cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nox4 mediates skeletal muscle metabolic responses to exercise.

Abstract Objective The immediate signals that couple exercise to metabolic adaptations are incompletely understood. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (Nox4) produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and plays a significant role in metabolic and vascular adaptation during stress conditions. Our objective was to determine the role of Nox4 in exercise-induced skeletal muscle metabolism. Methods Mice were subjected to acute exercise to assess their immediate responses. mRNA and protein expression responses to Nox4 and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were measured by qPCR and immunoblotting. Functional metabolic flux was measured via ex vivo fatty acid and glucose oxidation assays using 14C-labeled palmitate and glucose, respectively. A chronic exercise regimen was also utilized and the time to exhaustion along with key markers of exercise adaptation (skeletal muscle citrate synthase and beta-hydroxyacyl-coA-dehydrogenase activity) were measured. Endothelial-specific Nox4-deficient mice were then subjected to the same acute exercise regimen and their subsequent substrate oxidation was measured. Results We identified key exercise-responsive metabolic genes that depend on H2O2 and Nox4 using catalase and Nox4-deficient mice. Nox4 was required for the expression of uncoupling protein 3 (Ucp3), hexokinase 2 (Hk2), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4), but not the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (Pgc-1α). Global Nox4 deletion resulted in decreased UCP3 protein expression and impaired glucose and fatty acid oxidization in response to acute exercise. Furthermore, Nox4-deficient mice demonstrated impaired adaptation to chronic exercise as measured by the time to exhaustion and activity of skeletal muscle citrate synthase and beta-hydroxyacyl-coA-dehydrogenase. Importantly, mice deficient in endothelial-Nox4 similarly demonstrated attenuated glucose and fatty acid oxidation following acute exercise. Conclusions We report that H2O2 and Nox4 promote immediate responses to exercise in skeletal muscle. Glucose and fatty acid oxidation were blunted in the Nox4-deficient mice post-exercise, potentially through regulation of UCP3 expression. Our data demonstrate that endothelial-Nox4 is required for glucose and fatty acid oxidation, suggesting inter-tissue cross-talk between the endothelium and skeletal muscle in response to exercise.
Do Parents Still Matter? The Impact of Parents and Peers on Adolescent Electronic Cigarette Use.

Abstract Purpose Vaping among adolescents has reached epidemic levels. Identifying factors associated with electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use initiation could inform prevention programming. This study examined whether parental attitudes toward e-cigarettes impacted adolescent e-cigarette use intentions, positive expectancies of use, and actual use when accounting for adolescent attitudes and peer norms. Parents' negative attitudes toward e-cigarettes were expected to reduce teen e-cigarette use intentions. Low e-cigarette use intentions were expected to mediate the association between parental attitudes and teen e-cigarette use. Peer norms were expected to be associated with positive expectancies. Positive expectancies were expected to mediate the association between peer norms and teen e-cigarette use. Methods A sample of e-cigarette naive adolescents (n = 176, aged 14–17 years, 52% female, 82% Latinx/Hispanic) and their parents were assessed. Parents and adolescents rated harm associated with e-cigarette use. Adolescents reported their perceptions of peer e-cigarette norms, intentions, positive expectancies, and e-cigarette use. Cross-sectional models were estimated for e-cigarette use intentions and positive expectancies. Prospective mediation models (n = 142) characterized pathways to e-cigarette use. Results Parents' attitudes toward e-cigarettes were associated with weaker intentions. Intentions mediated the association between parental attitudes and e-cigarette use. Adolescents reporting favorable e-cigarette peer norms endorsed more positive expectancies. Positive expectancies did not mediate the association between peer norms and e-cigarette use. Conclusions Parents actively shape adolescent e-cigarette use even when accounting for peer norms and adolescent attitudes. Involving parents in prevention programming may help reduce vaping among teens. These associations should be examined with a larger and more diverse sample.
Implementation of Surprise Question Assessments using the Electronic Health Record in Older Adults with Advanced CKD

Abstract Background The Surprise Question (SQ; “Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next 12 months?”) is a validated prognostication tool for mortality and hospitalization among patients with advanced CKD. Barriers in clinical workflows have slowed SQ implementation in practice. Objectives The aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate implementation outcomes after the use of electronic health record (EHR) decision support to automate the collection of the SQ; and (2) to assess the prognostic utility of the SQ for mortality and hospitalization/emergency room (ER) visits. Methods We developed and implemented a best practice alert (BPA) in the EHR to identify nephrology outpatients ≥60 years of age with an eGFR Results Among 510 patients for whom the BPA triggered, 95 (19%) had the SQ completed by 16 physicians. Among those completed, nearly all (98%) were on appointment day, and 61 (64%) the first time the BPA fired. Providers answered “no” for 27 (28%) and “yes” for 68 (72%) patients. By 12 months, six (22%) “no” patients died; three (4%) “yes” patients died (hazard ratio [HR] 2.86, ref: yes, 95% CI, 1.06 to 7.69). About 35% of “no” patients and 32% of “yes” patients had a hospital encounter by 12 months (HR, 1.85, ref: yes, 95% CI, 0.93 to 3.69). Physicians noted (1) they had goals-of-care conversations unprompted; (2) EHR-based interventions alone for goals-of-care are ineffective; and (3) more robust engagement is necessary. Conclusions We successfully integrated the SQ into the EHR to aid in clinical practice. Additional implementation efforts are needed to encourage further integration of the SQ in clinical practice.
Region-Dependent Modulation of Neural Plasticity in Limbic Structures Early after Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-induced disruptions in synaptic function within brain regions and across networks in the limbic system may underlie a vulnerability for maladaptive plasticity and contribute to behavioral comorbidities. In this study we measured how synaptic proteins respond to lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) brain regions known to regulate emotion and memory, including the basolateral amygdala (BLA), dorsal and ventral hippocampus (DH, VH), and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigated proteins involved in regulating plasticity, including synaptic glutamatergic a-amino-3-hydroxy5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA; GluA1, GluA2) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA; NR1, NR2A, NR2B) receptor subunits as well as inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthetic enzymes (GAD67, GAD65) via western blot. Adult male rats received a mild-moderate lateral FPI or sham surgery and ipsi- and contralateral BLA, DH, VH, and PFC were collected 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days post-injury. In the ipsilateral BLA, there was a significant decrease in NR1 and GluA2 24 h after injury, whereas NR2A and NR2B were increased in the contralateral BLA at 48 h compared with sham. GAD67 was increased ipsilaterally at 24 h, but decreased contralaterally at 48 h in the BLA. In the DH, both NMDA (NR2A, NR2B) and GABA-synthetic (GAD65, GAD67) proteins were increased acutely at 6 h compared with sham. GAD67 was also robustly increased in the ipsilateral VH at 6 h. In the contralateral VH, NR2A significantly increased between 6 h and 24 h after FPI, whereas GAD65 was decreased across the same time-points in the contralateral VH. In the medial PFC at 24 h we saw bilateral increases in GAD67 and a contralateral decrease in GluA1. Later, there was a significant decrease in GAD67 in contralateral PFC from 48 h to 7 days post-injury. Collectively, these data suggest that lateral FPI causes a dynamic homeostatic response across limbic networks, leading to an imbalance of the proteins involved in plasticity in neural systems underlying cognitive and emotional regulation.
Simpson's Law and the Spectral Cancellation of Climate Feedbacks

We spectrally resolve the conventional clear-sky temperature and water vapor feedbacks in an idealized single-column framework, and show that the well-known partial compensation of these feedbacks ...
Reward Enhances Connectivity between the Ventral Striatum and the Default Mode Network

One of the central topics in cognitive neuroscience revolves around understanding how responses in the default mode network (DMN) relate to cognitive process and disease states. While there has been many investigations of the intrinsic patterns of activation and connectivity of the DMN with other networks at rest, i.e. when an individual is not engaged in any particular behavior, to truly understand the influence and significance of the DMN activation and connectivity, we must study it in association with a particular process. Reward processing is an integral part of goal-directed behavior that has been shown to rely on the striatum, a subcortical brain region that is connected to multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that belong to the DMN. Yet, it remains unclear how the DMN interacts with the striatum during reward processing. To investigate this issue, we analyzed card-guessing task data of 453 subjects from the Human Connectome Project and applied a novel network-based psychophysiological interaction analysis (nPPI) that quantified reward-dependent connectivity of the DMN. We show that only the DMN exhibits increased connectivity with the ventral striatum (VS) during the receipt of reward. This result was specific to the DMN and the strength of connectivity was associated with the personality characteristic of openness. These findings point to a novel role of the DMN during reward processing, and to the nPPI approach being able to capture a unique contribution of a collection of regions to task performance.
Therapeutic control of complement activation at the level of the central component C3

The increasing recognition of the complement system’s association with diseases of the inflammatory spectrum and with biomaterial and transplant-related complications has generated growing interest in the therapeutic modulation of this innate immune cascade. As a central functional hub that largely drives the activation, amplification, and effector generation of the complement response, the plasma protein C3 has long been recognized as an attractive target. While pharmacological modulation of C3 activation may offer a powerful opportunity to interfere with or even prevent complement-driven pathologies, the development of C3 inhibitors has often been accompanied by concerns regarding the safety and feasibility of this approach. Although no C3-targeted inhibitors have thus far been approved for clinical use, several promising concepts and candidates have emerged in recent years. At the same time, experiences from preclinical development and clinical trials are slowly providing a more detailed picture of therapeutic complement inhibition at the level of C3. This review highlights the current therapeutic strategies to control C3 activation and discusses the possibilities and challenges on the road to bringing C3-targeted therapeutics to the clinic.
A scalable satellite-based crop yield mapper

New advances in satellite data acquisition and processing offer promise for monitoring agricultural lands globally. Using these data to estimate crop yields for individual fields would benefit both crop management and scientific research, especially for areas where reliable ground-based estimates are not currently made. Here we introduce a generalized approach for mapping crop yields with satellite data and test its predictions for yields across more than 17,000 maize fields and 11,000 soybean fields spanning multiple states and years in the Midwestern United States. The method, termed SCYM (a scalable satellite-based crop yield mapper), uses crop model simulations to train statistical models for different combinations of possible image acquisition dates, and these are then applied to Landsat and gridded weather data within the Google Earth Engine platform, where the Landsat is composited to find the “best” dates of observations on a pixel-by-pixel basis. SCYM estimates successfully captured a significant fraction of maize yield variation in all state-years, with a range of 14–58% and an average of 35% for this particular study region and crop. Similar results were observed for soybean, with an average of 32% of yield variation captured. The multi-year yield estimates were also used to examine the temporal persistence of yield advantages for the top yielding fields in different counties, which is one measure of how important factors such as farmer skill are in explaining yield gaps. The strength of the SCYM approach lies in its ability to leverage physiological knowledge embedded in crop models to interpret satellite observations in a scalable way, as it can be readily applied to new crops, regions, and types and timing of remote sensing observations without the need for ground calibration.
Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics

The position I favor (the “rights view”) prioritizes the moral rights of individuals when it comes to our moral thinking. Some defining features of these rights are explained; reasons for recognizing them in the case of humans are advanced; and arguments for extending them to other-than-human animals are sketched. Several objections are considered, including those that dispute the rights view’s alleged inability to explain (1) the amorality of predator-prey relations and (2) our obligations to preserve rare and endangered species.
Neo-Confucian Cosmopolitanism and Chinese Perception of World Order: A Study of Wang Yangming's Virtue Politics and Integral Pluralism

This paper investigates Chinese cosmopolitanism advocated by Wang Yangming (1472-1529), a famous Confucian philosopher, and its implications for contemporary global governance and China’s soft-power build-up. It aims to provide a more inclusive perception of world order from Confucian tradition, and calls for a less nationalistic and hegemonic understanding of Confucianism in contemporary China’s intellectual or ideological projections. For the political use of the word “harmony” today seems similar to instrumentalization of Confucianism in history. I focus on his ideas of “being one body with the cosmos” and “pure knowing” and their socio-political dimensions of world as one family. I argue that Wang bases his cosmopolitanism upon graded care and common sense of sympathy toward those who are suffering. It is a sort of moral sentiment of embodied oneness and a cosmic psyche in caring for Heaven, earth and the myriad creatures like caring one’s own body. It also accommodates “integral pluralism” which urges one to sincerely and properly construe other’s cultures and traditions without blindly embracing or rejecting them. Such cosmopolitanism is not an abstract love based on human rationality, but sentimental care without borders but still grounded one’s local space and experience.
Efficacy and agency among poor families with and without children

ABSTRACTFamilies with children and living in poverty are vulnerable todecreased control over their lives and the ability to act in self-interest.While having children may reduce efﬁcacy among these families,their presence may also, in turn, increase their resilience. Usingcross-sectional data from n = 194 poor families in Southeastern USA,this study compares the constructs of self-efﬁcacy and agencybetween families with and without children. Results showed thatamong families with children, lack of agency was negatively corre-lated with self-efﬁcacy Dc 2 (1, n = 194) = 12.65, P < 0.001, r =- 0.37.Implications are directed towards practice and policy that mayincrease the efﬁcacy and agency of poor families with children. Correspondence: David Okech,School of Social Work,University of Georgia,Athens 30602,Georgia,USAE-mail: dokech@uga.edu Keywords: child poverty, childwelfare, child welfare (resilience in),poverty Accepted for publication: February2012 INTRODUCTION Families living in poverty are vulnerable to decreasedcontrol over their lives and the ability to act in self-interest, qualities that are important for optimalfunctioning. Some studies have shown that stressdiminishes self-efﬁcacy among families living inpoverty (Crnic & Low 2002; Jones & Prinz 2005). Inthese families, children may be a source of additionalstress and reduce self-efﬁcacy and personal agency.Alternatively, they may show more resilience in orderto ensure that the well-being of their children issecured. In a study of the strengths and resilience oflow-income families with children, Orthner
PREDICTION OF REMAINING LIFE OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS MODELS

A software program has been developed to predict the remaining life of flexible pavement using artificial neural network (ANN) technology. The remaining life due to either rutting or fatigue cracking can be predicted. The inputs to the software are the best estimate of the thickness of the layers, the deflection basin measured with a falling weight deflectometer (FWD), and optionally, the extent of damage at the time of the FWD test. The outputs are the best estimate of the remaining life and the pavement performance curve. If uncertainty in the thicknesses, FWD measurements and traffic exists, a probabilistic description of the remaining life is also provided.
A Study of Glass Surface Heterogeneity and Silylation by Inverse Gas Chromatography

The method of obtaining energy and entropy of adsorption on homogeneous surfaces from retention time of a chromatographic peak is extended to heterogeneous surfaces. A heterogeneous surface is modeled as a collection of homogeneous patches (sites) and is characterized by a bidimensional distribution of these patches with respect to the energy and entropy of adsorption. This bidimensional distribution can be converted into a one-dimensional distribution of sites with respect to the free energy of adsorption. (The latter can be calculated from chromatographic elution profiles by known methods.) It is shown how to convert the free energy distribution of sites into the distributions of sites with respect to parameters similar to energy and entropy of adsorption. These are regressions of energy and entropy on the free energy of adsorption. Their meaning is elucidated by an example of the normal bidimensional distribution in {energy, entropy} pairs. The method is applied to the study of the silylation of glass ...
Cell-specific patterns of alternative splicing of voltage-gated ion channels in single identified neurons.

Abstract CbNa v and CbIH encode channels that carry voltage-gated sodium and hyperpolarization activated cation currents respectively in the crab, Cancer borealis . We cloned and sequenced full length cDNAs for both CbNa v and CbIH and found nine different regions of alternative splicing for the CbNa v gene and four regions of alternative splicing for CbIH . We used RT-PCR to determine tissue-specific differences in splicing of both channel genes among cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, brain, and stomatogastric ganglion (STG) tissue. We then examined the splice variant isoforms present in single, unambiguously identified neurons of the STG. We found cell-type specific patterns of alternative splicing for CbNa v , indicating unique cell-specific pattern of post-transcriptional modification. Furthermore, we detected possible differences in cellular localization of alternatively spliced CbNa v transcripts; distinct mRNA isoforms are present between the cell somata and the axons of the neurons. In contrast, we found no qualitative differences among different cell types for CbIH variants present, although this analysis did not represent the full spectrum of all possible CbIH variants. CbIH mRNA was not detected in axon samples. Finally, although cell-type specific patterns of splicing were detected for CbNa v , the same cell type within and between animals also displayed variability in which splice forms were detected. These results indicate that channel splicing is differentially regulated at the level of single neurons of the same neural network, providing yet another mechanism by which cell-specific neuronal output can be achieved.
Successfully Combining Meta-analysis and Structural Equation Modeling: Recommendations and Strategies

During the past two decades, organizational researchers have combined the techniques of meta-analysis (MA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) with the intention of building on the strengths of these approaches to address unique research questions. Though these integrative analyses can involve the use of SEM to conduct MA, the focus of the current article is on those situations in which meta-analytic correlations are used as input for testing structural models not previously evaluated in any single, primary study. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the salient choices that must be made by researchers interested in integrating these methods and offering several recommendations for those undertaking such analytic strategies. Overall, the combination of MA and SEM offers researchers unique opportunities, but caution must be exercised when drawing inferences from results.
Effect of milk sample collection strategy on the sensitivity and specificity of bacteriologic culture and somatic cell count for detection of Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infection in dairy cattle

Four milk sample collection strategies for bacteriologic culture and identification of bovine intramammary infection due to Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated. Milk samples were collected at 24 h intervals from 245 lactating mammary quarters of 62 cows from one commercial dairy herd on 6 successive days. A total of 1470 quarter milk samples were available for study. Based on the bacteriologic culture results of all six quarter milk samples, each quarter was classified as infected with or free of S. aureus. The case definition used to establish the ‘gold standard’ was the isolation of two or more colonies of S. aureus on two or more occasions from the six quarter milk samples obtained from a given mammary quarter. The probability of a false-negative classification of a mammary quarter using all six culture results was estimated to be less than 0.0046, while the probability of a false-positive classification was less than 0.0004. Twenty-two quarters from 16 of 62 cows had S. aureus intramammary infection. Inocula (0.1 ml) for bacteriologic culture were prepared in the laboratory from quarter milk samples to represent alternative strategies for milk sample collection on farms. Sensitivity and specificity of detection of S. aureus-infected mammary quarters and/or cows was then determined. The accuracy of somatic cell counts for the same purpose was also determined for several cut-off values. The range of sensitivity values for bacteriologic culture and SCC were 91–100% and 54–95%, respectively. The range of specificity values for each test method ranged from 97.6 to 100% and from 81 to 83%, respectively. Bacteriologic culture, using any of the sampling strategies examined, had high specificity ( > 98%) and relatively high sensitivity ( > 91%) for identifying S. aureus intra mammary infection (IMI). However, there was a great difference in the number of culture attempts necessary to achieve this accuracy which would influence a dairy farm manager's choice of which type of milk sample collection strategy to use.
Enhanced static magnetization and creep in fine-filamentary and SSC-prototype strands via helical cabling geometry enhanced proximity effects

Helical-cabling-geometry enhanced proximity effect (PE) magnetization and creep have been found in multifilamentary NbTi/Cu superconductive composites with filament diameters (interfilamentary spacings) of 2.0 (0.39) mu m and 6.0 (1.14) mu m. Single strands were wound into helical coils to simulate round-cable geometry. Additionally, oval coils were wound to verify the existence of enhanced PEs in 6.0 mu m filament diameter material with a large effective coupling length. For the helical coils, when the strand twist pitch was nearly equal to the cable perimeter, PE related magnetization was enhanced, and this magnetization creeps at a significantly greater rate than that of bare NbTi. >
Reply to "Validity of the t-J model"

We respond to the preceding Comment of Zhang and Rice concerning a previous paper in which we questioned their claim to have derived an effective single-band model from a two-band model of high-temperature superconductors.
Long-Term Results of the Endoscopic Atraumatic Coronary Artery Bypass

Background This retrospective study was undertaken to determine the long-term angiographic patency and clinical outcomes of the endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass (endoACAB) procedure. Methods Between November 1997 and March 2005, 607 consecutive patients underwent an endoACAB consisting of (1) unilateral or bilateral manual, thoracoscopic internal mammary artery (IMA) harvesting, (2) creation of a needle-directed access port in the thoracic soft tissue (non-rib-spreading), (3) cardiac positioning and stabilization using port-based instrumentation, and (4) off-pump, direct-vision, hand-sewn anastomoses to the left anterior descending (LAD), diagonal, obtuse marginal, or main right coronary arteries, or a combination. Mean follow-up time was 18.0 ± 16.0 months (range, 2.0 to 85.7 months). Results The IMA was used to graft the LAD in all cases. A total of 721 anastomoses were constructed using 636 conduits. Thirty-day mortality was 1.0% (6/607). A total of 379 (62.4%) had coronary angiography after operation at a mean of 18.4 ± 17.0 months. The overall patency for the LIMA to LAD was FitzGibbon A, 95.2% (324/340), and FitzGibbon A and B, 98.5% (335/340). At 5 years, event-free survival was 92% ± 2.4%. Conclusions The clinical outcome and angiographic patency of grafting the LAD with the LIMA off pump through a non-rib-spreading incision compares favorably with the reported data of arrested heart grafting through a median sternotomy. The endoACAB offers an excellent alternative for patients with LAD disease as a stand-alone procedure, a multivessel grafting procedure in selected patients, or as part of a hybrid procedure in conjunction with a percutaneous intervention.
Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov, 1938–2003

Terry Gilbert Jordan-Bychkov, past president of the Association of American Geographers, died at home in Austin, Texas, on October 16, 2003, after a two-and-a-half-year struggle with pancreatic can...
Baclofen does not protect against cerebral ischemia in rats.

Presynaptic release of glutamate into the extracellular compartment and activation of receptor-operated calcium channels may contribute to ischemic neuronal damage. We evaluated the effect of baclofen, a selective inhibitor of presynaptic glutamate release, on mortality, working memory, and light microscopic hippocampal and cortical damage in the four-vessel occlusion model of cerebral ischemia using 64 male Wistar rats. Baclofen (10 mg/kg i.p.) given 1 hour before and 30-60 minutes after 20 minutes of global ischemia did not lessen mortality, prevent ischemic cellular damage, or significantly improve working memory compared with no treatment. We conclude that preischemic and postischemic administration of baclofen does not protect neurons from ischemic injury.
Formation and Adsorbate Interactions of Paramagnetic Pd(I) Species in Pd(II)-Exchanged NaK- and H-Clinoptilolite

The formation of monovalent palladium in PdNaK-clinoptilolite where Pd(II) is introduced into extraframework sites as [Pd(NH3)4]2+ by liquid-state ion exchange at 298 K, is compared to that observed in PdH-clinoptilolite where Pd(II) is incorporated by solid-state ion exchange at 823 K, using electron spin resonance (ESR) and electron spin−echo modulation (ESEM) spectroscopies. Dehydration at 473 K produces one Pd(I) species in PdH-clinoptilolite but no ESR signal in PdNaK-clinoptilolite. This indicates that the stability of Pd(I) between PdH-clinoptilolite and PdNaK-clinoptilolite is different, probably due to the different locations and environments of Pd in these systems. Hydrogen reduction of Pd(II) in these two materials after activation reveals that Pd(II) ions in PdNaK-clinoptilolite occupy relatively accessible sites in comparison to those in PdH-clinoptilolite. The interactions of Pd(I) formed by thermal reduction of PdH-clinoptilolite with various adsorbates are also studied. The ESR studies cou...
Serum Concentration of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D in the Human: Diurnal Variation*

The serum concentrations of many hormones exhibit regular circadian rhythms. To determine if the serum concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)2D], undergoes periodic changes during the day, we measured the serum concentration of 1,25-(OH)2D every 30 min for 28 h in five normal men. Serum concentrations and urinary excretion rates of calcium (Ca) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) also were measured. The results indicate that the serum concentration of 1,25-(OH)2D does not undergo any large fluctuations during the day, but, rather, is maintained within approximately 20% of its overall 24-h mean. In two of five men, part of the observed daily variation could be attributed to a low amplitude (≤1O%) circadian rhythm, with the mean acrophase occurring at 1645 h. The previously reported circadian rhythms in serum concentration and urinary excretion rates of Ca and Pi were confirmed. Although the rhythmic changes in serum 1,25-(OH)2D in two subjects were not correlated with the diurnal changes in the serum...
RWPV bioreactor mass transport: Earth‐based and in microgravity

Mass transport and mixing of perfused scalar quantities in the NASA Rotating Wall Perfused Vessel bioreactor are studied using numerical models of the flow field and scalar concentration field. Operating conditions typical of both microgravity and ground-based cell cultures are studied to determine the expected vessel performance for both flight and ground-based control experiments. Results are presented for the transport of oxygen with cell densities and consumption rates typical of colon cancer cells cultured in the RWPV. The transport and mixing characteristics are first investigated with a step change in the perfusion inlet concentration by computing the time histories of the time to exceed 10% inlet concentration. The effects of a uniform cell utilization rate are then investigated with time histories of the outlet concentration, volume average concentration, and volume fraction starved. It is found that the operating conditions used in microgravity produce results that are quite different then those for ground-based conditions. Mixing times for microgravity conditions are significantly shorter than those for ground-based operation. Increasing the differential rotation rates (microgravity) increases the mixing and transport, while increasing the mean rotation rate (ground-based) suppresses both. Increasing perfusion rates enhances mass transport for both microgravity and ground-based cases, however, for the present range of operating conditions, above 5-10 cc/min there are diminishing returns as much of the inlet fluid is transported directly to the perfusion exit. The results show that exit concentration is not a good indicator of the concentration distributions in the vessel. In microgravity conditions, the NASA RWPV bioreactor with the viscous pump has been shown to provide an environment that is well mixed. Even when operated near the theoretical minimum perfusion rates, only a small fraction of the volume provides less than the required oxygen levels. 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An ELF and AIM study of NO2 and N2O4

Abstract The B3LYP/cc-pvtz approach is used to obtain Kohn–Sham wavefunctions for NO2 and N2O4 and several related compounds. ELF and AIM analyses on these systems lead to a better understanding of the unusual character of the NN bond in N2O4 in which competing Lewis structures with one or two electrons on the nitrogen atom in NO2 lead to a very weak sigma covalent bond that receives essentially no bonding contribution from the pπ part of the molecule.
Long-term correction of hyperbilirubinemia in the Gunn rat by repeated intravenous delivery of naked plasmid DNA into muscle.

We evaluated nonviral gene delivery into skeletal muscle via femoral artery and great saphenous vein for correction of hyperbilirubinemia in the Gunn rat, the animal model of Crigler–Najjar syndrome type I. A single injection of pDNA expressing hUGT1A1 under the CMV promoter resulted in excretion of bilirubin glucuronides in bile and a significant decrease in serum bilirubin for at least 2 or 4 weeks, respectively. Loss of metabolic effect was associated with a decrease in recombinant protein in muscle, while pDNA and transcript were detectable 4 weeks after gene delivery. Monthly intravenous gene delivery maintained metabolic correction for at least 5 months. Fibrosis around vessels in the arterial group limited the number of successful repeat gene transfer sessions to 3. Animals expressing hUGT1A1 developed anti-hUGT1A1 antibodies and lymphocytic infiltrate in muscle. Immunosuppression abrogated antibody response, ameliorated lymphocytic inflammation, and enhanced metabolic correction but did not prevent a decrease in the amount of recombinant protein. In conclusion, repeated intravenous delivery of pDNA into muscle enables long-term correction of hyperbilirubinemia in the Gunn rat. The procedure is safe and simple, with great clinical potential. Further studies are needed to explain the mechanisms of loss and improve the stability of recombinant hUGT1A1 in muscle.
Dietary Selenomethionine Exposure Induces Physical Malformations and Decreases Growth and Survival to Metamorphosis in an Amphibian (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient with a narrow therapeutic concentration range. The relative toxicity of Se increases as it is biotransformed into organic compounds, primarily selenomethionine (SeMet), within the aquatic food chain. Effects of aquatic Se contamination are well quantified for many freshwater fish and aquatic bird species, but impacts on amphibians are not well known. This study investigated the responses of larval Cope’s gray tree frogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) fed a diet enriched with one of two concentrations of SeMet (50.1 and 489.9 μg Se g−1 dw [low and high groups, respectively]) by way of a food-limited (ration) or ad libitum (ad lib) feeding regimen. The high dose caused 100 % mortality during the larval period independent of resource provision levels. Regardless of feeding regimen, the low dose decreased larval survival and successful metamorphosis relative to control treatments. The low dose also induced rear limb deformities in ≤73 % of individuals initiating metamorphosis. Providing low-dose food by way of a rationed feeding regimen decreased observed toxicity, likely because of decreased dietary exposure to SeMet relative to the low ad lib treatment. Individuals from the low ration treatment had decreased wet mass at initiation and completion of metamorphic climax (Gosner stages 42 through 46) compared with those from the control ad lib treatment, indicating that resource limitation combined with Se exposure might negatively affect energy stores after metamorphosis. However, lipid content analyses of recently metamorphosed individuals did not reveal any influence of treatment or resource provision on energy stored as lipids. The mean tissue Se concentration of individuals that received the low dose and completed metamorphosis was significantly greater than that of control ad lib or ration individuals at the same developmental stage. This study demonstrates that larval exposure to dietary SeMet can decrease growth and survival and induce deformities in a developing amphibian. Furthermore, retention of Se body burdens through metamorphosis suggests that surviving individuals can transport Se accumulated from contaminated aquatic environments into terrestrial food webs.
The Effect of Targeted and Tailored Patient Depression Engagement Interventions on Patient–Physician Discussion of Suicidal Thoughts: A Randomized Control Trial

BACKGROUND Despite improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of depression, primary care provider (PCP) discussion regarding suicidal thoughts among patients with depressive symptoms remains low.
Supervisory Factory Control Based on Real-Time Production Feedback

One key characteristic of any process performance is variability; that is, a process rarely performs consistently over time. The bottleneck is one of the main reasons causing the system variability and fluctuation in production. Short-term production analysis and short-term bottleneck identification are imperative to enable manufacturing operations to optimally respond to dynamic changes in system behavior. However, conventional throughput and bottleneck analysis focus on long-term statistic bottleneck identification, which is usually not applicable to a short-term period. An on-line supervisory control method is introduced to search for short-term production constraints with unknown machine reliability distribution and mitigate those constraints to improve system throughput. The control mechanism uses playback simulation of the real production data to identify the bottleneck station, and control parameters of that station to reach a near balanced production line operation by understanding the bottleneck inertia phenomenon. The results ensure the smooth flow of products on the production line and increase the line’s performance.
Model Choice and Sample Size in Item Response Theory Analysis of Aphasia Tests

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify the most appropriate item response theory (IRT) measurement model for aphasia tests requiring 2-choice responses and to determine whether small sam...
Intrapartum fetal heart rate patterns in the prediction of neonatal acidemia

Abstract Objective: This study was undertaken to correlate changes in the intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate patterns with the development of significant neonatal acidemia. Study Design: We identified 488 fetuses at a gestational age of >37 weeks' gestation who had continuous electronic fetal monitoring during labor for the last 2 hours and umbilical artery cord gas analysis performed at delivery. One investigator blinded to the cord gas outcome reviewed all 488 tracings using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development guidelines for fetal heart rate monitoring. All fetal heart rate tracings with bradycardia were removed from further analysis. The patients were placed in six groups, depending on the absence or presence of normal variability (amplitude >5 beats) during the last hour of monitoring combined with the absence of decelerations or the presence of variable or late decelerations. The relationship between changes in variability and the outcome variables of pH and base deficit in the six groups was assessed with analysis of variance and χ2 test. Significance was set at the P
Effective Optical Properties of Highly Ordered Mesoporous Thin Films

This paper expands our previous numerical studies predicting the optical properties of highly ordered mesoporous thin films from two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures with cylindrical pores to three-dimensional (3D) structures with spherical pores. Simple, face centered, and body centered cubic lattices of spherical pores and hexagonal lattice of cylindrical pores were considered along with various pore diameters and porosities. The transmittance and reflectance were numerically computed by solving 3D Maxwell's equations for transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarized waves normally incident on the mesoporous thin films. The effective optical properties of the films were determined by an inverse method. Reflectance of 3D cubic mesoporous thin films was found to be independent of polarization, pore diameter, and film morphology and depended only on film thickness and porosity. By contrast, reflectance of 2D hexagonal mesoporous films with cylindrical pores depended on pore shape and polarization. The unpolarized reflectance of 2D hexagonal mesoporous films with cylindrical pores was identical to that of 3D cubic mesoporous films with the same porosity and thickness. The effective refractive and absorption indices of 3D films show good agreement with predictions by the 3D Maxwell–Garnett and nonsymmetric Bruggeman effective medium approximations, respectively.
A Systematic Method for Model Parameter Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics Systems Using Trajectory Pattern Method

In this paper, a new method is presented for model parameter identification of a large class of fully controlled nonlinear dynamics systems such as robot manipulators. The method uses trajectory patterns with feed-forward controls to identify model parameters of the system. The developed method ensures full system stability, does not require close initial estimated values for the parameters to be identified, and provides a systematic method of emphasizing on the estimation of the parameters associated with lower order terms of the system dynamics model and gradually upgrading the accuracy with which the model parameters, particularly those associated with the higher order terms of the system dynamics, are estimated. The developed method is based on Trajectory Pattern Method (TPM). In this method, for a pattern of motion the inverse dynamics model of the system is derived in algebraic form in terms of the trajectory pattern parameters. The structure of the feedback error with feedforward signal calculated with the estimated model parameters will then be fixed, and its measurement can be used to systematically upgrade the model parameter estimation. The mathematical proof of convergence of the developed method and results of its implementation on a robot manipulator with highly non-linear dynamics are provided.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Relationship between enzyme specificity and the backbone dynamics of free and inhibited alpha-lytic protease.

To better understand the structural basis for the observed patterns in substrate specificity, the backbone dynamics of alpha-lytic protease have been investigated using 15N relaxation measurements. The enzyme was inhibited with the peptide boronic acid N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-Ala-Pro-boroVal [Kettner, C. A., et al. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7682], which mimics interactions occurring in the tetrahedral transition state or nearby intermediates, and the dynamics of the unbound and inhibited enzyme were compared. Arrayed 2-D NMR spectra were acquired to measure T1, T2, and steady-state ?1H?-15N NOE of >95% of the backbone amides in both protein samples. The overall rotational correlation time tauc was found to be 8.1 ns. Values of the spectral density function J(omega) at omega = 0, omegaN, and approximately omegaH were derived from the relaxation results using reduced spectral density mapping [Ishima, R., & Nagayama, K. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 3162]. The resultant spectral densities were interpreted to indicate regions of fast motion (nanosecond to picosecond) and of intermediate chemical exchange (millisecond to microsecond). The protein has 13 regions with increased motion on the fast time scale; these generally fall on exterior turns and loops and most correlate with regions of higher crystallographic B-factors. Several stretches of backbone undergo intermediate chemical exchange, indicating motion or other processes that cause temporal chemical shift changes. A comparison of spectral densities for both the free and inhibited enzymes revealed that inhibitor binding preferentially stabilizes regions undergoing chemical exchange (which predominate around the active site) and only minimally affect regions of rapid motion. Slow motions, suggestive of backbone plasticity, are observed in most of the binding pocket residues. This may point to a mechanism for the observed broad specificity of the enzyme. The significance of the observed dynamics for substrate binding and specificity is discussed.
Absorption spectra and configuration of the ammine complexes of copper (II)

Abstract The visible absorption spectra of copper and ammonia solutions were carefully analysed in order to extract the individual curves for each of the ammine-copper (II) complexes. The results of the corresponding ligand field calculations indicate that the observed spectral maximum for Cu(NH 3 ) 2 − (H 2 O) 2 2+ is consistent with this ion's being trans . The location of this peak is, however, also reasonable for a cis -configuration of the ion. Thus, by themselves, the spectral data do not decide in favor of either configuration, but the best estimate of this ion's configuration seems still to agree with Mellor's rule that cis -square-planar, unidentate complexes of copper (II) are extremely rare. In the case of Cu(NH 3 ) 2 (H 2 O) 2 2+ we probably have a trans-ion, as usual.
The effects of low pressure and inanition on serum vitamin A levels and electrophoretic patterns in the adrenalectomized rat.

Summary Although adrenalectomy in the rat results in alterations in the serum protein levels, it appears that factors other than the adrenal may be involved in the stresses of starvation and lowered barometric pressures in the adrenalectomized rat. However, in the intact rat, these stresses are mediated through the adrenal gland.
On the inversion of sound fields above a locally reacting ground for direct impedance deduction

A complex root-finding algorithm is typically used to deduce the acoustic impedance of a locally reacting ground by inverting the measured sound fields. However, there is an issue of uniquely determining the impedance from a measurement of an acoustic transfer function. The boundary loss factor F, which is a complex function, is the source of this ambiguity. It is associated with the spherical wave reflection coefficient Q for the reflected sound field. These two functions are dependent on a complex parameter known as the numerical distance w. The inversion of F leading to the multiple solutions of w can be identified as the root cause of the problem. To resolve this ambiguity, the zeroes and saddle points of F are determined for a given source/receiver geometry and a known acoustic impedance. They are used to establish the basins containing all plausible solutions. The topography of Q is further examined in the complex w-plane. A method for identifying the family of solutions and selecting the physically...
Counseling and Diagnostic Evaluation for the Infertile Couple

Educating couples about natural means to improve fertility should include a discussion about appropriate timing to initiate a diagnostic evaluation for infertility. Complete infertility testing for both male and female factors allows directed care for all abnormalities to optimize chances for conception.