cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lokales Renin-Angiotensin-System in der Gefäßwand

Funktion und Wirkungsmechanismen des zirkulierenden Renin-Angiotensin-Systems (RAS) sind seit langer Zeit bekannt. Dagegen wurden lokale, eigenstandige RAS erst in den letzten Jahren beschrieben. Uber die Rolle von Renin bei der lokalen Angiotensin (ANG)-II-Bildung in der Gefaswand ist wenig bekannt. Wir haben in einem Ratten-Tiermodell diese Frage untersucht. Im isoliert perfundierten Hinterbeinmodell untersuchten wir die Spaltung von humanem Angiotensinogen (AOGEN) durch humanes Renin. Die Untersuchung der humanen Komponenten des RAS sowie der Wirkungen eines humanen Renin-Inhibitors war nur durch die Verwendung eines transgenen Ratten-Tiermodells moglich. Wir verwendeten dabei Ratten, die neben ihrem endogenen RAS zusatzlich das humane AOGFN-Gen uberexprimieren. Wir konnten in diesem Modell zeigen, das Renin lokal in der Gefaswand AOGEN spaltet und teilweise unabhangig vom zirkulierenden RAS die Kaskade der ANG-II-Bildung in Gang setzt. Diese Spaltung wurde spezifisch durch Renin und nicht durch saure Proteasen verursacht. Das Renin-Gen konnte in der Gefaswand nachgewiesen werden. Ob allerdings lokal synthetisiertes Renin den grosten Anteil des lokalen Renin-Pools zur ANG-II-Bildung stellt, ist aus heutiger Sicht fraglich. Wir haben im gleichen transgenen Rattenstamm die Frage untersucht, ob Renin am isoliert perfundierten Herzen in das Herzgewebe oder die Gefaswand der Koronarien aufgenommen werden und dort lokal zu einer langanhaltenden ANG-II-Bildung beitragen kann. Dabei wurde lokal im Gewebe gebildetes ANG I deutlich effizienter durch das Angiotensin-Konversionsenzym (ACE) umgewandelt als infundiertes ANG I. In einer weiteren Studie haben wir die Konversion von ANG I zu ANG II in der Gefaswand genauer untersucht. In isoliert perfundierten Hinterbeinen von Sprague-Dawley-Ratten fuhrten ANG-I-Infusionen mit ansteigenden Konzentrationen (1–1000 pmol/ml) zu einer linearen ANG-II-Bildung. Eine Stimulation des ACE-Gens, durch die es zu einem Anstieg der Gewebe-ACE-Konzentration in der Gefaswand kam, fuhrte unerwartet zu einer erhohten vaskularen ANG-II-Bildung.
Infiltration as Ventilation: Weather-Induced Dilution

The purpose of outdoor air ventilation is to dilute or remove indoor contaminants to which occupants are exposed. It can be provided by mechanical or natural means. In most homes, especially older homes, weather-driven infiltration provides the dominant fraction of the total ventilation. As we seek to provide good indoor air quality at minimum energy cost, it is important to neither over-ventilate nor under-ventilate. Thus, it becomes critically important to evaluate correctly the contribution that infiltration makes to the total outdoor air ventilation rate. Because weather-driven infiltration is dependent on building air leakage and weather-induced pressure differences, a given amount of air leakage will provide different amounts of infiltration. Varying rates of infiltration will provide different levels of contaminant dilution and, hence, effective ventilation. This article derives these interactions and then calculates the impact of weather-driven infiltration for different climates. A new “N-factor”...
Isolation and genotyping of Helicobacter pylori from untreated municipal wastewater.

ABSTRACT For this study, we isolated Helicobacter pylori from wastewater by a series of steps beginning with immunomagnetic separation and cell culture. After Gram staining and three standard microbial tests, the 16S rRNA sequences of a total of 23 out of 37 putative H. pylori isolates were verified by PCR. Eleven H. pylori isolates were genotyped and fell into four vacA classes: those with the vacA allelic variants s1a and m1, s1b and m1, s2 and m2, or s2 and m1. Most H. pylori isolates were of the vacA s1a/m1 type, which has been shown to be associated with advanced diseases based on genotyping of H. pylori from gastric cancer patients. These results demonstrated that H. pylori survives in water and may be a potential source of H. pylori transmission, especially where water is not adequately treated.
mTOR Complex1-S6K1 signaling: at the crossroads of obesity, diabetes and cancer

Recent studies demonstrate that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its effector, S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), lie at the crossroads of a nutrient–hormonal signaling network that is involved in specific pathological responses, including obesity, diabetes and cancer. mTOR exists in two complexes: mTOR Complex1, which is rapamycin-sensitive and phosphorylates S6K1 and initiation factor 4E binding proteins (4E-BPs), and mTOR Complex2, which is rapamycin-insensitive and phosphorylates protein kinase B (PKB, also known as Akt). Both mTOR complexes are stimulated by mitogens, but only mTOR Complex1 is under the control of nutrient and energy inputs. Thus, to orchestrate the control of homeostatic responses, mTOR Complex1 must integrate signals from distinct cues. Here, we review recent findings concerning the regulation and pathophysiology associated with mTOR Complex1 and S6K1.
Acoustooptic Bragg diffraction studies on InGaAsP waveguides

Theoretical and experimental studies on guided-wave acoustooptic (AO) Bragg diffraction in composite InP/InGaAsP/InP planar waveguides were carried out for the first time. In this paper the experimental results on the excitation and propagation of -directed surface acoustic waves at the center frequency of 167 MHz and AO Bragg diffraction at 1310 nanometer wavelength in a In/sub 0.22/Ga/sub 0.78/As/sub 0.47/P/sub 0.53/ waveguide are reported. AO Bragg diffraction efficiency as high as 14% has been accomplished at acoustic power of 8.5 milliwatts using an interaction length (transducer aperture) of only 1.0 mm. Improvement in diffraction efficiency by two orders of magnitude should be achievable by optimization of acoustic transducer and optical waveguide parameters.
Interviewing in Physical Therapy

An important responsibility of a physical therapist is to create a communicative atmosphere with his patients so that information can be readily offered and received. The interview is an effective method for gathering information, establishing rapport, and encouraging constructive planning, all of which are important in creating an atmosphere that facilitates communication. Guidelines for effective attitude formation, questioning, and responding within the context of physical therapy are discussed.
Is the 2007 U.S. Sub-Prime Financial Crisis so Different? an International Historical Comparison

Is the 2007-2008 U.S. sub-prime mortgage financial crisis truly a new and different phenomena? Our examination of the longer historical record finds stunning qualitative and quantitative parallels to 18 earlier post-war banking crises in industrialized countries. Specifically, the run-up in U.S. equity and housing prices (which, for countries experiencing large capital inflows, stands out as the best leading indicator in the financial crisis literature) closely tracks the average of the earlier crises. Another important parallel is the inverted v-shape curve for output growth the U.S. experienced as its economy slowed in the eve of the crisis. Among other indicators, the run-up in U.S. public debt and is actually somewhat below the average of other episodes, and its pre-crisis inflation level is also lower. On the other hand, the United States current account deficit trajectory is worse than average. A critical question is whether the U.S. crisis will prove similar to the most severe industrialized-country crises, in which case growth may fall significantly below trend for an extended period. Or will it prove like one of the milder episodes, where the recovery is relatively fast? Much will depend on how large the shock to the financial system proves to be and, to a lesser extent, on the efficacy of the subsequent policy response.
Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) and PTH-Related Peptide Domains Contributing to Activation of Different PTH Receptor-Mediated Signaling Pathways

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP), acting through the osteoblast PTH1 receptor (PTH1R), play important roles in bone remodeling. Intermittent administration of PTH(1-34) (teriparatide) leads to bone formation, whereas continuous administration paradoxically leads to bone resorption. Activation of PTH1R promotes regulation of multiple signaling pathways, including G(s)/cAMP/protein kinase A, G(q)/calcium/protein kinase C, β-arrestin recruitment, and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation, as well as receptor internalization, but their role in promoting anabolic and catabolic actions of PTH(1-34) are unclear. In the present investigation, a collection of PTH(1-34) and PTHrP(1-34) peptide analogs were evaluated in orthogonal human PTH1R (hPTH1R) functional assays capturing G(s)- and G(q)-signaling, β-arrestin recruitment, ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and receptor internalization to further define the patterns of PTH1R signaling that they stimulate and further establish peptide domains contributing to agonist activity. Results indicate that both N- and C-terminal domains of PTH and PTHrP are critical for activation of signaling pathways. However, modifications of both regions lead to more substantial decreases in agonist potency and efficacy to stimulate G(q)-signaling, β-arrestin recruitment, ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and receptor internalization than to stimulate G(s)-signaling. The substantial contribution of the peptide C-terminal domain in activation of hPTH1R signaling suggests a role in positioning of the peptide N-terminal region into the receptor J-domain. Several PTH and PTHrP peptides evaluated in this study promote different patterns of biased agonist signaling and may serve as useful tools to further elucidate therapeutically relevant PTH1R signaling in osteoblasts. With a better understanding of therapeutically relevant signaling, novel biased peptides with desired signaling could be designed for safer and more effective treatment of osteoporosis.
Adenosine Receptor Activation and the Regulation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity in PC 12 and PC 18 Cells

We compared the response of rat PC12 cells and a derivative PC I8 cell line to the effects of adenosine receptor agonists, antagonists, and adenine nucleotide metabolizing enzymes. We found that theophylline (an adenosine receptor antagonist), adenosine deaminase. and AMP deaminase all decreased basal cyclic AMP content and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the PC12 cells, but not in PC18 cells. Both cell lines responded to the addition of 2-chloroadenosine and 5'- N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine, adenosine receptor agonists. by exhibiting an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity and cyclic AMP content. The latter finding indicates that both cell lines contained an adenosine receptor linked to adenylate cyclase. We found that the addition of dipyridamole. an in- hibitor of adenosine uptake, produced an elevation of cyclic AMP and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in both cell lines. Deoxycoformycin, an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. failed to alter the levels of cyclic AMP or tyrosine hydroxylase activity. This suggests that uptake was the primary inacti- vating mechanism of adenosine action in these cells. We Erny and co-workers (198 1) reported that cells ob- tained from a transplantable rat pheochromocytoma respond to 2-chloroadenosine with an increase in cyclic AMP production and an increase in tyrosine hydrox- ylase activity. These studies were extended to PC12 cells in culture (Rabe and McGee, 1983: Erny and Wagner, 1984). Erny and Wagner (1984) showed that adenosine receptor agonists and cholera toxin (an ac- tivator of adenylate cyclase) increase cyclic AMP levels and activate tyrosine hydroxylase. Erny et a). ( 198 1 ) showed that adenosine deaminase decreases basal ty- rosine hydroxylase activity in cell suspensions prepared from the solid tumor. Tyrosine hydroxylase is phos- phorylated and activated by several protein kinases, including cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (Campbell et al., 1986). conclude that both cell types generated adenine nucleotides which activate the adenosine receptor in an autocrine or par- acrine fashion. We found that PC I2 cells released ATP in a calcium-dependent process in response to activation of the nicotinic receptor. We also measured the rates of degradation of exogenous ATP. ADP. and AMP by PC12 cells. We found that the rates of metabolism of the former two were at least an order of magnitude greater than that of AMP. Any released ATP would be rapidly metabolized to AMP and then more slowly degraded to adenosine. That this situation reflects me- tabolism in vivo in the PC12 cells is suggested by the finding that AMP deaminase was more effective than adenosine de- aminase in decreasing basal cyclic AMP and tyrosine hy- droxylase activity. Key Words: Adenosine receptors-Ty- rosine hydroxylase-Cyclic AMP-PC12 cells-PC18 cells- Rat. Roskoski R. Jr. and Roskoski L. M. Adenosine recep- tor activation and the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase
Diagnostic value of single versus dual chamber electrograms recorded from an implantable defibrillator

Introduction: The clinical utility of ventricular electrograms in comparison to atrial and ventricular electrograms in diagnosing the type of tachycardias recorded by an implantable defibrillator has not been addressed from the standpoint of a clinician's diagnostic accuracy and confidence in that diagnosis. Methods: Fifty-two tachycardia episodes recorded from dual chamber defibrillators were divided into two tests. The initial test contained only information from the ventricular electrogram and the second test contained information from both the atrial and ventricular electrograms. For each test, the reviewers were asked to provide the specific diagnosis, the originating chamber of origin of the tachycardia, and the confidence of their responses for each question. McNemar's test for matched pairs was used to determine accuracy and an analysis of variance to determine reviewer confidence. Results: The overall accuracy for both the specific diagnosis (61% vs. 79%; p < 0.001) and the chamber of origin (76% vs. 90%; p < 0.001) improved when both the atrial and ventricular electrograms were available for review. Reviewer confidence appeared to correlate with diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions: The data clearly show the favorable impact of dual chamber defibrillators on the diagnostic accuracy and confidence of clinicians faced with a clinical tachycardia recorded from an implantable defibrillator. Such improvements may translate into more focused and appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Educational Competencies That Mid-Sized CPA Firms Value In Their Professional Accounting Staff

This study examined the educational competencies mid-sized accounting firm partners value in their professional staff when making promotion decisions to senior, manager, and partner. Mid-sized firms were defined in this study to include all of the non-Big 4 national firms, the large regional CPA firms, and several large local firms. Over 1,380 partners received two mailings of a survey instrument and usable responses were received from 699 of those partners. The paper summarizes the competencies the respondents indicated were important to be promoted in their firms. In addition, the study summarizes demographic characteristics of those mid-sized accounting firm partners and the advantages they perceive of working for a mid-sized accounting firm. Results indicate that technical accounting skills are very important to mid-sized firms, but that their relative importance decreases as individuals are considered for higher level positions. On the other hand, the importance of communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills grows all the way through the partner promotion decision .
Efficient Visible Light Photocatalytic CO2 Reforming of CH4

The large energy requirement of CO2 reforming of methane (CRM) has obstructed its application. Solar energy is a solution for the issue. Different from efficient photocatalytic splitting of water, photocatalysis for CRM exhibits a very low efficiency and employs only ultraviolet (UV) light. This letter reports an efficient visible-light photocatalytic CRM by combining Pt/black TiO2 catalyst with light-diffuse-reflection-surface. Under visible light illumination by filtering UV light from AM 1.5G sunlight, H2 and CO yields reached 71 and 158 mmol/h/gcat, with a quantum efficiency of 32.3% at 550 °C, and 129 and 370 mmol/h/gcat, with a quantum efficiency of 57.8% at 650 °C. Those yields are 3 orders of magnitude larger than the reported values.
Transient analysis of macromolecular transport across microvascular wall and into interstitium

We studied the dynamics of macromolecular transport across the microvascular wall in the hamster cheek pouch using intravital microscopy and digital video-image analysis. We used fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextrans of 70,000 and 150,000 Da (FITC-Dextran 70 and 150, respectively) as tracers. We applied our mathematical model and our in vivo calibration to determine the diffusion coefficient (D) and the average fluid velocity (V) in the microvascular wall and in the interstitium from the experimental data. The value of D for FITC-Dextran 70 was 0.90 +/- 0.04 x 10(-11) cm2/s in the wall and 1.29 +/- 0.05 x 10(-8) cm2/s in the interstitium. In both regions, V was 2.05 +/- 0.05 x 10(-8) cm/s. The transport parameters for FITC-Dextran 150 were 0.27 +/- 0.02 x 10(-11) cm2/s, 0.55 +/- 0.05 x 10(-8) cm2/s, and 1.71 +/- 0.48 x 10(-8) cm/s for D in the wall and interstitium and V, respectively. The topical application of either calcium ionophore A23187 (7 x 10(-7) M) or bradykinin (5 x 10(-7) M) increased D for FITC-Dextran 70 and 150 2-fold and V 10-fold relative to their control values. We used these values to quantify the relative importance of the diffusive and convective mechanisms in the total solute flux. Molecular diffusion dominates convective transport in both the microvascular wall and the interstitial space.
Contaminant‐Degrading Microorganisms Identified Using Stable Isotope Probing

Stable isotope probing (SIP) enables function to be linked with identity without isolating the microorganisms responsible. This culture-independent approach has been adapted to identify the microorganisms involved in the degradation of numerous environmental contaminants. SIP studies have been performed in situ or in laboratory microcosms inoculated with soil, sediment, groundwater or bioreactor samples. This review focuses on the microorganisms that have been identified in those projects. SIP studies involving the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, gasoline-associated contaminants, chlorinated solvents, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), phenol, uranium, and pentachlorophenol are discussed. The significant diversity of contaminant-degrading microorganisms is highlighted.
Inter-varietal interactions among plants in genotypically diverse mixtures tend to decrease herbivore performance

Much research has explored the effects of plant species diversity on herbivore populations, but far less has considered effects of plant genotypic diversity, or how abiotic stressors, like drought, can modify effects. Mechanisms by which plant genotypic diversity affects herbivore populations remain largely unresolved. We used greenhouse studies with a model system of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.) to determine whether the genotypic diversity of a plant's neighborhood influences performance and fitness of herbivores on a focal plant and if drought changes the influence of neighborhood diversity. Taken across all varieties we tested, plant-plant interactions in diverse neighborhoods reduced aphid performance and generated associational resistance, although effects on aphids depended on variety identity. In diverse mixtures, drought stress greatly diminished the genotypic diversity-driven reduction in aphid performance. Neighborhood diversity influenced mother aphid size, and appeared to partially explain how plant-plant interactions reduced the number of offspring produced in mixtures. Plant size did not mediate effects on aphid performance, although neighborhood diversity reduced plant mass across varieties and watering treatments. Our results suggest inter-varietal interactions in genotypic mixtures can affect herbivore performance in the absence of herbivore movement and that abiotic stress may diminish any effects. Accounting for how neighborhood diversity influences resistance of an individual plant to herbivores will help aid development of mixtures of varieties for managing insect pests and clarify the role of plant genotypic diversity in ecosystems.
Effects of postexsanguination vascular infusion of carcasses with calcium chloride or a solution of saccharides, sodium chloride, and phosphates on beef display-color stability.

Hereford x Angus crossbred steers (n = 36) were stunned, exsanguinated, and infused via the carotid artery either with an aqueous solution containing 98.52% water, 0.97% saccharides, 0.23% sodium chloride, and 0.28% phosphates (MPSC; n = 12) or with 0.3 M CaCl 2 (n = 12). The remaining 12 steers served as noninfused controls. At 48 h postmortem, the quadriceps muscles and subcutaneous fat were removed from the carcasses, frozen, and later made into ground beef (18 to 20% fat). The longissimus lumborum (LL), semi-membranosus, and psoas major (PM) also were removed, vacuum packaged, aged until 14 d postmortem, and then one steak was sliced from each muscle for visual and instrumental color evaluations. The inside (ISM) and outside (OSM) portions of the SM were evaluated separately. The LL and OSM steaks from MPSC-infused carcasses had a lighter red (P 0.05) due to infusion were found for any color traits for the PM muscle and ground beef. Carotid artery vascular infusion of carcasses with CaCl 2 resulted in undesirable meat colors, whereas the MPSC solution lightened loin and inside round color in a desirable way, but the color stability was slightly less compared to muscle from noninfused carcasses. Infusion effects were not consistent among muscles, and further research will be needed to determine what caused these differences.
Stimulation of Steroid C-11β Hydroxylase Activity in Adrenal Homogenates by Cyclic 3',5'-Adenosine Monophosphate

STEROID biosynthesis in the mammalian adrenal cortex is dependent on the activity of a number of complex enzyme systems, including several hydroxylases which require NADPH as cofactor1. NADPH is continuously generated from NADP within the adrenal cortex by the action of several dehydrogenases acting on appropriate substrates2. Of the latter, glucose-6-phosphate appears to be the most important3. Haynes, Koritz and Peron4 demonstrated that adenosine-3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic 3′,5′-AMP) enhanced the production of corticosterone from endogenous precursors by surviving rat adrenal sections. Since cyclic 3′,5′-AMP also stimulated phosphorylase activity in adrenal slices, the effect of the nucleotide on corticosteroidogenesis was apparently related to increased provision of glucose-6-phosphate5. Of added significance was the observation by Haynes5,6 that ACTH resulted in the accumulation in adrenal slices of cyclic 3′,5′-AMP, which presumably was responsible for the resulting stimulation of corticosteroidogenesis. Attempts to demonstrate a stimulatory effect of cyclic 3′,5′-AMP on corticosteroidogenesis from endogenous substrates in adrenal homogenates have hitherto been unsuccessful4,7. In the investigations recorded here, addition of this nucleotide to rat adrenal homogenates markedly stimulated C-11β hydroxylation of added progesterone and 11-deoxycorticosterone, but appeared to have no effect on C-21 hydroxylation of progesterone.
Faculty and graduate student mentoring in the hutton junior fisheries biology program

Faculty and graduate students interested in serving as Hutton Program mentors should visit the program website: www.fisheries.org/afs/hutton.html.
Coronary Disease: Spectroscopic Correlation of Structure and Size of Plasma Lipoproteins with Patient Clinical History

The possibility that plasma lipoproteins may be involved in human vascular disease or may act as indicators of such disease states has initiated much interest in the physicochemical properties of these macro-molecules1–6. Reliable and rapid methods that can be widely used to extend the correlation between disease and the properties of macromolecules could have considerable clinical and research value, particularly if the results of such methods were shown to correlate with a disease state before its actual clinical manifestations.
Cardiac Electromechanical Coupling Model of Myocardial Contractile Function under Ischemic Conditions

Hyperkalemia, acidosis, and anoxia are major pathophysiological conditions of myocardial ischemia. Cardiac arrhythmias induced by these conditions are widely investigated. However, the myocardium contractile function during acute ischemic perturbations is not fully explored. A fully coupled electromechanical computational model is used to investigate cardiac inotropic response under various ischemic conditions. The coupling is accomplished with a detailed myofilament model (MF) that allows for a dynamic feedback between both electrophysiology and contractile model components. Additionally, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) kinetics is incorporated in the model to account particularly for anoxia effects. Simulations are performed on a highly resolved cellular scale where Ca2+ sensitivity to ischemic perturbations is well predicted and fed to the MF model, thus inotropic alterations due to ischemia can be calculated. Both Ca2+ transient and twitch dynamics are calculated to establish an ischemic-mechanics relationship. When compared with non-ischemic control case, Ca2+ levels have shown to be attenuated as a result of both anoxia and acidosis but not with hyperkalemia perturbations. Mechanical responses represented by twitch dynamics as triggered by these changes in Ca2+ behavior are computed. Simulations suggest that, the activation kinetics of the KATP – channel (% f-ATP) is the main ischemic parameter that significantly alters the cellular excitation-contraction coupling process in the form of; action potential shortening, reduced excitability, delayed recovery, Ca2+ attenuation, significant decrease in the myocardium twitch production.
Myocardial Ischemia on Exercise Stress Echocardiography Testing Is Not Associated with Changes in Troponin T Concentrations

Background: Some posit that any amount of myocardial ischemia can be detected by high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays. We hypothesized that patients with myocardial ischemia induced by exercise stress would have significantly higher increases in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) concentrations than patients without ischemia. Methods: We prospectively recruited for a biorepository 317 adult patients who presented to an academic hospital emergency department for evaluation possible ischemic symptoms and who were scheduled for exercise echocardiography. Blood samples were obtained before stress testing and 2-h post-testing. For this study, plasma hs-cTnT (Roche Diagnostics) concentrations were determined in a core laboratory blinded to clinical status. Absolute and relative changes between baseline and 2-h post-stress measurements were compared between patients with and without ischemia induced by stress testing. Results: The median age was 51 (44.0, 60.0) years, 45.9% were male, and 37.8% were African American. In total, 26 patients (8.1%) had myocardial ischemia induced by exercise. Median baseline, 2-h post-stress, and absolute δ concentrations were, respectively, 6.0, 8.0, and 0.2 ng/L for patients with evidence of ischemia; 3.8, 4.6, and 0.0 ng/L for those without; and 3.9, 4.9, and 0.0 ng/L overall. Baseline and 2-h hs-cTnT concentrations were higher among patients with abnormal stress tests (all P ≤0.05), but absolute and relative changes in hs-cTnT concentrations were not significantly different between individuals with ischemia and individuals without. Conclusions: There was no evidence of change in hs-cTnT values in response to exercise stress testing, regardless of the presence of myocardial ischemia.
Postmortem Conditioning of Meat

Holding unprocessed meat for various lengths of time at temperatures above freezing has commonly been referred to as “aging” or “conditioning” (Lawrie 1979). Since the term “aging” has often been confused with physiological aging, “conditioning” is a more preferred term (Penny 1980) and will be used in this chapter to denote the holding of carcasses or meat cuts at various temperatures above freezing to cause improvements in meat quality. “Cooler conditioning” should be used when referring to studies where carcasses are held at 0°–5°C, and “high temperature conditioning” should be used when referring to studies where carcasses are held at temperatures above 5°C (usually ranging from 15° to 40°C).
Effects of a 12-month Low-Carbohydrate Diet vs. a Low-Fat Diet on Bone Mineral Density: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundDespite health benefits, diet-induced weight loss has been thought to decrease bone mineral density (BMD) and increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures. However, results from clinical t...
Biases in genome reconstruction from metagenomic data.

Background Advances in sequencing, assembly, and assortment of contigs into species-specific bins has enabled the reconstruction of genomes from metagenomic data (MAGs). Though a powerful technique, it is difficult to determine whether assembly and binning techniques are accurate when applied to environmental metagenomes due to a lack of complete reference genome sequences against which to check the resulting MAGs. Methods We compared MAGs derived from an enrichment culture containing ~20 organisms to complete genome sequences of 10 organisms isolated from the enrichment culture. Factors commonly considered in binning software-nucleotide composition and sequence repetitiveness-were calculated for both the correctly binned and not-binned regions. This direct comparison revealed biases in sequence characteristics and gene content in the not-binned regions. Additionally, the composition of three public data sets representing MAGs reconstructed from the Tara Oceans metagenomic data was compared to a set of representative genomes available through NCBI RefSeq to verify that the biases identified were observable in more complex data sets and using three contemporary binning software packages. Results Repeat sequences were frequently not binned in the genome reconstruction processes, as were sequence regions with variant nucleotide composition. Genes encoded on the not-binned regions were strongly biased towards ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, mobile element functions and genes of unknown function. Our results support genome reconstruction as a robust process and suggest that reconstructions determined to be >90% complete are likely to effectively represent organismal function; however, population-level genotypic heterogeneity in natural populations, such as uneven distribution of plasmids, can lead to incorrect inferences.
Untaming aid through action research: Seeking transformative reflective action

Planned international development—Official Development Assistance—pretends to address complex, intergenerational problems. The pretense is endemic to, and necessary for, the continuation of the dev...
Empowering the Party-Crasher: Donald J. Trump, the First 2016 GOP Presidential Debate, and the Twitter Marketplace for Political Campaigns

This article argues that an important political marketplace of keywords expands in social media around campaign events such as a debate; that rhetorical efforts to define the situation in which a c...
Changes in the electronic structure of highly compressed iron revealed by X-ray fluorescence lines and absorption edges

Abstract We present high-resolution spectroscopic data from iron impurities in beryllium liners driven by Sandia's Z machine to temperatures near 10 eV and electron densities near 2 × 10 24 cm −3 , conditions independently diagnosed from the transmission depth and shape of the iron K-edge. A 12-eV redshift is observed in the Fe Kβ fluorescence line along with few-eV shifts in the Fe Kα lines and Fe K-shell absorption edge. While the measured edge shift disagrees with several common models of ionization potential depression, both line and edge shifts are in good agreement with the predictions of a self-consistent model based on density functional theory.
The Adaptive Immune Response

Publisher Summary B cells and T cells comprise the adaptive immune system, which allows an individual to develop a specific response to an infection (antigen) and retain memory of that infection. Memory allows for a faster and more robust response if that same infection occurs again. The adaptive immune response is divided between two components: humoral immunity which is mediated by antibodies produced by B lymphocytes (B cells) and cell-mediated immunity, which is mediated by T lymphocytes (T cells). T cells can directly kill infected cells or activate other cells, like macrophages, to kill or phagocytize infected cells. T cells are also often needed to “help” B cells mount an antibody response. The other major mechanism of host defense is the innate immune system. In contrast to adaptive immunity, innate immunity is not antigen specific, functions to recognize microorganisms, works very quickly (within hours), and is mediated by other cellular mechanisms. The body, through pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors, recognizes these organisms. Once recognized, invading microorganisms can be attacked by circulating antibodies, opsonized and killed by complement activation, or phagocytized by macrophages. This chapter focuses on the adaptive immune response and how its components interact with bone.
Monitoring mangrove forest dynamics in Campeche, Mexico, using Landsat satellite data

Abstract The mangrove forests of Campeche, Mexico, are important facets of the regional ecology and economy. In addition to supporting commercially fished populations of pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum), white shrimp (Litopenaeus satiferus), and octopus (Octopus spp.), the area's coastal mangroves and associated seagrass flats provide crucial habitat for juvenile tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), for which Campeche is a burgeoning destination for catch-and-release sport fishing. Mexico's total mangrove area has decreased by more than 20% throughout the past two decades, but no previous study has specifically mapped mangrove change dynamics in Campeche. To address this gap in the literature, this study used unsupervised classification of Landsat satellite data from 1999 and 2016 to map and quantify mangrove forest cover changes along Campeche's coast and worked with local fishing guides to identify regional drivers of mangrove degradation. Results demonstrated a 14.10% decrease in mangrove area and a 19.09% increase in Campeche city's urban extent during the study period. Mangrove decline was concentrated in coastal fringes, with local informants indicating that much of the degradation resulted from localized alteration of mangrove channels’ water flows due to road construction projects, as well as increased indirect pressures from Campeche's expanding population. Importantly, these results indicate that although Campeche's coastal mangrove corridor is protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, its close proximity to the large and growing urban center of Campeche city makes it vulnerable to direct and indirect drivers of mangrove degradation. Future updates to this study's results will be essential to monitoring Campeche's mangroves’ ongoing responses to the dueling influences of increased anthropogenic pressures and localized mangrove restoration initiatives.
Enhanced hydroformylation of 1-octene in n-butane expanded solvents with Co-based complexes

The use of n-butane expanded liquids (BXLs) as reaction media to enhance Co-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-octene has been successfully demonstrated. Both 1-octene as well as typical hydroformylation mixtures are volumetrically expanded by n-butane at typical hydroformylation conditions (∼50% expansion at 1.8 MPa of n-butane and 180 °C). By replacing up to 20% of the traditional solvent (toluene) in the reaction mixture with compressed n-butane, the TOF for Co-catalyzed 1-octene hydroformylation with triphenylphosphine ligand was enhanced by approximately 20% in the BXL system. The higher TOF in BXLs is attributed to the improved syngas availability in the pressure-tunable BXL phase compared to the traditional liquid phase. The main impediment to TOF enhancement is catalyst precipitation beyond a certain level of n-butane dissolution in the liquid phase. Hence, catalyst complexes that show improved solubility in the BXL phase are desirable to better harness the potential benefits offered by gas-expanded liquids.
Limited health literacy and adverse outcomes among kidney transplant candidates.

More than one-third of US adults have limited health literacy, putting them at risk of adverse clinical outcomes. We evaluated the prevalence of limited health literacy among 1578 adult kidney transplant (KT) candidates (May 2014-November 2017) and examined its association with listing for transplant and waitlist mortality in this pilot study. Limited health literacy was assessed at KT evaluation by using a standard cutoff score ≤5 on the Brief Health Literacy Screen (score range 0-12, lower scores indicate worse health literacy). We used logistic regression and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to identify risk factors for limited health literacy and to quantify its association with listing and waitlist mortality. We found that 8.9% of candidates had limited health literacy; risk factors included less than college education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.86-4.43), frailty (aOR = 1.85, 95% CI:1.22-2.80), comorbidity (Charlson comorbidity index [1-point increase] aOR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.20), and cognitive impairment (aOR = 3.45, 95% CI: 2.20-5.41) after adjusting for age, sex, race, and income. Candidates with limited health literacy had a 30% (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.54-0.91) decreased likelihood of listing and a 2.42-fold (95% CI: 1.16- to 5.05-fold) increased risk of waitlist mortality. Limited health literacy may be a salient mechanism in access to KT; programs to aid candidates with limited health literacy may improve outcomes and reduce disparities.
A Hybrid Laser Ultrasonic Based System for Composite Molding

Conventional piezoelectric based ultrasonic systems have been extensively employed for material characterization. These systems however, have been challenged by the recent need to rapidly scan large areas of new materials such as composites having complex geometry. A promising candidate addressing this issue is laser ultrasonics. Though laser ultrasonics is not new and has generated considerable research interest in the past two decades, its industrial acceptance has been limited. Among its many benefits, laser ultrasonics promise the flexibility of a couplant free inspection system. Pulsed lasers, in particular, offer energy concentration at high repetition rates which can be readily directed at any location on the specimen for interrogation purposes. The detection of laser ultrasound is usually done through Michaelson or Fabry-Perot type interferometric systems. Though these detection systems have the advantage of couplant free detection, they constitute a major component of system cost owing to the precision required. The sensitivity of such systems are also not satisfactory.
Behavior Explanation as Intention Signaling in Human-Robot Teaming

Facilitating a shared team understanding is an important task in human-robot teaming. In order to achieve efficient collaboration between the human and robot, it requires not only the robot to understand what the human is doing, but also the robot's behavior be understood by (a.k.a. explainable to) the human. While most prior work has focused on the first aspect, the latter has also begun to draw significant attention. We propose an approach to explaining robot behavior as intention signaling using natural language sentences. In contrast to recent approaches to generating explicable and legible plans, intention signaling does not require the robot to deviate from its optimal plan; neither does it require humans to update their knowledge as generally required for explanation generation. The key questions to be answered here for intention signaling are the what (content of signaling) and when (timing). Based on our prior work, we formulate human interpreting robot actions as a labeling process to be learned. To capture the dependencies between the interpretation of robot actions that are far apart, skip-chain Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) are used. The answers to the when and what can then be converted to an inference problem in the skip-chain CRFs. Potential timings and content of signaling are explored by fixing the labels of certain actions in the CRF model; the configuration that maximizes the underlying probability of being able to associate a label with the remaining actions, which reflects the human's understanding of the robot's plan, is returned for signaling. For evaluation, we construct a synthetic domain to verify that intention signaling can help achieve better teaming by reducing criticism on robot behavior that may appear undesirable but is otherwise required, e.g., due to information asymmetry that results in misinterpretation. We use Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to assess robot behavior with two settings (i.e., with and without signaling). Results show that our approach achieves the desired effect of creating more explainable robot behavior.
Metabolism of two dominant epibenthic echinoderms measured at bathyal depths in the Santa Catalina Basin

Metabolism of two abundant echinoderm species constituting 99.6% of the epibenthic megafauna in the Santa Catalina Basin, off southern California, USA was measured at 1 300 m during the 1979 “Bathyal Expedition”. Specimens of the ophiuroid Ophiophthalmus normani and the holothurian Scotoplanes globosa, collected by the submersible “Alvin”, were individually placed in respirometers, and measured in situ for O2 consumption and ammonium excretion rates. For O. normani, weight-specific O2 consumption rates decreased with increasing weight and were of comparable magnitude to rates of deep-sea and shallow-water ophiuroids; excretion rates were highly variable. Population O2 consumption and excretion rates for O. normani (estimated from size-frequency distribution, abundance, and rate regression equations) were 1 129.28 μl O2 m-2 h-1 and 27.30 nmol NH 4 + m-2 h-1. Weight-specific O2 consumption and ammonium excretion rates of S. globosa decreased with increasing weight and were of comparable magnitude to rases of shallow-water holothurians. Population O2 constimption and excretion rates of S. globosa were 1.38 μl O2 m-2 h-1 and 4.86 nmol NH 4 + m-2 h-1. Combined population O2 consumption rates for O. normani and S. globosa are of comparable magnitude to that of the sediment community and plankton in the benthic boundary layer (sediment and overlying 50 m water column) of the Santa Catalina Basin.
Co-offending Group Composition and Violence: The Impact of Sex, Age, and Group Size on Co-offending Violence:

Co-offenders commit more violent offenses than solo offenders, in part due to collective behavior processes that exacerbate behavior in groups. But, different co-offenders likely experience these p...
The Coming Out of Memory: The Holocaust, Homosexuality, and Dealing with the Past

This research discusses the challenges of establishing a collective memory for gay victims of the Nazi terror in World War II and examines the introduction of gay victimhood into the public sphere through memorialization efforts. While scholarly accounts on gays and the Holocaust emerged in the 1970s, little is known about the emergence and consolidation of a public narrative on gay persecutions under the Nazis. It raises important questions, including why a public voice for crimes against sexual minorities in World War II emerged only hesitantly? Drawing on historical gay memorialization processes in Germany, the author maps the obstacles for recognition, including external and internal challenges in expanding existing narratives and a collective memory of the past. This fraught advocacy work remains nonetheless crucial to promote commemorations of persecution and discrimination against minority groups that have received limited public acknowledgement.
382 TESTOSTERONE PRODUCTION OF ISOLATED LEYDIG CELLS IN XXY MICE.

Introduction Klinefelter9s syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosome aneuploidy and affects approximately 0.5% of the population. Our center has developed a mouse model that has phenotypic similarities with human XXY counterparts, presenting a unique opportunity to study the molecular mechanisms of Klinefelter9s syndrome. The XXY mice also have hypergonadotropic hypogonadism typically found in the disorder, which is highly suggestive of a Leydig cell steroidogenic defect. We have demonstrated that the Leydig cells in XXY mouse testes are both hypertrophic and hyperplastic, similar to men with Klinefelter9s syndrome. Our study objective was to determine Leydig cell production of T in vitro in XXY mice compared with XY mice. Methods Leydig cells from seven adult XXY and seven XY littermate mice were isolated. Aliquots of 20,000 pooled XY or XXY Leydig cells were cultured in each well, respectively. A total of 9 wells of XXY and 40 wells of XY Leydig cells were used in this study. Groups of 5 wells XXY or 20 wells XY Leydig cells were cultured for 3 hours at 37°C. The remaining wells from each group received high-dose (100 ng/mL) LH stimulation. The supernatant testosterone concentration was measured by a specific radioimmunoassay. Results We showed a 2.5-fold decrease in XXY production of T (XXY 107.9 ± 29.2 ng/dL/105 cells) compared with XY (265.2 ± 94.3 ng/dL/105 cells) in nonstimulated Leydig cells. In response to in vitro high-dose LH 100 ng/mL) stimulation, the T production in XXY (1,287.1 ± 129.8 ng/dL/105 cells) appeared decreased in comparison with XY Leydig cells (1,524.9 ± 228.3 ng/dL/105 cells). Thus, we demonstrated that the testosterone production in XXY Leydig cells was impaired as in their human counterparts with Klinefelter9s syndrome. To gain greater insight into the disorder of T production in XXY aneuploidy, we will perform more detailed dose-response curves, study steroidogenic enzymes expression and activity, and unravel responsible X-linked and regulated molecules, which are important in understanding hypogonadism in Klinefelter9s syndrome.
Reactive Arthritis: Clinical Features and Treatment

Reactive arthritis is a type of spondyloarthritis. It represents the classic interplay of host and environment. This is an inflammatory syndrome that occurs 1–4 weeks, or sometimes longer, after a person is exposed to certain causative organisms. The well-defined bacterial triggers include Chlamydia trachomatis, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia. Only a minority of patients who develop one of these etiologic infections will develop reactive arthritis. The “classic triad” of symptoms includes inflammatory arthritis, conjunctivitis, and urethritis, but many other disease characteristics have been described. It is also clear that the majority of affected patients do not develop this “classic triad” of symptoms. The majority of patients will experience spontaneous resolution of their symptoms, but a sizeable percentage of patients will develop chronic disease. Recently, it has been suggested that the different types of spondyloarthritis should be classified as axial versus peripheral subtype. This chapter will focus on the different axial and peripheral features of reactive arthritis and attempt to classify it as such. The ideal treatment remains elusive, but the available data will be reviewed.