cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The R249Q and R146N Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Myosin Mutations Decrease Muscle Force and Power Generation

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inheritable disease in humans that causes the heart's ventricular walls to thicken. There are over 200 identified mutations that cause HCM, and the generally proposed hypothesis is that HCM mutations increase heart muscle contractility. To test this hypothesis, we expressed two HCM myosin mutations, R249Q and R146N, in Drosophila and performed skinned indirect flight muscle (IFM) fiber mechanics to measure power, force and muscle kinetics. The R146N and R249Q mutant fibers significantly (p<0.05) decreased power generation by 45% and 67%, respectively, from control fibers. The decrease in power by R146N resulted from a decrease in force generation because isometric tension and work production decreased, 47% and 42%, respectively, proportional to power reduction. R249Q fibers produced less power because both force and muscle speed decreased. Isometric tension decreased by 37% and the frequency at which maximum power generation occurred was 20% lower. Muscle mechanics were performed on mutant and control fibers from two-hour-old Drosophila, prior to degradation of myofilament structure, which started at two-days-old and increased with age. Electron microscopy showed that degradation was more pronounced in the R146N line. Decreased power output from the fibers caused a 60% decrease in two-day-old Drosophila flight ability for both lines. Molecular modeling suggests R249Q could be interfering with communication between the nucleotide and thin filament binding sites, while R146N may alter the N-terminal domain's interactions with the lever arm. Overall, our results contradict the increased contractility HCM hypothesis and instead suggest ventricular hypertrophy is a compensatory response to a decrease in heart muscle power generating ability. Supported by NIH grants R01 AR055611 to D.M.S. and R01 GM322433 to S.I.B.
GROWTH AND HABITUATION IN TISSUE CULTURES OF ENGLISH IVY, HEDERA HELIX'

A B S T R A C T Tissue cultures from both juvenile and adult stems of English ivy, Hedera helix L., were established in White's medium supplemented by coconut water and auxin (usually naphthalene acetic acid). With repeated transfers, cultures were habituated in less than a year to grow well without coconut water by using an auxin and kinetin. Cultures from juvenile seedlings were less demanding in requirements for growth. In all types of cultures occasionally small areas of rapidly growing cells were noticed. These when isolated gave rise to rapidly growing cultures with many cells of unusual appearance. Abnormally long cells and chain-type cells were abundant. When 0.1 mg/ liter of kinetin was added to the medium, these cells grew well without auxin and coconut water. THE TYPES of vegetative growth in English ivv, Hedera helix L., are strikingly different. The juvenile form is a vine, with reddish flattened stems, abundant aerial roots, and lobed leaves in a dorsiventral arrangement. The adult or mature fruiting form ordinarily takes many years of growth to develop and has stiff shrubby stems bearing entire leaves in spiral phyllotaxy. Red pigments and aerial roots are usually absent. When cultures were derived from the two types of stems on the same plant, the juvenile cultures maintained a higher rate of proliferation and these differences persisted through several years of monthly transfers. The present studies were designed to determine the behavior of ivy tissue cultures on various media, since these plants are being widely used for the study of juvenility in
Selection bias and land development in the monocentric city model

The land development process implied by the monocentric city model is extremely simple. The model, as set forth by Muth [13] and Mills [12], contains no error terms and the city lies on a featureless plain. Land is converted to urban use whenever urban land values rise relative to agricutural land values; the assumptions of the model assure that land development in any period takes place in a ring at the edge of the city. In this paper, we relax the assumption that the city is a featureless plain by introducing error terms to the urban and non-urban land value functions. This simple addition-a necessity for empirical work-produces a much richer land development process than is imbedded in the simple Muth-Mills model. The error terms in the land value functions, which represent the effects of missing variables such as the fertility of the soil, influence the selection of land for urban and non-urban use. This selection process, in turn, causes a bias in OLS estimates of land value functions. The form of the selection bias implies three possible land development patterns. First, if traits that produce high urban land values cause low non-urban values, relatively low value non-urban land is developed first and has above average value in urban use. However, if unusually productive agricultural land is also highly valued in urban use then the development process depends on the relative magnitudes of the variances of the two land value distributions. For example, if the variance of the urban distribution is the larger, then relatively high value non-urban land is developed first and has above average land value in urban use: the greater variance in the urban distribution implies that unusually good farmland can earn more in urban use. Thus, the expanded Muth-Mills model incorporates urban expansion at the expense of high-quality agriculture and a more benign land market in which only comparatively low-quality agricultural land is taken by cities. The expanded Muth-Mills model implies the existence of selection bias in land value equations. Selection bias has only recently been recognized
A reduced xylem pressure altered the electric and growth responses in cucumber hypocotyls

This study measured the electric and growth responses in excised cucumber hypocotyls and compared them with those in intact seedlings. Root excision (first severing cut) eliminated most of the positive xylem pressure (Px) in the hypocotyl, caused a rapid, transient drop in the hypocotyl growth rate (GR) and some small, local depolarization near the cut site. Although accompanied by a smaller decrease in Px, a second, severing cut in the basal hypocotyl caused a decrease in GR which was no longer transient and a depolarization which was increased in both size and extent. These changes were not wound effects because they could be simulated by root incubation in mannitol. The reduced GR recovery occurred also in the absence of electric changes after a second increase in the mannitol concentration incubating the root of intact seedlings. Increased electric sensitivity and altered growth response therefore appear to be two independent examples of physiological changes resulting from a lowered Px.
The X-ray Correlation Spectroscopy instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source

The X-ray Correlation Spectroscopy instrument (XCS) at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a dedicated instrument using coherent x-ray scattering techniques to investigate dynamics in condensed matter systems. XCS can probe both slow and ultrafast dynamics on lengthscales of interest. It employs an extensive suite of X-ray instrumentation to tailor the LCLS X-ray beam properties to experimental requirements. Results demonstrating the full transverse coherence of the LCLS beam are presented.
Learning to Top-K Search using Pairwise Comparisons

Given a collection of N items with some unknown underlying ranking, we examine how to use pairwise comparisons to determine the top ranked items in the set. Resolving the top items from pairwise comparisons has application in diverse elds ranging from recommender systems to image-based search to protein structure analysis. In this paper we introduce techniques to resolve the top ranked items using signicantly fewer than all the possible pairwise comparisons using both random and adaptive sampling methodologies. Using randomly-chosen comparisons, a graph-based technique is shown to eciently resolve the top O(logN) items when there are no comparison errors. In terms of adaptively-chosen comparisons, we show how the top O(logN) items can be found, even in the presence of corrupted observations, using a voting methodology that only requires O N log 2 N pairwise comparisons.
Optimization of slow and stored light in atomic vapor

We present a preliminary experimental study of optimized slow and stored light pulses in Rb vapor cells. We study the efficiency of light storage as a function of pulse duration, storage time, retrieval field intensity, etc. We demonstrate a procedure based on time reversal for the optimization of the efficiency for storage of light in atomic ensembles suggested in a recent theoretical paper [A.V. Gorshkov et al., e-print archive quant-ph/0604037 (2006)]. Experimental results are in a good qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations based on a simplified three-level model.
Morphometry of retinal vasculature in Antarctic fishes is dependent upon the level of hemoglobin in circulation

SUMMARY We quantitatively assessed ocular vascular patterns of six Antarctic notothenioid fishes that vary in their expression of the circulating oxygen-binding protein, hemoglobin (Hb). Digital image analyses revealed marked differences in vessel morphometries among notothenioid species. Hemoglobinless (–Hb) icefishes display mean vessel length densities that are greater (Chaenocephalus aceratus, 5.51±0.32 mm mm–2; Champsocephalus gunnari, 5.15±0.50 mm mm–2) than those observed in red-blooded (+Hb) species (Gymnodraco acuticeps, 5.20±0.46 mm mm–2; Parachaenichthyes charcoti, 4.40±0.30 mm mm–2; Trematomus hansoni, 3.94±0.08 mm mm–2; Notothenia coriiceps, 2.48±0.21 mm mm–2). –Hb fishes also have mean vessel diameters that are ∼1.5 times greater than vessel diameters of +Hb species (–Hb, 0.193±0.006 mm; +Hb, 0.125±0.005 mm). Vascular density index (VDI), a stereological index that is affected by both vessel number and length, is greatest in –Hb C. aceratus (3.51±0.20) and lowest in +Hb N. coriiceps (1.58±0.14). Among four +Hb species, there is a direct relationship between red blood cell content and retinal vasculature. Hematocrit (Hct) is inversely correlated to vascular density (r2=0.934) and positively correlated to intervessel distance (r2= 0.898) over a >2.3-fold range of Hct. These results indicate that anatomical capacity to supply blood to the retina increases to compensate for decreases in oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
UV photoconductors based on Ga-doped ZnO films

Ga-doped n-type ZnO films were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) on R-plane sapphire substrates. Material characterizations such as photoluminescence (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Hall measurements were carried out to characterize the optical, structural, and electrical properties of the film. Photoconductor devices for ultraviolet (UV) light detection were fabricated by depositing Al (250 nm)/Ti (20 nm) ohmic metal contacts. Linear characteristics were obtained from current-voltage (I-V) measurements that showed response to UV and visible illumination. Voltage dependent photocurrent (PC) spectra and responsivity spectrum were obtained to characterize the detection capability of the device in the UV region.
Improved sparse covers for graphs excluding a fixed minor

We consider the construction of sparse covers for planar graphs and other graphs that exclude a fixed minor. We present an algorithm that gives a cover for the γ-neighborhood of each node. For planar graphs, the cover has radius no more than 24γ-8 and degree (maximum cluster overlaps) no more than 18. For every n node graph that excludes a fixed minor, we present an algorithm that yields a cover with radius no more than 4γ and degree O(log n).This is a significant improvement over previous results for planar graphs and for graphs excluding a fixed minor; in order to obtain clusters with radius of O(γ), it was required to have degree polynomial in n. Since sparse covers have many applications in distributed computing, including compact routing, distributed directories and synchronizers, our improved cover construction results in improved algorithms for all these problems, for the class of graphs that exclude a fixed minor.
The role of nuclear pores in gene regulation, development and disease

Nuclear-pore complexes (NPCs) are large protein channels that span the nuclear envelope (NE), which is a double membrane that encloses the nuclear genome of eukaryotes. Each of the typically 2,000–4,000 pores in the NE of vertebrate cells is composed of multiple copies of 30 different proteins known as nucleoporins. The evolutionarily conserved NPC proteins have the well-characterized function of mediating the transport of molecules between the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm. Mutations in nucleoporins are often linked to specific developmental defects and disease, and the resulting phenotypes are usually interpreted as the consequences of perturbed nuclear transport activity. However, recent evidence suggests that NPCs have additional functions in chromatin organization and gene regulation, some of which might be independent of nuclear transport. Here, we review the transport-dependent and transport-independent roles of NPCs in the regulation of nuclear function and gene expression.
High-resolution size measurement of single spherical particles with a fast Fourier transform of the angular scattering intensity

A technique is described and demonstrated to measure the size of spherical particles of known index of refraction by laser light scattering with an accuracy of better than 1%. This technique entails imaging the angular scattering intensity onto a photodiode array and applying a fast Fourier transform to the array output to obtain a frequency and phase corresponding to the number and angular position of the scattering lobes. Errors associated with particle trajectory effects and changes in the index of refraction are also considered. Results are not affected by the former, whereas variations of the refractive index by 2%, as may be typical, for example, of the transient heat up of a liquid hydrocarbon droplet, cause a deterioration of sizing accuracy to approximately 3%. The technique can in principle be applied in real time at data rates as high as 20-30 kHz with a modest equipment investment. Therefore, the measurement of droplet evaporation rates in dilute sprays with unprecedented accuracy appears to be feasible.
Realistic case studies of wireless structural control

Wireless Structural Control (WSC) systems can play a crucial role in protecting civil infrastructure in the event of earthquakes and other natural disasters. Such systems represent an exemplary class of cyber-physical systems that perform close-loop control using wireless sensor networks. Existing WSC research usually employs wireless sensors installed on small lab structures, which cannot capture realistic delays and data loss in wireless sensor networks deployed on large civil structures. The lack of realistic tools that capture both the cyber (wireless) and physical (structural) aspects of WSC systems has been a hurdle for cyber-physical systems research for civil infrastructure. This advances the state of the art through the following contributions. First, we developed the Wireless Cyber-Physical Simulator (WCPS), an integrated environment that combines realistic simulations of both wireless sensor networks and structures. WCPS integrates Simulink and TOSSIM, a state-of-the-art sensor network simulator featuring a realistic wireless model seeded by signal traces. Second, we performed two realistic case studies each combining a structural model with wireless traces collected from real-world environments. The building study combines a benchmark building model and wireless traces collected from a multi-story building. The bridge study combines the structural model of the Cape Girardeau bridge over the Mississippi River and wireless traces collected from a similar bridge (the Jindo Bridge) in South Korea. These case studies shed light on the challenges of WSC and the limitations of a traditional structural control approach under realistic wireless conditions. Finally, we proposed a cyber-physical co-design approach to WSC that integrates a novel holistic scheduling scheme (for sensing, communication and control) and an Optimal Time Delay Controller (OTDC) that substantially improves structural control performance.
Test set partitioning and dynamic fault dictionaries for sequential circuits

This paper describes techniques for partitioning test sets and maintaining diagnostic information in partition dictionaries that are appropriate for efficient dynamic fault location. The partitioned test sets and partition dictionary produce a small list of candidate faults, which are further distinguished by a dynamic fault dictionary, created at the time of diagnosis. The dictionaries used are significantly smaller than full dictionaries and are computationally efficient. The approach is shown to be effective on sequential benchmark circuits. >
PROCESSES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION OF COMMERCIAL REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES

Certification of commercial reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) offers significant advantages over licensing. At the same time certification places demands on all subsystems to provide an acceptable probability of success. These demands will require new certification rules which will rely, in part, on present commercial aircraft rules, but must go beyond the rules of the past to meet the requirements. This paper advocates a four-step approach to certification: First, building on the rules of the past. Secondly, an exhaustive functional analysis of the system in accordance with existing guidelines. Third, an analysis of NASA Shuttle experience. And finally, validation of the final set of rules. These steps, within an evolutionary development, will provide the most rigorous and minimum risk approach.
The FDA's medical dictionary for drug regulatory affairs alpha test

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in conjunction with the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), is pursuing a medical language thesaurus that could be used internationally for prem...
Cold plasma dispersion surfaces

Three-dimensional plots of dispersion in a cold anisotropic plasma are presented. The ω(κ, θ) surfaces provide a clear picture of the behaviour of cold plasma waves as the direction of propagation is varied. The group velocity ( dω/dκ ) has a simple geometrical interpretation on the surfaces.
The role of staffing stability in the implementation of integrated dual disorders treatment: An exploratory study

Background: Integrated dual disorders treatment (IDDT) is an efficacious treatment for people with a co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI) and substance abuse disorder. Little is known about the ability of routine mental health centers to implement IDDT. Workforce issues may impede agencies' ability to implement IDDT.Aims: To investigate the relationship between staffing stability and implementation of IDDT and to examine strategies undertaken by agencies to overcome staffing barriers during implementation.Methods: This study uses data from an IDDT implementation demonstration project to examine the relationship between staffing challenges and both fidelity to the practice model and penetration rate. Challenges and strategies related to staffing instability are investigated via thematic analyses of qualitative data.Results: The majority of agencies implementing IDDT had staffing challenges, and four out of eleven teams almost completely turned over within 1 year. When this occurred, a drop in penetrat...
Social Context, Parental Monitoring, and Multisystemic Therapy Outcomes

Multisystemic therapy (MST) and other evidence-based treatments targeting juvenile delinquency have been well substantiated in the literature. Although these treatments have been demonstrated to be effective overall at reducing juvenile delinquency, it is well known that they do not benefit all treated youth. Research has yet to examine the potential influence of contextual factors, such as socioeconomic status (SES) and neighborhood characteristics, on treatment outcomes, particularly as they influence parental monitoring, which is often a focus of interventions targeting juvenile delinquency. A primary goal of these treatments is to help parents develop the requisite skills to adequately monitor and discipline their children; however, this goal may be compromised by contextual factors affecting parental effectiveness and, ultimately, treatment efficacy. The objective of this study was to explore the role of SES and neighborhood factors in moderating the effects of parental monitoring across treatment. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we analyzed these contextual and family predictors of response to MST treatment within a sample of 185 youth (65.4% male) ages 12-18 (M = 15.35; SD = 1.28). Neighborhood factors interacted with parental monitoring, such that monitoring predicted decreases in externalizing behavior only for youth residing in better neighborhoods. In contrast, SES was unrelated to changes in externalizing behaviors in response to MST. Taken together, these results demonstrate a need for further understanding the potential role of the youth's larger social context in predicting MST outcomes.
Adjuvant Therapy for Colorectal Cancer: Past Accomplishments, Future Directions

(1997). Adjuvant Therapy for Colorectal Cancer: Past Accomplishments, Future Directions. Cancer Investigation: Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 435-447.
Let the Rain Settle It: Estimating the Effect of Dissent on Repression ⁄

Although many factors influence government willingness to violate human rights, there is a scholarly consensus that state repression is an attempt to control popular dissent. However, dissent and repression are endogenous: the state and potential dissidents decide on their actions in expectation of each other’s behavior. To date, empirical models have not accounted well for this endogeneity, leaving scholars either unable to estimate the effects of independent variables on rights violations or drawing incorrect conclusions as to these effects. To solve this problem, we follow recent US voting scholarship and propose a new instrument to model the endogeneity of dissent to repression: rainfall. We argue that while rainfall will deter citizens from active protest, it is unlikely to affect repressive capacity. We couple annual data on rainfall with data from the Social Conflict in Africa Database (SCAD), which reports information on protest and repression in all African states from 1990 to 2009. Using an instrumental variable (IV) approach, we find that dissent fails to have either a statistically or substantively significant effect on repression when endogeneity is taken seriously, suggesting that the preventive aspects of the threat of repression play a meaningful, but unmeasurable, part in their relationship.
Efficacy of virginiamycin and a commercially-available lactobacillus probiotic in swine diets

Eight feeding trials using 708 cross-bred pigs were conducted to evaluate the addition of virginiamycin and a commercially-available lactobacillus fermention product (probiotic) to starter, grower and finisher diets based on maize and soya bean meal. Virginiamycin was added at a level of 11 mg/kg of diet, and lactobacillus probiotic at 1 g/kg in starter diets and 500 mg/kg in grower and finisher diets. In the combined analysis of four starter trials, pigs fed on diets containing virginiamycin tended to eat more and grow faster than pigs fed on the control diet, but feed efficiency was not different. Furthermore, daily gain, daily feed intake and feed efficiency were not improved by the addition of lactobacillus probiotic to starter diets. In the combined analysis of a starter—grower—finisher and a grower—finisher trial, virginiamycin supplementation did not alter overall pig performance compared with control. Pigs fed on a positive control diet containing chlortetracycline, penicillin and sulfamethazine had a nonsignificantly greater daily gain and feed intake. Daily gain for the lactobacillus probiotic-fed pigs was lower (P < 0.05) than that of the negative controls, but daily feed intake and feed efficiency were not significantly different. In three growing—finishing trials in which virginiamycin and lactobacillus probiotic were compared in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, daily gain and feed intakes were greater (P < 0.01) for pigs given virginiamycin. The lactobacillus probiotic did not improve daily gain, feed intake or feed efficiency. Overall, no interaction between virginiamycin and lactobacillus probiotic occurred.
Frequency-domain solution for coupled striplines with crossing strips

A frequency-domain approach to the modelling of the propagation of short-rise-time digital pulses along groups of coupled striplines, which are overcrossed or undercrossed by orthogonally positioned signal conductors on adjacent signal planes in a high-density circuit board or multichip module substrate is presented. A solution is presented which has several particular features which are important in the application of this method to real-world modeling problems. The solution significantly simplifies the mathematical formulas which sum the multiple reflections and crosstalk components with the primary digital pulse to generate the final waveform conformations on the multiple conductors. As a result, this method is much easier to implement than earlier techniques, especially as a software kernel for a computer-aided design tool. The method presented reduces the central processing unit time needed to execute these solutions by a nontrivial factor of 2-3 in comparison with a previously published method. The method removes the earlier constraint that the crossing strips on the orthogonal signal layer be uniformly spaced: that is, nonuniformly spaced crossing strips are supported by the mathematical derivation. The derivation allows for nonideal voltage sources. >
Hospital Documentation Planning: The Concept and the Context

Documentation planning is defined in this article as a process within an institution to select an appropriate documentary record for the institution. The author describes the functions and component institutions of the U.S. health care system, identifies the functions of hospitals within the system, offers an analysis of hospital activities and administrative organization, and presents a typology of hospitals. This information provides the informational context within which a documentation plan can be developed for a particular hospital. A similar planning approach may also be applied to other types of institutions, organizations, and corporations.
Durability and prevalence of aortic regurgitation nine years after aortic valve replacement with the Toronto SPV stentless bioprosthesis.

Background and aim of the study: Stentless aortic bioprostheses have excellent hemodynamics. Previous investigations of the Toronto SPV valve described a correlation between the occurrence of significant aortic regurgitation (AR) and dilation of the sinotubular junction. The study aim was to determine the longterm durability and determinants of AR at nine years in a large, multicenter study of the Toronto SPV valve. Methods: The study included 447 patients from six centers. Clinical outcomes and echocardiographic data (gradients, effective orifice area index (EOA-I), left ventricular mass, aortic root dimensions, and presence and severity of AR) were collected prospectively. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to evaluate clinical and echocardiographic variables for impact on the occurrence of AR. Results: Total follow up was 2,660 patient-years (mean 6.0 ± 2.5 years; range: 0 to 11.1 years). Mean gradient and EOA-I remained unchanged through nine years. There were 17 cases of structural deterioration, of which 15 underwent explantation. The mechanism of failure was predominantly leaflet tear in the setting of sinotubular dilation. Freedom from explant for structural failure was 90.1% at nine years (100% for patients aged ≥65 years). Freedom from hemodynamically significant AR was 96.9% at five years and 82.5% at nine years. Determinants of AR were longer duration of follow up, larger valve size, and increase in the ratio of sinotubular junction to the size of valve implanted. Conclusion: At nine years after implantation of the Toronto SPV valve, hemodynamics remained excellent. There was good freedom from structural deterioration through nine years, and structural failure occurred due to aortic root dilation and leaflet tear, without significant valve calcification. AR tends to occur with longer follow up, larger valve sizes, and dilation of the sinotubular junction.
Predicting Protein Conformational Transitions by Trajectory Planning Through Torsion Angle Propensity Maps

The function of a protein macromolecule often requires conformational transitions between two native configurations. Understanding these transitions is essential to the understanding of how proteins function, as well as to the ability to design and manipulate proteinbased nano-mechanical systems. It is widely accepted that the pathway connecting two native protein conformations in nature should satisfy a minimum energy criterion. The premise of this paper is that such a pathway can be found by using dihedral angle combinations that have been shown to have a high probability of occurrence in naturally observed proteins. In order to quantify this probability, we are proposing statistical propensity torque maps for tuples of dihedral angles. These maps are constructed in the angle space, similar to the Ramachandran Charts, but are based on data obtained from more than 38,600 proteins from Protein Data Bank (PDB) so that each map contains the experimentally observed pairs of dihedral angles (ϕ i, ψ i), (ϕ i, ψ i + 1), (ϕ i, ϕ i + 1) and (ψ i, ψ i + 1).
Hardware-Software Co-Design: Not Just a Cliché

The age of the air-tight hardware abstraction is over. As the computing ecosystem moves beyond the predictable yearly advances of Moore's Law, appeals to familiarity and backwards compatibility will become less convincing: fundamental shifts in abstraction and design will look more enticing. It is time to embrace hardware-software co-design in earnest, to cooperate between programming languages and architecture to upend legacy constraints on computing. We describe our work on approximate computing, a new avenue spanning the system stack from applications and languages to microarchitectures. We reflect on the challenges and successes of approximation research and, with these lessons in mind, distill opportunities for future hardware-software co-design efforts.
ZD4054, a selective endothelin A receptor antagonist, reduces breast cancer cell migration and invasion and exhibits additive effects with aromatase inhibitors and fulvestrant

A275 Purpose: The endothelin axis with endothelin-1 (ET-1), endothelin A receptor (ETAR), and ET-1 synthesizing endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) is of major importance in the development and progression of breast carcinomas. Overexpression of ET-1, ETAR, and ECE-1 is associated with aggressive disease, metastasis, and decreased survival. Binding of ET-1 to ETAR induces cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and anti-apoptosis. Therefore, selective antagonism of ETAR may represent an innovatively targeted therapy for breast cancer. Experimental design: In this study, we characterized the effects of the selective ETAR antagonist ZD4054 on breast cancer cell gene expression, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Changes in gene expression were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Proliferation was analyzed using bromodeoxyuridine and alamarBlue® assays. Migration and invasion assays were performed using modified Boyden chambers, which were coated with a Matrigel™ membrane for the latter assays, to simulate the physiological basement membrane barrier. Results: Using real-time PCR, to quantify the influence on the expression of the ET axis, we found that ZD4054 significantly reduced ET-1, ETAR, and ECE-1 mRNA expression in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of ZD4054 on breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. As expected from previous studies, proliferation of breast cancer cells was not affected by ZD4054. However, ZD4054 significantly reduced cellular migration by up to 26.7% (MDA-MB-468; P
A single-control tuning circuit for electrically small antennas

It is often desirable to tune electrically small antennas at their feed terminals. An "L" matching circuit for this purpose is considered. It is shown that one fixed element and one variable tuning element are adequate for certain small antennas. The manner in which losses affect the circuit effiiciency and the single-control tuning feature is discussed. Application of the technique to a tunable cavity antenna is noted.
Synthesis and Reactivity of the Anionic Iridium(III) Complex [Cp*Ir(OTf)3][Ag{tBu2P(heptanoyl)}]

The synthesis of an iridium complex bearing the unusual di-tert-butylheptanoylphosphine ligand is described. In exploring the chemistry of this complex, it was found that the acylphosphine ligand u...
The influence of UCS upon the acquisition of the conditioned eyelid response

The comparative effect of two UCS intensities upon eyelid conditioning was investigated in a 2 x 2 factorial design in which UCS intensity for trials 1–50 was orthogonal to UCS intensity for trials 51–110. The influence of UCS intensity was significant in both the pre- and the post-shift phases when all data were considered. When the responses of “non-conditioners” (Ss who averaged less than 10% CRs) were removed from consideration, the effect of UCS intensity was not significant in either phase of the experiment. It was suggested that UCS intensity is a determinant of whether or not an S conditions rather than a determinant of his asymptotic performance level.
Cardiovascular and sympathoadrenal responses to heat stress following water deprivation in rats

This study was designed to characterize the regional and systemic hemodynamic and sympathoadrenal responses to heating after 24 and 48 h of water deprivation in chloralose-anesthetized, male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 7 per group). Water deprivation produced significant decreases in body weight of 8.1 and 13.7% in the 24- and 48-h groups (P < 0.05), respectively. After water deprivation, rats were exposed to an ambient temperature of 43 degrees C. After correction for body weight differences, heating rates were faster in the 48-h group compared with both euhydrated and 24-h groups. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate, and colonic (Tco) and tail (Ttail) temperatures increased above baseline in all groups during heating. Renal and mesenteric artery blood flow velocities decreased, and vascular resistances increased in response to heating. Compared with euhydrated controls, 48-h water-deprived rats exhibited attenuated pressor (delta MAP = 36 +/- 3 vs. 18 +/- 3 mmHg) and visceral vasoconstrictor (% delta in mesenteric resistance = 122.6 +/- 27.3 vs. 54.9 +/- 6.9%) responses during heating. Tail-skin blood flow estimated from Ttail was also lower at baseline and the onset of heating in water-deprived rats. However, peak Ttail and Tco values were similar across groups. Plasma catecholamines measured in separate groups of rats (n = 6 per group) were significantly higher at baseline and the end of heating in the 48-h group compared with euhydrated and 24-h groups. Despite this exaggerated sympathoadrenal response, the 48-h group exhibited attenuated hemodynamic responses to nonexertional heating compared with euhydrated and 24-h water-deprived rats. These data suggest that cardiovascular and thermoregulatory adjustments can compensate for small changes in hydration state (i.e., 24 h), but more severe levels of hypohydration significantly alter blood pressure and body temperature regulation during heat stress.
Progress on electrically small antennas

The recent development of the electrically small antennas is reviewed for last five years in the paper,where the progress in the UWB dipole antenna and the UWB monopole antenna including planar antenna,the printed antenna,low RCS antenna,is introduced and compared.In addition,possible progresses on UWB antennas in the future are pointed out and discussed.
Study on the nitrite-eliminating effect of different processed garlic

Objective:to study the eliminating effect of fresh garlic,cooked garlic,sweet-and-sour garlic on nitrite.Methods:using the filtrate of fresh garlic,cooked garlic,sweet-and-sour garlic as materials,the extracts were diluted to 10,20,60,100mg/mL separately.Calculated the nitrite-eliminating ratio separately after its reacted under the pH condition of simulated human gastric juice and body fluid.Results:under the pH and temperature condition of simulated human gastric juice and body fluid,the eliminating ratio of fresh garlic,cooked garlic,sweet-and-sour garlic on nitrite reached more than 50%.Under condition at pH=3,nitrite-eliminating capacity:cooked garlicfresh garlicsweet-and-sour garlic.The effects of nitrite-eliminating were increased with the concentration growing;when pH=7,nitrite-eliminating capacity:sweet-and-sour garlicfresh garliccooked garlic.The relationship between the ratio and the concentration of the three was not obviously observed.Conclusion:fresh garlic,cooked garlic,sweet-and-sour garlic all has good eliminating nitrite effect.Having fresh garlic,cooked garlic,sweet-and-sour garlic will advantage human body's ability of anti-tumor activity.
α2-Adrenoceptors and antidepressant treatments

Considerable evidence suggests that α2-adrenoceptors are altered by antidepressant drugs and procedures. The chronic administration of desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, was found to cause a subsensitivity of presynaptic α2-adrenoceptors in isolated rat atria which resulted in a marked increase in the amount of neuronally released noradrenaline during field stimulation (Crews & Smith, 1978). Similar results were obtained with other tricyclics such as nortriptyline, clomipramine and iprindole (Crews & Smith, 1980). Other early electrophysiological studies of noradrenergic neuronal function in rat brain found that the chronic administration of certain antidepressant drugs caused a loss in responsiveness to clonidine, an α2-adrenoceptor agonist (Svensson & Usdin, 1978; McMillan et al., 1980).
Simulated Performance of a Hybrid Tracking System for the SDC Detector at the SSC

A hybrid tracking system has been proposed for the SDC outer tracking volume. It combines two tracking technologies, straw tubes and scintillating fibers, exploiting the strengths of both. The straw tube system provides high precision azimuthal measurements of tracks in a solenoidal magnetic field. The stereo scintillating fiber layers are mechanically straightforward to build. The proposed SDC tracking system also contains a silicon inner tracker. The simulation presented here covers the barrel region only, and includes 8 layers of silicon detectors. We will briefly describe the simulation and track/event reconstruction procedures, then present the performance of the system for high pt tracking, including the tracking resolutions and efficiencies, and the results of event reconstruction. We will also make comparisons of the system performance for different background luminosities.
Negative exchange bias in single-phase D y 1 − x N d x Cr O 3 induced by Nd doping

Observation of significant negative exchange bias (${H}_{E}$) is reported in solid solutions of single-phase samples of $\mathrm{D}{\mathrm{y}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{d}}_{x}\mathrm{Cr}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ for $x=0.33,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}0.67,$ and 1 with corresponding N\'eel temperatures at ${T}_{N}^{\mathrm{Cr}}=175\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K},\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}200\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K},$ and 225 K, respectively, and the spin-reorientation transitions ${T}_{SR}$ at 48 K, 58 K, and 38 K, respectively. In contrast, no ${H}_{E}$ was observed for the sample with $x=0$ (i.e., $\mathrm{DyCr}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$) shows no ${H}_{E}$ below its ${T}_{N}^{\mathrm{Cr}}=145\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, and no reorientation of spins at lower temperatures was observed. More importantly, the (negative) ${H}_{E}$ for the $x=0.33,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}0.67,$ and 1 samples is observed only in the temperature range between ${T}_{N}$ and ${T}_{SR}$ with the corresponding observation of magnetic coercivity. These results show that the canted antiferromagnetic ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{7,\mathrm{Cr}}$ structure of the $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{r}}^{3+}$ moments present between ${T}_{N}^{\mathrm{Cr}}$ and ${T}_{SR}$ is essential for the observed ${H}_{E}$. By comparing this result to the literature, common features of single-phase materials with ${H}_{E}$ were identified. The present bulk powder samples were prepared by the citrate method and structurally characterized by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Neutron diffraction measurements for the $x=0.33,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}0.67,$ and 1 samples at select temperatures were done to verify the presence of the ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{7,\mathrm{Cr}}$ structure between ${T}_{N}^{\mathrm{Cr}}$ and ${T}_{SR}$ and the ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{1,\mathrm{Cr}}$ structure (with no canting of $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{r}}^{3+}$ moments) below ${T}_{SR}$.
Constitutional Transformation in the ECtHR: Strasbourg's Expansive Recourse to External Rules of International Law

The European Court of Human Rights is a constituted judicial body, established by international treaty among the member States of the Council of Europe. Yet it can hardly be described as a static creature of the Parties. The Court has undergone dramatic constitutional change since its inception, resulting in an organization significantly more autonomous, independent, and robust in its maturity. Certain important changes have been achieved through formal amendment by the Parties. At the same time, however, the constitution of the ECtHR has undergone a quieter, informal kind of development – through the Court’s own practice in the discharge of its normal functions. Change of this latter type may be called constitutional transformation, by contrast to formal constitutional amendment. This paper is about the transformative effect of the Court’s approach to the interpretation of its constituent instrument, the ECHR. More specifically, the focus is on its approach to one particular technique of interpretation, codified at VCLT 31(3)(c) (providing for the consideration of external sources of international law). On the one hand, as is often recognized, the Court relies on the technique to ground a dramatic and evolutive mode of treaty interpretation – expanding the substantive rights of the Convention in light of sources external to it. Yet on the other hand, I want to suggest, the Court gives 31(3)(c) itself an astonishingly broad construction, to justify considering an extraordinary array of external sources – thereby expanding its own material competence to develop the Convention on the basis of developments outside of the Convention. This latter dimension of the Court’s interpretive approach, I argue, has brought about a genuine constitutional transformation. This paper was originally prepared for presentation at the inaugural Research Forum of the American Society of International Law, ASIL Midyear Meeting, UCLA (Nov. 3-5, 2011).
A Literature Review in Accounting Higher Education in Greece (2009-2016)

The recent financial crisis in Greece and other Western economies combined with the conduct of serious malpractices in the finance sector, brought into light long time unresolved systemic issues. These facts undoubtedly contributed to massive unemployment, high poverty rate, crime and other social ills experienced in the country. Accounting and finance in higher education could not be left unaffected from these developments and calls for deep reforms have been made (Santouridis, et al., 2014). This paper presents a literature review on accounting Higher Education in Greece addressing the various aspects of the accounting education in regards to the needs of accounting profession during the global financial crisis.
Mössbauer Spectroscopy of Supported Bimetallic Catalysts

In recent years there has been renewed interest in catalysis by alloys from both the fundamental and practical points of view. Much of this interest has been stimulated by the advent of bimetallic catalysts in catalytic reforming. Recent studies of Sinfelt and co-workers (1) have demonstrated that alloying can have a marked effect on catalytic specificity. For example, the specific activity of bulk CuNi alloys for carbon-hydrogen bond breaking (dehydrogenation) is nearly independent of composition up to ~80 atomic percent Cu whereas the specific activity for carbon-carbon bond breaking (hydrogenolysis) is decreased by about four orders of magnitude when ~30 atomic percent Cu is added to Ni. Similar results obtained by Sinfelt (2) for SiO2-supported CuRu and CuOs catalysts strongly point to the formation of bimetallic clusters in these well-dispersed metal catalysts. The term bimetallic cluster is preferred to alloy for well-dispersed particles where surface effects dominate since catalytic evidence indicates that bimetallic clusters may be formed even for cases where no corresponding bulk alloy is known (2).
Novel germline risk loci in familial melanoma (FM).

1535Background: While about 10% of cutaneous melanoma (CM) clusters in families, known high-risk loci explain not more than 40% of expected inherited risk. Besides the most frequently mutated genes...