cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Background adaptation in children with a history of mild retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: In children with a history of mild retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), test the hypothesis that elevation of the parafoveal over peripheral dark-adapted threshold is due to photoreceptor rather than postreceptor dysfunction. METHODS: A forced choice procedure was used to measure thresholds, for detection of 2 degrees diameter, 50 msec, blue stimuli presented 10 degrees (parafoveal) or 30 degrees (peripheral) eccentric in the dark and in the presence of steady red backgrounds (-4 to +2 log scot td). Four ROP and four control subjects were tested at both eccentricities. A model of the increment threshold function was fit to the data to calculate the eigengrau and dark-adapted threshold. RESULTS: Both ROP subjects with elevated parafoveal thresholds also have elevated parafoveal eigengraus. On the other hand, parafoveal and peripheral eigengraus are equal in ROP subjects without parafoveal threshold elevation. Nevertheless, the dark-adapted thresholds of all ROP subjects are higher than those of any control subject at both sites. CONCLUSIONS: The parafoveal threshold elevation is due to rod dysfunction. There is also evidence of peripheral rod photoreceptor involvement in the subjects with ROP.
Lyme Disease—An Unusual Cause of a Mitral Valve Endocarditis

Abstract Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Cardiac manifestations are rare, occurring in 0.5% to 10% of patients. Lyme carditis and atrioventricular block are established manifestations of Lyme disease. Endocarditis caused by Borrelia has been reported only twice previously, and in both cases, these were species (Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia bissettii) not present in North America. We report a unique case of mitral valve endocarditis caused by B burgdorferi.
New onset diabetes as a predictive factor of focal lesions in the pancreas in a high-risk screening program.

1512Background: Genetic evolution studies have suggested the existence of a window of opportunity to improve clinical outcomes by intercepting pre-malignant lesions. This study reports the outcomes...
Model-Based Search and Inference

One of the central topics of artificial intelligence research has been the problem of efficient search. For many problems in AI, there are straightforward methods for solving a problem by enumerating over a large set of possible interpretations and looking for those that are consistent with the given data. Unfortunately, in many cases the set of possible interpretations is combinatorially large and cannot be enumerated in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, a substantial amount of AI research has been devoted to finding methods for speeding up the search process. These methods fall into two classes: the so-called weak methods that look for general purpose algorithms that could be applied to any search problem, and the strong methods that attempt to apply specific knowledge of the problem at hand. Recent AI research has tended to concentrate on the strong methods—in particular, making use of large amounts of world knowledge that can often be applied to find a quick path through what would otherwise be an intractable search space.
A PID Controller Approach to Explain Human Ankle Biomechanics across Walking Speeds

Lower-limb robotic prostheses and exoskeletons depend on controllers to function in synchrony with their users. Recent advancements in control technology permit embodiment and more intuitive control for the user. In this study, we utilize a control engineering perspective to propose a phase-dependent muscle-driven proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) controller to regulate human ankle joint trajectories across walking speeds. We calculated the correlation coefficients that relate the tibialis and gastrocnemius muscle activation to the ankle joint angle error, integral of the error, and rate of change of the error between an average ankle joint trajectory and the ankle angle at two walking speeds: 1.5 m/s and 2.0 m/s. We noted that preswing (PSW) was the only gait period that had high absolute values for the correlation coefficients (> 0.7) across all three relationships. Other gait periods had varying high and low correlation coefficients across the different relationships. These results present a promising justification to utilize the classic control technique in a non-conventional manner. A phase-dependent and muscle-driven PID controller influenced by the PSW phase may be used to modulate the ankle joint trajectory with muscle activation across walking speeds in lower-limb robotic prostheses and exoskeletons.
Longitudinal Experience with Airway Emergencies in a Large Children’s Hospital

Background: Children’s hospitals often care for highly complex neonates and infants with severe rare birth defects ranging from giant neck masses to micrognathia and oral tumors with macroglossia. Referral centers with specialized airway programs and delivery capabilities see the largest populations of critical patients. Airway management can be challenging, given unique anatomic considerations. Unexpected airway emergencies arise frequently. We developed a Neonatal-Infant Emergency Airway program to help facilitate rapid intervention of airway emergencies. Equally important is the …
Wildfire Exposure Increases Pro-Environment Voting within Democratic but Not Republican Areas

One political barrier to climate reforms is the temporal mismatch between short-term policy costs and long-term policy benefits. Will public support for climate reforms increase as climate-related disasters make the short-term costs of inaction more salient? Leveraging variation in the timing of Californian wildfires, we evaluate how exposure to a climate-related hazard influences political behavior rather than self-reported attitudes or behavioral intentions. We show that wildfires increased support for costly, climate-related ballot measures by 5 to 6 percentage points for those living within 5 kilometers of a recent wildfire, decaying to near zero beyond a distance of 15 kilometers. This effect is concentrated in Democratic-voting areas, and it is nearly zero in Republican-dominated areas. We conclude that experienced climate threats can enhance willingness-to-act but largely in places where voters are known to believe in climate change.
Space to breathe: George Floyd, BLM plaza and the monumentalization of divided American Urban landscapes

The men who talk most about the valor of Lee and of the blood of the brave Confederate dead are those who never smelt powder or engaged in battle. Most of them were at a table, either on top or und...
My way: How strategic preferences vary by negotiator role and regulatory focus☆

Abstract Negotiators may use vigilant, loss-minimizing strategies or eager, gain-maximizing strategies. The present study provides evidence that preferences for these different strategies depend on negotiator role and personal orientation. In a price negotiation, buyers and prevention-focused individuals prefer vigilant strategies, whereas sellers and promotion-focused individuals prefer eager strategies. When there is a match between the strategy and the role (role–strategy fit) or between the strategy and the individual's regulatory focus orientation (focus–strategy fit), the negotiator experiences more fit and plans to be more demanding in the negotiation. By manipulating strategy in a real, binding negotiation, we reveal its importance in determining negotiators' subjective experiences and planned demand. Our results show that shared strategic preferences between different motivational orientations—negotiator role and personal regulatory focus—can create self-regulatory compatibility.
Implementation with Partial Verification

This paper examines the implementability of social choice functions when only partial verification of private information is possible. Green and Laffont (1986) used this framework to derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the revelation principle to continue to hold with partial verification. We provide economically interesting characterizations of this condition, which suggest that it may be too restrictive. This leads us to consider implementation (not necessarily truthful) in general, when there is partial verification. We consider the case where com-pensatory transfers are allowed, giving the mechanism designer further leeway. We show how partial verification may allow efficient implementation of bilateral trade, where it would other-wise not be possible.
Race, ethnicity, WIC participation, and infant health disparities in the United States.

Abstract Purpose This study examines the association between race and ethnicity, participation in The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and a series of infant health outcomes including infant mortality, low birth weight, preterm birth, extended infant hospitalization, and stays in the neonatal infant care unit (NICU). Methods Data are from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2009–2017. Moderation analyses were conducted to assess the association between maternal race and ethnicity, WIC participation, and infant health. Results Results indicate infants born to Black women and to a lesser extent Hispanic woman are in worse health than those born to White mothers in the United States. However, participation in WIC is associated with reductions in the gap in infant health experienced by racial and ethnic minorities. Conclusions Prenatal WIC participation is associated with improvements in the health of Black and Hispanic infants and reduced racial and ethnic disparities in infant health outcomes.
0104 Socialization of safety values in children: the role of parent and child gender

Statement of purpose Little is known about the role of fathers in the socialization of safety values in children. Here, we examine how parent and child gender influence the socialization of safety values. Methods/Approach Thirty-six parent-child dyads, with 8- to 10-year-old children (18 females, 27 mothers), jointly discussed and rated a set of 12 photographs depicting a child engaged in various physical activities (eg, reaching over a hot burner to pick up a pan). Conversations were coded for measures of who provided the initial rating, disagreements about safety, dangerous features and potential outcomes used to support ratings, and the final rating. Results Mixed-effects regressions included fixed effects of parent and child gender, a random intercept of dyad, and a covariate of child age. Mothers were 1.90 times more likely to provide the first rating with daughters, whereas fathers were 3.49 times more likely to so do with sons, z = 1.96, p = 0.04. Mothers and sons were 1.75 times more likely to disagree when compared to mother-daughter dyads, whereas fathers and daughters were 2.27 times more likely to disagree with one another compared to father-son dyads, z = -2.70, p = 0.01. While gender did not significantly predict references to dangerous features or potential outcomes, dyads with fathers rated the activities as being safer compared to dyads with mothers, t(31) = -2.13, p = 0.04. Conclusions Allowing children to provide the first safety rating is critical for understanding their perspective, yet parents in same-gender dyads did so more often than opposite-gender dyads. Disagreements are important in parents’ efforts to socialize safety values, but again same-gender dyads disagreed less than opposite-gender dyads. Significance Fathers may be underplaying riskiness relative to mothers and therefore increasing risk of childhood injury.
Transformation of Kalanchoe pinnata by Agrobacterium tumefaciens with ZsGreen1

Screening tests in which 30 species of succulent plants were inoculated with A136 or C58 strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens led to selecting genus Kalanchoe for further study of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Regeneration studies showed that 4.55 µM Thidiazuron (TDZ) combined with 2.15 µM α-naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA) significantly proliferated callus development from Kalanchoe pinnata leaf explants in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Subsequently, 4.55 µM TDZ significantly enhanced shoot formation from the green and compact callus. NAA (5.37 µM) accelerated root growth leading to establishment of transgenic plants in soil. A gene encoding the fluorescent protein, ZsGreen1, was cloned into a plasmid vector harboring a constitutive figwort mosaic virus (FMV) 35S promoter, a kanamycin resistance gene, and a NOS-terminator. The plasmids were delivered into the genome of K. pinnata by A. tumefaciens strain C58 (ABI). The ZsGreen1-transgenic plants exhibited very strong, green fluorescence from the callus, leaves, stems, roots, and flowers visible through a green emission filter (GFP, 480/510 nm, excitation/emission) under excitation by ultra-violet light. Transcription analysis by sqRT-PCR and qPCR confirmed the stable integration of the ZsGreen1 in the genome of K. pinnata. The FMV 35S promoter conferred uniform expression throughout whole plant organ. ZsGreen1 was proven to be a stable marker for gene expression in genetic transformation of K. pinnata. The ZsGreen1-transgenic Kalanchoe pinnata mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens exhibited strong, green fluorescence from the callus, leaves, stems, roots and flowers under the control of the figwort mosaic virus (FMV) 35S promoter.
COVID-19 and behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder: Disparities by income and food security status.

Abstract Background Research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is lacking. Aims This study investigates the relationship between COVID-19 and behaviors of children with ASD living in the United States. Methods and procedures Parents and caregivers (n = 200) across the United States, as proxies for children 2–17 years of age with ASD, participated in an online survey querying changes in overall behavior and 15 specific behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of a moderate-to-large impact on the child’s overall behavior with household income level and food security status. Outcomes and results A majority of respondents reported a moderate-to-large impact on the child’s overall behavior (74 %) due to COVID-19. Several specific behaviors were also affected. Stratifying by income level and food security status revealed disparities in the impact on overall behavior and most specific behaviors. Compared to a household income ≥$100 K, an income Conclusions and implications Our findings show a large proportion of caregivers reporting moderate-to-large changes post-COVID-19 in the behaviors of U.S. children with ASD, particularly in families with low income and/or food insecurity. This study highlights the effects of existing disparities on children with ASD and their families during this unprecedented time.
Long-Term Glucose Restriction with or without Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Enrichment Distinctively Alters Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Related Signaling in Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Dear Editor,We read with interest the recent research article entitled “Long-Term Glucose Restriction with or without Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Enrichment Distinctively Alters Epithelial-Mesenchymal Tra...
Radioautographic observations of a 19-month-old ileal conduit.

Abstract The influence of an altered environment on the cellular kinetics and histological appearance of ileal mucosa used as a urinary bladder was investigated in a patient with a conduit of 1 year and 7 months' duration. After injection of 10 me of 3 H-TdR, multiple biopsies were taken spanning a 3-day period. No increase in inflammatory cell numbers was seen and villous atrophy was minimal. A generation time or total cell cycle time of 36 hr was observed, with a G 1 phase of 22 hr and an S phase of 11 hr. At 1 hr 2.4 3 H-TdR-labeled cells per crypt column and a mitotic index of 1.4% were obtained. The complete labeled mitosis curve obtained on the epithelial cells of the 19-month-old ileal conduit mucosa demonstrated a retention of the kinetics and histological characteristics of normal ileal mucosa, contrary to previously documented findings.
Robust focus ranging

Depth maps obtained from focus ranging can have numerous errors and distortions due to edge bleeding, feature shifts, image noise, and field curvature. An improved algorithm that examines an initial high depth-of-field image of the scene to identify regions susceptible to edge bleeding and image noise is given. Focus evaluation windows are adapted to local image content and optimize the tradeoff between spatial resolution and noise sensitivity. An elliptical paraboloid field curvature model is used to reduce range distortion in peripheral image areas. Spatio-temporal tracking compensates for image feature shifts. The result is a sparse but reliable depth map. >
World class development: a key enabler for world class manufacturing

It is pointed out that achievement and maintenance of status as a world class manufacturing organization is dependent on numerous factors. Analysis of those factors in the manufacturing environment often ignores the role of product development and its input to the manufacturing process. This is because the creative development process is not typically considered amenable to measurement. The author describes a set of metrics that were designed and implemented by a group of engineering executives to quantify the importance of world class development as a key enabler for world class manufacturing. >
Review Essay: Recent Scholarship from the Buryat Mongols of Siberia

Review essay on the edited volume Etnicheskaia istoriia i kul’turno-bytovye traditsii narodov baikal’skogo regiona. [The Ethnic History and the Traditions of Culture and Daily Life of the Peoples of the Baikal Region] Ed. M. N. Baldano, O. V. Buraeva and D. D. Nimaev (Ulan-Ude, 2010)
Crystal structures of apparent saccharide sensors from histidine kinase receptors prevalent in a human gut symbiont.

The adult human gut is a complicated ecosystem in which host–bacterium symbiosis plays an important role. Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron is a predominant member of the gut microflora, providing the human digestive tract with a large number of glycolytic enzymes. Expression of many of these enzymes appears to be controlled by histidine kinase receptors that are fused into unusual hybrid two-component systems that share homologous periplasmic sensor domains. These sensor domains belong to the third most populated (HK3) family based on a previous unpublished bioinformatics analysis of predicted histidine kinase sensors. Here, we present the crystal structures of two sensor domains representative of the HK3 family. Each sensor is folded into three domains: two-seven-bladed β-propeller domains and one β-sandwich domain. Both sensors form dimers in crystals, and one sensor appears to be physiologically relevant. The folding characteristics in the individual domains, the domain organization, and the oligomeric architecture are all unique to HK3 sensors. Sequence analysis of the HK3 sensors indicates that these sensor domains are shared among other signaling molecules, implying combinatorial molecular evolution. Database The structural data for the crystallographic results for HK3 BT4673S and HK3 BT3049S have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under accession numbers 3OTT and 3V9F, respectively. Structured digital abstract HK3BT3049S and HK3BT3049S bind by x-ray crystallography (View interaction) HK3BT3049S and HK3BT3049S bind by molecular sieving (View interaction) HK3BT3049S and HK3BT3049S bind by cosedimentation through density gradient (View interaction) HK3BT4673s and HK3BT4673s bind by cosedimentation through density gradient (View interaction) HK3BT4673s and HK3BT4673s bind by molecular sieving (View interaction)
A cholinergic projection to the rat substantia nigra from the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus

This study demonstrates the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPN) to be the source of a major cholinergic projection to the rat substantia nigra (SN). Neurons of the PPN were double-labeled utilizing choline acetyltransferase immunocytochemistry combined with retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The cholinergic projection to the SN originates from neurons located in predominately the ipsilateral and rostral portions of the PPN. Other cholinergic neurons that were also retrogradely labeled with HRP were located in the caudal PPN and in the lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus. A non-cholinergic projection from this region was also identified. These findings indicate that the PPN may be topographically organized with respect to its efferent projections. In addition, this study provides evidence for an extrinsic source of acetylcholine to the basal ganglia and implicates the PPN as a source of potentially significant influence over basal ganglia function.
Synthesis and breakdown of proteins in Escherichia coli during amino-acid starvation.

Abstract Using methionine- and proline-requiring strains of Escherichia coli ( rel + and rel − ), protein synthesis during amino-acid starvation was studied by analyzing the kinetics of radioactive labeling of proteins and the sedimentation and gel filtration distributions of the labeled products. The following results were obtained. 1. (1) The rate of protein synthesis drops within a few minutes after starvation to below 10% of the value observed before starvation (100% is the incorporation of 34.5 nmoles of amino acids/min/10 9 cells), and then continues to decrease slowly, such that it is reduced to 6% after 30 minutes. The average rate of peptide chain growth is reduced to the same extent from 17 to 1 amino acid per second per chain, suggesting that the movement of ribosomes along the messenger RNA molecules is intermittently arrested every time when ribosomes encounter codons requiring the incorporation of the missing amino acids. The average duration per arrest is estimated to be 12 seconds. 2. (2) During starvation, low molecular weight proteins are synthesized preferentially. The molecular weight distributions of proteins are consistent with the idea that during starvation incomplete peptide chains are prematurely released from the ribosomes with a probability of 4% per arrest and that the probability for a peptide to be completed decreases exponentially with its molecular weight. 3. (3) Of the proteins synthesized during starvation 35% are unstable (half lifetime = 3 min). The average molecular weight of the unstable proteins is below 20,000 daltons, suggesting that the instability reflects an increased susceptibility of the incomplete peptide fragments to proteolytic attack. 4. (4) The synthesis of active β-galactosidase is reduced to 0.7% during starvation and the enzyme is stable. This more-than-average reduction of enzyme synthesis is not due to a reduced synthesis of β-galactosidase messenger RNA, but is consistent with the idea of the synthesis of peptide fragments. 5. (5) Essentially the same results were obtained with rel + and rel − bacteria, suggesting that the rel + gene product does not interfere with the movement of ribosomes along the messenger.
Buckling of deep arches at large deflections.

traces Al and A2 show the speed of overdriven waves such as shown in Fig. 2a (A2 is the speed record for Fig. 2a). It can be seen that the wave speed is between 6 and 9% higher than the steady case and is gradually approaching the speed of the steady wave as the rarefaction interacts with the wave front, reducing its speed. The traces Bl and B2 show the speed of a wave, as in Fig. 2b, where the shock has not overtaken the detonation when it passes the transducer. It is apparent that the shock does overtake the detonation soon after passing the transducer, as evidenced by the increase of up to 7% in wave-front speed. (B2 is the speed record for Fig. 2b.)
ADAM10 Missense Mutations Potentiate β-Amyloid Accumulation by Impairing Prodomain Chaperone Function

The generation of Aβ, the main component of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD), is precluded by α-secretase cleavage within the Aβ domain of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). We identified two rare mutations (Q170H and R181G) in the prodomain of the metalloprotease, ADAM10, that cosegregate with late-onset AD (LOAD). Here, we addressed the pathogenicity of these mutations in transgenic mice expressing human ADAM10 in brain. In Tg2576 AD mice, both mutations attenuated α-secretase activity of ADAM10 and shifted APP processing toward β-secretase-mediated cleavage, while enhancing Aβ plaque load and reactive gliosis. We also demonstrated ADAM10 expression potentiates adult hippocampal neurogenesis, which is reduced by the LOAD mutations. Mechanistically, both LOAD mutations impaired the molecular chaperone activity of ADAM10 prodomain. Collectively, these findings suggest that diminished α-secretase activity, owing to LOAD ADAM10 prodomain mutations, leads to AD-related pathology, strongly supporting ADAM10 as a promising therapeutic target for this devastating disease.
The relation of axon sheath thickness to fiber size in the central nervous system of vertebrates.

In a series of land vertebrates sheath thicknesses of myelinated nerve fibers in a variety of central tracts have been measured, and plotted against axon diameters. Preparations include monkey, cat, rat, mouse, mole, hedgehog, bullfrog, and green frog. Tracts examined include dorsal column cuneate and gracilis bundles, pyramidal tract, optic nerve and tract, trigeminal and auditory nerves, and for comparison, the saphenous nerve. Maximal sizes of axons (inside sheath diameter) in different preparations vary widely, from 12 μ or more to 2 μ, and most tracts have axon diameter ranges down to 0.3 μ. In the cat auditory nerve the axon size range is restricted (80% between 2 and 3 μ). All fibers in the mammalian central tracts are myelinated, with a wide scatter of values of the ratio of sheath thickness to axon diameter, as measured in a single cross section. The ratio varies with fiber diameter, becoming larger with decreasing diameter. Average ratios attain the value of 1/5 in different preparations at diff...
Iterative learning control for fault-tolerance in multi-phase permanent-magnet machines

Fault-tolerant control (FTC) techniques for multi-phase permanent magnet (PM) motors are usually designed to achieve maximum ripple-free torque under fault conditions with minimum ohmic losses. A widely accepted approach is based on flux distribution or back EMF (BEM) model of the machine to calculate healthy phase currents. This is essentially an open-loop technique where currents are determined offline (based on motor fault models) for each fault scenario. Therefore, it is highly model-dependent. Since torque pulsation due to open-circuit faults are periodic, learning and repetitive control algorithms are excellent choices to minimize torque ripple. In this paper, iterative learning control (ILC) is applied as a current control technique for recovering performance in multiphase PM motor drives under open-circuit fault conditions. ILC-based FTC needs torque measurement, but avoids the need for complicated fault detection and fault diagnosis algorithms. Furthermore, a BEM+ILC based FTC is proposed that initiates the learning from a model-based approximate guess (from the BEM method). Therefore, this method combines the advantages of both model information as well as robustness to model uncertainty through learning. Hence, the proposed method is well-suited for high performance safety-critical applications. Finite element analysis (FEA) results on a five-phase PM machine are presented for verification of the proposed control schemes.
Nuclear absorption cross sections using medium modified nucleon-nucleon amplitudes.

Abstract We extract the in-medium nucleon–nucleon amplitudes from the available proton-nucleus total reaction cross sections data. The retrieval of the information from the experiment makes these estimates very reliable. Simple expressions are then given for the in-medium nucleon–nucleon amplitudes for any system of colliding nuclei as a function of energy. Excellent agreement is demonstrated in ion-nucleus absorption cross sections.
Phosphorylation of Sodium Channel Nav1.8 by p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Increases Current Density in Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons

The sensory neuron-specific sodium channel Na v 1.8 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase are potential therapeutic targets within nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in inflammatory, and possibly neuropathic, pain. Na v 1.8 channels within nociceptive DRG neurons contribute most of the inward current underlying the depolarizing phase of action potentials. Nerve injury and inflammation of peripheral tissues cause p38 activation in DRG neurons, a process that may contribute to nociceptive neuron hyperexcitability, which is associated with pain. However, how substrates of activated p38 contribute to DRG neuron hyperexcitability is currently not well understood. We report here, for the first time, that Na v 1.8 and p38 are colocalized in DRG neurons, that Na v 1.8 within DRG neurons is a substrate for p38, and that direct phosphorylation of the Na v 1.8 channel by p38 regulates its function in these neurons. We show that direct phosphorylation of Na v 1.8 at two p38 phospho-acceptor serine residues on the L1 loop (S551 and S556) causes an increase in Na v 1.8 current density that is not accompanied by changes in gating properties of the channel. Our study suggests a mechanism by which activated p38 contributes to inflammatory, and possibly neuropathic, pain through a p38-mediated increase of Na v 1.8 current density.
New highly calcemic 1α,25-dihydroxy-19-norvitamin D3 compounds with modified side chain: 26,27-dihomo- and 26,27-dimethylene analogs in 20S-series

Abstract New highly potent 2-substituted (20 S )-1α,25-dihydroxy-19-norvitamin D 3 analogs with elongated side chain were prepared by Wittig-Horner coupling of A-ring phosphine oxide with the corresponding protected (20 S )-25-hydroxy Grundmann’s ketones. Biologic evaluation in vitro and in vivo of the synthesized compounds was accomplished. All the synthesized vitamins possessing a 25-hydroxylated saturated side chain were slightly less active (3–5X) than 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 in binding to the porcine intestinal vitamin D receptor and significantly more potent (12–150X) in causing differentiation of HL-60 cells. In vivo, 2-methylene-26,27-dihomo and 2α-methyl-26,27-dimethylene analogs were at least 10 times more active, and 2α-methyl-26,27-dihomo compound at least 5 times more active than the vitamin D hormone both in stimulating intestinal calcium transport and bone calcium mobilization (serum calcium increase). It was also established that a 260 pmol dose of the corresponding 2β-methyl analogs had a similar effect on intestinal calcium transport and a much more pronounced effect on bone calcium mobilization as the same dose of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 .
Scholars, intellectuals, and bricoleurs

This essay explores three orientations to knowledge: the scholar, the intellectual, and the bricoleur. It argues that although the scholar and the intellectual are tied closely to the Liberal Arts and Humanities and dominate academic public relations discourse, both students and faculty increasingly use the practice of bricolage to gather and organize information. Associated with postmodernity, bricolage is a functional response to both the increasing velocities of information flows and the breakdown of cultural hierarchies. Bricolage, however, contradicts the scholarly tradition and the prevailing discourses of rigor and accountability. This essay argues that academia responds to this shift by focusing on literacies, the skills necessary to engage with the techno-information landscape, and by implementing quality management strategies that cordon off salient disciplinary knowledge sets, prescribe efficient pedagogies, and then apply assessment matrices. It also considers how the Digital Humanities engage...
Gas-phase Interaction of Thiophene with the Ti 8 C 12 + and Ti 8 C 12 Met-Car Clusters

The reactivity of the Ti(8)C(12)(+) met-car cation toward thiophene was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and mass selective ion chemistry. It is shown that the experimentally observed mass spectrum can be well described by the DFT calculations. In contrast to the weak bonding interactions seen for thiophene on a TiC(001) surface, the Ti(8)C(12)(+) met-car cation is able to interact strongly with up to four thiophene molecules with the cluster staying intact. In the most stable conformation, the thiophene molecules bond to the four low-coordinated Ti(0) sites of Ti(8)C(12)(+) via a eta(5)-C,S coordination. The stability and the activity of the Ti(8)C(12)(+) met-car is observed to increase with an increasing number of attached thiophene molecules at the Ti(0) sites, which is associated with a significant transfer of electron density from thiophene to the cluster. The additional electron density on the Ti(8)C(12)(+) cation cluster, however, is not sufficient to cleave the C-S bonds of thiophene and the dissociation reaction of thiophene is predicted to be a highly activated process. By contrast, DFT calculations for the neutral Ti(8)C(12) met-car predict that the dissociation reaction leading to adsorbed S and C(4)H(4) fragments is energetically favorable for the first thiophene molecule. The binding behavior for subsequent addition of thiophene molecules to the neutral met-car is also presented and compared to that of the cation.
Effects of the periwinkle Littorina littorea (L.) and of intraspecific competition on growth and survivorship of the limpet Notoacmea testudinalis (Müller)

Abstract The common periwinkle Littorina littorea (L.) and the limpet Notoacmea testudinalis (Muller) commonly co-occur on rocky shores in the Gulf of Maine, U.S.A. Periwinkles are found throughout the intertidal zone while N. testudinalis is confined to moist areas at lower intertidal levels but is common throughout the subtidal zone. Short-term experiments over a 4-yr period showed that exclusion of L. Littorea enhanced the growth, gain of weight, and survival of N. testudinalis . A second experiment, in which the densities of both periwinkles and limpets were manipulated, confirmed interspecific effects on growth but did not detect interspecific effects on gain of weight nor mortality or any intraspecific effect among N. testudinalis . Although N. testudinalis were caged at greater than normal densities, growth rates were greater than rates reported by other researchers.
Using Attack Surface Entry Points and Reachability Analysis to Assess the Risk of Software Vulnerability Exploitability

An unpatched vulnerability can lead to security breaches. When a new vulnerability is discovered, it needs to be assessed so that it can be prioritized. A major challenge in software security is the assessment of the potential risk due to vulnerability exploitability. CVSS metrics have become a de facto standard that is commonly used to assess the severity of a vulnerability. The CVSS Base Score measures severity based on exploitability and impact measures. CVSS exploitability is measured based on three metrics: Access Vector, Authentication, and Access Complexity. However, CVSS exploitability measures assign subjective numbers based on the views of experts. Two of its factors, Access Vector and Authentication, are the same for almost all vulnerabilities. CVSS does not specify how the third factor, Access Complexity, is measured, and hence we do not know if it considers software properties as a factor. In this paper, we propose an approach that assesses the risk of vulnerability exploitability based on two software properties - attack surface entry points and reach ability analysis. A vulnerability is reachable if it is located in one of the entry points or is located in a function that is called either directly or indirectly by the entry points. The likelihood of an entry point being used in an attack can be assessed by using damage potential-effort ratio in the attack surface metric and the presence of system calls deemed dangerous. To illustrate the proposed method, five reported vulnerabilities of Apache HTTP server 1.3.0 have been examined at the source code level. The results show that the proposed approach, which uses more detailed information, can yield a risk assessment that can be different from the CVSS Base Score.
Alteration of HeLa cell growth equilibrium by supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal and psoriatic subjects

The possibility that products released by inflammatory cells may play a role in the induction/maintenance of psoriasis is suggested by the observation that psoriasis, a disease of excess epidermal proliferation, is linked to inflammatory events. As an assessment of this possibility, the effects of supernatants from antigen stimulated and unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal and psoriatic subjects on the proliferation of HeLa cell cultures are presented. Data demonstrate that supernatants contain factors which both inhibit and enhance cell proliferation, both of which are released in greater quantities from antigen stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Dilutional and pulsing experiments show that proliferation enhancing factors present in these supernatants have an apparent greater affinity for HeLa cells than does the inhibitory component. Relative to HeLa cell proliferation in fresh media, both antigen stimulated and control supernatants from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of subjects with psoriasis have significantly less inhibitory and more of the enhancing effect than similar supernatants from normal subjects. Individual, as well as pooled, supernatants from subjects with psoriasis demonstrate these differences. The kinetics of this response are the same, normal vs. psoriasis. This "net effect" of supernatants from patients with psoriasis favoring proliferation is in harmony with the concept of inflammatory events playing a role in cell proliferation, and may be important in the induction/maintenance of psoriasis.
Membrane potentials in mitochondrial preparations as measured by means of a cyanine dye.

Changes in the fluorescent intensity of the dye 3,3′-dipropylthiodicarbocyanine iodide were measured in suspensions of hamster liver mitochondria upon the development of a K+ diffusion potential by the addition of valinomycin and upon the development of the energized state by the addition of succinate or ATP. The changes (large decreases) seen with the addition of succinate or ATP (inhibitable by NaCN and oligomycin respectively) were comparable to those recorded upon the addition of valinomycin to mitochondria suspended in media containing low concentrations of K+. The change observed with succinate was partially reversed by the addition of either 2,4-dinitrophenol or ADP. Oligomycin prevented the reversal seen with ADP. Decreases in fluorescent intensity were also recorded when succinate was added to suspensions of inner membranes (prepared from rat liver mitochondria) containing the dye. With submitochondrial particles (also from rat liver mitochondria), however, increases in fluorescent intensity were seen upon the addition of succinate or ATP. These observations are consistent with the idea that a large negative (internal) potential develops across the inner membrane of the mitochondrion during energization and with other aspects of the chemiosmotic hypothesis.
Computational Simulation of the Deformation of Neuronal Cells

A numerical simulation (finite element method (FEM)) is used to determine the local mechanical response of a neuron based on the real neuron geometry. The real 3D geometry of a neuron can be constructed from the 2D confocal image stack which is taken per micron along the thickness direction from the top surface of neuron to the substrate. By matching the simulated deformation of the neuron with the measured results from the confocal microscopy images, the relative strength of the neuron components can be determined based on the reverse analysis of FEM. Then, the neuron local mechanical response and the relationship between the local response and the global applied deformation can be obtained, which will be the first step of building the mechanical injury model of neuron.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Sex-role orientation and intimacy status in men and women

Sex-role orientation based on combined t-ratio/median-split scoring of Personal Attributes Questionnaire data was investigated in relation to intimacy status in a sample of university alumini with an average age of 25 years. There was no significant sex difference in sex-role orientation or social status. As expected, androgyny was associated with the preintimate status in both men and women. Contrary to prediction, androgyny was also associated with the less intimate statuses of merger in men and pseudointimate in women; sex-typing was associated with the most intimate status in both sexes. All sex-typed individuals were involved in long-term, heterosexual partnership varying in level of intimacy.
Regulation of aldosterone in the 7-day-old rat

Little is known about mineralocorticoid regulation in the neonate. Here, adrenocortical function in 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats was studied by measuring the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) and ACTH on serum aldosterone (ALDO), corticosterone, and cytochrome P-450 ALDO synthetase and 11 beta-hydroxylase messenger RNA (mRNA) levels with and without dexamethasone (DEX) treatment. In the absence of DEX, serum ALDO was unchanged after 5 micrograms/kg, but increased 2- to 12-fold after 50 micrograms/kg, Ang II and 9- to 36-fold after 5 U/kg ACTH. After 4 days of exposure to exogenous ACTH, basal and Ang II-stimulated ALDO were markedly decreased. Basal plasma corticosterone was near or below the assay detection limit and did not change after Ang II, but increased significantly after ACTH administration. After treatment with 200 micrograms/kg DEX, basal serum ALDO fell to below the assay detection limit at 1 h, the responses to 50 micrograms/kg Ang II were attenuated at 1 and 4 h and were undetectable at 18 h. Preincubation of 7-day-old dispersed adrenal glomerulosa cells with 100 nM DEX for 2 h did not decrease basal or stimulated ALDO production. In situ hybridization studies revealed that cytochrome P-450 ALDO synthetase mRNA was confined to the subcapsular zona glomerulosa, whereas cytochrome P-450 11 beta-hydroxylase mRNA was present only in the zona fasciculata-reticularis. DEX caused a time-dependent decrease in P-450 ALDO synthetase mRNA (91 +/- 3%, 77 +/- 6%, 60 +/- 13%, and 38 +/- 19% of the control value at 1, 4, 8, and 16 h, respectively), an effect that was not prevented by ACTH replacement. Only minimal decreases in P-450 11 beta-hydroxylase mRNA levels were observed 18 h after DEX treatment. Hence, the sensitivity of ALDO responses to Ang II in the 7-day-old rat was markedly reduced in vivo, but not in vitro. In addition, DEX markedly reduced ALDO secretion, an effect that was associated with a decrease in cytochrome P-450 ALDO synthetase mRNA.
Gas Man--an example of goal oriented computer-assisted teaching which results in learning.

Gas Man® is an educational computer simulation program (8). The goal of the program is for the user to learn the theory and application of inhalation anesthesia uptake and distribution. The program and accompanying text are designed to be used by medical students, pharmacy students, anesthesia residents, nurses, practicing anesthesiologists, and medical equipment technicians and engineers. After using the program, the learner should understand the time course of patient response to inhalation anesthesia. He should know the factors which influence patient response and be able to predict their impact in specific situations. The key to Gas Man's success are:
Random close packing of hard spheres and disks

A simple definition of random close packing of hard spheres is presented, and the consequences of this definition are explored. According to this definition, random close packing occurs at the minimum packing fraction $\ensuremath{\eta}$ for which the median nearest-neighbor radius equals the diameter of the spheres. Using the radial distribution function at more dilute concentrations to estimate median nearest-neighbor radii, lower bounds on the critical packing fraction ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\mathrm{RCP}}$ are obtained and the value of ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\mathrm{RCP}}$ is estimated by extrapolation. Random close packing is predicted to occur for ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\mathrm{RCP}}=0.64\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$ in three dimensions and ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\mathrm{RCP}}=0.82\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$ in two dimensions. Both of these predictions are shown to be consistent with the available experimental data.
EIGENCHANNEL THEORY OF NUCLEAR REACTIONS

A method is proposed by which the eigenstates and the eigenvalues of the $S$ matrix, i.e., the eigenchannels, can be directly computed from the nuclear problem, for example, from the shell model. The calculation of all cross sections, viz., partial and total cross sections, is then exceedingly simple. The characteristics of the eigenchannels are described and the relation with other reaction theories is briefly discussed.
A high pressure study of the effect of viscosity on the light induced isomerization of DMABN in three linear alcohols, iso-butanol and glycerol

The light induced isomerization of 4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) has been measured versus pressure to 10 kbar in ethanol, n-butanol, n-pentanol, iso-butanol and glycerol. or the three straight chain alcohols a linear plot of log(ITICT/ILE) versus α log η (η=viscosity) was obtained with α = −0.5 ± 0.02. Iso-butanol gave a non-linear plot of the above variables and at any viscosity the value of ITICT/ILE was greater than for n-butanol, although those two alcohols have nearly identical values for their electronic and volumetric properties. The results for glycerol extend the viscosity range significantly and exhibit distinctly non-linear behavior for the above type of plot.
Cyanovirin-N gel as a topical microbicide prevents rectal transmission of SHIV89.6P in macaques.

Cyanovirin-N (CV-N), an 11-kDa cyanobacterial protein, potently inactivates diverse strains of HIV-1, HIV-2, and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and also prevents virus-to-cell fusion, virus en...
Modelling the spread of HIV/AIDS in China: the role of sexual transmission.

The study presented here is an exploration of the implications of patterns of sexual behaviour for the spread of HIV in China, using a bio-behavioural macrosimulation model. To reflect the uncertainty surrounding key parameters, analyses of varied scenarios are used to show a range of possible outcomes consistent with variations in selected biological and behavioural inputs. The latter are estimated from a nationwide survey of sexual behaviour recently conducted in China, a country with an emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, where it is feared that HIV/AIDS will spread to the general population via heterosexual transmission. The results highlight the primacy of the levels and distribution of sexual activity in the population. They offer some guidelines for understanding and interpreting the potential implications of current and prospective changes in sexual behaviour for the spread of HIV/AIDS in the world's largest population, and also highlight the need to collect better data on sexual behaviour for the estimat...
Dynamical equations for the optical potential

Dynamical equations for the optical potential are obtained starting from a wide class of $N$-particle equations. This is done with arbitrary multiparticle interactions to allow adaptation to few-body models of nuclear reactions and including all effects of nucleon identity. Earlier forms of the optical potential equations are obtained as special cases. Particular emphasis is placed upon obtaining dynamical equations for the optical potential from the equations of Kouri, Levin, and Tobocman including all effects of particle identity.NUCLEAR REACTIONS Optical potential equations from many-particle scattering theory. Inclusion of effects of nucleon identity and many-body forces in the optical potential.