution in the Urban Andes

The Cochabamba Water War of 2000 was actually a series of protests against the privatization of water resources and their management in the department of Cochabamba, Bolivia. After two months, the protesters were able to secure the nullification of the privatization deal and a return to public control. The protests have come to be considered a moral triumph of impoverished Bolivians over a transnational consortium of private corporations (Assies 2003; Olivera 2003). It has been suggested that the protests began when peasants and urban migrants rose up to defend Common Pool Resources (CPR) and institutions (Perreault 2006; Bakker 2007). This argument has focused on rural communities, as we know little about how common pool water resource institutions function in urban Cochabamba, where water is extremely scarce in the southern region occupied by urban migrants - a condition that may make urban common pool water institutions unsustainable. I here examine three questions: (1) How does a common pool water resource function in urban Cochabamba? (2) Are its rules sustainable during periods of severe water scarcity? (3) Are the underlying institutions (including those for collective choice rules and operational rules) also sustainable during periods of severe water scarcity?
Dying for Globalization? The Impact of Economic Globalization on Industrial Accidents

Objectives Industry-related accidents are tragically ubiquitous events, yet their underlying causes remain poorly understood. We focus on an important factor associated with the likelihood of industrial hazards: economic globalization. Specifically, we advance multiple hypotheses that suggest that global economic ties as well as the policies that are intended to facilitate these ties increase the likelihood of major industrial accidents as they induce poor governance and the violation of worker safety and regulations. Methods We combine data on economic globalization with data on major industrial accidents, and examine the relationship between these variables across 137 countries for the period 1971–2012. Results We find a significant positive relationship between economic globalization and the probability of industrial accidents. Results further suggest that the impact of state policies encouraging globalization, such as the removal of barriers to trade and capital flows, is stronger than that of trade and investment flows themselves. Conclusions Our results show that a contradiction may exist between the pursuit of integration into the global economy and a key labor right—the right to a safe workplace—and suggest that pro-globalization policies may exacerbate the governance challenges associated with accident prevention.
Targeted therapy approvals: Summary and future directions.

e22181 Background: The development of targeted therapies for cancer has thrived with improved understanding of genetic mechanisms and co-development of companion diagnostics. Methods: Clinical tria...
Monte Carlo study of the chamber-phantom air gap effect in a magnetic field:

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the effect of submillimeter air gaps that may exist between an ionization chamber and solid phantoms when measurements are performed in a magnetic field. Methods Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations were performed using a model of a PTW 30013 Farmer chamber in a water phantom. Symmetrical and asymmetrical air gaps of various thicknesses were modeled surrounding the chamber, and the dose to the air cavity of the chamber was scored in each case. Magnetic fields were modeled parallel to the long axis of the chamber with strengths of 0, 0.35 T, 1.0 T, and 1.5 T. To examine the phenomenon in more detail, the gyroradii of the electrons responsible for the energy deposited in the chamber were scored as they entered the chamber and the total energy deposited was split into three components: energy originating from inside the chamber, in the immediate vacinity of the chamber, or outside the chamber. Results Differences in the chamber dose of 1.6% were observed for asymmetric air gaps just 0.2 mm thick. No effect greater than 0.5% was observed for the symmetrical air gaps investigated in this work (1.4 mm thick or less) for this chamber/magnetic field configuration. The mean gyroradius of contributing electrons as they first enter the chamber was 4 mm. The presence of the air gap reduced the energy contributions from electrons released in the immediate vicinity of the chamber, and this loss was not completely compensated for when a magnetic field was present. Conclusions The gyroradius of most electrons was too large to be responsible for the air gap effect via the electron return effect; instead, the effect is attributed to the loss of energy contributions from electrons originating inside the air gap volume, which is not completely compensated for by more distant electrons owing to their reduced range in the magnetic field. When the chamber is parallel with the magnetic field, symmetric air gaps have a smaller effect (< 0.5%) compared to asymmetric air-gaps (up to 1.6%) on the chamber response.
A Systematic Method to Build a Knowledge Base to be Used in a Human Reliability Analysis Model

A human’s knowledge base is a key component for the development of a mechanistic model of human response to be used for human reliability analysis. This paper proposes a new method for constructing this knowledge base. The proposed method is comprised of three steps: (1) systematic literature review, which is used to collect data pertinent to the subject under study; (2) summarization, the goal of which is to extract key points that are expressed in the literature; (3) qualitative coding, a process in which codes closely related to the topic are derived and the relationships between these codes are expressed. As a case study, the proposed method is being applied to construct an operator’s knowledge base concerning severe accident phenomenology in a nuclear power plant. Part of this application is explored in this paper. With the proposed method and the resulting knowledge base, it is expected that an individual’s response when presented with a specific context can be modeled in more detail.
Isolation of angiocidin tumor and endothelial cell surface binding proteins

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 2335 Angiocidin is a novel tumor associated protein originally isolated from a lung tumor extract by peptide affinity chromatography using a thrombospondin type-1 repeat sequence. The cloned recombinant angiocidin was shown to possess high anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic activity, as seen in several different in vitro and in vivo assays. Exogenously added angiocidin induces apoptosis in different endothelial cell lines, inhibits tube formation on Matrigel, and inhibits adhesion and proliferation. These effects are also evident but less pronounced in breast and colon tumor cell lines. While the potential therapeutic activity of angiocidin appears promising, the mechanism of action of these different cellular responses is not known. In this study, we have isolated several cell surface proteins in human endothelial, breast tumor epithelial, and monocytic cell lines. These proteins were identified by biotinyating all cell surface proteins and then immunoprecipitating the cell extracts with a rabbit anti-angiocidin antibody. The immunoprecipitates showed several common bands among the different cell lines from both normal and tumor derived tissue. Bands having molecular weights of 37 kDa, 50 kDa, 55 kDa, 60 kDa, 100 kDa, 110 kDa, and 250kDa are cell surface proteins that interact with angiocidin in all the cell types examined. Additionally, some cell lines expressed unique angiocidin-binding proteins. For example, endothelial cells expressed a unique 200 kDa and 25 kDa angiocidin binding protein. Further identification and characterization of these cell surface proteins will help to elucidate the mechanism of angiocidin’s anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic activity. These proteins may represent new and novel targets for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics.
Rationalizing and advancing the 3-MPBA SERS sandwich assay for rapid detection of bacteria in environmental and food matrices

Bacterial foodborne illness continues to be a pressing issue in our food supply. Rapid detection methods are needed for perishable foods due to their short shelf lives and significant contribution to foodborne illness. Previously, a sensitive and reliable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sandwich assay based on 3-mercaptophenylboronic acid (3-MBPA) as a capturer and indicator molecule was developed for rapid bacteria detection. In this study, we explored the advantages and constraints of this assay over the conventional aerobic plate count (APC) method and further developed methods for detection in real environmental and food matrices. The SERS sandwich assay was able to detect environmental bacteria in pond water and on spinach leaves at higher levels than the APC method. In addition, the SERS assay appeared to have higher sensitivity to quantify bacteria in the stationary phase. On the other hand, the APC method was more sensitive to cell viability. Finally, a method to detect bacteria in a challenging high-sugar juice matrix was developed to enhance bacteria capture. This study advanced the SERS technique for real applications in environment and food matrices.
Mitigating the zonal effect in modeling urban population density functions by Monte Carlo simulation

Most empirical studies indicate that the pattern of declining urban population density with distance from the city center is best captured by a negative exponential function. Such studies usually u...
Teacher Decisions in Selecting Vocabulary for Instruction to English Language Learners

In response to the paucity of literature on vocabulary instruction among high school-aged English language learners (ELLs), this study used concurrent think-aloud methodology to examine the decisions of high school teachers with little to no experience working with ELLs. Participating teachers were asked to read a sample text, selecting vocabulary they might focus on when working with ELLs in their classes. The results indicated that teacher experience was a key factor in vocabulary selection. Junior teachers in the subject areas focused almost exclusively on local-level comprehension as a rationale for vocabulary selection, whereas senior teachers in the content areas focused on relative word frequency and word formation as criteria for vocabulary selection. Pedagogical implications of the study recommend a focus on productive vocabulary knowledge in addition to receptive vocabulary knowledge, as well as vocabulary instruction integrated across subject areas through collaboration among ESL teachers and their colleagues in the content areas.
Speech recognition experiment with 10,000 words dictionary

Important progress has been achieved in Speech Recognition during the last ten years. Some small recognition tasks like vocal commands can now be accomplished, and more fundamental research involves the study and design of large vocabulary recognition. The research on Automatic Dictation is becoming very active, and recent realizations have shown very good performances. A key factor in the development of such Listening Typewriters is the ability to support Large Size Dictionary (LSD, several thousands words), or even Very Large Size Dictionaries (VLSD, several hundred of thousands words), because any restriction on the vocabulary is a restriction on potential users. This is even more important for inflected languages, such as French, because of the number of different forms for each lemma (on the average: 2.2 for English, 5 for German, 7 for French).
Signals and Frequencies

So far we have considered some aspects of the transmission of sine waves and their admixture with noise. In actual communication systems, we transmit complicated signals. Before we proceed to consider the transmission of such signals, we need to know a little about the representation of complicated waveforms, and even of two-dimensional patterns, by sums of sine waves. Why sines and cosines? Because these functions are the stable or bounded solutions of the differential equations of linear circuit theory and electromagnetic wave propagation.
The meiotic process and aneuploidy.

Meiosis occupies a central position in eukaryotic genetics because it provides the mechanism for precisely reducing the genetic material from the double amount present in the immature germ cell to the single amount present in the gamete. Deviations from the strict equality of distribution are almost always lethal or deleterious to the progeny, in humans as well as in Drosophila.
Polynomials in Gaussian Variables and Infinite Divisibility

ABSTRACT The following open problem in the study of infinitely divisible laws is mentioned and motivated: Let Y be a Gaussian random variable. Determine those polynomials in Y whose distribution is infinitely divisible.
La contemplación en la acción de la justicia. La contribución de Ignacio Ellacuría a la espiritualidad cristiana

No abstract available. Revista latinoamericana de teologia, Vol. 17, No. 51, 2000: 211-232.