cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical determinants of mitochondria-associated neutral sphingomyelinase (MA-nSMase) for mitochondrial localization

Abstract Background A novel murine mitochondria-associated neutral sphingomyelinase (MA-nSMase) has been recently cloned and partially characterized. The subcellular localization of the enzyme was found to be predominant in mitochondria. In this work, the determinants of mitochondrial localization and its topology were investigated. Methods MA-nSMase mutants lacking consecutive regions and fusion proteins of GFP with truncated MA-nSMase regions were constructed and expressed in MCF-7 cells. Its localization was analyzed using confocal microscopy and sub-cellular fractionation methods. The sub-mitochondrial localization of MA-nSMase was determined using protease protection assay on isolated mitochondria. Results The results initially showed that a putative mitochondrial localization signal (MLS), homologous to an MLS in the zebra-fish mitochondrial SMase is not necessary for the mitochondrial localization of the murine MA-nSMase. Evidence is provided to the presence of two regions in MA-nSMase that are sufficient for mitochondrial localization: a signal sequence (amino acids 24–56) that is responsible for the mitochondrial localization and an additional ‘signal-anchor’ sequence (amino acids 77–99) that anchors the protein to the mitochondrial membrane. This protein is topologically located in the outer mitochondrial membrane where both the C and N-termini remain exposed to the cytosol. Conclusions MA-nSMase is a membrane anchored protein with a MLS and a signal-anchor sequence at its N-terminal to localize it to the outer mitochondrial membrane. General significance Mitochondrial sphingolipids have been reported to play a critical role in cellular viability. This study opens a new window to investigate their cellular functions, and to define novel therapeutic targets.
Use of Propofol and Other Nonbenzodiazepine Sedatives in the Intensive Care Unit

Sedatives continue to be used on a routine basis in critically ill patients. Although many agents are available and some approach an ideal, none are perfect. Patients require continuous reassessment of their pain and need for sedation. Pathophysiologic abnormalities that cause agitation, confusion, or delirium must be identified and treated before unilateral administration of potent sedative agents that may mask potentially lethal insufficiencies. The routine use of standardized and validated sedation scales and monitors is needed. It is hoped that reliable objective monitors of patients' level of consciousness and comfort will be forthcoming. Each sedative agent discussed in this article seems to have a place in the ICU pharmacologic armamentarium to ensure the safe and comfortable delivery of care. Etomidate is an attractive agent for short-term use to provide the rapid onset and offset of sedation in critically ill patients who are at risk for hemodynamic instability but seem to need sedation or anesthesia to perform a procedure or manipulate the airway. Ketamine administered through intramuscular injection or intravenous infusion provides quick, intense analgesia and anesthesia and allows patients to tolerate limited but painful procedures. The risk/benefit ratio associated with the use of this neuroleptic agent must be weighed carefully. Ketamine is contraindicated in patients who lack normal intracranial compliance or who have significant myocardial ischemia. Barbiturates are reserved mainly to induce coma in patients at risk for severe CNS ischemia, which frequently is associated with refractory intracranial hypertension, or in patients with status epilepticus. When administered in high doses, these drugs have prolonged sedative and depressant effects. Judicious hemodynamic monitoring is required when barbiturate coma is induced. Haloperidol is indicated in the treatment of delirium. Patients should be monitored for extrapyramidal side effects and, when they require higher doses, for potential electrocardiographic prolongation of the QT interval. Dexmedetomidine may evolve into an agent with qualities comparable with midazolam and propofol, and it may even become a drug of choice in select patients. Further study is required, however. Propofol has many of the qualities of an ideal sedative agent. Benzodiazepines and narcotics often are used in concert with propofol to provide reliable amnesia and to relieve pain, respectively. Propofol frequently causes hypotension when administered as a bolus or infusion, particularly in patients with limited cardiac reserve or hypovolemia. More data must be obtained to identify potential deleterious effects of hypertriglyceridemia, and further evaluation of the potential benefits in certain patient populations, such as neurosurgical patients, is needed.
Just-World Beliefs and Attributions of Causal Responsibility Among Korean Adolescents

This article explores Korean adolescents' perceptions of justice and attributions of causal responsibility for an event presented in a narrative scenario. Factors varied in the design included partici pant's gender (male vs. female), scenario target person's gender (male vs. female), the target person's personal history (good vs. bad), and the event outcome (positive vs. negative). Although, objectively, the scenario event outcome was random (a lottery), the majority of participants interpreted it in terms of Korean just-world beliefs. Quantitative analyses showed that the adolescents reported higher degrees of justice when the scenario person and outcome valences were correspondent than when they were noncorrespondent. Quali tative analyses of the adolescents' free-response comments about the scenario revealed justice perceptions and attributions of causal responsibility that were contingent on the target person's and the justice authority's (Haneul) fulfillment of role obligations pre scribed by Korean ...
Temperature Measurement of Carbon Nanotubes Using Infrared Thermography

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have a very high absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is demonstrated that the temperature of MWNTs, measured using infrared thermography during NIR laser irradiation, is much higher than that of other carbonaceous materials such as graphite controls. Since most biological materials have a low absorbance in the same region, carbon nanotubes could be used for selective photothermal hyperthermia of biological or nonbiological systems. This study was performed to prove the concept of direct measurement of the temperature distribution of carbon nanotubes when stimulated with laser irradiation. The maximum temperature increase of MWNTs measured with a high-sensitivity infrared camera, continuously irradiated with four 2.5-mW/650-nm lasers, was 7 °C vs a graphite control, while irradiation with a 390-mW/1064-nm laser yielded maximum temperature increases of more than 100 °C above the graphite control. The use of infrared thermograp...
Gonadal development of larval male Xenopus laevis exposed to atrazine in outdoor microcosms.

The potential effects of atrazine on gonadal development in metamorphs and subadults of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) were studied under conditions of natural photoperiod and temperatures in outdoor microcosms from August 2002 to June 2003 in South Africa. Triplicate 1100 L microcosms for each nominal concentration of 0.0, 1, 10, and 25 μg of atrazine/L were used. Measured atrazine concentrations varied <25% throughout the study, and no atrazine was detected in the control microcosms. Tadpoles developed well at all concentrations. On the basis of histological examination of testes of recently metamorphosed stage 66 frogs, 57% of the individuals in the reference group exhibited testicular oocytes as compared with 57, 59, and 39% of the 1, 10, and 25 μg/L atrazine groups, respectively. The average prevalence of testicular oocytes for all of the treatments including the controls was 54% in a single testis, while, in 35% of individuals, testicular oocytes were observed in both testes. The number of...
Fluoxetine increases relative metabolic rate in prefrontal cortex in impulsive aggression

Impulsive aggressive personality disordered patients have been shown to have decreased relative glucose metabolism in orbito-frontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus compared with normal subjects. In addition, patients with impulsive aggression have an attenuation of symptoms with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment. The goals of the present study were to attempt to replicate the finding of improvement in impulsive aggression in borderline personality disorder with SSRIs and to investigate the specific cortical areas modified by medication, which might underlie the observed clinical improvement using 18FDG-PET. Ten impulsive aggressive patients with borderline personality disorder were imaged with 18F-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography at baseline and after receiving fluoxetine at 20 mg/day for 12 weeks. Anatomical MRIs were coregistered to PET and relative metabolic rates were obtained in 39 Brodmann areas. Brodmann areas 11 and 12 in the orbito-frontal cortex showed significant increases in relative metabolic rate. Significant clinical improvement was also observed as assessed by the Overt Aggression Scale-Modified. These changes are consistent with a normalizing effect of fluoxetine on prefrontal cortex metabolism in impulsive aggressive disorder.
The Marine Gastropods Crepidula plana and Crepidula convexa Do Not Serve as First Intermediate Hosts for Larval Trematode Development

Although it is commonly assumed that all gastropod species serve as hosts for larval stages of one or more trematode species, the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata seems not to serve as such a host. In this study, we sampled populations of the related species Crepidula plana and Crepidula convexa from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, U.S.A., to determine if any individuals served as hosts for larval trematodes. No signs of parasitic infection were found, although up to 14% of co-occurring periwinkles (Littorina littorea) were so infected. Although most research has focused on known associations between larval trematodes and their gastropod hosts, we suggest that additional work focus on understanding why some gastropod species seem immune, or at least relatively immune, to infection by larval trematodes.
miRNA modulation of M1/M2 macrophage phenotype (CAM5P.231)

After spinal cord injury (SCI), “M1” (pro-inflammatory) and “M2” (anti-inflammatory) macrophages populate the site of injury. M1 macrophages are neurotoxic and hamper neuroregeneration while M2 macrophages have a pro-regenerative, anti-inflammatory phenotype. Therefore, therapeutic strategies that suppress M1 and enhance M2 macrophages after SCI are actively sought. Micro RNAs (miRNA) are small, non-coding RNAs, approximately 19-24 nucleotides in length, which regulate gene expression at the transcriptional level. miRNA are known to regulate inflammation in autoimmune disease and inflammatory disorders. We therefore hypothesized that miRNA play a key role in differentiation process of macrophages into the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype. The relative expression of several miRNA was analyzed in vitro in bone marrow-derived macrophages undergoing differentiation into M1 versus M2 phenotypes. We found that M1 macrophages expressed significantly higher levels of miR-155 than M2 macrophages. In addition, miR-155 expression was increased in the injured spinal cord mirroring the increase in M1 macrophages at the site of injury. miR-155 deficiency or silencing resulted in blunted iNOS, IL-1β and TNFα up-regulation in M1 macrophages, among others. In contrast, Arginase-1 expression remained stable in M2 macrophages. These results indicate that miR-155 plays an important role in the differentiation of macrophages into an M1 phenotype.
Syndactylism of the hand: A review of sixty cases

Summary The occurrence, ˦tiology, and pathology of syndactyly of the hand are discussed with reference to a series of sixty cases. A method of surgical treatment is described using a wire banjo splint to control the position of the exposed hand post-operatively. The surgical results in this series over a period of fourteen years are gone into.
Spatial information for scheduling core area production in forest planning

Forest core area is the portion of the forested landscape that is free from edge effects from surrounding areas. Forest core area is important for specific plant communities and wildlife species. Identifying spatial interdependencies of site-specific management decisions is an important step for recognizing core area production in forest management scheduling models. A forest-wide map layer of influence zones can be used to identify the interdependencies. Each influence zone is a potential area for producing core area. Each is unique in terms of the specific combination of management units that interact to influence core area production. A raster-based approach is presented for identifying influence zones and estimating their area. Tests considered the need for precision in terms of the size of the raster cells for accurately identifying influence zones and estimating their size. Tests, using a 100 m buffer width for defining core area, show that scheduling results were relatively insensitive to gains in ...
Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures

This paper differs from previous examinations of organizational learning in that it is broader in scope and more evaluative of the literatures. Four constructs related to organizational learning knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation, and organizational memory are articulated, and the literatures related to each are described and critiqued. The literature on knowledge acquisition is voluminous and multi-faceted, and so the knowledge acquisition construct is portrayed here as consisting of five subconstructs or subprocesses: 1 drawing on knowledge available at the organization's birth, 2 learning from experience, 3 learning by observing other organizations, 4 grafting on to itself components that possess knowledge needed but not possessed by the organization, and 5 noticing or searching for information about the organization's environment and performance. Examination of the related literatures indicates that much has been learned about learning from experience, but also that there is a lack of cumulative work and a lack of integration of work from different research groups. Similarly, much has been learned about organizational search, but there is a lack of conceptual work, and there is a lack of both cumulative work and syntheses with which to create a more mature literature. Congenital learning, vicarious learning, and grafting are information acquisition subprocesses about which relatively little has been learned. The literature concerning information distribution is rich and mature, but an aspect of information distribution that is central to an organization's benefitting from its learning, namely how units that possess information and units that need this information can find each other quickly and with a high likelihood, is unexplored. Information interpretation, as an organizational process, rather than an individual process, requires empirical work for further advancement. Organizational memory is much in need of systematic investigation, particularly by those whose special concerns are improving organizational learning and decision making.
International retail banking as a strategy: an assessment

We assess the viability of a bank's strategy of entering into retail banking worldwide, wherever regulations permit, via a review of literature and evidence on foreign direct investment in banking. Issues we discuss include the roles of regulation, the costs of operating at a distance and in an unfamiliar environment, and the advantages or offsetting factors which foreign banks may possess relative to their local competitors. The factors the paper examines are uncompetitive host markets, product differentiation, economies of scale, management and technology, cost of capital, government support, and vertical integration.
On the Nature, Development, and Functions of Emotions

The study of emotions and emotional development has changed dramatically in the past several decades. At the early and middle points of the century, emotional processes were generally seen as secondary or even disruptive aspects of human functioning (e.g., Young, 1943). Today, emotional processes are no longer relegated to the periphery of psychological analysis. Instead, they are seen as central motivators and organizers of cognition, action, social interaction, and development itself (Campos, Campos, & Barrett, 1989; Lewis & Haviland, 1993; Thompson, 1993). However, despite widespread agreement about the importance of emotion in human functioning, the concept of emotion continues to be an elusive one, as Minsky (1985) indicates in the opening quotation. Theorists and researchers differ widely in their approaches to emotion and emotional development. As a result, there is a general lack of clarity with respect to a series of foundational issues: To what do we refer when we speak of emotions? What develops in emotional development? What is the role of developing emotions for individuals and those with whom they interact? Our purpose in organizing this volume was to provide a forum for a systematic examination of these issues from a variety of theoretical perspectives. In posing these questions, we hoped to clarify points of consensus and controversy concerning the nature of emotion and to explore the implications of different approaches for understanding the shapes of emotional development.
Increasing the discrimination of SAR recognition models

The focus of this paper is optimizing recognition models for Synthetic Aperture Radar signatures of vehicles to improve the performance of a recognition algorithm under the extended operating conditions of target articulation, occlusion and configuration variants. The recognition models are based on quasi-invariant local features, scattering center locations and magnitudes. The approach determines the similarities and differences among the various vehicle models. Methods to penalize similar features or reward dissimilar features are used to increase the distinguishability of the recognition model instances. Extensive experimental recognition results are presented in terms of confusion matrices and receiver operating characteristic curves to show the improvements in recognition performance for MSTAR vehicle targets with articulation, configuration variants and occlusion.
G-protein-coupled receptor microarrays for multiplexed compound screening.

Conventional assay methods for discovering and profiling drug-target interactions are typically developed on a target-bytarget basis and hence can be cumbersome to enable and orchestrate. Herein the authors report a solid-state ligand-binding assay that operates in a multiplexed mode to report compound activity against a micorarray-configured panel of G-proteincoupled receptor (GPCR) targets. The pharmacological fidelity of the system is high, and its miniaturized “plug-and-play” format provides improved efficiency both in terms of execution time and reagent consumption. Taken together, these features make the system ideally suited to explore the structure-activity relationship of compounds across a broad region of target class space.(Journal of Biolmolecular Screening 2006:435-438)
GETS: a graphical environment for task specification

GETS is an interactive environment that uses graphic technologies and iconic images to support user task specifications. In this environment, problem-solving is based on the selection, specification and composition of tools that correspond to natural sets of ordered operations. The GETS environment is unique in that it: (1) provides an interactive, visual-based approach to user task specification; (2) encourages and supports true top-down task specification and refinement processes, and (3) enables one to specify parallel tasks in a natural and convenient manner. To program a given task with the GETS environment, one decomposes it into an ordered set of conceptually simple, high-level operations, and then combines (composes) a corresponding network of software tools that implements these operations. Execution of the specified network provides a task solution. Task specification within the GETS environment is supported through these major components: a network editor, a tools database and a network execution manner. >
An unusual case of hypothenar hammer syndrome in the non-dominant hand

A 60-year-old male patient was referred to the vascular clinic with a 2-week history of a 1.5 cm pulsatile tender swelling in the left hypothenar eminence. He worked as a gas fitter and sustained this swelling following an injury at work. Interestingly, unlike many cases reported, his left, non-dominant hand was only used passively while his dominant right hand was using the hammer. Duplex ultrasonography confirmed the presence of a true aneurysm of the left ulnar artery, measuring 11 mm in diameter, as it approached the palmar arch. The ulnar nerve was revealed to be ectatic and tortuous and was found to cork-screw in the palm. The aneurysm was removed surgically and histological specimens revealed an intraluminal organizing thrombus. The literature reveals that, in a true aneurysm, it is rare to present with symptoms of this syndrome in the non-dominant, passive hand.
Synthetic brain imaging on a spiking neural model of parieto-frontal interactions in reaching

Introduction We developed a model of arm-reaching that uses spiking neural model arranged in dynamic neural fields to encode sensory input and perform reach target selection. The output of the model was used to control a simulated threedimensional arm and hand in a reciprocal reaching task based on one used in monkey neurophysiological literature. To perform synthetic brain imaging on our model, we have implemented the extended balloon model [1] with a capillary model extension [2]. This simulates blood flow in response to a flow-inducing signal, as well as blood volume, deoxyhemoglobin concentration, oxygen extraction rate and the BOLD response. To facilitate both regionand voxel-based analysis of simulated PET and fMRI responses, simulated neurons in each region are grouped into virtual voxels. Each virtual voxel contains an instantiation of the extended balloon model. The sum of the synaptic activity and transmembrane current magnitudes over all of the neurons in a voxel is used to generate the flow-inducing signal for the rCBF component. This system allows synthetic PET and fMRI signals to be generated simultaneously by sampling the rCBF or BOLD signals, respectively, according to the repetition time (TR) of the scan. The overall model is thus able to address behavioral, electrophysiological and neuroimaging data in both monkeys and humans. References 1. Friston KJ, Mechelli A, Turner R, Price CJ: Nonlinear responses in fMRI: the Balloon model, Volterra kernels, and other hemodynamics. Neuroimage 2000, 12:466-477. 2. Zheng Y, Martindale J, Johnston D, Jones M, Berwick J, Mayhew J: A model of the hemodynamic response and oxygen delivery to brain. Neuroimage 2002, 16:617-637. from Eighteenth Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS*2009 Berlin, Germany. 18–23 July 2009
A kinetic study of analyte-receptor binding and dissociation for surface plasmon resonance biosensor applications

A fractal analysis which takes into account the effect of surface heterogeneity brought about by ligand immobilization on the reaction kinetics is presented. The binding and dissociation of estrogen receptors ER/spl alpha/ and ER/spl beta/ to different ligands is analyzed within the fractal framework. The heterogeneity on the biosensor surface is made quantitative by using a single number, the fractal dimension, D/sub f/. The analysis provides physical insights into the binding of these receptors to different ligands and compounds, particularly the EDCs (endocrine disrupting compounds), which can have deleterious affects on humans and wildlife. Single- and dual-fractal models were employed to fit the ER binding data obtained from literature. Values of the binding and dissociation rate coefficient and fractal dimensions were obtained from a regression analysis provided by Corel Quattro Pro 8.0 (1997). In some cases both a single- and dual-fractal model was required to completely and adequately describe the kinetics involved. Values for the affinity, K/sub D/ (=k/sub d//k/sub a/) were also calculated. This provides us with some extra flexibility in designing biomolecular assays.
Purification of DNA‐Binding Proteins Using Biotin/Streptavidin Affinity Systems

Short fragments of DNA-either natural or formed from oligonucleotides-containing a high-affinity site for a DNA-binding protein provide a powerful tool for purification. The biotin/streptavidin purification system is based on the tight and essentially irreversible complex that biotin forms with streptavidin. In this procedure, a DNA fragment is prepared that contains a high-affinity binding site for the protein of interest, and a molecule of biotinylated nucleotide is then incorporated into one of the ends of the DNA fragment. The protein of interest binds to the DNA, and then this complex binds (via the biotin moiety) to the tetrameric protein streptavidin. Next, the protein/biotinylated fragment/streptavidin ternary complex is efficiently isolated by adsorption onto a biotin-containing resin. Since streptavidin is multivalent, it is able to serve as a bridge between the biotinylated DNA fragment and the biotin-containing resin. Proteins remaining in the supernatant are removed by washing, and the resin-bound protein is then eluted with a high-salt buffer. An alternate protocol describes a microcolumn method that is useful for larger volumes of biotin-cellulose resin. This method is also used to elute the protein in as small a volume (i.e., as high a concentration) as possible. Another variation on the basic procedure is provided in which streptavidin-agarose is employed.
Fluorescent and radiolabeled triphenylphosphonium probes for imaging mitochondria

Triphenylphosphonium-fluorochromes (TPP-fluorochromes) are a new class of spectrally variable, mitochondrially targeted probes, with an [18F] labeling option which, when enabled, allows imaging of a cardiac perfusion deficit using PET/CT.
Further Characterization of the Glucocorticoid Response Unit in the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene. The Role of the Glucocorticoid Receptor-Binding Sites

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of gluconeogenesis. The activity of this enzyme is controlled by several hormones, including glucocorticoids, glucagon, retinoic acid, and insulin, that principally affect the rate of transcription of the PEPCK gene. Glucocorticoids induce PEPCK gene transcription through a complex glucocorticoid response unit that consists of, from 5′ to 3′, accessory factor elements AF1 and AF2; two noncanonical glucocorticoid receptor-binding sites, GR1 and GR2; a third accessory factor element, AF3; and a cAMP-response element, CRE. A complete glucocorticoid response is dependent on the presence of both GR-binding sites, all three accessory elements, and the CRE. In this study we assess the relative roles of GR1 and GR2 in the context of the glucocorticoid response unit and use a combination of binding and function assays to compare GR1 and GR2 to glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) that conform closely to the consensus sequence. The relati...
Specific Kinematics and Motor-Related Neurons for Aversive Chemotaxis in Drosophila

Summary Background: Chemotaxis, the ability to direct movements according to chemical cues in the environment, is important for the survival of most organisms. The vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, displays robust olfactory aversion and attraction, but how these behaviors are executed via changes in locomotion remains poorly understood. In particular, it is not clear whether aversion and attraction bidirectionally modulate a shared circuit or recruit distinct circuits for execution. Results:Using a quantitative behavioral assay, we determined that both aversive and attractive odorants modulate the initiation and direction of turns but display distinct kinematics. Using genetic tools to perturb these behaviors, we identified specific populations of neurons required for aversion, but not for attraction. Inactivation of these populations of cells affected the completion of aversive turns, but not their initiation. Optogenetic activation of the same populations of cells triggered a locomotion pattern resembling aversive turns. Perturbations in both the ellipsoid body and the ventral nerve cord, two regions involved in motor control, resulted in defects in aversion. Conclusions: Aversive chemotaxis in vinegar flies triggers ethologically appropriate kinematics distinct from those of attractive chemotaxis and requires specific motor-related neurons.
Frequency and timing stability of mode-locked semiconductor lasers-passive and active mode locking up to millimeter wave frequencies

A theoretical understanding of the fundamental frequency and timing jitter of active and passive mode-locked semiconductor lasers is developed. These results are compared with experimental observations for a wide range of mode-locking frequencies, and are found to predict the correct trends as well as having good quantitative agreement. The theory is based only on excitation of mode-locked supermodes by spontaneous emission, and these results can therefore be regarded as fundamental. The nature of these fluctuations is such that, for active mode locking, an external reference signal locks the absolute frequency of the mode-locked output, while spontaneous emission causes the phase of the mode-locked signal to fluctuate within finite bounds, which results in a timing jitter of the mode-locked pulses. >
A beamloss diagnostic system for CESR

A diagnostic system utilizing commercially available fast analog digitizers has been developed at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) for capturing and analyzing transient beam behaviour preceding rapid beamloss. The diagnostic system is based on a turn-by-turn data acquisition system which records beam position information from individual bunches in CESR, as well as RF system diagnostic signals. An accompanying display and analysis package has been developed to aid in diagnosing the causes of beamloss events. Examples of beamloss mechanisms are described.
Adaptive filtering for delivering multimedia services in W-CDMA cellular networks using genetic algorithms

This paper presents an adaptive filtering algorithm for the delivery of multimedia content with different quality of service (QoS) requirements in time-varying wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) cellular networks. The algorithm objective is to guarantee levels of quality for two different user defined profiles (premium, or economy), while attempting to maximize the allocation of the radio channel bandwidth and maintaining the QoS requirements of downloaded traffic flows (audio, video, and data). Our proposed solution is based upon utilizing genetic algorithms (GAs) to solve a multi-objective function that selects, during a control period, the bit rates and formats for the media codecs of downloaded traffic flows and assigns the air interface channel rate and power to each user, subject to different constraints. To show the performance of the algorithm, W-CDMA systems with and without filtering capabilities are compared.
Maize Root Plasma Membranes Isolated by Aqueous Polymer Two-phase Partitioning: Assessment of Residual Tonoplast ATPase and Pyrophosphatase Activities

Plasma membrane-enriched fractions were obtained from maize roots by differential centrifugation and aqueous polymer two phase partitioning. Plasma membrane enrichment and tonoplast depletion were assessed from comparisons of marker ATPase specific activities among starting microsomal, intermediate, and final phase-partitioned fractions. ATPase assays were conducted in the presence of the membrane permeabilizing detergent Brij 58. The plasma membrane fraction was enriched in ATPase specific activity at pH 6-5. This activity was strongly inhibited by vanadate (50% inhibition at ~3 mmol m 3). Two criteria for tonoplast contamination, bafilomycin- and nitrate-inhibited ATPase specific activities at pH 8 0, indicated that tonoplast contamination diminished with successive phase partitions. The existence of a plasma membrane-associated pyrophosphatase was examined by comparing the distribution of pyrophosphatase and ATPase specific activities among fractions. Pyrophosphatase specific activity decreased from starting to intermediate to final fractions, but not in proportion to the decrease in tonoplast ATPase specific activity. Whereas the existence of a plasma membrane pyrophosphatase could not be ruled out, the pyrophosphatase activity associated with the plasma membrane fraction was 46-fold less than the vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity.
A College Research Course In Pennsylvania History

RECENT years have witnessed a most encouraging amount of intere t in th study and t aching of Pennsylvania history in both secondary schools and colleges. Greater develop ment in this field has naturally been somewhat retarded by some very material reasons?the lack of adequate textbooks, compre hensive secondary reference works, syllabi and bibliographical aids. These are vital factors, the absence of which has justly given many an historian reason to think of Pennsylvania as "The Neglected State." In strange contrast, few other states possess so rich a store of the basic elements of historical study?avail able primary sources. Records, archives, manuscript collections, newspapers and the results of local researches may be found in abundance throughout all the libraries of the state. Incidentally, few states possess a greater number of libraries, for Pennsyl vania has more than three hundred and fifty. A college research course in Pennsylvania history fits into this awkward situation with very satisfactory results. Several dis tinct advantages are associated with such a course. It is adapta ble to all classes?Freshman as well as Senior?for the essentials
Outcomes of Ureteroscopic Management of Pediatric Urolithiasis: A Comparative Analysis of Prepubertal and Adolescent Patients

Objective To compare the outcomes of ureteroscopic intervention in terms of both the stone-free rate and complications in both prepubertal and adolescent patients. Although safety of pediatric ureteroscopic intervention is well established, a comparative outcome of prepubertal and adolescent patients is lacking. Materials and Methods Pediatric patients who underwent ureteroscopic treatment of a renal or ureteral stone at our institution from July 2005 to August 2014 were retrospectively identified. Patients were classified by age either as prepubertal (≤11 years) or adolescent (>11 years) for purposes of comparison. Demographic and intraoperative variables as well as 30-day postoperative complication rates were compared between groups. Data were analyzed using χ 2 and Fisher's exact tests as appropriate. Results A total of 104 patients were identified, of whom 64 (62%) were prepubertal and 40 (38%) were adolescent. Ureteroscopic failure occurred in a minority of patients (5% vs 4.7%, P > .9). Complication rates including ureteral perforation (0% vs 1.6%, P > .9), postoperative urinary tract infection (2.5% vs 4.7%, P > .9), hematuria with clot passage (0% vs 7.8%, P = .15), and persistent flank pain (15% vs 17%, P = .85) were not significantly different between adolescent and prepubertal patients, respectively. Conclusion In spite of small size and small body habitus, the ureteroscopic management of pediatric urolithiasis can be performed successfully in both the prepubertal and adolescent patients with acceptable and equivalent morbidity as well as successful clearance of stone.
One-Parameter Subgroups and the Triangular Subgroup of the Affine Cremona Group

This article is primarily concerned with questions of tameness and triangulability for certain polynomial automorphisms, and is divided into two parts. Part 1 examines one-parameter subgroups of the group of affine automorphisms; Part 2 discusses how triangular automorphisms may be resolved when viewed as Cremona transformations.
HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare condition characterized by an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance that ultimately leads to right ventricular
Hardware implementation

The area of hardware implementation shall be (some-what arbitrarily) defined to include placement, wire routing, terminal assignment, and the interface to hardware fabrication devices. At this stage, many companies have automated at least some of these steps. In the first three areas, we encounter problems which must be solved by analysis into sub-problems and by development of algorithms; in the last area, we are faced with the problem of developing a convenient means of man-machine communication. LSI Mask Design, for which various systems were developed over the last few years, falls into the latter area.
High-Risk Stress Fractures: Diagnosis and Management

Stress fractures are common overuse injuries in athletes. They occur during periods of increased training without adequate rest, disrupting normal bone reparative mechanisms. There are a host of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including biochemical and biomechanical, that put athletes at risk. In most stress fractures, the diagnosis is primarily clinical, with imaging indicated at times, and management focused on symptom-free relative rest with advancement of activity as tolerated. Overall, stress fractures in athletes have an excellent prognosis for return to sport, with little risk of complication. There is a subset of injuries that have a greater risk of fracture progression, delayed healing, and nonunion and are generally more challenging to treat with nonoperative care. Specific locations of high-risk stress fracture include the femoral neck (tension side), patella, anterior tibia, medial malleolus, talus, tarsal navicular, proximal fifth metatarsal, and great toe sesamoids. These sites share a characteristic region of high tensile load and low blood flow. High-risk stress fractures require a more aggressive approach to evaluation, with imaging often necessary, to confirm early and accurate diagnosis and initiate immediate treatment. Treatment consists of nonweight-bearing immobilization, often with a prolonged period away from sport, and a more methodic and careful reintroduction to athletic activity. These stress fractures may require surgical intervention. A high index of suspicion is essential to avoid delayed diagnosis and optimize outcomes in this subset of stress fractures.
Bi-modal polymer networks: Viscoelasticity and mechanics from molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract The high strain-rate rheological and mechanical properties of bi-modal epoxy polymer networks were characterized using molecular dynamics simulation. The complex Young's modulus was found by applying a cyclic sinusoidal strain over a wide range of temperatures spanning the glass transition. The non-linear stress response was studied in the glass transition region using uni-axial deformation. We discuss special considerations in computing viscoelastic properties at the high strain-rates available to molecular dynamics. As in experimental studies, the complex modulus is shown to be a function of the network composition and strain rate. However, the high strain-rate simulations performed here predict the existence of broad peaks in the temperature-dependent loss modulus and slow relaxation of the storage modulus. In general, it is observed that network compositions with larger amounts of short, stiff 4,4’-methylenebis(cyclohexylamine) (MCA) cross-linkers lead to an increase in the mechanical glass transition temperature as well as the breadth of the glass transition compared to longer, more flexible poly(oxypropylene) diamine (POP) cross-linkers. When the networks of any composition were deformed beyond the linear region, the stress response displayed a plateau that was associated with the extension of network chains.
Determining minimum food intake amounts for diet diversity scores to maximize associations with nutrient adequacy: an analysis of schoolchildren's diets in rural Kenya.

Objective: To explore multiple methods of calculating diet diversity scores (DDS) to maximize associations with predicted dietary micronutrient adequacy among schoolchildren in rural Kenya. Design: Up to three 24 h recall interviews were administered for each child for a total of 1544 d of intake from all schoolchildren. Daily amounts of food consumed were assigned to one of eight food groups. Five DDS were developed based on various minimum intake amounts from each food group: (i) 1 g; (ii) 15 g; (iii) a variable minimum based on the content of a target nutrient for each group; (iv) the median intake level for each group; and (v) the 90th percentile intake level for each group. A diet was assigned 1 point towards the daily DDS if the food group intake was above the defined minimum level. Five scores were calculated for each child, and bivariate longitudinal random-effects models were used to assess the correlation between each DDS and the mean probability of adequacy for fourteen nutrients. Setting: Embu District, Kenya. Subjects: Schoolchildren (n 529), mean age 7·00 (SD 1·41) years. Results: Only DDS based on a 15 g minimum and DDS based on nutrient content were significantly associated with mean probability of adequacy after adjusting for energy intake (0·21 and 0·41, respectively). Conclusions: A DDS using minimum intakes based on nutrients contributed by a food group best predicted nutrient adequacy in this population. These analyses contribute to the continued search for simpler and more valid dietary quality indicators among low-income nations.
Rapid differentiation of polypeptide chains of hemoglobin by cellulose acetate electrophoresis of hemolylsates.

Separation of the polypeptide chains of hemoglobin and identification of an abnormal chain may be achieved in a few hours by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate in barbital buffer pH 8.6, with 6 M urea. The method is applicable to whole hemolysates to which a large amount of 2-mercaptoethanol has been added. It requires minimal preparative work.
Leading Through Courageous Following: The Artist's View

Engaging a student’s mind is critical to the learning process. In this article, you will learn about an assignment that engages the whole mind of a student. You will also learn about the underlying...
Changes of AIDS knowledge attitude behavior before and after the MSM intervention

Objective To investigate the men who have sex with men(MSM) was before and after the intervention changes on AIDS knowledge attitude behavior. Methods The "snowball" in MSM group before and after intervention control survey. Results The MSM group after the intervention of AIDS knowledge knowing rate increased, the correct attitude towards AIDS patients to hold rates increased, partners are not fixed, condoms do not use high risk sexual behavior that significantly reduced, but in sexual behavior did not significantly improve. Conclusion Through intervention, rate, correct attitude, the incidence rate of high-risk behavior have positive change in AIDS knowledge MSM crowd, but some knowledge rate is still low, sexual behavior and other high-risk behavior is not optimistic, still need to strengthen the comprehensive behavior intervention, to reduce the risk of AIDS with the crowd.
Franco Lelli y la rebelión bubi de 1998: historia y testimonio en OKIRI

Through the theoretical approach of testimony and, based on the studies of John Beverly and DoriLaub, this essay analyzes the novel Okiri (2006) by Franco Lelli. Okiri recounts the events related to the 1998 rebellion of the Bubi people in Equatorial Guinea and give information about the Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island (MAIB), that was established in 1993.The novel stems from the urgency to denounce the injustices that have oppressed the Bubi ethnic group, native to the island of Bioko, since the independence from Spain in 1968. In particular, it denounces the violation of human rights inflicted upon them by the dictatorial regime of Teodoro Obiang Nguema, in power since August 3rd, 1979 to present. I will analyze the informing nature of the novel, as the only written historical memory of the event. I will stress the testimonial features that characterize the narrative and literary resources, and will consider the experience of Lelli, as a witness who lives the same atmosphere of repression even though he is not part of the bubi group. The analysis of Okiri not only contributes to the historical reconstruction of the bubi rebellion of 1998, but it adds other features to the testimonial genre.
Ca(2+)-dependent processes as mediators of neurotoxicity.

The Ca2+ ion exerts a profound influence on cellular processes and an understanding of control mechanisms of intracellular Ca2 homeostasis while complex is mandatory in this discussion. The identification and recognition of prolonged sustained increase in [Ca2+]i as a manifestation of neurotoxin-induced destabilization of [Ca2+]i homeostasis will be related to a variety of neurotoxicant-induced cell injuries. The sites of toxicant interaction with ATP-regulated Ca2+ pumps located in the neuronal/glial membrane and/or calciosomes; availability of Ca2+ proteins; disruption in mitochondrial mechanisms for Ca2+ storage; triggers of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and modulation of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger will be identified and related to presumptive toxin action. Failure of one or more of these systems will result in continuous elevation of ionized [Ca2+]i--a reflection of Ca2+ destabilization. The targets resulting from Ca2+ destabilization will be identified, to include phospholipase C activation, PLA2 activation, protein kinase C (PKC) translocation, and activation of Ca(2+)-dependent calpain 1. The use of specific inhibitors of neurotoxicity, e.g., natural sphingolipids, sphingosine, down regulation of PKC, inhibitors and activators of adenylate cyclase, and antiprotease agents will allow for investigation of the role of these final common pathways in the evolution of neurotoxicity.
Language, identity, and citizenship in a U.S. University: immigrant English learners’ identity (re)positioning

ABSTRACTIn response to growing linguistic diversity, many U.S. universities have implemented language policies that include procedures for English learner (EL) identification. Institutional labels such as “English learner” and “limited English proficiency” are regularly used to identify students who may need English language support; these same identifiers often imply a deficit perspective of students. Employing a multiple-case study and ethnographic design, this study examines immigrant ELs’ experiences with institutional policies and practices that assign them labels based on their citizenship status and how those labels then affect their identities and sense of place within the university. In this study, immigrant ELs refer to students who have U.S. K-12 schooling, hold permanent residency, or U.S. citizenship, have a first language that is not English, and may have limited English proficiency. Immigrant ELs appropriated policy in order to negotiate institutional labels as manifested in university poli...