cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combination of PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors and PDT in endothelial and tumor cells

The PI3/Akt/mTOR kinase signaling pathway is a major signaling pathway in eukaryotic cells, and dysregulation of this signaling pathway has been implicated in tumorigenesis and malignancy in several cancers including prostate cancer. We assessed the effects of combination PI3K pathway inhibition on the efficacy of PDT in human prostate tumor cell line (PC3) and SV40-transformed mouse endothelial cell line (SVEC-40). Combination of PDT and BEZ 235 (BEZ), a pan-PI3/ mTOR kinase inhibitor additively enhanced efficacy of sub-lethal PDT in both cell lines. The combination of the pan-PI3/ mTOR kinase inhibitor LY294002 (LY) with PDT also enhanced efficacy of PDT in PC3 in an additive manner but synergistically in SVEC. In order to determine the mechanism of enhancement of efficacy, we assessed apoptosis and autophagy following PDT. PDT-mediated apoptosis was enhanced in endothelial cells, by both BEZ and LY rapidly after treatment. Compared to SVEC, PC3 cells are apoptosis-deficient and apoptosis was not significantly enhanced by either LY or BEZ. However, lethal PDT of PC3 cells induced a delayed autophagic response which may be enhanced by combination, depending on PI3K inhibitor and dose.
Local Vascularized Flaps for Augmentation of Reinke’s Space

Objectives/Hypothesis The purpose of this study is to describe and test a novel surgical strategy for augmentation of Reinke’s space using vascularized flaps: a thyroid ala perichondrium flap (TAP) and a composite thyroid ala perichondrium flap (CTAP) from the anterior larynx. We hypothesized that these specially designed vascularized flaps would remain viable once inset into the lamina propria, and that they would not disrupt rheologic, biomechanical, and histologic properties of the native vocal fold.
MicroRNA in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: transitioning from laboratory-based investigation to clinical application

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukemia among adults in the Western world, with an incidence of approximately 1 out of 100,000 patients per year. CLL is characterized by the clonal expansion of immature CD5 + B cells. Although cytotoxic agents remain the mainstay of therapy, the disease of up to 20% of patients is not controlled with standard therapies. Therefore, there remains a need for novel therapeutic strategies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), first identified nearly two decades ago, are noncoding RNAs that have the capacity for simultaneous regulation of tens to hundreds of genes. An association between CLL-associated chromosomal abnormalities and miRNA deregulation is beginning to emerge. miRNAs may play a biological role in the pathogenesis of CLL: specific miRNAs ( miR-15a and miR-16-1 ) are located at a chromosomal region (13q14.3) that is often absent in patients with CLL. These same miRNAs are relevant to cellular phenotype and in vivo development of disease. This finding has led to a rapidly expanding series of investigations linking miRNAs to CLL. As a result, miRNAs are currently under investigation as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as potential therapeutic targets in CLL.
Structure-function study of the glucose-6-phosphate transporter, an eukaryotic antiporter deficient in glycogen storage disease type Ib.

Glycogen storage disease type Ib is caused by deficiencies in the glucose-6-phosphate transporter (G6PT), a phosphate (Pi)-linked antiporter capable of homologous (Pi:Pi) and heterologous (G6P:Pi) exchanges similar to the bacterial hexose-6-phosphate transporter, UhpT. Protease protection and glycosylation scanning assays have suggested that G6PT is anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum by 10 transmembrane domains. However, recent homology modeling proposed that G6PT may contain 12 helices and that amino acids essential for the functions of UhpT also play important roles in G6PT. Site-directed mutagenesis and in vitro expression assays demonstrated that only one of the four residues critical for UhpT activity is essential in G6PT. Furthermore, glycosylation scanning and protease sensitivity assays showed that the 10-domain model of G6PT is more probable than the 12-domain UhpT-like model.
Assay and characterization of IgG binding to endodermal cells of the fetal rabbit yolk sac membrane

Abstract The transfer of passive immunity in the rabbit is mediated by the fetal yolk sac membrane (YSM) and is initiated by the specific binding of IgG to receptors on the microvillar surface of the endoderm from the YSM. This report describes the preparation of suspensions of endodermal absorptive cells of the YSM and their use in equilibrium binding experiments to characterize the nature of the binding reaction. Equilibrium binding is achieved in 4 h at 4°C. The system is more rapid than, affords greater reproducibility of binding data than, and utilizes only about 1 10 the amount YSM and ligand as the YSM disc assay system (Tsay and Schlamowitz, 1975) used previously. A Scatchard plot of the binding data over a wide range of IgG concentration was non-linear implying the presence of at least 2 binding elements. Apparent binding constant values for the stronger and weaker binding components in this population differed by about 50-fold. For the weaker binding system, binding decreased when temperature was increased indicating that the reaction was not entropy-driven (i.e., dominated by hydrophobic ‘forces’) and that ionic interactions might be a major factor. At low ionic strenghts the measurement of specific binding was complicated by the effects of secondary ionic interactions. At physiological ionic strength the binding of IgG was species-specific.
Inhibition ofEnt-kaurene oxidation by cytokinins

Cytokinins, which have some structural similarities to ancymidol, a plant growth retardant, were tested for their effects on the cell-free oxidation ofent-kaurene. Results indicate that several cytokinins inhibit this reaction in microsomal extracts of liquid endosperm from immature wild cucumber seeds. N6-cyclohexanemethyladenine was the most active (inhibiting 50% of the controlent-kaurene oxidation at 2×10−6 M). N6-isoamyladenine, N6-benzyladenine, N6-(Δ2-isopentenyl)adenine and dihydrozeatin were active at successively higher concentrations. Zeatin, kinetin, adenine, N6-benzyladenosine, and N6-(isopentenyl)adenosine were inactive in this system.
A test of the mentor pollen technique in the genus Ipomoea

A major barrier to hybridization of some Ipomoea species is located at the stigma-style interface. In 5 interspecific combinations examined with the aid of fluorescence microscopy, pollen was found to germinate and penetrate the stigma surface without, however, passing into the style. In the cross I. hederacea x 1. purpurea, pollen tubes were observed in the style and capsules were set, but no full seeds were produced. Attempts to facilitate hybridization among Ipomoea species using mentor pollen-foreign pollen mixes were unsuccessful.
Tumor-free iPS stem cells for heart cells.

When induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were first discovered in 2007 there was a huge interest.1,2 The iPS cell technique with a minimal number of embryonic transcription factors could turn skin or any other tissue directly into viable embryonic stem cells. It was amazing to able to so simply to turn mature adult cells back into embryonic stem cells. The discovery also avoided the most difficult ethical/political problem of human embryonic stem cells (ES), because no potential human being was involved. It seemed that the pathway to stem cell regeneration was now opened for every disease that needed tissue regeneration including heart disease. Although literally thousands of papers have been published on iPS, there have been no FDA-approved human trials on iPS and heart disease or any other disease. That is because iPS as replacements for embryonic stem cells are faced with the same problem that hES are faced with: they create random tumor masses known as teratomas. Teratomas are tumors of mixed cells that make bone, teeth, hair, gut, and neurons. They are a characteristic of hES. Their presence is even used as a test to define that iPS cells are the same as hES cells. Teratomas make hES and iPS cells too risky to use for human treatment and is one of the main reasons that iPS trials on humans have not been allowed by the FDA.
Three-Dimensional Superlattices Built from (M4In16S33)10- (M = Mn, Co, Zn, Cd) Supertetrahedral Clusters

通讯作者地址: Feng, PY (通讯作者), Univ Calif Riverside, Dept Chem, Riverside, CA 92521 USA 地址: 1. Univ Calif Riverside, Dept Chem, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
Glycoprotein B plays a predominant role in mediating herpes simplex virus type 2 attachment and is required for entry and cell-to-cell spread.

Heparan sulfate moieties serve as receptors for initial binding of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and -2) to cells. Deletion of HSV-1 glycoprotein C (gC-1) but not HSV-2 gC (gC-2) results in virions with reduced specific binding activity (virus particles bound per cell) and specific infectivity (p.f.u. per particle), suggesting that for HSV-1, but not HSV-2, gC plays a major role in mediating virus attachment. To test the hypothesis that glycoprotein B (gB), the other heparin-binding glycoprotein, mediates HSV-2 attachment, HSV-2 viruses deleted in gB-2 alone or deleted in both gB-2 and gC-2 were constructed. These viruses were grown on complementing or non-complementing cells and were compared with parental HSV-2(G) or a gC-2-deleted HSV-2 mutant (with respect to ability to bind and infect cells). At equivalent input concentrations of purified virions, significantly fewer gB-2-deleted virions bound to cells compared to parental HSV-2(G) or virus grown on complementing cells. In addition, viruses deleted in gB-2 were non-infectious. No immediate early proteins were detected in cells infected with gB-2-deleted virus harvested from non-complementing Vero cells, whereas these proteins were readily detected 4 h post-infection in cells infected with virus grown on complementing cells or with parental viruses. Viruses deleted in gB-2 failed to spread cell to cell, as evidenced by the inability to form plaques. Together these studies demonstrate that gB-2 plays a key role in mediating HSV-2 attachment and is required for entry and cell-to-cell spread. This glycoprotein is an important target for development of novel antiviral drugs.
Statistical model based SNR estimation method for speech signals

The performance of speech enhancement algorithms to a large extent is related to the employed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimation techniques. Many of the existing SNR estimation techniques are based on approaches that require either an experimentally pre-specified weighting factor or prior assumptions of the parameters in the signal model. In this reported work, a closed form SNR estimator is derived by modelling the noisy speech signal as a generalised normal-Laplace distribution and estimating the variance of the signal and variance of the noise using high-order sample moments. The performance of the proposed technique is tested using real speech signals and compared with the well-known eigenvalue method.
Report of a Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of the Dura-II Penile Prosthesis

AbstractPurpose: Information was collected during the first 2 years of an ongoing, prospective, multi-institutional evaluation of the Dura-II [dagger] penile prosthesis. Evaluation included data on clinical outcomes and a patient satisfaction survey, and will continue for 5 years after implantation for each patient.[dagger] Dacomed Corp., Minneapolis, Minnesota.Materials and Methods: To date 196 patients have been evaluated. Surgical data, adverse events and information from satisfaction surveys are reported.Results: At a followup of 13.4 plus/minus 8.4 months postoperatively, adverse events occurred in 8.2 percent of the patients, resulting in reoperation in 5.1 percent. There have been no mechanical failures. Overall satisfaction rates were 85 percent at 3 months, 83 percent at 1 year and 91 percent at 2 years after implantation, and levels of sexual functioning were correspondingly high. A majority of patients assigned high scores to rigidity, concealability, ability to have intercourse and erection si...
Eotaxin Increases Monolayer Permeability of Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells

Objective— The objective of this study was to determine the effects and molecular mechanisms of eotaxin, a newly discovered chemokine (CCL11), on endothelial permeability in the human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). Methods and Results— Cells were treated with eotaxin, and the monolayer permeability was studied by using a costar transwell system with a Texas Red–labeled dextran tracer. Eotaxin significantly increased monolayer permeability in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, eotaxin treatment significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of endothelial junction molecules including zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, and claudin-1 in a concentration-dependent manner as determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. Increased oxidative stress was observed in eotaxin-treated HCAECs by analysis of cellular glutathione levels. Furthermore, eotaxin treatment substantially activated the phosphorylation of MAPK p38. HCAECs expressed CCR3. Consequently, antioxidants (ginkgolide B and MnTBAP), specific p38 inhibitor SB203580, and anti-CCR3 antibody effectively blocked the eotaxin-induced permeability increase in HCAECs. Eotaxin also increased the phosphorylation of Stat3 and nuclear translocation of NF-κB in HCAECs. Conclusions— Eotaxin increases vascular permeability through CCR3, the downregulation of tight junction proteins, increase of oxidative stress, and activation of MAPK p38, Stat3, and NF-kB pathways in HCAECs.
In vivo experience with an extracorporeal flat-plate bioartificial liver: demonstration of efficacy in treating fulminant hepatic failure

An extracorporeal bioartificial liver (BAL) device has the potential to provide temporary support for patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). The authors developed a flat-plate BAL with an internal membrane oxygenator in which porcine hepatocytes were cultured as a monolayer. The efficacy of this device was tested in an experimental animal model of FHF. Twenty-four hours after cannulation of the left carotid artery and right jugular vein, FHF was induced in rats by administering two intraperitoneal injections of D-galactosamine (GalN) (1.2 g/kg) at a 12 hour interval. The rats were connected to a BAL device 24 hours after the first GalN injection, and underwent extracorporeal perfusion for a duration of 10 hours. Liver-specific markers and animal survival up to 168 hours (7 days) were examined. Significant reductions occurred in the plasma ammonia levels and prothrombin times in the group treated with the seeded BAL device. Animal survival in the group treated with the seeded BAL device was significantly higher (50.0%) than in the control animal group treated with an unseeded BAL device (11.1%). In conclusion, this flat-plate BAL with an internal membrane oxygenator and cultured porcine hepatocytes has yielded encouraging results in the treatment of rats with GalN-induced FHF.
Procedures for Early-Stage Naval Ship Design Evaluation of Dynamic Stability: Influence of the Wave Crest

A method is presented to assess stability changes in waves in early-stage ship design. The method is practical: the calculations can be completed quickly and can be applied as soon as lines are available. The intended use of the described method is for preliminary analysis. If stability changes that result in large roll motion are indicated early in the design process, this permits planning and budgeting for direct assessments using numerical simulations and/or model experiments. The main use of the proposed method is for the justification for hull form shape modification or for necessary additional analysis to better quantify potentially increased stability risk. The method is based on the evaluation of changing stability in irregular seas and can be applied to any type of ship. To demonstrate the robustness of the method, results for 10 naval ship types are presented and discussed. The proposed method is shown to identify ships with known risk for large stability changes in waves.
Sexual Predator Civil Commitment: A Comparison of Selected and Released Offenders:

This study compared two groups of sex offenders who were considered for civil commitment under Florida's Jimmy Ryce Act: Two hundred twenty-nine sex offenders who were recommended by forensic evaluators to be civilly committed and 221 sex offenders who were recommended for release. It was hypothesized that selected offenders would be more likely to display risk factors for sex offense recidivism than those who did not meet criteria. Data analyses revealed that selected offenders, as a group, scored significantly higher on actuarial risk assessment instruments. There were also significant differences between the groups on other risk factors that have been empirically correlated with sexual recidivism. Selected offenders had higher frequencies of paraphilia diagnoses and antisocial personality. These findings supported the hypotheses and suggested that evaluators are correctly selecting for civil commitment those sex offenders who have a mental abnormality predisposing them to sexual violence and who are at higher risk for reoffense.
Evaluating Didactic Methods for Training Medical Students in the Use of Bedside Ultrasound for Clinical Practice at a Faculty of Medicine in Romania.

OBJECTIVES Medical students' time is limited, so efficiency in medical education is valued. This research project aimed to determine the most effective means to teach bedside ultrasound to medical students in a 1-week training course. We hypothesized that the best method would include a combination of podcasts and hands-on teaching; therefore, there would be a statistically significant difference among the various methods of teaching. METHODS Medical students were randomly assigned to 3 groups. All groups attended a 50-minute hands-on bedside ultrasound training session. Students in the first group attended a 50-minute live lecture before the hands-on session, whereas students in the second group watched a podcast that covered the same material as the live lecture. Students in the third group served as the control and only attended the hands-on sessions. Five topics were covered during the course: (1) introduction to ultrasound, (2) pulmonary ultrasound, (3) cardiac ultrasound, (4) hepatobiliary ultrasound, and (5) focused assessment with sonography for trauma. Students completed a 20-question pre- and post-training quiz that covered basic ultrasound principles. Students also conducted a focused assessment with sonography for trauma examination for the practical portion of their evaluation. RESULTS Students' pre- to post-training quiz scores increased from 33.6% to 72.6% correct in the lecture group (n = 21; P < .0001), from 40.7% to 75.5% correct in the podcast group (n = 20; P< .0001), and from 37.8% to 70.0% correct in the control group (n = 23; P< .0001). Data analysis of written and practical examination scores showed no significant differences among the groups [F(2,61) = 0.885; P = .418; F(2,60) = 1.739; P = .184, respectively]. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that all 3 methods are equally effective in teaching novice medical students basic ultrasound knowledge and skills.
Masculinity, femininity, and self-esteem: A multitrait-multimethod analysis.

A multitrait-multimethod matrix analysis was conducted to determine (1) the degree to which self-report trait and behavior measures of sex role orientation converge, (2) the degree to which measures of masculinity and self-esteem can be discriminated, and (3) the relative degree of relationship of trait and behavior measures of sex role orientation to self-esteem. The results indicated that trait and behavior measures of masculinity and femininity showed little convergence, that trait masculinity did not meet the criteria for discrimination from self-esteem, and that trait masculinity was more strongly correlated with self-esteem than was behavior masculinity. These results were stronger for women than for men.
Flavour chemicals in electronic cigarette fluids

Background Most e-cigarette liquids contain flavour chemicals. Flavour chemicals certified as safe for ingestion by the Flavor Extracts Manufacturers Association may not be safe for use in e-cigarettes. This study identified and measured flavour chemicals in 30 e-cigarette fluids. Methods Two brands of single-use e-cigarettes were selected and their fluids in multiple flavour types analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. For the same flavour types, and for selected confectionary flavours (eg, bubble gum and cotton candy), also analysed were convenience samples of e-cigarette fluids in refill bottles from local ‘vape’ shops and online retailers. Results In many liquids, total flavour chemicals were found to be in the ∼1–4% range (10–40 mg/mL); labelled levels of nicotine were in the range of 0.6–2.4% (6 to 24 mg/mL). A significant number of the flavour chemicals were aldehydes, a compound class recognised as ‘primary irritants’ of mucosal tissue of the respiratory tract. Many of the products contained the same flavour chemicals: vanillin and/or ethyl vanillin was found in 17 of the liquids as one of the top three flavour chemicals, and/or at ≥0.5 mg/mL. Conclusions The concentrations of some flavour chemicals in e-cigarette fluids are sufficiently high for inhalation exposure by vaping to be of toxicological concern. Regulatory limits should be contemplated for levels of some of the more worrisome chemicals as well as for total flavour chemical levels. Ingredient labeling should also be required.
Factors influencing infection of mechanical wounds by Fusarium circinatum on Monterey pines (Pinus radiata)

Pitch canker, caused by the fungus Fusarium circinatum, is a disease affecting many pine tree species. In California, Pinus radiata (Monterey pine) is the principal pine host affected by pitch canker. This investigation into factors affecting infection frequency by F. circinatum of P. radiata examined the influence of: (i) wound size; (ii) relative humidity; (iii) time of inoculation; (iv) inoculum density; and (v) wound age. Wounded branches sustained significantly more infections when large-diameter (1·6 mm) rather than small-diameter (0·5 mm) wounds were made. Infection frequencies tended to be higher at 100% RH than at ambient humidity, although these differences were not statistically significant. Infection frequencies were significantly higher on branches inoculated after 17·00 h than on branches inoculated before noon. Infection frequencies were significantly higher for wounded branches spray-inoculated with 5 × 107 rather than 1 × 107 spores mL−1. Infection frequencies of pruning wounds declined as wounds aged.
Competency and Qualifications for ICT Support in Thailand

The Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) is a common framework for professionals in the ICT field. SFIA is a management tool to assist decision makers about the use and development of ICT skills. The SFIA framework is a useful benchmark, but needs to be considered in the context of specific countries. This paper is an investigation into the range of SFIA ICT Service Operation job categories in order to determine the behavioral skills profiles that are important to the Thai ICT industry. This preliminary study is the basis of producing a Thai specific SFIA Service Management framework (strategy, design, transition and operation). doi: 10.14456/WJST.2015.5
Separating Status from Power as an Antecedent of Intergroup Perception

Status and power covary such that higher status groups are typically higher power groups. This research explored the effect of status on intergroup perception controlling for power. Experiment 1 manipulated the relative status of social groups and explicitly provided the groups equal power. Experiment 2 manipulated status and power orthogonally. Multiple measures yielded consistent patterns indicating that status affected perceived group centrality and variability independent of power. The patterns were consistent with a strategic intergroup comparison account as suggested by social identity theory. Specifically, the effect of status on intergroup perception varied with the relevance and valence of the dimension of comparison in a manner that balanced social reality with a positive social identity.
Users' image seeking behavior in a multilingual tag environment

This paper presents the results of a user study conducted in the framework of the Interactive Image Retrieval task at CLEF 2009. The main goal of our research is to understand the way in which users search for images that have been annotated with multilingual tags. The study is based on the application of grounded theory to try to understand the challenges that users face when searching for images that have multilingual annotations, and how they cope with these challenges to find the information they need. The study includes two methods of data collection: an online survey and a face to face interview that included a search task using Flickling. Because this was our first year participating in the interactive image CLEF, we found that the most challenging aspect of conducting a user centered evaluation in the context of CLEF is the short amount of time that is available from the time the task is defined and the deadline for submitting results. We were able to conduct face to face interviews for approximately three weeks (from 6/29/2009 to 7/17/2009) before the Flickling system was shut down. Our online survey was also made available at the end of June and we report here the results that we have collected until the end of November 2009. During this time we collected 27 responses to the online questionnaire and 6 face to face interviews. Our results indicate that 67% of the users search for images at least once a week and that the most common purposes for finding images are entertainment and professional. Our results from the user interviews indicate that the users find the known-item retrieval task hard to do due to the difficulty in expressing the contents of the target image using tags that could have also been assigned by the creator of the image. The face to face interviews also give some feedback for improving the current Flickling interface, particularly the addition of a spell checking mechanism and the improvement of the multilingual translation of terms selected by users.
Cost-driven 3D design optimization with metal layer reduction technique

Three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) is a promising solution to continue the performance scaling. However, the fabrication cost for 3D ICs can be a major concern for the adoption of this emerging technology. In this paper, we study the cost implication for both TSV-based and interposer-based 3D ICs, with the observation that many long metal interconnects in 2D designs are replaced by TSVs in 3D designs, and therefore the number of metal layers to satisfy routing requirements can be reduced, resulting in cost saving in 3D ICs. Based on our cost model, we propose a cost-driven 3D design space optimization flow that balances the design area and metal layer requirement, by optimizing the cost tradeoffs between silicon area and the number of metal layers. With the cost-driven design optimization flow, we can achieve cost saving up to 19% for TSV-based 3D designs, and 26% for interposer-based 3D designs, respectively, compared to the baseline designs.
Environmental concern as a factor in coastal zone development: A study of Louisiana citizens

Abstract This article presents the results of a statewide sample survey measuring public knowledge of and attitudes toward environmental issues. Particular attention is given to the rural and coastal regions most directly concerned in environmental management. Multivariate nominal scale analysis is used to estimate relationships for independent variables including race, income, education, and urban or rural residence. Dependent variables include environmental evaluations, property attitudes, and land use preferences.
The Porosity of Additive Noise Channels

Consider a binary modulo-additive noise channel with noiseless feedback. When the noise is a stationary and ergodic process ${\bf Z}$ , the capacity is $1-\BBH({\bf Z})$ ( $\BBH(\cdot)$ denoting the entropy rate). It is shown analogously that when the noise is a deterministic sequence $z^{\infty}$ , the capacity under finite-state encoding and decoding is $1-\overline{\rho}(z^{\infty})$ , where $\overline{\rho}(\cdot)$ is Lempel and Ziv's finite-state compressibility. This quantity, termed the porosity $\underline{\sigma}(\cdot)$ of the channel, holds as the fundamental limit to communication—even when the encoder is designed with knowledge of the noise sequence. A sequence of schemes are presented that universally achieve porosity for any noise sequence. These results, both converse and achievability, may be interpreted as a channel-coding counterpart to Ziv and Lempel's work in universal source coding, and also as an extension to existing work on communicating across modulo-additive channels with an individual noise sequence. In addition, a potentially more practical architecture is suggested that draws a connection with finite-state predictability, as introduced by Feder, Gutman, and Merhav.
Paroxysmal extreme pain disorder mutations within the D3/S4-S5 linker of Nav1.7 cause moderate destabilization of fast inactivation.

Single-point missense mutations in the peripheral neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 are implicated in the painful inherited neuropathy paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (PEPD). The Nav1.7 PEPD mutations are located in regions of the channel suggested to play important roles in fast inactivation. PEPD mutations in the putative inactivation gate have been reported to significantly impair fast inactivation, resulting in pronounced persistent currents. However, PEPD mutations in the S4–S5 linker of domain 3 (D3/S4–S5) had not been characterized and the roles of specific residues in this linker in channel gating are unclear. We functionally characterized two of the D3/S4–S5 PEPD mutations (V1298F and V1299F) and compared their effects on gating to an adjacent non-PEPD mutation (V1300F) and the I1461T PEPD mutation, located in the putative inactivation gate. The primary effect of the V1298F and V1299F mutations is to shift the voltage dependence of fast inactivation by ∼20 mV in the depolarizing direction. We observed a similar effect with the PEPD mutation I1461T. Interestingly, while all three PEPD mutations increased persistent currents, the relative amplitudes (∼6% of peak) were much smaller than previously reported for the I1461T mutation. In contrast, the main effect of the V1300F mutation was a depolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of activation. These data demonstrate that (1) mutations within D3/S4–S5 affect inactivation of Nav1.7 in a residue-specific manner and (2) disruption of the fast-inactivated state by PEPD mutations can be more moderate than previously indicated, which has important implications for the pathophysiology of PEPD.
On the maximum extent of tree roots

Stone, E.L. and Kalisz, P.J., 1991. On ~he maximum extent of tree roots. For. Ecol. Manage., 46: 59102. Based on literature reports, personal communications and our own observations, maximum vertical and radial root ex'~ents were tabulated for various woody species, primarily forest trees and shrubs, and horticultural trees. Data were summarized fo~ 49 families, 96 genera and 211 sl~ecies, as well as for forest stands composed of mixtures of species. These data demonstrate the inherent capability of many species to develop deep or far-reaching roots in the absence of restrictive soil or substra~e characteristics. These data also suggest that extensive roots may play a more important role in uptake of water and nutrients than indicated by their density alone, and that actual, rather than assumed, root extent must be evaluated on a site-specific basis to provide realistic estimates of ecosystem properties and processes.
Of bodies, place, and culture: Re-situating local food

In the US, an increasingly popular local food movement is propelled along by structural arguments that highlight the inequity and unsustainablity of the current agri-food system and by individually based arguments that highlight personal health and well-being. Despite clear differences in their foci, the deeper values contained in each argument tend to be neglected or lost, while local innovations assume instrumental and largely market-based forms. By narrowing their focus to the rational and the economic, movement activists tend to overlook (or marginalize) the role of the sensual, the emotional, the expressive for maintaining layered sets of embodied relationships to food and to place. This paper seeks to show that cultural and nonrational elements are fundamental to local food discussions. It proceeds from the assumption that, without them as full partners, the movement cannot be sustained in any felt, practiced, or committed way. To this end, it discusses the concept of place and bodies in place, as well as the connections between the ecological and the cultural, the sensual and the scientific. It offers a new set of questions and conceptual tools with which advocates and activists may “ground,” and thereby revalue and restore, the promise and practice of local food.
A phase field study of strain energy effects on solute–grain boundary interactions

We have studied strain-induced solute segregation at a grain boundary and the solute drag effect on boundary migration using a phase field model integrating grain boundary segregation and grain structure evolution. The elastic strain energy of a solid solution due to the atomic size mismatch and the coherency elastic strain energy caused by the inhomogeneity of the composition distribution are obtained using Khachaturyan’s microelasticity theory. Strain-induced grain boundary segregation at a static planar boundary is studied numerically and the equilibrium segregation composition profiles are validated using analytical solutions. We then systematically studied the effect of misfit strain on grain boundary migration with solute drag. Our theoretical analysis based on Cahn’s analytical theory shows that enhancement of the drag force with increasing atomic size mismatch stems from both an increase in grain boundary segregation due to the strain energy reduction and misfit strain relaxation near the grain boundary. The results were analyzed based on a theoretical analysis in terms of elastic and chemical drag forces. The optimum condition for solute diffusivity to maximize the drag force under a given driving force was identified.
Key distribution and update for secure inter-group multicast communication

Group communication has become an important component in wireless networks. In this paper, we focus on the environments in which multiple groups coexist in the system, and both intra and inter group multicast traffic must be protected by secret keys. We propose a mechanism that integrates polynomials with flat tables to achieve personal key share distribution and efficient key refreshment during group changes. The proposed mechanism distributes keys via true broadcast. The contributions of the research include: (1) By switching from asymmetric algorithms to symmetric encryption methods, the proposed mechanism avoids heavy computation, and improves the processing efficiency of multicast traffic and the power usage at the wireless nodes. The group managers do not have to generate public-private key pairs when the group member changes. (2) It becomes more difficult for an attacker to impersonate another node since personal key shares are adopted. The additional storage overhead at the wireless nodes and the increased broadcast traffic during key refreshment are justified. In addition, we describe techniques to improve the robustness of the proposed mechanism under the complicated scenarios such as collusive attacks and batch group member changes.
Transient effects in rapid thermal processing

Using a realistic model of a rapid thermal processing chamber including Navier-Stokes calculations of the gas losses, the stresses and yield strengths of silicon wafers were determined for several linear ramp rates. It was found that the stress to yield strength ratio is a sensitive function of the ramp rate and the radiant uniformity. Radiation patterns that produce good steady-state thermal nonuniformity overheat the wafer edges during heating transients, leading to high stress levels. >
Histone modifier, the gatekeeper of good memory

. provided evidence that gene expression processes are critical for memory by showing that memory consolidation is disrupted when gene transcription or translation is blocked during the learning process [1]. In the following decades, much knowledge has been obtained about how transcription factors can turn on gene expression in response to neural activity and thus con-tribute to memory formation [2]. Thanks to the progress of molecular biology in the last decade, it appears more and more clear that gene expression should be investigated in the context of intact chromatin, which is formed by DNA and histones. Indeed, besides classic transcription factors, DNA modification and histone modification complexes are found to play crucial roles in regulat-ing gene expression. Do these histone modification complexes also play roles in learning and memory?Histone deacetylase complexes (HDACs) can remove negative charged acetyl groups from histones. Less acety-lated histone will form tighter chromatin structure with DNA making it harder to be transcribed. Thus HDACs normally work as transcription repressors. The HDAC family contains about several classes of members and the detailed physiological functions of most of them are not well understood. During the last few years, pharmacological evidence has implicated the role of HDACs in learning, memory and synaptic plastic-ity [3]. In the May 7
Clock distribution in high speed systems

Several industry trends, such as increasing clock frequencies, tighter timing control requirements and more synchronous loads, have lead to a concern on the part of system designers over clock signal quality and clock distribution. This is a valid concern because current technology has resulted in more complex and sensitive designs as well as fast output edge rates. Many issues that could safely be ignored in the past have now been brought to the foreground. The old argument for synchronous interfaces is winning in many areas and more and more clock loads are popping up on boards. When tied in with the perpetual quest to maintain or gain performance, these factors clearly show why much attention has in the last year or two been focused on clock drivers and clock distribution. This paper discusses some of the key issues pertaining to clock signal integrity and reliability, meeting stringent timing requirements and selection of a suitable clock driver for one's given application.
Normal forms for context-sensitive grammars

In this paper, we mainly study the relation between scattered context grammars, which are an example for regulated context-free rewriting devices, and context-sensitive grammars. Emphasis is laid upon both normal form characterizations of context-sensitive grammars and an argument in how far scattered context grammars are stronger, with respect to generative capacity than unordered scattered context grammars.
Isotopically nonstationary 13C flux analysis of Myc-induced metabolic reprogramming in B-cells

We assessed several methods of 13C metabolic flux analysis (MFA) and found that isotopically nonstationary MFA achieved maximum flux resolution in cultured P493-6 B-cells, which have been engineered to provide tunable expression of the Myc oncoprotein. Comparison of metabolic flux maps obtained under oncogenic (High) and endogenous (Low) Myc expression levels revealed network-wide reprogramming in response to ectopic Myc expression. High Myc cells relied more heavily on mitochondrial oxidative metabolism than Low Myc cells and globally upregulated their consumption of amino acids relative to glucose. TCA cycle and amphibolic mitochondrial pathways exhibited 2- to 4-fold flux increases in High Myc cells, in contrast to modest increases in glucose uptake and lactate excretion. Because our MFA approach relied exclusively upon isotopic measurements of protein-bound amino acids and RNA-bound ribose, it is readily applicable to more complex tumor models that are not amenable to direct extraction and isotopic analysis of free intracellular metabolites.
Precipitation and Latent Heating Distributions from Satellite Passive Microwave Radiometry. Part II: Evaluation of Estimates Using Independent Data

Rainfall rate estimates from spaceborne microwave radiometers are generally accepted as reliable by a majority of the atmospheric science community. One of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) facility rain-rate algorithms is based upon passive microwave observations from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). In Part I of this series, improvements of the TMI algorithm that are required to introduce latent heating as an additional algorithm product are described. Here, estimates of surface rain rate, convective proportion, and latent heating are evaluated using independent ground-based estimates and satellite products. Instantaneous, 0.5°-resolution estimates of surface rain rate over ocean from the improved TMI algorithm are well correlated with independent radar estimate s( r 0.88 over the Tropics), but bias reduction is the most significant improvement over earlier algorithms. The bias reduction is attributed to the greater breadth of cloud-resolving model simulations that support the improved algorithm and the more consistent and specific convective/stratiform rain separation method utilized. The bias of monthly 2.5°-resolution estimates is similarly reduced, with comparable correlations to radar estimates. Although the amount of independent latent heating data is limited, TMI-estimated latent heating profiles compare favorably with instantaneous estimates based upon dual-Doppler radar observations, and time series of surface rain-rate and heating profiles are generally consistent with those derived from rawinsonde analyses. Still, some biases in profile shape are evident, and these may be resolved with (a) additional contextual information brought to the estimation problem and/or (b) physically consistent and representative databases supporting the algorithm. A model of the random error in instantaneous 0.5°-resolution rain-rate estimates appears to be consistent with the levels of error determined from TMI comparisons with collocated radar. Error model modifications for nonraining situations will be required, however. Sampling error represents only a portion of the total error in monthly 2.5°-resolution TMI estimates; the remaining error is attributed to random and systematic algorithm errors arising from the physical inconsistency and/or nonrepresentativeness of cloud-resolving-model-simulated profiles that support the algorithm.
Comparison of production-phase environmental impact metrics derived at the farm- and national-scale for United States agricultural commodities

Agricultural production is critical for human survival and simultaneously contributes to ecosystem degradation. There is a need for transparent, rapid methods for evaluating the environmental impacts of agricultural production at the system-level in order to develop sustainable food supplies. We have developed a method for estimating the greenhouse gas (GHG), land use and reactive nitrogen inputs associated with the agricultural production phase of major crop and livestock commodities produced in the United States (US). Materials flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques were applied to national inventory datasets. The net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs (NANI) toolbox served as the primary accounting tool for LCA and MFA. NANI was updated to create links between nitrogen fertilizer and nitrogen fixation associated with feed crops and animal food commodities. Results for the functional units kilogram (kg) of product and kg of protein for 2002 data fall within ranges of published LCA results from farm-scale studies across most metrics. Exceptions include eutrophication potential for milk and GHGs for chicken and eggs, these exceptions arise due to differing methods and boundary assumptions; suggestions for increasing agreement are identified. Land use for livestock commodities are generally higher than reported by other LCA studies due to the inclusion of all land identified as pasture or grazing land in the US in this study and given that most of the estimates from other LCAs were completed in Europe where land is less abundant. The method provides a view of the entire US agricultural system and could be applied to any year using publically available data. Additionally, utilizing a top-down approach reduces data collection and processing time making it possible to develop environmental inventory metrics rapidly for system-level decision-making.
Continuum Analysis of Cooperative Pit/Island Formation and Stability in SiGe on Si(100)

Recent experimental work (J. Gray, R.Hull and J. Floro, App. Phys. Lett. Vol 81, No 13, 2002) has investigated the cooperative nucleation and growth of pits and islanding at pit edges in SiGe/Si(100) epitaxial films. The pits, which are observed to form under certain growth conditions, evolve along with the islands until a complete island wall is formed around the pit’s periphery. Once formed the pit’island configuration exhibits a surprising stability, with no further lateral growth during continued deposition or annealing. The pits consists of low energy {501} facets (inverted {501} pyramid) and the islands surrounding the pit also exhibiting faceting. Elastic finite element analyses of these configurations were carried out to investigate the dependence of strain energy and surface stress on pit/island geometry. In particular, our results provide insight as to the mechanism responsible for the observed size stability of the pit/island structure once it has become fully developed. Surface stress gradients arising from the geometry are also found to be responsible for the observed initial island formation at the center of pit edges during growth.
Data driven model for the prediction of the expected lifetime of transformers

Power transformer is one of the most expensive equipments in the electrical power grid. Transformer outages may lead to substantial economical losses. One of the most important parameters governing a transformer's life expectancy and reliability is transformer aging condition and loading condition. At the same time, it is found that electric consumption is highly correlated with weather condition, therefore, in this study, we present a solution that firstly, predict the probability that a transformer Accelerated Aging Event (AAE) happens under the given weather condition; secondly, to predict the severity of the AAE, i.e., the scale of the accelerated aging factor for the event. Finally, we computed the expected life expectancy of the transformer under possible weather conditions trajectories during transformer's remaining life span using Monte Carlo simulation.
Knowledge Integration in Virtual Teams: The Potential Role of Knowledge Management Systems

Virtual teams are becoming a preferred mechanism for harnessing, integrating, and applying knowledge that is distributed across organizations and in pockets of collaborative networks. In this article we recognize that knowledge application, among the three phases of knowledge management, has received little research attention. Paradoxically, this phase contributes most to value creation. Extending communication theory, we identify four challenges to knowledge integration in virtual team environments: constraints on transactive memory, insufficient mutual understanding, failure in sharing and retaining contextual knowledge, and inflexibility of organizational ties. We then propose knowledge management system (KMS) approaches to meet these challenges. Finally, we identify promising avenues for future research in this area.