A Delicate Balance: National Security vs. Public Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Bonnie; Schwalb, Sandy

2005-01-01

Sometimes people want to see data that the government thinks should be kept under wraps. How does the Department of Defense balance the scales of justice while still ensuring information security? In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) found itself in the spotlight as journalists, academics, and…

The Techy Teacher/Five Tips for Avoiding Technology Overload

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Catlin

2016-01-01

Most teachers find it difficult to achieve a balance between their work lives and their personal lives. Today, technology and increasing connectivity make maintaining this delicate balance more challenging than ever. Because learning is no longer limited to a certain time or place, connected educators face an interesting dilemma: When, and how…

Balancing Security and Openness in Research and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vest, Charles M.

2003-01-01

The ability of the American nation to remain secure in the face of both traditional military threats and international terrorism while maintaining the excellence and pace of American science and technology requires a delicate balance. It depends first and foremost on effective dialogue and joint problem solving by those responsible for maintaining…

Governing therapy choices: power/knowledge in the treatment of progressive renal failure.

PubMed

Holmes, Dave; Perron, Amélie M; Savoie, Marc

2006-12-04

This article outlines the struggle between the power of the health care professional and the rights of the individual to choose freely a modality of treatment. Nurses are instrumental in assisting patients in making the best decision for a therapy they will have to assume for the rest of their lives. In guiding patients' decision, nurses must take into account these unavoidable contingencies: changes in lifestyle, nutritional restrictions, level of acceptance, compliance issues, ease of training and availability of support/facilities. Ensuring that the patient makes an informed decision is therefore an ongoing challenge for nurses as they are taking part in a delicate balancing act between not directly influencing the patient's decision while making sure the patient is accurately informed.

Governing therapy choices: Power/Knowledge in the treatment of progressive renal failure

PubMed Central

Holmes, Dave; Perron, Amélie M; Savoie, Marc

2006-01-01

This article outlines the struggle between the power of the health care professional and the rights of the individual to choose freely a modality of treatment. Nurses are instrumental in assisting patients in making the best decision for a therapy they will have to assume for the rest of their lives. In guiding patients' decision, nurses must take into account these unavoidable contingencies: changes in lifestyle, nutritional restrictions, level of acceptance, compliance issues, ease of training and availability of support/facilities. Ensuring that the patient makes an informed decision is therefore an ongoing challenge for nurses as they are taking part in a delicate balancing act between not directly influencing the patient's decision while making sure the patient is accurately informed. PMID:17144913

A Summary of the February 2010 Forum on the Future of Nursing: Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academies Press, 2010

2010-01-01

As the U.S. health care system continues to evolve, the role of nurses also needs to evolve. Nurses must strike a delicate balance among advancing science, translating and applying research, and caring for individuals and families across all settings. Preparing nurses to achieve this balance is a significant challenge. The education system should…

A Delicate Balance: Hovering Balloons in an Air Stream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gluck, Paul

2006-01-01

Science museums and popular physics shows often exhibit a blower in whose air stream a ball is held hovering in equilibrium some distance above the jet's orifice. The weight of the ball, "mg," is balanced by the drag force of the turbulent air stream, often written as ?Cv[superscript 2]A, where "?" and "v" are the…

Phosphate toxicity: new insights into an old problem

PubMed Central

RAZZAQUE, M. Shawkat

2011-01-01

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient required for critical biological reactions that maintain the normal homoeostatic control of the cell. This element is an important component of different cellular structures, including nucleic acids and cell membranes. Adequate phosphorus balance is vital for maintaining basic cellular functions, ranging from energy metabolism to cell signalling. In addition, many intracellular pathways utilize phosphate ions for important cellular reactions; therefore, homoeostatic control of phosphate is one of the most delicate biological regulations. Impaired phosphorus balance can affect the functionality of almost every human system, including musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems, ultimately leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality of the affected patients. Human and experimental studies have found that delicate balance among circulating factors, like vitamin D, PTH (parathyroid hormone) and FGF23 (fibroblast growth factor 23), are essential for regulation of physiological phosphate balance. Dysregulation of these factors, either alone or in combination, can induce phosphorus imbalance. Recent studies have shown that suppression of the FGF23–klotho system can lead to hyperphosphataemia with extensive tissue damage caused by phosphate toxicity. The cause and consequences of phosphate toxicity will be briefly summarized in the present review. PMID:20958267

Phosphate toxicity: new insights into an old problem.

PubMed

Razzaque, M Shawkat

2011-02-01

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient required for critical biological reactions that maintain the normal homoeostatic control of the cell. This element is an important component of different cellular structures, including nucleic acids and cell membranes. Adequate phosphorus balance is vital for maintaining basic cellular functions, ranging from energy metabolism to cell signalling. In addition, many intracellular pathways utilize phosphate ions for important cellular reactions; therefore, homoeostatic control of phosphate is one of the most delicate biological regulations. Impaired phosphorus balance can affect the functionality of almost every human system, including musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems, ultimately leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality of the affected patients. Human and experimental studies have found that delicate balance among circulating factors, like vitamin D, PTH (parathyroid hormone) and FGF23 (fibroblast growth factor 23), are essential for regulation of physiological phosphate balance. Dysregulation of these factors, either alone or in combination, can induce phosphorus imbalance. Recent studies have shown that suppression of the FGF23-klotho system can lead to hyperphosphataemia with extensive tissue damage caused by phosphate toxicity. The cause and consequences of phosphate toxicity will be briefly summarized in the present review.

Accelerated Tumor Cell Death by Angiogenic Modifiers

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-08-01

complex process Two huge molecules called plasminogen-related growth is regulated by a delicate balance of angiogenesis in- factors ( PRGFs ...Increased activator(s) and/or decreased inhibi- cancer progression. PRGF -1 is also called hepatocyte tor(s) alter the balance and lead to the growth of...new growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF). PRGF -2 is also blood vessels (Hanahan, 1997). Several growth factors, known as macrophage-stimulating

Illuminating the Reaction Pathways of Viromimetic Assembly.

PubMed

Cingil, Hande E; Boz, Emre B; Biondaro, Giovanni; de Vries, Renko; Cohen Stuart, Martien A; Kraft, Daniela J; van der Schoot, Paul; Sprakel, Joris

2017-04-05

The coassembly of well-defined biological nanostructures relies on a delicate balance between attractive and repulsive interactions between biomolecular building blocks. Viral capsids are a prototypical example, where coat proteins exhibit not only self-interactions but also interact with the cargo they encapsulate. In nature, the balance between antagonistic and synergistic interactions has evolved to avoid kinetic trapping and polymorphism. To date, it has remained a major challenge to experimentally disentangle the complex kinetic reaction pathways that underlie successful coassembly of biomolecular building blocks in a noninvasive approach with high temporal resolution. Here we show how macromolecular force sensors, acting as a genome proxy, allow us to probe the pathways through which a viromimetic protein forms capsids. We uncover the complex multistage process of capsid assembly, which involves recruitment and complexation, followed by allosteric growth of the proteinaceous coat. Under certain conditions, the single-genome particles condense into capsids containing multiple copies of the template. Finally, we derive a theoretical model that quantitatively describes the kinetics of recruitment and growth. These results shed new light on the origins of the pathway complexity in biomolecular coassembly.

Posttranscriptional RNA Modifications: playing metabolic games in a cell's chemical Legoland.

PubMed

Helm, Mark; Alfonzo, Juan D

2014-02-20

Nature combines existing biochemical building blocks, at times with subtlety of purpose. RNA modifications are a prime example of this, where standard RNA nucleosides are decorated with chemical groups and building blocks that we recall from our basic biochemistry lectures. The result: a wealth of chemical diversity whose full biological relevance has remained elusive despite being public knowledge for some time. Here, we highlight several modifications that, because of their chemical intricacy, rely on seemingly unrelated pathways to provide cofactors for their synthesis. Besides their immediate role in affecting RNA function, modifications may act as sensors and transducers of information that connect a cell's metabolic state to its translational output, carefully orchestrating a delicate balance between metabolic rate and protein synthesis at a system's level. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organizational Conflict: Causes and Manifestations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacks, Eugene

1979-01-01

No group (within an organization) can be entirely harmonious, but conflict is not an altogether disruptive factor. A delicate balance is required to obtain the advantages and restrict the disadvantages of organizational conflict. The causes and forms of organizational conflict are examined. (JMD)

The American Civil-Military Relationship: A Delicate Balance

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

important Constitutional safeguards consistent with the separation of powers . The power to control appropriations to the national military...existence of a functional Constitution system prevented the emerging standing army from wresting control of the United States through the separation of powers . A

Designing Pension Plans to Incorporate Recent Legislation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biggs, John H.

1983-01-01

Two proposals before Congress threaten to offset the delicate balance in pension plan design. The significance of the normal retirement feature in plan design, some possible program design changes, and how the pension arrangements of higher education institutions would be affected are discussed. (MLW)

Delicate Balances: Collaborative Research in Language Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudelson, Sarah J., Ed.; Lindfors, Judith Wells, Ed.

This book addresses the special demands, problems, challenges, and tensions of collaborative research. Following an introduction by the editors, the articles and their authors are: "Collaborative Research: More Questions Than Answers" (Carole Edelsky and Chris Boyd); "Interactive Writing on a Computer Network: A Teacher/Researcher…

Smart hydrogels from laterally-grafted peptide assembly.

PubMed

Li, Wen; Park, Il-soo; Kang, Seong-Kyun; Lee, Myongsoo

2012-09-11

Small peptides carrying laterally-grafted azobenzene units self-assemble into photo-responsive hydrogels which are applied as a smart matrix for controlling the dye molecules release. We demonstrate that a delicate balance among peptides interactions plays a pivotal role in the photo-responsive gel-sol transition.

Coastal estuaries and lagoons: The delicate balance at the edge of the sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conrads, Paul A.; Rodgers, Kirk D.; Passeri, Davina L.; Prinos, Scott T.; Smith, Christopher; Swarzenski, Christopher M.; Middleton, Beth A.

2018-04-19

Coastal communities are increasingly concerned about the dynamic balance between freshwater and saltwater because of its implications for societal, economic, and ecological resources. While the mixing of freshwater and saltwater sources defines coastal estuaries and lagoons, sudden changes in this balance can have a large effect on critical ecosystems and infrastructure. Any change to the delivery of water from either source has the potential to affect the health of both humans and natural biota and also to damage coastal infrastructure. This fact sheet discusses the potential of major shifts in the dynamic freshwater-saltwater balance to alter the environment and coastal stability.

The Desert Tortoise: A Delicate Balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This award winning program looks at the efforts to preserve the desert tortoise in and around the Edwards Air Force Base, CA area. It also explains what people should do if they come in contact with a tortoise. This video was produced in cooperation with Edwards Air Force Base.

Induced systemic resistance: a delicate balance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pseudomonas sp. strain CMR12a produces phenazine-1-carboxamide and two cyclic lipopeptides, sessilin and viscosinamide. In this highlight of the recent work with this strain by Monica Höfte of Ghent University, Belgium, I review recent studies showing that the metabolites produced by CMR12a interact...

Tanks in the Street: Lessons Learned Through Bytes not Blood

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-02-02

under armor protection. The crews relied on the vehicle’s vision blocks and sights to acquire targets. The simulation replicated these actions that...maintain mutually supporting fires. There is a delicate balance between remaining mobile and remaining under armor protection. A small force, squad

Arbitrary Budget Cuts and the U.S. National Security Posture

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

consensus between both branches of government on exactly what the future U.S. defense stategy should be, a dilemma made more difficult due to their...international trade issues and the status of their balance of payments. They will monitor the value of foreign currencies and markets around the world...8217 economy will certainly play a large part in the delicate balance of the current world market , and its economic well-being will further determine the

The Just-in-Time Operating Philosophy: Implications for Workers and Work Teams

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

anyone at all conversant with business who has not heard or read about the startling improvements in productivity and quality of worklife to be gained by...need to yield to the new philosophy. The transition to JIT can also impact the balance of power and control between management and labor. Without buffer...internal substitutability weaken the power of the worker [31]. These factors intervene to create a delicate balance of power between management and the

Microgravity combustion discipline working group summary of requirements for noncontact temperature measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sacksteder, Kurt

1988-01-01

Current efforts of the Microgravity Combustion Working Group are summarized and the temperature measurement requirements for the combustion studies are defined. Many of the combustion systems that are studied in the low gravity environment are near-limit systems, that is, systems that are acting near the limit of flammability in terms of oxygen concentration or fuel concentration. Systems of this type are normally weak in the sense that there is a delicate balance between the heat released in the flame and the heat required to sustain the flame. Intrusive or perturbative temperature measurement probes can be inaccurate in these situations and in the limiting case extinguish the flame. Noncontact techniques then become the only way to obtain the required measurements. Noncontact measurement requirements for each of the three thermodynamic phases are described in terms of spatial and temporal resolution and temperature range.

Effects of PEO-PPO-PEO Triblock Copolymers on Phospholipid Membrane Integrity under Osmotic Stress

PubMed Central

Wang, Jia-Yu; Chin, Jaemin; Marks, Jeremy D.; Lee, Ka Yee C.

2010-01-01

The effects of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers, mainly Poloxamer 188, on phospholipid membrane integrity under osmotic gradients were explored using giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Fluorescence leakage assays showed two opposing effects of P188 on the structural integrity of GUVs depending on the duration of their incubation time. A two-state transition mechanism of interaction between the triblock copolymers and the phospholipid membrane is proposed: an adsorption (I) and an insertion (II) state. While the triblock copolymer in state I acts to moderately retard the leakage, their insertion in state II perturbs the lipid packing, thus increasing the membrane permeability. Our results suggest that the biomedical application of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers, either as cell membrane resealing agents or as accelerators for drug delivery, is directed by the delicate balance between these two states. PMID:20666423

Education Governance in Action: Lessons from Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Tracey; Köster, Florian; Fuster, Marc

2016-01-01

Governing multi-level education systems requires governance models that balance responsiveness to local diversity with the ability to ensure national objectives. This delicate equilibrium is difficult to achieve given the complexity of many education systems. Countries are therefore increasingly looking for examples of good practice and models of…

Rethinking the International Financial System: Views from the South.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Yiping, Ed.

1999-01-01

Considerable resources have been spent to rescue a few countries from crises caused by dramatic shifts in financial inflows and outflows. Measures should be sought to render the institutions and mechanisms of international financial transactions more transparent, accountable, and supportive of the delicate balance between short-term stability and…

Structure and Improvisation in Creative Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawyer, R. Keith, Ed.

2011-01-01

With an increasing emphasis on creativity and innovation in the twenty-first century, teachers need to be creative professionals just as students must learn to be creative. And yet, schools are institutions with many important structures and guidelines that teachers must follow. Effective creative teaching strikes a delicate balance between…

The Economic Relationships between Institutions of Higher Education and Municipalities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Dale H.

2012-01-01

The relationship between municipal government and a local, private, nonprofit institution of higher education (IHE) can be characterized as a delicate balance between conflict and cooperation. In recent years as municipal expenses have significantly increased, revenue generated from tax collection and state aid has lagged, creating an increasing…

The Evolution of a Japanese Theory of Conflict Management and Implications for Japanese Foreign Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-12-01

This thesis explores whether there is a uniquely Japanese method of conflict management Given the delicate balance of stability in Northeast Asia...Japanese leadership needs to use conflict management tools to resolve territorial claims with the governments of China, Russia, and South Korea, Given

Ecosystem Jenga!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umphlett, Natalie; Brosius, Tierney; Laungani, Ramesh; Rousseau, Joe; Leslie-Pelecky, Diandra L.

2009-01-01

To give students a tangible model of an ecosystem and have them experience what could happen if a component of that ecosystem were removed; the authors developed a hands-on, inquiry-based activity that visually demonstrates the concept of a delicately balanced ecosystem through a modification of the popular game Jenga. This activity can be…

A Delicate Balance: The Catholic College in America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trainor, Stephen L.

2006-01-01

George Bernard Shaw famously quipped that "a Catholic university is a contradiction in terms." While the party-line response to Shaw is that the term "Catholic university" is instead a tautology, those who work, study, and teach at such institutions often find themselves pondering Shaw's oxymoron, asking themselves: how are…

Caves: A Course of Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Jan

Middle school students from The College School, a private school in Webster Groves (Missouri) have completed a class called "Caves and Crystallography." A thematic approach was used in the course in which students and teachers read books telling how caves were formed, saw movies which explained the delicate balance of life underground,…

Common diseases of black bass: implications for conservation and management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Disease issues relevant to black bass populations arise from infectious as well as noninfectious etiologies. While disease outbreaks can occur via direct means, as is the case with primary pathogens, mortality events can also be linked to factors that disrupt the delicate balance between the enviro...

Faculty Perceptions of Academic Freedom at a GCC University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romanowski, Michael H.; Nasser, Ramzi

2010-01-01

Massive oil revenues are currently fueling a surge in the number of educational institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, presenting leadership at all levels with many unprecedented questions. In particular, the growth and reform of higher education challenges the delicate balance between academic freedom and Arab cultural…

Curriculum Management: "Driving the School Management Team Frantic"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumadi, M. W.

2012-01-01

This study explores factors which have a negative impact, on the role of the School Management Team (SMT) that serves as the fulcrum of the curriculum management process. The SMT is compelled to execute its responsibilities in an efficient and effective manner thus keeping a delicate balance between the often-conflicting pressures from parents,…

Off-the-Air Educational Videorecording and Fair Use: Achieving a Delicate Balance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramey, Ancil G.

1984-01-01

At each stage in the history of copyright law, technological innovation has been a central problem to policy makers. Because videorecording in an instructional context is for noncommerical, educational purposes, issues involving the doctrine of fair use and the public's interest in the free dissemination of information are raised. (MLW)

Sharing the Earth, Kit II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1971

Introducing the pupil to the science of ecology is the purpose of Scholastic's Earth Corps Ecology/Conservation Study Kits for grades 3-6. Simple terms are used to show how all living things are inter-related to their environment, to demonstrate the intricate and delicate balance of nature, and to point out how man's interference with nature's…

Home-Career Conflict: An Exploration of the Delicate Balance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Veronica J.; Scott, Norman A.

Conflict between home and work roles has been well documented. Although a variety of correlates of home-career conflict have been studied, the research literature presents a set of interrelationships which need further clarification. A study was conducted to test hypothesized relationships between home-career conflict and the variables of career…

Ozone, Climate, and Global Atmospheric Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Joel S.

1992-01-01

The delicate balance of the gases that make up our atmosphere allows life to exist on Earth. Ozone depletion and global warming are related to changes in the concentrations of these gases. To solve global atmospheric problems, we need to understand the composition and chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere and the impact of human activities on them.

Key Works on Teacher Response: An Anthology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straub, Richard, Ed.; Lunsford, Ronald, Ed.

2006-01-01

There is a special three-way balance in responding to student writing: one must be compassionate, have a vision for improvement, and be capable of confronting and cajoling students to help them maximize the possibilities of revision. This book presents some of the best examples of how writing teachers approach the delicate equilibrium of student…

Retrospective Cognitive Feedback for Progress Monitoring in Serious Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadolski, Rob J.; Hummel, Hans G. K.

2017-01-01

Although the importance of cognitive feedback in digital serious games (DSG) is undisputed, we are facing some major design challenges. First of all, we do not know to which extend existing research guidelines apply when we stand the risk of cognitive feedback distorting the delicate balance between learning and playing. Unobtrusive cognitive…

Soviet Computers and Cybernetics: Shortcomings and Military Applications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

FOOTNOTES.......................................24 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................28 INTRODUCTION Military scientific technological...exploration which have alarmed some Western analysts. America’s scientific and technological advantages are integral elements in the delicate world balance...inferior quantity only up to a point, where superior numbers take over. A major element in the military scientific technological competition between

The Delicate Balance of Preorganisation and Adaptability in Multiply Bonded Host-Guest Complexes.

PubMed

von Krbek, Larissa K S; Achazi, Andreas J; Schoder, Stefan; Gaedke, Marius; Biberger, Tobias; Paulus, Beate; Schalley, Christoph A

2017-02-24

Rigidity and preorganisation are believed to be required for high affinity in multiply bonded supramolecular complexes as they help reduce the entropic penalty of the binding event. This comes at the price that such rigid complexes are sensitive to small geometric mismatches. In marked contrast, nature uses more flexible building blocks. Thus, one might consider putting the rigidity/high-affinity notion to the test. Multivalent crown/ammonium complexes are ideal for this purpose as the monovalent interaction is well understood. A series of divalent complexes with different spacer lengths and rigidities has thus been analysed to correlate chelate cooperativities and spacer properties. Too long spacers reduce chelate cooperativity compared to exactly matching ones. However, in contrast to expectation, flexible guests bind with chelate cooperativities clearly exceeding those of rigid structures. Flexible spacers adapt to small geometric host-guest mismatches. Spacer-spacer interactions help overcome the entropic penalty of conformational fixation during binding and a delicate balance of preorganisation and adaptability is at play in multivalent complexes. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design and control of a macro-micro robot for precise force applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yulun; Mangaser, Amante; Laby, Keith; Jordan, Steve; Wilson, Jeff

1993-01-01

Creating a robot which can delicately interact with its environment has been the goal of much research. Primarily two difficulties have made this goal hard to attain. The execution of control strategies which enable precise force manipulations are difficult to implement in real time because such algorithms have been too computationally complex for available controllers. Also, a robot mechanism which can quickly and precisely execute a force command is difficult to design. Actuation joints must be sufficiently stiff, frictionless, and lightweight so that desired torques can be accurately applied. This paper describes a robotic system which is capable of delicate manipulations. A modular high-performance multiprocessor control system was designed to provide sufficient compute power for executing advanced control methods. An 8 degree of freedom macro-micro mechanism was constructed to enable accurate tip forces. Control algorithms based on the impedance control method were derived, coded, and load balanced for maximum execution speed on the multiprocessor system. Delicate force tasks such as polishing, finishing, cleaning, and deburring, are the target applications of the robot.

Economic Impact of Blood Transfusions: Balancing Cost and Benefits

PubMed Central

Oge, Tufan; Kilic, Cemil Hakan; Kilic, Gokhan Sami

2014-01-01

Blood transfusions may be lifesaving, but they inherit their own risks. Risk of transfusion to benefit is a delicate balance. In addition, blood product transfusions purchases are one of the largest line items among the hospital and laboratory charges. In this review, we aimed to discuss the transfusion strategies and share our transfusion protocol as well as the steps for hospitals to build-up a blood management program while all these factors weight in. Moreover, we evaluate the financial burden to the health care system. PMID:25610294

Racism, Group Defamation, and Freedom of Speech on Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laramee, William A.

1991-01-01

Examines racism on college campuses. Discusses group defamation and freedom of speech within that context. Concludes in this period of racial unrest and conflict, a reappraisal is in order of delicate balance between protection from group and class defamation on the one hand and free speech on other, using law as an important base from which to…

Enhancing the Student Experience through Service Design: The University of Derby Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baranova, Polina; Morrison, Sue; Mutton, Jean

2011-01-01

The student experience in higher education is firmly placed at the top of the strategic agenda for the majority of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK at present. In the current climate of public cuts, universities increasingly have to strike a delicate balance between cost efficiencies and delivery of the high-quality university…

Earth Is My Home, Kit I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1971

Introducing the pupil to the science of ecology is the purpose of Scholastic's Earth Corps Ecology/Conservation Study Kits for grades 3-6. Simple terms are used to show how all living things are inter-related to their environment, to demonstrate the intricate and delicate balance of nature, and to point out how man's interference with nature's…

Student-on-Student Harassment and Zero Tolerance: Achieving a Delicate Balance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essex, Nathan L.

2009-01-01

Zero tolerance policy. Most school districts have a zero tolerance policy in place for drug use, weapons on campus, sexual harassment, or all of the above. At their very core, zero tolerance policies make schools safer. However, a one-size-fits-all approach does not work well in all situations involving student misconduct. This article outlines…

How Motivation is Learned: A Neurological Explanation. Preconvention Institute 7; Brain Functions in Reading and Reading Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, John A. R.

If motivation to read fails to develop, reading failure is the outcome. All of us have very delicately balanced neural systems for integrating incoming sensory inputs, evaluating their significance in the light of past experience, and storing the learning for future use. Autistic and hyperkinetic children apparently have unbalanced neurological…

Many Hats and a Delicate Balance: The Lives and Times of Today's Special Education Directors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, James R.; O'Brian, Mary

2007-01-01

A statewide survey of special education directors revealed that director of special education preparation programs should be time limited and offered in convenient locations to recruit the best possible pool of students and future directors. Current directors have come to their positions through numerous and diverse career paths. The lack of…

Understanding brains: details, intuition, and big data.

PubMed

Marder, Eve

2015-05-01

Understanding how the brain works requires a delicate balance between the appreciation of the importance of a multitude of biological details and the ability to see beyond those details to general principles. As technological innovations vastly increase the amount of data we collect, the importance of intuition into how to analyze and treat these data may, paradoxically, become more important.

Copyright and Instructional Technologies. A Guide to Fair Use and Permissions Procedures. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talab, R. S.

This document examines some of the questions concerning copyright law and the educational use of equipment that can easily duplicate, store, and transmit instructional materials. It is argued that a delicate balance must be achieved between protection for copyright holders and access for educational purposes to audiovisual works, music, computer…

A Delicate Balance: An Examination of Lehigh University's Athletic Culture and Athletic Extra-Curriculum, 1866-1998

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Courtney Michelle

2010-01-01

This dissertation examines the history of Lehigh University's athletic culture and extra-curriculum from 1866 to 1998 and argues that both of those institutions served as the basis for identity within the undergraduate student body. Additionally, this dissertation argues that the athletic culture and extra-curriculum established Lehigh's identity…

The catalyst layer and its dimensionality - A look into its ingredients and how to characterize their effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamel, Nada

2016-03-01

Development of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells throughout the years is established through its component optimization. This is especially true of its catalyst layer, where structuring of the layer has led to many breakthroughs. The catalyst layer acts as the heart of the cell, where it controls the half-cell reactions and their products. The complex nature of various transport phenomena simultaneously taking place in the layer requires the layer to be heterogeneous in structure. Hence, a delicate balance of the layer's ingredients, coupled with the understanding of the ingredients' interaction, is required. State-of-the-art catalyst layers are composed of a catalyst, its support, a solvent and a binder. Changes in the morphology, structure or material of any of these components ultimately affects the layer's activity and durability. In this review paper, we provide an overview of the various works tailored to understand how each component in the catalyst's ink affects the stability and life-time of the layer.

Swelling, Structure, and Phase Stability of Soft, Compressible Microgels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denton, Alan R.; Urich, Matthew

Microgels are soft colloidal particles that swell when dispersed in a solvent. The equilibrium particle size is governed by a delicate balance of osmotic pressures, which can be tuned by varying single-particle properties and externally controlled conditions, such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, and concentration. Because of their tunable size and ability to encapsulate dye or drug molecules, microgels have practical relevance for biosensing, drug delivery, carbon capture, and filtration. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we model suspensions of microgels that interact via Hertzian elastic interparticle forces and can expand or contract via trial size changes governed by the Flory-Rehner free energy of cross-linked polymer gels. We analyze the influence of particle compressibility and size fluctuations on bulk structural and thermal properties by computing swelling ratios, radial distribution functions, static structure factors, osmotic pressures, and freezing densities. With increasing density, microgels progressively deswell and their intrinsic polydispersity broadens, while compressibility acts to forestall crystallization. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR- 1106331.

Shalom. Salaam. Peace Child Uses Theatre To Bring Israeli Arab and Jewish Teenagers Together.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Ezra

2003-01-01

Describes a drama written by students that helps them achieve an understanding and an empathy that eludes most of the inhabitants of Israel. Discusses how Arab and Jewish students collaborate to compose their drama. Concludes that at its best, the teenage participants in Peace Child Israel find that delicate balance point between using theatre to…

Boosting Completion at Community Colleges: Time, Choice, Structure and the Significant Role of States. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Complete College America, 2010

2010-01-01

A new American majority of students is emerging on campuses, especially at community colleges. These students must delicately balance long hours at jobs they must have with the higher education they desire. Even though this emerging majority has fundamentally different needs, American higher education in general has been slow to change, continuing…

Understanding Brains: Details, Intuition, and Big Data

PubMed Central

Marder, Eve

2015-01-01

Understanding how the brain works requires a delicate balance between the appreciation of the importance of a multitude of biological details and the ability to see beyond those details to general principles. As technological innovations vastly increase the amount of data we collect, the importance of intuition into how to analyze and treat these data may, paradoxically, become more important. PMID:25965068

All Aboard: Leading Change by Canoe, Sailboat, or Cruise Ship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dereef, Marvin

2011-01-01

Anyone who wants to make a difference may face a wall of opposition that must be removed with little or no damage. The situation could be delicate, a balance of one's desire and others' resistance. In this article, the author discusses three approaches to leading change; (1) the canoe approach--a one-on-one method that is best used when change…

Magnet Schools in Chicago: Achievement at Risk if Policymakers Retreat. Research Notes on Education. No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute for Independent Education, Inc., Washington, DC.

In many urban areas, educators rely on magnet schools to strike a delicate balance between the need to create opportunities for equity in education and the need for parents to have greater choice among schools. But, are magnet schools successful? This document considers whether they fulfill the promises of high achievement and desegregation in…

Surgical innovation-enhanced quality and the processes that assure patient/provider safety: A surgical conundrum.

PubMed

Bruny, Jennifer; Ziegler, Moritz

2015-12-01

Innovation is a crucial part of surgical history that has led to enhancements in the quality of surgical care. This comprises both changes which are incremental and those which are frankly disruptive in nature. There are situations where innovation is absolutely required in order to achieve quality improvement or process improvement. Alternatively, there are innovations that do not necessarily arise from some need, but simply are a new idea that might be better. All change must assure a significant commitment to patient safety and beneficence. Innovation would ideally enhance patient care quality and disease outcomes, as well stimulate and facilitate further innovation. The tensions between innovative advancement and patient safety, risk and reward, and demonstrated effectiveness versus speculative added value have created a contemporary "surgical conundrum" that must be resolved by a delicate balance assuring optimal patient/provider outcomes. This article will explore this delicate balance and the rules that govern it. Recommendations are made to facilitate surgical innovation through clinical research. In addition, we propose options that investigators and institutions may use to address competing priorities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Always looking for a new balance": toward an understanding of what it takes to continue working while being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Meide, Hanneke van der; Gorp, Dennis van; van der Hiele, Karin; Visser, Leo

2017-06-22

The aim of this study was to gain insight into the meaning of work in the everyday lives of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and the barriers and facilitators to staying in work. Nineteen employed adults diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis participated in narrative interviews. All interviews were transcribed and coded for thematic analysis. For people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, continuing to work was a precarious balancing act. Five themes influenced this balance: becoming familiar with the disease, adjusting expectations, having an understanding and realistic line manager, seeing work as meaningful life activity and strategic considerations. People receiving a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis have to refamiliarize themselves with their own body in a meaningful way to be able to continue their work. Rehabilitation professionals can support them herein by taking into account not merely functional capabilities but also identity aspects of the body. Medication that stabilizes symptoms supports making the necessary adjustments. A trusting relationship with the line manager is vital for this adaptation process. Additionally, a match between being adequately challenged by work, while still having the capacity to meet those work demands, is needed, as is long-term financial stability. Implications for rehabilitation Rehabilitation professionals can support employees with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by taking into account not merely functional capabilities but also identity aspects of the body. A trusting relationship with the line manager, including a timely disclosure of the diagnosis, is vital for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to remain at work. For people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, there is a delicate balance between being adequately challenged by work while still having the capacity to meet work demands.

Photochemical modelling of Venus clouds using Pioneer Venus data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcelroy, Michael B.

1985-01-01

In order to understand the evolution of water on Venus, we must know the hydrogen escape flux as a function of the tropospheric water abundance. We have studied the connection between total stratospheric hydrogen and exobase hydrogen available to non-thermal escape processes and examined the details of the photochemical trap for water at the Venus cloud tops. Our immediate goal is to calculate the stratospheric water abundance as a function of the tropospheric water abundance. Photochemical production of H2SO4 acts as a sink for both water and sulfur and is capable of keeping stratospheric abundances low if a proper balance exists between the tropospheric abundances. If production of H2SO4 were the only sink for H2O and SO2, the excess in tropospheric abundance of one over the other would reach the stratosphere, and the functional dependence of stratospheric H2O on tropospheric H2O would be linear near the present state. On Venus, however, sulfuric acid condenses at cloud top temperatures and the resulting aerosols can absorb additional water of hydration. This complicates the water budget, increasing the efficiency of sulfur as a sink for water. We have investigated the balance between tropospheric H2O and SO2 and how delicate the balance is. Our major conclusions from this work are the following: (1) H2O and SO2 are mutually limiting if proper tropospheric balance is maintained; (2) changes in tropospheric abundances on the order of 5 ppm are significant; and (3) changes in mixing rates near the cloud tops can cause dramatic changes in SO2 without causing dramatic changes in H2O.

CLIC4 Moves Into Nucleus to Stabilize Anti-Growth Signal | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

In cancer, the delicate balance of signaling pathways that control cell growth and function is disrupted. One signaling pathway commonly altered in cancer is the TGF-beta pathway. TGF-beta significantly inhibits growth of normal cells, particularly epithelial cells. Many cancer cells have developed ways to bypass one or more steps of this pathway in order to achieve uncontrolled growth.

CLIC4 Moves Into Nucleus to Stabilize Anti-Growth Signal | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

In cancer, the delicate balance of signaling pathways that control cell growth and function is disrupted. One signaling pathway commonly altered in cancer is the TGF-beta pathway. TGF-beta significantly inhibits growth of normal cells, particularly epithelial cells. Many cancer cells have developed ways to bypass one or more steps of this pathway in order to achieve

Bach2 Promotes Regulatory T-cell Development by Limiting Effector Differentiation | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

A number of allergic and autoimmune disorders, such as Crohn’s disease, asthma, type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis, are associated with polymorphisms in a gene encoding the transcription factor, BACH2. Despite this, the mechanism Bach2 uses to prevent immune-mediated diseases was not known. To function appropriately, the immune system relies on a delicate balance between

Liver immunology and herbal treatment

PubMed Central

Balaban, Yasemin H; Aka, Ceylan; Koca-Caliskan, Ufuk

2017-01-01

Beyond the metabolic functions, the liver recently has been defined as an organ of immune system (IS), which have central regulatory role for innate and adaptive immunity. The liver keeps a delicate balance between hepatic screening of pathogenic antigens and immune tolerance to self-antigens. Herbal treatments with immunological effects have potential to alter this hepatic immune balance towards either therapeutic side or diseases side by inducing liver injury via hepatotoxicity or initiation of autoimmune diseases. Most commonly known herbal treatments, which have therapeutic effect on liver and IS, have proven via in vitro, in vivo, and/or clinical studies were summarized in this review. PMID:28660010

Successful Treatment of Disseminated Cryptococcal Infection in a Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patient During Induction

PubMed Central

Heath, Jessica L.; Yin, Dwight E.; Wechsler, Daniel S.; Turner, David A.

2015-01-01

Disseminated cryptococcal infection is rarely reported in the setting of pediatric acute leukemia, despite the immunocompromised state of these patients. However, when present, disseminated cryptococcal infection poses treatment challenges and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Treatment of invasive fungal disease in a child with acute leukemia requires a delicate balance between anti-fungal and anti-neoplastic therapy. This balance is particularly important early in the course of leukemia, since both the underlying disease and overwhelming infection can be life threatening. We describe the successful management of life-threatening disseminated cryptococcosis in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during induction therapy. PMID:22258349

Innovation in surgical technology and techniques: Challenges and ethical issues.

PubMed

Geiger, James D; Hirschl, Ronald B

2015-06-01

The pace of medical innovation continues to increase. The deployment of new technologies in surgery creates many ethical challenges including how to determine safety of the technology, what is the timing and process for deployment of a new technology, how are patients informed before undergoing a new technology or technique, how are the outcomes of a new technology evaluated and how are the responsibilities of individual patients and society at large balanced. Ethical considerations relevant to the implementation of ECMO and robotic surgery are explored to further discussion of how we can optimize the delicate balance between innovation and regulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Delicate Balance between Parental Protection, Unsupervised Wandering, and Adolescents' Autonomy and Its Relation with Antisocial Behavior: The TRAILS Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sentse, Miranda; Dijkstra, Jan Kornelis; Lindenberg, Siegwart; Ormel, Johan; Veenstra, Rene

2010-01-01

In a large sample of early adolescents (T2: N = 1023; M age = 13.51; 55.5% girls), the impact of parental protection and unsupervised wandering on adolescents' antisocial behavior 2.5 years later was tested in this TRAILS study; gender and parental knowledge were controlled for. In addition, the level of biological maturation and having antisocial…

Fall risk and anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation in the elderly: A delicate balance.

PubMed

Hagerty, Tracy; Rich, Michael W

2017-01-01

Guidelines for managing atrial fibrillation recommend systemic anticoagulation for almost all patients age 65 and older, but in practice up to 50% of older patients do not receive maintenance anticoagulation therapy. The most common reason physicians cite for withholding anticoagulation in older patients with atrial fibrillation is a perception of a high risk of falling and associated bleeding, especially intracranial hemorrhage. Copyright © 2017 Cleveland Clinic.

Sediment Trapping Pathways and Mechanisms through the Mekong Tidal River and Subaqueous Delta

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

strive to understand how the delicate balance of ebb and flood sediment fluxes is maintained to create tidal flat and mangrove complexes, and...subaqueous delta on the inner continental shelf, and sediment sinks within vegetated/ mangrove shoreline complexes. Our overall hypothesis is that sediment... Mangrove /Vegetated Intertidal Areas. Along the main stem tidal river and coastal banks may be shorelines lined with vegetation ( mangroves at the

Politics of North Korean Refugees and Regional Security Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

in material adjustment and success in mental adjustment is also partial adjustment, identified as “ acculturation .” Failure in both components is...hours on mental and physical health ; 2) 130 hours of vocational training and counseling in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor; 3) 90 hours of...delicate political balance among the Six-Party nations. How each country addresses this issue can affect its future influence within the region

Mesoscale Models of Fluid Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boghosian, Bruce M.; Hadjiconstantinou, Nicolas G.

During the last half century, enormous progress has been made in the field of computational materials modeling, to the extent that in many cases computational approaches are used in a predictive fashion. Despite this progress, modeling of general hydrodynamic behavior remains a challenging task. One of the main challenges stems from the fact that hydrodynamics manifests itself over a very wide range of length and time scales. On one end of the spectrum, one finds the fluid's "internal" scale characteristic of its molecular structure (in the absence of quantum effects, which we omit in this chapter). On the other end, the "outer" scale is set by the characteristic sizes of the problem's domain. The resulting scale separation or lack thereof as well as the existence of intermediate scales are key to determining the optimal approach. Successful treatments require a judicious choice of the level of description which is a delicate balancing act between the conflicting requirements of fidelity and manageable computational cost: a coarse description typically requires models for underlying processes occuring at smaller length and time scales; on the other hand, a fine-scale model will incur a significantly larger computational cost.

Vehicle Mobility or Firing Stability. A Delicate Balance,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

parameters with respect to a vehicle’s cross country ride performance and to the firing stability of an initially stationary ve- hicle. It is...model described in the previous sec- tion, with the addition of the necessary roll related parameters , trunnion position data, and the firing reaction...mode of operation to a vehicle weapon sys- tem. Obviously the horizontal acceleration at the gunner’s eyepiece 268 * HOOG (TERP &BECK also has an

Processes Controlling Transfer of Fine-Grained Sediment in Tidal Systems Spanning a Range of Fluvial Influence

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

understand how the delicate balance of ebb and flood sediment fluxes is maintained to create tidal flat and mangrove complexes, and distributary shoals and...and the subaqueous delta on the inner continental shelf, and sediment sinks within vegetated/ mangrove shoreline complexes. Our overall hypothesis...on Mangrove /Vegetated Intertidal Areas. Along the main stem tidal river and in the offshore banks may be shorelines lined with vegetation ( mangroves

Determination of Momentum Flux Using a Bivane and Cup Anemometer

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

race. In many situations, these transfers have a direct impact on the statc of the atmosphere as well as on plant and animal life . One specific...explanatory. The middle region is the buoyancy subrange, where the slope approaches -2.0. A gap is usually detected after the buoyancy subrange...However, a delicate balance must be reached, as over- filtering distorts the slope in this region. 138 6.2.1. Horizontal Wind Component The power

Rational Arithmetic in Floating-Point.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

RD-RI75 190 RATIONAL ARITHMETIC IN FLOTING-POINT(U) CALIFORNIA~UNIY BERKELEY CENTER FOR PURE AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS USI FE N KAHAN SEP 86 PRM-343...8217 ," .’,.-.’ .- " .- . ,,,.". ".. .. ". CENTER FOR PURE AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY PAf4343 0l RATIONAL ARITHMIETIC IN FLOATING-POINT W. KAHAN SETMER18 SEPTEMBE...delicate balance between, on the one hand, the simplicity and aesthetic appeal of the specifications and, on the other hand, the complexity and

Thermal and rheological controls on magma migration in dikes: Examples from the east rift zone of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parfitt, E. A.; Wilson, L.; Pinkerton, H.

1993-01-01

Long-lived eruptions from basaltic volcanoes involving episodic or steady activity indicate that a delicate balance has been struck between the rate of magma cooling in the dike system feeding the vent and the rate of magma supply to the dike system from a reservoir. We describe some key factors, involving the relationships between magma temperature, magma rheology, and dike geometry that control the nature of such eruptions.

Time Is Money...and the Enemy of College Completion: Transform American Higher Education to Boost Completion and Reduce Costs. Testimony before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Stan

2012-01-01

This paper presents Stan Jones' testimony before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. In his testimony, he talks about a new American majority of students that is emerging on campuses, especially at community colleges. These students must delicately balance long hours at jobs they must…

Cocaine Inhibits Dopamine D2 Receptor Signaling via Sigma-1-D2 Receptor Heteromers

PubMed Central

Navarro, Gemma; Moreno, Estefania; Bonaventura, Jordi; Brugarolas, Marc; Farré, Daniel; Aguinaga, David; Mallol, Josefa; Cortés, Antoni; Casadó, Vicent; Lluís, Carmen; Ferre, Sergi

2013-01-01

Under normal conditions the brain maintains a delicate balance between inputs of reward seeking controlled by neurons containing the D1-like family of dopamine receptors and inputs of aversion coming from neurons containing the D2-like family of dopamine receptors. Cocaine is able to subvert these balanced inputs by altering the cell signaling of these two pathways such that D1 reward seeking pathway dominates. Here, we provide an explanation at the cellular and biochemical level how cocaine may achieve this. Exploring the effect of cocaine on dopamine D2 receptors function, we present evidence of σ1 receptor molecular and functional interaction with dopamine D2 receptors. Using biophysical, biochemical, and cell biology approaches, we discovered that D2 receptors (the long isoform of the D2 receptor) can complex with σ1 receptors, a result that is specific to D2 receptors, as D3 and D4 receptors did not form heteromers. We demonstrate that the σ1-D2 receptor heteromers consist of higher order oligomers, are found in mouse striatum and that cocaine, by binding to σ1 -D2 receptor heteromers, inhibits downstream signaling in both cultured cells and in mouse striatum. In contrast, in striatum from σ1 knockout animals these complexes are not found and this inhibition is not seen. Taken together, these data illuminate the mechanism by which the initial exposure to cocaine can inhibit signaling via D2 receptor containing neurons, destabilizing the delicate signaling balance influencing drug seeking that emanates from the D1 and D2 receptor containing neurons in the brain. PMID:23637801

RIC-3 phosphorylation enables dual regulation of excitation and inhibition of Caenorhabditis elegans muscle

PubMed Central

Safdie, Gracia; Liewald, Jana F.; Kagan, Sarah; Battat, Emil; Gottschalk, Alexander; Treinin, Millet

2016-01-01

Brain function depends on a delicate balance between excitation and inhibition. Similarly, Caenorhabditis elegans motor system function depends on a precise balance between excitation and inhibition, as C. elegans muscles receive both inhibitory, GABAergic and excitatory, cholinergic inputs from motor neurons. Here we show that phosphorylation of the ER-resident chaperone of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, RIC-3, leads to increased muscle excitability. RIC-3 phosphorylation at Ser-164 depends on opposing functions of the phosphatase calcineurin (TAX-6), and of the casein kinase II homologue KIN-10. Effects of calcineurin down-regulation and of phosphorylated RIC-3 on muscle excitability are mediated by GABAA receptor inhibition. Thus RIC-3 phosphorylation enables effects of this chaperone on GABAA receptors in addition to nAChRs. This dual effect provides coordinated regulation of excitation and inhibition and enables fine-tuning of the excitation–inhibition balance. Moreover, regulation of inhibitory GABAA signaling by calcineurin, a calcium- and calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, enables homeostatic balancing of excitation and inhibition. PMID:27489343

A hydrolase of trehalose dimycolate induces nutrient influx and stress sensitivity to balance intracellular growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Yang, Yong; Kulka, Kathleen; Montelaro, Ronald C.; Reinhart, Todd A.; Sissons, James; Aderem, Alan; Ojha, Anil K.

2014-01-01

Summary Chronic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent host is a consequence of the delicately balanced growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in the face of host defense mechanisms. We identify an Mtb enzyme (TdmhMtb) that hydrolyzes the mycobacterial glycolipid trehalose dimycolate and plays a critical role in balancing the intracellular growth of the pathogen. TdmhMtb is induced under nutrient limiting conditions and remodels the Mtb envelope to increase nutrient influx, but concomitantly sensitizes Mtb to stresses encountered in the host. Consistent with this, a ΔtdmhMtb mutant is more resilient to stress and grows to higher levels than wild-type in immunocompetent mice. By contrast, mutant growth is retarded in MyD88−/− mice indicating that TdmhMtb provides a growth advantage to intracellular Mtb in an immunocompromised host. Thus, the effects and counter-effects of TdmhMtb play an important role in balancing intracellular growth of Mtb in a manner that is directly responsive to host innate immunity. PMID:24528862

Compact Apparatus Grows Protein Crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bugg, Charles E.; Delucas, Lawrence J.; Suddath, Fred L.; Snyder, Robert S.; Herren, Blair J.; Carter, Daniel C.; Yost, Vaughn H.

1989-01-01

Laboratory apparatus provides delicately balanced combination of materials and chemical conditions for growth of protein crystals. Apparatus and technique for growth based on hanging-drop method for crystallization of macromolecules. Includes pair of syringes with ganged plungers. One syringe contains protein solution; other contains precipitating-agent solution. Syringes intrude into cavity lined with porous reservoir material saturated with 1 mL or more of similar precipitating-agent solution. Prior to activation, ends of syringes plugged to prevent transport of water vapor among three solutions.

The art of negotiation. A delicate balance.

PubMed

Rehberg, C; Sullivan, G

1997-01-01

Successful negotiation is the art of gentle persuasion, not a "winner-take-all" showdown. Accordingly, it is essential to begin the process with a positive outlook and with the goal of reaching an agreement that is acceptable to all parties involved. Although the term "opponent" is used in this article to describe the person or group with whom you are negotiating, it is not used in the adversarial context. It is important to maintain a non-adversarial relationship, to the extent possible.

Protection, Profit, or Privacy: Exploring Strategic Solutions for Integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and the Delicate Balance Between Commercial Opportunity and Public Safety

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

United States v. Knotts.9 Analysis of previous cases provides a starting point for discussion between government officials and the public they...authorized under this ordinance to deploy this technology. At the start of the legislative session in the fall of 2015, Senator John Kavanagh, a...2015, through April 30, 2016 (a span of approximately 15 months). The start date of this query is intended to correspond with the operational

Balanced Branching in Transcription Termination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrington, K. J.; Laughlin, R. B.; Liang, S.

2001-01-01

The theory of stochastic transcription termination based on free-energy competition requires two or more reaction rates to be delicately balanced over a wide range of physical conditions. A large body of work on glasses and large molecules suggests that this should be impossible in such a large system in the absence of a new organizing principle of matter. We review the experimental literature of termination and find no evidence for such a principle but many troubling inconsistencies, most notably anomalous memory effects. These suggest that termination has a deterministic component and may conceivably be not stochastic at all. We find that a key experiment by Wilson and von Hippel allegedly refuting deterministic termination was an incorrectly analyzed regulatory effect of Mg(2+) binding.

Herpesviruses and Their Host Cells: A Successful Liaison.

PubMed

Adler, Barbara; Sattler, Christine; Adler, Heiko

2017-03-01

During a long history of coevolution, herpesviruses have reached a fine-tuned balance with their hosts, allowing them to successfully persist and spread to new hosts without causing too much damage. Only under certain circumstances, as in neonates or immunocompromised individuals, they may cause serious diseases. The delicate balance between herpesviruses and their hosts results from interactions of a great variety of viral and cellular factors which together shape the tropism for a particular host, tissue, or cell. Understanding these interactions will provide insight into the viral life cycle and cell biology in general. Moreover, it will also facilitate comprehension of herpesvirus pathogenesis, enabling the development of new strategies to combat herpesviruses in cases where they cause disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Natural Immunity to HIV: a delicate balance between strength and control.

PubMed

Poudrier, Johanne; Thibodeau, Valérie; Roger, Michel

2012-01-01

Understanding how the mucosal immune system in the human female reproductive tract might prevent or facilitate HIV infection has important implications for the design of effective interventions. We and others have established cohorts of highly-exposed, HIV-seronegative individuals, such as HIV-uninfected commercial sex workers, who have remained HIV-negative after more than 5 years of active prostitution. Observations obtained in studies of such individuals, who represent a model of natural immunity to HIV, indicate that HIV resistance may be associated with the host's capacity to preserve systemic integrity by constraining immune activity and controlling inflammatory conditions at the mucosal point of entry. This likely necessitates the orchestration of balanced, first-line and adaptive immune responses.

Know when to run, know when to hide: can behavioral differences explain the divergent invasion success of two sympatric lizards?

PubMed Central

Chapple, David G; Simmonds, Sarah M; Wong, Bob BM

2011-01-01

Invasive species represent a select subset of organisms that have successfully transitioned through each stage of the introduction process (transportation, establishment, and spread). Although there is a growing realization that behavior plays a critical role in invasion success, few studies have focused on the initial stages of introduction. We examined whether differences in the grouping tendencies and exploratory behavior of two sympatric lizard species could contribute to their divergent invasion success. While the nondirected activity of the two species did not differ, the invasive delicate skink (Lampropholis delicata) was found to be more exploratory than the congeneric noninvasive garden skink (L. guichenoti), which enabled it to more effectively locate novel environments and basking site resources. The delicate skink also exhibited a greater tendency to hide, which may act to enhance its probability of ensnarement in freight and cargo and decrease its likelihood of detection during transit. The grouping tendencies of the two species did not differ. Together, our results suggest that while the two species have an equivalent “opportunity” for unintentional human-assisted transportation, several pre-existing behavioral traits may enhance the success of the delicate skink in negotiating the initial stages of the introduction process, and subsequent post-establishment spread. PMID:22393500

Discovery of a Hepatitis C Virus NS5B Replicase Palm Site Allosteric Inhibitor (BMS-929075) Advanced to Phase 1 Clinical Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yeung, Kap-Sun; Beno, Brett R.; Parcella, Kyle

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B replicase is a prime target for the development of direct-acting antiviral drugs for the treatment of chronic HCV infection. Inspired by the overlay of bound structures of three structurally distinct NS5B palm site allosteric inhibitors, the high-throughput screening hit anthranilic acid 4, the known benzofuran analogue 5, and the benzothiadiazine derivative 6, an optimization process utilizing the simple benzofuran template 7 as a starting point for a fragment growing approach was pursued. A delicate balance of molecular properties achieved via disciplined lipophilicity changes was essential to achieve both high affinity binding and a stringentmore » targeted absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion profile. These efforts led to the discovery of BMS-929075 (37), which maintained ligand efficiency relative to early leads, demonstrated efficacy in a triple combination regimen in HCV replicon cells, and exhibited consistently high oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetic parameters across preclinical animal species. The human PK properties from the Phase I clinical studies of 37 were better than anticipated and suggest promising potential for QD administration.« less

Research and development of novel wireless digital capacitive displacement sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Junning; He, Zhangqiang; Sun, Tao; Bian, Xingyuan; Han, Lu

2015-02-01

In order to solve the problem of noncontact, wireless and nonmagnetic displacement sensing with nanometer resolution within critical limited space for ultraprecision displacement monitoring in the Joule balance device, a novel wireless digital capacitive displacement sensor (WDCDS) is proposed. The WDCDS is fabricated with brass and other nonmagnetic material and powered with a small battery inside, a small integrated circuit is assembled inside for converting and processing of capacitive signal, and low power Bluetooth is used for wireless signal transmission and communication. Experimental results show that the WDCDS proposed has a resolution of better than 1nm and a nonlinearity of 0.077%, therefore it is a delicate design for ultraprecision noncontact displacement monitoring in the Joule balance device, meeting the demand for properties of wireless, nonmagnetic and miniaturized size.

TGF-β Signaling in Dopaminergic Neurons Regulates Dendritic Growth, Excitatory-Inhibitory Synaptic Balance, and Reversal Learning.

PubMed

Luo, Sarah X; Timbang, Leah; Kim, Jae-Ick; Shang, Yulei; Sandoval, Kadellyn; Tang, Amy A; Whistler, Jennifer L; Ding, Jun B; Huang, Eric J

2016-12-20

Neural circuits involving midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons regulate reward and goal-directed behaviors. Although local GABAergic input is known to modulate DA circuits, the mechanism that controls excitatory/inhibitory synaptic balance in DA neurons remains unclear. Here, we show that DA neurons use autocrine transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling to promote the growth of axons and dendrites. Surprisingly, removing TGF-β type II receptor in DA neurons also disrupts the balance in TGF-β1 expression in DA neurons and neighboring GABAergic neurons, which increases inhibitory input, reduces excitatory synaptic input, and alters phasic firing patterns in DA neurons. Mice lacking TGF-β signaling in DA neurons are hyperactive and exhibit inflexibility in relinquishing learned behaviors and re-establishing new stimulus-reward associations. These results support a role for TGF-β in regulating the delicate balance of excitatory/inhibitory synaptic input in local microcircuits involving DA and GABAergic neurons and its potential contributions to neuropsychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Power versus participation in health service teams: a delicate balance.

PubMed

Marriott, A; Harris, I

2000-05-01

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the effectiveness of a participative management approach within health service teams. It questions the reality of staff empowerment as an essential product of this approach, and examines the influence of power issues on the degree of empowerment that the organization may allow. The benefits and challenges of staff participation are highlighted, with reference to the manager's role in the participation process. The article concludes by advocating the positive use of power in order to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of a participative management approach.

Design and Sizing of the Air Revitalization System for Altair Lunar Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allada, Rama Kumar

2009-01-01

Designing closed-loop Air Revitalization Systems (ARS) for human spaceflight applications requires a delicate balance between designing for system robustness while minimizing system power and mass requirements. This presentation will discuss the design of the ARS for the Altair Lunar Lander. The presentation will illustrate how dynamic simulations, using Aspen Custom Modeler, were used to develop a system configuration with the ability to control atmospheric conditions under a wide variety of circumstances while minimizing system mass/volume and the impact on overall power requirements for the Lander architecture.

Bach2 Promotes Regulatory T-cell Development by Limiting Effector Differentiation | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

A number of allergic and autoimmune disorders, such as Crohn’s disease, asthma, type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis, are associated with polymorphisms in a gene encoding the transcription factor, BACH2. Despite this, the mechanism Bach2 uses to prevent immune-mediated diseases was not known. To function appropriately, the immune system relies on a delicate balance between immune-stimulating and immune-regulating cells. When immune-stimulating cells become too active, or immune-regulating cells become ineffective, autoimmune and allergic diseases can ensue.

Autonomy and its vulnerability: Ricoeur's view on justice as a contribution to care ethics.

PubMed

Hettema, Theo L

2014-11-01

We examine an article of Paul Ricoeur on autonomy and vulnerability. Ricoeur presents the two notions in the field of justice as intricately woven into each other. He analyzes their interdependence on three levels of human agency. Ricoeur's exposition has a focus on judicial judgment. After presenting Ricoeur's argument and an analysis of his main points, the author argues that Ricoeur's reflection lines up with some essential intentions of care ethics. Ricoeur's contribution to care ethics is given in a delicate balance of autonomy and its vulnerability.

Balanced branching in transcription termination.

PubMed

Harrington, K J; Laughlin, R B; Liang, S

2001-04-24

The theory of stochastic transcription termination based on free-energy competition [von Hippel, P. H. & Yager, T. D. (1992) Science 255, 809-812 and von Hippel, P. H. & Yager, T. D. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 2307-2311] requires two or more reaction rates to be delicately balanced over a wide range of physical conditions. A large body of work on glasses and large molecules suggests that this balancing should be impossible in such a large system in the absence of a new organizing principle of matter. We review the experimental literature of termination and find no evidence for such a principle, but do find many troubling inconsistencies, most notably, anomalous memory effects. These effects suggest that termination has a deterministic component and may conceivably not be stochastic at all. We find that a key experiment by Wilson and von Hippel [Wilson, K. S. & von Hippel, P. H. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 244, 36-51] thought to demonstrate stochastic termination was an incorrectly analyzed regulatory effect of Mg(2+) binding.

Can features of phosphate toxicity appear in normophosphatemia?

PubMed

Osuka, Satoko; Razzaque, Mohammed S

2012-01-01

Phosphate is an indispensable nutrient for the formation of nucleic acids and the cell membrane. Adequate phosphate balance is a prerequisite for basic cellular functions ranging from energy metabolism to cell signaling. More than 85% of body phosphate is present in the bones and teeth. The remaining phosphate is distributed in various soft tissues, including skeletal muscle. A tiny amount, around 1% of total body phosphate, is distributed both in the extracellular fluids and within the cells. Impaired phosphate balance can affect the functionality of almost all human systems, including muscular, skeletal, and vascular systems, leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality of the involved patients. Currently, measuring serum phosphate level is the gold standard to estimate the overall phosphate status of the body. Despite the biological and clinical significance of maintaining delicate phosphate balance, serum levels do not always reflect the amount of phosphate uptake and its distribution. This article briefly discusses the potential that some of the early consequences of phosphate toxicity might not be evident from serum phosphate levels.

Can features of phosphate toxicity appear in normophosphatemia?

PubMed Central

Osuka, Satoko; Razzaque, Mohammed S.

2013-01-01

Phosphate is an indispensable nutrient for the formation of nucleic acids and the cell membrane. Adequate phosphate balance is a prerequisite for basic cellular functions ranging from energy metabolism to cell signaling. More than 85% of body phosphate is present in the bones and teeth. The remaining phosphate is distributed in various soft tissues, including skeletal muscle. A tiny amount, around 1% of total body phosphate, is distributed both in the extracellular fluids and within the cells. Impaired phosphate balance can affect the functionality of almost all human systems, including muscular, skeletal, and vascular systems, leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality of the involved patients. Currently, measuring serum phosphate level is the gold standard to estimate the overall phosphate status of the body. Despite the biological and clinical significance of maintaining delicate phosphate balance, serum levels do not always reflect the amount of phosphate uptake and its distribution. This article briefly discusses the potential that some of the early consequences of phosphate toxicity might not be evident from serum phosphate levels. PMID:22219005

The heart of the endurance athlete assessed by echocardiography and its modalities: "embracing the delicate balance".

PubMed

King, Gerard; Wood, Malissa J

2013-08-01

"To go too far is as bad as to fall short."Confucius (BC 551-BC 479) Chinese philosopher Echocardiography has contributed most to our current understanding and indeed our current dilemma regarding the heart of the endurance athlete. Echocardiography assesses and characterizes nicely the effects of Endurance exercise training. It allows us to assess both systolic and diastolic cardiac variables as they change with structure and function associated with intense sporting activity. Much research work using echocardiography has characterized the left and right ventricle of the endurance athlete over the last year. Indeed evidence suggests that intense prolonged exercise may result in myocardial dysfunction which predominantly affects the RV, and that chronic RV remodelling may represent a substrate for ventricular arrhythmias in athletes. This has been the source of many debates and articles over the last 12 months. The reasons underlying the predilection towards RV dysfunction with intense prolonged exercise and the variation between individuals in its occurrence are still under dispute. This article seeks to describe the recent literature over the last year which outlines the different areas research has focused on when we assess the heart of the endurance athletes using echocardiography. Ultimately the goal of all research on the heart of the endurance athletes is to search for the holy grail of when enough is enough and therefore recognize and embrace the delicate balance of endurance intensity, in other words the border line when endurance exercise is no longer beneficial but slumps and slides into the realms of induced cardiac pathology.

Effector T Helper Cell Subsets in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

PubMed Central

Imam, Tanbeena; Park, Sungtae; Kaplan, Mark H.; Olson, Matthew R.

2018-01-01

The gastrointestinal tract is a site of high immune challenge, as it must maintain a delicate balance between tolerating luminal contents and generating an immune response toward pathogens. CD4+ T cells are key in mediating the host protective and homeostatic responses. Yet, CD4+ T cells are also known to be the main drivers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when this balance is perturbed. Many subsets of CD4+ T cells have been identified as players in perpetuating chronic intestinal inflammation. Over the last few decades, understanding of how each subset of Th cells plays a role has dramatically increased. Simultaneously, this has allowed development of therapeutic innovation targeting specific molecules rather than broad immunosuppressive agents. Here, we review the emerging evidence of how each subset functions in promoting and sustaining the chronic inflammation that characterizes IBD.

A Delicate Balance: Integrating Active Learning into a Large Lecture Course

PubMed Central

Cotner, Sehoya H.; Baepler, Paul M.; Decker, Mark D.

2008-01-01

A lecture section of introductory biology that historically enrolled more than 500 students was split into two smaller sections of approximately 250 students each. A traditional lecture format was followed in the “traditional” section; lecture time in the “active” section was drastically reduced in favor of a variety of in-class student-centered activities. Students in both sections took unannounced quizzes and multiple-choice exams. Evaluation consisted of comparisons of student survey responses, scores on standardized teaching evaluation forms, section averages and attendance, and open-ended student comments on end-of-term surveys. Results demonstrate that students perform as well, if not better, in an active versus traditional environment. However, student concerns about instructor expectations indicate that a judicious balance of student-centered activities and presentation-style instruction may be the best approach. PMID:19047423

Understanding the global land-use marketplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belward, Alan

2013-04-01

Over 7 billion humans inhabit Earth and our population increases by more than a hundred per minute. Satisfying the resource demands of seven-plus billion people whilst sustaining the Earth System is a delicate balancing act. We need to balance resource use with regenerative capacity and this balance must avoid tipping points beyond which return and recovery are impossible. Tipping points in the physical, biogeochemical and ecological components of the Earth System have all been proposed - adding the global land-use marketplace to such a list may not be obvious but it undeniably deserves attention. The land is where most humans live most of the time. It meets most food, fuel, freshwater and fibre requirements and shapes Earth's climate. As land is essentially a finite resource this leads to intense competition. Monetizing land resources is nothing new. Choice of agricultural practice has long been governed in part by economics. But in recent years monetization has extended to include new dimensions such as carbon trading and biodiversity offsetting. Our land-use marketplace now has to optimise food, fibre and fuel production whilst maintaining and enhancing land's role as a carbon sink, a hydrologic reservoir and a support for biological diversity. International (and national) environmental policies aim to find a balance between such competing uses. These policies call for accurate, accountable and timely evidence concerning how, when and where land resources are changing. In 2013 the European Space Agency will launch the first of the Copernicus programme's Earth Observing Sentinel satellites. These technologically advanced systems are matched to data acquisition and processing strategies that should provide scientific evidence concerning the land on an unprecedented scale. This paper provides one vision of how Earth science will benefit from the Sentinels and their associated services and how this science will subsequently inform and shape policies, especially those linked to Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Examples will show how the science can promote transparency and good governance, help build knowledge-bases, capacity and markets and illustrates how Copernicus services and the Sentinels are an important component of EU international co-operation.

Membrane transporters as mediators of synaptic dopamine dynamics: implications for disease

PubMed Central

Lohr, Kelly M.; Masoud, Shababa T.; Salahpour, Ali; Miller, Gary W.

2016-01-01

Dopamine was first identified as a neurotransmitter localized to the midbrain over 50 years ago. The dopamine transporter (DAT; SLC6A3) and the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2; SLC18A2) are two regulators of dopamine homeostasis in the presynaptic neuron. DAT transports dopamine from the extracellular space into the cytosol of the presynaptic terminal. VMAT2 then packages this cytosolic dopamine into vesicular compartments for subsequent release upon neurotransmission. Thus, DAT and VMAT2 act in concert to move transmitter efficiently throughout the neuron. The accumulation of dopamine in the neuronal cytosol can trigger oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, suggesting that the proper compartmentalization of dopamine is critical for neuron function and risk of disease. For decades, studies have examined the effects of reduced transporter function in mice (e.g. DAT-KO, VMAT2-KO, VMAT2-deficient). However, we have only recently been able to assess the effects of elevated transporter expression using BAC transgenic methods (DAT-tg, VMAT2-HI mice). Complemented with in vitro work and neurochemical techniques to assess dopamine compartmentalization, a new focus on the importance of transporter proteins as both models of human disease and potential drug targets has emerged. Here we review the importance of DAT and VMAT2 function in the delicate balance of neuronal dopamine. PMID:27520881

Breast feeding practices and views among diabetic women: a retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Soltani, Hora; Dickinson, Fiona M; Kalk, John; Payne, Karen

2008-12-01

to explore the pattern and experiences of breast-feeding practices among diabetic women. retrospective cohort study using maternal records and postal questionnaires in a Baby-Friendly hospital. diabetic mothers including women with gestational diabetes, and type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus. from the total group of respondents, 81.9% intended to breast feed. The actual breast feeding rates were 81.9% at birth, 68.1% at 2 weeks and 28.7% at 6 months postpartum. Major themes that were identified from women's experiences included information and advice, support vs. pressure, classification and labelling, and expectations. more than two-thirds of the diabetic women intended to breast feed and actually did breast feed in this study. For both the total study population and the type 1 and 2 diabetics alone, more than half were still breast feeding at 2 weeks postpartum, and approximately one-third were still breast feeding at 6 months postpartum. structured support, provided for women through Baby-Friendly initiatives, was appreciated by the diabetic women in this study. The extent to which this support influenced the highly successful breast feeding practices in this group of women needs focused investigation. The need for a delicate balancing act between pressure and advice in order to prevent coercion was noted.

Microstructural, Magnetic Anisotropy, and Magnetic Domain Structure Correlations in Epitaxial FePd Thin Films with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skuza, J. R.; Clavero, C.; Yang, K.; Wincheski, B.; Lukaszew, R. A.

2009-01-01

L1(sub 0)-ordered FePd epitaxial thin films were prepared using dc magnetron sputter deposition on MgO (001) substrates. The films were grown with varying thickness and degree of chemical order to investigate the interplay between the microstructure, magnetic anisotropy, and magnetic domain structure. The experimentally measured domain size/period and magnetic anisotropy in this high perpendicular anisotropy system were found to be correlated following the analytical energy model proposed by Kooy and Enz that considers a delicate balance between the domain wall energy and the demagnetizing stray field energy.

Effects of DDT on bobwhite quail adrenal gland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lehman, J.W.; Peterle, T.J.; Mulls, C.M.

1974-01-01

A wide range of responses to sublethal levels of DDT exist, many of which are species specific and vary within each species depending upon age, sex, and physiological state. Sublethal levels of DDT do cause an increase in the adrenal cortical tissue of bobwhite quail, which may cause increased secretion of corticosteroids, and in turn affect reproduction. A delicate homeostatic balance exists within the avian endocrine system which may be disturbed by feeding sublethal levels of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides. This adverse effect on the endocrine system may cause subtle reproductive failures which go unnoticed until the population is greatly reduced.

Periorbital Scar Correction.

PubMed

Chambers, Christopher B; Moe, Kristen S

2017-02-01

Periorbital scarring with eyelid retraction can have serious visual effects and can lead to loss of vision or even loss of the eye. Understanding of eyelid anatomy and the delicate balance of its structural supports is critical for the identification of the eyelid disorder responsible for the cicatrix and helps to guide treatment. The 2-finger test and lateral distraction of the lid can also be of significant help in proper diagnosis of the underlying disorder. Proper reconstruction with respect to the anterior and posterior lamellae helps to ensure a favorable outcome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Luminescent tunable polydots: Charge effects in confined geometry

DOE PAGES

Wijesinghe, Sidath; Maskey, Sabina; Perahia, Dvora; ...

2017-06-28

Long-lived soft nanoparticles, formed by conjugated polymers, constitute a new class of far-from-equilibrium responsive structures for nano-medicine. Tethering ionizable groups to the polymers enables functionality. However concurrently, the ionic groups perturb the delicate balance of interactions that governs these particles. Using fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, this study probed the effects of charged groups tethered to poly para phenylene ethynylene substituted by alkyl groups on the polymer conformation and dynamics in confined geometry. As a result, we find that the ionizable groups affect the entire shape of the polydots and impact the conformation and dynamics of the polymer.

Ring Beholds a Delicate Flower

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-02-11

NASA Spitzer Space Telescope finds a delicate flower in the Ring Nebula, as shown in this image. The outer shell of this planetary nebula looks surprisingly similar to the delicate petals of a camellia blossom.

Studies of reproductive output of the desert tortoise at Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, and comparative sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lovich, J.E.; Medica, P.; Avery, H.; Meyer, K.; Bowser, G.; Brown, A.

1999-01-01

The stability of any population is a function of how many young are produced and how many survive to reproduce. Populations with low reproductive output and high mortality will decline until such time as deaths and births are at least balanced. Monitoring populations of sensitive species is particularly important to ensure that conditions do not favor decline or extinction. Turtles, including tortoises, are characterized by life history traits that make them slow to adapt to rapid changes in mortality and habitat alteration. Long life spans (in excess of 50 years), late maturity, and widely variable nest success are traits that allowed turtles to outlive the dinosaurs, but they are poorly adapted for life in the rapidly changing modern world. Increased mortality of young and adults can seriously tip the delicate balance required for turtles to survive.

The Generation-Y workforce in health care: the new challenge for leadership.

PubMed

Piper, Llewellyn E

2008-01-01

The new generation of workforce entering health care today is the new challenge for leadership. This young workforce, known as the "Generation-Y," is demanding a different organizational culture to meet its needs. These new spoilers, once the babies of the baby boomers, will once again test the creativity and patience of their parents, who are now the leaders in health care. The baby boomer leaders of today face a delicate balance to meet the new demands of the Generation-Y workforce, along with the patients' demands. At stake in this balance is the viability of health care as we know it today. If the leadership of health care fails to grab hold of this new generation of employees, the ability to provide safe and quality health care and the survivability of the organization will be compromised. This article identifies the problem and provides guidelines to journey through this new wave of spoilers.

Self-organization in Balanced State Networks by STDP and Homeostatic Plasticity

PubMed Central

Effenberger, Felix; Jost, Jürgen; Levina, Anna

2015-01-01

Structural inhomogeneities in synaptic efficacies have a strong impact on population response dynamics of cortical networks and are believed to play an important role in their functioning. However, little is known about how such inhomogeneities could evolve by means of synaptic plasticity. Here we present an adaptive model of a balanced neuronal network that combines two different types of plasticity, STDP and synaptic scaling. The plasticity rules yield both long-tailed distributions of synaptic weights and firing rates. Simultaneously, a highly connected subnetwork of driver neurons with strong synapses emerges. Coincident spiking activity of several driver cells can evoke population bursts and driver cells have similar dynamical properties as leader neurons found experimentally. Our model allows us to observe the delicate interplay between structural and dynamical properties of the emergent inhomogeneities. It is simple, robust to parameter changes and able to explain a multitude of different experimental findings in one basic network. PMID:26335425

Learning in the tutorial group: a balance between individual freedom and institutional control.

PubMed

McAllister, Anita; Aanstoot, Janna; Hammarström, Inger Lundeborg; Samuelsson, Christina; Johannesson, Eva; Sandström, Karin; Berglind, Ulrika

2014-01-01

The study investigates factors in problem-based learning tutorial groups which promote or inhibit learning. The informants were tutors and students from speech-language pathology and physiotherapy programmes. Semi-structured focus-group interviews and individual interviews were used. Results revealed three themes: Responsibility. Time and Support. Under responsibility, the delicate balance between individual and institutional responsibility and control was shown. Time included short and long-term perspectives on learning. Under support, supporting documents, activities and personnel resources were mentioned. In summary, an increased control by the program and tutors decreases student's motivation to assume responsibility for learning. Support in tutorial groups needs to adapt to student progression and to be well aligned to tutorial work to have the intended effect. A lifelong learning perspective may help students develop a meta-awareness regarding learning that could make tutorial work more meaningful.

48 CFR 225.1101 - Acquisition of supplies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...—Balance of Payments Program Certificate, instead of the provision at FAR 52.225-2, Buy American Act... and Balance of Payments Program. (2) Use the clause at 252.225-7001, Buy American Act and Balance of... requirement for use of domestic components); (iii) An exception to the Buy American Act or Balance of Payments...

48 CFR 252.225-7001 - Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Balance of Payments Program. 252.225-7001 Section 252.225-7001 Federal Acquisition Regulations System... AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions And Clauses 252.225-7001 Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program. As prescribed in 225.1101(2)(i), use the following clause: Buy American Act and Balance...

48 CFR 252.225-7001 - Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Balance of Payments Program. 252.225-7001 Section 252.225-7001 Federal Acquisition Regulations System... AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions And Clauses 252.225-7001 Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program. As prescribed in 225.1101(2), use the following clause: Buy American Act and Balance of...

Avian Influenza Virus Infection of Immortalized Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells Depends upon a Delicate Balance between Hemagglutinin Acid Stability and Endosomal pH*

PubMed Central

Daidoji, Tomo; Watanabe, Yohei; Ibrahim, Madiha S.; Yasugi, Mayo; Maruyama, Hisataka; Masuda, Taisuke; Arai, Fumihito; Ohba, Tomoyuki; Honda, Ayae; Ikuta, Kazuyoshi; Nakaya, Takaaki

2015-01-01

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) virus, H5N1, is a serious threat to public health worldwide. Both the currently circulating H5N1 and previously circulating AI viruses recognize avian-type receptors; however, only the H5N1 is highly infectious and virulent in humans. The mechanism(s) underlying this difference in infectivity remains unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the difference in infectivity between the current and previously circulating strains. Primary human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs) were transformed with the SV40 large T-antigen to establish a series of clones (SAEC-Ts). These clones were then used to test the infectivity of AI strains. Human SAEC-Ts could be broadly categorized into two different types based on their susceptibility (high or low) to the viruses. SAEC-T clones were poorly susceptible to previously circulating AI but were completely susceptible to the currently circulating H5N1. The hemagglutinin (HA) of the current H5N1 virus showed greater membrane fusion activity at higher pH levels than that of previous AI viruses, resulting in broader cell tropism. Moreover, the endosomal pH was lower in high susceptibility SAEC-T clones than that in low susceptibility SAEC-T clones. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the infectivity of AI viruses, including H5N1, depends upon a delicate balance between the acid sensitivity of the viral HA and the pH within the endosomes of the target cell. Thus, one of the mechanisms underlying H5N1 pathogenesis in humans relies on its ability to fuse efficiently with the endosomes in human airway epithelial cells. PMID:25673693

48 CFR 752.225-9 - Buy American Act-Trade Agreements Act-Balance of Payments Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Buy American Act-Trade Agreements Act-Balance of Payments Program. 752.225-9 Section 752.225-9 Federal Acquisition Regulations... CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 752.225-9 Buy American Act—Trade Agreements Act—Balance of...

48 CFR 752.225-9 - Buy American Act-Trade Agreements Act-Balance of Payments Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Buy American Act-Trade Agreements Act-Balance of Payments Program. 752.225-9 Section 752.225-9 Federal Acquisition Regulations... CLAUSES Texts of Provisions and Clauses 752.225-9 Buy American Act—Trade Agreements Act—Balance of...

Optomotor-blind negatively regulates Drosophila eye development by blocking Jak/STAT signaling.

PubMed

Tsai, Yu-Chen; Grimm, Stefan; Chao, Ju-Lan; Wang, Shih-Chin; Hofmeyer, Kerstin; Shen, Jie; Eichinger, Fred; Michalopoulou, Theoni; Yao, Chi-Kuang; Chang, Chih-Hsuan; Lin, Shih-Han; Sun, Y Henry; Pflugfelder, Gert O

2015-01-01

Organ formation requires a delicate balance of positive and negative regulators. In Drosophila eye development, wingless (wg) is expressed at the lateral margins of the eye disc and serves to block retinal development. The T-box gene optomotor-blind (omb) is expressed in a similar pattern and is regulated by Wg. Omb mediates part of Wg activity in blocking eye development. Omb exerts its function primarily by blocking cell proliferation. These effects occur predominantly in the ventral margin. Our results suggest that the primary effect of Omb is the blocking of Jak/STAT signaling by repressing transcription of upd which encodes the Jak receptor ligand Unpaired.

Biological Effects Of Full-Spectrum Lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bickford, Elwood D.

1980-10-01

Humans and other living organisms have evolved various known and unknown photoreceptors and responses under full-spectrum optical radiation of sun and sky at the earth's surface. The trend to indoor living over the past 100 years has produced a self-exile from this radiation environment resulting in the disease conditions of rickets and erythema. Concerns for these diseases have pointed attention to the delicate balance between the beneficial and detrimental effects of full-spectrum optical radiation and has confounded the concepts of illumination and radiation safety criteria. Further knowledge has to be obtained to better evaluate the known and unknown effects of full-spectrum optical radiation in a modern society.

Physically founded phonon dispersions of few-layer materials and the case of borophene

DOE PAGES

Carrete, Jesús; Li, Wu; Lindsay, Lucas; ...

2016-04-21

By building physically sound interatomic force constants,we offer evidence of the universal presence of a quadratic phonon branch in all unstrained 2D materials, thus contradicting much of the existing literature. Through a reformulation of the interatomic force constants (IFCs) in terms of internal coordinates, we find that a delicate balance between the IFCs is responsible for this quadraticity. We use this approach to predict the thermal conductivity of Pmmn borophene, which is comparable to that of MoS 2, and displays a remarkable in-plane anisotropy. Ultimately, these qualities may enable the efficient heat management of borophene devices in potential nanoelectronic applications

Gendered power in cultural contexts: Part I. Immigrant couples.

PubMed

Maciel, Jose A; Van Putten, Zanetta; Knudson-Martin, Carmen

2009-03-01

Immigration is a world-wide phenomenon and practitioners are increasingly called on to work with issues related to it. The authors examine the experience of couples who are immigrants to the United States in regard to gender and power issues. Although the study limited participation to one religious group in order to hold that aspect of culture and gender attitudes constant, the experiences of these couples help to make visible the link between microlevel couple interaction and larger social processes. The results show how the couples manage a delicate balance between the push for gender change and avoiding too much conflict as male power is challenged.

Health care: economic impact of caring for geriatric patients.

PubMed

Rich, Preston B; Adams, Sasha D

2015-02-01

National health care expenditures constitute a continuously expanding component of the US economy. Health care resources are distributed unequally among the population, and geriatric patients are disproportionately represented. Characterizing this group of individuals that accounts for the largest percentage of US health spending may facilitate the introduction of targeted interventions in key high-impact areas. Changing demographics, an increasing incidence of chronic disease and progressive disability, rapid technological advances, and systemic market failures in the health care sector combine to drive cost. A multidisciplinary approach will become increasingly necessary to balance the delicate relationship between our constrained supply and increasing demand. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated optical modulator for signal up-conversion over radio-on-fiber link.

PubMed

Kim, Woo-Kyung; Kwon, Soon-Woo; Jeong, Woo-Jin; Son, Geun-Sik; Lee, Kwang-Hyun; Choi, Woo-Young; Yang, Woo-Seok; Lee, Hyung-Man; Lee, Han-Young

2009-02-16

An integrated optical modulator, which consists of a dual-sideband suppressed carrier (DSB-SC) modulator cascaded with a single-sideband (SSB) modulator, is proposed for signal up-conversion over Radio-on-Fiber. Utilizing a single-drive domain inverted structure in both modulators, balanced modulations were obtained without complicated radio frequency (RF) driving circuits and delicate RF phase adjustments. Intermediate frequency (IF) band signal was up-conversed to 60GHz band by using the fabricated device and was transmitted over optical fiber. Experiment results show that the proposed device enables millimeter wave generation and signal transmission without any power penalty caused by chromatic dispersion.

Biomarkers for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Rheumatic Diseases.

PubMed

Soh, May Ching; Nelson-Piercy, Catherine

2017-05-01

Pregnancy is a delicate balance of angiogenic factors. Adverse pregnancy outcomes in the form of placental insufficiency occur when antiangiogenic factors predominate, which manifests as maternal-placental syndrome (MPS). Women with rheumatic disease are at increased risk of MPS. Endothelial damage from circulating antiangiogenic factors and other inflammatory molecules in combination with preexisting maternal vascular risk factors is the likely underlying pathophysiological process for MPS. It is likely that these changes persist, and additional "insults" from ongoing inflammation, medications, and disease damage contribute to the development of accelerated cardiovascular disease seen in young women with rheumatic disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen peroxide priming modulates abiotic oxidative stress tolerance: insights from ROS detoxification and scavenging

PubMed Central

Hossain, Mohammad A.; Bhattacharjee, Soumen; Armin, Saed-Moucheshi; Qian, Pingping; Xin, Wang; Li, Hong-Yu; Burritt, David J.; Fujita, Masayuki; Tran, Lam-Son P.

2015-01-01

Plants are constantly challenged by various abiotic stresses that negatively affect growth and productivity worldwide. During the course of their evolution, plants have developed sophisticated mechanisms to recognize external signals allowing them to respond appropriately to environmental conditions, although the degree of adjustability or tolerance to specific stresses differs from species to species. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS; hydrogen peroxide, H2O2; superoxide, O2⋅-; hydroxyl radical, OH⋅ and singlet oxygen, 1O2) is enhanced under abiotic and/or biotic stresses, which can cause oxidative damage to plant macromolecules and cell structures, leading to inhibition of plant growth and development, or to death. Among the various ROS, freely diffusible and relatively long-lived H2O2 acts as a central player in stress signal transduction pathways. These pathways can then activate multiple acclamatory responses that reinforce resistance to various abiotic and biotic stressors. To utilize H2O2 as a signaling molecule, non-toxic levels must be maintained in a delicate balancing act between H2O2 production and scavenging. Several recent studies have demonstrated that the H2O2-priming can enhance abiotic stress tolerance by modulating ROS detoxification and by regulating multiple stress-responsive pathways and gene expression. Despite the importance of the H2O2-priming, little is known about how this process improves the tolerance of plants to stress. Understanding the mechanisms of H2O2-priming-induced abiotic stress tolerance will be valuable for identifying biotechnological strategies to improve abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. This review is an overview of our current knowledge of the possible mechanisms associated with H2O2-induced abiotic oxidative stress tolerance in plants, with special reference to antioxidant metabolism. PMID:26136756

Membrane transporters as mediators of synaptic dopamine dynamics: implications for disease.

PubMed

Lohr, Kelly M; Masoud, Shababa T; Salahpour, Ali; Miller, Gary W

2017-01-01

Dopamine was first identified as a neurotransmitter localized to the midbrain over 50 years ago. The dopamine transporter (DAT; SLC6A3) and the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2; SLC18A2) are regulators of dopamine homeostasis in the presynaptic neuron. DAT transports dopamine from the extracellular space into the cytosol of the presynaptic terminal. VMAT2 then packages this cytosolic dopamine into vesicular compartments for subsequent release upon neurotransmission. Thus, DAT and VMAT2 act in concert to move the transmitter efficiently throughout the neuron. Accumulation of dopamine in the neuronal cytosol can trigger oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, suggesting that the proper compartmentalization of dopamine is critical for neuron function and risk of disease. For decades, studies have examined the effects of reduced transporter function in mice (e.g. DAT-KO, VMAT2-KO, VMAT2-deficient). However, we have only recently been able to assess the effects of elevated transporter expression using BAC transgenic methods (DAT-tg, VMAT2-HI mice). Complemented with in vitro work and neurochemical techniques to assess dopamine compartmentalization, a new focus on the importance of transporter proteins as both models of human disease and potential drug targets has emerged. Here, we review the importance of DAT and VMAT2 function in the delicate balance of neuronal dopamine. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Antibiotic use and abuse: A threat to mitochondria and chloroplasts with impact on research, health, and environment

PubMed Central

Wang, Xu; Ryu, Dongryeol

2015-01-01

Recently, several studies have demonstrated that tetracyclines, the antibiotics most intensively used in livestock and that are also widely applied in biomedical research, interrupt mitochondrial proteostasis and physiology in animals ranging from round worms, fruit flies, and mice to human cell lines. Importantly, plant chloroplasts, like their mitochondria, are also under certain conditions vulnerable to these and other antibiotics that are leached into our environment. Together these endosymbiotic organelles are not only essential for cellular and organismal homeostasis stricto sensu, but also have an important role to play in the sustainability of our ecosystem as they maintain the delicate balance between autotrophs and heterotrophs, which fix and utilize energy, respectively. Therefore, stricter policies on antibiotic usage are absolutely required as their use in research confounds experimental outcomes, and their uncontrolled applications in medicine and agriculture pose a significant threat to a balanced ecosystem and the well‐being of these endosymbionts that are essential to sustain health. Also watch the Video Abstract. PMID:26347282

Phosphatidic Acid-Mediated Signaling Regulates Microneme Secretion in Toxoplasma.

PubMed

Bullen, Hayley E; Jia, Yonggen; Yamaryo-Botté, Yoshiki; Bisio, Hugo; Zhang, Ou; Jemelin, Natacha Klages; Marq, Jean-Baptiste; Carruthers, Vern; Botté, Cyrille Y; Soldati-Favre, Dominique

2016-03-09

The obligate intracellular lifestyle of apicomplexan parasites necessitates an invasive phase underpinned by timely and spatially controlled secretion of apical organelles termed micronemes. In Toxoplasma gondii, extracellular potassium levels and other stimuli trigger a signaling cascade culminating in phosphoinositide-phospholipase C (PLC) activation, which generates the second messengers diacylglycerol (DAG) and IP3 and ultimately results in microneme secretion. Here we show that a delicate balance between DAG and its downstream product, phosphatidic acid (PA), is essential for controlling microneme release. Governing this balance is the apicomplexan-specific DAG-kinase-1, which interconverts PA and DAG, and whose depletion impairs egress and causes parasite death. Additionally, we identify an acylated pleckstrin-homology (PH) domain-containing protein (APH) on the microneme surface that senses PA during microneme secretion and is necessary for microneme exocytosis. As APH is conserved in Apicomplexa, these findings highlight a potentially widely used mechanism in which key lipid mediators regulate microneme exocytosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cardiac imaging modalities with ionizing radiation: the role of informed consent.

PubMed

Paterick, Timothy E; Jan, M Fuad; Paterick, Zachary R; Tajik, A Jamil; Gerber, Thomas C

2012-06-01

Informed consent ideally results in patient autonomy and rational health care decisions. Frequently, patients face complex medical decisions that require a delicate balancing of anticipated benefits and potential risks, which is the concept of informed consent. This balancing process requires an understanding of available medical evidence and alternative medical options, and input from experienced physicians. The informed consent doctrine places a positive obligation on physicians to partner with patients as they try to make the best decision for their specific medical situation. The high prevalence and mortality related to heart disease in our society has led to increased cardiac imaging with modalities that use ionizing radiation. This paper reviews how physicians can meet the ideals of informed consent when considering cardiac imaging with ionizing radiation, given the limited evidence for risks and benefits. The goal is an informed patient making rational choices based on available medical information. Copyright © 2012 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antibiotic use and abuse: a threat to mitochondria and chloroplasts with impact on research, health, and environment.

PubMed

Wang, Xu; Ryu, Dongryeol; Houtkooper, Riekelt H; Auwerx, Johan

2015-10-01

Recently, several studies have demonstrated that tetracyclines, the antibiotics most intensively used in livestock and that are also widely applied in biomedical research, interrupt mitochondrial proteostasis and physiology in animals ranging from round worms, fruit flies, and mice to human cell lines. Importantly, plant chloroplasts, like their mitochondria, are also under certain conditions vulnerable to these and other antibiotics that are leached into our environment. Together these endosymbiotic organelles are not only essential for cellular and organismal homeostasis stricto sensu, but also have an important role to play in the sustainability of our ecosystem as they maintain the delicate balance between autotrophs and heterotrophs, which fix and utilize energy, respectively. Therefore, stricter policies on antibiotic usage are absolutely required as their use in research confounds experimental outcomes, and their uncontrolled applications in medicine and agriculture pose a significant threat to a balanced ecosystem and the well-being of these endosymbionts that are essential to sustain health. © 2015 The Authors. Bioessays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Theory of "laser distillation" of enantiomers: purification of a racemic mixture of randomly oriented dimethylallene in a collisional environment.

PubMed

Gerbasi, David; Shapiro, Moshe; Brumer, Paul

2006-02-21

Enantiomeric control of 1,3 dimethylallene in a collisional environment is examined. Specifically, our previous "laser distillation" scenario wherein three perpendicular linearly polarized light fields are applied to excite a set of vib-rotational eigenstates of a randomly oriented sample is considered. The addition of internal conversion, dissociation, decoherence, and collisional relaxation mimics experimental conditions and molecular decay processes. Of greatest relevance is internal conversion which, in the case of dimethylallene, is followed by molecular dissociation. For various rates of internal conversion, enantiomeric control is maintained in this scenario by a delicate balance between collisional relaxation of excited dimethylallene that enhances control and collisional dephasing, which diminishes control.

Critical issues in sensor science to aid food and water safety.

PubMed

Farahi, R H; Passian, A; Tetard, L; Thundat, T

2012-06-26

The stability of food and water supplies is widely recognized as a global issue of fundamental importance. Sensor development for food and water safety by nonconventional assays continues to overcome technological challenges. The delicate balance between attaining adequate limits of detection, chemical fingerprinting of the target species, dealing with the complex food matrix, and operating in difficult environments are still the focus of current efforts. While the traditional pursuit of robust recognition methods remains important, emerging engineered nanomaterials and nanotechnology promise better sensor performance but also bring about new challenges. Both advanced receptor-based sensors and emerging non-receptor-based physical sensors are evaluated for their critical challenges toward out-of-laboratory applications.

Epigenetic Aspects of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

PubMed

Relle, Manfred; Foehr, Bernd; Schwarting, Andreas

2015-06-01

Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease have complex pathogeneses and the courses of events leading to these diseases are not well understood. The immune surveillance is a delicate balance between self and foreign as well as between tolerance and immune response. Exposure to certain environmental factors may impair this equilibrium, leading to autoimmune diseases, cancer, and the so-called "lifestyle diseases" such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, and obesity, among others. These external stimuli may also alter the epigenetic status quo and may trigger autoimmune diseases such as SLE in genetically susceptible individuals. This review aims to highlight the role of epigenetic (dys-)regulation in the pathogenesis of SLE.

Academic goals in surgery.

PubMed

Bleier, Joshua I S; Kann, Brian

2013-12-01

The development of an academic surgical career can be an overwhelming prospect, and one that is not intuitive. Establishing a structured plan and support structure is critical to success. Starting a successful academic surgical career begins with defining one's academic goals within several broad categories: personal goals, academic goals, research goals, educational goals, and financial goals. Learning the art of self-promotion is the means by which many of these goals are achieved. It is important to realize that achieving these goals requires a delicate personal balance between work and home life, and the key ways in which to achieve success require establishment of well thought-out goals, a reliable support structure, realistic and clear expectations, and frequent re-evaluation.

Fluid management in acute kidney injury.

PubMed

Perner, Anders; Prowle, John; Joannidis, Michael; Young, Paul; Hjortrup, Peter B; Pettilä, Ville

2017-06-01

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and fluids are closely linked through oliguria, which is a marker of the former and a trigger for administration of the latter. Recent progress in this field has challenged the physiological and clinical rational of using oliguria as a trigger for the administration of fluid and brought attention to the delicate balance between benefits and harms of different aspects of fluid management in critically ill patients, in particular those with AKI. This narrative review addresses various aspects of fluid management in AKI outlining physiological aspects, the effects of crystalloids and colloids on kidney function and the effect of various resuscitation and de-resuscitation strategies on the course and outcome of AKI.

Optomotor-Blind Negatively Regulates Drosophila Eye Development by Blocking Jak/STAT Signaling

PubMed Central

Tsai, Yu-Chen; Grimm, Stefan; Chao, Ju-Lan; Wang, Shih-Chin; Hofmeyer, Kerstin; Shen, Jie; Eichinger, Fred; Michalopoulou, Theoni; Yao, Chi-Kuang; Chang, Chih-Hsuan; Lin, Shih-Han; Sun, Y. Henry; Pflugfelder, Gert O.

2015-01-01

Organ formation requires a delicate balance of positive and negative regulators. In Drosophila eye development, wingless (wg) is expressed at the lateral margins of the eye disc and serves to block retinal development. The T-box gene optomotor-blind (omb) is expressed in a similar pattern and is regulated by Wg. Omb mediates part of Wg activity in blocking eye development. Omb exerts its function primarily by blocking cell proliferation. These effects occur predominantly in the ventral margin. Our results suggest that the primary effect of Omb is the blocking of Jak/STAT signaling by repressing transcription of upd which encodes the Jak receptor ligand Unpaired. PMID:25781970

Human Helminths and Allergic Disease: The Hygiene Hypothesis and Beyond

PubMed Central

Santiago, Helton C.; Nutman, Thomas B.

2016-01-01

There is much debate about the interaction between helminths and allergic disease. The “Hygiene Hypothesis,” a very popular concept among scientists and the lay public, states that infections, especially during childhood, can protect against allergic diseases. Indeed, helminth infections are known to induce regulatory responses in the host that can help the control of inflammation (including allergic inflammation). However, these infections also induce type-2-associated immune responses including helminth-specific IgE that can cross-react against environmental allergens and mediate IgE-driven effector responses. Thus, it is the delicate balance between the parasites' anti- and pro-allergenic effects that define the helminth/allergy interface. PMID:27573628

Human Helminths and Allergic Disease: The Hygiene Hypothesis and Beyond.

PubMed

Santiago, Helton C; Nutman, Thomas B

2016-10-05

There is much debate about the interaction between helminths and allergic disease. The "Hygiene Hypothesis," a very popular concept among scientists and the lay public, states that infections, especially during childhood, can protect against allergic diseases. Indeed, helminth infections are known to induce regulatory responses in the host that can help the control of inflammation (including allergic inflammation). However, these infections also induce type-2-associated immune responses including helminth-specific IgE that can cross-react against environmental allergens and mediate IgE-driven effector responses. Thus, it is the delicate balance between the parasites' anti- and pro-allergenic effects that define the helminth/allergy interface. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

48 CFR 252.225-7000 - Buy American Act-Balance of Payments Program Certificate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Buy American Act-Balance... PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions And Clauses 252.225-7000 Buy American Act—Balance of Payments Program Certificate. Buy American Act—Balance of Payments Program Certificate (DEC 2009) (a...

48 CFR 252.225-7000 - Buy American Act-Balance of Payments Program Certificate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Buy American Act-Balance... PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions And Clauses 252.225-7000 Buy American Act—Balance of... Act—Balance of Payments Program Certificate (DEC 2009) (a) Definitions. “Commercially available off...

78 FR 19050 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; National Securities Clearing Corporation; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-28

... Balance Orders March 22, 2013. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act... security. Net Balance Order Pricing The uniform settlement price for net Balance Orders is currently established using a rounding methodology.\\11\\ If the current per share price of the Balance Order Security is...

Avian Influenza Virus Infection of Immortalized Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells Depends upon a Delicate Balance between Hemagglutinin Acid Stability and Endosomal pH.

PubMed

Daidoji, Tomo; Watanabe, Yohei; Ibrahim, Madiha S; Yasugi, Mayo; Maruyama, Hisataka; Masuda, Taisuke; Arai, Fumihito; Ohba, Tomoyuki; Honda, Ayae; Ikuta, Kazuyoshi; Nakaya, Takaaki

2015-04-24

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) virus, H5N1, is a serious threat to public health worldwide. Both the currently circulating H5N1 and previously circulating AI viruses recognize avian-type receptors; however, only the H5N1 is highly infectious and virulent in humans. The mechanism(s) underlying this difference in infectivity remains unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the difference in infectivity between the current and previously circulating strains. Primary human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs) were transformed with the SV40 large T-antigen to establish a series of clones (SAEC-Ts). These clones were then used to test the infectivity of AI strains. Human SAEC-Ts could be broadly categorized into two different types based on their susceptibility (high or low) to the viruses. SAEC-T clones were poorly susceptible to previously circulating AI but were completely susceptible to the currently circulating H5N1. The hemagglutinin (HA) of the current H5N1 virus showed greater membrane fusion activity at higher pH levels than that of previous AI viruses, resulting in broader cell tropism. Moreover, the endosomal pH was lower in high susceptibility SAEC-T clones than that in low susceptibility SAEC-T clones. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the infectivity of AI viruses, including H5N1, depends upon a delicate balance between the acid sensitivity of the viral HA and the pH within the endosomes of the target cell. Thus, one of the mechanisms underlying H5N1 pathogenesis in humans relies on its ability to fuse efficiently with the endosomes in human airway epithelial cells. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Towards an optofluidic pump?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emile, Olivier; Emile, Janine

2016-12-01

Most of the vibrating mechanisms of optofluidic systems are based on local heating of membranes that induces liquid flow.We report here a new type of diaphragm pump in a liquid film based on the optical radiation pressure force. We modulate a low power laser that generates, at resonance, a symmetric vibration of a free standing soap film. The film lifetime strongly varies from 56 s at low power (2 mW) to 2 s at higher power (70 mW). Since the laser beam only acts mechanically on the interfaces, such a pump could be easily implemented on delicate microequipment on chips or in biological systems.

A modest proposal: nurse practitioners to improve clinical quality and financial viability in critical access hospitals.

PubMed

Marsh, Leslie; Diers, Donna; Jenkins, Allan

2012-11-01

Rural health care has achieved a new focus of attention with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This article argues that nurse practitioners may be an important resource to help rural hospitals, especially critical access hospitals (CAH), achieve their mission of community service while protecting their always-delicate financial sustainability. Nurse practitioners' scope of practice is well suited to the needs of rural patients, and their ability to participate in expanding preventive services is especially essential in remote areas. Barriers to nurse practitioner practice include restrictive state laws and federal and state policies.

48 CFR 252.225-7013 - Duty-free entry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program clause of this contract; or... product have the meanings given in the Trade Agreements clause, the Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program clause, or the Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program clause...

OIE Collaborating Centre for Biorisk Management Strategic Plan.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brass, Van Hildren

Due to efforts by individual nations and the international community to monitor and control natural occurring outbreaks of animal and zoonotic diseases, any number and variety of select agents and especially dangerous pathogens can be found at diagnostic laboratories around the world. Diagnostic testing is a crucial aspect of disease surveillance, but the organized collection and testing of diagnostic samples from the animal and human population at laboratories has created a repository of disease agents and toxins that could cause serious harm if released or acquired by nefarious means. The delicate balance between public health disease surveillance and the managementmore » of biorisks at facilities utilized in surveillance is a necessary goal of veterinary public health.« less

Fast, high-fidelity readout of multiple qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronn, N. T.; Abdo, B.; Inoue, K.; Lekuch, S.; Córcoles, A. D.; Hertzberg, J. B.; Takita, M.; Bishop, L. S.; Gambetta, J. M.; Chow, J. M.

2017-05-01

Quantum computing requires a delicate balance between coupling quantum systems to external instruments for control and readout, while providing enough isolation from sources of decoherence. Circuit quantum electrodynamics has been a successful method for protecting superconducting qubits, while maintaining the ability to perform readout [1, 2]. Here, we discuss improvements to this method that allow for fast, high-fidelity readout. Specifically, the integration of a Purcell filter, which allows us to increase the resonator bandwidth for fast readout, the incorporation of a Josephson parametric converter, which enables us to perform high-fidelity readout by amplifying the readout signal while adding the minimum amount of noise required by quantum mechanics, and custom control electronics, which provide us with the capability of fast decision and control.

Fourteen million women with limited options: HIV/AIDS and highly effective reversible contraception in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Stuart, Gretchen S

2009-11-01

An estimated 14 million women in sub-Saharan Africa are HIV infected and these women deserve access to evidence-based family planning services. Increasing contraceptive use in HIV-infected women can reduce the numbers of unintended pregnancies and thus reduce maternal death and vertical transmission of HIV. A delicate balance exists between risks associated with pregnancy and any theoretical risks of acquiring, transmitting or worsening HIV attributable to using a contraceptive. This commentary reviews interactions between hormonal, intrauterine and barrier contraception in HIV-infected women, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, the evidence on these interactions to guide family planning providers is limited and more research in this area is urgently needed.

Impact of Stereospecific Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding on Cell Permeability and Physicochemical Properties

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Profiling of eight stereoisomeric T. cruzi growth inhibitors revealed vastly different in vitro properties such as solubility, lipophilicity, pKa, and cell permeability for two sets of four stereoisomers. Using computational chemistry and NMR spectroscopy, we identified the formation of an intramolecular NH→NR3 hydrogen bond in the set of stereoisomers displaying lower solubility, higher lipophilicity, and higher cell permeability. The intramolecular hydrogen bond resulted in a significant pKa difference that accounts for the other structure–property relationships. Application of this knowledge could be of particular value to maintain the delicate balance of size, solubility, and lipophilicity required for cell penetration and oral administration for chemical probes or therapeutics with properties at, or beyond, Lipinski’s rule of 5. PMID:24524242

Pediatric genetic disease of the cornea

PubMed Central

Fecarotta, Christopher M.; Huang, Wendy W.

2014-01-01

Our objective is to evaluate the literature regarding selected genetic diseases of the cornea, including megalocornea, keratoglobus, keratoconus, cystinosis, the mucopolysaccharidoses, sclerocornea, Peters' anomaly, familial dysautonomia, and various corneal dystrophies. The transparency of the cornea is a consequence of uniformity in both size and spacing of the collagen lamellae. The cornea's clarity depends on a delicate biochemical and structural balance; consequently, genetic disorders that disrupt either its metabolic or anatomic function can cause opacity and vision loss. Many childhood corneal diseases have a genetic etiology and are associated with known syndromes. Each disorder has unique associated set of possible complications. Prognosis often depends on the extent of opacity and disorganization of the anterior segment. Corneal transplantation has been performed for these disorders with variable success. PMID:27625877

Evolutionary optimization of material properties of a tropical seed

PubMed Central

Lucas, Peter W.; Gaskins, John T.; Lowrey, Timothy K.; Harrison, Mark E.; Morrogh-Bernard, Helen C.; Cheyne, Susan M.; Begley, Matthew R.

2012-01-01

Here, we show how the mechanical properties of a thick-shelled tropical seed are adapted to permit them to germinate while preventing their predation. The seed has evolved a complex heterogeneous microstructure resulting in hardness, stiffness and fracture toughness values that place the structure at the intersection of these competing selective constraints. Analyses of different damage mechanisms inflicted by beetles, squirrels and orangutans illustrate that cellular shapes and orientations ensure damage resistance to predation forces imposed across a broad range of length scales. This resistance is shown to be around the upper limit that allows cracking the shell via internal turgor pressure (i.e. germination). Thus, the seed appears to strike an exquisitely delicate adaptive balance between multiple selection pressures. PMID:21613287

Physics of the intermediate layer between a plasma and a collisionless sheath and mathematical meaning of the Bohm criterion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Almeida, N. A.; Benilov, M. S.

A transformation of the ion momentum equation simplifies a mathematical description of the transition layer between a quasi-neutral plasma and a collisionless sheath and clearly reveals the physics involved. Balance of forces acting on the ion fluid is delicate in the vicinity of the sonic point and weak effects come into play. For this reason, the passage of the ion fluid through the sonic point, which occurs in the transition layer, is governed not only by inertia and electrostatic force but also by space charge and ion-atom collisions and/or ionization. Occurrence of different scenarios of asymptotic matching in the plasma-sheathmore » transition is analyzed by means of simple mathematical examples, asymptotic estimates, and numerical calculations. In the case of a collisionless sheath, the ion speed distribution plotted on the logarithmic scale reveals a plateau in the intermediate region between the sheath and the presheath. The value corresponding to this plateau has the meaning of speed with which ions leave the presheath and enter the sheath; the Bohm speed. The plateau is pronounced reasonably well provided that the ratio of the Debye length to the ion mean free path is of the order of 10{sup -3} or smaller. There is no such plateau if the sheath is collisional and hence no sense in talking of a speed with which ions enter the sheath.« less

Forest conservation in Nepal: encouraging women's participation.

PubMed

Molnar, A

1987-01-01

The deforestation in Nepal is upsetting the delicate ecological balance and effecting the lives of many of the people, especially the hill women, who use these resources in their household. The deforestation increases erosion, causing landslides, and raises the silt in rivers, changing their course and flooding the southern plains. The majority of Nepal's population is rural and they depend on agriculture for their livelihood. It is estimated that 95% of the wood taken in deforestation is used for fuel primarily used in cooking. The farmers developed a complicated system of land preparation and terracing, but this has not stopped erosion on the steeper slopes. Since women are the ones who get the wood for fuel and other products they must become an integral part of any conservation plan. With the Nationalization Act of 1957, the forest land became the property of the government and therefore managed under the Ministry of Forests through the department officers. Later legislation involved the communities in replanting and longterm care and transfer of tracts for protection and management. In addition nurseries were created for seedlings and the improved wood burning stoves were distributed. Women were not initially involved in these programs because of their traditional role, but through training programs involving local communities, the importance of women in forestry conservation was recognized. Women were first employed in nursery labor and then as supervisors and now more are involved in project activities and forestry staff. They have been most helpful in training others in using the new fuel-efficient stoves.

Delicate Ag/V2O5/TiO2 ternary nanostructures as a high-performance photocatalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiao-Dong; Zheng, Ya-Lun; Feng, Yu-Jie; Sun, Ke-Ning

2018-02-01

Here we report, for the first time, delicate ternary nanostructures consisting of TiO2 nanoplatelets co-doped with Ag and V2O5 nanoparticles. The relationship between the composition and the morphology is systematically studied. We find a remarkable synergistic effect among the three components, and the resulting delicate Ag/V2O5/TiO2 ternary nanostructures exhibit a superior photocatalytic performance over neat TiO2 nanoplatelets as well as Ag/TiO2 and V2O5/TiO2 binary nanostructures for the degradation of methyl orange. We believe our delicate Ag/V2O5/TiO2 ternary nanostructures may lay a basis for developing next-generating, high-performance composite photocatalysts.

78 FR 14024 - Financial Market Utilities

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-04

... addition, section 806(c) of the Dodd-Frank Act permits a Reserve Bank to pay interest on the balances... the Dodd-Frank Act permits a Federal Reserve Bank to pay earnings on balances maintained by or on... amendments clarify the authority and terms for a Reserve Bank to pay interest on any balances held by a...

48 CFR 252.225-7013 - Duty-free entry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program clause of this contract; or (iii) Canadian end product as defined in Alternate I of the Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements... product have the meanings given in the Trade Agreements clause, the Buy American Act and Balance of...

Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Authentication with Identity Protection for Smart Grids

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liping; Tang, Shanyu; Luo, He

2016-01-01

In a smart grid, the power service provider enables the expected power generation amount to be measured according to current power consumption, thus stabilizing the power system. However, the data transmitted over smart grids are not protected, and then suffer from several types of security threats and attacks. Thus, a robust and efficient authentication protocol should be provided to strength the security of smart grid networks. As the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system provides the security protection between the control center and substations in most smart grid environments, we focus on how to secure the communications between the substations and smart appliances. Existing security approaches fail to address the performance-security balance. In this study, we suggest a mitigation authentication protocol based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography with privacy protection by using a tamper-resistant device at the smart appliance side to achieve a delicate balance between performance and security of smart grids. The proposed protocol provides some attractive features such as identity protection, mutual authentication and key agreement. Finally, we demonstrate the completeness of the proposed protocol using the Gong-Needham- Yahalom logic. PMID:27007951

Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Authentication with Identity Protection for Smart Grids.

PubMed

Zhang, Liping; Tang, Shanyu; Luo, He

2016-01-01

In a smart grid, the power service provider enables the expected power generation amount to be measured according to current power consumption, thus stabilizing the power system. However, the data transmitted over smart grids are not protected, and then suffer from several types of security threats and attacks. Thus, a robust and efficient authentication protocol should be provided to strength the security of smart grid networks. As the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system provides the security protection between the control center and substations in most smart grid environments, we focus on how to secure the communications between the substations and smart appliances. Existing security approaches fail to address the performance-security balance. In this study, we suggest a mitigation authentication protocol based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography with privacy protection by using a tamper-resistant device at the smart appliance side to achieve a delicate balance between performance and security of smart grids. The proposed protocol provides some attractive features such as identity protection, mutual authentication and key agreement. Finally, we demonstrate the completeness of the proposed protocol using the Gong-Needham-Yahalom logic.

Beyond Music Sharing: An Evaluation of Peer-to-Peer Data Dissemination Techniques in Large Scientific Collaborations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ripeanu, Matei; Al-Kiswany, Samer; Iamnitchi, Adriana

2009-03-01

The avalanche of data from scientific instruments and the ensuing interest from geographically distributed users to analyze and interpret it accentuates the need for efficient data dissemination. A suitable data distribution scheme will find the delicate balance between conflicting requirements of minimizing transfer times, minimizing the impact on the network, and uniformly distributing load among participants. We identify several data distribution techniques, some successfully employed by today's peer-to-peer networks: staging, data partitioning, orthogonal bandwidth exploitation, and combinations of the above. We use simulations to explore the performance of these techniques in contexts similar to those used by today's data-centric scientificmore » collaborations and derive several recommendations for efficient data dissemination. Our experimental results show that the peer-to-peer solutions that offer load balancing and good fault tolerance properties and have embedded participation incentives lead to unjustified costs in today's scientific data collaborations deployed on over-provisioned network cores. However, as user communities grow and these deployments scale, peer-to-peer data delivery mechanisms will likely outperform other techniques.« less

Male genital trauma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jordan, G.H.; Gilbert, D.A.

1988-07-01

We have attempted to discuss genital trauma in relatively broad terms. In most cases, patients present with relatively minimal trauma. However, because of the complexity of the structures involved, minimal trauma can lead to significant disability later on. The process of erection requires correct functioning of the arterial, neurologic, and venous systems coupled with intact erectile bodies. The penis is composed of structures that are compliant and distensible to the limits of their compliance. These structures therefore tumesce in equal proportion to each other, allowing for straight erection. Relatively minimal trauma can upset this balance of elasticity, leading to disablingmore » chordee. Likewise, relatively minimal injuries to the vascular erectile structures can lead to significantly disabling spongiofibrosis. The urethra is a conduit of paramount importance. Whereas the development of stricture is generally related to the nature of the trauma, the extent of stricture and of attendant complications is clearly a function of the immediate management. Overzealous debridement can greatly complicate subsequent reconstruction. A delicate balance between aggressive initial management and maximal preservation of viable structures must be achieved. 38 references.« less

The circadian system and the balance of the autonomic nervous system.

PubMed

Buijs, Ruud M; Escobar, Carolina; Swaab, Dick F

2013-01-01

Our biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), sets the pace of our life: it provides a rhythmic function to our sleep-wake cycle. In order to do so properly the SCN synchronizes our physiology to behavioral patterns by directing the autonomic and hormonal output of the hypothalamus to the different organs of the body that require a different setting - activity or inactivity - during particular phases of the day or night. In this chapter we show that this delicate balance requires that the SCN should not only provide an output to these organs but also be informed about the physiological state of the organs in order to adapt its output. This occurs via a hypothalamic neuronal network that provides the necessary input to the SCN. We argue that the feedback that the SCN receives from its hypothalamic target structures is essential to maintain a balance in our physiological functions, which fluctuate during the sleep-wake cycle. We propose that this crucial role of the hypothalamus in the homeostatic response is the reason why, e.g., in aging or depression, changes in the functioning of the biological clock, the SCN, lead to the development of pathology. In addition, if this balance is not adequately organized, for example, if the signals of the biological clock are violated by being active and eating during the night, as in shift work, one will be more susceptible to diseases such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. © 2013, Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surgical correction of cryptotia combined with an ultra-delicate split-thickness skin graft in continuity with a full-thickness skin rotation flap.

PubMed

Yu, Xiaobo; Yang, Qinghua; Jiang, Haiyue; Pan, Bo; Zhao, Yanyong; Lin, Lin

2017-11-01

Cryptotia is a common congenital ear deformity in Asian populations. In cryptotia, a portion of the upper ear is hidden and fixed in a pocket of the skin of the mastoid. Here we describe our method for cryptotia correction by using an ultra-delicate split-thickness skin graft in continuity with a full-thickness skin rotation flap. We developed a new method for correcting cryptotia by using an ultra-delicate split-thickness skin graft in continuity with a full-thickness skin rotation flap. Following ear release, the full-thickness skin rotation flap is rotated into the defect, and the donor site is covered with an ultra-delicate split-thickness skin graft raised in continuity with the flap. All patients exhibited satisfactory release of cryptotia. No cases involved partial or total flap necrosis, and post-operative outcomes using this new technique for cryptotia correction have been more than satisfactory. Our method of using an ultra-delicate split-thickness skin graft in continuity with a full-thickness skin rotation flap to correct cryptotia is simple and reliable. Copyright © 2017 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

12 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Risk-Based Capital Stress Test

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Loan Number Ending Scheduled Balance Group Pre/Post Act Property State Product Type Origination Date... program assets post-1996 Act Swap balances; (iii) Farmer Mac I program assets pre-1996 Act; (iv) Farmer... stress test applies quarterly updates of the weighted average guarantee rates for post-1996 Farmer Mac I...

12 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Risk-Based Capital Stress Test

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Loan Number Ending Scheduled Balance Group Pre/Post Act Property State Product Type Origination Date... program assets post-1996 Act Swap balances; (iii) Farmer Mac I program assets pre-1996 Act; (iv) Farmer... stress test applies quarterly updates of the weighted average guarantee rates for post-1996 Farmer Mac I...

Chuck for delicate drills

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Copeland, C. S.

1972-01-01

Development of oil film technique to couple power between drive spindle and drill chuck for delicate drilling operations is discussed. Oil film permits application of sufficient pressure, but stops rotating when drill jams. Illustration of equipment is provided.

[Death with dignity - dignity life. A debate].

PubMed

Medina Morales, Diego

2013-01-01

Since 2010 in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia passed into law ″derechos y garantías de la dignidad de las personas en el proceso de muerte″. At national level, in Spain, it's disputed the need to legalize this delicate aspect therefore already been made some projects for legalization. This advised to review the pros and cons of some legislative implementation experiences and case mix in countries where it has already occurred. This paper undertakes the study of the implementation of the Death with Dignity Act in Oregon and highlight is what were the immediate consequences and risks that has produced a law of this nature.

Domain size and structure in exchange coupled [Co/Pt]/NiO/[Co/Pt] multilayers.

PubMed

Baruth, A; Adenwalla, S

2011-09-21

We investigate the competing effects of interlayer exchange coupling and magnetostatic coupling in the magnetic heterostructure ([Co/Pt]/NiO/[Co/Pt]) with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). This particular heterostructure is unique among coupled materials with PMA in directly exhibiting both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic coupling, oscillating between the two as a function of spacer layer thickness. By systematically tuning the coupling interactions via a wedge-shaped NiO spacer layer, we explore the energetics that dictate magnetic domain formation using high resolution magnetic force microscopy coupled with the magneto-optical Kerr effect. This technique probes the microscopic and macroscopic magnetic behavior as a continuous function of thickness and the interlayer exchange coupling, including the regions where interlayer coupling goes through zero. We see significant changes in domain structure based on the sign of coupling, and also show that magnetic domain size is directly related to the magnitude of the interlayer exchange coupling energy, which generally dominates over the magnetostatic interactions. When magnetostatic interactions become comparable to the interlayer exchange coupling, a delicate interplay between the differing energy contributions is apparent and energy scales are extracted. The results are of intense interest to the magnetic recording industry and also illustrate a relatively new avenue of undiscovered physics, primarily dealing with the delicate balance of energies in the formation of magnetic domains for coupled systems with PMA, defining limits on domain size as well as the interplay between roughness, domains and magnetic coupling.

Building esprit de corps: learning to better navigate between "my" patient and "our" patient.

PubMed

DeRenzo, Evan G; Schwartz, Jack

2010-01-01

Excellence in the care of hospital patients, particularly those in an intensive care unit, reflects esprit de corps among the care team. Esprit de corps depends on a delicate balance; each clinician must preserve a sense of personal responsibility for "my" patient and yet participate in the collaborative work essential to the care of "our" patient. A harmful imbalance occurs when a physician demands total control of the decision-making process, especially concerning end-of-life treatment options. Although emotional factors may push a physician to claim decision-making exclusivity, compounded by a legal framework that overemphasizes individual responsibility, esprit de corps can be preserved through timely communication among clinicians and a recognition that optimal care for "my" patient requires effective team practice.

Freedom and purpose in biology.

PubMed

McShea, Daniel W

2016-08-01

All seemingly teleological systems share a common hierarchical structure. They consist of a small entity moving or changing within a larger field that directs it from above (what I call "upper direction"). This is true for organisms seeking some external resource, for the organized behavior of cells and other parts in organismal development, and for lineages evolving by natural selection. In all cases, the lower-level entity is partly "free," tending to wander under the influence of purely local forces, and partly directed by a larger enveloping field. The persistent and plastic behavior that characterizes goal-directedness arises, I argue, at intermediate levels of freedom and upper direction, when the two are in a delicate balance. I tentatively extend the argument to human teleology (wants, purposes). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Melatonin Scavenger Properties against Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress: Impact on Gamete Handling and In Vitro Embryo Production in Humans and Other Mammals

PubMed Central

Loren, Pía; Sánchez, Raúl; Arias, María-Elena; Felmer, Ricardo; Risopatrón, Jennie; Cheuquemán, Carolina

2017-01-01

Oxidative and nitrosative stress are common problems when handling gametes in vitro. In vitro development in mammalian embryos is highly affected by culture conditions, especially by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), because their absence or overproduction causes embryo arrest and changes in gene expression. Melatonin in gamete co-incubation during in vitro fertilization (IVF) has deleterious or positive effects, depending on the concentration used in the culture medium, demonstrating the delicate balance between antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity. Further research is needed to better understand the possible impact of melatonin on the different IVP steps in humans and other mammals, especially in seasonal breeds where this neuro-hormone system highly regulates its reproduction physiology. PMID:28613231

Dynamical effects in x-ray absorption spectra of graphene and monolayered h -BN on Ni(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusz, J.; Preobrajenski, A. B.; Ng, May Ling; Vinogradov, N. A.; Mårtensson, N.; Wessely, O.; Sanyal, B.; Eriksson, O.

2010-02-01

We present first-principles calculations of x-ray absorption spectra of graphene and hexagonal BN monolayer on the Ni(111) substrate. Including dynamical core-hole screening effects according to the theory of Mahan-Nozières-de Dominics (MND) results in an overall good agreement with previously published experimental data and our new observations. This approach provides a unified first-principles description of the electronic structure and core excitations in the sp2 -bonded materials on metal surfaces and a better insight into the dynamics of screening effects. We demonstrate in particular that the observed spectral features of graphene and hexagonal BN can be well reproduced with the MND theory, and that they are determined by a delicate balance between initial and final-state effects.

Immunology of term and preterm labor

PubMed Central

Peltier, Morgan R

2003-01-01

During pregnancy there is an alteration in maternal immunity within the uterus where innate, proinflammatory immune responses are tightly regulated to prevent immunological rejection of the fetal allograft. Disruption of the delicate balance of cytokines by bacteria or other factors increases the production of proinflammatory cytokines at the maternal-fetal interface and activates the parturition mechanism prematurely. Despite years of searching, there is still no broadly effective strategy for preventing preterm labor and most therapies are directed at inhibiting myometrial contractions and improving neonatal outcome. Recent studies with progestins and interleukin-10 (IL-10), however, are showing promise in randomized clinical trials and animal studies. Furthermore, the identification of the Toll-like receptors as upstream mediators of inflammation may offer alternative therapeutic targets for preventing this common pregnancy complication. PMID:14651749

Neurological surgery: the influence of physical and mental demands on humans performing complex operations.

PubMed

Bourne, Sarah K; Walcott, Brian P; Sheth, Sameer A; Coumans, Jean-Valery C E

2013-03-01

Performing neurological surgery is an inherently demanding task on the human body, both physically and mentally. Neurosurgeons routinely perform "high stakes" operations in the setting of mental and physical fatigue. These conditions may be not only the result of demanding operations, but also influential to their outcome. Similar to other performance-based endurance activities, training is paramount to successful outcomes. The inflection point, where training reaches the point of diminishing returns, is intensely debated. For the neurosurgeon, this point must be exploited to the maximum, as patients require both the best-trained and best-performing surgeon. In this review, we explore the delicate balance of training and performance, as well as some routinely used adjuncts to improve human performance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tailoring Spin Textures in Complex Oxide Micromagnets

DOE PAGES

Lee, Michael S.; Wynn, Thomas A.; Folven, Erik; ...

2016-09-12

Engineered topological spin textures with submicron dimensions in magnetic materials have emerged in recent years as the building blocks for various spin-based memory devices. Examples of these magnetic configurations include magnetic skyrmions, vortices, and domain walls. Here in this paper, we show the ability to control and characterize the evolution of spin textures in complex oxide micromagnets as a function of temperature through the delicate balance of fundamental materials parameters, micromagnet geometries, and epitaxial strain. These results demonstrate that in order to fully describe the observed spin textures, it is necessary to account for the spatial variation of the magneticmore » parameters within the micromagnet. This study provides the framework to accurately characterize such structures, leading to efficient design of spin-based memory devices based on complex oxide thin films.« less

Battling Against Interfaith Relations in Israel: Religion, Therapy, and Social Services.

PubMed

Hakak, Yohai

2016-01-01

One of the less studied aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is its demography. On the Jewish side, active steps are taken by the state to encourage Jewish immigration and Jewish births and discourage Jewish assimilation. As part of these efforts, the "problematic relationships" between Arab men and Jewish women from low socioeconomic background have become a high agenda item in public discussions in Israel during the last decade. I will examine here how the diagnostic category "girls at risk" and a therapeutic intervention employed by social services dealing with these couples helps maintaining the delicate balance between Jewish and democratic values. I will analyze these practices as a solution to a structural problem of the Jewish enclave in Israel. © 2015 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Impact of Medicare's prospective payment system on hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies: how the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 may have altered service patterns for Medicare providers.

PubMed

Kulesher, Robert R

2006-01-01

The prospective payment system is one of many changes in reimbursement that has affected the delivery of health care. Originally developed for the payment of inpatient hospital services, it has become a major factor in how all health insurance is reimbursed. The policy implications extend beyond the Medicare program and affect the entire health care delivery system. Initially implemented in 1982 for payments to hospitals, prospective payment system was extended to payments for skilled nursing facility and home health agency services by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The intent of the Balanced Budget Act was to bring into balance the federal budget through reductions in spending. The decisions that providers have made to mitigate the impact are a function of ownership type, organizational mission, and current level of Medicare participation. This article summarizes the findings of several initial studies on the Balanced Budget Act's impact and discusses how changes in Medicare reimbursement policy have influenced the delivery of health care for the general public and for Medicare beneficiaries.

The delicate balance in genetically engineering live vaccines

PubMed Central

Galen, James E.; Curtiss, Roy

2014-01-01

Contemporary vaccine development relies less on empirical methods of vaccine construction, and now employs a powerful array of precise engineering strategies to construct immunogenic live vaccines. In this review, we will survey various engineering techniques used to create attenuated vaccines, with an emphasis on recent advances and insights. We will further explore the adaptation of attenuated strains to create multivalent vaccine platforms for immunization against multiple unrelated pathogens. These carrier vaccines are engineered to deliver sufficient levels of protective antigens to appropriate lymphoid inductive sites to elicit both carrier-specific and foreign antigen-specific immunity. Although many of these technologies were originally developed for use in Salmonella vaccines, application of the essential logic of these approaches will be extended to development of other enteric vaccines where possible. A central theme driving our discussion will stress that the ultimate success of an engineered vaccine rests on achieving the proper balance between attenuation and immunogenicity. Achieving this balance will avoid over-activation of inflammatory responses, which results in unacceptable reactogenicity, but will retain sufficient metabolic fitness to enable the live vaccine to reach deep tissue inductive sites and trigger protective immunity. The breadth of examples presented herein will clearly demonstrate that genetic engineering offers the potential for rapidly propelling vaccine development forward into novel applications and therapies which will significantly expand the role of vaccines in public health. PMID:24370705

The Impact of Labor Unions on Construction Productivity.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

been characterized by much violence and many disagreements between labor and managemert as the legal power balance between them has swung like a...Act and the Wagner Act the balance of power shifted dramatically to the unions. Union membership grew significantly as did union action to force...favor of balancing the budget, but the individual members are not willing to risk reelection, by agreeing to cuts in their district, 24

The modernization of American public law: health care reform and popular constitutionalism.

PubMed

Super, David A

2014-04-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) transformed U.S. public law in crucial ways extending far beyond health care. As important as were the doctrinal shifts wrought by National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the ACA's structural changes to public law likely will prove far more important should they become entrenched. The struggle over the ACA has triggered the kind of "constitutional moment" that has largely replaced Article V's formal amendment procedure since the Prohibition fiasco. The Court participates in this process, but the definitive and enduring character of these constitutional moments' outcomes springs from broad popular engagement. Despite the Court's ruling and the outcome of the 2012 elections, the battle over whether to implement or shelve the ACA will continue unabated, both federally and in the states, until We the People render a clear decision. Whether the ACA survives or fails will determine the basic principles that guide the development of federalism, social insurance, tax policy, and privatization for decades to come. In each of these areas, the New Deal bequeathed us a delicate accommodation between traditionalist social values and modernizing norms of economic efficiency and interest group liberalism. This balance has come under increasing stress, with individual laws rejecting tradition far more emphatically than the New Deal did. But absent broad popular engagement, no definitive new principles could be established. The ACA's entrenchment would elevate technocratic norms across public law, the first change of our fundamental law since the civil rights revolution. The ACA's failure would rejuvenate individualistic, moralistic, pre-New Deal norms and allow opponents to attempt a counterrevolution against technocracy.

Goethe's "Delicate Empiricism": Assessing Its Value for Australian Ecologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Melanie

2011-01-01

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, recognised as a seminal German polymath, developed a unique approach for investigating nature, termed "delicate empiricism". Goethe's approach uses empathy, imagination and intuition to promote a participatory engagement with the world. It goes beyond the dualistic-rationalism that defines…

Balance between carbon gain and loss under long-term drought: impacts on foliar respiration and photosynthesis in Quercus ilex L.

PubMed

Sperlich, D; Barbeta, A; Ogaya, R; Sabaté, S; Peñuelas, J

2016-02-01

Terrestrial carbon exchange is a key process of the global carbon cycle consisting of a delicate balance between photosynthetic carbon uptake and respiratory release. We have, however, a limited understanding how long-term decreases in precipitation induced by climate change affect the boundaries and mechanisms of photosynthesis and respiration. We examined the seasonality of photosynthetic and respiratory traits and evaluated the adaptive mechanism of the foliar carbon balance of Quercus ilex L. experiencing a long-term rainfall-exclusion experiment. Day respiration (Rd) but not night respiration (Rn) was generally higher in the drought treatment leading to an increased Rd/Rn ratio. The limitation of mesophyll conductance (gm) on photosynthesis was generally stronger than stomatal limitation (gs) in the drought treatment, reflected in a lower gm/gs ratio. The peak photosynthetic activity in the drought treatment occurred in an atypical favourable summer in parallel with lower Rd/Rn and higher gm/gs ratios. The plant carbon balance was thus strongly improved through: (i) higher photosynthetic rates induced by gm; and (ii) decreased carbon losses mediated by Rd. Interestingly, photosynthetic potentials (Vc,max, Jmax, and TPU) were not affected by the drought treatment, suggesting a dampening effect on the biochemical level in the long term. In summary, the trees experiencing a 14-year-long drought treatment adapted through higher plasticity in photosynthetic and respiratory traits, so that eventually the atypical favourable growth period was exploited more efficiently. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Balance between carbon gain and loss under long-term drought: impacts on foliar respiration and photosynthesis in Quercus ilex L

PubMed Central

Sperlich, D.; Barbeta, A.; Ogaya, R.; Sabaté, S.; Peñuelas, J.

2016-01-01

Terrestrial carbon exchange is a key process of the global carbon cycle consisting of a delicate balance between photosynthetic carbon uptake and respiratory release. We have, however, a limited understanding how long-term decreases in precipitation induced by climate change affect the boundaries and mechanisms of photosynthesis and respiration. We examined the seasonality of photosynthetic and respiratory traits and evaluated the adaptive mechanism of the foliar carbon balance of Quercus ilex L. experiencing a long-term rainfall-exclusion experiment. Day respiration (R d) but not night respiration (R n) was generally higher in the drought treatment leading to an increased R d/R n ratio. The limitation of mesophyll conductance (g m) on photosynthesis was generally stronger than stomatal limitation (g s) in the drought treatment, reflected in a lower g m/g s ratio. The peak photosynthetic activity in the drought treatment occurred in an atypical favourable summer in parallel with lower R d/R n and higher g m/g s ratios. The plant carbon balance was thus strongly improved through: (i) higher photosynthetic rates induced by g m; and (ii) decreased carbon losses mediated by R d. Interestingly, photosynthetic potentials (V c,max, J max, and TPU) were not affected by the drought treatment, suggesting a dampening effect on the biochemical level in the long term. In summary, the trees experiencing a 14-year-long drought treatment adapted through higher plasticity in photosynthetic and respiratory traits, so that eventually the atypical favourable growth period was exploited more efficiently. PMID:26552882

The relationship between the Balanced Budget Act and length of stay for Medicare patients in US hospitals.

PubMed

Younis, Mustafa Z; Forgione, Dana A

2009-02-01

The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 and Balanced Budget Refinement Act (BBRA) of 1999 led to deep financial cuts for hospitals and nursing homes. We examine the effects of these acts on hospital length of stay (LOS) for Medicare recipients. Using data for all short-stay community hospitals in the country, we compared LOS for Medicare patients before and after the BBA/BBRA relative to known determinants of LOS, e.g., hospital ownership, region, beds, financial performance, and conversion/change in ownership type. Hospital LOS was reduced as a result of the acts. Reductions were more apparent for larger urban hospitals that provided safety-net services. LOS varied slightly by hospital ownership. This study is among the first to evaluate the impact of BBA and BBRA on hospital services. These acts had a negative effect on the ability of hospitals to continue offering safety-net services and negatively affected LOS.

[Voltage-gated potassium channels and human neurological diseases].

PubMed

Jin, Hong-Wei; Wang, Xiao-Liang

2002-01-01

Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) is the largest, most complex in potassium channel superfamily. It can be divided into Kv alpha subunit and auxiliary two groups. The roles of some Kv channels types, e.g. rapidly inactivating (A-Type channel) and muscarine sensitive channels (M-type channel) are beginning to be understood. They are prominent in nervous system, acting in delicate and accurate ways to control or modify many physiological and pathological functions including membrane excitability, neurotransmitter release, cell proliferation or degeneration, signal transduction in neuronal network. Many human neurological disease pathogenesis are found to be related to mutant of Kv-channels subunit or subtype, such as, learning and memory impairing, ataxia, epilepsy, deafness, etc.

Universal Entropy of Word Ordering Across Linguistic Families

PubMed Central

Montemurro, Marcelo A.; Zanette, Damián H.

2011-01-01

Background The language faculty is probably the most distinctive feature of our species, and endows us with a unique ability to exchange highly structured information. In written language, information is encoded by the concatenation of basic symbols under grammatical and semantic constraints. As is also the case in other natural information carriers, the resulting symbolic sequences show a delicate balance between order and disorder. That balance is determined by the interplay between the diversity of symbols and by their specific ordering in the sequences. Here we used entropy to quantify the contribution of different organizational levels to the overall statistical structure of language. Methodology/Principal Findings We computed a relative entropy measure to quantify the degree of ordering in word sequences from languages belonging to several linguistic families. While a direct estimation of the overall entropy of language yielded values that varied for the different families considered, the relative entropy quantifying word ordering presented an almost constant value for all those families. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that despite the differences in the structure and vocabulary of the languages analyzed, the impact of word ordering in the structure of language is a statistical linguistic universal. PMID:21603637

Effect of rainfall seasonality on carbon storage in tropical dry ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohr, Tyler; Manzoni, Stefano; Feng, Xue; Menezes, Rômulo S. C.; Porporato, Amilcare

2013-07-01

seasonally dry conditions are typical of large areas of the tropics, their biogeochemical responses to seasonal rainfall and soil carbon (C) sequestration potential are not well characterized. Seasonal moisture availability positively affects both productivity and soil respiration, resulting in a delicate balance between C deposition as litterfall and C loss through heterotrophic respiration. To understand how rainfall seasonality (i.e., duration of the wet season and rainfall distribution) affects this balance and to provide estimates of long-term C sequestration, we develop a minimal model linking the seasonal behavior of the ensemble soil moisture, plant productivity, related C inputs through litterfall, and soil C dynamics. A drought-deciduous caatinga ecosystem in northeastern Brazil is used as a case study to parameterize the model. When extended to different patterns of rainfall seasonality, the results indicate that for fixed annual rainfall, both plant productivity and soil C sequestration potential are largely, and nonlinearly, dependent on wet season duration. Moreover, total annual rainfall is a critical driver of this relationship, leading at times to distinct optima in both production and C storage. These theoretical predictions are discussed in the context of parameter uncertainties and possible changes in rainfall regimes in tropical dry ecosystems.

Volcanic eruptions; energy and size

USGS Publications Warehouse

de la Cruz-Reyna, S.

1991-01-01

The Earth is a dynamic planet. Many different processes are continuously developing, creating a delicate balance between the energy stored and generated in its interior and the heat lost into space. The heat in continuously transferred through complex self-regulating convection mechanisms on a planetary scale. The distribution of terrestrial heat flow reveals some of the fine structure of the energy transport mechanisms in the outer layers of the Earth. Of these mechanisms in the outer layers of the Earth. Of these mechanisms, volcanism is indeed the most remarkable, for it allows energy to be transported in rapid bursts to the surface. In order to maintain the subtle balance of the terrestrial heat machine, one may expect that some law or principle restricts the ways in which these volcanic bursts affect the overall energy transfer of the Earth. For instance, we know that the geothermal flux of the planet amounts to 1028 erg/year. On the other hand, a single large event like the Lava Creek Tuff eruption that formed Yellowstone caldera over half a million years ago may release the same amount of energy in a very small area, over a short period of time. 

Microbial diversity in restored wetlands of San Francisco Bay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Theroux, Susanna; Hartman, Wyatt; He, Shaomei

Wetland ecosystems may serve as either a source or a sink for atmospheric carbon and greenhouse gases. This delicate carbon balance is influenced by the activity of belowground microbial communities that return carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. Wetland restoration efforts in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region may help to reverse land subsidence and possibly increase carbon storage in soils. However, the effects of wetland restoration on microbial communities, which mediate soil metabolic activity and carbon cycling, are poorly studied. In an effort to better understand the underlying factors which shape the balance of carbon flux in wetland soils,more » we targeted the microbial communities in a suite of restored and historic wetlands in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region. Using DNA and RNA sequencing, coupled with greenhouse gas monitoring, we profiled the diversity and metabolic potential of the wetland soil microbial communities along biogeochemical and wetland age gradients. Our results show relationships among geochemical gradients, availability of electron acceptors, and microbial community composition. Our study provides the first genomic glimpse into microbial populations in natural and restored wetlands of the San Francisco Bay-Delta region and provides a valuable benchmark for future studies.« less

Asp133 Residue in NhaA Na+/H+ Antiporter Is Required for Stability Cation Binding and Transport.

PubMed

Rimon, Abraham; Dwivedi, Manish; Friedler, Assaf; Padan, Etana

2018-03-16

Na + /H + antiporters have a crucial role in pH and Na + homeostasis in cells. The crystal structure of NhaA, the main antiporter of Escherichia coli, has provided general insights into antiporter mechanisms and revealed a previously unknown structural fold, which has since been identified in several secondary active transporters. This unique structural fold is very delicately electrostatically balanced. Asp133 and Lys 300 have been ascribed essential roles in this balance and, more generally, in the structure and function of the antiporter. In this work, we show the multiple roles of Asp133 in NhaA: (i) The residue's negative charge is critical for the stability of the NhaA structure. (ii) Its main chain is part of the active site. (iii) Its side chain functions as an alkaline-pH-dependent gate, changing the protein's conformation from an inward-facing conformation at acidic pH to an outward-open conformation at alkaline pH, opening the periplasm funnel. On the basis of the experimental data, we propose a tentative mechanism integrating the structural and functional roles of Asp133. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shaping up synthetic cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulla, Yuval; Aufderhorst-Roberts, Anders; Koenderink, Gijsje H.

2018-07-01

How do the cells in our body reconfigure their shape to achieve complex tasks like migration and mitosis, yet maintain their shape in response to forces exerted by, for instance, blood flow and muscle action? Cell shape control is defined by a delicate mechanical balance between active force generation and passive material properties of the plasma membrane and the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton forms a space-spanning fibrous network comprising three subsystems: actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments. Bottom-up reconstitution of minimal synthetic cells where these cytoskeletal subsystems are encapsulated inside a lipid vesicle provides a powerful avenue to dissect the force balance that governs cell shape control. Although encapsulation is technically demanding, a steady stream of advances in this technique has made the reconstitution of shape-changing minimal cells increasingly feasible. In this topical review we provide a route-map of the recent advances in cytoskeletal encapsulation techniques and outline recent reports that demonstrate shape change phenomena in simple biomimetic vesicle systems. We end with an outlook toward the next steps required to achieve more complex shape changes with the ultimate aim of building a fully functional synthetic cell with the capability to autonomously grow, divide and move.

Mapping the coupled role of structure and materials in mechanics of platelet-matrix composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farzanian, Shafee; Shahsavari, Rouzbeh

2018-03-01

Despite significant progresses on understanding and mimicking the delicate nano/microstructure of biomaterials such as nacre, decoding the indistinguishable merger of materials and structures in controlling the tradeoff in mechanical properties has been long an engineering pursuit. Herein, we focus on an archetype platelet-matrix composite and perform ∼400 nonlinear finite element simulations to decode the complex interplay between various structural features and material characteristics in conferring the balance of mechanical properties. We study various combinatorial models expressed by four key dimensionless parameters, i.e. characteristic platelet length, matrix plasticity, platelet dissimilarity, and overlap offset, whose effects are all condensed in a new unifying parameter, defined as the multiplication of strength, toughness, and stiffness over composite volume. This parameter, which maximizes at a critical characteristic length, controls the transition from intrinsic toughening (matrix plasticity driven without crack growths) to extrinsic toughening phenomena involving progressive crack propagations. This finding, combined with various abstract volumetric and radar plots, will not only shed light on decoupling the complex role of structure and materials on mechanical performance and their trends, but provides important guidelines for designing lightweight staggered platelet-matrix composites while ensuring the best (balance) of their mechanical properties.

Protecting America's secrets while maintaining academic freedom.

PubMed

Keel, Brooks A

2004-04-01

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax mail attacks, have had a profound impact on Americans' personal and professional lives and have sparked an active debate regarding the delicate balance between the need for national security and the pursuit of academic freedom. Although academic freedom can be defined in many ways, there are four primary tenets of freedom in an academic environment: freedom to research, freedom to publish, freedom to teach, and freedom to speak. Each of these tenets has come under attack in the wake of September 11, 2001. In this report the author further defines academic freedom and reflects upon recent events that have had a real or perceived impact on this freedom, including (1) attempts to categorize and restrict some research as "sensitive," (2) implementation of export control laws and select agent regulations, (3) limitations on the publication of research findings, (4) prohibition of certain foreign nationals from collaborating with U.S. researchers and receiving education and training in U.S. colleges and universities, and (5) restraint of faculty free speech. The author offers some suggestions as to how academia might achieve a proper balance between protecting our national security while promoting and maintaining academic freedom.

Microbial Mortality Rates in Support of Model Development in Three Distinct Ocean Regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connell, P. E.; Gellene, A. G.; Campbell, V.; Hu, S. K.; Arrigo, K. R.; Caron, D. A.

2016-02-01

Quantitative assessments of trophic interactions have become increasingly important in plankton research with the recognition that delicate balances between predators and prey strongly influence biogeochemical cycles. As the modeling community continues to increase the complexity of ecosystem models in order to improve their predictive power, understanding the balances of production and loss across spatial and seasonal scales is critical. We measured the growth and mortality rates of the total phytoplankton community and key picophytoplankton groups (Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus, and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes) using a modified dilution method, as well as bacterial mortality rates via FLB (fluorescently-labeled bacteria) disappearance incubations. Community composition was assessed using microscopy and flow cytometry. Measurements were conducted in three climatic regions: coastal waters of the Southern California Bight, The Chukchi Sea, and the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Local seasonal variability was also assessed quarterly (January, April, July, October) in the Bight. These measurements provided insight into the relative turnover rates of key microbial groups and the microbial population dynamics of disparate ocean regimes. This study will aid our ability to construct predictive ecosystem models through the application of community composition and rate data to model parameterization.

Managing Awkward, Sensitive, or Delicate Topics in (Chinese) Radio Medical Consultations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Guodong; Wu, Yaxin

2015-01-01

This study, using conversation analysis as the research methodology, probes into the use of "nage" (literally "that") as a practice of managing awkward, sensitive, or delicate issues in radio phone-in medical consultations about sex-related problems. Through sequential manipulation and turn manipulation, the caller uses…

Transporter for Treated Sheet Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, M., H.

1983-01-01

Plastic spacers keep parts separated during transport or storage. Cart with rods and spacers holds sheets with delicate finishes for storage or transport. Sheets supported vertically by rods, or horizontally. Spacers keep sheets separated. Designed to eliminate time and expense of tapping, wrapping, and sometimes refinishing aluminum sheets with delicate anodized finished.

Global change information support - A north/south coalition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blados, Walter R.; Cotter, Gladys A.

1993-01-01

On a daily basis we become more aware that our planet, earth, exists in a delicate balance; we, its inhabitants, must be informed caretakers. Global change communities have emerged around the globe to address this multidisciplinary subject. Information systems that integrate text, bibliographic, numeric and visual data are needed to support these global change communities. No one information center can hope to collect all the relevant data. Rather, we must form a coalition, North and South, to collect and provide access to disparate, multidisciplinary sources of information, and to develop standardized tools for documenting and manipulating this data and information. International resources need to be mobilized in a coordinated manner to move us towards this goal. This paper looks at emerging information technologies that can be utilized to build such a system, and outlines some cooperative North/South strategies.

Foundations of planetary quarantine.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, L. B.; Lyle, R. G.

1971-01-01

Discussion of some of the problems in microbiology and engineering involved in the implementation of planetary quarantine. It is shown that the solutions require new knowledge in both disciplines for success at low cost in terms of both monetary outlay and man's further exploration of the planets. A related problem exists in that engineers are not accustomed to the wide variation of biological data and microbiologists must learn to work and think in more exact terms. Those responsible for formulating or influencing national and international policies must walk a tightrope with delicate balance between unnecessarily stringent requirements for planetary quarantine on the one hand and prevention of contamination on the other. The success of planetary quarantine measures can be assured only by rigorous measures, each checked, rechecked, and triple-checked to make sure that no errors have been made and that no factor has been overlooked.

Tissue architecture and breast cancer: the role of extracellular matrix and steroid hormones

PubMed Central

Hansen, R K; Bissell, M J

2010-01-01

The changes in tissue architecture that accompany the development of breast cancer have been the focus of investigations aimed at developing new cancer therapeutics. As we learn more about the normal mammary gland, we have begun to understand the complex signaling pathways underlying the dramatic shifts in the structure and function of breast tissue. Integrin-, growth factor-, and steroid hormone-signaling pathways all play an important part in maintaining tissue architecture; disruption of the delicate balance of signaling results in dramatic changes in the way cells interact with each other and with the extracellular matrix, leading to breast cancer. The extracellular matrix itself plays a central role in coordinating these signaling processes. In this review, we consider the interrelationships between the extracellular matrix, integrins, growth factors, and steroid hormones in mammary gland development and function. PMID:10903527

Alternative assembly of respiratory complex II connects energy stress to metabolic checkpoints.

PubMed

Bezawork-Geleta, Ayenachew; Wen, He; Dong, LanFeng; Yan, Bing; Vider, Jelena; Boukalova, Stepana; Krobova, Linda; Vanova, Katerina; Zobalova, Renata; Sobol, Margarita; Hozak, Pavel; Novais, Silvia Magalhaes; Caisova, Veronika; Abaffy, Pavel; Naraine, Ravindra; Pang, Ying; Zaw, Thiri; Zhang, Ping; Sindelka, Radek; Kubista, Mikael; Zuryn, Steven; Molloy, Mark P; Berridge, Michael V; Pacak, Karel; Rohlena, Jakub; Park, Sunghyouk; Neuzil, Jiri

2018-06-07

Cell growth and survival depend on a delicate balance between energy production and synthesis of metabolites. Here, we provide evidence that an alternative mitochondrial complex II (CII) assembly, designated as CII low , serves as a checkpoint for metabolite biosynthesis under bioenergetic stress, with cells suppressing their energy utilization by modulating DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression. Depletion of CII low leads to an imbalance in energy utilization and metabolite synthesis, as evidenced by recovery of the de novo pyrimidine pathway and unlocking cell cycle arrest from the S-phase. In vitro experiments are further corroborated by analysis of paraganglioma tissues from patients with sporadic, SDHA and SDHB mutations. These findings suggest that CII low is a core complex inside mitochondria that provides homeostatic control of cellular metabolism depending on the availability of energy.

Controlling the transmission of stereochemical information through space in terphenyl-edged Fe4L6 cages.

PubMed

Meng, Wenjing; Clegg, Jack K; Thoburn, John D; Nitschke, Jonathan R

2011-08-31

A series of terphenyl-edged Fe(4)L(6) cages were synthesized from substituted 4,4''-diamino-p-terphenyls, 2-formylpyridine, and iron(II). For the parent diaminoterphenyl, all three possible diastereomers, with T, S(4), and C(3) point symmetries, were formed in nearly equal amounts, as determined by (1)H and (13)C NMR. When 2,2″-dimethylterphenylenediamine was used, the T-symmetry diastereomer was observed to predominate. The use of 2',3',5',6'-tetramethylterphenylenediamine generated predominantly the S(4) cage diastereomer, whereas 2',5'-dimethylterphenylenediamine produced the C(3)-symmetric cage to a greater degree than the other two diastereomers. The factors contributing to the transfer of chiral information between metal vertices were analyzed, and the general principles underlying the delicately balanced thermodynamics were determined.

[The role of microRNAs for immunoregulation after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation].

PubMed

Stickel, N; Zeiser, R

2014-08-01

Immunoregulation following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) involves the delicate balance between the desirable graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect and the prevention of the undesirable graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Emerging evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in the pathogenesis of different inflammatory and malignant diseases. Especially in autoimmune diseases, allergy and GvHD numerous dysregulated miRNAs have been identified. In this review, we provide an overview of current knowledge about the role of miRNAs in the immunoregulation after allo-HSCT. Moreover, we give an outlook on potential new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, including the use of miRNAs as clinical biomarkers and the manipulation of immune responses using miRNA mimetics. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Single to Multiquasiparticle Excitations in the Itinerant Helical Magnet CeRhIn 5

DOE PAGES

Stock, C.; Rodriguez-Rivera, J. A.; Schmalzl, K.; ...

2015-06-19

Neutron scattering is used to measure the quantum spin fluctuations in CeRhIn 5 - the parent material of the eXIn 5 superconducting series. Out-of-plane spin fluctuations are gapped and localized in momentum, similar to the spin excitons in CeCoIn5. The in-plane fluctuations consist of sharp spin-wave excitations parameterized by a nearest neighbor exchange J RKKY =0.88 ± 0.05 meV that crossover to a temporally and spatially broad multiparticle spectrum with energies of ~ 2 × J RKKY . This continuum represents composite fluctuations that illustrate the breakdown of single magnons originating from the delicate energy balance between localized 4f andmore » itinerant behavior in a heavy metal. The experiment therefore shows how quasiparticle behavior is changed by the close proximity of quantum criticality.« less

Stoichiometry-Controlled Inversion of Supramolecular Chirality in Nanostructures Co-assembled with Bipyridines.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; Feng, Chuan-Liang

2018-02-01

To control supramolecular chirality of the co-assembled nanostructures, one of the remaining issues is how stoichiometry of the different molecules involved in co-assembly influence chiral transformation. Through co-assembly of achiral 1,4-bis(pyrid-4-yl)benzene and chiral phenylalanine-glycine derivative hydrogelators, stoichiometry is found to be an effective tool for controlling supramolecular chirality inversion processes. This inversion is mainly mediated by a delicate balance between intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions and π-π stacking of the two components, which may subtly change the stacking of the molecules, in turn, the self-assembled nanostructures. This study exemplifies a simplistic way to invert the handedness of chiral nanostructures and provide fundamental understanding of the inherent principles of supramolecular chirality. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Encapsulation and Polymerization of White Phosphorus Inside Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes.

PubMed

Hart, Martin; White, Edward R; Chen, Ji; McGilvery, Catriona M; Pickard, Chris J; Michaelides, Angelos; Sella, Andrea; Shaffer, Milo S P; Salzmann, Christoph G

2017-07-03

Elemental phosphorus displays an impressive number of allotropes with highly diverse chemical and physical properties. White phosphorus has now been filled into single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) from the liquid and thereby stabilized against the highly exothermic reaction with atmospheric oxygen. The encapsulated tetraphosphorus molecules were visualized with transmission electron microscopy, but found to convert readily into chain structures inside the SWCNT "nanoreactors". The energies of the possible chain structures were determined computationally, highlighting a delicate balance between the extent of polymerization and the SWCNT diameter. Experimentally, a single-stranded zig-zag chain of phosphorus atoms was observed, which is the lowest energy structure at small confinement diameters. These one-dimensional chains provide a glimpse into the very first steps of the transformation from white to red phosphorus. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo study of the chromium dimer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Purwanto, Wirawan, E-mail: wirawan0@gmail.com; Zhang, Shiwei; Krakauer, Henry

2015-02-14

The chromium dimer (Cr{sub 2}) presents an outstanding challenge for many-body electronic structure methods. Its complicated nature of binding, with a formal sextuple bond and an unusual potential energy curve (PEC), is emblematic of the competing tendencies and delicate balance found in many strongly correlated materials. We present an accurate calculation of the PEC and ground state properties of Cr{sub 2}, using the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method. Unconstrained, exact AFQMC calculations are first carried out for a medium-sized but realistic basis set. Elimination of the remaining finite-basis errors and extrapolation to the complete basis set limit are thenmore » achieved with a combination of phaseless and exact AFQMC calculations. Final results for the PEC and spectroscopic constants are in excellent agreement with experiment.« less

Engineering Lipases: walking the fine line between activity and stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasetty, Siva; Blenner, Mark A.; Sarupria, Sapna

2017-11-01

Lipases are enzymes that hydrolyze lipids and have several industrial applications. There is a tremendous effort in engineering the activity, specificity and stability of lipases to render them functional in a variety of environmental conditions. In this review, we discuss the recent experimental and simulation studies focused on engineering lipases. Experimentally, mutagenesis studies have demonstrated that the activity, stability, and specificity of lipases can be modulated by mutations. It has been particularly challenging however, to elucidate the underlying mechanisms through which these mutations affect the lipase properties. We summarize results from experiments and molecular simulations highlighting the emerging picture to this end. We end the review with suggestions for future research which underscores the delicate balance of various facets in the lipase that affect their activity and stability necessitating the consideration of the enzyme as a network of interactions.

Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) for Scramjet Inlet-isolator Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Che Idris, Azam; Rashdan Saad, Mohd; Hing Lo, Kin; Kontis, Konstantinos

2018-05-01

Background-oriented Schlieren (BOS) technique is a recently invented non-intrusive flow diagnostic method which has yet to be fully explored in its capabilities. In this paper, BOS technique has been applied for investigating the general flow field characteristics inside a generic scramjet inlet-isolator with Mach 5 flow. The difficulty in finding the delicate balance between measurement sensitivity and measurement area image focusing has been demonstrated. The differences between direct cross-correlation (DCC) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) raw data processing algorithm have also been demonstrated. As an exploratory study of BOS capability, this paper found that BOS is simple yet robust enough to be used to visualize complex flow in a scramjet inlet in hypersonic flow. However, in this case its quantitative data can be strongly affected by 3-dimensionality thus obscuring the density value with significant errors.

Ferromagnetic Coupling of Mononuclear Fe Centers in a Self-Assembled Metal-Organic Network on Au(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umbach, T. R.; Bernien, M.; Hermanns, C. F.; Krüger, A.; Sessi, V.; Fernandez-Torrente, I.; Stoll, P.; Pascual, J. I.; Franke, K. J.; Kuch, W.

2012-12-01

The magnetic state and magnetic coupling of individual atoms in nanoscale structures relies on a delicate balance between different interactions with the atomic-scale surroundings. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we resolve the self-assembled formation of highly ordered bilayer structures of Fe atoms and organic linker molecules (T4PT) when deposited on a Au(111) surface. The Fe atoms are encaged in a three-dimensional coordination motif by three T4PT molecules in the surface plane and an additional T4PT unit on top. Within this crystal field, the Fe atoms retain a magnetic ground state with easy-axis anisotropy, as evidenced by x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The magnetization curves reveal the existence of ferromagnetic coupling between the Fe centers.

Global change information support: A north-south coalition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blados, Walter R.; Cotter, Gladys A.

1993-01-01

On a daily basis we become more aware that our planet, earth, exists in a delicate balance; we, its inhabitants, must be informed caretakers. Global change communities have emerged around the globe to address this multidisciplinary subject. Information systems that integrate text, bibliographic, numeric and visual data are needed to support these global change communities. No one information center can hope to collect all the relevant data. Rather, we must form a coalition, North and South, to collect and provide access to disparate, multidisciplinary sources of information, and to develop standardized tools for documenting and manipulating this data and information. International resources need to be mobilized in a coordinated manner to move us towards this goal. This paper looks at emerging information technologies that can be utilized to build such a system, and outlines some cooperative North/South strategies.

Introduction to the Thematic Minireview Series: Redox metabolism and signaling.

PubMed

Banerjee, Ruma

2017-10-13

Life on oxygen predisposes cells to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by electron slippage in the electron transfer chain. Aerobic metabolism also generates superoxide (O 2 ̇̄ ) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as bona fide products in reactions involving 1- or 2-electron reduction of O 2 Although often viewed as dangerous, ROS are now recognized as important messengers in redox signaling pathways. A delicate balance between needed versus excessive ROS production distinguishes health from an array of disease states. A collection of provocative reviews in this thematic series discusses the relative importance of mitochondrial sites for ROS production, ROS signaling-mediated regulation of cellular stress responses and thermogenesis, and how O 2 deficiency leads to metabolic reprograming in cancer. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

26 CFR 1.904-7 - Transition rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... limitation income) (prior to their amendment by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (the Act)) after application of... pools shall constitute the opening balance of the noncontrolled section 902 corporation's pools of post...-through pools shall constitute the opening balance of the look-through pools of post-1986 undistributed...

26 CFR 1.904-7 - Transition rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... limitation income) (prior to their amendment by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (the Act)) after application of... pools shall constitute the opening balance of the noncontrolled section 902 corporation's pools of post...-through pools shall constitute the opening balance of the look-through pools of post-1986 undistributed...

26 CFR 1.904-7 - Transition rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... limitation income) (prior to their amendment by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (the Act)) after application of... pools shall constitute the opening balance of the noncontrolled section 902 corporation's pools of post...-through pools shall constitute the opening balance of the look-through pools of post-1986 undistributed...

26 CFR 1.904-7 - Transition rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... limitation income) (prior to their amendment by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (the Act)) after application of... pools shall constitute the opening balance of the noncontrolled section 902 corporation's pools of post...-through pools shall constitute the opening balance of the look-through pools of post-1986 undistributed...

Probing the structural and dynamical properties of liquid water with models including non-local electron correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Ben, Mauro; Hutter, Jürg; VandeVondele, Joost

2015-08-01

Water is a ubiquitous liquid that displays a wide range of anomalous properties and has a delicate structure that challenges experiment and simulation alike. The various intermolecular interactions that play an important role, such as repulsion, polarization, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals interactions, are often difficult to reproduce faithfully in atomistic models. Here, electronic structure theories including all these interactions at equal footing, which requires the inclusion of non-local electron correlation, are used to describe structure and dynamics of bulk liquid water. Isobaric-isothermal (NpT) ensemble simulations based on the Random Phase Approximation (RPA) yield excellent density (0.994 g/ml) and fair radial distribution functions, while various other density functional approximations produce scattered results (0.8-1.2 g/ml). Molecular dynamics simulation in the microcanonical (NVE) ensemble based on Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) yields dynamical properties in the condensed phase, namely, the infrared spectrum and diffusion constant. At the MP2 and RPA levels of theory, ice is correctly predicted to float on water, resolving one of the anomalies as resulting from a delicate balance between van der Waals and hydrogen bonding interactions. For several properties, obtaining quantitative agreement with experiment requires correction for nuclear quantum effects (NQEs), highlighting their importance, for structure, dynamics, and electronic properties. A computed NQE shift of 0.6 eV for the band gap and absorption spectrum illustrates the latter. Giving access to both structure and dynamics of condensed phase systems, non-local electron correlation will increasingly be used to study systems where weak interactions are of paramount importance.

Quantitatively identifying the roles of interfacial water and solid surface in governing peptide adsorption.

PubMed

Xu, Zhijun; Yang, Xiao; Wei, Qichao; Zhao, Weilong; Cui, Beiliang; Yang, Xiaoning; Sahai, Nita

2018-06-11

Understanding the molecular mechanism of protein adsorption on solids is critical to their applications in materials synthesis and tissue engineering. Though the water phase at the surface/water interface has been recognized as three types: free water in the bulk region, intermediate water phase and surface-bound water layers adjacent to the surface, the roles of the water and surface in determining the protein adsorption are not clearly identified, particularly at the quantitative level. Herein, we provide a methodology involving the combination of microsecond strengthen sampling simulation and force integration to quantitatively characterize the water-induced contribution and the peptide-surface interactions into the adsorption free energy. Using hydroxyapatite and graphene surfaces as examples, we demonstrate how the distinct interfacial features dominate the delicate force balance between these two thermodynamics parameters, leading to surface preference/resistance to peptide adsorption. Specifically, the water layer provides sustained repelling force against peptide adsorption, as indicated by a monotonic increase in the water-induced free energy profile, whereas the contribution to the free energy from the surface effect is thermodynamically favorable, thus acting as the dominant driving force for peptide adsorptions. More importantly, the revealed adsorption mechanism is critically dictated by the distribution of water phase at the solid/water interface, which plays a crucial role in establishing the force balance between the interactions of the peptide with the water layer and the surface. For the HAP surface, the charged peptide exhibits strong binding affinity to the surface, which is ascribed to the controlling contribution of peptide-surface interaction in the intermediate water phase and the surface-bound water layers are observed as the origin of bioresistance of solid surfaces towards the adsorption of charge-neutral peptides. The preferred peptide adsorption on the graphene, however, is dominated by the surface-induced component at the water layers adjacent to the surface. Our results further elucidate that the intermediate water phase significantly shortens the effective range of the surface dispersion force to guide the diffusion of the peptide to the interface, in sharp contrast to the observation in interfacial systems involving the strong water-surface interaction.

Burning daylight: balancing vitamin D requirements with sensible sun exposure.

PubMed

Stalgis-Bilinski, Kellie L; Boyages, John; Salisbury, Elizabeth L; Dunstan, Colin R; Henderson, Stuart I; Talbot, Peter L

2011-04-04

To examine the feasibility of balancing sunlight exposure to meet vitamin D requirements with sun protection guidelines. We used standard erythemal dose and Ultraviolet Index (UVI) data for 1 June 1996 to 30 December 2005 for seven Australian cities to estimate duration of sun exposure required for fair-skinned individuals to synthesise 1000 IU (25 µg) of vitamin D, with 11% and 17% body exposure, for each season and hour of the day. Periods were classified according to whether the UVI was < 3 or ≥ 3 (when sun protection measures are recommended), and whether required duration of exposure was ≤ 30 min, 31-60 min, or > 60 min. Duration of sunlight exposure required to achieve 1000 IU of vitamin D synthesis. Duration of sunlight exposure required to synthesise 1000 IU of vitamin D varied by time of day, season and city. Although peak UVI periods are typically promoted as between 10 am and 3 pm, UVI was often ≥ 3 before 10 am or after 3 pm. When the UVI was < 3, there were few opportunities to synthesise 1000 IU of vitamin D within 30 min, with either 11% or 17% body exposure. There is a delicate line between balancing the beneficial effects of sunlight exposure while avoiding its damaging effects. Physiological and geographical factors may reduce vitamin D synthesis, and supplementation may be necessary to achieve adequate vitamin D status for individuals at risk of deficiency. ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2011

SEM vouchers and genomic data from an individual specimen: maximizing the utility of delicate and rare specimens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Specimen vouchering is a critical aspect of systematics, especially in genetic studies where the identity of a DNA sample needs to be assured. It can be difficult to obtain a high quality voucher after DNA extraction when dealing with tiny and delicate invertebrates that often do not survive the ext...

Career and Technical Education with a Delicate Touch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Predmore, Sarah R.

2005-01-01

There are some professions in which tradition holds strong, in which one generation schools the next in the techniques of the trade. These services help us maintain some of our dearest possessions--such as an antique watch or a prized violin--with their specialized skill and delicate touch. But not all of these technicians enter the field through…

17 CFR 403.3 - Use of customers' free credit balances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... balances. 403.3 Section 403.3 Commodity and Securities Exchanges DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY REGULATIONS UNDER SECTION 15C OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMER SECURITIES AND BALANCES § 403.3 Use of customers' free credit balances. Every registered government securities broker or dealer...

17 CFR 210.6-04 - Balance sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Balance sheets. 210.6-04... 1940, AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 Registered Investment Companies § 210.6-04 Balance sheets. This rule is applicable to balance sheets filed by registered investment companies except for...

17 CFR 403.3 - Use of customers' free credit balances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... balances. 403.3 Section 403.3 Commodity and Securities Exchanges DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY REGULATIONS UNDER SECTION 15C OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMER SECURITIES AND BALANCES § 403.3 Use of customers' free credit balances. Every registered government securities broker or dealer...

17 CFR 210.6-04 - Balance sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Balance sheets. 210.6-04... 1940, AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 Registered Investment Companies § 210.6-04 Balance sheets. This rule is applicable to balance sheets filed by registered investment companies except for...

Balancing Act

Cancer.gov

Part of being an Active, More Powerful You means finding balance in your daily life: taking on the Must-dos and finding time for some Should Dos and Want-to-Dos. Sometimes, emotions and commitments can come into play and upset the balance.

Bonded exciplex formation: electronic and stereoelectronic effects.

PubMed

Wang, Yingsheng; Haze, Olesya; Dinnocenzo, Joseph P; Farid, Samir; Farid, Ramy S; Gould, Ian R

2008-12-18

As recently proposed, the singlet-excited states of several cyanoaromatics react with pyridine via bonded-exciplex formation, a novel concept in photochemical charge transfer reactions. Presented here are electronic and steric effects on the quenching rate constants, which provide valuable support for the model. Additionally, excited-state quenching in poly(vinylpyridine) is strongly inhibited both relative to that in neat pyridine and also to conventional exciplex formation in polymers, consistent with a restrictive orientational requirement for the formation of bonded exciplexes. Examples of competing reactions to form both conventional and bonded exciplexes are presented, which illustrate the delicate balance between these two processes when their reaction energetics are similar. Experimental and computational evidence is provided for the formation of a bonded exciplex in the reaction of the singlet excited state of 2,6,9,10-tetracyanoanthracene (TCA) with an oxygen-substituted donor, dioxane, thus expanding the scope of bonded exciplexes.

Tissue architecture and breast cancer: the role of extracellular matrix and steroid hormones

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hansen, R K; Bissell, M J

The changes in tissue architecture that accompany the development of breast cancer have been the focus of investigations aimed at developing new cancer therapeutics. As we learn more about the normal mammary gland, we have begun to understand the complex signaling pathways underlying the dramatic shifts in the structure and function of breast tissue. Integrin-, growth factor-, and steroid hormone-signaling pathways all play an important part in maintaining tissue architecture; disruption of the delicate balance of signaling results in dramatic changes in the way cells interact with each other and with the extracellular matrix, leading to breast cancer. The extracellularmore » matrix itself plays a central role in coordinating these signaling processes. In this review, we consider the interrelationships between the extracellular matrix, integrins, growth factors, and steroid hormones in mammary gland development and function.« less

Regulation of cell volume by glycosaminoglycans.

PubMed

Joerges, Jelena; Schulz, Tobias; Wegner, Jeannine; Schumacher, Udo; Prehm, Peter

2012-01-01

Cell volume is regulated by a delicate balance between ion distribution across the plasma membrane and the osmotic properties of intra- and extracellular components. Using a fluorescent calcein indicator, we analysed the effects of glycosaminoglycans on the cell volume of hyaluronan producing fibroblasts and hyaluronan deficient HEK cells over a time period of 30 h. Exogenous glycosaminoglycans induced cell blebbing after 2 min and swelling of fibroblasts to about 110% of untreated cell volume at low concentrations which decreased at higher concentrations. HEK cells did not show cell blebbing and responded by shrinking to 65% of untreated cell volume. Heparin induced swelling of both fibroblasts and HEK cells. Hyaluronidase treatment or inhibition of hyaluronan export led to cell shrinkage indicating that the hyaluronan coat maintained fibroblasts in a swollen state. These observations were explained by the combined action of the Donnan effect and molecular crowding. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bacterial Genome Instability

PubMed Central

Darmon, Elise

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Bacterial genomes are remarkably stable from one generation to the next but are plastic on an evolutionary time scale, substantially shaped by horizontal gene transfer, genome rearrangement, and the activities of mobile DNA elements. This implies the existence of a delicate balance between the maintenance of genome stability and the tolerance of genome instability. In this review, we describe the specialized genetic elements and the endogenous processes that contribute to genome instability. We then discuss the consequences of genome instability at the physiological level, where cells have harnessed instability to mediate phase and antigenic variation, and at the evolutionary level, where horizontal gene transfer has played an important role. Indeed, this ability to share DNA sequences has played a major part in the evolution of life on Earth. The evolutionary plasticity of bacterial genomes, coupled with the vast numbers of bacteria on the planet, substantially limits our ability to control disease. PMID:24600039

Structure and Bonding in CE5- (E=Al-Tl) Clusters: Planar Tetracoordinate Carbon versus Pentacoordinate Carbon.

PubMed

Ravell, Estefanía; Jalife, Said; Barroso, Jorge; Orozco-Ic, Mesías; Hernández-Juárez, Gerardo; Ortiz-Chi, Filiberto; Pan, Sudip; Cabellos, José Luis; Merino, Gabriel

2018-03-24

The structure, bonding, and stability of clusters with the empirical formula CE 5 - (E=Al-Tl) have been analyzed by means of high-level computations. The results indicate that, whereas aluminum and gallium clusters have C 2v structures with a planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC), their heavier homologues prefer three-dimensional C 4v forms with a pentacoordinate carbon center over the ptC one. The reason for such a preference is a delicate balance between the interaction energy of the fifth E atom with CE 4 and the distortion energy. Moreover, bonding analysis shows that the ptC systems can be better described as CE 4 - , with 17-valence electrons interacting with E. The ptC core in these systems exhibits double aromatic (both σ and π) behavior, but the σ contribution is dominating. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanoparticle-Based Receptors Mimic Protein-Ligand Recognition.

PubMed

Riccardi, Laura; Gabrielli, Luca; Sun, Xiaohuan; De Biasi, Federico; Rastrelli, Federico; Mancin, Fabrizio; De Vivo, Marco

2017-07-13

The self-assembly of a monolayer of ligands on the surface of noble-metal nanoparticles dictates the fundamental nanoparticle's behavior and its functionality. In this combined computational-experimental study, we analyze the structure, organization, and dynamics of functionalized coating thiols in monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). We explain how functionalized coating thiols self-organize through a delicate and somehow counterintuitive balance of interactions within the monolayer itself and with the solvent. We further describe how the nature and plasticity of these interactions modulate nanoparticle-based chemosensing. Importantly, we found that self-organization of coating thiols can induce the formation of binding pockets in AuNPs. These transient cavities can accommodate small molecules, mimicking protein-ligand recognition, which could explain the selectivity and sensitivity observed for different organic analytes in NMR chemosensing experiments. Thus, our findings advocate for the rational design of tailored coating groups to form specific recognition binding sites on monolayer-protected AuNPs.

Correlated states in β-Li 2IrO 3 driven by applied magnetic fields

DOE PAGES

Ruiz, Alejandro; Frano, Alex; Breznay, Nicholas P.; ...

2017-10-16

Magnetic honeycomb iridates are thought to show strongly spin-anisotropic exchange interactions which, when highly frustrated, lead to an exotic state of matter known as the Kitaev quantum spin liquid. However, in all known examples these materials magnetically order at finite temperatures, the scale of which may imply weak frustration. Here we show that the application of a relatively small magnetic field drives the three-dimensional magnet β-Li 2IrO 3 from its incommensurate ground state into a quantum correlated paramagnet. Interestingly, this paramagnetic state admixes a zig-zag spin mode analogous to the zig-zag order seen in other Mott-Kitaev compounds. The rapid onsetmore » of the field-induced correlated state implies the exchange interactions are delicately balanced, leading to strong frustration and a near degeneracy of different ground states.« less

Otolaryngology head and neck surgery: an integrative view of the larynx.

PubMed

McCulloch, Timothy M; Van Daele, Douglas; Ciucci, Michelle R

2011-10-01

The glottis is composed of muscular, cartilaginous, and other viscoelastic tissues which perform some of our most important, complex, coordinated, and life-sustaining functions. Dominated by the thyroarytenoid muscles and associated glottic closure muscles, the larynx is involved in respiration, swallowing, voicing, coughing, valsalva, vomiting, laughing, and crying. With respiration continuing in the background, all other "secondary" laryngeal events seamlessly occur. When the delicate balance of coordinating these events is disrupted by disease or disorder, many of these tasks are compromised. Due to the complex innervation of these volitional and reflexive tasks with brainstem central pattern generators, primary sensorimotor areas and importantly, limbic areas, failure can occur due to disease, anatomic compromise, and even emotional state. Understanding the level of sensorimotor control and interaction among systems that share these laryngeal neuromuscular substrates will improve the diagnostic and therapeutic skill of the clinician when treating compromise of laryngeal function. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spatial Complexity Due to Bulk Electronic Liquid Crystals in Superconducting Dy-Bi2212

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, Erica; Phillabaum, Benjamin; Dahmen, Karin

2012-02-01

Surface probes such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have detected complex electronic patterns at the nanoscale in many high temperature superconductors. In cuprates, the pattern formation is associated with the pseudogap phase, a precursor to the high temperature superconducting state. Rotational symmetry breaking of the host crystal (i.e. from C4 to C2) in the form of electronic nematicity has recently been proposed as a unifying theme of the pseudogap phase [Lawler Nature 2010]. However, the fundamental physics governing the nanoscale pattern formation has not yet been identified. Here we use universal cluster properties extracted from STM studies of cuprate superconductors to identify the funda- mental physics controlling the complex pattern formation. We find that due to a delicate balance between disorder, interactions, and material anisotropy, the rotational symmetry breaking is fractal in nature, and that the electronic liquid crystal extends throughout the bulk of the material.

Is anybody listening? A phenomenological study of pain in hospitalized persons with AIDS.

PubMed

Newshan, G

1998-01-01

Pain is a common problem among hospitalized persons with AIDS (PWAs), yet it has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to understand, using the phenomenological method, the experience of pain in hospitalized PWAs. Multiple sources of data, including interviews with 11 hospitalized PWAs, literature, poetry, and film, were used to investigate the phenomenon. Five broad themes emerged: knowing pain, battling pain, having AIDS, pain's influence, and being a drug user. Multiple barriers to effective pain management were identified. Although there were commonalities in the experience of pain in chemically dependent and nonchemically dependent PWAs, unique challenges for the chemically dependent PWAs were identified. The findings indicate the importance of listening to and believing reports of pain. In addition, the findings underscore the delicate balance that exists between pain relief and relapse in PWAs with a history of chemical dependency.

Human, Mouse, and Rat Genome Large-Scale Rearrangements: Stability Versus Speciation

PubMed Central

Zhao, Shaying; Shetty, Jyoti; Hou, Lihua; Delcher, Arthur; Zhu, Baoli; Osoegawa, Kazutoyo; de Jong, Pieter; Nierman, William C.; Strausberg, Robert L.; Fraser, Claire M.

2004-01-01

Using paired-end sequences from bacterial artificial chromosomes, we have constructed high-resolution synteny and rearrangement breakpoint maps among human, mouse, and rat genomes. Among the >300 syntenic blocks identified are segments of over 40 Mb without any detected interspecies rearrangements, as well as regions with frequently broken synteny and extensive rearrangements. As closely related species, mouse and rat share the majority of the breakpoints and often have the same types of rearrangements when compared with the human genome. However, the breakpoints not shared between them indicate that mouse rearrangements are more often interchromosomal, whereas intrachromosomal rearrangements are more prominent in rat. Centromeres may have played a significant role in reorganizing a number of chromosomes in all three species. The comparison of the three species indicates that genome rearrangements follow a path that accommodates a delicate balance between maintaining a basic structure underlying all mammalian species and permitting variations that are necessary for speciation. PMID:15364903

Far-ultraviolet fluorescence of carbon monoxide in the red giant Arcturus. II - Analysis of high-dispersion IUE spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ayres, T. R.

1986-01-01

Faint, diffuse emissions near 1380 A in deeply exposed IUE spectrograms of the red giant Arcturus very likely are associated with bands of the A-X fourth-positive system of carbon monoxide, fluoresced by multiplet UV2 of neutral oxygen near 1305 A. Numerical simulations indicate that the strength of the CO bands is exceedingly sensitive, in the best available one-dimensional model of the chromosphere of Arcturus, to a delicate balance between the rapid inward attenuation of the oxygen radiation field and the rapid outward decline of the molecular absorptivity. The fortuitous character of the overlap region in the single-component model argues that one should also consider the possibility that the pumping occurs in a highly inhomogeneous chromosphere, of the type proposed in previous studies of Arcturus based on observations of the infrared absorption bands of CO.

Controlling competing orders via nonequilibrium acoustic phonons: Emergence of anisotropic effective electronic temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schütt, Michael; Orth, Peter P.; Levchenko, Alex; Fernandes, Rafael M.

2018-01-01

Ultrafast perturbations offer a unique tool to manipulate correlated systems due to their ability to promote transient behaviors with no equilibrium counterpart. A widely employed strategy is the excitation of coherent optical phonons, as they can cause significant changes in the electronic structure and interactions on short time scales. One of the issues, however, is the inevitable heating that accompanies these resonant excitations. Here, we explore a promising alternative route: the nonequilibrium excitation of acoustic phonons, which, due to their low excitation energies, generally lead to less heating. We demonstrate that driving acoustic phonons leads to the remarkable phenomenon of a momentum-dependent effective temperature, by which electronic states at different regions of the Fermi surface are subject to distinct local temperatures. Such an anisotropic effective electronic temperature can have a profound effect on the delicate balance between competing ordered states in unconventional superconductors, opening a so far unexplored avenue to control correlated phases.

Quantifying Hydrostatic Pressure in Plant Cells by Using Indentation with an Atomic Force Microscope

PubMed Central

Beauzamy, Léna; Derr, Julien; Boudaoud, Arezki

2015-01-01

Plant cell growth depends on a delicate balance between an inner drive—the hydrostatic pressure known as turgor—and an outer restraint—the polymeric wall that surrounds a cell. The classical technique to measure turgor in a single cell, the pressure probe, is intrusive and cannot be applied to small cells. In order to overcome these limitations, we developed a method that combines quantification of topography, nanoindentation force measurements, and an interpretation using a published mechanical model for the pointlike loading of thin elastic shells. We used atomic force microscopy to estimate the elastic properties of the cell wall and turgor pressure from a single force-depth curve. We applied this method to onion epidermal peels and quantified the response to changes in osmolality of the bathing solution. Overall our approach is accessible and enables a straightforward estimation of the hydrostatic pressure inside a walled cell. PMID:25992723

Human brain networks function in connectome-specific harmonic waves.

PubMed

Atasoy, Selen; Donnelly, Isaac; Pearson, Joel

2016-01-21

A key characteristic of human brain activity is coherent, spatially distributed oscillations forming behaviour-dependent brain networks. However, a fundamental principle underlying these networks remains unknown. Here we report that functional networks of the human brain are predicted by harmonic patterns, ubiquitous throughout nature, steered by the anatomy of the human cerebral cortex, the human connectome. We introduce a new technique extending the Fourier basis to the human connectome. In this new frequency-specific representation of cortical activity, that we call 'connectome harmonics', oscillatory networks of the human brain at rest match harmonic wave patterns of certain frequencies. We demonstrate a neural mechanism behind the self-organization of connectome harmonics with a continuous neural field model of excitatory-inhibitory interactions on the connectome. Remarkably, the critical relation between the neural field patterns and the delicate excitation-inhibition balance fits the neurophysiological changes observed during the loss and recovery of consciousness.

Verification of image orthorectification techniques for low-cost geometric inspection of masonry arch bridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Jorge, Higinio; Riveiro, Belén; Varela, María; Arias, Pedro

2012-07-01

A low-cost image orthorectification tool based on the utilization of compact cameras and scale bars is developed to obtain the main geometric parameters of masonry bridges for inventory and routine inspection purposes. The technique is validated in three different bridges by comparison with laser scanning data. The surveying process is very delicate and must make a balance between working distance and angle. Three different cameras are used in the study to establish the relationship between the error and the camera model. Results depict nondependence in error between the length of the bridge element, the type of bridge, and the type of element. Error values for all the cameras are below 4 percent (95 percent of the data). A compact Canon camera, the model with the best technical specifications, shows an error level ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 percent.

Rheology of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Inferred from Satellite Radar Interferometry Data using an Inverse Control Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larour, E.; Rignot, E.; Joughin, I.; Aubry, D.

2005-01-01

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is surrounded by large floating ice shelves that spread under their own weight into the ocean. Ice shelf rigidity depends on ice temperature and fabrics, and is influenced by ice flow and the delicate balance between bottom and surface accumulation. Here, we use an inverse control method to infer the rigidity of the Ronne Ice Shelf that best matches observations of ice velocity from satellite radar interferometry. Ice rigidity, or flow law parameter B, is shown to vary between 300 and 900 kPa a(sup 1/3). Ice is softer along the side margins due to frictional heating, and harder along the outflow of large glaciers, which advect cold continental ice. Melting at the bottom surface of the ice shelf increases its rigidity, while freezing decreases it. Accurate numerical modelling of ice shelf flow must account for this spatial variability in mechanical characteristics.

Assessment of Healthcare Decision-making Capacity

PubMed Central

Palmer, Barton W.; Harmell, Alexandrea L.

2016-01-01

It is often necessary for neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, and other healthcare professionals to assess an individual's capacity to consent to treatment related to healthcare. This task can be challenging and requires a delicate balance of both respect for individuals' autonomy, as well as the protection of individuals with diminished capacity to make an autonomous decision. The purpose of the present review is to provide an overview of the conceptual model of decisional capacity as well as a brief summary of some of the currently available instruments designed to help evaluate medical decision making. In addition, current empirical literature on the relationship between neuropsychological abilities and decision-making capacity is discussed and a brief set of recommendations is provided to further aid clinicians or consultants when they are required to complete the ethically important but difficult task of making determinations about healthcare decision-making capacity. PMID:27551024

Origin of the sphere-to-rod transition in cationic micelles with aromatic counterions: specific ion hydration in the interfacial region matters.

PubMed

Geng, Yan; Romsted, Laurence S; Froehner, Sandro; Zanette, Dino; Magid, Linda J; Cuccovia, Iolanda M; Chaimovich, Hernan

2005-01-18

Sphere-to-rod transitions of cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA+) micelles with dichlorobenzoate counterions are remarkably substituent dependent. Simultaneous estimates of the interfacial molarities of H2O, MeOH, and Cl- and 2,6- and 3,5-dichlorobenzoate (2,6OBz and 3,5OBz) counterions were obtained by the chemical trapping method in mixed micelles of CTACl/CTA3,5OBz and CTACl/CTA2,6OBz without added salt. Increasing the CTA3,5OBz mole fraction produces a marked concurrent increase in interfacial 3,5OBz- and a decrease in interfacial H2O concentrations through the sphere-to-rod transition. No abrupt concentration changes are observed with increasing CTA2,6OBz mole fraction. Counterion-specific changes in the interfacial water concentration may be a major contributor to the delicate balance of forces governing micellar morphology.

A successful spontaneous pregnancy in abetalipoproteinemia: Amsterdam or the art of vitamin replacement?

PubMed Central

Ferreira, Francisca; Patel, Vinod; Matts, Suzy

2014-01-01

Abetalipoproteinemia is a rare metabolic disorder that causes disturbed lipid absorption with consequent hypocholesterolaemia and liposoluble avitaminosis. The broad spectrum of presentations includes malabsorption, failure to thrive and acanthocytosis in children, while later in life expected manifestations include coagulopathy, myopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, peripheral neuropathy, hyporeflexia and ataxia. These neurological complications stem from demyelination secondary to vitamin E deficiency. Another complication is reduced fertility in women. In the event of a successful conception, issues arise in vitamin supplementation, the mainstay of treatment of abetalipoproteinemia. The skilful clinician must master the delicate balance between the teratogenic effects on the fetus of over as well as under replacement of vitamins, pregnancy complications such as premature rupture of membranes and eclampsia, and, finally, maternal complications such as corneal ulcers. We describe the management of a patient ranging from pubertal growth to bearing a successful spontaneous pregnancy with an outcome of a completely healthy mother and child. PMID:25488886

Space station integrated propulsion and fluid systems study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bicknell, B.; Wilson, S.; Dennis, M.; Shepard, D.; Rossier, R.

1988-01-01

The program study was performed in two tasks: Task 1 addressed propulsion systems and Task 2 addressed all fluid systems associated with the Space Station elements, which also included propulsion and pressurant systems. Program results indicated a substantial reduction in life cycle costs through integrating the oxygen/hydrogen propulsion system with the environmental control and life support system, and through supplying nitrogen in a cryogenic gaseous supercritical or subcritical liquid state. A water sensitivity analysis showed that increasing the food water content would substantially increase the amount of water available for propulsion use and in all cases, the implementation of the BOSCH CO2 reduction process would reduce overall life cycle costs to the station and minimize risk. An investigation of fluid systems and associated requirements revealed a delicate balance between the individual propulsion and fluid systems across work packages and a strong interdependence between all other fluid systems.

Application of Time-Domain Electromagnetic Method in Investigating Saltwater Intrusion of Santiago Island (Cape Verde)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, Rui; Farzamian, Mohammad; Monteiro Santos, Fernando A.; Represas, Patrícia; Mota Gomes, A.; Lobo de Pina, A. F.; Almeida, Eugénio P.

2017-11-01

Santiago Island, the biggest and most populated island of the Cape Verde Republic, is characterised by limited surface waters and strong dependence on groundwater sources as the primary source of natural water supply for extensive agricultural activity and human use. However, as a consequence of the scarce precipitation and high evaporation as well as the intense overexploitation of the groundwater resources, the freshwater management is also in a delicate balance with saltwater at coastal areas. The time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) method is used to locate the extent of saltwater intrusion in four important agricultural regions in Santiago Island; São Domingos, Santa Cruz, São Miguel, and Tarrafal. The application of this method in Santiago Island proves it to be a successful tool in imaging the fresh/saltwater interface location. Depths to the saline zones and extensions of saline water are mapped along eight TDEM profiles.

Basis for selecting optimum antibiotic regimens for secondary peritonitis.

PubMed

Maseda, Emilio; Gimenez, Maria-Jose; Gilsanz, Fernando; Aguilar, Lorenzo

2016-01-01

Adequate management of severely ill patients with secondary peritonitis requires supportive therapy of organ dysfunction, source control of infection and antimicrobial therapy. Since secondary peritonitis is polymicrobial, appropriate empiric therapy requires combination therapy in order to achieve the needed coverage for both common and more unusual organisms. This article reviews etiological agents, resistance mechanisms and their prevalence, how and when to cover them and guidelines for treatment in the literature. Local surveillances are the basis for the selection of compounds in antibiotic regimens, which should be further adapted to the increasing number of patients with risk factors for resistance (clinical setting, comorbidities, previous antibiotic treatments, previous colonization, severity…). Inadequate antimicrobial regimens are strongly associated with unfavorable outcomes. Awareness of resistance epidemiology and of clinical consequences of inadequate therapy against resistant bacteria is crucial for clinicians treating secondary peritonitis, with delicate balance between optimization of empirical therapy (improving outcomes) and antimicrobial overuse (increasing resistance emergence).

Marijuana, the Endocannabinoid System and the Female Reproductive System.

PubMed

Brents, Lisa K

2016-06-01

Marijuana use among women is highly prevalent, but the societal conversation on marijuana rarely focuses on how marijuana affects female reproduction and endocrinology. This article reviews the current scientific literature regarding marijuana use and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis regulation, ovarian hormone production, the menstrual cycle, and fertility. Evidence suggests that marijuana can reduce female fertility by disrupting hypothalamic release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), leading to reduced estrogen and progesterone production and anovulatory menstrual cycles. Tolerance to these effects has been shown in rhesus monkeys, but the effects of chronic marijuana use on human female reproduction are largely unknown. Marijuana-induced analgesia, drug reinforcement properties, tolerance, and dependence are influenced by ovarian hormones, with estrogen generally increasing and progesterone decreasing sensitivity to marijuana. Carefully controlled regulation of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is required for successful reproduction, and the exogenous cannabinoids in marijuana may disrupt the delicate balance of the ECS in the female reproductive system.

Severe gestational hypertriglyceridemia: A practical approach for clinicians

PubMed Central

Wong, Bertha; Ooi, Teik C

2015-01-01

Severe gestational hypertriglyceridemia is a potentially life threatening and complex condition to manage, requiring attention to a delicate balance between maternal and fetal needs. During pregnancy, significant alterations to lipid homeostasis occur to ensure transfer of nutrients to the fetus. In women with an underlying genetic predisposition or a secondary exacerbating factor, severe gestational hypertriglyceridemia can arise, leading to devastating complications, including acute pancreatitis. Multidisciplinary care, implementation of a low-fat diet with nutritional support, and institution of a hierarchical therapeutic approach are all crucial to reduce maternal and fetal morbidity. To avoid maternal pancreatitis, close surveillance of triglycerides throughout pregnancy with elective hospitalization for refractory cases is recommended. Careful dietary planning is required to prevent neural and retinal complications from fetal essential fatty acid deficiency. Questions remain about the safety of fibrates and plasmapheresis in pregnancy as well as the optimal timing for induction and delivery of these women. PMID:27512474

NK cell activation: distinct stimulatory pathways counterbalancing inhibitory signals.

PubMed

Bakker, A B; Wu, J; Phillips, J H; Lanier, L L

2000-01-01

A delicate balance between positive and negative signals regulates NK cell effector function. Activation of NK cells may be initiated by the triggering of multiple adhesion or costimulatory molecules, and can be counterbalanced by inhibitory signals induced by receptors for MHC class I. A common pathway of inhibitory signaling is provided by immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs) in the cytoplasmic domains of these receptors which mediate the recruitment of SH2 domain-bearing tyrosine phosphate-1 (SHP-1). In contrast to the extensive progress that has been made regarding the negative regulation of NK cell function, our knowledge of the signals that activate NK cells is still poor. Recent studies of the activating receptor complexes have shed new light on the induction of NK cell effector function. Several NK receptors using novel adaptors with immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) and with PI 3-kinase recruiting motifs have been implicated in NK cell stimulation.

Antigen-presenting cells and materno-fetal tolerance: an emerging role for dendritic cells.

PubMed

Laskarin, Gordana; Kämmerer, Ulrike; Rukavina, Daniel; Thomson, Angus W; Fernandez, Nelson; Blois, Sandra M

2007-09-01

During pregnancy, a delicate balance of innate and adaptive immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface promotes survival of the semi-allogeneic embryo and, at the same time, allows effective immunity to protect the mother from environmental pathogens. As in other tissues, antigen handling and processing in the decidualized endometrium constitutes a primary event in the onset of immune responses and is therefore likely to determine their stimulatory or tolerogenic nature. Maternal antigen-presenting cells [macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs)] are scattered throughout the decidualized endometrium during all stages of pregnancy and appear to be important players in this feto-maternal immune adjustment. This review focuses on the characterization of decidual macrophages and DCs, as well as their involvement in cell-cell interactions within the decidual leukocyte network, which are likely to influence uterine and placental homeostasis as well as the local maternal immune responses to the fetus during pregnancy.

Leukemia inhibitory factor: part of a large ingathering family.

PubMed

Taupin, J L; Pitard, V; Dechanet, J; Miossec, V; Gualde, N; Moreau, J F

1998-01-01

Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) has a wide variety of biological activities. It regulates the differentiation of embryonic stem cells, neural cells, osteoblasts, adipocytes, hepatocytes and kidney epithelial cells. It also triggers the proliferation of myoblasts, primordial germ cells and some endothelial cells. Many of these biological functions parallel those of interleukin-6, Oncostatin M, ciliary neurotrophic factor, interleukin-11 and cardiotrophin-1. These structurally related cytokines also share subunits of their receptors which could partially explain the redundancy in this system of soluble mediators. In vivo LIF proves important in regulating the inflammatory response by fine tuning of the delicate balance of at least four systems in the body, namely the immune, the hematopoietic, the nervous and the endocrine systems. Although we are far from its therapeutic applications, the fast increasing knowledge in this field may bring new insights for the understanding of the cytokine biology in general.

Evolution and control of the phase competition morphology in a manganite film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Haibiao; Wang, Lingfei; Hou, Yubin; Huang, Zhen; Lu, Qingyou; Wu, Wenbin

2015-11-01

The competition among different phases in perovskite manganites is pronounced since their energies are very close under the interplay of charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. To reveal the roles of underlying interactions, many efforts have been devoted towards directly imaging phase transitions at microscopic scales. Here we show images of the charge-ordered insulator (COI) phase transition from a pure ferromagnetic metal with reducing field or increasing temperature in a strained phase-separated manganite film, using a home-built magnetic force microscope. Compared with the COI melting transition, this reverse transition is sharp, cooperative and martensitic-like with astonishingly unique yet diverse morphologies. The COI domains show variable-dimensional growth at different temperatures and their distribution can illustrate the delicate balance of the underlying interactions in manganites. Our findings also display how phase domain engineering is possible and how the phase competition can be tuned in a controllable manner.

Evolution and control of the phase competition morphology in a manganite film.

PubMed

Zhou, Haibiao; Wang, Lingfei; Hou, Yubin; Huang, Zhen; Lu, Qingyou; Wu, Wenbin

2015-11-25

The competition among different phases in perovskite manganites is pronounced since their energies are very close under the interplay of charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. To reveal the roles of underlying interactions, many efforts have been devoted towards directly imaging phase transitions at microscopic scales. Here we show images of the charge-ordered insulator (COI) phase transition from a pure ferromagnetic metal with reducing field or increasing temperature in a strained phase-separated manganite film, using a home-built magnetic force microscope. Compared with the COI melting transition, this reverse transition is sharp, cooperative and martensitic-like with astonishingly unique yet diverse morphologies. The COI domains show variable-dimensional growth at different temperatures and their distribution can illustrate the delicate balance of the underlying interactions in manganites. Our findings also display how phase domain engineering is possible and how the phase competition can be tuned in a controllable manner.

Open scientific communication urged

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, Barbara T.

In a report released last week the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Scientific Communication and National Security concluded that the ‘limited and uncertain benefits’ of controls on the dissemination of scientific and technological research are ‘outweighed by the importance of scientific progress, which open communication accelerates, to the overall welfare of the nation.’ The 18-member panel, chaired by Dale R. Corson, president emeritus of Cornell University, was created last spring (Eos, April 20, 1982, p. 241) to examine the delicate balance between open dissemination of scientific and technical information and the U.S. government's desire to protect scientific and technological achievements from being translated into military advantages for our political adversaries.The panel dealt almost exclusively with the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union but noted that there are ‘clear problems in scientific communication and national security involving Third World countries.’ Further study of this matter is necessary.

Hole-transport material variation in fully vacuum deposited perovskite solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polander, Lauren E.; Pahner, Paul; Schwarze, Martin; Saalfrank, Matthias; Koerner, Christian; Leo, Karl

2014-08-01

This work addresses the effect of energy level alignment between the hole-transporting material and the active layer in vacuum deposited, planar-heterojunction CH3NH3PbIx-3Clx perovskite solar cells. Through a series of hole-transport materials, with conductivity values set using controlled p-doping of the layer, we correlate their ionization potentials with the open-circuit voltage of the device. With ionization potentials beyond 5.3 eV, a substantial decrease in both current density and voltage is observed, which highlights the delicate energetic balance between driving force for hole-extraction and maximizing the photovoltage. In contrast, when an optimal ionization potential match is found, the open-circuit voltage can be maximized, leading to power conversion efficiencies of up to 10.9%. These values are obtained with hole-transport materials that differ from the commonly used Spiro-MeO-TAD and correspond to a 40% performance increase versus this reference.

Size-tailored synthesis of silver quasi-nanospheres by kinetically controlled seeded growth.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaxia; Yin, Yadong; Gao, Chuanbo

2013-08-20

This paper describes a simple and convenient procedure to synthesize monodisperse silver (Ag) quasi-nanospheres with size tunable in a range of 19-140 nm through a one-step seeded growth strategy. Acetonitrile was employed as a coordinating ligand of a Ag(I) salt in order to achieve a low concentration of elemental Ag after reduction and thus suppression of new nucleation events. Since the addition of the seeds significantly accelerates the reduction reaction of Ag(I) by ascorbic acid, the reaction kinetics was further delicately balanced by tuning the reaction temperature, which proved to be critical in producing Ag quasi-nanospheres with uniform size and shape. This synthesis is highly scalable, so that it provides a simple yet very robust process for producing Ag quasi-nanospheres for many biological, analytical, and catalytic applications which often demand samples in large quantity and widely tunable particle sizes.

Preserving children's fertility: two tales about children's right to an open future and the margins of parental obligations.

PubMed

Cutas, Daniela; Hens, Kristien

2015-05-01

The sources, extent and margins of parental obligations in taking decisions regarding their children's medical care are subjects of ongoing debates. Balancing children's immediate welfare with keeping their future open is a delicate task. In this paper, we briefly present two examples of situations in which parents may be confronted with the choice of whether to authorise or demand non-therapeutic interventions on their children for the purpose of fertility preservation. The first example is that of children facing cancer treatment, and the second of children with Klinefelter syndrome. We argue that, whereas decisions of whether to preserve fertility may be prima facie within the limits of parental discretion, the right to an open future does not straightforwardly put parents under an obligation to take actions that would detect or relieve future infertility in their children-and indeed in some cases taking such actions is problematic.

Combinatorial Roles of Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans and Heparan Sulfates in Caenorhabditis elegans Neural Development

PubMed Central

Kinnunen, Tarja K.

2014-01-01

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) play critical roles in the development and adult physiology of all metazoan organisms. Most of the known molecular interactions of HSPGs are attributed to the structurally highly complex heparan sulfate (HS) glycans. However, whether a specific HSPG (such as syndecan) contains HS modifications that differ from another HSPG (such as glypican) has remained largely unresolved. Here, a neural model in C. elegans is used to demonstrate for the first time the relationship between specific HSPGs and HS modifications in a defined biological process in vivo. HSPGs are critical for the migration of hermaphrodite specific neurons (HSNs) as genetic elimination of multiple HSPGs leads to 80% defect of HSN migration. The effects of genetic elimination of HSPGs are additive, suggesting that multiple HSPGs, present in the migrating neuron and in the matrix, act in parallel to support neuron migration. Genetic analyses suggest that syndecan/sdn-1 and HS 6-O-sulfotransferase, hst-6, function in a linear signaling pathway and glypican/lon-2 and HS 2-O-sulfotransferase, hst-2, function together in a pathway that is parallel to sdn-1 and hst-6. These results suggest core protein specific HS modifications that are critical for HSN migration. In C. elegans, the core protein specificity of distinct HS modifications may be in part regulated at the level of tissue specific expression of genes encoding for HSPGs and HS modifying enzymes. Genetic analysis reveals that there is a delicate balance of HS modifications and eliminating one HS modifying enzyme in a compromised genetic background leads to significant changes in the overall phenotype. These findings are of importance with the view of HS as a critical regulator of cell signaling in normal development and disease. PMID:25054285

Proliferation of murine midbrain neural stem cells depends upon an endogenous sonic hedgehog (Shh) source.

PubMed

Martínez, Constanza; Cornejo, Víctor Hugo; Lois, Pablo; Ellis, Tammy; Solis, Natalia P; Wainwright, Brandon J; Palma, Verónica

2013-01-01

The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway is responsible for critical patterning events early in development and for regulating the delicate balance between proliferation and differentiation in the developing and adult vertebrate brain. Currently, our knowledge of the potential role of Shh in regulating neural stem cells (NSC) is largely derived from analyses of the mammalian forebrain, but for dorsal midbrain development it is mostly unknown. For a detailed understanding of the role of Shh pathway for midbrain development in vivo, we took advantage of mouse embryos with cell autonomously activated Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in a conditional Patched 1 (Ptc1) mutant mouse model. This animal model shows an extensive embryonic tectal hypertrophy as a result of Hh pathway activation. In order to reveal the cellular and molecular origin of this in vivo phenotype, we established a novel culture system to evaluate neurospheres (nsps) viability, proliferation and differentiation. By recreating the three-dimensional (3-D) microenvironment we highlight the pivotal role of endogenous Shh in maintaining the stem cell potential of tectal radial glial cells (RGC) and progenitors by modulating their Ptc1 expression. We demonstrate that during late embryogenesis Shh enhances proliferation of NSC, whereas blockage of endogenous Shh signaling using cyclopamine, a potent Hh pathway inhibitor, produces the opposite effect. We propose that canonical Shh signaling plays a central role in the control of NSC behavior in the developing dorsal midbrain by acting as a niche factor by partially mediating the response of NSC to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. We conclude that endogenous Shh signaling is a critical mechanism regulating the proliferation of stem cell lineages in the embryonic dorsal tissue.

pH-programmable self-assembly of plasmonic nanoparticles: hydrophobic interaction versus electrostatic repulsion.

PubMed

Li, Weikun; Kanyo, Istvan; Kuo, Chung-Hao; Thanneeru, Srinivas; He, Jie

2015-01-21

We report a general strategy to conceptualize a new design for the pH-programmable self-assembly of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) tethered by random copolymers of poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (P(St-co-AA)). It is based on using pH as an external stimulus to reversibly change the surface charge of polymer tethers and to control the delicate balance of interparticle attractive and repulsive interactions. By incorporating -COOH moieties locally within PSt hydrophobic segments, the change in the ionization degree of -COOH moieties can dramatically disrupt the hydrophobic attraction within a close distance. pH acts as a key parameter to control the deprotonation of -COOH moieties and "programs" the assembled nanostructures of plasmonic nanoparticles in a stepwise manner. At a higher solution pH where -COOH groups of polymer tethers became highly deprotonated, electrostatic repulsion dominated the self-assembly and favored the formation of end-to-end, anisotropic assemblies, e.g. 1-D single-line chains. At a lower pH, the less deprotonated -COOH groups led to the decrease of electrostatic repulsion and the side-to-side aggregates, e.g. clusters and multi-line chains of AuNPs, became favorable. The pH-programmable self-assembly allowed us to engineer a "manual" program for a sequential self-assembly by changing the pH of the solution. We demonstrated that the two-step pH-programmable assembly could generate more sophisticated "multi-block" chains using two differently sized AuNPs. Our strategy offers a general means for the programmable design of plasmonic nanoparticles into the specific pre-ordained nanostructures that are potentially useful for the precise control over their plasmon coupling.

How to grow great leaders.

PubMed

Ready, Douglas A

2004-12-01

Few leaders excel at both the unit and enterprise levels. More than ever, though, corporations need people capable of running business units, functions, or regions and focusing on broader company goals. It's up to organizations to develop leaders who can manage the inherent tensions between unit and enterprise priorities. Take the example of RBC Financial Group, one of the largest, most profitable companies in Canada. In the mid-1990's, RBC revamped its competitive strategy in a couple of ways. After the government announced that the Big Six banks in Canada could neither merge with nor acquire one another, RBC decided to grow through cross-border acquisitions. Additionally, because customers were starting to seek bundled products and services, RBC reached across its traditional stand-alone businesses to offer integrated solutions. These changes in strategy didn't elicit immediate companywide support. Instinctively, employees reacted against what would amount to a delicate balancing act: They would have to lift their focus out of their silos while continuing to meet unit goals. However, by communicating extensively with staff members, cross-fertilizing talent across unit boundaries, and targeting rewards to shape performance, RBC was able to cultivate rising leaders with the unit expertise and the enterprise vision to help the company fulfill its new aims. Growing such well-rounded leaders takes sustained effort because unit-enterprise tensions are quite real. Three common conditions reinforce these tensions. First, most organizational structures foster silo thinking and unimaginative career paths. Second, most companies lack venues for airing and resolving conflicts that arise when there are competing priorities. Third, many have misguided reward systems that pit unit performance against enterprise considerations. Such long-established patterns of organizational behavior are tough to break. Fortunately, as RBC discovered, people can be trained to think and work differently.

Training in Geoethics: Shared Values in Serving Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peppoloni, S.; Di Capua, G.

2014-12-01

Geosciences have evident repercussions on society. Geoscientists possess knowledge and skills to investigate, manage and intervene on the Geosphere, and this implies ethical obligations. So, the adoption of ethical principles and standards is crucial if geoscientists want to best serve the public. Their ethical responsibility requires a more active role in interacting with society, by giving people valuable contexts that inform the need for sustainable development, and perspectives that reveal essential and delicate balances of natural systems that impact humanity. Geoethics consists of research and reflection on those values upon which to base appropriate behaviour and practices where human activities intersect the Geosphere, and should become an essential point of reference in geoscientists' curricula. Acting in this direction implies the awareness by the geological community of its ethical commitments and the necessity to train new generations of geoscientists that in the future will be able to transfer to society not only practical aspects of geological knowledge, but also a new way to understand our planet. The IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics (www.iapg.geoethics.org) was born to build a new awareness in the scientific community. It aims at joining forces of geoscientists all over the world, through creation of an international, multidisciplinary and scientific platform for discussing ethical problems and dilemmas in Earth Sciences, for strengthening the research base on Geoethics through scientific publications and conferences. Its main goal is to give a new cultural framework of reference, in which to develop effective training tools, in order to sensitize young geoscientists on ethical and social issues related to their future work, starting from the definition of shared values within the scientific community. This work provides an overview on the IAPG goals, activities and ongoing initiatives.

48 CFR 252.225-7035 - Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program Certificate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program Certificate. 252.225-7035 Section 252.225-7035 Federal... Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program Certificate. As prescribed in 225.1101(10)(i), use the following provision: Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program Certificate (DEC...

17 CFR 210.9-03 - Balance sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Balance sheets. 210.9-03... 1940, AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 Bank Holding Companies § 210.9-03 Balance sheets... face of the balance sheets or in the notes thereto. Assets 1. Cash and due from banks. The amounts in...

48 CFR 252.225-7036 - Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program. 252.225-7036 Section 252.225-7036 Federal Acquisition... Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program. As prescribed in 225.1101(11)(i)(A), use the following clause: Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program (DEC 2010) (a) Definitions. As...

17 CFR 210.9-03 - Balance sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Balance sheets. 210.9-03... 1940, AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 Bank Holding Companies § 210.9-03 Balance sheets... face of the balance sheets or in the notes thereto. Assets 1. Cash and due from banks. The amounts in...

17 CFR 210.7-03 - Balance sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Balance sheets. 210.7-03... 1940, AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 Insurance Companies § 210.7-03 Balance sheets. (a... otherwise permitted by the Commission, should appear on the face of the balance sheets and in the notes...

48 CFR 252.225-7036 - Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program. 252.225-7036 Section 252.225-7036 Federal Acquisition... Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program. As prescribed in 225.1101(11)(i), use the following clause: Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program (JUL 2009) (a) Definitions. As used...

17 CFR 210.7-03 - Balance sheets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Balance sheets. 210.7-03... 1940, AND ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT OF 1975 Insurance Companies § 210.7-03 Balance sheets. (a... otherwise permitted by the Commission, should appear on the face of the balance sheets and in the notes...

76 FR 20061 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Depository Trust Company; Order Granting Approval of a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-11

... Relating to the Requirement To Maintain a Balance Certificate in the Fast Automated Securities Transfer... transfer agents'') hold DTC securities in the form of balance certificates.\\4\\ The balance certificates are... issue for which the FAST transfer agent acts as transfer agent. The Balance Certificate Agreement is...

48 CFR 252.225-7035 - Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program Certificate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Trade Agreements-Balance of Payments Program Certificate. 252.225-7035 Section 252.225-7035 Federal... Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program Certificate. As prescribed in 225.1101(10), use the following provision: Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program Certificate (DEC...

75 FR 6671 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-10

... Assessment of Fall Prevention Programs. This approval expires on 7/31/10. In June 2009, all Matter of Balance... Better Balance and Matter of Balance) and to assess the maintenance of fall prevention behaviors among participants six months after completing the Matter of Balance program. To assess the maintenance of fall...

Insulin during pregnancy, labour and delivery.

PubMed

de Valk, Harold W; Visser, Gerard H A

2011-02-01

Optimal glycaemic control is of the utmost importance to achieve the best possible outcome of a pregnancy complicated by diabetes. This holds for pregnancies in women with preconceptional type 1 or type 2 diabetes as well as for pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes. Glycaemic control is conventionally expressed in the HbA1c value but the HbA1c value does not completely capture the complexity of glycaemic control. The daily glucose profile measured by the patients themselves through measurements performed in capillary blood obtained by finger stick provides valuable information needed to adjust insulin therapy. Hypoglycaemia is the major threat to the pregnant woman or the woman with tight glycaemic control in the run-up to pregnancy. Repetitive hypoglycaemia can lead to hypoglycaemia unawareness, which is reversible with prevention of hypoglycaemia. A delicate balance should be struck between preventing hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia. Insulin requirements are not uniform across the day: it is low during the night with a more or less pronounced rise at dawn, followed by a gradual decrease during the remainder of the day. A basal amount of insulin is needed to regulate the endogenous glucose production, short-acting insulin shots are needed to handle exogenous glucose loads. Insulin therapy means two choices: the type of insulin used and the method of insulin administration. Regarding the type of insulin, the choice is between human and analogue insulins. The analogue short-acting insulin aspart has been shown to be safe during pregnancy in a randomised trial and has received registration for this indication; the short-acting analogue insulin lispro has been shown to be safe in observational studies. No such information is available on the long-acting insulin analogues detemir and glargine and both are prescribed off-label with human long-acting insulin as obvious alternatives. Randomised trials have not been able to show superiority of continuous subcutaneous insulin administration (CSII (insulin pump)) over intensive insulin injection therapy (multiple-dose insulin (MDI)) on any maternal or foeto-neonatal end point. However, group sizes were far too small to allow assessment of superiority and issues such as manageability of the disease and quality of life were never assessed. These two issues are of major importance to patients. The first trimester is often the period of most hypoglycaemic events, and insulin therapy should be especially closely monitored and adjusted in this period. After midterm, insulin requirements increase. Continuous glucose monitoring can offer better insights into the glycaemic profile than self-monitoring of blood glucose levels by the patients but the place of these new monitoring techniques has yet to be established more clearly. Insulin therapy during labour means short-acting insulin adjusted to achieve glucose levels between 4 and 8 mmol l(-1) to prevent neonatal hypoglycaemia as much as possible. After delivery, glycaemic control must be relaxed to prevent hypoglycaemia, especially in women who breastfeed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metallothionein: a Potential Link in the Regulation of Zinc in Nutritional Immunity.

PubMed

Rahman, Mohammad Tariqur; Karim, Muhammad Manjurul

2018-03-01

Nutritional immunity describes mechanisms for withholding essential transition metals as well as directing the toxicity of these metals against infectious agents. Zinc is one of these transition elements that are essential for both humans and microbial pathogens. At the same time, Zn can be toxic both for man and microbes if its concentration is higher than the tolerance limit. Therefore a "delicate" balance of Zn must be maintained to keep the immune cells surveilling while making the level of Zn either to starve or to intoxicate the pathogens. On the other hand, the invading pathogens will exploit the host Zn pool for its survival and replication. Apparently, different sets of protein in human and bacteria are involved to maintain their Zn need. Metallothionein (MT)-a group of low molecular weight proteins, is well known for its Zn-binding ability and is expected to play an important role in that Zn balance at the time of active infection. However, the differences in structural, functional, and molecular control of biosynthesis between human and bacterial MT might play an important role to determine the proper use of Zn and the winning side. The current review explains the possible involvement of human and bacterial MT at the time of infection to control and exploit Zn for their need.

Closeups of IECM grappled by RMS and positioned above payload bay (PLB)

NASA Image and Video Library

1982-07-04

STS004-23-119 (27 June-4 July 1982) --- This is a close-up view of the Marshall Space Flight Center-developed Induced Environment Contamination Monitor (IECM), a multi-instrument box designed to check for contaminants in and around the space shuttle orbiter cargo bay which might adversely affect delicate experiments carried aboard. The astronaut crew of Thomas K. Mattingly II and Henry W. Hartsfield Jr. maneuvered the Canadian-built robot arm (called the remote manipulator system) very near their overhead flight deck windows and captured this scene with a 35mm camera. HOLD PICTURE HORIZONTALLY WITH FRAME NUMBER AT TOP CENTER. Cameras for the 11 instruments are pictured as black circles at the bottom of the frame. The access door to the arm and safe plug is located about halfway up the left edge of the box. A cascade injector device is immediately to the right of the plug. The rectangular opening at right center of the monitor is the optical effects module. Mass spectrometer is at upper left. Air sampler bottles are at upper left. The colorful rectangle near upper left of the monitor is the passive array. Not easily seen, but also a part of the instrument, are the cryogenic quartz crystal micro balance and the temperature controlled quartz micro balance. Photo credit: NASA

The Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1977; Authorization of Appropriations for CETA, and the President's Economic Stimulus Proposals; Hearings before the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-Fifth Congress, First Session on H.R. 50 and H.R. 2992, Volume 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and Labor.

The proceedings from the 2 days of hearings before the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities on the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1977, the authorizations and appropriations for the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), and the President's economic stimulus proposals are presented in this report. All prepared…

Balance and flexibility.

PubMed

2003-12-01

The 'work-life balance' and flexible working are currently key buzz terms in the NHS. Those looking for more information on these topics should visit Flexibility at www.flexibility.co.uk for a host of resources designed to support new ways of working, including information on flexible workers and flexible rostering, the legal balancing act for work-life balance and home working.

40 CFR 125.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... balanced, indigenous community of shellfish, fish and wildlife in the body of water into which a discharge of heat is made. (c) The term balanced, indigenous community is synonymous with the term balanced, indigenous population in the Act and means a biotic community typically characterized by diversity, the...

40 CFR 125.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... balanced, indigenous community of shellfish, fish and wildlife in the body of water into which a discharge of heat is made. (c) The term balanced, indigenous community is synonymous with the term balanced, indigenous population in the Act and means a biotic community typically characterized by diversity, the...

40 CFR 125.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... balanced, indigenous community of shellfish, fish and wildlife in the body of water into which a discharge of heat is made. (c) The term balanced, indigenous community is synonymous with the term balanced, indigenous population in the Act and means a biotic community typically characterized by diversity, the...

40 CFR 125.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... balanced, indigenous community of shellfish, fish and wildlife in the body of water into which a discharge of heat is made. (c) The term balanced, indigenous community is synonymous with the term balanced, indigenous population in the Act and means a biotic community typically characterized by diversity, the...

40 CFR 125.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... balanced, indigenous community of shellfish, fish and wildlife in the body of water into which a discharge of heat is made. (c) The term balanced, indigenous community is synonymous with the term balanced, indigenous population in the Act and means a biotic community typically characterized by diversity, the...

Adaptive Equilibrium Regulation: A Balancing Act in Two Timescales

PubMed Central

Boker, Steven M.

2015-01-01

An equilibrium involves a balancing of forces. Just as one maintains upright posture in standing or walking, many self-regulatory and interpersonal behaviors can be framed as a balancing act between an ever changing environment and within-person processes. The emerging balance between person and environment, the equilibria, are dynamic and adaptive in response to development and learning. A distinction is made between equilibrium achieved solely due to a short timescale balancing of forces and a longer timescale preferred equilibrium which we define as a state towards which the system slowly adapts. Together, these are developed into a framework that this article calls Adaptive Equilibrium Regulation (ÆR), which separates a regulatory process into two timescales: a faster regulation that automatically balances forces and a slower timescale adaptation process that reconfigures the fast regulation so as to move the system towards its preferred equilibrium when an environmental force persists over the longer timescale. This way of thinking leads to novel models for the interplay between multiple timescales of behavior, learning, and development. PMID:27066197

18 CFR 367.1440 - Account 144, Accumulated provision for uncollectible accounts-Credit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR CENTRALIZED SERVICE COMPANIES SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Assets § 367...

18 CFR 367.1080 - Account 108, Accumulated provision for depreciation of service company property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... COMPANY ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts § 367.1080..., Accumulated provision for depreciation of service company property. 367.1080 Section 367.1080 Conservation of... THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT UNIFORM SYSTEM...

Structures of Hydrated Alkali Metal Cations, M+(H2O)nAr (m = Li, Na, K, rb and Cs, n = 3-5), Using Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy and Thermodynamic Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Haochen; van der Linde, Christian; Lisy, James M.

2014-06-01

Alkali metal cations play vital roles in chemical and biochemical systems. Lithium is widely used in psychiatric treatment of manic states and bipolar disorder; Sodium and potassium are essential elements, having major biological roles as electrolytes, balancing osmotic pressure on body cells and assisting the electroneurographic signal transmission; Rubidium has seen increasing usage as a supplementation for manic depression and depression treatment; Cesium doped compounds are used as essential catalysts in chemical production and organic synthesis. Since hydrated alkali metal cations are ubiquitous and the basic form of the alkali metal cations in chemical and biochemical systems, their structural and thermodynamic properties serve as the foundation for modeling more complex chemical and biochemical processes, such as ion transport and ion size-selectivity of ionophores and protein channels. By combining mass spectrometry and infrared photodissociation spectroscopy, we have characterized the structures and thermodynamic properties of the hydrated alkali metal cations, i.e. M+(H2O)nAr, (M = Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs, n = 3-5). Ab initio calculations and RRKM-EE (evaporative ensemble) calculations were used to assist in the spectral assignments and thermodynamic analysis. Results showed that the structures of hydrated alkali metal cations were determined predominantly by the competition between non-covalent interactions, i.e. the water---water hydrogen bonding interactions and the water---cation electrostatic interactions. This balance, however, is very delicate and small changes, i.e. different cations, different levels of hydration and different effective temperatures clearly impact the balance.

Torque Balances on the Taylor Cylinders in the Geomagnetic Data Assimilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuang, Weijia; Tangborn, Andrew

2004-01-01

In this presentation we report on our continuing effort in geomagnetic data assimilation, aiming at understanding and predicting geomagnetic secular variation on decadal time scales. In particular, we focus on the effect of the torque balances on the cylindrical surfaces in the core co-axial with the Earth's rotation axis (the Taylor cylinders) on the time evolution of assimilated solutions. We use our MoSST core dynamics,model and observed geomagnetic field at the Earth's surface derived via Comprehensive Field Model (CFM) for the geomagnetic data assimilation. In our earlier studies, a model solution is selected randomly from our numerical database. It is then assimilated with the observations such that the poloidal field possesses the same field tomography on the core-mantel boundary (CMB) continued downward from surface observations. This tomography change is assumed to be effective through out the outer core. While this approach allows rapid convergence between model solutions and the observations, it also generates sevee numerical instabilities: the delicate balance between weak fluid inertia and the magnetic torques on the Taylor cylinders are completely altered. Consequently, the assimilated solution diverges quickly (in approximately 10% of the magnetic free-decay time in the core). To improve the assimilation, we propose a partial penetration of the assimilation from the CMB: The full-scale modification at the CMB decreases linearly and vanish at an interior radius r(sub a). We shall examine from our assimilation tests possible relationships between the convergence rate of the model solutions to observations and the cut-off radius r(sub a). A better assimilation shall serve our nudging tests in near future.

Torque Balances on the Taylor Cylinders in the Geomagnetic Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, W.; Tangborn, A.

2004-05-01

In this presentation we report on our continuing effort in geomagnetic data assimilation, aiming at understanding and predicting geomagnetic secular variation on decadal time scales. In particular, we focus on the effect of the torque balances on the cylindrical surfaces in the core co-axial with the Earth's rotation axis (the Taylor cylinders) on the time evolution of assimilated solutions. We use our MoSST core dynamics model and observed geomagnetic field at the Earth's surface derived via Comprehensive Field Model (CFM) for the geomagnetic data assimilation. In our earlier studies, a model solution is selected randomly from our numerical database. It is then assimilated with the observations such that the poloidal field possesses the same field tomography on the core-mantel boundary (CMB) continued downward from surface observations. This tomography change is assumed to be effective through out the outer core. While this approach allows rapid convergence between model solutions and the observations, it also generates sever numerical instabilities: the delicate balance between weak fluid inertia and the magnetic torques on the Taylor cylinders are completely altered. Consequently, the assimilated solution diverges quickly (in approximately 10% of the magnetic free-decay time in the core). To improve the assimilation, we propose a partial penetration of the assimilation from the CMB: The full-scale modification at the CMB decreases linearly and vanish at an interior radius ra. We shall examine from our assimilation tests possible relationships between the convergence rate of the model solutions to observations and the cut-off radius ra. A better assimilation shall serve our nudging tests in near future.

Muscle Contributions to Frontal Plane Angular Momentum during Walking

PubMed Central

Neptune, Richard R.; McGowan, Craig P.

2016-01-01

The regulation of whole-body angular momentum is important for maintaining dynamic balance during human walking, which is particularly challenging in the frontal plane. Whole-body angular momentum is actively regulated by individual muscle forces. Thus, understanding which muscles contribute to frontal plane angular momentum will further our understanding of mediolateral balance control and has the potential to help diagnose and treat balance disorders. The purpose of this study was to identify how individual muscles and gravity contribute to whole-body angular momentum in the frontal plane using a muscle-actuated forward dynamics simulation analysis. A three-dimensional simulation was developed that emulated the average walking mechanics of a group of young healthy adults (n=10). The results showed that a finite set of muscles are the primary contributors to frontal plane balance and that these contributions vary throughout the gait cycle. In early stance, the vasti, adductor magnus and gravity acted to rotate the body towards the contralateral leg while the gluteus medius acted to rotate the body towards the ipsilateral leg. In late stance, the gluteus medius continued to rotate the body towards the ipsilateral leg while the soleus and gastrocnemius acted to rotate the body towards the contralateral leg. These results highlight those muscles that are critical to maintaining dynamic balance in the frontal plane during walking and may provide targets for locomotor therapies aimed at treating balance disorders. PMID:27522538

Laser-induced vibration of a thin soap film.

PubMed

Emile, Olivier; Emile, Janine

2014-09-21

We report on the vibration of a thin soap film based on the optical radiation pressure force. The modulated low power laser induces a counter gravity flow in a vertical free-standing draining film. The thickness of the soap film is then higher in the upper region than in the lower region of the film. Moreover, the lifetime of the film is dramatically increased by a factor of 2. Since the laser beam only acts mechanically on the film interfaces, such a film can be employed in an optofluidic diaphragm pump, the interfaces behaving like a vibrating membrane and the liquid in-between being the fluid to be pumped. Such a pump could then be used in delicate micro-equipment, in chips where temperature variations are detrimental and even in biological systems.

48 CFR 225.003 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the meaning given in the clauses at 252.225-7001, Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program; and 252.225-7036, Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program, instead of the....225-7036, Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments Program. Qualifying country end...

18 CFR 141.51 - FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. 141.51 Section 141.51 Conservation of...) § 141.51 FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. (a) Who... Policies Act, 16 U.S.C. 2602, operating a balancing authority area, and any group of electric utilities...

18 CFR 141.51 - FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

..., Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. 141.51 Section 141.51 Conservation of...) § 141.51 FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. (a) Who... Policies Act, 16 U.S.C. 2602, operating a balancing authority area, and any group of electric utilities...

18 CFR 141.51 - FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

..., Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. 141.51 Section 141.51 Conservation of...) § 141.51 FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. (a) Who... Policies Act, 16 U.S.C. 2602, operating a balancing authority area, and any group of electric utilities...

18 CFR 141.51 - FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. 141.51 Section 141.51 Conservation of...) § 141.51 FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. (a) Who... Policies Act, 16 U.S.C. 2602, operating a balancing authority area, and any group of electric utilities...

18 CFR 141.51 - FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

..., Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. 141.51 Section 141.51 Conservation of...) § 141.51 FERC Form No. 714, Annual Electric Balancing Authority Area and Planning Area Report. (a) Who... Policies Act, 16 U.S.C. 2602, operating a balancing authority area, and any group of electric utilities...

Design, calibration and testing of a force balance for a hypersonic shock tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vadassery, Pravin

The forces acting on a flight vehicle are critical for determining its performance. Of particular interest is the hypersonic regime. Force measurements are much more complex in hypersonic flows, where those speeds are simulated in shock tunnels. A force balance for such facilities contains sensitive gages that measure stress waves and ultimately determine the different components of force acting on the model. An external force balance was designed and fabricated for the UTA Hypersonic shock tunnel to measure drag at Mach 10. Static and dynamic calibrations were performed to find the transfer function of the system. Forces were recovered using a deconvolution procedure. To validate the force balance, experiments were conducted on a blunt cone. The measured forces were compared to Newtonian theory.

18 CFR 367.4330 - Account 433, Balance transferred from income.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 433, Balance transferred from income. 367.4330 Section 367.4330 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... GAS ACT Retained Earnings Accounts § 367.4330 Account 433, Balance transferred from income. This...

18 CFR 367.4330 - Account 433, Balance transferred from income.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Account 433, Balance transferred from income. 367.4330 Section 367.4330 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... GAS ACT Retained Earnings Accounts § 367.4330 Account 433, Balance transferred from income. This...

A Smartphone Inertial Balance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrera-Garrido, Azael

2017-01-01

In order to measure the mass of an object in the absence of gravity, one useful tool for many decades has been the inertial balance. One of the simplest forms of inertial balance is made by two mass holders or pans joined together with two stiff metal plates, which act as springs.

18 CFR 367.1710 - Account 171, Interest and dividends receivable.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR CENTRALIZED SERVICE... NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Assets § 367.1710 Account 171..., notes, commercial paper, loans, open accounts, deposits, and other similar items, the payment of which...

17 CFR 240.10b-16 - Disclosure of credit terms in margin transactions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... EXCHANGE COMMISSION (CONTINUED) GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Rules and... determining the debit balance or balances on which interest is to be charged and whether credit is to be given for credit balances in cash accounts; (vi) what other charges resulting from the extension of credit...

75 FR 81915 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Foreign Participation in Acquisitions in...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-29

...) states; and Determination of inapplicability of the Balance of Payments Program evaluation factor to... the provisions of the Balance of Payments Program to offers of products (other than arms, ammunition... supplies. (1)(i) Use the provision at 252.225-7000, Buy American Act--Balance of Payments Program...

Future financial viability of rural hospitals.

PubMed

Stensland, Jeffrey; Moscovice, Ira; Christianson, Jon

2002-01-01

Policymakers are concerned that some rural hospitals have suffered significant losses under the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 and that access to inpatient and emergency care may be at risk. This article projects that the median total profit margin for rural hospitals will fall from 4 percent in 1997 to between 2.5 and 3.7 percent after the BBA, Balanced Budget Refinement Act (BBRA) of 1999, and Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA) of 2000 are fully implemented in 2004. The Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Program is expected to prevent reductions in inpatient and outpatient prospective payments from causing an increase in rural hospital closures.

18 CFR 367.1070 - Account 107, Construction work in progress.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR CENTRALIZED SERVICE... NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts § 367.1070 Account 107, Construction work in progress. (a... research, development, and demonstration projects for construction of facilities are to be included in a...

[Studies of time-course changes in human body balance after ingestion of long-acting hypnotics].

PubMed

Nakamura, Masahiro; Ishii, Masanori; Niwa, Yoji; Yamazaki, Momoko; Ito, Hiroshi

2004-02-01

Falling accidents are a serious nocosomial problem, with balance disorders after the ingestion of hypnotics said to be a cause. Based on the results of animal studies, it was postulated that this problem involves the muscle relaxation that is a pharmacological effect of benzodiazepines (BZP). No reports have, to our knowledge, been made of time-course changes in human body balance after ingestion of hypnotics. Accordingly, we used quazepam (Doral), a long-acting hypnotic considered to show comparatively weak muscle relaxation, to study static balance after drug ingestion in human volunteers. Briefly, informed consent was obtained from 8 healthy adults, then a gait analytic system (Gangas) was used to test static balance after drug ingestion (Mann and Romberg tests). We also measured circulating drug concentration over time. Our results showed that balance disorders occurred after quazepam ingestion with an unstable posture particularly striking. Given the function of quazepam receptors, it is difficult to surmise that balance disorders after drug ingestion were due to the drug's muscle relaxation. We surmised that inhibition from the central nervous system in connection with nerves awakening was involved. We found a strong correlation between the manifestation of balance disorders after drug ingestion and circulating drug concentration.

The Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions and Personal Finance.

PubMed

Caswell, Kyle J; Waidmann, Timothy A

2017-09-01

Using a novel data set from a major credit bureau, we examine the early effects of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions on personal finance. We analyze less common events such as personal bankruptcy, and more common occurrences such as medical collection balances, and change in credit scores. We estimate triple-difference models that compare individual outcomes across counties that expanded Medicaid versus counties that did not, and across expansion counties that had more uninsured residents versus those with fewer. Results demonstrate financial improvements in states that expanded their Medicaid programs as measured by improved credit scores, reduced balances past due as a percent of total debt, reduced probability of a medical collection balance of $1,000 or more, reduced probability of having one or more recent medical bills go to collections, reduction in the probability of experiencing a new derogatory balance of any type, reduced probability of incurring a new derogatory balance equal to $1,000 or more, and a reduction in the probability of a new bankruptcy filing.

Role of Anisotropic Interactions for Proteins and Patchy Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Protein–protein interactions are inherently anisotropic to some degree, with orientation-dependent interactions between repulsive and attractive or complementary regions or “patches” on adjacent proteins. In some cases it has been suggested that such patch–patch interactions dominate the thermodynamics of dilute protein solutions, as captured by the osmotic second virial coefficient (B22), but delineating when this will or will not be the case remains an open question. A series of simplified but exactly solvable models are first used to illustrate that a delicate balance exists between the strength of attractive patch–patch interactions and the patch size, and that repulsive patch–patch interactions contribute significantly to B22 for only those conditions where the repulsions are long-ranged. Finally, B22 is reformulated, without approximations, in terms of the density of states for a given interaction energy and particle–particle distance. Doing so illustrates the inherent balance of entropic and energetic contributions to B22. It highlights that simply having strong patch–patch interactions will only cause anisotropic interactions to dominate B22 solution properties if the unavoidable entropic penalties are overcome, which cannot occur if patches are too small. The results also indicate that the temperature dependence of B22 may be a simple experimental means to assess whether a small number of strongly attractive configurations dominate the dilute solution behavior. PMID:25302767

Altered dopaminergic regulation of the dorsal striatum is able to induce tic-like movements in juvenile rats

PubMed Central

Rizzo, Francesca; Boeckers, Tobias; Schulze, Ulrike

2018-01-01

Motor tics are sudden, repetitive, involuntary movements representing the hallmark behaviors of the neurodevelopmental disease Tourette’s syndrome (TS). The primary cause of TS remains unclear. The initial observation that dopaminergic antagonists alleviate tics led to the development of a dopaminergic theory of TS etiology which is supported by post mortem and in vivo studies indicating that non-physiological activation of the striatum could generate tics. The striatum controls movement execution through the balanced activity of dopamine receptor D1 and D2-expressing medium spiny neurons of the direct and indirect pathway, respectively. Different neurotransmitters can activate or repress striatal activity and among them, dopamine plays a major role. In this study we introduced a chronic dopaminergic alteration in juvenile rats, in order to modify the delicate balance between direct and indirect pathway. This manipulation was done in the dorsal striatum, that had been associated with tic-like movements generation in animal models. The results were movements resembling tics, which were categorized and scored according to a newly developed rating scale and were reduced by clonidine and riluzole treatment. Finally, post mortem analyses revealed altered RNA expression of dopaminergic receptors D1 and D2, suggesting an imbalanced dopaminergic regulation of medium spiny neuron activity as being causally related to the observed phenotype. PMID:29698507

Role of the Microenvironment in Liver Metastasis: From Pre- to Prometastatic Niches.

PubMed

Brodt, Pnina

2016-12-15

Liver metastases remain a major barrier to successful management of malignant disease, particularly for cancers of the gastrointestinal tract but also for other malignancies, such as breast carcinoma and melanoma. The ability of metastatic cells to survive and proliferate in the liver is determined by the outcome of complex, reciprocal interactions between tumor cells and different local resident subpopulations, including the sinusoidal endothelium, stellate, Kupffer, and inflammatory cells that are mediated through cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and the release of soluble factors. Cross-communication between different hepatic resident cells in response to local tissue damage and inflammation and the recruitment of bone marrow cells further enhance this intercellular communication network. Both resident and recruited cells can play opposing roles in the progression of metastasis, and the balance of these divergent effects determines whether the tumor cells will die, proliferate, and colonize the new site or enter a state of dormancy. Moreover, this delicate balance can be tilted in favor of metastasis, if factors produced by the primary tumor precondition the microenvironment to form niches of activated resident cells that promote tumor expansion. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on these diverse interactions and the impact they can have on the clinical management of hepatic metastases. Clin Cancer Res; 22(24); 5971-82. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

The Dynamics of Embolism Refilling in Abscisic Acid (ABA)-Deficient Tomato Plants

PubMed Central

Secchi, Francesca; Perrone, Irene; Chitarra, Walter; Zwieniecka, Anna K.; Lovisolo, Claudio; Zwieniecki, Maciej A.

2013-01-01

Plants are in danger of embolism formation in xylem vessels when the balance between water transport capacity and transpirational demand is compromised. To maintain this delicate balance, plants must regulate the rate of transpiration and, if necessary, restore water transport in embolized vessels. Abscisic acid (ABA) is the dominant long-distance signal responsible for plant response to stress, and it is possible that it plays a role in the embolism/refilling cycle. To test this idea, a temporal analysis of embolism and refilling dynamics, transpiration rate and starch content was performed on ABA-deficient mutant tomato plants. ABA-deficient mutants were more vulnerable to embolism formation than wild-type plants, and application of exogenous ABA had no effect on vulnerability. However, mutant plants treated with exogenous ABA had lower stomatal conductance and reduced starch content in the xylem parenchyma cells. The lower starch content could have an indirect effect on the plant’s refilling activity. The results confirm that plants with high starch content (moderately stressed mutant plants) were more likely to recover from loss of water transport capacity than plants with low starch content (mutant plants with application of exogenous ABA) or plants experiencing severe water stress. This study demonstrates that ABA most likely does not play any direct role in embolism refilling, but through the modulation of carbohydrate content, it could influence the plant’s capacity for refilling. PMID:23263667

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber.

PubMed

Cundiff, Steven T.; Collings, Brandon C.; Bergman, Keren

2000-09-01

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be +/-pi/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cundiff, Steven T.; Collings, Brandon C.; Bergman, Keren

2000-09-01

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be ±π/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons.

The legal implications of healthcare communications: what every pain physician needs to know.

PubMed

Shomaker, T S; Ashburn, M A

2000-03-01

Accurate and sensitive communication of health care information is essential to effective patient management in the pain clinic, operating room, other health care settings. However, information relating to the health care status of a patient is sensitive and may be embarrassing or damaging if it falls into the wrong hands. Ethical cannons of medicine and statutory provisions have emphasized the obligation of the physician to safeguard patient confidences. However, threats to the confidentiality of medical information abound and are even more significant in our age of instantaneous communication characterized by the growing use of email, facsimile, and the Internet. This article outlines legal issues relating to communication in three key areas of health care law: confidentiality/breach of privacy, informed consent, and defamation. The major principles of the law in these areas are discussed and case studies are used to illustrate key points and give simple preventive strategies to help steer the delicate balance between sharing important healthcare information and protecting sensitive patient information.

A critical review of which children with acute myeloid leukaemia need stem cell procedures.

PubMed

Hasle, Henrik

2014-07-01

The last decades have seen parallel improvements in chemotherapy-based and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) regimens for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in children. There has been no consensus on indication for HSCT. Reserving HSCT for high-risk and relapsed patients spare many patients from the long-term toxicity of this treatment. The results of matched unrelated donor HSCT equal family donor transplantation and the presence of a matched sibling should no longer be a transplant indication. Minimal residual disease measured by flow cytometry may identify poor responders benefitting from HSCT in first complete remission (CR1) and those with a favourable response to induction therapy who do not need HSCT even with adverse cytogenetic aberrations. FLT3-internal tandem duplication without NPM1 mutation has a very high relapse rate despite favourable response and HSCT is indicated in CR1 in these cases. Finding the optimal indications for HSCT is a delicate balance between risk of relapse and late effects. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Marijuana, the Endocannabinoid System and the Female Reproductive System

PubMed Central

Brents, Lisa K.

2016-01-01

Marijuana use among women is highly prevalent, but the societal conversation on marijuana rarely focuses on how marijuana affects female reproduction and endocrinology. This article reviews the current scientific literature regarding marijuana use and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis regulation, ovarian hormone production, the menstrual cycle, and fertility. Evidence suggests that marijuana can reduce female fertility by disrupting hypothalamic release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), leading to reduced estrogen and progesterone production and anovulatory menstrual cycles. Tolerance to these effects has been shown in rhesus monkeys, but the effects of chronic marijuana use on human female reproduction are largely unknown. Marijuana-induced analgesia, drug reinforcement properties, tolerance, and dependence are influenced by ovarian hormones, with estrogen generally increasing and progesterone decreasing sensitivity to marijuana. Carefully controlled regulation of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is required for successful reproduction, and the exogenous cannabinoids in marijuana may disrupt the delicate balance of the ECS in the female reproductive system. PMID:27354844

Vapor-fed microfluidic hydrogen generator.

PubMed

Modestino, M A; Dumortier, M; Hosseini Hashemi, S M; Haussener, S; Moser, C; Psaltis, D

2015-05-21

Water-splitting devices that operate with humid air feeds are an attractive alternative for hydrogen production as the required water input can be obtained directly from ambient air. This article presents a novel proof-of-concept microfluidic platform that makes use of polymeric ion conductor (Nafion®) thin films to absorb water from air and performs the electrochemical water-splitting process. Modelling and experimental tools are used to demonstrate that these microstructured devices can achieve the delicate balance between water, gas, and ionic transport processes required for vapor-fed devices to operate continuously and at steady state, at current densities above 3 mA cm(-2). The results presented here show that factors such as the thickness of the Nafion films covering the electrodes, convection of air streams, and water content of the ionomer can significantly affect the device performance. The insights presented in this work provide important guidelines for the material requirements and device designs that can be used to create practical electrochemical hydrogen generators that work directly under ambient air.

Interplay between population firing stability and single neuron dynamics in hippocampal networks

PubMed Central

Slomowitz, Edden; Styr, Boaz; Vertkin, Irena; Milshtein-Parush, Hila; Nelken, Israel; Slutsky, Michael; Slutsky, Inna

2015-01-01

Neuronal circuits' ability to maintain the delicate balance between stability and flexibility in changing environments is critical for normal neuronal functioning. However, to what extent individual neurons and neuronal populations maintain internal firing properties remains largely unknown. In this study, we show that distributions of spontaneous population firing rates and synchrony are subject to accurate homeostatic control following increase of synaptic inhibition in cultured hippocampal networks. Reduction in firing rate triggered synaptic and intrinsic adaptive responses operating as global homeostatic mechanisms to maintain firing macro-stability, without achieving local homeostasis at the single-neuron level. Adaptive mechanisms, while stabilizing population firing properties, reduced short-term facilitation essential for synaptic discrimination of input patterns. Thus, invariant ongoing population dynamics emerge from intrinsically unstable activity patterns of individual neurons and synapses. The observed differences in the precision of homeostatic control at different spatial scales challenge cell-autonomous theory of network homeostasis and suggest the existence of network-wide regulation rules. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04378.001 PMID:25556699

Thermodynamics and kinetics of RNA tertiary structure formation in the junctionless hairpin ribozyme.

PubMed

White, Neil A; Hoogstraten, Charles G

2017-09-01

The hairpin ribozyme consists of two RNA internal loops that interact to form the catalytically active structure. This docking transition is a rare example of intermolecular formation of RNA tertiary structure without coupling to helix annealing. We have used temperature-dependent surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to characterize the thermodynamics and kinetics of RNA tertiary structure formation for the junctionless form of the ribozyme, in which loops A and B reside on separate molecules. We find docking to be strongly enthalpy-driven and to be accompanied by substantial activation barriers for association and dissociation, consistent with the structural reorganization of both internal loops upon complex formation. Comparisons with the parallel analysis of a ribozyme variant carrying a 2'-O-methyl modification at the self-cleavage site and with published data in other systems reveal a surprising diversity of thermodynamic signatures, emphasizing the delicate balance of contributions to the free energy of formation of RNA tertiary structure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystal engineering of versatile Hg(II) halides complexes of N,N,N‧,N‧-tetraalkyl substituted 3,5 pyridinedicarboxamides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rana, Love Karan; Sharma, Sanyog; Hundal, Geeta

2018-02-01

Two new ligands N,N,N‧,N‧-tetraisopropyl/butyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxamide (L3-L4) and six of their Hg(II)X2 complexes (where X = Cl-, Br- and I-), have been synthesized and characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. Complexes of L3 (1-3) with HgCl2/Br2/I2, have dimeric structure, with the ligand behaving as a 2-C linker. Complexes 4-6 are 1D coordination polymers with either 3- or 2-C, L4 linker and bridging halides. A delicate balance of anion, solvent, denticity and conformation of the ligands on the ensuing molecular and crystal structures has been delineated. Various non-covalent interactions, extending the dimensionality of the complexes are calculated, analyzed and discussed. A significant role of semi-localized LP···π non-covalent interactions in stabilizing the basic dimeric unit in the complexes, has been discerned.

Oncology meets immunology: the cancer-immunity cycle.

PubMed

Chen, Daniel S; Mellman, Ira

2013-07-25

The genetic and cellular alterations that define cancer provide the immune system with the means to generate T cell responses that recognize and eradicate cancer cells. However, elimination of cancer by T cells is only one step in the Cancer-Immunity Cycle, which manages the delicate balance between the recognition of nonself and the prevention of autoimmunity. Identification of cancer cell T cell inhibitory signals, including PD-L1, has prompted the development of a new class of cancer immunotherapy that specifically hinders immune effector inhibition, reinvigorating and potentially expanding preexisting anticancer immune responses. The presence of suppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment may explain the limited activity observed with previous immune-based therapies and why these therapies may be more effective in combination with agents that target other steps of the cycle. Emerging clinical data suggest that cancer immunotherapy is likely to become a key part of the clinical management of cancer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Endometrial estrogen and progesterone receptors within 2-14 days of missed menses in the human.

PubMed

Garg, K; Sujata, P; Kumari, G L; Pandey, P K; Padubidri, V; Anand, C

1993-04-01

Serial changes in the endometrial levels of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) were measured in 50 women from days 2 to 14 of missed menses and correlated with the plasma concentrations of hCG, progesterone and 17 beta-estradiol. Both ER and PR of nuclei were higher than cytosolic proteins, with a shift in the ratio of nER/nPR to nPR from 4th day after missed menses. On Scatchard analysis of the cytosolic and nuclear binding proteins, two classes of proteins, corresponding to Type I and II, were found. While the increasing levels of hCG maintained luteal secretion of progesterone and 17 beta-estradiol at normal mid-luteal phase levels, a gradual increase in 17 beta estradiol from 9th day of missed menses was noted. This delicate balance between circulating levels of progesterone and 17 beta-estradiol and their nuclear receptors at early stages of pregnancy may be of significance.

Pediatric Issues in Sports Concussions

PubMed Central

Giza, Christopher C.

2014-01-01

Purpose of Review: Sports-related concussions are receiving increasing attention in both the lay press and medical literature. While most media attention has been on high-profile collegiate or professional athletes, the vast majority of individuals participating in contact and collision sports are adolescents and children. This review provides a practical approach toward youth sports-related concussion with a foundation in the recent guidelines, but including specific considerations when applying these management principles to children and adolescents. Recent Findings: Objective measurement of early signs and symptoms is challenging in younger patients, and many commonly used assessment tools await rigorous validation for younger patients. Excellent evidence-based guidelines exist for CT evaluation of mild traumatic brain injury presenting to the emergency department. Evidence suggests that recovery from sports-related concussion takes longer in high school athletes compared with collegiate or professionals; however, rigorous studies below high school age are still lacking. Summary: Proper care for concussion in youth requires a delicate balance of clinical skills, age-appropriate assessment, and individualized management to achieve optimal outcomes. PMID:25470161

Crevasse Splays Versus Avulsions: A Recipe for Land Building With Levee Breaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nienhuis, Jaap H.; Törnqvist, Torbjörn E.; Esposito, Christopher R.

2018-05-01

Natural-levee breaches can not only initiate an avulsion but also, under the right circumstances, lead to crevasse splay formation and overbank sedimentation. The formative conditions for crevasse splays are not well understood, yet such river sediment diversions form an integral part of billion-dollar coastal restoration projects. Here we use Delft3D to investigate the influence of vegetation and soil consolidation on the evolution of a natural-levee breach. Model simulations show that crevasse splays heal because floodplain aggradation reduces the water surface slope, decreasing water discharge into the flood basin. Easily erodible and unvegetated floodplains increase the likelihood for channel avulsions. Denser vegetation and less potential for soil consolidation result in small crevasse splays that are not only efficient sediment traps but also short-lived. Successful crevasse splays that generate the largest land area gain for the imported sediment require a delicate balance between water and sediment discharge, vegetation root strength, and soil consolidation.

A Change in the Ion Selectivity of Ligand-Gated Ion Channels Provides a Mechanism to Switch Behavior.

PubMed

Pirri, Jennifer K; Rayes, Diego; Alkema, Mark J

2015-01-01

Behavioral output of neural networks depends on a delicate balance between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. However, it is not known whether network formation and stability is constrained by the sign of synaptic connections between neurons within the network. Here we show that switching the sign of a synapse within a neural circuit can reverse the behavioral output. The inhibitory tyramine-gated chloride channel, LGC-55, induces head relaxation and inhibits forward locomotion during the Caenorhabditis elegans escape response. We switched the ion selectivity of an inhibitory LGC-55 anion channel to an excitatory LGC-55 cation channel. The engineered cation channel is properly trafficked in the native neural circuit and results in behavioral responses that are opposite to those produced by activation of the LGC-55 anion channel. Our findings indicate that switches in ion selectivity of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) do not affect network connectivity or stability and may provide an evolutionary and a synthetic mechanism to change behavior.

Isotope effects in aqueous solvation of simple halides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Videla, Pablo E.; Rossky, Peter J.; Laria, D.

2018-03-01

We present a path-integral-molecular-dynamics study of the thermodynamic stabilities of DOH⋯ X- and HOD⋯ X- (X = F, Cl, Br, I) coordination in aqueous solutions at ambient conditions. In agreement with experimental evidence, our results for the F- case reveal a clear stabilization of the latter motif, whereas, in the rest of the halogen series, the former articulation prevails. The DOH⋯ X- preference becomes more marked the larger the size of the ionic solute. A physical interpretation of these tendencies is provided in terms of an analysis of the global quantum kinetic energies of the light atoms and their geometrical decomposition. The stabilization of the alternative ionic coordination geometries is the result of a delicate balance arising from quantum spatial dispersions along parallel and perpendicular directions with respect to the relevant O-H⋯X- axis, as the strength of the water-halide H-bond varies. This interpretation is corroborated by a complementary analysis performed on the different spectroscopic signals of the corresponding IR spectra.

Quantifying hydrostatic pressure in plant cells by using indentation with an atomic force microscope.

PubMed

Beauzamy, Léna; Derr, Julien; Boudaoud, Arezki

2015-05-19

Plant cell growth depends on a delicate balance between an inner drive-the hydrostatic pressure known as turgor-and an outer restraint-the polymeric wall that surrounds a cell. The classical technique to measure turgor in a single cell, the pressure probe, is intrusive and cannot be applied to small cells. In order to overcome these limitations, we developed a method that combines quantification of topography, nanoindentation force measurements, and an interpretation using a published mechanical model for the pointlike loading of thin elastic shells. We used atomic force microscopy to estimate the elastic properties of the cell wall and turgor pressure from a single force-depth curve. We applied this method to onion epidermal peels and quantified the response to changes in osmolality of the bathing solution. Overall our approach is accessible and enables a straightforward estimation of the hydrostatic pressure inside a walled cell. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reconstitution of adaptive and innate immunity following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in humans.

PubMed

Peggs, K S

2006-01-01

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a potentially curative treatment modality for a number of hematologic malignancies, as well as inherited immunodeficiencies and hemoglobinopathies, and may also have a role in selected acquired autoimmune disorders. The complete or near-complete ablation of host immunity and subsequent establishment of donor-derived immunity that is required for successful engraftment and long-term outcomes provide a major obstacle to such transplantation approaches. A delicate balance exists between the need for the reconstituted donor-derived immunity to provide both protection against pathogenic challenges and graft-versus-malignancy activity, and the potentially harmful expansion of alloreactive T-cell clones mediating GvHD. The search for interventions that would allow more rapid and selective reconstitution of beneficial immune specificities continues to be informed by the development of new tools enabling a more precise dissection of the kinetics of reconstituting populations. This review summarizes more recent data on immune reconstitution following allogeneic transplantation in humans.

A Model Incorporating Some of the Mechanical and Biochemical Factors Underlying Clot Formation and Dissolution in Flowing Blood

DOE PAGES

Anand, M.; Rajagopal, K.; Rajagopal, K. R.

2003-01-01

Multiple interacting mechanisms control the formation and dissolution of clots to maintain blood in a state of delicate balance. In addition to a myriad of biochemical reactions, rheological factors also play a crucial role in modulating the response of blood to external stimuli. To date, a comprehensive model for clot formation and dissolution, that takes into account the biochemical, medical and rheological factors, has not been put into place, the existing models emphasizing either one or the other of the factors. In this paper, after discussing the various biochemical, physiologic and rheological factors at some length, we develop a modelmore » for clot formation and dissolution that incorporates many of the relevant crucial factors that have a bearing on the problem. The model, though just a first step towards understanding a complex phenomenon, goes further than previous models in integrating the biochemical, physiologic and rheological factors that come into play.« less

Pro-Resolving lipid mediators and Mechanisms in the resolution of acute inflammation

PubMed Central

Buckley, Christopher D.; Gilroy, Derek W.; Serhan, Charles N.

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Inflammatory responses, like all biological cascades, are shaped by a delicate balance between positive and negative feedback loops. It is now clear that in addition to positive and negative checkpoints, the inflammatory cascade rather unexpectedly boasts an additional checkpoint, a family of chemicals that actively promote resolution and tissue repair without compromising host defence. Indeed the resolution phase of inflammation is just as actively orchestrated and carefully choreographed as its induction and inhibition. In this review we explore the immunological consequences of these omega-3-derived specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) and discuss their place within what is currently understood of the role of the arachidonic acid-derived prostaglandins, lipoxins and their natural C15-epimers. We propose that treatment of inflammation should not be restricted to the use of inhibitors of the acute cascade (antagonism) but broadened to take account of the enormous therapeutic potential of inducers (agonists) of the resolution phase of inflammation. PMID:24656045

Reversal deterioration of renal function accompanied with primary hypothyrodism.

PubMed

Dragović, Tamara

2012-02-01

Hypothyroidism is often accompanied with decline of kidney function, or inability to maintain electrolyte balance. These changes are usually overlooked in everyday practice. Early recognition of this association eliminates unnecessary diagnostic procedures that postpone the adequate treatment. Two patients with elevated serum creatinine levels due to primary autoimmune hypothyroidism, with complete recovery of creatinine clearance after thyroid hormone substitution therapy are presented. The first patient was a young male whose laboratory tests suggested acute renal failure, and the delicate clinical presentation of reduced thyroid function. The second patient was an elderly woman with a history of a long-term signs and symptoms attributed to ageing, including the deterioration of renal function, with consequently delayed diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Serum thyrotropin and thyroxin levels measurement should be done in all cases of renal failure with undefined renal desease, even if the typical clinical presentation of hypothyroidism is absent. Thyroid hormone assays sholud also be performed in all patients with chronic kidney disease whose kidney function is rapidly worsening.

Aging: A Predisposition to Dry Eyes

PubMed Central

Hindman, Holly B.

2014-01-01

Dry eye syndrome is a disease of the ocular surface and tear film that is prevalent in older adults. Even though the degree of visual acuity loss in dry eye patients is commonly mild-to-moderate, in the aging population, this minimal change in visual status can lead to a significant decrease in visual function and quality of life. A healthy ocular surface is maintained by appropriate tear production and tear drainage, and deficiencies in this delicate balance can lead to dryness. In the aging eye, risk factors such as polypharmacy, androgen deficiency, decreased blink rates, and oxidative stress can predispose the patient to developing dry eye that is frequently more severe, has higher economic costs, and leads to worse consequences to the well-being of the patient. Understanding why elderly patients are at higher risk for developing dry eyes can provide insights into the diagnosis and management of the growing number of older adults struggling with dry eye and minimize the burden of disease on our aging population. PMID:25197560

National athletic trainers' association position statement: management of the athlete with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Jimenez, Carolyn C; Corcoran, Matthew H; Crawley, James T; Guyton Hornsby, W; Peer, Kimberly S; Philbin, Rick D; Riddell, Michael C

2007-01-01

To present recommendations for the certified athletic trainer in the management of type 1 diabetes in the athlete. In managing diabetes, the most important goal is to keep blood glucose levels at or as close to normal levels as possible without causing hypoglycemia. This goal requires the maintenance of a delicate balance among hypoglycemia, euglycemia, and hyperglycemia, which is often more challenging in the athlete due to the demands of physical activity and competition. However, effectively managing blood glucose, lipid, and blood pressure levels is necessary to ensuring the long-term health and well-being of the athlete with diabetes. These recommendations are intended to provide the certified athletic trainer participating in the management of an athlete with type 1 diabetes mellitus with the specific knowledge and problem-solving skills needed. Athletic trainers have more contact with the athlete with diabetes than most members of the diabetes management team do and so must be prepared to assist the athlete as required.

The effect of carbon tax on carbon emission abatement and GDP: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiao; Leung, Yee; Xu, Yuan; Yung, Linda Chor Wing

2017-10-01

Carbon tax has been advocated as an effective economic instrument for the abatement of CO2 emission by various countries, including China, the world's biggest carbon emission country. However, carbon emission abatement cannot be done while ignoring the impact on economic growth. A delicate balance needs to be achieved between the two to find an appropriate pathway for sustainable development. This paper applies a multi-objective optimization approach to analyze the impact of levying carbon tax on the energy-intensive sectors of Guangdong province in China under the constraint of emission reduction target. This approach allows us to evaluate carbon emission minimization while maximizing GDP. For policy analysis, we construct five scenarios for evaluation and optimal choice. The results of the analysis show that a lower initial carbon tax rate is not necessarily better, and that a carbon tax is an effective means to reduce CO2 emissions while maintaining a certain level of GDP growth.

Don`t sweat it, dehumidify

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harriman, L.; Simkins, D.

Beads of perspiration dripping from pipes and valves are a nuisance to mop up, but they are a telltale sign of the problems that excess humidity can cause. Fluctuations in the delicate balance of temperature and moisture in process environments are often the culprit for the corrosion, condensation, and clogging and sticking that bottlenecks plant operations and slows down production. Dehumidification is used to prevent moisture regain, condensation and corrosion, and to promote the drying of heat-sensitive products. There are three methods for removing moisture from air: Squeeze out water by increasing the pressure; though commonly used for compressed airmore » and other applications at elevated pressures, it is virtually never used to remove moisture in atmospheric pressure applications. Compressor equipment and operating costs are prohibitive, compared with those for conventional methods for dehumidifying air at ambient pressures; Condense water by chilling the surrounding air; and Pull out water by passing air across the surface of a desiccant. The paper discusses desiccation versus cooling, system design, and project management.« less

Developmental programming of brain and behavior by perinatal diet: focus on inflammatory mechanisms

PubMed Central

Bolton, Jessica L.; Bilbo, Staci D.

2014-01-01

Obesity is now epidemic worldwide. Beyond associated diseases such as diabetes, obesity is linked to neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. Alarmingly maternal obesity and high-fat diet consumption during gestation/lactation may “program” offspring longterm for increased obesity themselves, along with increased vulnerability to mood disorders. We review the evidence that programming of brain and behavior by perinatal diet is propagated by inflammatory mechanisms, as obesity and high-fat diets are independently associated with exaggerated systemic levels of inflammatory mediators. Due to the recognized dual role of these immune molecules (eg, interleukin [IL]-6, 11-1β) in placental function and brain development, any disruption of their delicate balance with growth factors or neurotransmitters (eg, serotonin) by inflammation early in life can permanently alter the trajectory of fetal brain development. Finally, epigenetic regulation of inflammatory pathways is a likely candidate for persistent changes in metabolic and brain function as a consequence of the perinatal environment. PMID:25364282

Marijuana, phytocannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and male fertility.

PubMed

du Plessis, Stefan S; Agarwal, Ashok; Syriac, Arun

2015-11-01

Marijuana has the highest consumption rate among all of the illicit drugs used in the USA, and its popularity as both a recreational and medicinal drug is increasing especially among men of reproductive age. Male factor infertility is on the increase, and the exposure to the cannabinoid compounds released by marijuana could be a contributing cause. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is deeply involved in the complex regulation of male reproduction through the endogenous release of endocannabinoids and binding to cannabinoid receptors. Disturbing the delicate balance of the ECS due to marijuana use can negatively impact reproductive potential. Various in vivo and in vitro studies have reported on the empirical role that marijuana plays in disrupting the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, spermatogenesis, and sperm function such as motility, capacitation, and the acrosome reaction. In this review, we highlight the latest evidence regarding the effect of marijuana use on male fertility and also provide a detailed insight into the ECS and its significance in the male reproductive system.

Electrocatalysis of the HER in acid and alkaline media

DOE PAGES

Danilovic, Nemanja; Subbaraman, Ram; Strmcnik, Dusan; ...

2013-01-01

Trends in the HER are studied on selected metals (M= Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Ru, Ir, Ti) in acid and alkaline environments. Here, we found that with the exception of Pt, Ir and Au, due to high coverage by spectator species on non-noble metal catalysts, experimentally established positions of Cu , Ag, Ru and Ti in the observed volcano relations are still uncertain. We also found that while in acidic solutions the M-Hupd binding energy most likely is controlling the activity trends, the trends in activity in alkaline solutions are controlled by a delicate balance between two descriptors: the M-Hadmore » interaction as well as the energetics required to dissociate water molecules. We confirm the importance of the second descriptor by introducing bifunctional catalysts such as M modified by Ni(OH); e.g. while the latter serves to enhance catalytic decomposition of water, the metal sites are required for collecting and recombining the produced hydrogen intermediates.« less

Medicine And Money: Friends Or Foe?

PubMed Central

Muula, Adamson S.

2006-01-01

The relationship between medicine and money is a delicate one that all people involved need to handle responsibly. If one becomes a physician for the mere fact of pursuing money, s/he may soon find that another profession or activity may have fulfilled such a need in a better way. While in the practice of medicine the interest of the patient is paramount, this does not suggest that the welfare of the physician should be neglected at all. It is much about a balance of priorities between the legal and ethical pursuit of money and the promotion of the health of society. Physicians are not called to a life of self-denial, poverty and destitution, as others may be tempted to suggest. The service of patients and the honest reward from one's labour are not incompatible. Where conflict of interest arises, it is prudent for a physician to always remember never to harm oneself, the profession and the patient more than what can be gained. PMID:22013334

Nickel trafficking system responsible for urease maturation in Helicobacter pylori

PubMed Central

Ge, Rui-Guang; Wang, Dong-Xian; Hao, Ming-Cong; Sun, Xue-Song

2013-01-01

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common human pathogen responsible for various gastric diseases. This bacterium relies on the production of urease and hydrogenase to inhabit the acidic environment of the stomach. Nickel is an essential cofactor for urease and hydrogenase. H. pylori has to uptake sufficient nickel ions for the maturation of urease, and on the other way, to prevent the toxic effects of excessive nickel ions. Therefore, H. pylori has to strike a delicate balance between the import of nickel ions, its efficient intracellular storage, and delivery to nickel-dependent metalloenzymes when required. The assembly and maturation of the urease enzyme is a complex and timely ordered process, requiring various regulatory, uptake, chaperone and accessory proteins. In this review, we focus on several nickel trafficking proteins involved in urease maturation: NikR, NixA, HypAB, UreEFGH, HspA, Hpn and Hpnl. The work will deepen our understanding of how this pathogenic bacterium adapts to severe habitant environments in the host. PMID:24363511

Correlation between physical structure and magnetic anisotropy of a magnetic nanoparticle colloid.

PubMed

Dennis, C L; Jackson, A J; Borchers, J A; Gruettner, C; Ivkov, R

2018-05-25

We show the effects of a time-invariant magnetic field on the physical structure and magnetic properties of a colloid comprising 44 nm diameter magnetite magnetic nanoparticles, with a 24 nm dextran shell, in water. Structural ordering in this colloid parallel to the magnetic field occurs simultaneously with the onset of a colloidal uniaxial anisotropy. Further increases in the applied magnetic field cause the nanoparticles to order perpendicular to the field, producing unexpected colloidal unidirectional and trigonal anisotropies. This magnetic behavior is distinct from the cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the magnetite and has its origins in the magnetic interactions among the mobile nanoparticles within the colloid. Specifically, these field-induced anisotropies and colloidal rearrangements result from the delicate balance between the magnetostatic and steric forces between magnetic nanoparticles. These magnetic and structural rearrangements are anticipated to influence applications that rely upon time-dependent relaxation of the magnetic colloids and fluid viscosity, such as magnetic hyperthermia and shock absorption.

Novel endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors and their therapeutic potential

PubMed Central

Rao, Nithya; Lee, Yu Fei; Ge, Ruowen

2015-01-01

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature is essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. It also plays critical roles in diseases such as cancer and retinopathy. A delicate balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors ensures normal physiological homeostasis. Endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors are proteins or protein fragments that are formed in the body and have the ability to limit angiogenesis. Many endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors have been discovered, and the list continues to grow. Endogenous protein/peptide inhibitors are relatively less toxic, better tolerated and have a lower risk of drug resistance, which makes them attractive as drug candidates. In this review, we highlight ten novel endogenous protein angiogenesis inhibitors discovered within the last five years, including ISM1, FKBPL, CHIP, ARHGAP18, MMRN2, SOCS3, TAp73, ZNF24, GPR56 and JWA. Although some of these proteins have been well characterized for other biological functions, we focus on their new and specific roles in angiogenesis inhibition and discuss their potential for therapeutic application. PMID:26364800

Novel endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors and their therapeutic potential.

PubMed

Rao, Nithya; Lee, Yu Fei; Ge, Ruowen

2015-10-01

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature is essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. It also plays critical roles in diseases such as cancer and retinopathy. A delicate balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors ensures normal physiological homeostasis. Endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors are proteins or protein fragments that are formed in the body and have the ability to limit angiogenesis. Many endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors have been discovered, and the list continues to grow. Endogenous protein/peptide inhibitors are relatively less toxic, better tolerated and have a lower risk of drug resistance, which makes them attractive as drug candidates. In this review, we highlight ten novel endogenous protein angiogenesis inhibitors discovered within the last five years, including ISM1, FKBPL, CHIP, ARHGAP18, MMRN2, SOCS3, TAp73, ZNF24, GPR56 and JWA. Although some of these proteins have been well characterized for other biological functions, we focus on their new and specific roles in angiogenesis inhibition and discuss their potential for therapeutic application.

APC/C-Cdh1 coordinates neurogenesis and cortical size during development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado-Esteban, Maria; García-Higuera, Irene; Maestre, Carolina; Moreno, Sergio; Almeida, Angeles

2013-12-01

The morphology of the adult brain is the result of a delicate balance between neural progenitor proliferation and the initiation of neurogenesis in the embryonic period. Here we assessed whether the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) cofactor, Cdh1—which regulates mitosis exit and G1-phase length in dividing cells—regulates neurogenesis in vivo. We use an embryo-restricted Cdh1 knockout mouse model and show that functional APC/C-Cdh1 ubiquitin ligase activity is required for both terminal differentiation of cortical neurons in vitro and neurogenesis in vivo. Further, genetic ablation of Cdh1 impairs the ability of APC/C to promote neurogenesis by delaying the exit of the progenitor cells from the cell cycle. This causes replicative stress and p53-mediated apoptotic death resulting in decreased number of cortical neurons and cortex size. These results demonstrate that APC/C-Cdh1 coordinates cortical neurogenesis and size, thus posing Cdh1 in the molecular pathogenesis of congenital neurodevelopmental disorders, such as microcephaly.

Antithrombotic therapy in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation presenting with acute coronary syndromes and/or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention/stenting.

PubMed

Wrigley, Benjamin J; Tapp, Luke D; Shantsila, Eduard; Lip, Gregory Yh

2010-07-01

The management of antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome and/or undergoing percutaneous coronary inter vention/stenting cannot be done according to a regimented common protocol, and stroke and bleeding risk stratification schema should be employed to individualize treatment options. A delicate balance is needed between the prevention of thromboembolism, against recurrent cardiac ischemia or stent thrombosis, and bleeding risk. New guidance from a consensus document of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis, endorsed by the European Heart Rhythm Association and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions on the management of Antithrombotic Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome and/or Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/Stenting has sought to clarify some of the major issues and problems surrounding this practice, and will allow clinicians to make much more informed decisions when faced with treating such patients.

Regulation of depletion layer width in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/Nb:SrTiO3 heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Yu; Jie Wang, Zhan; Cui, Jian Zhong; Zhang, Zhi Dong

2018-05-01

Improving the tunability of depletion layer width (DLW) in ferroelectric/semiconductor heterostructures is important for the performance of some devices. In this work, 200-nm-thick Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3 (PZT) films were deposited on different Nb-doped SrTiO3 (NSTO) substrates, and the tunability of DLW at PZT/NSTO interfaces were studied. Our results showed that the maximum tunability of the DLW was achieved at the NSTO substrate with 0.5 wt% Nb. On the basis of the modified capacitance model and the ferroelectric semiconductor theory, we suggest that the tunability of the DLW in PZT/NSTO heterostructures can be attributed to a delicate balance of the depletion layer charge and the ferroelectric polarization charge. Therefore, the performance of some devices related to the tunability of DLW in ferroelectric/semiconductor heterostructures can be improved by modulating the doping concentration in semiconducting electrode materials.

Oxidative DNA damage is instrumental in hyperreplication stress-induced inviability of Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Charbon, Godefroid; Bjørn, Louise; Mendoza-Chamizo, Belén; Frimodt-Møller, Jakob; Løbner-Olesen, Anders

2014-01-01

In Escherichia coli, an increase in the ATP bound form of the DnaA initiator protein results in hyperinitiation and inviability. Here, we show that such replication stress is tolerated during anaerobic growth. In hyperinitiating cells, a shift from anaerobic to aerobic growth resulted in appearance of fragmented chromosomes and a decrease in terminus concentration, leading to a dramatic increase in ori/ter ratio and cessation of cell growth. Aerobic viability was restored by reducing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or by deleting mutM (Fpg glycosylase). The double-strand breaks observed in hyperinitiating cells therefore results from replication forks encountering single-stranded DNA lesions generated while removing oxidized bases, primarily 8-oxoG, from the DNA. We conclude that there is a delicate balance between chromosome replication and ROS inflicted DNA damage so the number of replication forks can only increase when ROS formation is reduced or when the pertinent repair is compromised. PMID:25389264

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Management of the Athlete With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

PubMed Central

Jimenez, Carolyn C; Corcoran, Matthew H; Crawley, James T; Guyton Hornsby, W; Peer, Kimberly S; Philbin, Rick D; Riddell, Michael C

2007-01-01

Objective: To present recommendations for the certified athletic trainer in the management of type 1 diabetes in the athlete. Background: In managing diabetes, the most important goal is to keep blood glucose levels at or as close to normal levels as possible without causing hypoglycemia. This goal requires the maintenance of a delicate balance among hypoglycemia, euglycemia, and hyperglycemia, which is often more challenging in the athlete due to the demands of physical activity and competition. However, effectively managing blood glucose, lipid, and blood pressure levels is necessary to ensuring the long-term health and well-being of the athlete with diabetes. Recommendations: These recommendations are intended to provide the certified athletic trainer participating in the management of an athlete with type 1 diabetes mellitus with the specific knowledge and problem-solving skills needed. Athletic trainers have more contact with the athlete with diabetes than most members of the diabetes management team do and so must be prepared to assist the athlete as required. PMID:18176622

Kinetic control over pathway complexity in supramolecular polymerization through modulating the energy landscape by rational molecular design.

PubMed

Ogi, Soichiro; Fukui, Tomoya; Jue, Melinda L; Takeuchi, Masayuki; Sugiyasu, Kazunori

2014-12-22

Far-from-equilibrium thermodynamic systems that are established as a consequence of coupled equilibria are the origin of the complex behavior of biological systems. Therefore, research in supramolecular chemistry has recently been shifting emphasis from a thermodynamic standpoint to a kinetic one; however, control over the complex kinetic processes is still in its infancy. Herein, we report our attempt to control the time evolution of supramolecular assembly in a process in which the supramolecular assembly transforms from a J-aggregate to an H-aggregate over time. The transformation proceeds through a delicate interplay of these two aggregation pathways. We have succeeded in modulating the energy landscape of the respective aggregates by a rational molecular design. On the basis of this understanding of the energy landscape, programming of the time evolution was achieved through adjusting the balance between the coupled equilibria. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stepwise Nucleation of Aniline: Emergence of Spectroscopic Fingerprints of the Liquid Phase.

PubMed

Leon, Iker; Usabiaga, Imanol; Arnaiz, Pedro Felipe; Lesarri, Alberto; Fernández, Jose Andres

2018-06-11

We deal here with the controlled nucleation of aniline from the isolated molecule until formation of a moderately large aggregate: aniline nonamer. The structure of the cluster at each step of the nucleation was unravelled combining mass-resolved IR spectroscopy and computational chemistry, demonstrating that aggregation is primarily guided by formation of extensive N-H···N hydrogen bond networks that give the aggregates a sort of branched backbone, in clear competition with multiple N-H/C-H···pi and pi···pi interactions. The result is the co-existence of close nucleation paths connecting relational aggregates. The delicate balance of molecular forces makes the aniline clusters a challenge for molecular orbital calculations and an ideal system to refine the present nucleation models. Noticeably, spectroscopic signatures characteristic of the condensed phase are apparent in the nanometer-size aggregates formed in this work. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Osteoclasts in the dental microenvironment: a delicate balance controls dental histogenesis.

PubMed

Berdal, A; Castaneda, B; Aïoub, M; Néfussi, J R; Mueller, C; Descroix, V; Lézot, F

2011-01-01

The impact of osteoclast activity on dental development has been previously analyzed but in the context of severe osteopetrosis. The present study sought to investigate the effects of osteoclast hypofunction,present in Msx2 gene knockin mutant mice (Msx2-/-), and hyperfunction, in transgenic mice driving RANK over-expression in osteoclast precursors (RANK(Tg)), on tooth development. In Msx2-/- mice, moderate osteopetrosis was observed, occurring exclusively in the periodontal region. Microradiographical and histological analyses revealed an abnormal dental epithelium histogenesis that gave rise to odontogenic tumor-like structures. This led to impaired tooth eruption, especially of the third mandibular molars. In RANK(Tg) mice, root histogenesis showed site-specific upregulation of dental cell proliferation and differentiation rates. This culminated in roots with a reduced diameter and pulp size albeit of normal length. These two reverse experimental systems will enable the investigation of distinctive dental cell and osteoclast communication in normal growth and tumorigenesis. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Socioemotional selectivity theory, aging, and health: the increasingly delicate balance between regulating emotions and making tough choices.

PubMed

Löckenhoff, Corinna E; Carstensen, Laura L

2004-12-01

After providing an introductory overview of socioemotional selectivity theory, we review empirical evidence for its basic postulates and consider the implications of the predicted cognitive and behavioral changes for physical health. The main assertion of socioemotional selectivity theory is that when boundaries on time are perceived, present-oriented goals related to emotional meaning are prioritized over future-oriented goals aimed at acquiring information and expanding horizons. Such motivational changes, which are strongly correlated with chronological age, systematically influence social preferences, social network composition, emotion regulation, and cognitive processing. On the one hand, there is considerable reason to believe that such changes are good for well-being and social adjustment. On the other hand, the very same motivational changes may limit health-related information-seeking and influence attention, memory, and decision-making such that positive material is favored over negative information. Grounding our arguments in socioemotional selectivity theory, we consider possible ways to tailor contexts such that disadvantages are avoided.

The Scarlet Letter of Alkylation: A Mini Review of Selective Alkylating Agents

PubMed Central

Oronsky, Bryan T; Reid, Tony; Knox, Susan J; Scicinski, Jan J

2012-01-01

If there were a stigma scale for chemotherapy, alkylating agents would be ranked at the top of the list. The chemical term alkylation is associated with nonselective toxicity, an association that dates back to the use of nitrogen mustards during World War I as chemical warfare agents. That this stigma persists and extends to compounds that, through selectivity, attempt to “tame” the indiscriminate destructive potential of alkylation is the subject of this review. Selective alkylation, as it is referred to herein, constitutes an extremely nascent and dynamic field in oncology. The pharmacodynamic response to this selective strategy depends on a delicate kinetic balance between specificity and the rate and extent of binding. Three representative compounds are presented: RRx-001, 3-bromopyruvate, and TH-302. The main impetus for the development of these compounds has been the avoidance of the serious complications of traditional alkylating agents; therefore, it is the thesis of this review that they should not experience stigma by association. PMID:22937173

Ambient Observations of Aerosols, Novel Aerosol Structures, And Their Engineering Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beres, Nicholas D.

The role of atmospheric aerosols remains a crucial issue in understanding and mitigating climate change in our world today. These particles influence the Earth by altering the Earth's delicate radiation balance, human health, and visibility. In particular, black carbon particulate matter remains the key driver in positive radiative forcing (i.e., warming) due to aerosols. Produced from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, these compounds can be found in many different forms around the globe. This thesis provides an overview of three research topics: (1) the ambient characterization of aerosols in the Northern Indian Ocean, measurement techniques used, and how these aerosols influence local, regional, and global climate; (2) the exploration of novel soot superaggregate particles collected in the Northern Indian Ocean and around the globe and how the properties of these particles relate to human health and climate forcing; and (3) how aerogelated soot can be produced in a novel, one-step method utilizing an inverted flame reactor and how this material could be used in industrial settings.

STM study of the Ga thin films grown on Si(111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Min-Long; Tu, Yu-Bing; Sun, Kai; Ye, Juan; Hao, Shao-Jie; Xiao, Hua-Fang; Wang, Ya-Li; Xie, Zheng-Bo; Wang, Jun-Zhong

2017-09-01

Structural evolution of Ga thin films grown on the Si(111)-√{ 3 } × √{ 3 } -Ga template have been investigated with a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The first Ga layer exhibits a stripe structure along the base vectors of Si(111) lattices. Individual Ga dimers have been directly visualized from the high-resolution STM images of the first Ga layer. The second Ga layer reveals a pseudo 1×1 structure with respect to the Si(111). A new 5×5 phase has been found in the second Ga layer when annealing the sample to 120 ℃. Further annealing to 150 ℃ leads to the formation of 6.3×6.3 phase, which is more stable than the 5×5 phase. The existences of a variety of superstructures of Ga films demonstrates the delicate balance between the interactions of Si(111)-Ga and Ga-Ga. These results shed important light on the epitaxial growth mechanism of Ga films on semiconductor surfaces.

Phase Coexistence and Kinetic Arrest in the Magnetostructural Transition of the Ordered Alloy FeRh

DOE PAGES

Keavney, David J.; Choi, Yongseong; Holt, Martin V.; ...

2018-01-29

In materials where two or more ordering degrees of freedom are closely matched in their free energies, coupling between them, or multiferroic behavior can occur. These phenomena can produce a very rich phase behavior, as well as emergent phases that offer useful properties and opportunities to reveal novel phenomena in phase transitions. The ordered alloy FeRh undergoes an antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition at ~375 K, which illustrates the interplay between structural and magnetic order mediated by a delicate energy balance between two configurations. We have examined this transition using a combination of high-resolution x-ray structural and magnetic imaging andmore » comprehensive x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. We find that the transition proceeds via a defect-driven domain nucleation and growth mechanism, with significant return point memory in both the structural and magnetic domain configurations. In conclusion, the domains show evidence of inhibited growth after nucleation, resulting in a quasi- 2nd order temperature behavior.« less

Correlation between physical structure and magnetic anisotropy of a magnetic nanoparticle colloid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennis, C. L.; Jackson, A. J.; Borchers, J. A.; Gruettner, C.; Ivkov, R.

2018-05-01

We show the effects of a time-invariant magnetic field on the physical structure and magnetic properties of a colloid comprising 44 nm diameter magnetite magnetic nanoparticles, with a 24 nm dextran shell, in water. Structural ordering in this colloid parallel to the magnetic field occurs simultaneously with the onset of a colloidal uniaxial anisotropy. Further increases in the applied magnetic field cause the nanoparticles to order perpendicular to the field, producing unexpected colloidal unidirectional and trigonal anisotropies. This magnetic behavior is distinct from the cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the magnetite and has its origins in the magnetic interactions among the mobile nanoparticles within the colloid. Specifically, these field-induced anisotropies and colloidal rearrangements result from the delicate balance between the magnetostatic and steric forces between magnetic nanoparticles. These magnetic and structural rearrangements are anticipated to influence applications that rely upon time-dependent relaxation of the magnetic colloids and fluid viscosity, such as magnetic hyperthermia and shock absorption.

Surface force measurements and simulations of mussel-derived peptide adhesives on wet organic surfaces.

PubMed

Levine, Zachary A; Rapp, Michael V; Wei, Wei; Mullen, Ryan Gotchy; Wu, Chun; Zerze, Gül H; Mittal, Jeetain; Waite, J Herbert; Israelachvili, Jacob N; Shea, Joan-Emma

2016-04-19

Translating sticky biological molecules-such as mussel foot proteins (MFPs)-into synthetic, cost-effective underwater adhesives with adjustable nano- and macroscale characteristics requires an intimate understanding of the glue's molecular interactions. To help facilitate the next generation of aqueous adhesives, we performed a combination of surface forces apparatus (SFA) measurements and replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations on a synthetic, easy to prepare, Dopa-containing peptide (MFP-3s peptide), which adheres to organic surfaces just as effectively as its wild-type protein analog. Experiments and simulations both show significant differences in peptide adsorption on CH3-terminated (hydrophobic) and OH-terminated (hydrophilic) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), where adsorption is strongest on hydrophobic SAMs because of orientationally specific interactions with Dopa. Additional umbrella-sampling simulations yield free-energy profiles that quantitatively agree with SFA measurements and are used to extract the adhesive properties of individual amino acids within the context of MFP-3s peptide adhesion, revealing a delicate balance between van der Waals, hydrophobic, and electrostatic forces.

Summary of the Privacy Act

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The purpose of the Privacy Act is to balance the government's need to maintain information about individuals with the rights of individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy.

The Role of Benevolence in Trust of Autonomous Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-19

hospital’s new "robo-surgeon" — a robot designed to perform the delicate surgery you need without human intervention. Which surgeon do you choose to...later adoptions of innovation: Social positioning and skill reproduction in the diffusion of robotic surgery . Acad Manage J 58(1):242–278 10. Cramer H...use the hospital’s new "robo- surgeon" — a robot designed to perform the delicate surgery you need without human intervention. SCENARIO: 
 ROBO

Delicate Ballet

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-28

A solar prominence gathered itself into a twisting cone, then rose up and broke apart in a delicate dance of plasma above the sun (Feb. 20, 2017). The event, observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, lasted just about four hours. Prominences are unstable clouds of plasma suspended above the sun's surface by magnetic forces. This kind of event is not uncommon. The brighter area near the bottom of the images is an active region. Movies are available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21552

The Effects of Class Organization Upon the Balance Performance of Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacCracken, Mary Jo

The effects of the presence of others on 120 young children's performance of balancing skills were tested. The boys and girls, aged four, six, and eight, were tested under three different conditions: while acting "alone," in coaction (pairs), and alone before an audience. The tests were divided into simple and complex balance tasks, consisting of…

Balancing Act: Bridging the Traditional and Technological Aspects of Culture through Art Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Pamela Harris

2007-01-01

This paper addresses the benefits of connecting and balancing education in the visual arts and in technology through discussion of actual examples. This balanced connection accomplishes three goals: to further advance and enhance quality of life, to cultivate humane and ethical behaviors, and to initiate global dialogue on issues that matter among…

The Great Balancing Act: Financial Equity and Local Control. Can Vermont's Act 60 Do It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimerson, Lorna

Vermont's Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1997 (Act 60) has attracted attention because of its funding and quality components, and the highly publicized responses to its implementation. A key feature is its "recapture" provision in which property-wealthy towns contribute to a state educational fund that helps support education in…

17 CFR 240.12g5-2 - Definition of “total assets”.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Rules and Regulations Under the... total assets as shown on the issuer's balance sheet or the balance sheet of the issuer and its...

Impacts of vegetation change on groundwater recharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bond, W. J.; Verburg, K.; Smith, C. J.

2003-12-01

Vegetation change is the accepted cause of increasing river salt concentrations and the salinisation of millions of hectares of farm land in Australia. Replacement of perennial native vegetation by annual crops and pastures following European settlement has altered the water balance causing increased groundwater recharge and mobilising the naturally saline groundwater. The Redesigning Agriculture for Australian Landscapes Program, of which the work described here is a part, was established to develop agricultural practices that are more attuned to the delicate water balance described above. Results of field measurements will be presented that contrast the water balance characteristics of native vegetation with those of conventional agricultural plants, and indicate the functional characteristics required of new agricultural practices to reduce recharge. New agricultural practices may comprise different management of current crops and pastures, or may involve introducing totally new species. In either case, long-term testing is required to examine their impact on recharge over a long enough climate record to encompass the natural variability of rainfall that is characteristic of most Australian farming regions. Field experimentation therefore needs to be complemented and extended by computer simulation. This requires a modelling approach that is more robust than conventional crop modelling because (a) it needs to be sensitive enough to predict small changes in the residual recharge term, (b) it needs to be able to simulate a variety of vegetation in different sequences, (c) it needs to be able to simulate continuously for several decades of input data, and (d) it therefore needs to be able to simulate the period between crops, which often has a critical impact on recharge. The APSIM simulation framework will be used to illustrate these issues and to explore the effect of different vegetation combinations on recharge.

Metabolites produced by commensal bacteria promote peripheral regulatory T-cell generation.

PubMed

Arpaia, Nicholas; Campbell, Clarissa; Fan, Xiying; Dikiy, Stanislav; van der Veeken, Joris; deRoos, Paul; Liu, Hui; Cross, Justin R; Pfeffer, Klaus; Coffer, Paul J; Rudensky, Alexander Y

2013-12-19

Intestinal microbes provide multicellular hosts with nutrients and confer resistance to infection. The delicate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, essential for gut immune homeostasis, is affected by the composition of the commensal microbial community. Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) expressing transcription factor Foxp3 have a key role in limiting inflammatory responses in the intestine. Although specific members of the commensal microbial community have been found to potentiate the generation of anti-inflammatory Treg or pro-inflammatory T helper 17 (TH17) cells, the molecular cues driving this process remain elusive. Considering the vital metabolic function afforded by commensal microorganisms, we reasoned that their metabolic by-products are sensed by cells of the immune system and affect the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cells. We tested this hypothesis by exploring the effect of microbial metabolites on the generation of anti-inflammatory Treg cells. We found that in mice a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), butyrate, produced by commensal microorganisms during starch fermentation, facilitated extrathymic generation of Treg cells. A boost in Treg-cell numbers after provision of butyrate was due to potentiation of extrathymic differentiation of Treg cells, as the observed phenomenon was dependent on intronic enhancer CNS1 (conserved non-coding sequence 1), essential for extrathymic but dispensable for thymic Treg-cell differentiation. In addition to butyrate, de novo Treg-cell generation in the periphery was potentiated by propionate, another SCFA of microbial origin capable of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, but not acetate, which lacks this HDAC-inhibitory activity. Our results suggest that bacterial metabolites mediate communication between the commensal microbiota and the immune system, affecting the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Dynamical balance in the Indonesian Seas circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnett, William H.; Kamenkovich, Vladimir M.; Jaffe, David A.; Gordon, Arnold L.; Mellor, George L.

2000-09-01

A high resolution, four-open port, non-linear, barotropic ocean model (2D POM) is used to analyze the Indonesian Seas circulation. Both local and overall momentum balances are studied. It is shown that geostrophy holds over most of the area and that the Pacific-Indian Ocean pressure difference is essentially balanced by the resultant of pressure forces acting on the bottom.

18 CFR 367.1860 - Account 186, Miscellaneous deferred debits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY... COMPANIES SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Deferred Debits § 367.1860 Account 186, Miscellaneous...

18 CFR 367.1310 - Account 131, Cash.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... THE PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 2005, FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 131, Cash. 367.1310 Section 367.1310 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION...

Advanced film-forming gel formula vs spring thermal water and white petrolatum as primary dressings after full-face ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing: a comparative split-face pilot study.

PubMed

Marini, L

2018-01-01

Aesthetically pleasing results and fast, uneventful recovery are highly desirable after rejuvenating ablative laser procedures. Wound dressings following ablative laser procedures should ideally improve and optimize the wound healing environment. The purpose of this comparative split-face, single-blinded, prospective observational study was to assess the efficacy and acceptability of two primary wound dressings immediately after a full-face fractional CO 2 laser resurfacing procedure. The assessments of an innovative film-forming dressing called Stratacel (SC) vs spring thermal water + Vaseline (V+) were conducted after a standardized, single-pass, full-face ablative fractional CO 2 laser skin resurfacing procedure. Clinical parameters, such as haemoglobin - HB; surface temperature - ST; micro-textural modifications - MT; superficial melanin - M; intrafollicular porphyrins - P, were assessed at different phases of the healing process using standardized, non-invasive technologies. Five female volunteers were enrolled in this inpatient, controlled pilot study. Most of the clinical parameters considered, including 3D surface texture analysis, revealed a better performance of SC vs. V+ during the early, more delicate phases of the healing process. This preliminary study, even if performed on a small number of volunteers, confirmed a definite advantage of the tested semipermeable film-forming formula (SC) over a more conventional postoperative skin care regime (V+). Clinical results could be explained by a better uniformity of distribution of SC over the micro-irregularities induced by ablative fractional CO 2 laser resurfacing. Its thin, semipermeable film might, in fact, act as an efficient, perfectly biocompatible, full contact, temporary skin barrier, able to protect extremely delicate healing surfaces from potential environmental irritations. © 2017 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Point of care platelet activity measurement in primary PCI [PINPOINT-PPCI]: a protocol paper.

PubMed

Johnson, Thomas W; Marsden, Debbie; Mumford, Andrew; Pike, Katie; Mundell, Stuart; Butler, Mark; Strange, Julian W; Bowles, Ruth; Rogers, Chris; Baumbach, Andreas; Reeves, Barnaby C

2014-04-04

Optimal treatment of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) involves rapid diagnosis, and transfer to a cardiac centre capable of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for immediate mechanical revascularisation. Successful treatment requires rapid return of perfusion to the myocardium achieved by thromboaspiration, passivation of the culprit lesion with stent scaffolding and systemic inhibition of thrombosis and platelet activation. A delicate balance exists between thrombosis and bleeding and consequently anti-thrombotic and antiplatelet treatment regimens continue to evolve. The desire to achieve reperfusion as soon as possible, in the setting of high platelet reactivity, requires potent and fast-acting anti-thrombotic/anti-platelet therapies. The associated bleeding risk may be minimised by use of short-acting anti-thrombotic intravenous agents. However, effective oral platelet inhibition is required to prevent recurrent thrombosis. The interaction between baseline platelet reactivity, timing of revascularisation and effective inhibition of thrombosis is yet to be formally investigated. We present a protocol for a prospective observational study in patients presenting with acute STEMI treated with primary PCI (PPCI) and receiving bolus/infusion bivalirudin and prasugrel therapy. The objective of this study is to describe variation in platelet reactivity, as measured by the multiplate platelet function analyser, at presentation, the end of the PPCI procedure and 1, 2, & 24 hours post-procedure. We intend to assess the prevalence of high residual platelet reactivity within 24 hours of PPCI in acute STEMI patients receiving prasugrel and bivalirudin. Additionally, we will investigate the association between high platelet reactivity before and after PPCI and the door-to-procedure completion time.This is a single centre study with a target sample size of 108 participants. The baseline platelet reactivity on presentation with a STEMI may impact on the effect of acute anti-thrombotic and anti-platelet therapy and expose patients to a heightened risk of bleeding or ongoing thrombosis. This study will define the baseline variation in platelet reactivity in a population of patients experiencing acute STEMI and assess the pharmacodynamic response to combined treatment with bivalirudin and prasugrel. The data obtained from this trial will be hypothesis generating for future trials testing alternative pharmacotherapies in the acute phase of treatment for STEMI. This study has approval from Wiltshire research ethics committee (10/H0106/87) and is registered with current controlled trials (http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN82257414).

12 CFR 227.23 - Unfair acts or practices regarding allocation of payments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Credit Card Account Practices Rule § 227.23 Unfair acts or practices regarding allocation of payments. When different annual percentage rates apply to different balances on a consumer credit card account...

31 CFR 129.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act ((formerly the International Investment Survey Act of... computing and analyzing the United States balance of payments. ... and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance MONETARY OFFICES, DEPARTMENT OF THE...

78 FR 76327 - Notice of Approval of South Carolina's Application for Avoidance of 2013 Credit Reduction Under...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) provide that employers in a state that has an outstanding balance of... calendar year in which the most recent such January 1 occurs, if a balance of advances remains at the... had a balance of advances at the beginning of January 1 of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, and still...

77 FR 75195 - Notice of Approval for South Carolina for Avoidance of 2012 Credit Reduction Under the Federal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-19

... Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) provide that employers in a state that has an outstanding balance of advances under... balance of advances remains at the beginning of November 10 of that year. Because the account of South Carolina in the Unemployment Trust Fund had a balance of advances at the beginning of January 1 of 2009...

78 FR 76327 - Notice of Denial of Georgia's Application for a “Cap” of the 2013 Credit Reduction Under the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... an outstanding balance of advances under Title XII of the Social Security Act at the beginning of... against the FUTA tax for the calendar year in which the most recent such January 1 occurs, if a balance of... Fund account having an outstanding balance of Title XII advances on January 1 of four consecutive years...

Balancing Act: A View of Benefits and Work-Life Balance through the Eyes of Advancement Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Mary Ellen

2011-01-01

People who choose careers in advancement know they're not entering a 9-to-5, 40-hours-a-week profession. Staffers juggle personal lives with their commitment to stressful jobs that involve travel, long hours, weekend events, and deadlines. Work-life balance means different things to different people, but flexibility seems to be a priority for…

On the acquisition of temporal conjunctions in Finnish.

PubMed

Atanassova, M

2001-03-01

This study concerns the acquisition of complex sentence structures in Finnish. Specifically, three simultaneous and sequential events were acted out with toys in an elicitation task, and the production of "and," "and then," "when," and "after" were observed. There were 48 children in a cross-sectional design at the age levels 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. Immediately after the complex event was presented, the child was asked the initial request "What happened?" If the child did not produce the whole event spontaneously, she or he was prompted by "What else happened?" Finally, the prompted request "When did X?" was asked (X referring to the second action component of the event). The results showed that prompting better revealed the ability of the children, especially that of the younger ones, to use temporal conjunctions in complex sentences, as well as the delicate interplay of language skills and their flexible use.

Hydrodynamic Restoration to Vulnerable Marsh Ecosystems to Improve Response to Sea Level Rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orescanin, M. M.; Hamilton, R. P., Jr.

2016-12-01

Rising sea levels pose imminent threats to low-lying marsh ecosystems owing to delicate balances between water levels, salinity, and sediment transport. Further complications arise from human modifications to these low-lying coastal areas that modify topography, thus altering tidal exchanges. The Milford Neck Conservation Area, near Milford, DE, is a salt marsh system on Delaware Bay that has undergone morphological modifications owing to both human activity and natural processes resulting in damage to the surrounding marsh habitats. A century-old abandoned canal acted as a physical barrier to any tidal exchange for upland marsh for decades, allowing land at low elevations to be dry and used for agricultural activities. However, a breach to the system in the 1980s created a link to Delaware Bay that flooded salt hay fields, creating a large area of open water. Owing to tidal restrictions in the system, it has been difficult to transport sufficient sediment and water into the system to promote natural marsh growth. At the same time, the eroding barrier beach increases vulnerability to sea level rise and storms of increasing severity and frequency, and places upland forest at risk of episodic salt intrusion. To increase the effectiveness of this area as a barrier to sea level rise, it is necessary to increase marsh resiliency. Hydrodynamic measurements collected during fall 2015 and spring/summer 2016 show tidal choking in the system that limits exchange of salt water from Delaware Bay and prevents drainage from storm runoff. Numerical model results using the hydrodynamic model, CMS-flow, confirm tidal choking in this system and suggest localized areas are responsible for the most significant reduction in tidal exchange between the marsh and Delaware Bay. Analysis of hypsometry of the area combined with potential for improving tidal flushing suggest the possibility of restoring close to 400 acres of open water and damaged marsh.

The Emotional Balancing Act of Teaching: A Burnout Recovery Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sproles, Karyn Z.

2018-01-01

This chapter integrates two of the most influential authorities on teaching, Robert Boice and Parker Palmer, into the system's approach to teaching articulated by Douglas Robertson in order to help college teachers find sustainable balance by acknowledging and managing emotions in the classroom.

Lives in the Balance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Our Children, 1997

1997-01-01

Changes in the workplace that would provide flexibility for working parents are slowly developing and receiving government, business, and societal attention. A sidebar, "Mother, Professional, Volunteer: One Woman's Balancing Act," presents an account of how one woman rearranged her professional life to enable her to do full-time…

Genetic diversity of the HLA-G coding region in Amerindian populations from the Brazilian Amazon: a possible role of natural selection.

PubMed

Mendes-Junior, C T; Castelli, E C; Meyer, D; Simões, A L; Donadi, E A

2013-12-01

HLA-G has an important role in the modulation of the maternal immune system during pregnancy, and evidence that balancing selection acts in the promoter and 3'UTR regions has been previously reported. To determine whether selection acts on the HLA-G coding region in the Amazon Rainforest, exons 2, 3 and 4 were analyzed in a sample of 142 Amerindians from nine villages of five isolated tribes that inhabit the Central Amazon. Six previously described single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and the Expectation-Maximization (EM) and PHASE algorithms were used to computationally reconstruct SNP haplotypes (HLA-G alleles). A new HLA-G allele, which originated in Amerindian populations by a crossing-over event between two widespread HLA-G alleles, was identified in 18 individuals. Neutrality tests evidenced that natural selection has a complex part in the HLA-G coding region. Although balancing selection is the type of selection that shapes variability at a local level (Native American populations), we have also shown that purifying selection may occur on a worldwide scale. Moreover, the balancing selection does not seem to act on the coding region as strongly as it acts on the flanking regulatory regions, and such coding signature may actually reflect a hitchhiking effect.

A Science Strategy for Space Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

This report by the Committee on Solar and Space Physics and the Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Research recommends the major directions for scientific research in space physics for the coming decade. As a field of science, space physics has passed through the stage of simply looking to see what is out beyond Earth's atmosphere. It has become a 'hard' science, focusing on understanding the fundamental interactions between charged particles, electromagnetic fields, and gases in the natural laboratory consisting of the galaxy, the Sun, the heliosphere, and planetary magnetospheres, ionospheres, and upper atmospheres. The motivation for space physics research goes far beyond basic physics and intellectual curiosity, however, because long-term variations in the brightness of the Sun virtually affect the habitability of the Earth, while sudden rearrangements of magnetic fields above the solar surface can have profound effects on the delicate balance of the forces that shape our environment in space and on the human technology that is sensitive to that balance. The several subfields of space physics share the following objectives: to understand the fundamental laws or processes of nature as they apply to space plasmas and rarefied gases both on the microscale and in the larger complex systems that constitute the domain of space physics; to understand the links between changes in the Sun and the resulting effects at the Earth, with the eventual goal of predicting the significant effects on the terrestrial environment; and to continue the exploration and description of the plasmas and rarefied gases in the solar system.

Exploratory Study on Plasma Immunomodulator and Antibody Profiles in Tuberculosis Patients

PubMed Central

Ravindran, Resmi; Krishnan, Viswanathan V.; Khanum, Azra; Luciw, Paul A.

2013-01-01

Host immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis are generally able to contain infection and maintain a delicate balance between protection and immunopathology. A shift in this balance appears to underlie active disease observed in about 10% of infected individuals. Effects of local inflammation, combined with anti-M. tuberculosis systemic immune responses, are directly detectable in peripheral circulation, without ex vivo stimulation of blood cells or biopsy of the affected organs. We studied plasma immunomodulator and antibody biomarkers in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) by a combination of multiplex microbead immunoassays and computational tools for data analysis. Plasma profiles of 10 immunomodulators and antibodies against eight M. tuberculosis antigens (previously reported by us) were examined in active pulmonary TB patients in a country where TB is endemic, Pakistan. Multiplex analyses were performed on samples from apparently healthy individuals without active TB from the same community as the TB patients to establish the assay baselines for all analytes. Over 3,000 data points were collected from patients (n = 135) and controls (n = 37). The data were analyzed by multivariate and computer-assisted cluster analyses to reveal patterns of plasma immunomodulators and antibodies. This study shows plasma profiles that in most patients represented either strong antibody or strong immunomodulator biomarkers. Profiling of a combination of both immunomodulators and antibodies described here may be valuable for the analysis of host immune responses in active TB in countries where the disease is endemic. PMID:23761664

In delicate balance: stem cells and spinal cord injury advocacy.

PubMed

Parke, Sara; Illes, Judy

2011-09-01

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major focus for stem cell therapy (SCT). However, the science of SCT has not been well matched with an understanding of perspectives of persons with SCI. The online advocacy community is a key source of health information for primary stakeholders and their caregivers. In this study, we sought to characterize the content of SCI advocacy websites with respect to their discussion of SCT and stem cell tourism. We performed a comprehensive analysis of SCI advocacy websites identified through a web search and verified by expert opinion. Two independent researchers coded the information for major themes (e.g., scientific & clinical facts, research & funding, policy, ethics) and valence (positive, negative, balanced, neutral). Of the 40 SCI advocacy websites that met inclusion criteria, 50% (N=20) contained information about SCT. Less than 18% (N=7) contained information on stem cell tourism. There were more than ten times as many statements about SCT with a positive valence (N=67) as with a negative valence (N=6). Ethics-related SCT information comprised 20% (N=37) of the total content; the largest proportion of ethics-related content was devoted to stem cell tourism (80%, N=30 statements). Of those, the majority focused on the risks of stem cell tourism (N=16). Given the still-developing science behind SCT, the presence of cautionary information about stem cell tourism at advocacy sites is ethically appropriate. The absence of stem cell tourism information at the majority of advocacy sites represents a lost educational opportunity.

Regional Responses to Black Carbon Aerosols: The Importance of Air-Sea Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnanadesikan, A.; Scott, A. A.; Pradal, M.-A.; Seviour, W. J. M.; Waugh, D. W.

2017-12-01

The impact of modern black carbon aerosols on climate via their changes in radiative balance is studied using a coupled model where sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are allowed to vary and an atmosphere-only version of the same model where SSTs are held fixed. Allowing the ocean to respond is shown to have a profound impact on the pattern of temperature change. Particularly, large impacts are found in the North Pacific (which cools by up to 1 K in the coupled model) and in north central Asia (which warms in the coupled simulation and cools in the fixed SST simulation). Neither set of experiments shows large changes in surface temperatures in the Southeast Asian region where the atmospheric burden of black carbon is highest. These results are related to the stabilization of the atmosphere and changes in oceanic heat transport. Over the North Pacific, atmospheric stabilization results in an increase in stratiform clouds. The resulting shading reduces evaporation, freshening the surface layer of the ocean and reducing the inflow of warm subtropical waters. Over the land, a delicate balance between greater atmospheric absorption, shading of the surface and changes in latent cooling of the surface helps to determine whether warming or cooling is seen. Our results emphasize the importance of coupling in determining the response of the climate system to black carbon and suggest that black carbon may play an important role in modulating climate change over the North Pacific.

Allosteric modulation balances thermodynamic stability and restores function of ΔF508 CFTR

PubMed Central

Aleksandrov, Andrei A.; Kota, Pradeep; Cui, Liying; Jensen, Tim; Alekseev, Alexey E.; Reyes, Santiago; He, Lihua; Gentzsch, Martina; Aleksandrov, Luba A.; Dokholyan, Nikolay V.; Riordan, John R.

2013-01-01

Most cystic fibrosis is caused by a deletion of a single residue (F508) in CFTR that disrupts the folding and biosynthetic maturation of the ion channel protein. Progress towards understanding the underlying mechanisms and overcoming the defect remain incomplete. Here we show that the thermal instability of human ΔF508 CFTR channel activity evident in both cell-attached membrane patches and planar phospholipid bilayers is not observed in corresponding mutant CFTRs of several non-mammalian species. These more stable orthologs are distinguished from their mammalian counterparts by the substitution of proline residues at several key dynamic locations in the first nucleotide domain (NBD1), including the structurally diverse region (SDR), the gamma phosphate switch loop and the Regulatory Insertion (RI). Molecular Dynamic analyses revealed that addition of the prolines could reduce flexibility at these locations and increase the temperatures of unfolding transitions of ΔF508 NBD1 to that of the wild-type. Introduction of these prolines experimentally into full-length human ΔF508 CFTR together with the already recognized I539T suppressor mutation, also in the SDR, restored channel function and thermodynamic stability as well as its trafficking to and lifetime at the cell surface. Thus, while cellular manipulations that circumvent its culling by quality control systems leave ΔF508 CFTR dysfunctional at physiological temperature, restoration of the delicate balance between the dynamic protein’s inherent stability and channel activity returns a near-normal state. PMID:22406676

Fluid temperature at the corneal endothelium during phacoemulsification: comparison of an ophthalmic viscosurgical device and balanced salt solution using the finite element method.

PubMed

Reepolmaha, Somporn; Limtrakarn, Wiroj; Uthaisang-Tanechpongtamb, Wanlaya; Dechaumphai, Pramote

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the temperatures of two different anterior chamber solutions at the corneal endothelial level during phacoemulsification. An ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) and balanced salt solution (BSS) were compared using the finite element method (FEM). The thermal properties of an OVD (IAL-F) and BSS were studied in an experimental setting. A computer-aided design model of ocular anatomy was created in two dimensions. The phaco needle was considered to be the only source of heat generation. Then, the FEM was used to demonstrate the transient temperature distribution in the two ocular models at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 s. In these models, the anterior chamber was filled with IAL-F (IAL-F model) or BSS (BSS model). The heat generation rate of the phaco needle was 0.0004 cal/s/mm(2). The maximum corneal endothelial temperatures for the two models at 60 s were 52.67 and 41.57 degrees C, respectively. The experimental IAL-F model showed fewer changes in temperature for any given time and location. At larger distances from the heat source, less temperature variation was detected. Phacoemulsification is a potential heat-generating procedure performed between the delicate anterior chamber structures. During this procedure, IAL-F protects the endothelium against heat better than BSS. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

48 CFR 213.302-5 - Clauses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., use the clause at— (i) 252.225-7001, Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program, as prescribed at 225.1101(2); or (ii) 252.225-7036, Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments... 213.302-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF...

48 CFR 213.302-5 - Clauses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., use the clause at— (i) 252.225-7001, Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program, as prescribed at 225.1101(2); or (ii) 252.225-7036, Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Balance of Payments... 213.302-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF...

The impact of the Balanced Budget Act on the utilization and financial condition of children's services in California hospitals.

PubMed

McCue, Michael J

2002-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utilization and financial performance of children's services after the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The author analyzed these performance factors by hospital ownership, HMO penetration, and disproportionate share hospitals. Using data from California hospitals and conducting an analysis from 1997 to 1999, the author found that public hospitals were able to increase their profits from pediatric and neonatal intensive care services. The study also revealed that DSH hospitals located in high HMO penetration markets reduced their operating losses in nursery and pediatric services.

The "adaptable human" phenomenon: Implications for recreation management in high-use wilderness

Treesearch

David N. Cole; Troy E. Hall

2008-01-01

Wilderness managers must balance providing access for wilderness recreation with protecting the special experiences wilderness provides. This balancing act is particularly challenging at popular destinations close to large metropolitan areas. Such destinations provide substantial societal benefits by allowing respite from city life and immersion in natural environments...

C.E.T.A. in Balance-of-State Areas. Workshop Report of the Rural Manpower Policy Research Consortium, June 6-7, 1974. Special Paper No. 24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moser, Collette H., Comp.

The workshop on the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) in Balance-of-State areas explored the implications for rural areas of various manpower policies. In a previous workshop, it was found that a close correlation existed between counties classified as Balance-of-State and those classified as "rural" by the U.S. Department…

Molecular Programs Underlying Asymmetric Stem Cell Division and Their Disruption in Malignancy.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Subhas; Brat, Daniel J

2017-01-01

Asymmetric division of stem cells is a highly conserved and tightly regulated process by which a single stem cell produces two unequal daughter cells. One retains its stem cell identity while the other becomes specialized through a differentiation program and loses stem cell properties. Coordinating these events requires control over numerous intra- and extracellular biological processes and signaling networks. In the initial stages, critical events include the compartmentalization of fate determining proteins within the mother cell and their subsequent passage to the appropriate daughter cell in order to direct their destiny. Disturbance of these events results in an altered dynamic of self-renewing and differentiation within the cell population, which is highly relevant to the growth and progression of cancer. Other critical events include proper asymmetric spindle assembly, extrinsic regulation through micro-environmental cues, and non-canonical signaling networks that impact cell division and fate determination. In this review, we discuss mechanisms that maintain the delicate balance of asymmetric cell division in normal tissues and describe the current understanding how some of these mechanisms are deregulated in cancer.

Teaching Physics Through Comic Books

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Rebecca

2011-04-01

Comics have been around as a form of entertainment for decades. They are often as seen as one of the distracting vices of kids (and adults!), but comics and their more adult version, the graphic novel, are increasingly valued as a legitimate genre of literature. The APS Outreach Department has created three comic books, one featuring Nikola Tesla and his battles with the evil Thomas Edison, and two about laser super hero Spectra and her continuing battles with the nefarious Miss Alignment. These comics have struck a delicate balance between education and entertainment being well received by both the comic book and education communities. By creating a compelling comic story that has correct physics, it is possible to use this under-appreciated medium to excite middle-school students who might otherwise be turned off by traditional teaching methods. One lesson-learned is that It is very important to make sure first and foremost that the students enjoy the story and that they feel a connection to the characters. Students are thus hooked and once they are drawn in, the learning happens automatically.

Teaching Physics Through Comic Books

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Rebecca; Owen, Tassia

2011-03-01

Comics have been around as a form of entertainment for decades. They are often as seen as one of the distracting vices of kids (and adults!), but comics and their more adult version, the graphic novel, are increasingly valued as a legitimate genre of literature. The APS Outreach Department has created three comic books, one featuring Nikola Tesla and his battles with the evil Thomas Edison, and two about laser super hero Spectra and her continuing battles with the nefarious Miss Alignment. These comics have struck a delicate balance between education and entertainment being well received by both the comic book and education communities. By creating a compelling comic story that has correct physics, it is possible to use this under-appreciated medium to excite middle-school students who might otherwise be turned off by traditional teaching methods. One lesson-learned is that It is very important to make sure first and foremost that the students enjoy the story and that they feel a connection to the characters. Students are thus hooked and once they are drawn in, the learning happens automatically..

Chaotic Excitation and Tidal Damping in the GJ 876 System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puranam, Abhijit; Batygin, Konstantin

2018-04-01

The M-dwarf GJ 876 is the closest known star to harbor a multi-planetary system. With three outer planets locked in a chaotic Laplace-type resonance and an appreciably eccentric short-period super-Earth, this system represents a unique exposition of extrasolar planetary dynamics. A key question that concerns the long-term evolution of this system, and the fate of close-in planets in general, is how the significant eccentricity of the inner-most planet is maintained against tidal circularization on timescales comparable to the age of the universe. Here, we employ stochastic secular perturbation theory and N-body simulations to show that the orbit of the inner-most planet is shaped by a delicate balance between extrinsic chaotic forcing and tidal dissipation. As such, the planet’s orbital eccentricity represents an indirect measure of its tidal quality factor. Based on the system’s present-day architecture, we estimate that the extrasolar super-Earth GJ 876 d has a tidal Q ∼ 104–105, a value characteristic of solar system gas giants.

Aspartic proteases involved in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Schmidt, Boris

2003-05-09

Alzheimer's disease afflicts every tenth human aged over 65. Despite the dramatic progress that has been made in understanding the disease, the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is still unknown. Most gene mutations associated with Alzheimer's disease point at the same culprits: amyloid precursor protein and ultimately amyloid beta. The enigmatic proteases alpha-,beta-, and gamma-secretase are the three executioners of amyloid precursor protein processing, and disruption of their delicate balance is suspected to result in Alzheimer's disease. Significant progress has been made in the selective control of these proteases, regardless of the availability of structural information. Not even the absence of a robust cell-free assay for gamma-secretase could hamper the identification of nonpeptidic inhibitors of this enzyme for long. Within five years, four distinctly different structural moieties were developed and the first drug candidates are in clinical trials. Unfortunately, selective inhibition of amyloid beta formation remains a crucial issue because fundamental fragments of the gamma-secretase complex are important for other signaling events. This problem makes beta-secretase inhibition and alpha-secretase induction even more appealing.

An Update on Oxidative Damage to Spermatozoa and Oocytes.

PubMed

Opuwari, Chinyerum S; Henkel, Ralf R

2016-01-01

On the one hand, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are mandatory mediators for essential cellular functions including the function of germ cells (oocytes and spermatozoa) and thereby the fertilization process. However, the exposure of these cells to excessive levels of oxidative stress by too high levels of ROS or too low levels of antioxidative protection will render these cells dysfunctional thereby failing the fertilization process and causing couples to be infertile. Numerous causes are responsible for the delicate bodily redox system being out of balance and causing disease and infertility. Many of these causes are modifiable such as lifestyle factors like obesity, poor nutrition, heat stress, smoking, or alcohol abuse. Possible correctable measures include foremost lifestyle changes, but also supplementation with antioxidants to scavenge excessive ROS. However, this should only be done after careful examination of the patient and establishment of the individual bodily antioxidant needs. In addition, other corrective measures include sperm separation for assisted reproductive techniques. However, these techniques have to be carried out very carefully as they, if applied wrongly, bear risks of generating ROS damaging the germ cells and preventing fertilization.

The role of tumour heterogeneity and clonal cooperativity in metastasis, immune evasion and clinical outcome.

PubMed

Caswell, Deborah R; Swanton, Charles

2017-07-18

The advent of rapid and inexpensive sequencing technology allows scientists to decipher heterogeneity within primary tumours, between primary and metastatic sites, and between metastases. Charting the evolutionary history of individual tumours has revealed drivers of tumour heterogeneity and highlighted its impact on therapeutic outcomes. Scientists are using improved sequencing technologies to characterise and address the challenge of tumour heterogeneity, which is a major cause of resistance to therapy and relapse. Heterogeneity may fuel metastasis through the selection of rare, aggressive, somatically altered cells. However, extreme levels of chromosomal instability, which contribute to intratumour heterogeneity, are associated with improved patient outcomes, suggesting a delicate balance between high and low levels of genome instability. We review evidence that intratumour heterogeneity influences tumour evolution, including metastasis, drug resistance, and the immune response. We discuss the prevalence of tumour heterogeneity, and how it can be initiated and sustained by external and internal forces. Understanding tumour evolution and metastasis could yield novel therapies that leverage the immune system to control emerging tumour neo-antigens.

[The supply chain is everybody's business...].

PubMed

Coulondre, Antoine

2007-05-01

The management of the supply chain is a matter of delicate balance. This is certainly due to its position at the crossroads between suppliers and users requirements, as well as logistic, financial and technical regulations. For a public organisation like EFS, whose annual budget amounts to 697 million euros, there is a lot at stake: supplies represent the second most important item of its budget accounting for 38% of annual expenses. Three quarters of the purchases concern basic activities such as blood collection, testing procedures, transformation and distribution of blood products. The last quarter is spent on more general activities (computer systems, telecommunications...). Professionalisation of the purchasing function has grown since the creation of the government-owned organisation as a single national unit (EFS) in the year 2000. Its consequences can be felt especially in the field of the "core activities". The current stage consists in maintaining close links between all the skills necessary to a high-quality supply chain. The latter will undoubtedly be beneficial to the medical, technical and support departments of EFS, which are the in-house customers to satisfy.

Chemical and biological sensing using liquid crystals

PubMed Central

Carlton, Rebecca J.; Hunter, Jacob T.; Miller, Daniel S.; Abbasi, Reza; Mushenheim, Peter C.; Tan, Lie Na; Abbott, Nicholas L.

2014-01-01

The liquid crystalline state of matter arises from orientation-dependent, non-covalent interaction between molecules within condensed phases. Because the balance of intermolecular forces that underlies formation of liquid crystals is delicate, this state of matter can, in general, be easily perturbed by external stimuli (such as an electric field in a display). In this review, we present an overview of recent efforts that have focused on exploiting the responsiveness of liquid crystals as the basis of chemical and biological sensors. In this application of liquid crystals, the challenge is to design liquid crystalline systems that undergo changes in organization when perturbed by targeted chemical and biological species of interest. The approaches described below revolve around the design of interfaces that selectively bind targeted species, thus leading to surface-driven changes in the organization of the liquid crystals. Because liquid crystals possess anisotropic optical and dielectric properties, a range of different methods can be used to read out the changes in organization of liquid crystals that are caused by targeted chemical and biological species. This review focuses on principles for liquid crystal-based sensors that provide an optical output. PMID:24795857

Site occupancy, composition and magnetic structure dependencies of martensitic transformation in Mn2Ni1 + x Sn1-x.

PubMed

Kundu, Ashis; Ghosh, Subhradip

2017-11-29

A delicate balance between various factors such as site occupancy, composition and magnetic ordering seems to affect the stability of the martensitic phase in [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. Using first-principles DFT calculations, we explore the impacts of each one of these factors on the martensitic stability of this system. Our results on total energies, magnetic moments and electronic structures upon changes in the composition, the magnetic configurations and the site occupancies show that the occupancies at the 4d sites in the inverse Heusler crystal structure play the most crucial role. The presence of Mn at the 4d sites originally occupied by Sn and its interaction with the Mn atoms at other sites decide the stability of the martensitic phases. This explains the discrepancy between the experiments and earlier DFT calculations regarding phase stability in [Formula: see text]NiSn. Our results qualitatively explain the trends observed experimentally with regard to martensitic phase stability and the magnetisations in Ni-excess, Sn-deficient [Formula: see text]NiSn system.

Nickel trafficking system responsible for urease maturation in Helicobacter pylori.

PubMed

Ge, Rui-Guang; Wang, Dong-Xian; Hao, Ming-Cong; Sun, Xue-Song

2013-12-07

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common human pathogen responsible for various gastric diseases. This bacterium relies on the production of urease and hydrogenase to inhabit the acidic environment of the stomach. Nickel is an essential cofactor for urease and hydrogenase. H. pylori has to uptake sufficient nickel ions for the maturation of urease, and on the other way, to prevent the toxic effects of excessive nickel ions. Therefore, H. pylori has to strike a delicate balance between the import of nickel ions, its efficient intracellular storage, and delivery to nickel-dependent metalloenzymes when required. The assembly and maturation of the urease enzyme is a complex and timely ordered process, requiring various regulatory, uptake, chaperone and accessory proteins. In this review, we focus on several nickel trafficking proteins involved in urease maturation: NikR, NixA, HypAB, UreEFGH, HspA, Hpn and Hpnl. The work will deepen our understanding of how this pathogenic bacterium adapts to severe habitant environments in the host. © 2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.

Physical Properties of Pyridinium Fluorohydrogenate, [pyridine · H+][H2F3]-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulse, Ryan; Singh, Rajiv

2008-12-01

Ionic liquids (ILs), also referred to as molten salts, have found application as electrolytes for batteries and super-capacitors, in electroplating baths, as designer solvents, and as reaction media. A few of the desired properties of a super-capacitor electrolyte are nonflammability, thermal stability, and electrochemical stability. ILs containing aromatic cations have been shown to have low viscosity which results in a high electrochemical conductivity. There is a delicate balance between increasing the thermal stability, or decreasing the melting point, and increasing the electrochemical conductivity of the IL. This study focuses on pyridinium fluorohydrogenate, [pyridine · H+][H2F3]-. Pyridinium fluorohydrogenate has been synthesized by the reaction of pyridine and anhydrous hydrofluoric acid. This IL has a relatively high electrical conductivity (~98 mS · cm-1 at 23 °C), a wide electrochemical window, and a boiling point of 186 °C. A stable gel can also be formed by combining [pyridine · H+][H2F3]- and a super absorbent polymer such as polyacrylic acid. The gel adds mechanical stability to the matrix while not greatly affecting the conductivity of the IL.

Comparison between layering NbSe2 and rod characteristic of MgB2 by investigation of elastic constants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shokri, Asiye; Yazdani, Ahmad; Barakati, Behrad

2018-03-01

The delicate balancing of strong anisotropy on strength of hybridisation resulted to CDW- order “TCDW=33K” and finally emerging superconductivity at “Tc = 7.2K” are the most intriguing question in characteristic behaviour of NbSe2. On other hand, the original mechanism of MgB2 old superconductor, which has unlike the cuprates a lower anisotropy on strength hybridisation is still unknown. We believe this could result to bond exchange and larger coherence length of the grain boundary to current. Since the cause and the mechanism of band strengths of two original layering and rod structures are consequence of bond- rupturing-atomic displacement, here the stability of crystalline structure of inter atomic potential through the elasticity-compressibility is investigated. Consequently, in order to clear out the strong difference between the layering NbSe2 and domination of rod-character of MgB2 the stability of both crystal structures through the cohesive energy c/a, czz and c33 are investigated. The proposed investigations are more evident on different characteristic behaviour of calculated parameters.

N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics of N Lieb-Liniger-Yang bosons on a line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateos Guilarte, J.; Moreno Mosquera, A.

2017-02-01

A supersymmetric generalization of the Lieb-Liniger-Yang dynamics governing N massive bosons moving on a line with delta interactions among them at coinciding points is developed. The analysis of the delicate balance between integrability and-supersymmetry, starting from the exactly solvable non-supersymmetric LLY system, is one of the paper main concerns. Two extreme regimes of the N parameter are explored: 1) For few bosons we fall in the realm of supersymmetric quantum mechanics with a short number of degrees of freedom, e.g., the SUSY Pösch-Teller potentials if N = 1 . 2) For large N we deal with supersymmetric extensions of many-body systems in the thermodynamic limit akin, e.g., to the supersymmetric Calogero-Sutherland systems. Emphasis will be put in the investigation of the ground-state structure of these quantum mechanical systems enjoying {N}=2 extended supersymmetry without spoiling integrability. The decision about wether or not supersymmetry is spontaneously broken, a central question in SUSY quantum mechanics determined from the ground-state structure, is another goal of the paper.

Surgical anatomy and pathology of the middle ear.

PubMed

Luers, Jan Christoffer; Hüttenbrink, Karl-Bernd

2016-02-01

Middle ear surgery is strongly influenced by anatomical and functional characteristics of the middle ear. The complex anatomy means a challenge for the otosurgeon who moves between preservation or improvement of highly important functions (hearing, balance, facial motion) and eradication of diseases. Of these, perforations of the tympanic membrane, chronic otitis media, tympanosclerosis and cholesteatoma are encountered most often in clinical practice. Modern techniques for reconstruction of the ossicular chain aim for best possible hearing improvement using delicate alloplastic titanium prostheses, but a number of prosthesis-unrelated factors work against this intent. Surgery is always individualized to the case and there is no one-fits-all strategy. Above all, both middle ear diseases and surgery can be associated with a number of complications; the most important ones being hearing deterioration or deafness, dizziness, facial palsy and life-threatening intracranial complications. To minimize risks, a solid knowledge of and respect for neurootologic structures is essential for an otosurgeon who must train him- or herself intensively on temporal bones before performing surgery on a patient. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

Dynamic self-assembly of charged colloidal strings and walls in simple fluid flows.

PubMed

Abe, Yu; Zhang, Bo; Gordillo, Leonardo; Karim, Alireza Mohammad; Francis, Lorraine F; Cheng, Xiang

2017-02-22

Colloidal particles can self-assemble into various ordered structures in fluid flows that have potential applications in biomedicine, materials synthesis and encryption. These dynamic processes are also of fundamental interest for probing the general principles of self-assembly under non-equilibrium conditions. Here, we report a simple microfluidic experiment, where charged colloidal particles self-assemble into flow-aligned 1D strings with regular particle spacing near a solid boundary. Using high-speed confocal microscopy, we systematically investigate the influence of flow rates, electrostatics and particle polydispersity on the observed string structures. By studying the detailed dynamics of stable flow-driven particle pairs, we quantitatively characterize interparticle interactions. Based on the results, we construct a simple model that explains the intriguing non-equilibrium self-assembly process. Our study shows that the colloidal strings arise from a delicate balance between attractive hydrodynamic coupling and repulsive electrostatic interaction between particles. Finally, we demonstrate that, with the assistance of transverse electric fields, a similar mechanism also leads to the formation of 2D colloidal walls.

2012 Gordon Research Conference on Mutagenesis - Formal Schedule and Speaker/Poster Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Demple, Bruce

2012-08-24

The delicate balance among cellular pathways that control mutagenic changes in DNA will be the focus of the 2012 Mutagenesis Gordon Research Conference. Mutagenesis is essential for evolution, while genetic stability maintains cellular functions in all organisms from microbes to metazoans. Different systems handle DNA lesions at various times of the cell cycle and in different places within the nucleus, and inappropriate actions can lead to mutations. While mutation in humans is closely linked to disease, notably cancers, mutational systems can also be beneficial. The conference will highlight topics of beneficial mutagenesis, including full establishment of the immune system, cellmore » survival mechanisms, and evolution and adaptation in microbial systems. Equal prominence will be given to detrimental mutation processes, especially those involved in driving cancer, neurological diseases, premature aging, and other threats to human health. Provisional session titles include Branching Pathways in Mutagenesis; Oxidative Stress and Endogenous DNA Damage; DNA Maintenance Pathways; Recombination, Good and Bad; Problematic DNA Structures; Localized Mutagenesis; Hypermutation in the Microbial World; and Mutation and Disease.« less

On the impact of ice-ocean interaction on Greenland glaciers versus calving speed.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rignot, E. J.; Menemenlis, D.; Morlighem, M.; Wood, M.; Millan, R.; Mouginot, J.; An, L.

2016-12-01

Glacier retreat from frontal ablation is a delicate balance between subaqueous melt, calving processes and bed geometry. Here, we model subaqueous melt from a large number of Greenland tidewater glaciers using generalized 3D, high resolution simulations of ice melt from the MITgcm ocean model constrained by subglacial melt from RACMO2.3 and ISSM, ocean temperature from ECCO2-4km Arctic, and bed topography from OMG and MC for 1992-2015. The results are analyzed in combination with ice-front retreat and glacier speed from Landsat and imaging radar data since the 1990s. We find that subaqueous melt is 2-3 times greater in summer than in winter and doubled in magnitude since the 1990s because of enhanced ice sheet runoff and warmer ocean temperature. Glaciers that retreated rapidly are characterized by subaqueous melt rates comparable to their calving speed and favorable bed geometry. Glaciers dominated by calving processes are in contrast more resilient to thermal forcing from the ocean, especially in the presence of stabilizing geometry. The study highlights the fundamental importance of calving processes in controlling glacier retreat in Greenland.

Smad4 is required to inhibit osteoclastogenesis and maintain bone mass.

PubMed

Morita, Mayu; Yoshida, Shigeyuki; Iwasaki, Ryotaro; Yasui, Tetsuro; Sato, Yuiko; Kobayashi, Tami; Watanabe, Ryuichi; Oike, Takatsugu; Miyamoto, Kana; Takami, Masamichi; Ozato, Keiko; Deng, Chu-Xia; Aburatani, Hiroyuki; Tanaka, Sakae; Yoshimura, Akihiko; Toyama, Yoshiaki; Matsumoto, Morio; Nakamura, Masaya; Kawana, Hiromasa; Nakagawa, Taneaki; Miyamoto, Takeshi

2016-10-12

Bone homeostasis is maintained as a delicate balance between bone-resorption and bone-formation, which are coupled to maintain appropriate bone mass. A critical question is how bone-resorption is terminated to allow bone-formation to occur. Here, we show that TGFβs inhibit osteoclastogenesis and maintain bone-mass through Smad4 activity in osteoclasts. We found that latent-TGFβ1 was activated by osteoclasts to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. Osteoclast-specific Smad4 conditional knockout mice (Smad4-cKO) exhibited significantly reduced bone-mass and elevated osteoclast formation relative to controls. TGFβ1-activation induced expression of Irf8 and Bcl6, both of which encode factors inhibiting osteoclastogenesis, by blocking their negative regulator, Prdm1, in osteoclasts in a Smad4-dependent manner. Reduced bone-mass and accelerated osteoclastogenesis seen in Smad4-cKO were abrogated by Prdm1 deletion. Administration of latent-TGFβ1-Fc to wild-type mice antagonized LPS-induced bone destruction in a model of activated osteoclast-mediated bone destruction. Thus, latent-TGFβ1-Fc could serve as a promising new therapeutic agent in bone diseases marked by excessive resorption.

Surface force measurements and simulations of mussel-derived peptide adhesives on wet organic surfaces

PubMed Central

Levine, Zachary A.; Rapp, Michael V.; Wei, Wei; Mullen, Ryan Gotchy; Wu, Chun; Zerze, Gül H.; Mittal, Jeetain; Waite, J. Herbert; Israelachvili, Jacob N.; Shea, Joan-Emma

2016-01-01

Translating sticky biological molecules—such as mussel foot proteins (MFPs)—into synthetic, cost-effective underwater adhesives with adjustable nano- and macroscale characteristics requires an intimate understanding of the glue’s molecular interactions. To help facilitate the next generation of aqueous adhesives, we performed a combination of surface forces apparatus (SFA) measurements and replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations on a synthetic, easy to prepare, Dopa-containing peptide (MFP-3s peptide), which adheres to organic surfaces just as effectively as its wild-type protein analog. Experiments and simulations both show significant differences in peptide adsorption on CH3-terminated (hydrophobic) and OH-terminated (hydrophilic) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), where adsorption is strongest on hydrophobic SAMs because of orientationally specific interactions with Dopa. Additional umbrella-sampling simulations yield free-energy profiles that quantitatively agree with SFA measurements and are used to extract the adhesive properties of individual amino acids within the context of MFP-3s peptide adhesion, revealing a delicate balance between van der Waals, hydrophobic, and electrostatic forces. PMID:27036002

Dissemination of physical activity promotion interventions in underserved populations.

PubMed

Yancey, Antronette K; Ory, Marcia G; Davis, Sally M

2006-10-01

Achieving minimum physical activity levels of 30 or more minutes per day will require a variety of intervention strategies to engage each segment of an aging and increasingly ethnically diverse U.S. population. This article presents a focused review of the sparse literature on the diffusion of evidence-based physical activity interventions that are culturally appropriate for underserved populations. Related literature and experiential insights inform this discussion, because so few published studies report outcome data beyond the first diffusion phase of intervention development and evaluation. Three brief case studies are presented to further illustrate and exemplify key concepts and processes at several different stages in diffusing physical activity interventions. Successful engagement of underserved populations reflects a delicate balance between embracing group customs and values and recognizing the nonmonolithic nature of any sociodemographically defined group. The costs of failing to promulgate effective physical activity interventions in these groups continue to mount, in dollars, health, and lives. Researchers, practitioners, decision makers, and policymakers must partner to bridge the evidentiary gap so that the physically active lifestyle choices become the easier choices.

Analysis of the Pathogenic Factors and Management of Dry Eye in Ocular Surface Disorders.

PubMed

Nebbioso, Marcella; Del Regno, Paola; Gharbiya, Magda; Sacchetti, Marta; Plateroti, Rocco; Lambiase, Alessandro

2017-08-13

The tear film represents the interface between the eye and the environment. The alteration of the delicate balance that regulates the secretion and distribution of the tear film determines the dry eye (DE) syndrome. Despite having a multifactorial origin, the main risk factors are female gender and advanced age. Likewise, morphological changes in several glands and in the chemical composition of their secretions, such as proteins, mucins, lipidics, aqueous tears, and salinity, are highly relevant factors that maintain a steady ocular surface. Another key factor of recurrence and onset of the disease is the presence of local and/or systemic inflammation that involves the ocular surface. DE syndrome is one of the most commonly encountered diseases in clinical practice, and many other causes related to daily life and the increase in average life expectancy will contribute to its onset. This review will consider the disorders of the ocular surface that give rise to such a widespread pathology. At the end, the most recent therapeutic options for the management of DE will be briefly discussed according to the specific underlying pathology.

To pray or not to pray: a question of ethics.

PubMed

French, Charlotte; Narayanasamy, Aru

There is a widespread belief that nurses have a duty to provide spiritual care. However, many feel there is still a need for debate surrounding the ethical use of prayer in both nursing research and practice. By using critical reflections and evidence-based literature, this paper develops a discourse on the ethics of prayer as a spiritual intervention in nursing and health care practice. Several key ethical issues are highlighted. In regards to research, lack of informed consent is a major concern in both research and nursing practice. Key ethical issues in practice include questions around intention and authority, e.g. despite the religious beliefs of the nurse, intentions to proselytize must be avoided to protect patient autonomy and avoid abuse of the nurse's authority. Furthermore, prayer has unknown side effects and implications. This paper concludes that, in practice, nurses must reconcile their personal, spiritual beliefs with their professional duties, and while this may be a delicate balance, it is not yet appropriate to encourage or dissuade a patient from their beliefs until appropriate research evidence is produced.

Dental plaque biofilm in oral health and disease.

PubMed

Seneviratne, Chaminda Jayampath; Zhang, Cheng Fei; Samaranayake, Lakshman Perera

2011-01-01

Dental plaque is an archetypical biofilm composed of a complex microbial community. It is the aetiological agent for major dental diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease. The clinical picture of these dental diseases is a net result of the cross-talk between the pathogenic dental plaque biofilm and the host tissue response. In the healthy state, both plaque biofilm and adjacent tissues maintain a delicate balance, establishing a harmonious relationship between the two. However, changes occur during the disease process that transform this 'healthy' dental plaque into a 'pathogenic' biofilm. Recent advances in molecular microbiology have improved the understanding of dental plaque biofilm and produced numerous clinical benefits. Therefore, it is imperative that clinicians keep abreast with these new developments in the field of dentistry. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind dental diseases will facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies to establish a 'healthy dental plaque biofilm' by modulating both host and microbial factors. In this review, the present authors aim to summarise the current knowledge on dental plaque as a microbial biofilm and its properties in oral health and disease.

Organization and function of the actin cytoskeleton in developing root cells.

PubMed

Blancaflor, Elison B; Wang, Yuh-Shuh; Motes, Christy M

2006-01-01

The actin cytoskeleton is a highly dynamic structure, which mediates various cellular functions in large part through accessory proteins that tilt the balance between monomeric G-actin and filamentous actin (F-actin) or by facilitating interactions between actin and the plasma membrane, microtubules, and other organelles. Roots have become an attractive model to study actin in plant development because of their simple anatomy and accessibility of some root cell types such as root hairs for microscopic analyses. Roots also exhibit a remarkable developmental plasticity and possess a delicate sensory system that is easily manipulated, so that one can design experiments addressing a range of important biological questions. Many facets of root development can be regulated by the diverse actin network found in the various root developmental regions. Various molecules impinge on this actin scaffold to define how a particular root cell type grows or responds to a specific environmental signal. Although advances in genomics are leading the way toward elucidating actin function in roots, more significant strides will be realized when such tools are combined with improved methodologies for accurately depicting how actin is organized in plant cells.

An Update on Oxidative Damage to Spermatozoa and Oocytes

PubMed Central

Opuwari, Chinyerum S.; Henkel, Ralf R.

2016-01-01

On the one hand, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are mandatory mediators for essential cellular functions including the function of germ cells (oocytes and spermatozoa) and thereby the fertilization process. However, the exposure of these cells to excessive levels of oxidative stress by too high levels of ROS or too low levels of antioxidative protection will render these cells dysfunctional thereby failing the fertilization process and causing couples to be infertile. Numerous causes are responsible for the delicate bodily redox system being out of balance and causing disease and infertility. Many of these causes are modifiable such as lifestyle factors like obesity, poor nutrition, heat stress, smoking, or alcohol abuse. Possible correctable measures include foremost lifestyle changes, but also supplementation with antioxidants to scavenge excessive ROS. However, this should only be done after careful examination of the patient and establishment of the individual bodily antioxidant needs. In addition, other corrective measures include sperm separation for assisted reproductive techniques. However, these techniques have to be carried out very carefully as they, if applied wrongly, bear risks of generating ROS damaging the germ cells and preventing fertilization. PMID:26942204

Growth Mechanism and Origin of High s p3 Content in Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caro, Miguel A.; Deringer, Volker L.; Koskinen, Jari; Laurila, Tomi; Csányi, Gábor

2018-04-01

We study the deposition of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films from molecular dynamics simulations based on a machine-learned interatomic potential trained from density-functional theory data. For the first time, the high s p3 fractions in excess of 85% observed experimentally are reproduced by means of computational simulation, and the deposition energy dependence of the film's characteristics is also accurately described. High confidence in the potential and direct access to the atomic interactions allow us to infer the microscopic growth mechanism in this material. While the widespread view is that ta-C grows by "subplantation," we show that the so-called "peening" model is actually the dominant mechanism responsible for the high s p3 content. We show that pressure waves lead to bond rearrangement away from the impact site of the incident ion, and high s p3 fractions arise from a delicate balance of transitions between three- and fourfold coordinated carbon atoms. These results open the door for a microscopic understanding of carbon nanostructure formation with an unprecedented level of predictive power.

Analysis of the Pathogenic Factors and Management of Dry Eye in Ocular Surface Disorders

PubMed Central

Del Regno, Paola; Sacchetti, Marta; Plateroti, Rocco

2017-01-01

The tear film represents the interface between the eye and the environment. The alteration of the delicate balance that regulates the secretion and distribution of the tear film determines the dry eye (DE) syndrome. Despite having a multifactorial origin, the main risk factors are female gender and advanced age. Likewise, morphological changes in several glands and in the chemical composition of their secretions, such as proteins, mucins, lipidics, aqueous tears, and salinity, are highly relevant factors that maintain a steady ocular surface. Another key factor of recurrence and onset of the disease is the presence of local and/or systemic inflammation that involves the ocular surface. DE syndrome is one of the most commonly encountered diseases in clinical practice, and many other causes related to daily life and the increase in average life expectancy will contribute to its onset. This review will consider the disorders of the ocular surface that give rise to such a widespread pathology. At the end, the most recent therapeutic options for the management of DE will be briefly discussed according to the specific underlying pathology. PMID:28805710

Good stress, bad stress--the delicate balance in the vasculature.

PubMed

Wingler, Kirstin; Schmidt, Harald H H W

2009-10-01

Radicals have important physiological functions, for example, in immune defense and vasoprotection. However, they are also potentially dangerous waste products of cellular metabolism and they can contribute to the development of many different diseases. Selective literature review. The scientific understanding of radicals has not yet led to any therapeutic application. For many years, scavenging already formed radicals with antioxidants was considered to be the most promising therapeutic approach, but clinical trials based on this principle have yielded mostly negative results. Thus, entirely new approaches are needed. The goal should be to prevent the formation of harmful radicals, or to treat radical-related damage if it has already occurred. New diagnostic tools have the potential to identify those patients that are most likely to benefit from this form of treatment, as well as to document its success. A new generation of cardiovascular drugs is being developed for the prevention or the mechanism-based treatment of vascular damage caused by oxidative stress. This new therapy should go hand in hand with new diagnostics, in accordance with the principle of individualized medicine.

77 FR 47223 - Medicare Program; Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System-Update for Fiscal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-07

... and SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) Balanced Budget Refinement Act of the 1999 (BBRA....7 percent adjusted by a 0.1 percentage point reduction as required by section 1886(s)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and a 0.7 percentage point reduction as required by 1886(s)(2)(A)(i...

School Board and Superintendent Accountability: A Policy Analysis regarding the Implementation of the Ralph M. Brown Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cote, Craig Gerald

2010-01-01

The Ralph M. Brown Act's enforcement language implies striking a proper balance between school public officials and the public at large. This study of The Brown Act's enforcement provisions is presented in the context of school districts. The investigation focused on the following overarching question: Does a policy analysis support a finding that…

The Care Manager's Dilemma: Balancing Human Rights with Risk Management under the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prebble, Kate; Diesfeld, Kate; Frey, Rosemary; Sutton, Daniel; Honey, Michelle; Vickery, Russell; McKenna, Brian

2013-01-01

In New Zealand, the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003 provides diversion for persons with an intellectual disability who have been charged with, or convicted of, a criminal offence. This unique Act moves the responsibility for such "care recipients" from the criminal justice system to a disability…

The Mental Capacity Act--a balance between protection and liberty.

PubMed

Walters, Thomas Paul

The stated aim of the Mental Capacity Act is to provide greater protection to those who may lose their mental capacities, particularly in terms of informed consent, patient affairs, advanced decisions and research. This article attempts to explore this new statute by way of examining the scope to which the Act departs from the previous Common Law. Three key themes are identified within this new Act, which differentiate it from Common Law: patients' best interests, which is paramount to any care or treatment; proxy consent, whereby donees can now be appointed to take charge of medical decisions; and advanced directives, where so-called living wills can be enforced provided that they are specific, written, signed and witnessed. However, upon examining the statute it appears that rather than increasing patient autonomy and self-determination, evidence suggests that power is still being held by the medical profession. Whether patients have full autonomy or not, the main issue could be how to strike an effective and workable balance between protection and liberty.

Thriving and surviving in home care and skilled nursing facilities under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

PubMed

Turnbull, G B

2000-03-01

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA 97) contains the most dramatic changes to the Medicare program since its genesis nearly 35 years ago. To remain financially viable under the cost-cutting measures mandated in this Act, hospitals, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and their employees must have a working knowledge of its contents. In addition, the patients served by these health care providers must have well documented and positive health outcomes, and they must be satisfied with the care and service they receive. Nevertheless, merely understanding the changes mandated by BBA 97 is not sufficient for success; clinicians also must develop innovative solutions to the hurdles the Act erects and quickly integrate them into daily practice. Issues of payment and reimbursement have everything to do with the delivery of today's patient care, regardless of the setting where it is delivered. BBA 97 offers special opportunities to wound, ostomy, and continence care clinicians.

The Balancing Act of Women Administrators: Home and Career.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villadsen, Alice W.

The study discussed in this paper investigated the problems that women in educational administration face as they try to balance career and home responsibilities. A survey was taken of 335 women administrators in 56 public colleges and universities in 5 southern states. Twenty women of the 8 percent who responded were interviewed. Results showed…

A Balancing Act: Interpreting Tragedy at the 9/11 Memorial Museum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rauch, Noah

2018-01-01

The 9/11 Memorial Museum's docent program offers visitors artifact-based entry-points into a difficult, emotional history. The program's launch raised a host of questions, many centered on how to balance and convey strongly held, often traumatic, and sometimes conflicting experiences with a newly constructed institutional narrative. This article…

Verifying Magnetic Force on a Conductor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganci, Salvatore

2011-01-01

The laboratory measurement of the magnetic force acting on a straight wire of length "l" carrying a current of intensity "i" in a magnetic field "B" is usually made using current balances, which are offered by various physics apparatus suppliers' catalogues. These balances require an adequate magnet and commonly allow only the measurement of the…

17 CFR 1.34 - Monthly record, “point balance”.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... REGULATIONS UNDER THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT Recordkeeping § 1.34 Monthly record, “point balance”. (a) Each... statement commonly known as a “point balance,” which accrues or brings to the official closing price, or... contracts long and short in the customers' accounts are in balance with those in the carrying futures...

17 CFR 1.34 - Monthly record, “point balance”.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... REGULATIONS UNDER THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT Recordkeeping § 1.34 Monthly record, “point balance”. (a) Each... statement commonly known as a “point balance,” which accrues or brings to the official closing price, or... contracts long and short in the customers' accounts are in balance with those in the carrying futures...

The financial status of Medicare.

PubMed

Foster, R S

1998-01-01

Medicare is the largest health care program in the country, providing medical care to 38 million aged and disabled Americans. Concerns over rapid cost increases and the imminent insolvency of the Medicare Hospital Insurance trust fund led to enactment of sweeping Medicare legislation as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Preliminary estimates indicate that this legislation will result in program savings of $150 billion in the first five years and will postpone the depletion of the Hospital Insurance fund from the year 2001 until about 2010. While the Balanced Budget Act significantly reduces Hospital Insurance expenditure in the long range, serious deficits are still expected when the "baby boom" generation reaches retirement. The Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance trust fund is automatically in financial balance, but policy makers remain concerned about continuing rapid cost increases. A new National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare will attempt to determine effective solutions to these long-range problems.

Balancing Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Mike

2007-01-01

For some administrators and planners, designing and building education facilities may sometimes seem like a circus act--trying to project a persona of competence and confidence while juggling dozens of issues. Meanwhile, the audience--students, staff members and taxpayers--watch and wait with anticipation in hopes of getting what they paid for and…

The Income and Jobs Action Act of 1985. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session, on H.R. 1398. (Chicago, IL, September 4, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and Labor.

The proceedings of a House Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities hearing, held in Chicago, are provided in this document. Testimony is presented on a proposed bill, H.R. 1938 (the Income and Jobs Action Act), which aims at reducing unemployment by fully implementing the Employment Act of 1946 and the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of…

Wetland Ecohydrology: stochastic description of water level fluctuations across the soil surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamea, S.; Muneepeerakul, R.; Laio, F.; Ridolfi, L.; Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.

2009-12-01

Wetlands provide a suite of social and ecological critical functions such as being habitats of disease-carrying vectors, providing buffer zones against hurricanes, controlling sediment transport, filtering nutrients and contaminants, and a repository of great biological diversity. More recently, wetlands have also been recognized as crucial for carbon storage in the context of global climate change. Despite such importance, quantitative approaches to many aspects of wetlands are far from adequate. Therefore, improving our quantitative understanding of wetlands is necessary to our ability to maintain, manage, and restore these invaluable environments. In wetlands, hydrologic factors and ecosystem processes interplay and generate unique characteristics and a delicate balance between biotic and abiotic elements. The main hydrologic driver of wetland ecosystems is the position of the water level that, being above or below ground, determines the submergence or exposure of soil. When the water level is above the soil surface, soil saturation and lack of oxygen causes hypoxia, anaerobic functioning of microorganisms and anoxic stress in plants, that might lead to the death of non-adapted organisms. When the water level lies below the soil surface, the ecosystem becomes groundwater-dependent, and pedological and physiological aspects play their role in the soil water balance. We propose here a quantitative description of wetland ecohydrology, through a stochastic process-based water balance, driven by a marked compound Poisson noise representing rainfall events. The model includes processes such as rainfall infiltration, evapotranspiration, capillary rise, and the contribution of external water bodies, which are quantified in a simple yet realistic way. The semi-analytical steady-state probability distributions of water level spanning across the soil surface are validated with data from the Everglades (Florida, USA). The model and its results allow for a quantitative analysis of the long term behavior of biotic and abiotic factors which depend on the position of the water level and enable the assessment of impacts of climate changes on the wetland ecosystem.

Comparative Physiology of Energy Metabolism: Fishing for Endocrine Signals in the Early Vertebrate Pool

PubMed Central

van de Pol, Iris; Flik, Gert; Gorissen, Marnix

2017-01-01

Energy is the common currency of life. To guarantee a homeostatic supply of energy, multiple neuro-endocrine systems have evolved in vertebrates; systems that regulate food intake, metabolism, and distribution of energy. Even subtle (lasting) dysregulation of the delicate balance of energy intake and expenditure may result in severe pathologies. Feeding-related pathologies have fueled research on mammals, including of course the human species. The mechanisms regulating food intake and body mass are well-characterized in these vertebrates. The majority of animal life is ectothermic, only birds and mammals are endotherms. What can we learn from a (comparative) study on energy homeostasis in teleostean fishes, ectotherms, with a very different energy budget and expenditure? We present several adaptation strategies in fish. In recent years, the components that regulate food intake in fishes have been identified. Although there is homology of the major genetic machinery with mammals (i.e., there is a vertebrate blueprint), in many cases this does not imply analogy. Although both mammals and fish must gain their energy from food, the expenditure of the energy obtained is different. Mammals need to spend vast amounts of energy to maintain body temperature; fishes seem to utilize a broader metabolic range to their advantage. In this review, we briefly discuss ecto- and endothermy and their consequences for energy balance. Next, we argue that the evolution of endothermy and its (dis-)advantages may explain very different strategies in endocrine regulation of energy homeostasis among vertebrates. We follow a comparative and evolutionary line of thought: we discuss similarities and differences between fish and mammals. Moreover, given the extraordinary radiation of teleostean fishes (with an estimated number of 33,400 contemporary species, or over 50% of vertebrate life forms), we also compare strategies in energy homeostasis between teleostean species. We present recent developments in the field of (neuro)endocrine regulation of energy balance in teleosts, with a focus on leptin. PMID:28303116

Swaps and Chains and Vouchers, Oh My!: Evaluating How Saving More Lives Impacts the Equitable Allocation of Live Donor Kidneys.

PubMed

Tenenbaum, Evelyn M

2018-03-01

Live kidney donation involves a delicate balance between saving the most lives possible and maintaining a transplant system that is fair to the many thousands of patients on the transplant waiting list. Federal law and regulations require that kidney allocation be equitable, but the pressure to save patients subject to ever-lengthening waiting times for a transplant has been swinging the balance toward optimizing utility at the expense of justice. This article traces the progression of innovations created to make optimum use of a patient's own live donors. It starts with the simplest - direct donation by family members - and ends with voucher donations, a very recent and unique innovation because the donor can donate 20 or more years before the intended recipient is expected to need a kidney. In return for the donation, the intended recipient receives a voucher that can be redeemed for a live kidney when it is needed. Other innovations that are discussed include kidney exchanges and list paired donation, which are used to facilitate donor swaps when donor/recipient pairs have incompatible blood types. The discussion of each new innovation shows how the equity issues build on each other and how, with each new innovation, it becomes progressively harder to find an acceptable balance between utility and justice. The article culminates with an analysis of two recent allocation methods that have the potential to save many additional lives, but also affirmatively harm some patients on the deceased donor waiting list by increasing their waiting time for a life-saving kidney. The article concludes that saving additional lives does not justify harming patients on the waiting list unless that harm can be minimized. It also proposes solutions to minimize the harm so these new innovations can equitably perform their intended function of stimulating additional transplants and extending the lives of many transplant patients.

18 CFR 367.2420 - Account 242, Miscellaneous current and accrued liabilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Liabilities... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 242, Miscellaneous current and accrued liabilities. 367.2420 Section 367.2420 Conservation of Power and Water...

17 CFR 403.7 - Effective dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMER SECURITIES AND BALANCES § 403.7 Effective... referred to in § 403.4 concerning the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, and (ii) if applicable... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Effective dates. 403.7 Section...

Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaver, Marc S.

2017-01-01

Educational institutions continually work to balance between providing students with access to data and protecting copyright owner's exclusive rights. The Copyright Act of 1976, effective in 1978, provided exemptions for live and distance education. As digital technology grew in capability, its capabilities were incorporated in distance education,…

Checks and Balances at Work: The Restructuring of Virginia's Public Education System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couturier, Lara K.

2006-01-01

The nation's higher education community is watching, waiting with anticipation to see the outcome of Virginia's 2005 Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (Restructuring Act), which amounts to a significant renegotiation of the relationship between the Commonwealth of Virginia and its renowned public colleges…

A Balancing Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Tamika; Mobley, Mary; Huttenlock, Daniel

2013-01-01

It's the season for the job hunt, whether one is looking for their first job or taking the next step along their career path. This article presents first-person accounts to see how teachers balance the rewards and challenges of working in different types of schools. Tamica Lewis, a third-grade teacher, states that faculty at her school is…

Balancing Act: A Phenomenological Study of Female Adult Learners Who Successfully Persisted in Graduate Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepherd, Jeff; Nelson, Barbara Mullins

2012-01-01

A study was conducted utilizing Cross' (1981) barriers to adult learning as a framework to better understand how adults successfully complete their graduate studies. Participants in the study were solicited via Facebook and LinkedIn. Three female adult learners who persisted in their graduate studies while balancing demands outside academics…

Finding Your Musical Oasis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randall, Mac

2009-01-01

Repertoire selection is a balancing act on many levels, but the essential balance is that between education and emotion. If a given piece doesn't provide some element that can be used for the purpose of instruction, it's probably not worth considering. And yet it's also necessary to consider the emotional impact of a piece to judge it fully. This…

76 FR 18254 - Proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Employee...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-01

... WHD to determine how those policies affect the work-life balance of workers and the productivity and work flow of employers. The study enables DOL to shape future regulatory options, craft interpretive... Family and Medical Leave. The final report on this survey, titled ``A Workable Balance: Report to...

A Measurement of the Force between Two Current-Carrying Wires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straulino, S.; Cartacci, A.

2014-01-01

The measurement of the force acting between two parallel, current-carrying wires is known as Ampère's experiment. A mechanical balance was historically employed to measure that force. We report a simple experiment based on an electronic precision balance that is useful in clearly showing students the existence of this interaction and how to…

77 FR 12890 - Notice of Applications for Deregistration Under the Investment Company Act of 1940

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-02

... Rd., Columbus, OH 43219. Oppenheimer Balanced Fund [File No. 811-3864] Summary: Applicant seeks an... Address: 6803 S. Tucson Way, Centennial, CO 80112. TS&W/Claymore Tax-Advantage Balanced Fund [File No. 811.... DWS Technology Fund [File No. 811-547] DWS Mutual Funds, Inc. [File No. 811-5565] Summary: Each...

The Balancing Act: How Principals Perceive the Competing Demands of Instructional Leadership and Managerial Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharpe, Robert R.

2012-01-01

It is becoming increasingly difficult for principals to manage the challenges found in the current educational environment. Principals must lead schools as they juggle the many demands of the contemporary principalship. Principals often struggle in balancing the expectations of their many roles and responsibilities. At the center of this problem…

Balancing Act: Motherhood, Marriage, and Employment among American Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spain, Daphne; Bianchi, Suzanne M.

Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau (the Current Population Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation) and other federal agencies were used to examine trends in the ways different cohorts of women born between 1906 and 1975 have attempted to balance motherhood, marriage, and employment. The study focused on the following:…

Managing the Openness-Closedness Dialectic: How Graduate Teaching Assistants Handle the Tension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Nathan G.

2012-01-01

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are a pervasive part of undergraduate education. When interacting with undergraduate students, GTAs must balance a tension of being a friend and an authority figure with students. One of the ways that balance is managed is through GTA self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is defined as, "the act of revealing…

The balance between innovation and competition: the Hatch-Waxman Act, the 2003 Amendments, and beyond.

PubMed

Kelly, Colleen

2011-01-01

In 1984, Congress passed the Hatch-Waxman Act, a landmark statute designed both to encourage innovation by pioneer drug companies and to increase competition by generic drug companies. After its enactment, drug companies attempted to "ga the regulatory regime to their respective economic advantage. In 2003, in an effort to address these issues, FDA promulgated a final rule and Congress passed the Medicare Modernization Act, amending the Hatch-Waxman Act. This article provides a comprehensive look at the 2003 statutory and regulatory changes. First, the article analyzes the history and provisions of the original Hatch-Waxman Act and the issues that arose after its enactment. Second, the article discusses the passage of the 2003 FDA rule and the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act. Next, the article demonstrates that, although the 2003 amendments may have definitively resolved some issues, the amendments did not resolve all interpretive issues and have even led to unintended consequences. In particular, the article discusses several areas of current controversy, including the effect of patent delisting and patent expiration on 180-day exclusivity, the patent delisting counterclaim provision, the declaratory judgment action provision, patent settlement agreements, and authorized generics. Finally, the article assesses the potential for future reform of the Hatch-Waxman Act. The article concludes that maintaining the balance between innovation and competition will likely remain a daunting task for legislators and regulators in the future.

Extreme heat reduces and shifts United States premium wine production in the 21st century

PubMed Central

White, M. A.; Diffenbaugh, N. S.; Jones, G. V.; Pal, J. S.; Giorgi, F.

2006-01-01

Premium wine production is limited to regions climatically conducive to growing grapes with balanced composition and varietal typicity. Three central climatic conditions are required: (i) adequate heat accumulation; (ii) low risk of severe frost damage; and (iii) the absence of extreme heat. Although wine production is possible in an extensive climatic range, the highest-quality wines require a delicate balance among these three conditions. Although historical and projected average temperature changes are known to influence global wine quality, the potential future response of wine-producing regions to spatially heterogeneous changes in extreme events is largely unknown. Here, by using a high-resolution regional climate model forced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios A2 greenhouse gas emission scenario, we estimate that potential premium winegrape production area in the conterminous United States could decline by up to 81% by the late 21st century. While increases in heat accumulation will shift wine production to warmer climate varieties and/or lower-quality wines, and frost constraints will be reduced, increases in the frequency of extreme hot days (>35°C) in the growing season are projected to eliminate winegrape production in many areas of the United States. Furthermore, grape and wine production will likely be restricted to a narrow West Coast region and the Northwest and Northeast, areas currently facing challenges related to excess moisture. Our results not only imply large changes for the premium wine industry, but also highlight the importance of incorporating fine-scale processes and extreme events in climate-change impact studies. PMID:16840557

Impaired Excitatory Drive to Spinal Gabaergic Neurons of Neuropathic Mice

PubMed Central

Leitner, Jörg; Westerholz, Sören; Heinke, Bernhard; Forsthuber, Liesbeth; Wunderbaldinger, Gabriele; Jäger, Tino; Gruber-Schoffnegger, Doris; Braun, Katharina; Sandkühler, Jürgen

2013-01-01

Adequate pain sensitivity requires a delicate balance between excitation and inhibition in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This balance is severely impaired in neuropathy leading to enhanced pain sensations (hyperalgesia). The underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we explored the hypothesis that the excitatory drive to spinal GABAergic neurons might be impaired in neuropathic animals. Transgenic adult mice expressing EGFP under the promoter for GAD67 underwent either chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve or sham surgery. In transverse slices from lumbar spinal cord we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from identified GABAergic neurons in lamina II. In neuropathic animals rates of mEPSC were reduced indicating diminished global excitatory input. This downregulation of excitatory drive required a rise in postsynaptic Ca2+. Neither the density and morphology of dendritic spines on GABAergic neurons nor the number of excitatory synapses contacting GABAergic neurons were affected by neuropathy. In contrast, paired-pulse ratio of Aδ- or C-fiber-evoked monosynaptic EPSCs following dorsal root stimulation was increased in neuropathic animals suggesting reduced neurotransmitter release from primary afferents. Our data indicate that peripheral neuropathy triggers Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways in spinal GABAergic neurons. This leads to a global downregulation of the excitatory drive to GABAergic neurons. The downregulation involves a presynaptic mechanism and also applies to the excitation of GABAergic neurons by presumably nociceptive Aδ- and C-fibers. This then leads to an inadequately low recruitment of inhibitory interneurons during nociception. We suggest that this previously unrecognized mechanism of impaired spinal inhibition contributes to hyperalgesia in neuropathy. PMID:24009748

Homeostatic Scaling of Excitability in Recurrent Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Remme, Michiel W. H.; Wadman, Wytse J.

2012-01-01

Neurons adjust their intrinsic excitability when experiencing a persistent change in synaptic drive. This process can prevent neural activity from moving into either a quiescent state or a saturated state in the face of ongoing plasticity, and is thought to promote stability of the network in which neurons reside. However, most neurons are embedded in recurrent networks, which require a delicate balance between excitation and inhibition to maintain network stability. This balance could be disrupted when neurons independently adjust their intrinsic excitability. Here, we study the functioning of activity-dependent homeostatic scaling of intrinsic excitability (HSE) in a recurrent neural network. Using both simulations of a recurrent network consisting of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that implement HSE, and a mean-field description of adapting excitatory and inhibitory populations, we show that the stability of such adapting networks critically depends on the relationship between the adaptation time scales of both neuron populations. In a stable adapting network, HSE can keep all neurons functioning within their dynamic range, while the network is undergoing several (patho)physiologically relevant types of plasticity, such as persistent changes in external drive, changes in connection strengths, or the loss of inhibitory cells from the network. However, HSE cannot prevent the unstable network dynamics that result when, due to such plasticity, recurrent excitation in the network becomes too strong compared to feedback inhibition. This suggests that keeping a neural network in a stable and functional state requires the coordination of distinct homeostatic mechanisms that operate not only by adjusting neural excitability, but also by controlling network connectivity. PMID:22570604

Giant magnetoresistive biosensors for molecular diagnosis: surface chemistry and assay development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Heng; Osterfeld, Sebastian J.; Xu, Liang; White, Robert L.; Pourmand, Nader; Wang, Shan X.

2008-08-01

Giant magnetoresistive (GMR) biochips using magnetic nanoparticle as labels were developed for molecular diagnosis. The sensor arrays consist of GMR sensing strips of 1.5 μm or 0.75 μm in width. GMR sensors are exquisitely sensitive yet very delicate, requiring ultrathin corrosion-resistive passivation and efficient surface chemistry for oligonucleotide probe immobilization. A mild and stable surface chemistry was first developed that is especially suitable for modifying delicate electronic device surfaces, and a practical application of our GMR biosensors was then demonstrated for detecting four most common human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes in plasmids. We also showed that the DNA hybridization time could potentially be reduced from overnight to about ten minutes using microfluidics.

Probabilistic and statistical relationships between number of vehicles and number of visitors at a geologic site in a National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crovelli, R.A.

1997-01-01

The National Park Service needs to establish in all of the national parks how large the parking lots should be in order to enjoy and presence our natural resources, for example, in the Delicate Arch in the Arches National Park. Probabilistic and statistical relationships were developed between the number of vehicles (N) at one time in the Wolfe Ranch parking lot and the number of visitors (X) at Delicate Arch 1.5 miles away in the Arches National Park, southeastern Utah. The value of N is determined such that 30 or more visitors are at the arch only 10% of the time.

Living supramolecular polymerization realized through a biomimetic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogi, Soichiro; Sugiyasu, Kazunori; Manna, Swarup; Samitsu, Sadaki; Takeuchi, Masayuki

2014-03-01

Various conventional reactions in polymer chemistry have been translated to the supramolecular domain, yet it has remained challenging to devise living supramolecular polymerization. To achieve this, self-organization occurring far from thermodynamic equilibrium—ubiquitously observed in nature—must take place. Prion infection is one example that can be observed in biological systems. Here, we present an ‘artificial infection’ process in which porphyrin-based monomers assemble into nanoparticles, and are then converted into nanofibres in the presence of an aliquot of the nanofibre, which acts as a ‘pathogen’. We have investigated the assembly phenomenon using isodesmic and cooperative models and found that it occurs through a delicate interplay of these two aggregation pathways. Using this understanding of the mechanism taking place, we have designed a living supramolecular polymerization of the porphyrin-based monomers. Despite the fact that the polymerization is non-covalent, the reaction kinetics are analogous to that of conventional chain growth polymerization, and the supramolecular polymers were synthesized with controlled length and narrow polydispersity.

Hospital cost shifting revisited: new evidence from the balanced budget act of 1997.

PubMed

Wu, Vivian Y

2010-03-01

This paper analyzes hospital cost shifting using a natural experiment generated by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997. I find evidence that urban hospitals were able to shift part of the burden of Medicare payment reduction onto private payers. However, the overall estimated degree of cost shifting is small and varies according to a hospital's share of private patients. At hospitals where Medicare is a small payer relative to private insurers, up to 37% of BBA cuts was transferred to private payers through higher payments. In contrast, hospitals with greater reliance on Medicare were more financially distressed, as these hospitals saw large BBA cuts but were limited in their abilities to cost shift.

Inflammatory etiopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus: an update

PubMed Central

Podolska, Malgorzata J; Biermann, Mona HC; Maueröder, Christian; Hahn, Jonas; Herrmann, Martin

2015-01-01

The immune system struggles every day between responding to foreign antigens and tolerating self-antigens to delicately maintain tissue homeostasis. If self-tolerance is broken, the development of autoimmunity can be the consequence, as it is in the case of the chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is considered to be a multifactorial disease comprising various processes and cell types that act abnormally and in a harmful way. Oxidative stress, infections, or, in general, tissue injury are accompanied by massive cellular demise. Several processes such as apoptosis, necrosis, or NETosis (formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps [NETs]) may occur alone or in combination. If clearance of dead cells is insufficient, cellular debris may accumulate and trigger inflammation and leakage of cytoplasmic and nuclear autoantigens like ribonucleoproteins, DNA, or histones. Inadequate removal of cellular remnants in the germinal centers of secondary lymphoid organs may result in the presentation of autoantigens by follicular dendritic cells to autoreactive B cells that had been generated by chance during the process of somatic hypermutation (loss of peripheral tolerance). The improper exposure of nuclear autoantigens in this delicate location is consequently prone to break self-tolerance to nuclear autoantigens. Indeed, the germline variants of autoantibodies often do not show autoreactivity. The subsequent production of autoantibodies plays a critical role in the development of the complex immunological disorder fostering SLE. Immune complexes composed of cell-derived autoantigens and autoantibodies are formed and get deposited in various tissues, such as the kidney, leading to severe organ damage. Alternatively, they may also be formed in situ by binding to planted antigens of circulating autoantibodies. Here, we review current knowledge about the etiopathogenesis of SLE including the involvement of different types of cell death, serving as the potential source of autoantigens, and impaired clearance of cell remnants, causing accumulation of cellular debris. PMID:26316795

Point of care platelet activity measurement in primary PCI [PINPOINT-PPCI]: a protocol paper

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Optimal treatment of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) involves rapid diagnosis, and transfer to a cardiac centre capable of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for immediate mechanical revascularisation. Successful treatment requires rapid return of perfusion to the myocardium achieved by thromboaspiration, passivation of the culprit lesion with stent scaffolding and systemic inhibition of thrombosis and platelet activation. A delicate balance exists between thrombosis and bleeding and consequently anti-thrombotic and antiplatelet treatment regimens continue to evolve. The desire to achieve reperfusion as soon as possible, in the setting of high platelet reactivity, requires potent and fast-acting anti-thrombotic/anti-platelet therapies. The associated bleeding risk may be minimised by use of short-acting anti-thrombotic intravenous agents. However, effective oral platelet inhibition is required to prevent recurrent thrombosis. The interaction between baseline platelet reactivity, timing of revascularisation and effective inhibition of thrombosis is yet to be formally investigated. Methods/Design We present a protocol for a prospective observational study in patients presenting with acute STEMI treated with primary PCI (PPCI) and receiving bolus/infusion bivalirudin and prasugrel therapy. The objective of this study is to describe variation in platelet reactivity, as measured by the multiplate platelet function analyser, at presentation, the end of the PPCI procedure and 1, 2, & 24 hours post-procedure. We intend to assess the prevalence of high residual platelet reactivity within 24 hours of PPCI in acute STEMI patients receiving prasugrel and bivalirudin. Additionally, we will investigate the association between high platelet reactivity before and after PPCI and the door-to-procedure completion time. This is a single centre study with a target sample size of 108 participants. Discussion The baseline platelet reactivity on presentation with a STEMI may impact on the effect of acute anti-thrombotic and anti-platelet therapy and expose patients to a heightened risk of bleeding or ongoing thrombosis. This study will define the baseline variation in platelet reactivity in a population of patients experiencing acute STEMI and assess the pharmacodynamic response to combined treatment with bivalirudin and prasugrel. The data obtained from this trial will be hypothesis generating for future trials testing alternative pharmacotherapies in the acute phase of treatment for STEMI. Trial registration This study has approval from Wiltshire research ethics committee (10/H0106/87) and is registered with current controlled trials (http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN82257414). PMID:24708700

Hydrostatic Paradox: Experimental Verification of Pressure Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kodejška, C.; Ganci, S.; Ríha, J.; Sedlácková, H.

2017-01-01

This work is focused on the experimental verification of the balance between the atmospheric pressure acting on the sheet of paper, which encloses the cylinder completely or partially filled with water from below, where the hydrostatic pressure of the water column acts against the atmospheric pressure. First of all this paper solves a theoretical…

18 CFR 367.2330 - Account 233, Notes payable to associate companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Liabilities § 367.2330... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 233, Notes payable to associate companies. 367.2330 Section 367.2330 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

18 CFR 367.2430 - Account 243, Obligations under capital leases-Current.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Liabilities § 367.2430... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 243, Obligations under capital leases-Current. 367.2430 Section 367.2430 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

18 CFR 367.1460 - Account 146, Accounts receivable from associate companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Assets § 367.1460... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 146, Accounts receivable from associate companies. 367.1460 Section 367.1460 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

18 CFR 367.1740 - Account 174, Miscellaneous current and accrued assets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Assets § 367.1740... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 174, Miscellaneous current and accrued assets. 367.1740 Section 367.1740 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

18 CFR 367.1890 - Account 189, Unamortized loss on reacquired debt.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Deferred Debits § 367.1890 Account 189... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 189, Unamortized loss on reacquired debt. 367.1890 Section 367.1890 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

18 CFR 367.2340 - Account 234, Accounts payable to associate companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Liabilities § 367.2340... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 234, Accounts payable to associate companies. 367.2340 Section 367.2340 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

18 CFR 367.2161 - Account 216.1, Unappropriated undistributed subsidiary earnings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Proprietary Capital § 367.2161... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 216.1, Unappropriated undistributed subsidiary earnings. 367.2161 Section 367.2161 Conservation of Power and Water...

18 CFR 367.2270 - Account 227, Obligations under capital lease-Non-current.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., FEDERAL POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Other Noncurrent Liabilities § 367... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 227, Obligations under capital lease-Non-current. 367.2270 Section 367.2270 Conservation of Power and Water...

18 CFR 367.1450 - Account 145, Notes receivable from associate companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... POWER ACT AND NATURAL GAS ACT Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Current and Accrued Assets § 367.1450... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Account 145, Notes receivable from associate companies. 367.1450 Section 367.1450 Conservation of Power and Water Resources...

77 FR 41213 - Cross-Border Application of Certain Swaps Provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-12

... Consumer Protection Act In the fall of 2008 a series of large financial institution failures triggered a... lack of supervisory oversight for certain financial institutions as a whole, and the interconnectedness... $700 billion of troubled assets that weighed down the balance sheets of U.S. financial institutions...