cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High performance quantum well micro-hall device for current sensing in inverters

An InGaAs quantum well remotely-doped heterostructure grown by MBE was fabricated as a micro-Hall device and applied as a remote current sensor. Detailed studies of device sensitivities, signal linearity, and noise were performed over broad temperature and frequency ranges. Good performance was demonstrated up to 500 K with magnetic sensitivities as high as 1400 V/A/T at 80 K and 1000 V/A/T at 390 K. Detection limits at 100 kHz of 3 nT and 50 nT were measured for 80 K and 390 K, respectively. These studies suggest the need to develop magnetometers based on wide-band gap semiconductors for temperatures above 500 K.
Western Investment in East-Central Europe: Emerging Patterns and Implications for State Stability*

Western investment and trade in East-Central Europe is likely to play a key role in the economic fortunes of the region over the next decade. Currently, the capital cities and the western parts of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary are the primary beneficiaries of economic interaction with the West. As such, existing regional inequalities are being reinforced. Deepening regional socioeconomic disparities within individual states could complicate the economic restructuring process and jeopardize state stability in the years ahead.
Target proteins for arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl) transferase in membrane fractions from chick skeletal muscle cells.

Abstract In a previous study, we found that a specific inhibitor of cellular arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl) transferase, meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), reversibly inhibited both proliferation and differentiation of cultured embryonic chick primary muscle myoblasts. In addition, we observed that arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase activity increased with muscle-cell differentiation in cultures. Therefore, muscle-cell cultures, especially the 96-h myotube cultures that contain the highest levels of ADP-ribosyltransferase, were used as a working system to determine the cellular protein substrates for arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase. When membrane fractions extracted from 96-h chick myotubes were incubated with [ 32 P]NAD at 30°C for 30 min, only a few proteins were labeled. The labeling of two proteins of 36 and 56 kDa was inhibited by the presence of an arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl) transferase inhibitor, MIBG, and by novobiocin. To prove that these proteins are indeed the targets for arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl)ation, active recombinant muscle ADP-ribosyltransferase was incubated with membrane proteins under the same conditions. ADP-ribosylation of these two membrane proteins, as seen in the endogenous reactions, was also catalyzed by the added muscle transferase and was also inhibited by MIBG and novobiocin. By using antibody specific for desmin for immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analysis, we found that a 56-kDa protein associated with the membrane of myotubes is desmin. Our results showed that incorporation of isotope into this protein band from [ 32 P]NAD is due to ADP-ribosylation of desmin.
Some surface energy effects in the strength of moist polymer agglomerates

Abstract The crushing strengths of agglomerates made by tumbling cellulose acetate and cellulose acetate butyrate powders wetted by water-methanol solutions of various concentrations were measured. After normalization for the effects of variable pore saturation and porosity, agglomerate strength factors exhibited minima as methanol concentration was increased. These minima also corresponded approximately to maximum pore saturation by the wetting liquid. It is proposed that these experimental maxima and minima correspond to a condition under which surface tensions of the liquid and solid phases are just matched, so that maximum capillary suction and zero van der Waals attraction exist in the wetted particle systems. It is concluded that reliable solids surface tension data can thus be generated from compressive strength measurements on agglomerates of low energy particulate solids.
Successful treatment with pimozide of Capgras syndrome in an elderly male.

A case of Capgras syndrome in a 67-year-old man who failed to improve on haloperidol, but responded to pimozide, is described. The patient's paranoid delusions abated with 8 mg per day of pimozide. We believe pimozide's established benefit in the treatment of delusional disorders warrants its consideration in alleviating other delusions, including "the delusion of doubles."
Compact algorithmic time-to-digital converter

Time-to-digital converters (TDCs) are an important circuit block in time-of-flight sensors, fluorescence lifetime sensors, and self-calibrating digital circuits. Fine-resolution TDCs are usually built with chains of delay elements, but this architecture requires large area, conversion time, and power consumption. A novel compact TDC architecture based on the cyclic comparison algorithm is presented, which implemented and tested in the TSMC, 0.35 μm process within a 200 × 200 μm area is demonstrated that the proposed TDC achieves a conversion rate of 10 ns/bit and sub-picosecond resolution. The measured power is 0.7 mW, taking 100 ns for each bit.
Constant curvature algebras and higher spin action generating functions

Abstract The algebra of differential geometry operations on symmetric tensors over constant curvature manifolds forms a novel deformation of the sl ( 2 , R ) ⋉ R 2 Lie algebra. We present a simple calculus for calculations in its universal enveloping algebra. As an application, we derive generating functions for the actions and gauge invariances of massive, partially massless and massless (for both Bose and Fermi statistics) higher spins on constant curvature backgrounds. These are formulated in terms of a minimal set of covariant, unconstrained, fields rather than towers of auxiliary fields. Partially massless gauge transformations are shown to arise as degeneracies of the flat, massless gauge transformation in one dimension higher. Moreover, our results and calculus offer a considerable simplification over existing techniques for handling higher spins. In particular, we show how theories of arbitrary spin in dimension d can be rewritten in terms of a single scalar field in dimension 2d where the d additional dimensions correspond to coordinate differentials. We also develop an analogous framework for spinor-tensor fields in terms of the corresponding superalgebra.
Multi-oxygenase complexes of the gilvocarcin and jadomycin biosyntheses.

A series of gene inactivation and gene recombination experiments involving oxygenase encoding genes of the gilvocarcin and jadomycin biosynthetic pathways showed that the enigmatic oxidative rearra...
Use of a New Bioassay to Study Pentamidine Pharmacokinetics

We developed a sensitive and specific agar-diffusion bioassay for pentamidine by using an amphotericin B-resistant isolate, Candida tropicalis ATCC 28707, as the test organism. We determined levels of pentamidine in serum of rats given intramuscular or intravenous injections and levels in serum, urine, and tissues of humans who had received the drug by slow intravenous infusion. Rats given intravenous pentamidine at a dose of 2 mg/kg had higher serum levels than those given intramuscular injection at a dose of 10 mg/kg; however, the drug was detectable in serum for 4 hr after intramuscular administration. The serum half-life in rats after intravenous injection was 2 min. Humans treated with 4 mg of pentamidine/kg by slow (1-2 hr) intravenous infusion had peak serum concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3.4 micrograms/ml. The mean half-life of elimination from serum in humans was 17 +/- 4 min (n = 3). In two patients, studied after completion of therapy, urinary excretion rates declined with a half-life of five and nine days. In tissues obtained at autopsy from four patients who had received pentamidine, the drug was present in highest concentration in the spleen and liver, followed by kidneys, adrenals, and lungs.
Indium abundance trends among sun-like stars

Results are presented from the first abundance analysis of indium (In) among sun-like stars. The abundance analysis is based on the weak In I line at 4511 A. Spectrum synthesis of 42 stars cooler than the sun reveals a trend between [In/Fe] and [Fe/H] with a slope of -0.76 ± 0.06, when corrected for a trend with T eff . This is the same sense as the correlation found among sun-like stars for the r-process element, Eu, but In exhibits a much steeper slope. The sample includes five stars hosting giant planets, but they exhibit the same trend as the other stars in the sample. Additional research on all astrophysical processes affecting the In abundance in stars is encouraged.
The Balian-Brézin method in relativistic quantum mechanics

The method suggested by Balian and Brezin for treating angular momentum reduction in the Faddeev equations is shown to be applicable to the relativistic three-body problem.
The barite-opal-organic carbon association in oceanic particulate matter

Barite particles 0.5–5 μm in size are ubiquitous in the ocean and their formation, sinking and dissolution is a major part of the marine barium cycle1,2. Barite formation appears to be caused by biological activity in the upper water column, but the exact mechanism is unknown. Analysis of 1–53 μm and >53 μm sized particles obtained by large volume in situ filtration in the Atlantic suggests that barites are formed in the >53 fxm fraction in near-surface waters and released into the 1–53 μm fraction at depths below the euphotic zone. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis of both size fractions shows first, that barites are formed almost exclusively in microenvironments containing decaying organic matter and the remains of siliceous plankton, and second that barites do not appear to be actively formed by the planktonic organism sampled. This explains the origin of suspended barite, and the similarity of dissolved Si and Ba distributions in the ocean. Suspended and sedimented barite may indicate the intensity of organic matter regeneration in the water column.
Sleep Loss and Inflammation

Controlled, experimental studies on the effects of acute sleep loss in humans have shown that mediators of inflammation are altered by sleep loss. Elevations in these mediators have been found to occur in healthy, rigorously screened individuals undergoing experimental vigils of more than 24h, and have also been seen in response to various durations of sleep restricted to between 25 and 50% of a normal 8h sleep amount. While these altered profiles represent small changes, such sub-clinical shifts in basal inflammatory cytokines are known to be associated with the future development of metabolic syndrome disease in healthy, asymptomatic individuals. Although the mechanism of this altered inflammatory status in humans undergoing experimental sleep loss is unknown, it is likely that autonomic activation and metabolic changes play key roles.
Plasticity induced fatigue crack closure in single and dual phase materials

Abstract The role of the presence of a non-deformable second phase in a soft matrix on the plasticity induced crack closure behavior of a growing fatigue crack is analyzed as a boundary value problem using elastic—plastic finite element techniques. Three cases of plasticity induced crack closure are simulated under plane-strain conditions: (a) response of the matrix; (b) response in the presence of the second phase; and (c) effects of interface failure between the matrix and the second phase as the fatigue crack crosses the second phase. Results indicate that the presence of the second phase considerably affects the stress and strain fields of a growing fatigue crack at both maximum and minimum load levels, and hence the crack opening and closure behavior. The interface bonding characteristics between the matrix and the second phase play an important role in this variation. Crack deflection and increased surface roughness are inevitable in two phase materials due to the localization of the plastic flow between the second phase. Therefore, it appears that the parameters of the second phase are important factors in the observed effects of plasticity induced crack closure.
Siddi Street Theatre and Dance in North Karnataka, South India

The Karnataka African Indians (Siddis, Habshis and Cafrees), drawing on both Indian performing arts and their African heritage, use dance and street theatre for political action, entertainment, social critique and self-expression. This paper focuses on Siddi dance and theatre in Uttara Kannada (North Karnataka), South India. Karnataka Siddis number about twenty thousand (Prasad, 2005). Using dramatic aesthetics, performers portray farming, hunting, child labour, violence against women and domestic work motifs to articulate Siddi grundnorms (foundational norms). I address how some Siddi dances and street theatre parallel and yet may differ from other performing arts in South India. Further, the paper complicates the current discourse on how diasporic African communities use the performing arts. My paper goes beyond the Atlantic Diaspora model. It examines ways in which Siddis of South Asia use their dance and theatre to express multiple domains of cultural art forms alongside the everyday use of such performances including a counter-hegemonic stance.
Remote Monitoring for Atrial Fibrillation

Remote monitoring for atrial fibrillation (AF) provides invaluable tools for diagnosis and management. Recent advances in monitoring technology have improved the ability to care for patients with AF. Wireless remote monitoring of implanted devices is revolutionizing the way health care professionals care for this subgroup of patients. Early identification and treatment of paroxysmal AF episodes has the potential to reduce the progression to persistent or permanent AF. Prompt initiation of anticoagulant therapy can reduce the rate of strokes. More thorough and real-time remote monitoring can help evaluate to improve the efficacy of rate control, antiarrhythmic drug therapy, and catheter or surgical ablation procedures. In addition to improvements in clinical care, early detection and treatment of AF could reduce health care costs associated with AF.
Effect of oral vitamin C supplementation on serum uric acid: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective To assess the effect of vitamin C supplementation on serum uric acid (SUA) by pooling the findings from published randomized, controlled trials (RCTs).
Target Selection for SETI. I. A Catalog of Nearby Habitable Stellar Systems

In preparation for the advent of the Allen Telescope Array, the SETI Institute has the need to greatly expand its former list of ~2000 targets compiled for Project Phoenix, a search for extraterrestrial technological signals. In this paper we present a catalog of stellar systems that are potentially habitable to complex life forms (including intelligent life), which comprises the largest portion of the new SETI target list. The Catalog of Nearby Habitable Systems (HabCat) was created from the Hipparcos Catalogue by examining the information on distances, stellar variability, multiplicity, kinematics, and spectral classification for the 118,218 stars contained therein. We also make use of information from several other catalogs containing data for Hipparcos stars on X-ray luminosity, Ca II H and K activity, rotation, spectral types, kinematics, metallicity, and Stromgren photometry. Combined with theoretical studies on habitable zones, evolutionary tracks, and third-body orbital stability, these data are used to remove unsuitable stars from HabCat, leaving a residue of stars that, to the best of our current knowledge, are potentially habitable hosts for complex life. While this catalog will no doubt need to be modified as we learn more about individual objects, the present analysis results in 17,129 Hipparcos habstars near the Sun (75% within 140 pc), ~2200 of which are known or suspected to be members of binary or triple star systems.
the socialist transformation of agriculture in a Romanian commune, 1945‐62

The Romanian socialist transformation of agriculture is analyzed as a sociopolitical process typical of complex society. Its specific character results from the interaction of national policy and local organization within a framework of regional power relations. National policy is transformed by community class relations, land use, and intracommunity variation as expressed in regional political economy. Local deviations promote change at national levels, thereby countering those who see collectivization solely as a function of state power, [cooperative and collective agriculture, national integration, complex society, sociocultural change, Eastern Europe]
A Benchtop System to Assess Cortical Neural Interface Micromechanics

A benchtop brain tissue-microelectrode insertion model system was developed to aid in improving the design of cortical neural interfaces. The model partially mimics the in vivo environment via the use of human cadaver brain specimens (nspecimen=6), or agar gel exposed to physiologically relevant mechanical oscillations. 150 mum diameter stainless-steel microelectrode wires (TS=600 MPa) implanted 3.0 cm within fixed human primary auditory cortex (ntrial>10) experienced 133plusmn8 and 64plusmn4 mN of peak and steady axial forces. When subjected to a 3 Hz, 3-mm vertical oscillation, dynamic force amplitudes (ntrial>10) of 148plusmn10 mN were measured. The model system allows the study and comparison of static and dynamic forces and their mechanical influences on proposed implanted microelectrode structures
Eldercare benefits offered by the best companies to work for in America.

The top 100 companies to work for in America were surveyed to determine what eldercare benefits they offer to employees and retirees. Benefits that allow employees flexibility (leave, time off, part time work, flextime, flexplace) were most frequently offered. Information had referrral services (telephone, seminars, consultation) were less frequently available. Direct care services (home care, day care, case management) were seldom offered. The most frequently offered benefit for retirees was health insurance.
Ligand-based backbone modifications for metal-chelating nucleic acids

Ligands were incorporated into the backbone of DNA for nucleoside replacements, and the binding of metal ions, such as Cu2+, Pt2+ and Pd4+, was shown to influence stability of the resulting duplexes.
The relation between maximal running speed and body mass in terrestrial mammals

The available data on maximal running speeds of mammals are presented, and the relationship between speed and body mass is considered. For all mammals (n= 106), maximal running speed scales as (body mass)0–17; however, the largest mammals are not the fastest, and an optimal size with regards to running ability is suggested ( 119 kg). Maximal running speeds are, on the average, somewhat more than twice maximal aerobic speeds. Within the Artiodactyla, Carnivora or Rodentia, maximal running speed is mass independent, in agreement with theoretical expectations for geometrically similar animals (Thompson, 1917; Hill, 1950). McMahon's (1975b) model for elastic similarity is therefore not supported by the available data on maximal running speeds, and there appears to be no necessary correspondence between scaling of limb bone proportions and running ability.
The Decoupling of Terrestrial Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles

approach has proven valuable in understanding not only marine biogeochemistry (Broecker et al. 1979, Howarth 1988), but also carbon and nutrient cycles on land (Bolin and Cook 1983, Melillo and Gosz 1983, Reiners 1986, Rosswall 1981, Vitousek 1982). Both plant species diversity and their ability to produce varying amounts of structural material cause greater variation in carbon to nutrient ratios within terrestrial biomass than is found in the ocean (Vitousek et al. 1988). Yet nutrient limitation of net terrestrial
Smooth transonic flow in an array of counter-rotating vortices

Numerical solutions to the steady two-dimensional compressible Euler equations corresponding to a compressible analogue of the Mallier & Maslowe (Phys. Fluids, vol. A 5, 1993, p. 1074) vortex are presented. The steady compressible Euler equations are derived for homentropic flow and solved using a spectral method. A solution branch is parameterized by the inverse of the sound speed at infinity, $c_{\infty}^{-1}$, and the mass flow rate between adjacent vortex cores of the corresponding incompressible solution, $\epsilon$. For certain values of the mass flux, the solution branches followed numerically were found to terminate at a finite value of $c_{\infty}^{-1}$. Along these branches numerical evidence for the existence of extensive regions of smooth steady transonic flow, with local Mach numbers as large as 1.276, is presented.
Body Temperature of Dry Cows on Pasture: Environmental and Behavioral Effects

To investigate interrelations among factors potentially affecting body temperature, we observed body temperature, activity, and relative aggregation of 3 to 5 dry cows from a herd of 12 to 15 every 20 min. Ambient conditions were noted every 1 h and fly counts every 3 h. Observations during daylight for 5 d with and without shade indicated effects of shade were minimal and were extended to 24 h without shade at six weekly intervals. Cows lie down during the evening, grazed near sunrise and sunset, and alternated standing and grazing during the day. The aggregation index was greatest during periods of standing and least during grazing; however, it remained constant across periods of similar activity. Cows shifted activity from grazing to standing during periods of increased fly activity. Ambient temperatures ranging from 13 to 35 degrees C had little influence on measured variables. Body temperatures showed one to three daily dips (greater than 1 degree C) and a hysteresis pattern. Almost all dips were associated with transitions from lying to grazing. Body temperature was constant in the morning, rose to a higher level in the afternoon, and remained high until the next morning.
Requirement of km23 for TGFβ-mediated growth inhibition and induction of fibronectin expression

Abstract We previously identified km23 as a novel TGFβ receptor-interacting protein. Here we show that km23 is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues and that cell-type specific differences in endogenous km23 protein expression exist. In addition, we demonstrate that the phosphorylation of km23 is TGFβ-dependent, in that EGF was unable to phosphorylate km23. Further, the kinase activity of both TGFβ receptors appears to play a role in the TGFβ-mediated phosphorylation of km23, although TGFβ RII kinase activity is absolutely required for km23 phosphorylation. Blockade of km23 using small interfering RNAs significantly decreased key TGFβ responses, including induction of fibronectin expression and inhibition of cell growth. Thus, our results demonstrate that km23 is required for TGFβ induction of fibronectin expression and is necessary, but not sufficient, for TGFβ-mediated growth inhibition.
γ-Tocotrienol Inhibits Pancreatic Tumors and Sensitizes Them to Gemcitabine Treatment by Modulating the Inflammatory Microenvironment

Pancreatic cancers generally respond poorly to chemotherapy, prompting a need to identify agents that could sensitize tumors to treatment. In this study, we investigated the response of human pancreatic cells to γ-tocotrienol (γ-T3), a novel, unsaturated form of vitamin E found in palm oil and rice bran oil, to determine whether it could potentiate the effects of gemcitabine, a standard of care in clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer. γ-T3 inhibited the in vitro proliferation of pancreatic cancer cell lines with variable p53 status and potentiated gemcitabine-induced apoptosis. These effects correlated with an inhibition of NF-κB activation by γ-T3 and a suppression of key cellular regulators including cyclin D1, c-Myc, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), Bcl-2, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein, survivin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), ICAM-1, and CXCR4. In an orthotopic nude mouse model of human pancreatic cancer, p.o. administration of γ-T3 inhibited tumor growth and enhanced the antitumor properties of gemcitabine. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated a correlation between tumor growth inhibition and reduced expression of Ki-67, COX-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), NF-κB p65, and VEGF in the tissue. Combination treatment also downregulated NF-κB activity along with the NF-κB-regulated gene products, such as cyclin D1, c-Myc, VEGF, MMP-9, and CXCR4. Consistent with an enhancement of tumor apoptosis, caspase activation was observed in tumor tissues. Overall, our findings suggest that γ-T3 can inhibit the growth of human pancreatic tumors and sensitize them to gemcitabine by suppressing NF-κB-mediated inflammatory pathways linked to tumorigenesis.
Mobilization of the A-kinase N-myristate through an isoform-specific intermolecular switch

Although the catalytic (C) subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is N-myristylated, it is a soluble protein, and no physiological role has been identified for its myristyl moiety. To determine whether the interaction of the two regulatory (R) subunit isoforms (RI and RII) with the N-myristylated C subunit affects its ability to target membranes, the effect of N-myristylation and the RI and RII subunit isoforms on C subunit binding to phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine liposomes was examined. Only the combination of N-myristylation and RII subunit interaction produced a dramatic increase in the rate of liposomal binding. To assess whether the RII subunit also increased the conformational flexibility of the C subunit N terminus, the effect of N-myristylation and the RI and RII subunits on the rotational freedom of the C subunit N terminus was measured. Specifically, fluorescein maleimide was conjugated to Cys-16 in the N-terminal domain of a K16C mutant of the C subunit, and the time-resolved emission anisotropy was determined. The interaction of the RII subunit, but not the RI subunit, significantly increased the backbone flexibility around the site of mutation and labeling, strongly suggesting that RII subunit binding to the myristylated C subunit induced a unique conformation of the C subunit that is associated with an increase in both the N-terminal flexibility and the exposure of the N-myristate. RII subunit thus appears to serve as an intermolecular switch that disrupts of the link between the N-terminal and core catalytic domains of the C subunit to expose the N-myristate and poise the holoenzyme for interaction with membranes.
Design and simulation of an optimal stochastic controller for a composite two-area power system

The control of a two area interconnected power system subjected to disturbance inputs is discussed from the viewpoint of optimal stochastic control theory.
A performance bound on dynamic channel allocation in cellular systems: equal load

We model a cellular network as a more general multiple service, multiple resource system. We define the "state" of the system as the number of calls currently carried in each cell. We restrict ourselves to channel allocation policies that place restrictions on the global state of the system, are allowed immediate global channel reallocation, and ignore handoffs. Maximum packing and fixed allocation are considered as special cases of such policies. Under uniform load conditions, we prove that throughput is increasing and concave with respect to increases in load or capacity, under maximum packing or fixed allocation. We propose that the optimal policy, in the considered class, varies from maximum packing at low loads to fixed allocation at high loads. This policy is often impractical to implement, but can be considered as a performance bound on practical systems. The analytical results are investigated numerically using a simple seven cell linear network. >
Network Flow Formulation for Cooperative Peer-to-Peer Refueling Strategies

The problem of a general peer-to-peer refueling strategy for satellites in a circular constellation is addressed. The proposed cooperative egalitarian peer-to-peer strategy allows the satellites participating in a refueling transaction to engage in a cooperative rendezvous, that is, both satellites engaging in a fuel exchange may be active. Furthermore, the active satellites are allowed to interchange their orbital positions during their respective return trips. A mathematical framework to solve this general refueling problem for a large number of satellites is proposed using ideas from network flow theory. The methodology determines the optimal set of maneuvers that achieve fuel-sufficiency for all satellites, while expending the minimum possible fuel during the ensuing orbital transfers. With the help of numerical examples it is shown that the proposed cooperative egalitarian peer-to-peer strategy is the best amongst all known peer-to-peer refueling alternatives to date.
Glutamate and the Flavor of Foods

Investigations of the effects of glutamic acid or its salts on the flavor, hedonic characteristics or acceptance of foods have emphasized a sodium salt of L-glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate (MSG). Food palatability increased with appropriate concentrations of MSG, and could be represented f(MSG and NaCl) as points on the surface of an elliptic paraboloid. Hedonic effects differed between foods, were a function of concentrations of MSG and other ingredients and did not necessarily become positive when only MSG was added. For example, with boiled or fried rice, ratings were neutral or negative with MSG alone, positive for fried rice with MSG and NaCl, but positive for boiled rice only if soy sauce was also added. A one-dish meal, Chinese noodle, became positive with an appropriate concentration of NaCl plus a MSG-5'ribonucleotide mixture, but not with NaCl alone. Flavor of meat, fish or vegetable stocks containing natural glutamates differed from that of quinine, sucrose, NaCl or acid solutions. Glutamates and free amino acids plus nucleotides were necessary for full boiled potato flavor. Overall, the effects of MSG on foods were different from those of NaCl but often interacted with NaCl, and positive effects were facilitated by low concentrations of 5'-ribonucleotides.
Science Signaling Podcast: 10 January 2012

This Podcast features a conversation with authors of a Research Article published in the 10 January 2012 issue of Science Signaling . Travis Biechele, Andy Chien, and Randy Moon discuss their finding that some melanoma cell lines exhibited increased cell death (apoptosis) when signaling through the kinase BRAF was inhibited simultaneously with activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that is sometimes associated with an activated mutant version of BRAF (BRAF V600E ). Some melanoma patients with this mutation fail to exhibit long-term responsiveness to inhibition of BRAF, so additional therapies are needed to overcome this resistance to apoptosis. The findings reported in this study suggest that inhibiting BRAF concomitantly with stimulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling may be an effective strategy for restoring susceptibility to apoptosis in apoptosis-resistant melanomas.
Culture, Identity, and Islamic Schooling: A Philosophical Approach - By Michael S. Merry

Culture, Identity, and Islamic Schooling: A Philosophical Approach. By Michael S. Merry. Pp. Xviii + 228. Hampshire, UK and New York, USA: Palgrave Macmillan. 2007. £42.50 (hbk). ISBN 9781403979940.
Table of world-wide living supercentenarians.

1 Japan Japan Kamato Hongo Sept. 16, 1887 115* O F MHW, Japan/Robert Young 2 Japan Japan Yukichi Chuganji Mar. 23, 1889 113* O M Yasuhiko Saito 3 Japan Japan Mitoyo Kawate May 15, 1889 113* O F Yasuhiko Saito 4 U.S. (MA) U.S. (CA) Mary Christian June 12, 1889 113* W F Robert Young 5 U.S. (MI) U.S. (FL) John McMorran June 19, 1889 113* W M Louis Epstein/Steve Coles 6 U.S. (PA) U.S. (NJ) Elana Slough July 8, 1889 113* W F Robert Young
Symposium: Contracts: An Introduction to a Symposium and a Few Additional Thoughts

Introduction to Symposium on Contracts from International Conference on Contracts held at St. Thomas University School of Law February 2014. The Introduction highlights the papers of Professors John Murray (battle of the forms) and Joseph Perillo (parol evidence) and Dr. Roni Rosenberg's observations about the interrelationship of contract, duty and criminal responsibility. The Introduction observes that traditional contract doctrine retains an ever important position alongside emerging contracting issues arising from technological advances, complicated transactions and a global economy.
Schooling for Social Mobility: High School Reform for College Access and Success

ABSTRACTThis article addresses what schools that seek to promote social mobility as opposed to status maintenance among their students really ask of them. Focusing on several prominent charter school organizations, the article details the social and behavioral expectations of the schools and understands them through an application of Goffman’s work on status change. The article concludes that social mobility through education requires much more than higher levels of academic achievement.
Mainstream Smoke Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds in 50 U.S. Domestic Cigarette Brands Smoked With the ISO and Canadian Intense Protocols.

Introduction A significant portion of the increased risk of cancer and respiratory disease from exposure to cigarette smoke is attributed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, 21 VOCs were quantified in mainstream cigarette smoke from 50U.S. domestic brand varieties that included high market share brands and 2 Kentucky research cigarettes (3R4F and 1R5F). Methods Mainstream smoke was generated under ISO 3308 and Canadian Intense (CI) smoking protocols with linear smoking machines with a gas sampling bag collection followed by solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME/GC/MS) analysis. Results For both protocols, mainstream smoke VOC amounts among the different brand varieties were strongly correlated between the majority of the analytes. Overall, Pearson correlation (r) ranged from 0.68 to 0.99 for ISO and 0.36 to 0.95 for CI. However, monoaromatic compounds were found to increase disproportionately compared to unsaturated, nitro, and carbonyl compounds under the CI smoking protocol where filter ventilation is blocked. Conclusions Overall, machine generated "vapor phase" amounts (µg/cigarette) are primarily attributed to smoking protocol (e.g., blocking of vent holes, puff volume, and puff duration) and filter ventilation. A possible cause for the disproportionate increase in monoaromatic compounds could be increased pyrolysis under low oxygen conditions associated with the CI protocol. Implications This is the most comprehensive assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cigarette smoke to date, encompassing 21 toxic VOCs, 50 different cigarette brand varieties, and 2 different machine smoking protocols (ISO and CI). For most analytes relative proportions remain consistent among U.S. cigarette brand varieties regardless of smoking protocol, however the CI smoking protocol did cause up to a factor of 6 increase in the proportion of monoaromatic compounds. This study serves as a basis to assess VOC exposure as cigarette smoke is a principle source of overall population-level VOC exposure in the United States.
Impact of the new cuff design on reliability of the AS800 artificial urinary sphincter.

AbstractThe effect of 2 cuff design changes on the mechanical reliability of the current AS800 artificial urinary sphincter was assessed in 126 patients. The surface-treated cuff was introduced in 1983 and the narrow-back design was introduced in 1987. Mean followup for the surface-treated cuff was 40 months, while that for the narrow back was 27.2 months. The incidence of cuff leaks was 1.3%, while the revision rate for clinically significant pressure atrophy, in the absence of a bladder flap urethroplasty, was 2.3%. The overall revision rate for clinically significant pressure atrophy was 9%. No leaks involving the balloon or tubing occurred. The mechanical reliability of the current AS800 artificial urinary sphincter has improved significantly.
Improving Healthy Eating and the Bottom Line: Impact of a Price Incentive Program in 2 Hospital Cafeterias.

Purpose:To evaluate the impact of a health-promoting price intervention on food sales and profit.Design:Nonrandomized evaluation study.Setting:Two hospital cafeterias.Participants:Hospital employee...
Distinct Functions of pH-Sensing Histidine Residues in the Multimer Assembly and Storage of Von Willebrand Factor in Weibel-Palade Bodies

Abstract 3311 The hemostatic function of von Willebrand factor (VWF) depends on the formation of disulfide-linked multimers. We have previously shown that several evolutionarily conserved His residues within the VWF propeptide are critical for pH-dependent VWF multimerization. For example, the charge-neutralization mutations H395A and H460A in the VWF D2 domain prevented multimer assembly, while the charge-stabilization mutation H460K preserved it, suggesting that protonation at these sites is essential. In this study, we investigated the role of these His residues in VWF targeting to storage granules and agonist-induced secretion. Full-length VWF was expressed in transiently-transfected HEK293 cells. If Weibel-Palade body-like storage granules (WPBs) were formed, their morphology was analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy. A WPB was defined as “long” if length/width was > 2, or “round” if length/width was ≤ 2. To analyze the assembly of VWF multimers, we stimulated VWF secretion by incubating cells with 100 ng/ml of phorbol myristate acetate for 1 hour and collected cell lysates and supernatants for multimer gel electrophoresis. Expression of wild type VWF and VWF H460K induced the formation of approximately 60% long WPBs. Treatment of cells with monensin increases the pH of the Golgi, and as expected monensin reduced the storage of wild type VWF in long WPBs. However, monensin did not impair the storage of VWF H460K or reduce the fraction of long WPBs, indicating that a positive charge at residue 460 can sustain tubular storage of VWF despite neutralization of the late secretory pathway. Both WT VWF and VWF H460K were secreted with a normal distribution of multimers. VWF H395A and VWF H460A formed predominantly round pseudo-WPBs, with only 10–20% long granules, and these mutations also disrupted VWF multimerization. In contrast, VWF H395R and VWF H395A/H460R did not assemble multimers but nevertheless formed long WPBs. Insertion of an extra Gly between the vicinal cysteines in the D1 domain ( 159 CGLC 162 to 159 CGGLC 162 ) was reported to prevent multimerization but allow storage in long WPBs in AtT-20 cells (Mayadas & Wagner, PNAS 1992; 89:3531). We found that this mutation also inhibited VWF multimerization and resulted in the formation of long WPBs in HEK293 cells. These results indicate that VWF multimerization and packing in elongated WPBs both depend on the acidic pH of the late secretory pathway. However, these processes are independent, with distinct structural requirements, and they can be dissociated by mutations of specific His residues. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Abstract 430: Vascular Contrast Increases Permeability of Proximal Tubule Epithelium: A Possible Mechanism of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy

Objectives: Contrast Induced Nephropathy (CIN) is the third leading cause of hospital acquired renal failure and excludes numbers of patients from less invasive endovascular procedures. The mechanism of CIN is not fully understood. We investigated the hypotheses that CIN may result from direct toxicity or malfunction of kidney cells caused by contrast agent. Methods: Human kidney 2 (HK-2) cells were treated with Phosphate-Buffered Saline (PBS) or Iodixanol, a contrast agent, representing control and experimental groups. TUNEL assay was used to evaluate apoptosis. Cell proliferation was measured by BrdU incorporation. Expression of Claudin-2, a tight junction protein, was assessed by qRT-PCR and western blot. Intercellular gaps were measured using phase contrast microscopy and quantified by Image J software. Results: Iodixanol reduced tubule cell proliferation, but did not cause apoptosis. Phase contrast imaging of HK-2 cells demonstrated that intercellular gaps within the monolayer of cells were significantly increased by Iodixanol in a dose dependent manner. Western blot and qRT-PCR showed up-regulation of claudin-2 protein and mRNA expression. Both intercellular gap formation and up-regulation of claudin-2 expression are consistent with possible increase of permeability across proximal tubule epithelium, which is one of the known causes of renal failure. Conclusion: Our in vitro data do not support the hypothesis that direct kidney cell death from contrast agent is a major mechanism of CIN. However, increased permeability of proximal tubule epithelium caused by contrast may play an important role in CIN.
When Students Drink Too Much: Whose Problem Is It Anyway?:

This case is for use in graduate courses in student affairs and higher education administration. It presents the challenges faced by student affairs professionals at the University of Virginia wher...
The acephalic community: Bataillean sovereignty, the question of relation, and the passage to the subject

The present essay reconsiders Georges Bataille’s politics of the impossible in light of Jean-Luc Nancy’s and Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe’s collaborative work conducted at the Centre for Philosophical Research on the Political. In particular, my submission critically assesses Nancy’s and Lacoue-Labarthe’s concerted effort to displace the problematic of the subject to make room for a new ground of the political derived from Bataillean conception of community. While Bataille’s philosophy proved to be decisive to Nancy’s and Lacoue-Labarthe’s exploratory research at the Centre, it also constituted a source of profound ambivalence insofar as Bataillean thinking of relation necessarily leads back to the question of the subject. The paper argues that Nancy’s admitted failure to develop the unprecedented Bataillean politics is rooted in persistence of the subject in Bataille’s philosophy. At the same time, it maintains that what Nancy perceived as a failure must be grasped as success since Bataillean determination of the political necessitates not so much an eradication of the problematic of the subject, as its re-elaboration. If, as Nancy and Lacoue-Labarthe suggest, construction of the subject throughout the development of Western metaphysics has determined philosophical thinking of political community, then Bataillean sovereignty (with its presupposition of the acephalic subject freed from subjection to symbolic authority) allows for a new and non-identitarian conception of community not bound to the destiny of the state.
Clinical and histologic characterization of dermatologic adverse events from the pan-PI3K inhibitor buparlisib (BKM-120).

e20639 Background: Agents that block specific or all isoforms of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) are being investigated in a variety of solid and hematologic tumors. A class effect appears to ...
Chemoresistance, Dormancy and Recurrence in Platinum Drug Therapy of Ovarian Cancers

Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of gynecological malignancies. Lineage analyses have suggested broadly classifying ovarian cancers into two types: Type I, which includes low grade cancers with intact TP53, and Type II, which comprises high grade cancers with defective TP53. If detected in early stages, surgical resection of ovarian tumors results in a high rate of long-term survival; however, most ovarian cancers are detected at advanced stages. The standard first line treatment for advanced stage ovarian cancer is maximal surgical cytoreduction followed by platinum-based combination chemotherapy. Although the overall prognosis for less aggressive Type I ovarian cancers is better, their response to chemotherapy is generally weaker than that of the Type II ovarian cancers. Despite an initially favorable response of optimally debulked Type II ovarian cancers to platinum-based chemotherapy, the rate of recurrence is high, making the long-term survival rate quite poor. The dynamics of the response of high grade ovarian cancers platinum suggest that the tumors are phenotypically heterogeneous, and that a subpopulation of tumor cells is relatively resistant to chemotherapy. The resistant tumor cell population persists after chemotherapy in a state of dormancy, with recurrent tumors arising upon transformation of the dormant cells back to malignant growth. This chapter will consider how lineage, histological subtype, and grade influence the differential responses of ovarian cancers to platinum-based chemotherapy. In addition, mechanisms contributing ovarian cancer resistance to platinum drugs and to tumor cell entry into and exit from dormancy will be discussed.
The Problem with “Being There”

Student visits to sites of trauma and violence are fundamentally based on the promise that there is an educational value of “being there”; a direct encounter with history through seeing, hearing, and feeling. Over the course of three years of leading a Holocaust study abroad program, my observations would certainly align with the expectation of such promise. However, and as existing research shows, it is not often clear what the exact value, impact, or takeaway in fact is—or ought to be. Through an exploration of the opportunities and limits of visiting sites of trauma with groups of students, and here through the lens of the encounters with my own cohorts, I suggest that the first step to a deep engagement with historic sites and museums must be to prompt students to decode the ethical complexities of self-reflexivity, visual literacy, and the politics of spectatorship.
Mesoporous Clays and Pillared Clays as Liquid Phase Alkylation Catalysts

The propene alkylation of liquid phase biphenyl has been studied at 250°C and 140 psi using two mesoporous clays, namely, acid-treated K10 montmorillonite and alumina-delaminated-Laponite. The mesoporous clays exhibit reactivities and selectivities toward monoalkylated products that are substantially different from those exhibited by microporous alumina pillared clays. The differences in reactivity and selectivity are explained in part by the effects of pore structure on the diffusion controlled reaction.
Outpatient Palliative Cardiology Service Embedded Within a Heart Failure Clinic: Experiences With an Emerging Model of Care:

Background:The role of palliative care consultation in the outpatient treatment of patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) is poorly studied. In August 2015, we created an outpatient palliativ...
Research Update: A minimal region of squid reflectin for vapor-induced light scattering

Reflectins are a family of proteins found in the light manipulating cells of cephalopods. These proteins are made up of a series of conserved repeats that contain highly represented amino acids thought to be important for function. Previous studies demonstrated that recombinant reflectins cast into thin films produced structural colors that could be dynamically modulated via changing environmental conditions. In this study, we demonstrate light scattering from reflectin films following exposure to a series of water vapor pulses. Analysis of film surface topography shows that the induction of light scatter is accompanied by self-assembly of reflectins into micro- and nanoscale features. Using a reductionist strategy, we determine which reflectin repeats and sub-repeats are necessary for these events following water vapor pulsing. With this approach, we identify a singly represented, 23-amino acid region in reflectins as being sufficient to recapitulate the light scattering properties observed in thin films...