cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of crystallinity on endurance and switching behavior of HfO x -based resistive memory devices

This paper compares the resistive switching properties of crystalline and amorphous HfO x thin-film resistive memory devices (RMDs), which were fabricated by physical vapor deposition films using two different O 2 partial pressures. The crystallinity of the two HfO x samples was verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ni/HfO x /Cu devices fabricated from both 50 nm thick amorphous and crystalline HfO x films exhibited consistent bipolar switching. Average electroforming voltage for the crystalline and amorphous weare set ) and reset (V reset ) voltages of −2.25 V and 0.35 V, respectively, independent of electrode size and current compliance. Preliminary endurance data shows that the amorphous device shows the better endurance (14,300 cycles) compared to that of the crystalline device (102,000 cycles), which is at about an order of magnitude higher than the endurance of the crystalline device. Switching uniformity for both devices showeds similar trends with dispersions (standard deviation/mean ratio) of about 30% for V set and V reset .
Warm preconditioning protects against acute heat-induced respiratory dysfunction and delays bleaching in a symbiotic sea anemone.

ABSTRACT Preconditioning to non-stressful warming can protect some symbiotic cnidarians against the high temperature-induced collapse of their mutualistic endosymbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium spp.), a process known as bleaching. Here, we sought to determine whether such preconditioning is underpinned by differential regulation of aerobic respiration. We quantified in vivo metabolism and mitochondrial respiratory enzyme activity in the naturally symbiotic sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida preconditioned to 30°C for >7 weeks as well as anemones kept at 26°C. Preconditioning resulted in increased Symbiodinium photosynthetic activity and holobiont (host+symbiont) respiration rates. Biomass-normalised activities of host respiratory enzymes [citrate synthase and the mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) complexes I and IV] were higher in preconditioned animals, suggesting that increased holobiont respiration may have been due to host mitochondrial biogenesis and/or enlargement. Subsequent acute heating of preconditioned and ‘thermally naive’ animals to 33°C induced dramatic increases in host mETC complex I and Symbiodinium mETC complex II activities only in thermally naive E. pallida. These changes were not reflected in the activities of other respiratory enzymes. Furthermore, bleaching in preconditioned E. pallida (defined as the significant loss of symbionts) was delayed by several days relative to the thermally naive group. These findings suggest that changes to mitochondrial biogenesis and/or function in symbiotic cnidarians during warm preconditioning might play a protective role during periods of exposure to stressful heating.
Genome-wide SNP identification, linkage map construction and QTL mapping for seed mineral concentrations and contents in pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Marker-assisted breeding is now routinely used in major crops to facilitate more efficient cultivar improvement. This has been significantly enabled by the use of next-generation sequencing technology to identify loci and markers associated with traits of interest. While rich in a range of nutritional components, such as protein, mineral nutrients, carbohydrates and several vitamins, pea (Pisum sativum L.), one of the oldest domesticated crops in the world, remains behind many other crops in the availability of genomic and genetic resources. To further improve mineral nutrient levels in pea seeds requires the development of genome-wide tools. The objectives of this research were to develop these tools by: identifying genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using genotyping by sequencing (GBS); constructing a high-density linkage map and comparative maps with other legumes, and identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) for levels of boron, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorous, sulfur, and zinc in the seed, as well as for seed weight. In this study, 1609 high quality SNPs were found to be polymorphic between ‘Kiflica’ and ‘Aragorn’, two parents of an F6-derived recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. Mapping 1683 markers including 75 previously published markers and 1608 SNPs developed from the present study generated a linkage map of size 1310.1 cM. Comparative mapping with other legumes demonstrated that the highest level of synteny was observed between pea and the genome of Medicago truncatula. QTL analysis of the RIL population across two locations revealed at least one QTL for each of the mineral nutrient traits. In total, 46 seed mineral concentration QTLs, 37 seed mineral content QTLs, and 6 seed weight QTLs were discovered. The QTLs explained from 2.4% to 43.3% of the phenotypic variance. The genome-wide SNPs and the genetic linkage map developed in this study permitted QTL identification for pea seed mineral nutrients that will serve as important resources to enable marker-assisted selection (MAS) for nutritional quality traits in pea breeding programs.
Review Summary Generation for Spoken Dialogue Recommendation Systems

In this paper we present an opinion summarization technique in spoken dialogue systems. Opinion mining has been well studied for years, but very few have considered its application in spoken dialogue systems. Review summarization, when applied to real dialogue systems, is much more complicated than pure text-based summarization. We conduct a systematic study on dialogue-system-oriented review analysis and propose a three-level framework for a recommendation dialogue system. In previous work we have explored a linguistic parsing approach to phrase extraction from reviews. In this paper we will describe an approach using statistical models such as decision trees and SVMs to select the most representative phrases from the extracted phrase set. We will also explain how to generate informative yet concise review summaries for dialogue purposes. Experimental results in the restaurant domain show that the proposed approach using decision tree algorithms achieves an outperformance of 13% compared to SVM models and an improvement of 36% over a heuristic rule baseline. Experiments also show that the decision-treebased phrase selection model can achieve rather reliable predictions on the phrase label, comparable to human judgment. The proposed statistical approach is based on domain-independent learning features and can be extended to other domains effectively.
A fully integrated 75–83 GHz FMCW synthesizer for automotive radar applications with −97 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 MHz offset and 100 GHz/mSec maximal chirp rate

We present a SiGe BiCMOS fully integrated 75–83 GHz FMCW synthesizer for automotive radar applications. Performance enhancements were achieved by utilizing the bulk-drain parasitic variable capacitance of P-channel transistors, embedded in a gm-boosted Colpitts VCO, for frequency control. This mechanism was incorporated in a dual path PLL, providing low loop bandwidth variation over the whole output frequency range, −97 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 MHz offset and maximum chirp rate of 100 GHz/mSec.
Onto-Technics in Bryant, Harman, and Nancy

My hypothesis in this article is that it is possible to use the philosophical concept of technics to solve a conflict in contemporary continental ontology between speculative materialist and (post)phenomenological approaches. More precisely, I will show that technics gives a privileged access to ontology because it leads to a “materialist” ontology, avoiding both theological and nihilistic approaches, and because technics, being by definition a domain of artificiality, precludes any explication of it in terms of naturalist materialism. I start by critically examining two techno-ontologies that come from speculative realism and object-oriented ontology: Levi R. Bryant’s onto-cartography and Graham Harman’s tool-being. I then present, as a counter-position, Jean-Luc Nancy’s idea of “ecotechnology”. In conclusion, I evaluate the usefulness of the concept of technics for ontology and argue that Nancy’s post-phenomenological approach is preferable because it avoids indefensible hypostases and is more attentive to its own discursive status.
Accessing Malagasy Citizenship: The Nationality Code and Its Impact on the Karana

At the time Madagascar gained independence, only those who had been naturalized French citizens had the opportunity to choose Malagasy citizenship. Foreigners who had settled in the country, but did not have French citizenship were left stateless. Many of these foreigners have been in the country for four or five generations and are still waiting to be naturalized. These individuals are mostly Muslim or of Indian/Pakistani decent. Those of Indian/Pakistani decent, called Karana, occupy a unique space in Malagasy society because the Karana are estimated to contribute close to one-third of the country’s GDP. Preventing the Karana from accessing citizenship disincentives the wealthiest in the country from investing in its growth. As Madagascar develops, access to citizenship will come to the forefront of the political agenda. The government has the opportunity now to peacefully reform the citizenship system and build a strong foundation for a vibrant participatory democracy in the future. Madagascar can reform the citizenship system by amending the Nationality Code to protect against statelessness and discrimination, addressing institutional barriers to access, and promoting integration of the Muslim and Karana communities.
Association between PCT levels and liver function in liver cirrhosis patients

Objective To explore the association between procalcitonin (PCT)levels and liver function in liver cirrhosis patients. Methods Collect serum samples from 44 liver cirrhosis patients, detect the PCT levels by semi-quantitative solid immunoassay, and at the same time, detect the serum levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, ALB, CHE, CHOL, PTA etc, then rate the patients by Child-pugh scoring system into Child-pugh A, B, C. Results set PCT ＞0. 5 μg/L as the positive threshold, significantly the PCT positive patients have higher ALT, TBIL but lower CHOL,PTA compared with the PCT negative patients. With the increasing of PCT levels,the ALT, AST, TBIL levels are gradually increased too, but PTA decreased. We find that the PCT positive patients are mainly Child-pugh B and C patients, and PCT negative patients are mainly Child-pugh C patients. PCT positive patient's lymphocyte count are lower than PCT negative patient's. Conclusion Liver injury increase the risk of infection in liver cirrhosis patients. As the severity of the injury, the patients are easier to progress into severe infection. Combined with monitoring the PCT levels, pay more attention to protect the liver function will be helpful in early detecting infections and controlling of infection in liver cirrhosis patients. Key words: Liver cirrhosis; Calcitonin; Clinical medicine
TeRK: A Flexible Tool for Science and Technology Education

We present TeRK, a new contribution to the field of educational robotics. TeRK combines a highly functional, low cost controller, the Qwerk, with an extensive software infrastructure and lively web community to lower the barrier to entry for students, hobbyists, artists and researchers interested in using robotic technologies. We further describe our experiences in applying TeRK to engage and excite two audiences; middle school girls and students taking the introductory computer science course.
More on Structure Involving 1018 Me

The claim has been made (Tully 1986a, b) that we reside in an overdense region that involves 1018 M2290 and extends across a dimension corresponding to 10% of the distance to the event horizon. An important part of the basis for the claim is the observation that there is a significant enhancement of rich clusters of galaxies coincident with the supergalactic equator; that is, coincident with the plane of the Local Supercluster as defined by Shapley-Ames galaxies.
Needle placement approach to subacromial injection in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: A systematic review.

Background Subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) is the most common cause of shoulder pain and is costly, in terms of disability and health service provision. Research evidence suggests that, generally, the anterior, lateral and posterior approaches are used by clinicians for subacromial injection. However, it is uncertain which of these approaches is more effective than the other in the management of SAIS. Objectives The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of the anterior, lateral approach to subacromial injection compared with the posterior approach for the treatment of SAIS. Methods A comprehensive search was undertaken of CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, PEDro and the E-Journals databases using full texts, from 1980 to April 2014 and updated in December 2016 via the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (EBSCOhost). Studies of SAIS patients receiving cortisone injections which investigated needle placement through the lateral, posterior or anterior routes were included. Study selection, data extraction and appraisal of the study were undertaken by the researcher and his supervisor. Quality criteria were selected from PEDro, to form a checklist of 10 items. Results A total of 4265 citations were retrieved and screened for eligibility; 39 articles were assessed as full text and 8 met the inclusion criteria. They include four randomized controlled trials and four controlled trials. Due to the varying methodological quality, and clinical and statistical heterogeneity of these studies, they were analysed qualitatively, as a meta-analysis was not possible. Conclusions The evidence establishing the superiority of any one method of subacromial injection approach over the other is unclear in clinical practice. This calls for further research into this area.
Selling Eden: Environmentalism, Local Meat, and the Postcommodity Fetish:

Advocates for eating locally raised animals claim that their practice is helpful in protecting the environment. However, the opposite is true. As such, their references to “nature” have less to do ...
An alternative method to examine the predictive value of mechanical dyssynchrony

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT) has traditionally been used to assess the presence or absence of epicardial coronary artery disease. The prognostic significance of perfusion defects measured by SPECT MPI is well-validated. With the advent of software developments, electrocardiographically gated SPECT MPI (GSPECT MPI) can also measure left ventricular (LV) mechanical dyssynchrony. The degree of heterogeneity in the onset of mechanical contraction (phase standard deviation (SD)) and the range of time during which 95% of the LV is initiating contraction (phase bandwidth (BW)) are key measures of dyssynchrony. The prognostic value of these measures of mechanical dyssynchrony is not adequately studied. A central question is whether there is a threshold below which adverse events are unlikely to occur. For the current analysis, data sources were the Duke Nuclear Cardiology Databank and the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular (CV) Disease. The latter enrolls patients with angiographically significant coronary heart disease. Patients presenting for GSPECT MPI between June of 1993 and May of 1999 with concurrent electrocardiographic results and assessment of LV function were included in this study. Dyssynchrony data were obtained by post-processing using commercially available software (Emory Toolbox, Emory University, Atlanta, GA). Baseline clinical characteristics were examined using medians (25th and 75th percentiles) for continuous variables and percentages for categorical and ordinal variables. Time to CV and all-cause deaths stratified by QRS duration and phase BW were examined using the Kaplan-Meier methods. Associations between phase BW and CV and all-cause deaths were examined using Cox-proportional hazards modeling. The linear relationship between BW and outcomes was examined using cubic spline testing, and transformations were implemented if necessary to satisfy this assumption. For adjustment, standard clinical covariates were used. In a sensitivity analysis, the same models were assessed using phase SD in lieu of phase BW. Tests were two-sided, and significance was present if p\ 0.05. Analyses were performed using SAS software version 9.2 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). The Duke University Health System institutional review board approved the study and granted a waiver of consent. Baseline patient characteristics are shown in Table 1. The median age of the study population was 64 (interquartile range 55-72) years. Patients were predominantly men and whites. A majority had Funding was provided by GE Healthcare. Reprint requests: Paul L. Hess, MD, Duke Clinical Research Institute, PO Box 17969, Durham, NC 27715; p.hess@duke.edu J Nucl Cardiol 2015;22:686–9. 1071-3581/$34.00 Copyright 2015 American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.
An Integrated Framework Based on Full Monte Carlo Simulations for Double-Scattering Proton Therapy.

ABSTRACT Purpose: We developed an integrated framework that employs a full Monte Carlo (MC) model for treatment-plan simulations of a passive double-scattering proton system. Materials and Methods:...
Impact of pharmacy-supported interventions on proportion of patients receiving non-indicated acid suppressive therapy upon discharge: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the impact of pharmacy-supported interventions on the proportion of patients discharged from the hospital on inappropriate acid suppressive therapy (AST). Methods To identify studies, the following databases were systematically searched on October 14th, 2018 and repeated on September 12th, 2019: Ovid MEDLINE(R) and In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily, Embase.com, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL (EBSCO), and ClinicalTrials.gov. Eligible studies consisted of adults, intervention and historical/usual care groups, description of active pharmacy-supported intervention, and proportion of patients discharged on inappropriate AST. Qualitative assessments and quantitative analyses were performed. Modified funnel plot analysis assessed heterogeneity. Preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used to evaluate studies in this review. Results Seventeen publications resulting in 16 studies were included in the review. Using random effects model, meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in the odds of being discharged on inappropriate AST from the hospital in the pharmacist-supported intervention arm versus comparator (Odds Ratio 0.33 [95%CI 0.20 to 0.53]), with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 86%). Eleven studies favored pharmacy-supported interventions, four were inconclusive and one favored usual care. Using modified funnel plot analysis, our final evaluation was distilled to 11 studies and revealed a similar outcome (OR 0.36 [95%CI 0.27 to 0.48]), but with less heterogeneity (I2 = 36%). Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that pharmacy-supported interventions were associated with a significantly reduced probability of patients discharged on inappropriate AST. However, heterogeneity was high and may affect interpretation of results. Using funnel plot optimization method, three positive and two negative studies were objectively removed from analyses, resulting in a similar effect size, but with less heterogeneity. To improve study quality, future researchers should consider utilizing a pre-post, multi-arm, prospective design with sampling randomization, training of data extractors (preferably two extractors), re-evaluating a small dataset to check for agreement and providing a comprehensive methodology in subsequent publications.
Newsvendor Inventory and Pricing Decisions in the Presence of Stochastic Purchase Return

We consider a multi-period Newsvendor problem where the seller decides the initial inventory level and dynamically sets the prices in every periods. A purchase made in a period can be returned at a (random) future period following a return time distribution. Unlike existing works in the literature, which usually assume an exponential return time distribution with memoryless property for tractability, we consider a sufficiently general class of return time distributions that is not Markovian. The stochastic control formulation of this problem is intractable since the inventory dynamics depend on the timing of all past sales that have not been returned. We overcome this challenge by proposing two computationally tractable policies that are designed based on the solution of the deterministic counterpart of the intractable stochastic model. Our first policy (FP) uses a sequence of fixed prices throughout the horizon; our second policy (DBP) dynamically adjusts the prices based on the realized sales and returns. We show that our proposed policies are asymptotically optimal in the setting where the total market size for the whole selling season is large, with the second policy guaranteeing a stronger performance bound than the first one. Our analysis characterizes the dependency of price adjustments across periods. To test the performance of our policies on non-asymptotic setting, we run numerical experiments using relatively small per-period market size. We demonstrate that, in general, ignoring product returns in inventory planning and pricing decisions results in a 20-40% loss and that naive re-optimizations of a formulation that ignores (future) product returns do not help much; in contrast, our FP policy curbs the loss to 4-20% and our DBP policy further shrinks it to 1.5-13%. This highlights both the value of properly taking into account customers' return behavior in inventory and pricing decisions, and the power of properly devised simple policies.
CAR T Cells for Acute Myeloid Leukemia: State of the Art and Future Directions

Relapse after conventional chemotherapy remains a major problem in patients with myeloid malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and the major cause of death after diagnosis of AML is from relapsed disease. The only potentially curative treatment option currently available is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), which through its graft-vs.-leukemia effects has the ability to eliminate residual leukemia cells. Despite its long history of success however, relapse following allo-HSCT is still a major challenge and is associated with poor prognosis. In the field of adoptive therapy, CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have yielded remarkable clinical success in certain types of B-cell malignancies, and substantial efforts aimed at translating this success to myeloid malignancies are currently underway. While complete ablation of CD19-expressing B cells, both cancerous and healthy, is clinically tolerated, the primary challenge limiting the use of CAR T cells in myeloid malignancies is the absence of a dispensable antigen, as myeloid antigens are often co-expressed on normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), depletion of which would lead to intolerable myeloablation. This review provides a discussion on the current state of CAR T cell therapy in myeloid malignancies, limitations for clinical translation, as well as the most recent approaches to overcome these barriers, through various genetic modification and combinatorial strategies in an attempt to make CAR T cell therapy a safe and viable option for patients with myeloid malignancies.
Childhood maltreatment and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in adult men and women:Findings from project EAT

This study examined gender differences in the association between childhood maltreatment and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in adulthood. Data were derived from 1647 adults (ages 27-33) participating in a population-based, longitudinal study (Project EAT-IV: Eating Among Teens and Young Adults, 1998-2016). Childhood maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect) and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (overeating, binge eating, extreme weight control behaviors, unhealthy weight control behaviors, chronic dieting, weight and shape concerns) were assessed. Relative risk regression models were used to examine whether childhood maltreatment was related to individual disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Gender differences in these associations were explored. A history of any childhood maltreatment was associated with more than 60% greater risk for chronic dieting and overeating, with additional associations found for binge eating, weight and shape concerns, and unhealthy weight control behaviors. All types of abuse and neglect were associated with at least one type of disordered eating outcome. Examination of the point estimates indicated that emotional neglect was most consistently related to higher risk for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Although there were no statistically significant gender differences in the association between childhood maltreatment and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, the patterning of these effects highlighted unique qualitative similarities and differences in these relationships between men and women. Taken together, these findings implicate childhood maltreatment, particularly emotional neglect, as a meaningful risk factor for problematic eating outcomes in both men and women during adulthood.
Internalized Shame and Social Stress-Induced Blood Pressure Patterns among Young Black Women.

Background: The increasing prevalence of hypertension among young Black women warrants further exploration of hypertension risk factors in this population. Social cogni­tive pathways that increase hypertension risk have been understudied among Black women. Shame, an emotional response to social evaluative threats, may be important to understanding the contribution of social emotions to hypertension risk. The current study examined the association of internal­ized shame on systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DPB) patterns of reactivity and recovery in a sample of Black women. Methods: Black women (N=32) aged 18-22 were recruited from a public uni­versity in August 2019 and January 2020. Participants completed the Internalized Shame Scale, Self-Esteem subscale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. All participants com­pleted the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and subsequent blood pressure readings were recorded at baseline and 1 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min post-TSST. Two separate repeated measures ANOVAs exam­ined time and group effects of low shame (ISS score ≤ 39.9) vs high shame (ISS score ≥ 40) on blood pressure reactivity patterns. Results: A significant effect of shame on DBP responses to the TSST was observed (P=.020). DBP for women in the low shame group peaked immediately following the TSST relative to baseline (M =81.2 mm Hg vs M =72.2 mm Hg) and remained stable during 60-minute recovery. DBP for women in the high shame group did not peak until 45 min post-TSST relative to baseline (M =84.2 mm Hg vs M =68.0 mm Hg) only slightly decreasing at 60 min post-TSST. Implications: These results highlight the need to further examine the role of shame on hypertension risk among young Black women. Ethn Dis. 2021;31(2):167-176; doi:10.18865/ed.31.2.167
De la house au ballet : décolonisation de la danse en France

Lutte des classes, violences de genre, racisme systemique, certaines danses, tels le hip-hop, la house ou le voguing, se sont historiquement faites porte-parole de voix minoritaires en devenant un espace intersectionnel qui met en corps la pluralite des identites francaises. Parallelement, d’autres danses, telles que la danse classique ou les danses folkloriques, sont utilisees comme moyen de modeler les corps et de les uniformiser au profit d’une docilite sociale et pour conserver une danse creee sur un modele imperialiste. En explorant la house, danse encore meconnue par le large public en France, et en la confrontant a la danse classique, cet article cherche a reflechir sur la resistance francaise a penser la danse actuelle dans sa diversite. Il repond egalement au debat actuel sur la decolonisation des arts opposant « antiracistes » et « universalistes ».
Patient Awareness During General Anesthesia: A Shocking Outcome

Patient awareness under minimal anesthesia may include the painful impulses of a nerve stimulator used for the monitoring of muscle relaxation. We present a case where discomfort from nerve stimulation was greater than that caused by the surgical incision or the endotracheal tube.
Assessing legal strains and risk of suicide using archived court data.

Relatively little is known about legal entanglements and suicide risk. This matched case-control study estimated the risk of suicide associated with legal strains using online court archives, a novel source of exposure data. Court records linked to suicide deaths (N = 315), controls (N = 630), and unintentional injury and poisoning deaths (N = 630) for an urban county from 2000 to 2005 revealed that nearly a third of suicide victims had recent court involvement, twice the proportion among controls. Misdemeanors, car accidents, and foreclosures were each associated with a threefold risk of suicide. Implications for suicide prevention and research are discussed. Language: en
Ion Screening in Solids

In 1950, Hall [1] reported the results of an investigation of charge states in proton beams emerging from metals with energies between 20 and 400 keV, as summarized in Fig. 1.
Guanyl Cyclase, an Enzyme Catalyzing the Formation of Guanosine 3',5'-Monophosphate from Guanosine Triphosphate

Abstract Guanyl cyclase, an enzyme catalyzing the formation of guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate from guanosine triphosphate, has been identified in a variety of animal tissues. Conditions were established under which formation of cyclic GMP was proportional to the amount of enzyme added and to incubation time. The enzyme differs markedly from adenyl cyclase in a number of respects. It is largely soluble in most tissues studied whereas adenyl cyclase is particulate. The relative distribution of the two cyclase activities among several tissues is quite different. In broken cell preparations, guanyl cyclase activity is not stimulated by fluoride, glucagon, or epinephrine under conditions where adenyl cyclase activity is stimulated. The activity of both guanyl cyclase and adenyl cyclase is greater in the presence of Mn++ than Mg++, but the effect of Mn++ is much more striking with guanyl cyclase. The enzyme has a pH optimum between 7.4 and 8.0. The apparent Km for GTP is between 0.02 and 0.1 mm and that for Mn++ is about 0.5 mm. Guanyl cyclase is heat-labile and inhibited by a number of nucleotides including dGTP, ATP, ADP, and ITP, and by P-enolpyruvate and oxalacetate. Zn++, Cd++ and Hg++ inhibit guanyl cyclase in a manner that is prevented by SH reagents. Preliminary attempts to purify the enzyme by conventional techniques have yielded a purification of about 20-fold.
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Pathways

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disease in which the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is hyperactivated. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is the pulmonary manifestation of TSC which occurs primarily in women. The TSC proteins tuberin and hamartin regulate the small guanosine triphophatase (GTPase) Rheb (Ras homologue enriched in brain), a direct activator of mTORC1. Activation of mTORC1 has been observed in TSC tumours and other human tumours, and mTORC1 inhibitors have been tested for the treatment of TSC and for malignancies including renal cancer. In this article, we discuss diagnostic features, updated molecular basis, evidences of mTORC1 activation, preclinical models and completed clinical trials of mTORC1 inhibitors in TSC. We also review the evidence of mTORC1-independent functions of the TSC proteins, and discuss future therapeutic perspectives combining mTORC1 inhibitors with agents targeting other cellular pathways. Key Concepts: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a hereditary disease characterised by the development of seizures, mental retardation, autism and hamartomas in multiple organs including the brain, retina, kidney, heart and skin. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is the metastatic pulmonary manifestation of TSC occurring almost exclusively in women, in whom the lungs are infiltrated with abnormal smooth muscle-like cells and there is degeneration of lung parenchyma. Metastasis is the multistep process in which tumour cells at the primary site spread to distant tissues/organs to proliferate. Loss of heterozygosity refers to the loss of a normal allele on a chromosome while the other allele has a genetic alteration or mutation. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) refers to the FRAP1 gene product, a serine/threonine protein kinase that controls ribosome biogenesis, protein translation, cell growth and metabolism. Keywords: tuberous sclerosis complex; lymphangioleiomyomatosis; Rheb; MTORC1; rapamycin; angiomyolipomas; metastasis; tumour suppressor; differentiation; signal transduction
Developmentally regulated changes in 1,2-diacylglycerol in Dictyostelium : regulation by light and G proteins

We have measured 1,2-diacylglycerol (DG) mass during Dictyostelium development. DG levels are initially high in vegetative cells, decrease upon starvation, increase during aggregation, and rise dramatically during culmination, concomitant with SpiA (a spore cell-specific gene) expression. These results are consistent with DG being involved in culmination-stage morphological changes and cell-type differentiation. Mutant analysis shows that the rise in DG during aggregation requires cAMP signaling pathways but is not directly regulated through these processes but via developmental programs induced through cAMP. DG accumulation during aggregation is approximately 8-fold higher than would be expected from inositol lipid hydrolysis (1), suggesting that DG is produced from sources in addition to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Our data suggest that during aggregation, although some DG is formed through phospholipase D activity, other pathways (e.g. de novo synthesis) may be more important regulators of DG accumulation. During culmination, DG accumulation correlated with the formation of phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylethanol suggesting the activation of phospholipase D. During this time, the [3H]palmitate labeling of a number of phospholipids decreased rapidly, suggesting a rapid metabolism of phospholipids at this time. Exposure of slugs developed in the dark to light, which initiates culmination, causes rapid DG accumulation, suggesting the activation of phospholipid hydrolysis. The temporal pattern and level of DG accumulation is altered in G alpha 1 null and overexpressing strains, suggesting that G alpha 1 is upstream from DG formation during culmination. These results demonstrate that specific pathways of DG formation are under developmental control and suggest a possible link between light, the activation of DG production, and induction of culmination.
Influence of cement alkali distribution on expansion due to alkali-silica reaction

In order to better understand the factors controlling alkali-silica reaction, a study was carried out to show if the distribution of alkalies among the cement minerals influences the expansion of mortar containing reactive aggregate. The approach was to determine the distribution of alkalies in four high-alkali portland cements, and to measure expansion of mortar bars prepared using these cements and reactive aggregates. In some cases, differences were observed in both the ultimate level and the early rate of expansion for cements differing in distribution of alkalies. The differences were substantial with opals as the reactive constitutent. Cements richer in soluble alkali-sulfate phases appeared to show greater levels and rates of expansion. The results demonstrate that the specific distribution of alkalies among the cement minerals affects the expansion due to alkali-silica reaction.
Hemodynamic actions of insulin

There is accumulating evidence that insulin has a physiological role to vasodilate skeletal muscle vasculature in humans. This effect occurs in a dose-dependent fashion within a half-maximal respon...
Cloud scale distributed evolutionary strategies for high dimensional problems

We develop and evaluate a cloud scale distributed covariance matrix adaptation based evolutionary strategy for problems with dimensions as high as 400. We adopt an island based distribution model and rely on a peer-to-peer communication protocol. We identify a variety of parameters in a distributed island model that could be randomized leading to a new dynamic migration protocol that can prove advantageous when computing on the cloud. Our approach enables efficient and high quality distributed sampling while mitigating the latencies and failure risks associated with running on a cloud. We evaluate performance on a real world problem from the domain of wind energy: wind farm turbine layout optimization.
The (racial) biases of communication: rethinking media and blackness

The media studies approach to race often examines blackness through depictions in music lyrics, movies, and videos. The vast majority of these studies posit that media may provide ‘fair’ or ‘unfair’ depictions of blackness. Less examined is the importance of media environments to the structuring of racial relations in the United States. This article extends the contemporary literature on black media studies by taking a ‘medium theory’ approach to analyzing blackness. I argue medium theory aids studies of blackness by showing the ways in which the technologies we use transform the environments we inhabit in ways that further racialization processes beyond depictions of music lyrics or reality TV. To examine the interrelations between media environments and blackness, I offer a critical rereading of the Underground Railroad. I argue the Underground Railroad's success was related to the necessity of brilliant planning and a complex understanding by slaves and conductors of the essential overlapping of space-...
p‐Iodobenzyl Bromide

[16004-15-2] C7H6BrI (MW 296.94) InChI = 1S/C7H6BrI/c8-5-6-1-3-7(9)4-2-6/h1-4H,5H2 InChIKey = BQTRMYJYYNQQGK-UHFFFAOYSA-N (reagent used as a stable protecting group removable by Pd-catalyzed amination followed by acid treatment) Alternate Name: α-bromo-4-iodotoluene; 1-bromomethyl-4- iodo-benzene. Physical Data: mp 78–82 °C, bp 115–120 °C (at 0.6 Torr). Solubility: soluble in ether and most organic solvents; insoluble in water. Form Supplied in: light beige crystalline solid. Analysis of Reagent Purity: 1H NMR, IR, and elemental analysis. Purification: crystallize from ethanol. Preparative Methods: bromination of 4-iodotoluene with NBS in CBr4 and catalytic benzoyl peroxide.1 Bromination of 4-iodobenzyl alcohol with CBr4, triphenyl phosphine, and CH2Cl2.2 Commercially available. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: corrosive, lachrymator, moisture sensitive, stored under nitrogen, causes burns, irritant to eyes, respiratory system, and skin. Disposal: contact a licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of this material. Dissolve or mix with a combustible solvent and burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber.
A combined field ionization-ion kinetic energy spectrometer for multicomponent mixture analysis

Abstract A combined field ionization-collision-induced dissociation instrument has been constructed that will allow the determination of structure of individual components in a complex mixture. A high transmission mass analyzer, differentially pumped collision cell and a spherical electrostatic analyzer are employed to allow collisional spectra to be recorded using samples containing approximately 1 μg per component.
Optimized spin relaxation length in few layer graphene at room temperature

For the first time, a spin relaxation length (λ S ) of ∼5μm is measured in graphene at room temperature — a critical accomplishment considering the recent interest in spin based devices for low power applications. The key to this demonstration lies in the use of few layer graphene. In fact, optimum performance is demonstrated here for ∼7-layer graphene. Moreover, a 4x increase of λ S is observed at 77K.
Infrared spectroscopy and hydrogen-bond dynamics of liquid water from centroid molecular dynamics with an ab initio-based force field.

A molecular-level description of the unique properties of hydrogen-bond networks is critical for understanding many fundamental physicochemical processes in aqueous environments. In this Article, a novel simulation approach, combining an ab initio-based force field for water with a quantum treatment of the nuclear motion, is applied to investigate hydrogen-bond dynamics in liquid water with a specific focus on the relationship of these dynamics to vibrational spectroscopy. Linear and nonlinear infrared (IR) spectra are calculated for liquid water, HOD in D2O and HOD in H2O, and discussed in the context of the results obtained using other approaches that have been employed in studies of water dynamics. A comparison between the calculated spectra and the available experimental data yields an overall good agreement, indicating the accuracy of the present simulation approach in describing the properties of liquid water under ambient conditions. Possible improvements on the representation of the underlying wat...
Self-regulation, identity-regulation and health

As investigators have worked to understand the psychological processes that guide how people manage their health and cope with illness, they have frequently turned to theoretical and methodological...
The Importance of Thermodynamic Equilibrium for High Throughput Gene Expression Arrays

We present an analysis of physical chemical constraints on the accuracy of DNA micro-arrays under equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. At the beginning of the article we describe an algorithm for choosing a probe set with high specificity for targeted genes under equilibrium conditions. The algorithm as well as existing methods is used to select probes from the full Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, and these probe sets, along with a randomly selected set, are used to simulate array experiments and identify sources of error. Inasmuch as specificity and sensitivity are maximum at thermodynamic equilibrium, we are particularly interested in the factors that affect the approach to equilibrium. These are analyzed later in the article, where we develop and apply a rapidly executable method to simulate the kinetics of hybridization on a solid phase support. Although the difference between solution phase and solid phase hybridization is of little consequence for specificity and sensitivity when equilibrium is achieved, the kinetics of hybridization has a pronounced effect on both. We first use the model to estimate the effects of diffusion, crosshybridization, relaxation time, and target concentration on the hybridization kinetics, and then investigate the effects of the most important kinetic parameters on specificity. We find even when using probe sets that have high specificity at equilibrium that substantial crosshybridization is present under nonequilibrium conditions. Although those complexes that differ from perfect complementarity by more than a single base do not contribute to sources of error at equilibrium, they slow the approach to equilibrium dramatically and confound interpretation of the data when they dissociate on a time scale comparable to the time of the experiment. For the best probe set, our simulation shows that steady-state behavior is obtained in a relaxation time of approximately 12-15 h for experimental target concentrations approximately (10(-13) - 10(-14))M, but the time is greater for lower target concentrations in the range (10(-15)-10(-16))M. The result points to an asymmetry in the accuracy with which up- and downregulated genes are identified.
A new species of the anglerfish genus Lophiocharon Whitley (Lophiiformes: Antennariidae) from Australian waters

A new species of the antennariid anglerfish genus Lophiocharon, L. hutchinsi, is described on the basis of nine specimens collected from Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland, and from the Aru Islands, Indonesia. It differs from its congeners in having a combination of features that includes a reduced esca, scarcely, if at all, differentiated from the illicium, and a relatively short illicium covered from base to tip with small dermal spinules.
Toward a mission value for subsea search with bottom-type variability

We propose a value function that can be used to evaluate candidate search paths for mobile sensor agents that seek to find specific objects. Our work is motivated by subsea applications where the mobile sensor agent surveys the seafloor using sonar. We presume that typical sensor performance characteristics are known, including probability of detection and probability of false alarm. Since variations in the environment can affect sensor performance, we also address the case that a stochastic description of the environment is available.
Simone's funeral: Egyptian lives, Jewish deaths in twenty-first-century Cairo

In August of 2006, the Jewish community of Cairo, Egypt buried one of its own in the ancient cemetery of Bassatine. Without enough Jews still alive to perform the prescribed rites, the resulting funeral mirrored both the life and death of the Jewish community itself. In thinking about the interplay between historical research and personal experience, this essay details the death and funeral service, paying special attention to the performance of ritual within a community that is itself dying out. It then contemplates the complexity of individual Egyptian Jewish lives and the subsequent important role of death in connecting, organizing, and categorizing the living.
Restriction endonuclease mapping by crossed contact hybridization: the ribosomal RNA genes of Achlya ambisexuahis

Abstract A rapid, convenient and economical method for the hybridization of electrophoretically resolved RNA to DNA restriction fragments immobilized on nitrocellulose filters is described. DNA was digested, electrophoresed on agarose gels in a wide band and transferred to a nitrocellulose filter. The filter was then placed on the surface of a second gel containing radioactively labeled RNA electrophoresed under denaturing conditions in a similar way. The filter and gel were oriented so that the DNA and RNA bands were perpendicular to one another and the RNA was transferred from the gel through the filter under conditions which promote RNA-DNA hybridization. Following washing, the filter was autoradiographed. RNA-DNA sequence relationships could be conveniently determined from the spots produced at regions of intersection of homologous nucleic acids. The two dimensional array formed in this procedure fascilitates the rapid ordering of DNA restriction fragments. An example of its use for this purpose is presented.
A simple formula for estimating the magnetic fields generated by tsunami flow

[1] Ocean flow is known to generate magnetic fields which reach land and satellite observatories with detectable amplitudes. But because the expected signal-to-noise ratio is poor, one must typically know in advance of the data analyses much about the expected behavior in order to identify these small oceanic contributions. We show that in the case of ocean flow associated with tsunamis, a very simple formula (relating both amplitudes and phase) allows the expected magnetic fields to be directly related to the sea surface displacement. Using sea surface data from Jason 1, the formula gives maximum magnetic amplitudes of about 2 nT for the recent Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami which occurred near the magnetic equator. But near the magnetic poles, the maximum amplitudes reach about 20 nT per meter sea surface displacement. Determining the feasibility for extraction of tsunami generated magnetic signals is of interest in designing early-warning systems and for remotely tracking tsunami development.