cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transmembrane interactions and the mechanisms of transport of proteins across membranes.

We have made observations, by double fluorescence staining of the same cell, of the distributions of surface receptors, and of intracellular actin and myosin, on cultured normal fibroblasts and other flat cells, and on lymphocytes and other rounded cells. The binding of multivalent ligands (a lectin or specific antibodies) to a cell surface receptor on flat cells clusters the cell receptors into small patches, which line up directly over the actin- and myosin-containing stress fibers inside the cell. Similar ligands binding to rounded cells can cause their surface receptors to be collected into caps on the surface, and these caps are invariably found to be associated with concentrations of actin and myosin under the capped membrane. Although these ligand-induced surface phenomena appear to be different on flat and rounded cells, we propose that in both cases clusters of receptors become linked across the membrane to actin- and myosin-containing structures. In flat cells these structures are very long stress fibers; therefore, when clusters of receptors become linked to these fibers, the clusters are immobilized. In round cells, membrane-associated actin- and myosin-containing structures are apparently much less extensive than in flat cells; therefore, clusters of receptors linked to these structures are still mobile in the plane of the membrane. We suggest that in this case the clusters are then actively collected into a cap by an analogue of the muscle sliding filament mechanism. To explain the transmembrane linkage, we propose that actin is associated with the plasma membrane as a peripheral protein which is directly or indirectly bound to an integral protein (or proteins) X of the membrane. Individual molecules of any receptor are not bound to X, but after they are specifically clustered into patches, a patch of receptors then becomes bound to S and hence to actin/myosin. Patching and capping of specific receptors on rounded cells is often accompanied by a specific endocytosis of the ligand-receptor complexes. This represents one common transport mechanism of a protein (the ligand) across the plasma membrane. The possibility is discussed that this type of endocytosis is mediated by a transmembrane linkage of the clustered receptor to actin/myosin. Another mechanism of endocytosis involves the “coated pit” structures that are observed by electron microscopy of plasma membranes. The possible relationships between an actin/myosin and a coated pit mechanism of endocytosis are explored.
Geographic Atrophy of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium

We followed the clinical course of 29 eyes with geographic atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium and identified three phases of the disease through which the eyes progressively evolved. In the initial phase, eyes showed focal discrete areas of atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium in the parafoveal area. These eyes retained good visual acuity for many years. The second phase was characterized by foveal involvement in which there was a precipitous loss in visual acuity. Foveal involvement included coarse foveal granularity, thinning of the foveal retinal pigment epithelium, increasing encirclement of the fovea with focal areas of atrophy, and minimal macular drusen. The end stage of the disease was a confluent, usually circular, area of atrophy that involved the entire central macula.
Dynamics and reaction mechanisms of organic ions in the gas phase

Major advances have been made in the measurement and analysis of gas phase ionic organic reactions. The dynamics can be interpreted in terms of statistical reaction rate theory. The activation parameters and rates have been interpreted in terms of Marcus theory. Infrared multiple photon absorption has been used to activate ions which may be intermediates in these ion-molecule reactions. The results provide information about bimolecular dynamics.
Abstinence Rates Following Behavioral Treatments for Marijuana Dependence

Previous studies have noted particular difficulty in achieving abstinence among those who are marijuana dependent. The present study employed a dismantling design to determine whether adding contingency management (ContM) to motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behavioral therapy (MET+CBT), an intervention used in prior studies of treatment for marijuana dependence, would enhance abstinence outcomes. 240 marijuana dependent participants were recruited via advertisements and assigned to either MET+CBT, ContM-only, MET+CBT+ContM, or to a case-management control condition. All interventions involved 9 weekly 1-h sessions, except for the ContM-only condition whose sessions lasted about 15 min. ContM provided reinforcement for marijuana-free urine specimens, in the form of vouchers redeemable for goods or services. Follow-up data were collected at posttreatment and at 3-month intervals for 1 year. The two ContM conditions had superior abstinence outcomes: ContM-only had the highest abstinence rates at posttreatment, and the MET+CBT+ContM combination had the highest rates at later follow-ups. The roles of contingency management and coping skills training in the treatment of marijuana dependence are discussed.
The quaternary structure of tetrameric hemoglobin regulates the oxygen affinity of polymerized hemoglobin

This study focuses on the effect of the initial quaternary structure of bovine hemoglobin (Hb) on the physical properties of glutaraldehyde polymerized Hb (PolyHb) solutions. Tense (T) state PolyHb was synthesized by maintaining the pO2 of Hb before and after polymerization at 0 mm Hg. In contrast, relaxed (R) state PolyHb was generated by maintaining the pO2 of Hb before and after polymerization to >749 mm Hg. PolyHb solutions were characterized by measuring the pO2, methemoglobin (metHb) level, molecular weight distribution, O2 affinity and cooperativity coefficient. The metHb level of all PolyHb solutions was low (<2%). Analysis of the molecular weight distribution of PolyHb solutions indicates that in general, the molecular weight of PolyHb solutions increased with increasing cross-link density. T-state PolyHb solutions exhibited lower O2 affinity compared to unmodified Hb, whereas R-state PolyHb solutions exhibited higher O2 affinity compared to unmodified Hb. In addition, the polymerization reaction resulted in a significant decrease in cooperativity that was more pronounced at higher cross-link densities. All of these results were explained in terms of the quaternary structure of Hb. Taken together, our results yield more insight into the importance Hb's quaternary structure plays in defining the physical properties of glutaraldehyde PolyHb solutions. This information will be useful in designing optimized glutaraldehyde PolyHb oxygen carriers for various applications in transfusion medicine. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. 2009
Identification of nonlinear, memoryless systems using Chebyshev nodes

The paper describes an approach for the identification of static nonlinearities from input-output measurements. The approach is based on a minimax approximation of memoryless nonlinear systems using Chebyshev polynomials. For memoryless nonlinear systems that are finite and continuous with finite derivatives, it is known that the error caused by the Kth order Chebyshev approximation in a specified interval is bounded by a quantity that is proportional to the maximum value of the (K+1)th derivative of the input-output relationship and decays exponentially with K. The described method identifies the system by first estimating the system output at the Chebyshev nodes using a localized linear model around the nodes, and then solving for the coefficients associated with the Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind.
Institutionalizing Elegance: When Simulation Becomes a Requirement:

The field of entrepreneurship has moved to embrace, even institutionalize, simulations as a part of classroom instruction. Although this fact must be gratifying to proponents of simulationbased learning, institutionalization has posed pitfalls to the fields of simulation and entrepreneurship education. These are outlined and set in the emerging context of Internet-based simulations. The polemic concludes that the centrality of one’s passion for the human element of simulation remains the driving force to better simulation as a whole.
Evaluation and clinically relevant applications of a fluorescent imaging analog to fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography

A fluorescent analog to 2-deoxy-2 [(18)F] fluoro-D-glucose position emission tomography (FDG-PET) would allow for the introduction of metabolic imaging into intraoperative and minimally invasive settings. We present through in vitro and in vivo experimentation an evaluation of 2-(N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG), a fluorescently labeled glucose molecule, as a molecular beacon of glucose utilization. The competitive inhibition of 2-NBDG uptake by excess free glucose is directly compared against FDG uptake inhibition in cultured cells. 2-NBDG uptake in the brain of a mouse experiencing a generalized seizure is measured, as well as in subcutaneously implanted tumors in mice during fed and fasting states. Localization of 2-NBDG into malignant tissues is studied by laser scanning microscopy. The clinical relevance of 2-NBDG imaging is examined by performing fluorescence colonoscopy, and by correlating preoperative FDG-PET with intraoperative fluorescence imaging. 2-NBDG exhibits a similar uptake inhibition to FDG by excess glucose in the growth media. Uptake is significantly increased in the brain of an animal experiencing seizures versus control, and in subcutaneous tumors after the animals are kept nil per os (NPO) for 24 h versus ad libitum feeding. The clinical utility of 2-NBDG is confirmed by the demonstration of very high target-to-background ratios in minimally invasive and intraoperative imaging of malignant lesions. We present an optical analog of FDG-PET to extend the applicability of metabolic imaging to minimally invasive and intraoperative settings.
Differential response to low-fat diet between low and normal HDL-cholesterol subjects

Heart attacks frequently occur in normolipidemic subjects with low concentration of high density lipoproteins ( 35 mg/dL). We hypothesized that as subjects with low HDL-C already have low HDL concentrations, the major decrease of HDL-C will occur in subjects with normal HDL-C when a low-fat diet is consumed. Normolipidemic male subjects consumed three diets differing in total fat and saturated fat composition (AAD: 37%, Step-1: 28%, Step-2: 24% total fat) for 6 weeks in a three-period double-blind randomized crossover design. Plasma lipids and apolipoproteins were determined and changes in distribution of HDL subpopulations were evaluated. As a result of a low-fat diet, low HDL-C individuals slightly decreased their HDL-C, but substantially decreased their LDL-C resulting in a significant improvement in the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. However, subjects with normal HDL-C levels decreased both their LDL-C and HDL-C resulting in an unchanged LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. We also observed significant differences in response to low-fat diets in HDL-C and alpha(1) concentrations between low and normal HDL-C subjects. In the normal HDL-C group, consumption of a low-fat diet also resulted in redistribution of apoA-I-containing HDL subpopulations, indicated by a decrease in the large apoA-I-only alpha(1) subpopulation. These data demonstrate that male subjects with low HDL-C respond to a low-fat diet differently than individuals with normal HDL-C.
Exploring neuromotor control of the forearm reaction to perturbation

The authors used a sixth-order, two-muscle model of the human forearm position control system to simulate for arm position responses to impulsive torque perturbations. State feedback of muscle length, contraction velocity, and torque model spinal reflex control, while supraspinal control is manifested by changes in feedback gains. Model responses optimized for a time-optimality performance criterion mimic experimentally observed responses, exhibiting familiar triphasic muscle activation patterns which emerge without being explicitly included in the model. Preliminary attempts to fit model responses to experimental data indicate that time-varying reflex loop gains may be necessary. >
AMPK-induced activation of Akt by AICAR is mediated by IGF-1R dependent and independent mechanisms in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) diagnosed with resistant phenotypes and those who relapse have a dismal prognosis for cure. In search for novel treatment strategies, we identified the AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a potential drug target based on its effects on cell growth and survival. We have shown previously that AICAR-induced AMPK activation also induced a compensatory survival mechanism via PI3K/Akt signaling. In the present study, we further investigated the downstream signaling induced by AMPK activation in ALL cells. We found that AICAR-induced AMPK activation resulted in up-regulation of P-Akt (Ser473 and Thr308) and decrease of P-mTOR (Ser2448) expression and downstream signaling. We determined that activation of P-Akt (Thr308) was mediated by AMPK-induced IGF-1R activation via phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) at Ser794. Inhibition of IGF-1R signaling using the tyrosine kinase inhibitor HNMPA(AM)3 resulted in significant decrease in P-IRS-1 (Ser794) and P-Akt (Thr308). Co-treatment of AICAR plus HNMPA(AM)3 prevented AMPK-induced up-regulation of P-Akt (Thr308) but did not alter the activation of P-Akt (Ser473). Inhibition of AMPK using compound-C resulted in decreased P-Akt expression at both residues, suggesting a central role for AMPK in Akt activation. In addition, inhibition of IGF-1R signaling in ALL cells resulted in cell growth arrest and apoptosis. Additional Western blots revealed that P-IGF-1R (Tyr1131) and P-IRS-1 (Ser794) levels were higher in NALM6 (Bp-ALL) than CEM (T-ALL), and found differences in IGF-1R signaling within Bp-ALL cell line models NALM6, REH (TEL-AML1, [t(12;21)]), and SupB15 (BCR-ABL, [t(9;22)]). In these models, higher sensitivity to IGF-1R inhibitors correlated with increased levels of IGF-1R expression. Combined therapy simultaneously targeting IGF-1R, AMPK, Akt, and mTOR pathways resulted in synergistic growth inhibition and cell death. Our study demonstrates that AMPK activates Akt through IGF-1R dependent and independent mechanisms. Co-targeting IGF-1R and related downstream metabolic and oncogenic signaling pathways represent a potential strategy for future translation into novel ALL therapies.
Alterations in GABA-related transcriptome in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia.

In subjects with schizophrenia, impairments in working memory are associated with dysfunction of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This dysfunction appears to be due, at least in part, to abnormalities in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibitory circuitry. To test the hypothesis that altered GABA-mediated circuitry in the DLPFC of subjects with schizophrenia reflects expression changes of genes that encode selective presynaptic and postsynaptic components of GABA neurotransmission, we conducted a systematic expression analysis of GABA-related transcripts in the DLPFC of 14 pairs of schizophrenia and age-, sex- and post-mortem interval-matched control subjects using a customized DNA microarray with enhanced sensitivity and specificity. Subjects with schizophrenia exhibited expression deficits in GABA-related transcripts encoding (1) presynaptic regulators of GABA neurotransmission (67 kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) and GABA transporter 1), (2) neuropeptides (somatostatin (SST), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and cholecystokinin (CCK)) and (3) GABAA receptor subunits (α1, α4, β3, γ2 and δ). Real-time qPCR and/or in situ hybridization confirmed the deficits for six representative transcripts tested in the same pairs and in an extended cohort, respectively. In contrast, GAD67, SST and α1 subunit mRNA levels, as assessed by in situ hybridization, were not altered in the DLPFC of monkeys chronically exposed to antipsychotic medications. These findings suggest that schizophrenia is associated with alterations in inhibitory inputs from SST/NPY-containing and CCK-containing subpopulations of GABA neurons and in the signaling via certain GABAA receptors that mediate synaptic (phasic) or extrasynaptic (tonic) inhibition. In concert with previous findings, these data suggest that working memory dysfunction in schizophrenia is mediated by altered GABA neurotransmission in certain DLPFC microcircuits.
A neural network model for real-time adaptive clustering

A neural network model for cluster analysis is presented. The number of cluster need not be predefined. The algorithm is fast and robust. The results are reported from the domain of measuring the antigenic properties of blood samples. Its relations to other clustering alternatives are discussed. The technique is validated statistically with respect to self-consistency. >
Mobile atheroma of the aortic arch is an underestimated source of embolization.

Background Mobile atheroma are associated with increased perioperative strokes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. Peripheral embolization is an additional risk. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) accurately identifies mobile atheroma. Recent reports have discussed the possible influence of anticoagulant therapy in promoting peripheral cholesterol embolization. Methods Fourteen patients with mobile atheroma were treated with anticoagulation. A review of literature reporting results and complications of anticoagulation in the treatment of this condition was compared with our recent experience. Results Between 1994 and 1996, 14 patients with peripheral embolization and mobile atheroma confirmed by TEE were anticoagulated. Clinical follow-up between 6 to 30 months has demonstrated no further evidence of systemic embolization since anticoagulation. Furthermore, repeat TEE in 3 of 14 patients no longer visualized mobile atheroma. Conclusions Mobile atheroma are recognized sources for embolization. Patients with generalized atherosclerosis should be screened for this condition in cases of systemic embolization. Anticoagulation may have therapeutic considerations in the management of this condition.
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Graduate Medical Education (GME): Too Little, and Maybe Too Late

In the context of national scrutiny on graduate medical education (GME) from both the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction,[1][1] Xierali et al,[2][2] bring our attention to the ongoing needs of rural underserved communities and the potential role
The Process of Learning in a Simulation Strategy Game: Disciplinary Knowledge Construction

Researchers question how and what students learn from commercial digital games. Using a concurrent mixed-methods approach, this study examined 30 students' construction of knowledge and skills while playing a commercial off-the-shelf game for 7 weeks. Quantitative data included students' background survey and pre- and post-assessments for knowledge and motivation. Qualitative data included students log sheets to document their progress of play through the game, videotaped interviews after each playing session as well as videotaped game sessions. Analysis indicates that two main play strategies were used during the process of learning—explorers or goal seekers. Both player types were able to statistically significantly gain disciplinary knowledge and skills, but only explorers significantly valued the learning.
When Gravity Fails: Israeli Settlements and Admissibility at the ICC

In the wake of the UN General Assembly's recent recognition of Palestinian statehood, the Palestinian government has made clear its intention to challenge in the International Criminal Court (ICC or the Court) the legality of Israeli settlements. This article explores jurisdictional hurdles for such a case. To focus on the jurisdictional issues, the article assumes for the sake of argument the validity of the merits of the legal claims against the settlements.The ICC only takes situations of particular ‘gravity’. Yet settlements are not a ‘grave breach’ under the Rome Statute. No modern international criminal tribunal has ever prosecuted crimes that do not involve systematic violence and physical coercion. The ICC's gravity measure involves the number of persons killed; for settlements it would be zero. Indeed, the ICC Prosecutor triages situations by the numbers of victims; settlements do not appear to have direct individual victims. Finally, the ICC would at most have jurisdiction over settlement activity only from the date of Palestine's acceptance of jurisdiction. Settlement activity in this time frame would not immediately cross the ICC's gravity threshold.
Epigallocatechin gallate delays the onset of type 1 diabetes in spontaneous non-obese diabetic mice.

Among 230 million diabetic patients worldwide, 4·9 million are patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and the incidence of T1D is growing by 3–5% each year worldwide(1). T1D is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease resulting from the selective destruction of pancreatic β-cells. As of 2010, there is no known cure for this disease. Successful islet transplantation is a promising approach to T1D treatment. However, the lack of sufficient islets, loss of islet cell mass after islet isolation and potential autoimmune destruction of the transplanted islets prevent the widespread use of this procedure. In addition, islet transplantation is accompanied by significant side effects from immunosuppressive drugs(2). Therefore, the search for novel and cost-effective agents that can prevent or treat T1D is extremely important to decrease the burden of morbidity and mortality from this disease. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a polyphenolic compound abundant in green tea(3). Unlike other structurally related catechins, which primarily exist in conjugated forms in the blood after intestinal absorption(4,5), EGCG is the only catechin primarily present in the plasma in a free form. While there are a number of case reports indicating that green tea consumption resulted in liver failure in humans and supraphysiological doses of green tea extracts induced hepatic injury in mice, dietary intake of EGCG supplements is considered safe as no adverse effect was observed in various human toxicity studies(6,7). A number of experimental and epidemiological studies reported that EGCG can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as CVD(8), obesity(9,10) and cancers(10–12). In addition, consumption of green tea extracts or EGCG was shown to have beneficial effects on blood glucose control in obese and diabetic humans(10,13), mice(14) and rats(14–16). While EGCG was shown to exert the beneficial effects on some autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis(17), Sjogren’s syndrome(18) and encephalomyelitis(19), no study, to the best of our knowledge, has reported on whether this compound has an effect on autoimmune-related T1D. In the present study, we determined whether the dietary intake of EGCG can reduce the risk for the development of T1D in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice and further examined whether it has a direct protective effect on pancreatic islets.
Fluoride's Effects on the Formation of Teeth and Bones, and the Influence of Genetics

Fluorides are present in the environment. Excessive systemic exposure to fluorides can lead to disturbances of bone homeostasis (skeletal fluorosis) and enamel development (dental/enamel fluorosis). The severity of dental fluorosis is also dependent upon fluoride dose and the timing and duration of fluoride exposure. Fluoride's actions on bone cells predominate as anabolic effects both in vitro and in vivo. More recently, fluoride has been shown to induce osteoclastogenesis in mice. Fluorides appear to mediate their actions through the MAPK signaling pathway and can lead to changes in gene expression, cell stress, and cell death. Different strains of inbred mice demonstrate differential physiological responses to ingested fluoride. Genetic studies in mice are capable of identifying and characterizing fluoride-responsive genetic variations. Ultimately, this can lead to the identification of at-risk human populations who are susceptible to the unwanted or potentially adverse effects of fluoride action and to the elucidation of fundamental mechanisms by which fluoride affects biomineralization.
RADC database security workshop oracle corporation homework problem solution

Oracle Corporation's solution to the second RADC (Rome Air Development Center) Database Security Workshop homework problem (a 22-page specification for a multilevel secure database) was designed and implemented on a prototype delivered to the National Computer Security Center in May 1989, and was submitted for evaluation at the C2 level. The solution utilized discretionary access control (DAC) features available in the prototype and simulated mandatory access control (MAC) features consistent with Oracle's planned B-level secure database product. >
Palatal development in Twirler mice.

Abstract Objective: The development of the secondary palate of Twirler (Tw) mice was characterized, and a quantitative coronal plane evaluation of the width and length of the craniofacial regions of homozygous mutant embryos was conducted. Results and Conclusions: The secondary palatal shelves were retarded in growth and the timing of elevation from a vertical to horizontal position. The homozygous Tw embryos, when compared with their wild-type littermates, also had a significantly wider midface. It is not surprising, therefore, that the short palatal shelves in a wide midface resulted in cleftings of the secondary palate observed in all homozygous Tw mice. These findings are consistent with similar studies in humans and other murine models.
Radiative Forcing of a Tropical Direct Circulation by Soil Dust Aerosols

Abstract The effect of soil dust aerosols upon the tropical climate is estimated by forcing a simple model of a tropical direct circulation. The model consists of a region vertically mixed by deep convection and a nonconvecting region, for which budgets of dry static energy and moisture are constructed. Dynamical effects are included implicitly, by prohibiting horizontal temperature contrasts above the boundary layer. Dust aerosols absorb sunlight to a greater extent than industrial sulfate and sea-salt aerosols. In a companion study, where the climate response to dust is calculated using an atmospheric general circulation model, the global-average dust radiative forcing is negligible at the top of the dust layer, in comparison to the large reduction of the net flux at the surface. Thus, dust aerosols redistribute radiative heating from the surface into the dust layer, unlike industrial sulfates and sea salt, which through reflection reduce the total radiative energy gained by the column. The simple model...
The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act and the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy: New Opportunities for International Forum Shopping?

This Article analyzes the relationship between the UDRP and the ACPA. It highlights some concerns regarding international implications and manipulations of litigants in legal disputes concerning generic Top Level Domains. The analysis demonstrates who easily can mark owners influence the national forum, where challenges on UDRP decisions are heard and decided. The article further voices concerns regarding the current legal structure which allows mark owners to divert UDRP challenges to US federal courts when foreign marks are involved and adjudicated according to US trademark law.
Photo-thermo-refractive glass with sensitivity extended to near infrared region

Photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass is a multicomponent silicate glass doped with Ce 3+ and Ag + which is extensively used for holographic recording of volume Bragg gratings (VBGs). Possibility of recording of advanced, complex holograms in the PTR glass is of current interest as it offers great opportunities in imaging and laser systems control. However, the glass does not have capabilities for recording of complex holograms with using light from the visible / IR spectral region due to its UV photosensitivity. Extension of the PTR-glass sensitivity range into the visible / IR spectral region was carried out by doping the original glass with trivalent terbium ions. Photosensitivity mechanism was implemented by means of excited state absorption using a UV photon and a visible photon for excitation of the Tb 3+ 5d 1 4f 7 band. For the first time refractive index modulation on the order of 2x10 -4 was obtained in PTR glass after exposure to the visible / IR light. Resulting magnitude of induced refractive index allows for high efficiency complex hologram fabrication in Tb 3+ doped PTR glass for use which in the visible / IR region. Holographic capabilities of Tb 3+ doped PTR glass were demonstrated by recording a complex hologram in the glass using green and blue light.
Intermediate-mass black holes from Population III remnants in the first galactic nuclei

We report the formation of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in suites of numerical N-body simulations of Population III remnant black holes (BHs) embedded in gas-rich protogalaxies at redshifts z & 10. We model the eects of gas drag on the BHs’ orbits, and allow BHs to grow via gas accretion, including a mode of hyper-Eddington accretion in which photon trapping and rapid gas inow suppress any negative radiative feedback. Most initial BH congurations lead to the formation of one (but never more than one) IMBH in the center of the protogalaxy, reaching a mass of 10 3 5 M through hyper-Eddington growth. Our results suggest a viable pathway to forming the earliest massive BHs in the centers of early galaxies. We also nd that the nuclear IMBH typically captures a stellar-mass BH companion, making these systems observable in gravitational waves as extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) with eLISA.
The evolving role of clinical registries: Existing practices and opportunities for orthopaedic surgeons

Orthopaedic surgery has historically been a leader in using clinical data registries (CDRs) to improve the effectiveness of care, primarily relating to arthroplasty. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has dramatically altered the quality-reporting landscape in the U.S., and registries are now at the center of several intersecting national health policy initiatives. Moreover, other surgical specialties have established registries with proven success in improving care quality, and lessons can be learned from these efforts. In order to effectively utilize registries for innovation, quality assessment, and demonstration of value, orthopaedic surgeons need a clear understanding of how registries and mandated quality reporting are increasingly linked. CDRs prospectively track outcomes among patients with a unifying disease or treatment. Over the past decade, CDRs have been expanded to include overlapping roles in health services research, quality improvement, and now pay-for-performance initiatives. The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun attaching financial incentives to CDR reporting to increase physician participation in national quality-improvement efforts1. An up-to-date knowledge of developments in CDR creation and utilization is vitally important for orthopaedic surgeons. CDR participation can meaningfully contribute to increasing value in musculoskeletal care through quality improvement and cost-effectiveness research, in addition to complying with payer mandates. The evolution of CDRs has been shaped by several landmark health-policy changes during the past decade. The Institute of Medicine’s reports on patient safety and health-care disparities in the early 2000s forced stakeholders to examine the quality and variability of care delivered to patients2,3, while the PPACA brought the issues of cost containment and value to the forefront4. Accordingly, the structure and goals of registries have been expanded to meet these objectives. Within orthopaedic surgery, CDRs have historically been used …
Agglutinating monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognize lipooligosaccharide A of Bordetella pertussis.

Monoclonal antibodies that specifically agglutinate strains of Bordetella pertussis having serotype 1 agglutinogen were uniquely reactive with the electrophoretically slow-migrating A form of lipooligosaccharide. These monoclonal antibodies should be useful for the structural analysis of B. pertussis lipooligosaccharide and for the establishment of a better-defined serogroup for Bordetella species. Images
Global Change and Quality of Life Indicators

Global, national, and community quality of life (CQOL) indicators have a rich history in American and European social science research history since at least 1900. The primary purpose of this body of research has been to provide knowledge-based approaches to “community” intervention (variously defined to include neighborhoods, cities, provinces and states, nations, and othermajor geo-political regions). This chapter discusses the rich history of the social indicator and social reporting movements in Europe and the United States in utilizing social indicators and social reporting to: (1) advance quality of life theory, research, and practice; (2) explore the uses of social indicators and social reporting in identifying the nature, extent and severity of new and emerging social needs at various levels of political organization; (3) organize people and institutions to respond more effectively to those needs; and, (4) establish baseline measures against which CQOL current and future successes and failures can be assessed.
Uneasy Experiments in Radical Cultural Comparison: Gang Violence, Ethical Cultivation and Sade's Moral Universe

ABSTRACTDuring a workshop at Aarhus University, participants were asked to carry out an anthropological experiment modelled upon an artistic one. The artistic experiment involved one filmmaker presenting a series of obstructions to another, in effect setting unfamiliar and even abhorrent artistic tasks. My obstruction involved drawing upon Marquis de Sade's writings to consider urban gang violence among the African Americans I have studied. This paper represents my uneasy response. It is fashioned as series of dialogues, rather in the manner of a theatre piece. I offer an ethnographic case where a child is murdered and his older brother, Ralph (a gang member), exhorts his fellow ‘homies’ to stop the killings. Dialogues extracted from Sade's fictional debates between the virtuous and the libertines are juxtaposed against a fictional dialogue between Ralph and gang members who speak to the pleasures of violence and gang life.
HSP27 and signaling to the actin cytoskeleton focus on "HSP27 expression regulates CCK-induced changes of the actin cytoskeleton in CHO-CCK-A cells".

diverse cellular processes such as cell migration, cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion, phagocytosis, cytokinesis, secretion, endocytosis, and bacterial invasion depend on actin-based motility. For most of these processes, an extracellular signal must be transduced either by or to the actin
Repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell": The Impact of Stereotypes on Attitudes toward Homosexuals in the Military

On December 22, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010. This decision appears to coincide with public opinion as a December 2010 Gallup Poll reports that 67 percent of respondents would support openly gay or lesbian individuals serving in the military. Nevertheless, many Republican Congressmen and presidential candidates continue to express support of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” To that end, this research investigates media priming, stereotypes of gays and lesbians, and other factors that may impact support for gay men and lesbians in the military. We use a survey-based experiment drawn from a mid-sized regional university in the southeast where the collection of attitudes toward gays and lesbians preceded the collection of atti- tudes toward homosexuals in the military. Our research points to the media’s ability to prime evalua- tions of gays in the military and suggests that stereotypes of homosexuals are powerful predictors of attitudes toward homosexuals serving in the military. We also find that personal familiarity with gay men/lesbians is related to support for homosexuals serving in the military.
A Happy and Engaged Class Without Cell Phones? It’s Easier Than You Think:

Although there have been many suggestions for incorporating cell phone use into classroom activities, there have been few suggestions for removing cell phone use from the classroom. This article presents an easy-to-implement method using positive reinforcement that effectively removes cell phones from the classroom in a way that is highly endorsed by students and that greatly fosters student engagement, class participation, and a focused and respectful classroom atmosphere. In a quasi-experiment, we found significant correlations between giving up cell phones and students’ test grades, overall grade point average (GPA), semester’s GPA, and attendance. Rate of improvement of higher and lower participators suggested that better students were more likely to give up their cell phones to earn an extra point toward their final course grade.
Miniature packaging concept for LNAs in the 200–300 GHz range

In this work, we describe new miniaturized low noise amplifier modules which we developed for incorporation in small-scale satellites or Cubesats, and which exhibit similar or better performance compared to previously reported LNAs in the literature. We have targeted the WR4 (170–260 GHz) and WR3 (220–325 GHz) waveguide bands for the module development. The modules include two different methods of E-plane probes which have been developed for low loss, and stability at high frequencies. MMIC LNAs were also developed for these frequency ranges and fabricated in Northrop Grumman Corporation's 35 nm InP HEMT technology, and we have experimentally verified that noise performance is lower than reported in prior work. The best results include a miniature LNA module with 550K noise at 224 GHz, and a wideband LNA module with 15 dB gain from 230–280 GHz.
Navigational Guidance and Ablation Planning Tools for Interventional Radiology

Image-guided biopsy and ablation relies on successful identification and targeting of lesions. Currently, image-guided procedures are routinely performed under ultrasound, fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, or computed tomography (CT) guidance. However, these modalities have their limitations including inadequate visibility of the lesion, lesion or organ or patient motion, compatibility of instruments in an magnetic resonance imaging field, and, for CT and fluoroscopy cases, radiation exposure. Recent advances in technology have resulted in the development of a new generation of navigational guidance tools that can aid in targeting lesions for biopsy or ablations. These navigational guidance tools have evolved from simple hand-held trajectory guidance tools, to electronic needle visualization, to image fusion, to the development of a body global positioning system, to growth in cone-beam CT, and to ablation volume planning. These navigational systems are promising technologies that not only have the potential to improve lesion targeting (thereby increasing diagnostic yield of a biopsy or increasing success of tumor ablation) but also have the potential to decrease radiation exposure to the patient and staff, decrease procedure time, decrease the sedation requirements, and improve patient safety. The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges in current standard image-guided techniques, provide a definition and overview for these next-generation navigational devices, and describe the current limitations of these, still evolving, next-generation navigational guidance tools.
Legal Issues: Net Neutrality: It's Not Just US

While the fate of net neutrality in the U.S. is not yet finalized, the recent announcement by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of its new “Open Internet” rules went a long way toward a new and “net neutral” regulatory structure for the Internet. The FCC’s rules changed how federal law approaches the Internet as a part of its broader authority to regulate telecommunications systems in general. There will likely be continuing wrangling in the regulatory process, as well as in the courts and Congress over this proposal, but for now the legal and policy momentum has seemed to shift in favor of net neutrality in the United States. But we’re not the only part of the world with an Internet. Net neutrality is in many areas of the world is as challenging if not more so than it is here and many of the issues parallel those that the US has been debating: Does net neutrality favor Internet users by preventing ISP’s from discrimination; or does it inhibit ISPs from maximizing their ability to effectively provide content and further Internet innovation?
Transient absorption imaging of hemes with 2-color, independently tunable visible-wavelength ultrafast source.

Pump probe microscopy is a time-resolved multiphoton imaging technique capable of generating contrast between non-fluorescent pigments based on differences in excited-state lifetimes. Here we describe a fiber-based ultrafast system designed for imaging heme proteins with an independently-tunable pulse pair in the visible-wavelength regime. Starting with a 1060 nm fiber amplifier (1.3 W at 63 MHz, 140 fs pulses), visible pulses were produced in the vicinity of 488 nm and 532 nm by doubling the output of a short photonic crystal fiber with a pair of periodically-poled lithium niobate crystals, providing 5–20 mW power in each beam. This was sufficient for acquiring transient absorption images from unstained cryosectioned tissue.
An Oral History of the Marriage Equality Act in New York

A roundtable discussion with Hon. Daniel J. O'Donnell, Member, New York State Assembly, and Katherine Grainger, Assistant Counsel to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Moderated by J. Stephen Clark.
THE LINK BETWEEN ACTIVE AGING AND RETIREMENT AGE

The paper aims to shed light on the policies and consequences of the current retirement age in Romania. The retirement age has been repeatedly incremented in Romania in the last couple of years in order to try to compensate for the fact that the country has a low general employment rate, only 30% of the population, while having 20% of the total population aged 65+. By using an econometric model we will first prove the existence of an optimal retirement age that might vary for each and every one of us, after which we will explore different possibilities of exploiting this information in order to improve the current retirement programs. Mainly, we will look at the possible solution of eliminating the mandatory retirement age in certain work sectors through a comparison analysis.
The Training of Analysts to Come

This chapter is an explication of the thirteenth section (“The Training of Analysts to Come”) of “The Freudian Thing.” This final section brings Lacan’s 1955 ecrit to a close by outlining what psychoanalysis would look like in the future if it were to be renewed by the “return to Freud” advocated here and elsewhere. Lacan envisions replacing the narrow specialization of an analytic training inappropriately modeled on medical schooling with a broadly interdisciplinary approach to forming analysts closer to the model of a liberal arts education. Additionally, detailed readings of Freud’s texts informed by this broad educational background are essential in Lacan’s vision of analytic training. Finally, Lacan calls for analysis perpetually reinventing itself in response to ever-ongoing changes in its socio-cultural surroundings.
Giant Pulses from the Crab Pulsar

Recent observations of the “giant” radio pulses received from the Crab pulsar are reviewed. The frequency range over which they have been detected spans at least two decades, and individual pulses appear to have a frequency span of 3:1 or more. The pulse structure is dominated by scattering at frequencies below about 2 GHz; at higher frequencies the intrinsic pulse width is about 1 µ s with nanostructure extending down to 10 ns. The polarization structure may be contaminated by scattering at low frequencies and the polarization is weak and highly variable at high frequencies. No definitive emission mechanism with testable hypotheses for the giant pulses has been put forth. One of the most promising, based on the collapse of plasma solitons, predicts nanostructure bandwidths narrower than what is seen for the giant pulses themselves, though the observations do not show wideband correlation of the shortest resolvable intensity structure.
WebTA: Online Code Critique and Assignment Feedback (Abstract Only)

We present a demonstration of our WebTA tool, which facilitates the teaching of programming by providing automatic critique and grading of student source code. Programming is in fact a complex set of interconnected activities. Learning to design, analyze, implement, test, and revise software is crucial for student success, not just for computer science students but for a broad and growing body of students in other disciplines as well. Our approach is to teach students agile development methods through small cycles of teaching, coding integrated with testing, and immediate feedback. WebTA facilitates our teaching approach by providing automatic critique of student source code. WebTA provides immediate feedback to students and gives them experience with interactive, test-driven development. Students using WebTA are engaged in communication-by-proxy with the instructor. This communication does not replace instructor feedback; rather, it codifies common feedback scenarios, triggered by errors, warnings, or textual code analysis, to assist the instructor in reaching students just when the student is engaged in problem solving and learning. This prompts the student to reflect and refactor in an iterative design process. WebTA compiles student code and executes it over a series of shakedown tests. It also analyzes student performance and generates preliminary grading reports. Students are coached through code critiques and suggestions that prompt them to reflect and refactor. The demonstration consists of a walkthrough of two use-case scenarios: Student use of WebTA as a code snippet critiquer and its use by faculty as an automated grading system.
Response and Recovery after Maria: Lessons for Disaster Law and Policy

Author(s): Farber, Daniel A | Abstract: Hurricane Maria had a devastating impact on Puerto Rico. The federal response to Maria was slow, leaving much of the population without basic necessities for extended periods. Lives were lost as a result. The federal government failed to rise to the challenges posed by logistic difficulties and strained agency resources due to preceding disasters. The response was hindered by unrealistic planning, by Puerto Rico’s lack of political power in Washington, and by presidential indifference. In the end, despite its much greater needs, Puerto Rico received assistance much more slowly than Houston. This article analyzes the reasons for the flawed response and proposes improvements in future disaster policy. Like Katrina, Maria is a story of how systems failed just when they were most needed by our most vulnerable citizens.