cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A heparin-like anticoagulant in an 8-month-old boy with acute monoblastic leukemia.

An 8-month-old male with acute monoblastic leukemia died during induction chemotherapy of severe bleeding refractory to repeated infusions of platelets and clotting factors. A heparin effect was suggested by prothrombin time (PT) of 26 seconds, partial thromboplastin time (PTT) of 94 seconds, thrombin time 240 seconds, and reptilase time 18.4 seconds, with a fibrinogen of 88 mg/dl. Both plasma mixed with the patient's urine and the patient's plasma had their thrombin times corrected toward normal by both PF4 and protamine. Synergism of of the anticoagulant with antithrombin III was demonstrated not only by enhanced inhibition of thrombin but also by an increased rate of formation of thrombin-antithrombin III complexes in the presence of the anticoagulant, which was eliminated by preincubation with heparinase. Since the anticoagulant activity was not found in the blasts themselves, it is presumed that the anticoagulant is heparin/heparan liberated from the endothelial lining by products of the cell destruction secondary to chemotherapy.
Corrected calculations for soil and ecosystem measurements of CO2 flux using the LI-COR 6200 portable photosynthesis system

The LI-COR 6200 portable photosynthesis system (LI-6200) is commonly used in combination with large chambers to measure ecosystem level CO2 flux in ecosystems with small-statured canopies (agriculture, tundra, grasslands, forest understory, etc.). Two problems with the methodology lead to artifactually low estimates of rates of net ecosystem assimilation of CO2 (or overestimates of ecosystem respiration). The first is that accuracy of the equations used by the LI-6200 to calculate photosynthesis depends on a constant vapor pressure in the chamber. This assumption is commonly violated with large ecosystem chambers when evapotranspiration rates are high. We provide equations that correct this problem and permit recalculation of the LI-COR fluxes. The second problem is that of boundary layer formation under still conditions, such as at night. As high concentrations of CO2 close to the ground surface become mixed by chamber fans, exceptionally high values of net ecosystem respiration result. Substantial mixing time is necessary for rates to stabilize. As ecologists attempt to understand how global change might affect whole-ecosystem carbon balance, both of these technical problems must be addressed to get accurate results.
Peak power control for a QoS capable on-chip network

In recent years integrating multiprocessors in a single chip is emerging for supporting various scientific and commercial applications, with diverse demands to the underlying on-chip networks. Communication traffic of these applications makes routers greedy to acquire more power such that the total consumed power of the network may exceed the supplied power and cause reliability problems. To ensure high performance and power constraint satisfaction, the on-chip network must have a peak power control mechanism. In this paper, we propose a credit-based peak power control scheme to assure power consumption to be under the given peak power constraint, without performance degradation. The peak power control scheme efficiently regulates each flow's injection rate at the sender to minimize performance penalty. We have two different throttling schemes for real-time traffic and best-effort traffic; a rate-based throttling and an energy-budget based throttling, respectively. The simulation results on mesh networks show that the credit-based peak power control effectively prevents performance degradation and meets the peak power constraint.
Ventricular activation during ventricular endocardial pacing. II. Role of pace-mapping to localize origin of ventricular tachycardia

Intraoperative pace-mapping has been proposed as a method of identifying the origin of ventricular tachycardia; however, both epicardial activation and electrocardiographic configuration have limitations in localizing the origin of ventricular tachycardia. Because most ventricular tachycardias associated with ischemic heart disease appear to arise near the endocardium, this study evaluated the ability of bipolar catheter endocardial pacing at or near the endocardial site of origin of spontaneous ventricular tachycardia to mimic the QRS configuration of the spontaneous tachycardia. Twelve patients were studied who had ventricular tachycardia whose origin was determined with catheter endocardial mapping. Three patients had ventricular tachycardia with two distinct configurations. The electrocardiogram of ventricular tachycardia was compared with the electrocardiogram produced by pacing at the site of origin (10 patients) and at multiple (two to nine) additional sites in 8 patients. It was observed that (1) pacing at the known site of origin of ventricular tachycardia produced an electrocardiogram and activation sequence similar to those produced by the ventricular tachycardia; (2) pacing at sites in close proximity to the site of origin of ventricular tachycardia produced either a similar or a grossly different electrocardiographic pattern from that during ventricular tachycardia. It is concluded that catheter endocardial pace-mapping (1) is a corroborative method of identifying the origin of ventricular tachycardia; (2) may be useful in patients with noninducible ventricular tachycardia or rapid ventricular tachycardia who cannot undergo catheter or intraoperative mapping; and (3) is neither easier, more accurate nor quicker than direct localization by mapping during ventricular tachycardia.
Synthesis of the Unusual DNA of Bacillus subtilis Bacteriophage SP-15

Abstract Cultures of Bacillus subtilis infected with phage SP-15 were examined to investigate the metabolic origin of two of the unique components of the phage DNA: the component responsible for the unusually high buoyant density in CsCl and the unusual pyrimidine, 5-(4′, 5′-dihydroxypentyl) uracil (DHPU). Newly synthesized pulse-labeled DNA was light in buoyant density and shifted to the high density of mature phage DNA upon further incubation. Parental DNA was converted to a light-density intermediate form prior to replication. When labeled uracil, thymidine, or DHPU were added to infected cells, it was found that only uracil served as the precursor to DHPU and thymine in phage DNA. Analysis of the bases from hydrolyzed DNA of labeled phage or infected cells indicated that the uracil was incorporated into the DNA as such (presumably via deoxyuridine triphosphate) and later converted to DHPU and thymine at the macromolecular level. The sequence of events after phage infection appeared to be: (i) injection of parental DNA; (ii) conversion of parental DNA to a light form; (iii) DNA replication, yielding light DNA containing uracil; (iv) conversion of uracil to DHPU and thymine; and (v) addition of the heavy component.
Skeletal overexpression of connective tissue growth factor impairs bone formation and causes osteopenia.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a member of the CCN family of proteins, is expressed in skeletal cells, and the ctgf null mutation leads to neonatal lethality due to defects in skeletal development. To define the function of CTGF in the postnatal skeleton, we created transgenic mice overexpressing CTGF under the control of the human osteocalcin promoter. CTGF transgenic female and male mice exhibited a significant decrease in bone mineral density, compared with wild-type littermate controls. Bone histomorphometry revealed that CTGF overexpression caused decreased trabecular bone volume due to impaired osteoblastic activity because mineral apposition and bone formation rates were decreased. Osteoblast and osteoclast number and bone resorption were not altered. Calvarial osteoblasts and stromal cells from CTGF transgenics displayed decreased alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin mRNA levels and reduced bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling mothers against decapentaplegic, Wnt/β-catenin, and IGF-I/Akt signaling. In conclusion, CTGF overexpression in vivo causes osteopenia, secondary to decreased bone formation, possibly by antagonizing BMP, Wnt, and IGF-I signaling and activity.
Coding for noisy channels

Reliable communication over a noisy channel is the focus of this chapter. The chapter begins with a development of the classic fundamental results of Feinstein regarding reliable communication of block codes and the relation of operational channel capacity to Shannon capacity for discrete channels. A technique of Dobrushin is used to extend Feinstein’s results for channels with no input memory or anticipation by making codes robust to small changes in the conditional distributions describing channels. This leads in turn to the extension of block coding theorems to d-bar continuous channels, discrete noisy channels where the noise distribution within a block can be well approximated in a d-bar sense with only finite knowledge of past and future inputs. Traditional channel coding theorems for block codes assume knowledge of synchronization – when the blocks begin. Another technique of Doburshin is used to synchronize block codes through noisy channels. Combining synchronized block codes with the Rohlin-Kakutani theorem yields a coding theorem for sliding-block channel coding. Finally, combining the source coding theorems with channel coding theorems yields joint-source and channel coding theorems.
Intonation and focus marking in Kakataibo

This paper explores experimentally the prosodic correlates, namely f0 and pause insertion, of focus marking in the San Alejandro dialect of Kakataibo (Pano). By examining sentences with all-new focus, narrow focus (on the subject, object and adjunct) and predicate focus, it is observed that the higher f0 falls at the beginning of the sentence in the first two types of focus sentences but occurs at the end of the sentence in predicate focus. In addition, a pause occurs after the first constituent in sentence and narrow focus, but is much less frequent in predicate focus.
Acceleration in the NBA: Towards an Algorithmic Taxonomy of Basketball Plays

I filter the 25-frames-per-second STATS/SportVu optical tracking data of 233 regular and post season 2011-2012 NBA games for half-court situations that begin when the last player crosses half-court and end when possession changes, resulting in a universe of more than 30,000 basketball plays, or about 130 per game. To categorize the plays algorithmically, I describe the requirements a suitable dynamic language must have to be both more concise and more precise than standard X’s and O’s chalk diagrams. The language specifies for each player their initial starting spots, trajectories, and timing, with iteration as needed. A key component is acceleration. To determine optimal starting spots, I compute burst locations on the court where players tend to accelerate or decelerate more than usual. Cluster analysis on those burst points compared to all points reveals a difference in which areas of the court see more intense action. The primary burst clusters appear to be the paint, the top of the key, and the extended elbow and wing area. I document the most frequently accelerating players, positions, and teams, as well as the likelihoods of acceleration and co-acceleration during a set play and other components intended to collectively lead to an algorithmic taxonomy.
The Characteristics and Training of Professionals in Cancer Prevention and Control: A Survey of the American Society for Preventive Oncology

To secure continuous stewardship in the field of cancer prevention requires in part training the next generation of scientists and practitioners effectively. We characterized members and meeting registrants of the American Society for Preventive Oncology and assessed their career needs using an electronic survey. From 380 valid email addresses, 233 respondents (61%) included 143 physicians and 81 respondents with other doctorates. More than one third worked at cancer centers (36%), while others worked at schools of medicine (25%) and public health (17%) and other institutions and businesses (22%). Among all respondents, 52% reported having at least one mentor but time spent advising by mentors was generally low. Many were less than satisfied with the amount of mentoring received (44%) and 52% reported interest in matching with an American Society for Preventive Oncology mentor. All were interested in grantsmanship training but junior and senior respondents differed in their preference for other topics, reflecting needs that change with career advancement. Other analyses focused on aspects of institutional commitment, which did not differ by type of degree, even after age adjustment. However, by gender and degree, men were completely supported by institutional funds more often than women among non-medical doctorates [age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-9.8] but not among physicians (age-adjusted OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 0.5-3.1). Men were also more often in tenure-track positions than women (age-adjusted OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.3). In sum, addressing the career development needs of future leaders in the field by providing career and mentoring sessions at annual meetings may help individuals in the field and enrich the discipline overall.
A New Technique of Quantum Well Disordering and its Application to Integrated All-Optical Switches

The disordering of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) system has potential applications in optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits. In this paper, we describe a new technique of disordering of GaAs/AlGaAs MQW, which uses the diffusion of group III vacancies generated by etching off the surface oxide. Several sets of samples were prepared under different conditions. One set of samples, A., was left in their as-grown state. The second set of samples, B., was oxidized by heating in air for 30min at 600°C, and then etched in concentrated hydrofluoric (HF) acid for 15min. The acid only etched the oxide, thereby generated group III vacancies on the sample surface. In order to test whether the structures could be protected from disordering, a third set of samples, C., was oxidized by heating, etched and then re-oxidized in H2O2 for 5sec. The above three sets of samples were finally annealed at a temperature of 615°C for 3hr in a tube furnace with a continuous flow of N2 gas. Freshly cleaned GaAs substrate were used to cover the samples in order to minimize As loss. Photoluminescence (PL) results for sample set A show a peak at 820nm, which is exactly the same as the PL spectrum measured from the as—grown sample. In the case of sample set B., the PL emission was blue shifted by 75nm. On the other hand, sample set C did not show any wavelength shift. In this case, the PL spectrum was also identical to the as—grown sample.
Developmental basis of phenotypic integration in two Lake Malawi cichlids

Cichlid fishes from the Rift Lakes of East Africa have undergone the most spectacular adaptive radiations in vertebrate history. Eco-morphological adaptations in lakes Victoria, Malawi and Tanganyika have resulted in a vast array of skull shapes and sizes, yet primary axes of morphological variation are conserved in all three radiations, prominently including the size of the preorbital region of the skull. This conserved pattern suggests that development may constrain the trajectories of cichlid head morphological evolution. Here, we (1) present a comparative analysis of adult head morphology in two sand-dweller cichlids from Lake Malawi with preorbital size differences representative of the main axis of variation among the three lakes and (2) analyze the ontogeny of shape and size differences by focusing on known developmental modules throughout the head. We find that (1) developmental differences between the two species correlate with known developmental modules; (2) differences in embryonic cartilage development result in phenotypically integrated changes among all bones derived from a single cartilage, while differences in dermal bone development tend to influence isolated regions within a bone; and lastly (3) species-specific morphologies appear in the embryo as subtle differences, which become progressively amplified throughout ontogeny. We propose that this amplification takes place at skeletal growth zones, the locations and shapes of which are patterned during embryogenesis. This study is the most anatomically comprehensive analysis of the developmental differences underlying cichlid skull evolution in the Rift Lakes of East Africa. The scale of our analysis reveals previously unnoticed correlations between developmental modules and patterns of phenotypic integration. We propose that the primary axes of morphological variation among East African cichlid adaptive radiations are constrained by the hierarchical modularity of the teleost head skeleton.
Phonetic Segmentation for Low Rate Speech Coding

Efforts to bridge the gap between waveform coders and vocoders has led to a new class of hybrid speech coders. These coders perform analysis-by-synthesis encoding of an excitation signal and reconstruct speech from the coded excitation signal and a quantized time-varying filter model of speech production. Most notable of these coders are those which use vector quantization to code the excitation signal as a sequence of vectors. The coding technique is called Code Excited Linear Prediction (CELP) [1], or Vector Excitation Coding (VXC) [2]. VXC coders result in coded speech with a waveform approximating the original and are able to achieve a satisfactory, natural-sounding quality at bit rates as low as 4.8 kb/s. When the bitrate is reduced below 4.8 kb/s, the quality of VXC coders degrades rapidly and becomes inferior to the synthetic quality of an LPC vocoder operating at 2.4 kb/s. There remains then the challenging problem to find an algorithm that at 2.4 kb/s (or even at 3.6 kb/s) will achieve the quality that VXC offers at 4.8 kb/s
Development of miles-in-trail passback restrictions for air traffic management

This paper presents modeling of miles-in-trail passback restrictions for use in air traffic management. Generally, FAA managers employ miles-in-trail as a traffic management initiative when downstream traffic congestion at airports or in sectors is anticipated. In order to successfully implement the miles-in-trail at airspace fixes or navigational aids, it is desired that restriction values be computed for passing back to upstream facilities at specific boundaries. This paper presents a model which can be used for that purpose. This model improves on a previous version using traffic manager feedback resulting in significant improvement in guidance. The modeling approach is described along with lessons learned and improvements made during model development. Results for two sample traffic and one real traffic scenarios are presented. Additional operational considerations required by the traffic managers to implement the passback restrictions, namely maximum ground delay and absorbable airborne delay are incorporated in the model. A main result of this research is that absorbing small amount of ground and airborne delays are sufficient to handle the imposed constraint. Another finding is that implementing the passback restrictions provides the traffic managers ways to alleviate traffic constraints to help reduce excessive airborne delay for current traffic conditions.
Making Inception a Reality: Lucid Dreaming in Science Fiction and Technology

The concept of lucid dreaming, where the dreamer recognizes that he or she is dreaming and has some control over the direction of the dream, has become more widely recognized since the late twentieth century. With the success of science-fiction movies such as Inception (2010), in which the protagonists create, manipulate, and even “hijack” dreams, lucid dreaming has spread to the public. This popularity has contributed to a new market for dream technology, with consumer products aimed towards helping users experience lucid dreaming. At the same time, lucid dreaming has become more widely accepted in academia as a scientific field, especially in the fields of neuroscience and psychology. Researchers are using new technology to build upon existing knowledge of dreaming. However, there remains a disconnect between the public view of lucid dreaming and the actual state of the scientific field, in particular regarding recent developments in dream technology. This article focuses on the current relationships between depictions of lucid dreaming in popular culture and in academia. The comparison of lucid dreaming portrayals in these areas reveals connections between science-fiction ideas and actual scientific research, together contributing to an increased potential for advancing lucid dreaming technology in the future.
A Discussion and Analysis on Interlaboratory Comparison of Detecting Dioxin-like Compounds in Food

[Objective]The results in interlaboratory comparison of detecting Dioxin-like compounds in food was discussed for improving the ability of dioxins analysis in food.[Methods]Statistical median and standard deviation of analytical data were calculated and Z-score was chosen as an evaluating indicator.[Results]Z-scores in first round for total TEQs were unsatisfied, but in second round they were satisfied.[Conclusion]The ability of the laboratory in detecting both single compound and total TEQs got obvious progress in Dioxin-like compounds analyses in food during interlaboratory comparison.This shows the laboratory is now able to accept routine analysis of dioxins in food.
Technology of constrained route in traffic engineering based on MPLS

The efficiency of traffic engineering affects the quality of network service.In order to solve the problems of network traffic controlling,this paper deals with the technology of constrained route in traffic engineering based on MPLS and presents the selection solution of measurement parameters,using the generation algorithm to analyze the constrained path algorithm in traffic engineering based on MPLS.
Computing the Fréchet Distance Between Polygons with Holes

We study the problem of computing the Frechet distance between subsets of Euclidean space. Even though the problem has been studied extensively for 1-dimensional curves, very little is known for \(d\)-dimensional spaces, for any \(d\ge 2\). For general polygons in \(\mathbb {R}^2\), it has been shown to be NP-hard, and the best known polynomial-time algorithm works only for polygons with at most a single puncture [Buchin et al., 2010]. Generalizing [Buchin et al., 2008] we give a polynomial-time algorithm for the case of arbitrary polygons with a constant number of punctures. Moreover, we show that approximating the Frechet distance between polyhedral domains in \(\mathbb {R}^3\) to within a factor of \(n^{1/\log \log n}\) is NP-hard.
CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF A RICE RAD23 GENE

In order to identify proteins that interact with plant transcriptional complexes, we performed a two-hybrid screen in yeast using a cDNA library from embryogenic rice suspension cultures and the plant transcriptional activator viviparous-1 (vp1) as ‘bait’. In this screen, we detected an interaction between VP1 and a rice homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD23 gene (osRAD23). The RAD23 protein is associated with the general transcriptional machinery in yeast, and is believed to play a role in the processes of nucleotide excision repair in yeast and mammalian cells. This report is the first identification of a RAD23 homolog in plants. The osRAD23 amino acid sequence shares 50–60% similarity throughout its length with RAD23 sequences from yeast, mice, and man. osRAD23 contains a characteristic ubiquitin-like domain at its N-terminus, which is similar to other RAD23 genes. Analysis of the expressed sequence tag database identifies two different classes of RAD23 genes in both Arabidopsis and rice. Southern analysis of rice genomic DNA indicated the presence of at least two RAD23-like genes. A single transcript (1.5 kb) of osRAD23 was detected in total RNA from rice embryonic tissue, while three transcripts (1.8, 1.5 and 1.0 kb) were observed in total RNA from vegetative tissues of rice.
Trends in the match rate and composition of candidates matching into categorical general surgery residency positions in the United States.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to analyze the trends in the proportion of students from various educational backgrounds who matched into categorical general surgery (GS) residency positions. Methods National Resident Matching Program reports (1994 to 2014) were analyzed, and regression was used to estimate the trends for each group. Results The match rate into GS-categorical residency has remained stable; however, since 1994, we witnessed a 13% decrease in US seniors matching into GS. This has corresponded to proportional increases in matches for US citizens from international medical schools (US IMG, 1350%) and a 62% increase for non-US citizen international medical graduates (non-US IMG) into GS. In comparison, US IMG matches into all first-year postgraduate positions increased by 468%, whereas non-US IMG matches decreased by 15%. Conclusions The stable match rates into categorical GS residencies are not because of US seniors but rather because of a rise in the number of IMGs. In contrast to the decreased reliance on non-US IMGs in all other specialties, GS is accepting a larger proportion of non-US IMGs.
Nutrition in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: In the NICU and Beyond

This chapter reviews the role that nutrition plays in the development and management of BPD. While specific nutrients, other than n-3 LCPUFAs and vitamin A, have shown limited benefit in reducing the incidence or severity of BPD, increased intake of mother’s own milk during the NICU hospitalization has been reported to reduce the incidence of BPD. In addition, standardized, evidence-based early nutritional management guidelines for extremely preterm infants that begin with early, intense parenteral and enteral nutritional support have been shown to reduce the growth failure associated with BPD. Hopefully, this strategy will address some of the adverse effects that undernutrition has had on lung growth, injury, and repair, resulting in a decrease in both the incidence and severity of BPD.
Abstract 4332: Discovery of BAY 1163877 - A pan-FGFR inhibitor: De novo structure-based design and lead optimization of benzothiophenyl-pyrrolotriazines

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) orchestrate a variety of cellular functions by binding to their transmembrane tyrosine-kinase receptors (FGFR1-4) and activating downstream signaling pathways. Alterations in FGFR encoding genes are frequently observed in a variety of solid tumors including lung, gastric, breast and urothelial cancer. Therefore, targeting FGFRs using selective FGFR inhibitors is an attractive therapeutic approach to treat cancer patients. BAY 1163877 is an orally active, highly potent and selective small molecule FGFR-1, -2 and -3 kinase inhibitor. We disclose for the very first time its discovery and chemical structure. BAY 1163877 was derived from a de novo structure-based design approach and medicinal chemistry optimization. Data on the structure activity relationship and the pharmacokinetic profile of the benzothiophenyl-pyrrolotriazine structure class will be presented. Based on its favorable preclinical profile, BAY 1163877 is currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT01976741). Citation Format: Marie-Pierre L. Collin, Mario Lobell, Walter Huebsch, Dirk Brohm, Melanie Heroult, Klemens Lustig, Sylvia Gruenewald, Ulf Boemer, Rolf Jautelat, Holger Hess-Stump, Stefan Jaroch, Michael Brands, Karl Ziegelbauer. Discovery of BAY 1163877 - A pan-FGFR inhibitor: De novo structure-based design and lead optimization of benzothiophenyl-pyrrolotriazines. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4332.
Properties of Vitamins

The vitamins are organic, low molecular weight substances that have key roles in metabolism. Few are single substances; most are families of chemically-related substances sharing biological activities. The vitamers comprising a vitamin family may vary in biopotency. Otherwise, vitamin families are chemically heterogeneous; therefore, it is convenient to classify the vitamins according to their physical properties. Some vitamins are fat-soluble; the others are water-soluble. The water-soluble vitamins (C, thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, biotin, pantothenic acid, folate, B12) tend to have one or more polar or ionizable groups, whereas the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) have predominantly aromatic and aliphatic characters. These traits determine the nature of their absorption, transport, tissue distribution, and metabolic function. Vitamins function as antioxidants, affectors of gene transcription, H + / e − donors/acceptors, hormones, and coenzymes.
Uptake of Neurotransmitters and Precursors by Clonal Cell Lines of Neural Origin

Intercellular communication is a fundamental process underlying behavior. The importance of communication between neurons in determining behavior is undisputed, but recent evidence suggests that communication between glia and neurons and between glia and other cell types may be of significance in the modulation of behavior. It is well established that the principal mode of inactivation of neurotransmitters, other than acetylcholine, is by reuptake into presynaptic terminals1. However, the close spatial relationships, of neurons and glia, and the glial ensheathment of axons and synapses, suggest that glia, as well as neurons, may participate in the uptake of synaptically released neurotransmitters2, 3 In so far as synaptic transmission depends in part on levels of the transmitter in the cleft, rapid removal of transmitter, either by neurons or glia, will influence or modulate efficacy of transmission. To demonstrate a significant glial role in the modulation of synaptic transmission, it is first necessary to show that glial cells possess mechanisms for the accumulation of transmitter which are comparable in substrate affinity to the pumps present in the specific nerve endings using that transmitter.
Cell proliferation depends on the direct binding between PKM2 and AKAP-Lbc

The M2 form of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase (PKM2) has generated much interest recently due to its important role in tumor metabolism. A yeast two-hybrid screen carried out by the Alliance for Cell Signaling suggests that PKM2 interacts with A-Kinase Anchoring Protein (AKAP)-Lbc. AKAP-Lbc (also known as AKAP13) is a scaffold protein that integrates signaling through multiple enzymes including protein kinases A and D and the small G protein Rho. AKAP-Lbc was originally identified in leukemic blast cells, and multiple reports implicate AKAP-Lbc in breast, prostate and thyroid cancers, however the role of AKAP-Lbc in cancer biology is not understood. Co-immunoprecipitation, pulldown and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) data indicate that PKM2 interacts with AKAP-Lbc. Mapping experiments indicate that PKM2 directly interacts with amino acid residues 1923-2817 of AKAP-Lbc. By disrupting the interaction between the two proteins with the expression of the AKAP-Lbc fragments, our data suggest that the binding between PKM2 and PKA plays a critical role in cell proliferation. The work indicates that the binding between AKAP-Lbc and PKM2 may be an important target to treat some cancers by reducing the cell proliferation.
Introducing Design Patterns and Best Practices in Unity

The introduction of easy access game engines over the past several years is increasingly inspiring people to take up game development who may not have otherwise expressed an interest. Many of these independent game developers choose to use the Unity game engine due to its large asset store, wide variety of platforms to which it can port, as well as Unity's simple and inexpensive license. Using Unity-specific design patterns to inform design decisions can help developers increase productivity when designing a Unity project. The contribution of the work described in this paper is a set of new design patterns and best practices for beginning or intermediate level Unity developers. The implementation of these design patterns has the potential to reduce development time, allow for scalability, and reduce code complexity in many Unity projects, especially for beginning developers.
Makespan minimization in flowshop batch processing problem with different batch compositions on machines

In this research, we consider the flowshop batch processing problem (FBPP) with minimization of makespan, in which the composition of batches can change on different machines. A batch capacity of a machine restricts not only the maximum number of jobs, but also the total attribute size of jobs assigned to the batch processed on the machine. This is the first time that the FBPP is considered for different batch compositions on machines with respect to both the total size and the number of jobs assigned to batches. We propose a mixed-integer linear programming model for the research problem. Since this problem is shown to be NP-hard, several meta-heuristic algorithms based on particle swarm optimization (PSO), enhanced with local search structures, are proposed to solve the research problem heuristically. To have more diversity, different rules are implemented to generate the initial population of the PSO algorithms. Two lower bounding mechanisms are also proposed to generate good quality lower bounds for special cases of the research problem and, consequently, evaluate the performance of the proposed PSO algorithms. A data generation mechanism has been developed in a way that it fairly reflects the real industry requirements. The proposed PSO algorithms are examined by different numerical experiments and the results affirm the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
Farmer selection of sources of information for nitrogen management in the US Midwest: Implications for environmental programs

Nitrogen fertilizer has increased crop yields, but in many regions inefficient use has also resulted in water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Attempts to address these environmental issues focus on education and the adoption of more efficient practices. To understand why inefficient use of nitrogen fertilizer persists, scholars have examined factors influencing management decisions including sources of information. Drawing from personal interviews and a mail survey of corn farmers in the Midwest region of the United States, this study goes beyond research that identifies what sources of information are important and examines how different sources are weighed and combined, why some sources are more influential than others, and what organizations and individuals farmers trust given the many private and public sources of information available. We find that most farmers combine several different sources of information to guide their nitrogen fertilizer decisions, private sector sources are highly influential, and that seed and fertilizer suppliers have successfully established trust with farmers through individual relationships with salespeople and crop consultants. These findings suggest that education programs to address environmental degradation associated with nitrogen fertilizer may be more successful if they involve input suppliers.
Antimicrobial Gases for Food Application

Food processors use various decontamination methods to improve the safety of food and extend product shelf-life. Antimicrobial gases have been used infrequently in food processing for many decades, but renewed interest in these agents has been increasing lately. Food, equipment and processing environments may be decontaminated using alkylating, halogen-based, or oxidizing gases. Examples of these gases are propylene oxide, chlorine dioxide, and ozone, respectively. In this chapter, these categories of decontaminating gases are discussed in depth, including their application to food, targeted microorganisms, and safe use in processing facility.
Degradation of Si/Ge core/shell nanowire heterostructures during lithiation and delithiation at 0.8 and 20 A g−1

Si/Ge core/shell nanowire heterostructures have been expected to provide high energy and power densities for lithium ion battery anodes due to the large capacity of Si and the high electrical and ionic conductivities of Ge. Although the battery anode performances of Si/Ge core/shell nanowire heterostructures have been characterized, the degradation of Si/Ge core/shell nanowire heterostructures has not been thoroughly investigated. Here we report the compositional and structural changes of the Si/Ge core/shell nanowire heterostructure over cycling of lithiation and delithiation at different charging rates. The Si/Ge core/shell nanowire heterostructure holds the core and shell structure at a charging rate of 0.8 A g−1 up to 50 cycles. On the other hand, compositional intermixing and loss of Si occur at a charging rate of 20 A g−1 within 50 cycles. The operation condition-dependent degradation provides a new aspect of materials research for the development of high performance lithium ion battery anodes with a long cycle life.
Anesthesia and Analgesia for Research Animals

This chapter provides a general overview of anesthesia and analgesia of animals for acute neurologic surgical models. Injectable and inhalant anesthetic agents are discussed, as well as analgesia to control post-operative pain. The impact of anesthetic and analgesic agents on three common acute neurologic surgical models is reviewed. Common agents and doses listed by species are provided.
Geographic information systems in the public sector

Geographic information systems emerged in the 1970s and have become significant decision-making tools as their capabilities have been enhanced. This chapter includes a brief discussion of various GIS applications and a more detailed discussion of issues that public managers should consider when evaluating implementation of a geographic information system. GIS applications provide benefits at the basic level in terms of producing maps efficiently, at the planning level through the use of database applications, and at the management decision-making level through an ability to access relational databases for policy-level decisions. In considering the capacity of GIS in the public sector, concise definitions of the major application theories--vector and raster--are offered to provide a basic understanding of the analytical process and GIS toolkit aspects. Issues impacting GIS implementation include needs assessment, project planning, access to public records, liability issues, public and private partnerships, dissemination of information, and privacy issues. Public managers should be aware of difficulties associated with justification of costs associated with GIS implementation and that a hesitancy exists on the part of GIS program managers to share missteps and implementation failures.
High-Speed Internal Photoemission Detectors Enhanced by Grating Coupling to Surface Plasma Waves

The use of gratings to couple optical energy into surface plasma wave (SPW) modes that are confined to a metal-dielectric boundary has been extensively explored [1]. With optimal choices of the grating period and profile, nearly 100% coupling efficiency has been achieved in wavelength ranges where the metal is normally almost totally reflecting. We report the use of this coupling to enhance the quantum efficiency of internal-photoemission detectors in which hot carriers, generated in a metal film by optical absorption, are collected by photoemission over a Schottky barrier into a semiconductor. This class of detectors is of interest as a result of its uniformity, high-speed potential, long wavelength response with binary rather than quaternary III–V compounds, and compatibility with integrated circuit fabrication techniques [2, 3, 4]. For metal-silicide/Si systems, which have been the most thoroughly explored, techniques such as back-illumination and double-pass insulator-metal overlayer structures already provide quite high absorption (> 40%) at infrared wavelengths. Surface texturing has also been used to enhance the responsivity of metal-insulator-metal tunnel junction detectors and of metal-(a-Si)-metal detectors [5,6].
Ultrapurification of Fine Powders by Floc Flotation

Ultrapurification of fine powders by selective flocculation is discussed and a mathematical and computational model to predict selectivity is described. A good correlation between experimental and predicted values was obtained signifying the validity of the model. Conditions for ultrapurification of fine powders derived on the basis of the model are outlined.
Nothing is Real: Protecting the Regulatory Void Through Federal Preemption By Inaction

Whether a federal statute preempts state law has important implications for the allocation of power between the federal and state governments. One aspect of preemption doctrine that has received relatively little scholarly attention is whether the federal government's failure to act is capable of preempting state law and, if so, when. In the regulatory context, Congress must first decide whether as a normative matter it should preempt state law despite its decision not to regulate activities regulated by states. Once Congress has done so, the courts may need to interpret federal legislation to determine whether Congress has decided to preempt state law despite federal inaction. This article addresses both questions. It analyzes whether Congress should preempt state regulation despite the absence of federal regulation. It then recommends how courts should decide whether federal inaction is preemptive. To illustrate the utility of the analytical frameworks suggested here, the article applies them to the question of whether state regulation of activities that contribute to global climate change has been or should be preempted despite the absence of relevant federal regulation. The article makes four recommendations. First, Congress should not preempt state regulation when it has chosen not to regulate unless state regulation would inappropriately impose adverse impacts on other states, or federal policies can best be achieved in the absence of all regulation. Second, absent federal regulation, the courts should never find implied occupation of the field preemption based on policy conflicts. Third, the courts should find such implied preemption only if Congress has explicitly delegated to a federal agency the power to preempt state law to prevent it from subverting federal goals and the agency has clearly and persuasively exercised that authority. Fourth, the courts should never find implied preemption if the federal actor involved lacks jurisdiction over the activities subject to state regulation, and they should not defer to agency statutory interpretations of the preemptive effect of federal law. These recommendations strike an appropriate balance between federal and state power, while minimizing the risk that preemption will create unacceptable health and environment risks.
High‐fat diet effects on amniotic fluid volume and amnion aquaporin expression in non‐human primates

Western style, high-fat diet (HFD) and associated high lipid levels have deleterious effects on fetal and placental development independent of maternal obesity and/or diabetes. Our objectives were to determine whether HFD without development of obesity would alter amniotic fluid volume (AFV) and amnion aquaporin (AQP) expression in a non-human primate model. Japanese macaques were fed either a control diet or HFD before and during pregnancy. The four quadrant amniotic fluid index (AFI) was used as an ultrasonic estimate of AFV at 120 days gestation. Amnion samples were collected at 130 days gestation by cesarean section and AQP mRNA levels were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Similar to that in human, AQP1, AQP3, AQP8, AQP9, and AQP11 were expressed in the macaque amnion with significant differences in levels among AQPs. In macaque, neither individual AQPs nor expression profiles of the five AQPs differed between control and non-obese HFD animals. There were regional differences in AQP expression in that, AQP1 mRNA levels were highest and AQP8 lowest in reflected amnion while AQP3, AQP9, and AQP11 were not different among amnion regions. When subdivided into control and HFD groups, AQP1 mRNA levels remain highest in the reflected amnion of both groups. The HFD did not significantly affect the AFI, but AFI was positively correlated with AQP11 mRNA levels independent of diet. Collectively, these data suggest that HFD in pregnant non-obese individuals may have at most modest effects on AFV as the AFI and amnion AQP expression are not substantially altered.
Art, Poetry, and Testimonio in Cecilia Vicuña’s Saborami (1973)

Saborami (1973) is the first book published by Chilean poet-artist Cecilia Vicuna (b. 1947) and one of the first artistic denunciations of the violence of the September 11, 1973 military coup d’etat in Chile. This understudied work of the Chilean neo avant-garde was first published in a bilingual Spanish-English edition with Beau Geste Press, one of the most influential independent presses for the publication, printing and duplicating of experimental art in the 1970s. This first artisanal edition of 250 copies was constructed from recycled paper and gathered several of the art projects Vicuna had been working on in the years prior to the coup, pairing them with poetic reflections on the politics of her art. Saborami is a dense, complex, multi-tonal work composed of –among other things– found objects, personal letters, ironic and non-ironic self-portraits of the artist in suggestive positions, mimeographed images of various types, duplications of the author’s earlier paintings, and a collection of erotic poems that were slated to be published during the last years of the Allende regime but were apparently censored for their explicit sexuality. Co-authors Lynd and Roncero-Bellido position this work at the crossroads between testimonio and vanguard art, then proceed to examine Vicuna’s aesthetically innovative contribution to the testimonial genre. Recent new editions of Saborami , the authors argue, demonstrate the need for a scholarly discourse that takes seriously the role of 1960s and 1970s experimental art as an important manifestation of oppositional discourses.