cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Interspecific Chromosome Substitution in Upland Cotton on Cottonseed Macronutrients.

Nutrients, including macronutrients such as Ca, P, K, and Mg, are essential for crop production and seed quality, and for human and animal nutrition and health. Macronutrient deficiencies in soil lead to poor crop nutritional qualities and a low level of macronutrients in cottonseed meal-based products, leading to malnutrition. Therefore, the discovery of novel germplasm with a high level of macronutrients or significant variability in the macronutrient content of crop seeds is critical. To our knowledge, there is no information available on the effects of chromosome or chromosome arm substitution on cottonseed macronutrient content. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chromosome or chromosome arm substitution on the variability and content of the cottonseed macronutrients Ca, K, Mg, N, P, and S in chromosome substitution lines (CS). Nine chromosome substitution lines were grown in two-field experiments at two locations in 2013 in South Carolina, USA, and in 2014 in Mississippi, USA. The controls used were TM-1, the recurrent parent of the CS line, and the cultivar AM UA48. The results showed major variability in macronutrients among CS lines and between CS lines and controls. For example, in South Carolina, the mean values showed that five CS lines (CS-T02, CS-T04, CS-T08sh, CS-B02, and CS-B04) had higher Ca level in seed than controls. Ca levels in these CS lines varied from 1.88 to 2.63 g kg−1 compared with 1.81 and 1.72 g kg−1 for TM-1 and AMUA48, respectively, with CS-T04 having the highest Ca concentration. CS-M08sh exhibited the highest K concentration (14.50 g kg−1), an increase of 29% and 49% over TM-1 and AM UA48, respectively. Other CS lines had higher Mg, P, and S than the controls. A similar trend was found at the MS location. This research demonstrated that chromosome substitution resulted in higher seed macronutrients in some CS lines, and these CS lines with a higher content of macronutrients can be used as a genetic tool towards the identification of desired seed nutrition traits. Also, the CS lines with higher desired macronutrients can be used as parents to breed for improved nutritional quality in Upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., through improvement by the interspecific introgression of desired seed nutrient traits such as Ca, K, P, S, and N. The positive and significant (p ≤ 0.0001) correlation of P with Ca, P with Mg, S with P, and S with N will aid in understanding the relationships between nutrients to improve the fertilizer management program and maintain higher cottonseed nutrient content.
Toward Computing Resource Reservation Scheduling in Industrial Internet of Things

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a critically important implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting IoT devices ubiquitously in an industrial environment. Based on the interconnection of IoT devices, IIoT applications can collect and analyze sensing data, which help operators to control and manage manufacturing systems, leading to significant performance improvements and enabling automation. IIoT systems are characterized by a variety of IIoT applications, which generate different computing tasks depending on their functionalities. Some tasks are time sensitive (TS), while others are not, and more importantly, some tasks are nonpreemptive in IIoT scenarios. Thus, processing the different IIoT applications efficiently in an IIoT environment is key to achieving automation. Since computing resources are limited in IIoT, how to rapidly process TS tasks is a critical issue. Although some existing scheduling schemes can deal with the latency requirements of TS tasks, they lack consideration for nonpreemptive tasks. To address this issue, in this article we consider a typical smart warehouse system as an example and propose a generic task scheduling scheme that reserves computing resources to wait for upcoming TS tasks in such an IIoT environment. In doing so, our proposed scheme is capable of minimizing the overall waiting time for TS tasks. To evaluate the proposed scheme, we have implemented a simulation platform for a smart warehouse and conducted extensive experiments. Our experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of our scheme, which can allocate computing resources so that the processing time for the TS tasks can be reduced. Additionally, we discuss some potential research directions toward improving performance in IIoT environments with respect to resource management, machine learning, and security and privacy.
Linoleic acid-derived 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid is absorbed and incorporated into rat tissues

Linoleic acid (LNA)-derived 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) is a bioactive lipid mediator that regulates multiple signaling processes in vivo. 13-HODE is also produced when LNA is oxidized during food processing. However, the absorption and incorporation kinetics of dietary 13-HODE into tissues is not known. The present study measured unesterified d4-13-HODE plasma bioavailability and incorporation into rat liver, adipose, heart and brain following gavage or intravenous (IV) injection (n = 3 per group). Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that d4-13-HODE was absorbed within 20 min of gavage, and continued to incorporate into plasma esterified lipid fractions throughout the 90 min monitoring period (incorporation half-life of 71 min). Following IV injection, unesterified d4-13-HODE was rapidly eliminated from plasma with a half-life of 1 min. Analysis of tracer incorporation kinetics into rat tissues following IV injection or gavage revealed that the esterified tracer preferentially incorporated into liver, adipose and heart compared to unesterified d4-13-HODE. No tracer was detected in the brain. This study demonstrates that dietary 13-HODE is absorbed, and incorporated into peripheral tissues from esterified plasma lipid pools. Understanding the chronic effects of dietary 13-HODE exposure on peripheral tissue physiology and metabolism merits future investigation.
Single-Molecule Charge Transport in Discrete, π-Stacked Pyridinium Dimers

Charge transport through π-conjugated molecules plays an essential role in biochemical redox processes and energy storage applications. In this work, we show that molecular charge transport is greatly enhanced upon dimerization of certain pyridinium molecules in the cavity of a synthetic host (cucurbit[8]uril, CB[8]). Stable, homoternary complexes are formed between pyridinium molecules and CB[8] with high binding affinity, resulting in an offset stacked geometry of two pyridiniums inside the host cavity. The charge transport properties of free and dimerized pyridiniums are characterized using a scanning tunneling microscope-break junction (STM-BJ) technique. Remarkably, our results show that π-stacked methylated pyridinium dimers exhibit a 10-fold increase in molecular conductance compared to isolated, single pyridinium molecules. Control experiments using CB[8] homologues show that the synthetic host primarily serves to facilitate dimer formation and plays a minimal role on molecular conductance. Molecular modeling is used to determine transmission functions for molecular junctions using the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism, with simulations showing good agreement with experimental results. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that the closely stacked pyridinium dimer has a reduced energy gap and favorable orbital energy alignment with gold electrodes, thereby resulting in enhanced molecular conductance. Overall, this work demonstrates that supramolecular assembly provides a useful approach to understand intermolecular charge transport in π-stacked molecules.
Evidence of intergenerational transmission of diethylstilbestrol health effects: hindsight and insight.

This review summarizes key findings from the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) diethylstilbestrol (DES) Combined Cohort Study with a focus on the results of the NCI Third Generation Study, a cohort of DES-exposed and -unexposed granddaughters. Findings to date from the Third Generation Study are discussed in the context of other research efforts and case reports, suggesting an intergenerational heritability of DES-related effects. The DES story serves as a model for the influence of endocrine disrupting chemicals on human health. It also serves as a warning of the special hazards of pregnancy exposures, and more broadly, of the potential for invisible health consequences arising from new or changing exposures. Summary sentence Diethylstilbestrol is associated with adverse health outcomes in women exposed during pregnancy and in prenatally exposed offspring, particularly daughters; evidence suggests that exposure health effects may extend to the next generation.
A Retrospective investigation and random sample survey of acute bovine pulmonary emphysema in Northern California

A retrospective investigation (RI) of Acute Bovine Pulmonary Emphysema (ABPE) involved 14 veterinarians, 20 premises, and 30 occurrences of the disease in 10 Northern California counties. There were 9,851 cattle at risk in the investigation, and 6,046 of these were adults. The adult mortality rate was 2.61 %. Attack rates and case fatality rates were variable; but in general, inversely related. Calves were not significantly affected. Cases were noted in all months except February and December. A statistically designed random sample survey (RS) was conducted on 81 premises in three of the counties. Equivalent mortality rates were found in the RI and the RS for each class of cattle. Sex differences were not statistically significant. Type of forage management was found to be significant (p < .005) to the occurrence of ABPE. The incidence of ABPE was estimated at 594 adult cases with 121 deaths out of 90,688 cattle in Lassen, Modoc, and Siskiyou counties. The total estimated economic costs for ABPE in these three counties was $127,550.00 in 1973.
Top-quark production at approximate N$^3$LO

I discuss recent theoretical results with soft-gluon corrections for various top-quark production processes through approximate N$^3$LO, including soft anomalous dimensions through three loops. I present numerical results for total cross sections and differential distributions for top-pair and $tW$ production as well as for three-particle final states with a top quark and a Higgs boson. I show that soft-gluon corrections are dominant for a large range of collider energies.
Working together: Heterotypic clusters and collective cell migration in melanoma metastasis

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Campbell et al. (2021) show that melanoma cells with distinct invasive or proliferative gene signatures can form heterotypic clusters that extravasate collectively and readily seed the growth of metastatic lesions. These findings highlight interactions between heterogenous tumor cells as being critical for metastasis.
Mathematical Underpinnings of Probability Theory

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a background on the results from probability and inference theory required for the study of several of the topics of contemporary econometrics.
Raised cosine filter-based empirical mode decomposition

The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is a relatively new method to decompose multicomponent signals that requires no a priori knowledge about the components. In this study, a modified algorithm using raised cosine interpolation is proposed which the authors refer to as raised cosine empirical mode decomposition. The decomposition quality of this proposed technique is controllable via an adjustable parameter. This results in better performance than the original approach which produces faster convergence or lower final error under different conditions. An efficient fast Fourier transform-based implementation of the proposed technique is presented. The signal decomposition performance of the new algorithm is demonstrated by application to a variety of multicomponent signals and a comparison with EMD algorithm is presented. Computational complexity of the two techniques is compared.
Wearable wireless electronics

A key component to wearable technology is wireless functionality allowing untethered interaction between the body and the outside world. Furthermore, wearables can use wireless technology not only for communications, but also for energy and sensing. An introductory overview is provided highlighting applications and methods associated with research in wearable wireless technology.
The Impact of Social and Political Changes on Survivors of Political Persecutions in Rural Russia and Ukraine

Differences in depressive symptoms and attitudes about political and social changes were examined for individuals with and without family histories of Stalinist persecution in several small villages in Russia and Ukraine. In a sample of 422 villagers, there were 37 family members of survivors of Stalinist purges. In comparison to villagers with no family history of persecution, those who had such history perceived their social life with other villagers and their life in general to be much improved in the late 1990s. They also reported much lower levels of depression than those without a history of persecution. Differences that were discovered could not be accounted for by demographic characteristics of the respondents. The results suggest that individuals with a history of family trauma related to political persecution may perceive their environment as more positive as a result of political changes and may cope with political transitions differently than persons who have no history of family persecution.
When 12-dB SINAD is not 12-dB SINAD (land mobile FM receivers)

12-dB SINAD (signal plus noise plus distortion to noise plus distortion ratio) is the standard measure of analog FM receiver sensitivity. The Electronics Industries Association (EIA) modified its standard for FM receivers in 1982. In this updated standard, the EIA changed the specifications for equipment used to measure SINAD. This change effectively changed the definition of 12-dB SINAD. The author examines the extent of the change and its effect on FM receiver measurements. >
The perceived role of the Teach For America program on teachers’ long-term career aspirations

In urban school systems, the percentage of teachers that leave the profession is disproportionally high. Part of the driving force for this high rate of teacher turnover are alternative certification programmes, like Teach For America (TFA) which recruits teachers only for a short-term teaching commitment. This study contributes a novel perspective on these teachers’ decision to stay or exit the classroom after this two-year commitment by analysing extensive open-ended qualitative interviews with 30 TFA participants in Los Angeles. Within this sample, a majority enter the programme without viewing teaching as a long-term career option, though they are willing to extend their initial two-year teaching commitment for several years, though not much longer after that. Only a minority of these teachers entered TFA as a means of becoming long-term classroom teachers. No teachers changed their long-term career plans as a result of their participation in TFA. Implications are discussed.
Nut consumption, vegetarian diets, ischemic heart disease risk, and all-cause mortality: evidence from epidemiologic studies

Perhaps one of the most unexpected and novel findings in nutritional epidemiology in the past 5 y has been that nut consumption seems to protect against ischemic heart disease (IHD). Frequency and quantity of nut consumption have been documented to be higher in vegetarian than in nonvegetarian populations. Nuts also constitute an important part of other plant-based diets, such as Mediterranean and Asian diets. In a large, prospective epidemiologic study of Seventh-day Adventists in California, we found that frequency of nut consumption had a substantial and highly significant inverse association with risk of myocardial infarction and death from IHD. The Iowa Women's Health Study also documented an association between nut consumption and decreased risk of IHD. The protective effect of nuts on IHD has been found in men and women and in the elderly. Importantly, nuts have similar associations in both vegetarians and nonvegetarians. The protective effect of nut consumption on IHD is not offset by increased mortality from other causes. Moreover, frequency of nut consumption has been found to be inversely related to all-cause mortality in several population groups such as whites, blacks, and the elderly. Thus, nut consumption may not only offer protection against IHD, but also increase longevity.
Unlocking the opportunity of tight glycaemic control. Inhaled insulin: safety.

Clinical studies of inhaled insulins suggest that pulmonary delivery is well tolerated, with a level of safety comparable to that of subcutaneous (SC) insulin. Questions about the safety of Exubera® focus primarily on the lungs, which are probably exposed to two to three times more insulin than an SC injection site. Pulmonary function tests (forced expiratory volume in 1 s and carbon monoxide-diffusing capacity) are routinely included as primary endpoints in Exubera® clinical trials. Completed phase 2 and 3 studies up to 4 years in duration indicate that the differences over time in pulmonary function changes between patients treated with Exubera® and control patients are small, non-progressive, clinically insignificant and reverse after discontinuation of Exubera® therapy. However, it would be useful to understand the physiologic mechanisms responsible for these changes, and ongoing studies should continue to monitor the effects of inhaled insulin on pulmonary function and other parameters in patients with diabetes. In clinical trials of patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes who were treated with Exubera®, the only significant clinical adverse effect was cough. This was generally characterized as mild to moderate in severity, decreased over time and was not associated with declines in lung function. Thus, insulin administration via the lung appears to be generally safe in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes.
Characterization of chromosomal homologs of the plasmid-borne copper resistance operon of Pseudomonas syringae.

Copper-resistant and copper-sensitive strains of Pseudomonas syringae, as well as many other pseudomonads, contain chromosomal DNA homologous to the plasmid-borne copper resistance operon (copABCD). cop homologs were cloned from the chromosome of P. syringae pv. tomato PT12.2, which had an elevated level of resistance to copper compared with typical copper-sensitive strains of other P. syringae pathovars and showed an unusually high frequency of spontaneous mutation to high levels of copper resistance. Two chromosomal cop homolog regions were cloned. Homolog 1 hybridized with copA and copB, and homolog 2 hybridized with copA, copB, copC, and the copper-responsive regulatory genes copRS. Homolog 1 had no detectable function when transferred to a copper-sensitive strain of P. syringae. However, homolog 2 conferred the low level of copper resistance observed with PT12.2 and produced proteins related to CopA and CopC. In addition, homolog 2 conferred a high frequency of mutation to full copper resistance. In a spontaneously mutated derivative of the cloned homolog 2 (pCOPH2R) that conferred copper resistance, an increased level of CopA was observed. pCOPH2R also supported a higher level of transcriptional activity of the cop promoter that was fused to lacZ and provided in trans (pCOP38), suggesting that the spontaneous mutation was regulatory, probably involving the copRS homologs. Homolog 2 was similar but not identical to the plasmid-borne cop operon, and it did not complement site-specific mutations in cop genes. Images
Use of Covariates and Survey Wave to Adjust for Nonresponse

Using covariates available on all sampled individuals along with an intensive follow-up of nonrespondents is a useful approach to reduce the impact of nonresponse. We examined the performance of several different nonresponse models to account for such covariates and multiple survey waves to estimate the prevalence of birth control use in 106463 women taking the teratogenic drug Accutane. Nonrespondents to a first mailing were followed with two more mailings and then a telephone call. The first mailing had a response rate of 59.7 percent; the overall nonresponse rate was 15.2 percent. Age was available on all women and was strongly associated with both response and birth control use. We considered both multiple imputation and weighting strategies using information on age and time to response assuming that nonrespondents were: (i) like all respondents conditional on age, (ii) like reluctant respondents conditional on age, and (iii) projected from a model which includes trend. Simulation studies were used to examine the potential bias in this setting and we compared models under different assumptions about the missing data mechanism. Results describe the extent to which availability of covariate information and use of multiple waves improves estimation. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Savings test for associations between.neutral stimuli

Three experiments showed a savings procedure to be an effective and sensitive alternative to sensory preconditioning procedures as a measure of associations among neutral stimuli. Experiment 1 showed that within-compound associations developed more rapidly in reinforced appetitive serial compound conditioning when nonreinforced preexposure to the serial compound was given than when separate element or no preexposure was given. Experiment 2 showed the savings effect to be highly stimulus specific. Experiment 3 examined the facilitation of serial compound conditioning after either simultaneous or serial nonreinforced preexposure to the elements of the compound. The results of that experiment were consistent with those of analogous sensory preconditioning experiments. When preexposure involved only the two elements of the subsequently reinforced compound, serial preexposure produced more savings than simultaneous preexposure. But when preexposure involved a three-stimulus procedure like that used by Rescorla (1980b), simultaneous preexposure resulted in more savings. Advantages of the savings procedure over sensory preconditioning as a measure of association among neutral stimuli are discussed.
Stress analysis for linear viscoelastic materials

The relations between stress and strain prescribing linear viscoelastic behavior are discussed from the standpoint of application to problems of stress analysis. This consideration involves some important differences from the assessment of linear viscoelastic laws for the representation of material properties only. The use of the differential operator relation between stress and strain is usually most convenient, although the integral operators comprising the creep function or relaxation function can also sometimes be conveniently utilized. Examples of these are given, including the problem of indentation, in which the region of contact of a rigid spherical indentor under constant load can be expressed directly in terms of the creep function. When differential operator relations, which correspond to the usually considered viscoelastic models, are used, it is shown that a consistent application of the theory of delta functions and the associated symbolic differentiation permits initial values to be determined for the evaluation of the resulting differential equations. No mathematical difficulties arise if the loading functions are not smooth, as might be anticipated by the high order time derivatives which appear in the viscoelastic relations. An application of this theory is given which falls outside the scope of theLaplace transform type of analysis. The latter is often used to deal with this kind of problem, but has a restricted field of application.
Mean wind and turbulence characteristics due to induction effects near wind turbine rotors

Abstract The objective of this study was to place a model wind turbine into a wind tunnel and measure the wind characteristics in the vicinity of the spinning rotor for a variety of flow conditions. A 0.53 meter diameter model wind turbine was placed in the Meteorological Wind Tunnel facility at Colorado State University. Four different approach flow conditions were studied. These were two different mean wind speeds (6 and 7.6 m/s) and two different turbulence conditions (0.1% and 1.5% intensity). For each of these test conditions the three-dimensional wind field was measured between 3 rotor diameters upwind to 1 2 rotor diameter downwind. The rotor power coefficient versus tip speed ratio was also obtained.
Moral Reasoning in the Context of Reform: A Study of Russian Officials

This article reports on an exploratory study of ethical reasoning among public administrators in Russia. Survey interviews and focus group follow-ups with civil servants participating in graduate training programs at the Russian Academy of Public Service provide information about their preferred mode of ethical reasoning; the demographic, attitudinal, organizational, and professional factors associated with that reasoning; and the behavioral choices implied. Using a sample of 113 public officials who represent a broad spectrum of regions in Russia, this study assesses moral reasoning, examines variables associated with alternative models, and compares these responses with findings from studies conducted in Poland and the United States. Based on this exploratory study, we suggest implications for theory, research, and practice.
Thermal treatment effects on a PLLA bioresorbable stent

Stent navigation and expansion may injure vascular endothelium, including vulnerable plaque lesions. Balloon expansion and deployment of a stent can lead to injury or the endothelial lining and stretching of the arterial wall [1]. Understanding the traction forces an expanding stent imparts on the vascular wall at the endothelial surface, the underlying plaque lesions and other tissue components during expansion is an important step in improving short term stent-wall mechanics. More importantly, the long term influence of stent-vascular wall mechanical interactions in restenosis remains unknown, and this analysis may shed light on the process.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Biosynthetic pathways, gene replacement and the antiquity of life

The appearance of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, a by-product of oxygenic photosynthesis invented by primitive cyanobacteria, stands as one of the major events in the history of life on Earth. While independent lines of geological data suggest that oxygen first began to accumulate in the atmosphere c. 2.2 billion years ago, a growing body of biomarker data purports to push this date back fully 500 million years, based on the presumption that an oxygen-dependent biochemistry was functional at this time. Here, we present a cautionary tale in the extension of modern biochemistry into Archean biota, identifying a suite of examples of evolutionary convergence where an enzyme catalysing a highly specific, O2-requiring reaction has an oxygen-independent counterpart, able to carry out the same reaction under anoxic conditions. The anaerobic enzyme has almost certainly been replaced in many reactions by the more efficient and irreversible aerobic version that uses O2. We suggest that the unambiguous interpretation of Archean biomarkers demands a rigorous understanding of modern biochemistry and its extensibility into ancient organisms.
Cyclosporin A improves brain tissue oxygen consumption and learning/memory performance after lateral fluid percussion injury in rats

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers a complex pathophysiological cascade, leading to cell death. A major factor in the pathogenesis of TBI is neuronal overloading with calcium, causing the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores (MPTP), which consequently inhibit normal mitochondrial function. The immunosuppressant Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been shown to block MPTPs, and to be neuroprotective in ischemia and TBI. However, the translation of these effects on mitochondrial function, into behavioral endpoints has not been investigated thoroughly. Therefore, we tested the effect of a low, clinically evaluated, CsA dose of 0.125 mg/kg (infused for 3 h) and a higher "known" neuroprotective dose of 18.75 mg/kg on brain tissue O2 consumption, and on motor and cognitive performance following lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) in rats. CsA at both concentrations abolished the 25% decrease in O2 consumption (VO2), seen in saline-treated animals at 5 h post-FPI. Furthermore, the lower dose of CsA al...
Formula for the critical temperature of superconductors based on the electronic density of states and the effective mass.

A formula for the superconducting transition temperature ${T}_{c}$ is developed by comparing the total condensation energy contained within the coherence volume of a Cooper pair to the number of electronic states at the Fermi surface within the same coherence volume. It is found that ${T}_{c}$ is proportional to the ratio of the condensation energy density and normal state charge carrier density. We find that this relation holds for over 2 orders of magnitude in temperature for numerous well-known superconducting compounds belonging to distinctly different classes.
In vivo cardiac diffusion MRI: second order motion compensated diffusion-prepared balanced steady state free precession (SOMOCO Diff Prep bSSFP)

Background Cardiac diffusion MRI (CDMRI) has the potential to identify acute myocardial ischemia and assess the chronic change of myofiber orientation after a myocardial infarction [1,2]. Cardiac motion and SNR limitations have been the primary challenges for the application of the technique in vivo. A few previous in vivo studies have demonstrated the feasibility of CDMRI in humans using diffusion-weighted (DW) EPI. However, these approaches suffer from inherently poor SNR efficiency in the case of STEAM DW encoding [3] or require the use of a reduced field-of-view (FOV) [4]. In addition, they employ a first order motion compensation (MOCO) to account for cardiac motion, while limiting diffusion encoding duration to less than 30 ms to avoid non-constant velocity motion. This severely hinders the ability to achieve an acceptable b-value for CDMRI with clinical hardware limitations. We propose a novel application of diffusion-prepared balanced steady-state free precession (Diff Prep bSSFP) [5] to include second order MOCO (SOMOCO). This not only allows for sufficiently high b-values, but also takes advantage of the higher SNR efficiency and image quality of bSSFP while ensuring a large FOV.
Getting in Shape: Controlling Peptide Bioactivity and Bioavailability Using Conformational Constraints

Chemical biologists commonly seek out correlations between the physicochemical properties of molecules and their behavior in biological systems. However, a new paradigm is emerging for peptides in which conformation is recognized as the primary determinant of bioactivity and bioavailability. This review highlights an emerging body of work that directly addresses how a peptide’s conformation controls its biological effects, cell penetration, and intestinal absorption. Based on this work, the dream of mimicking the potency and bioavailability of natural product peptides is getting closer to reality.
Virtual Incarnations: An Exploration of Internet-Mediated Interaction as Manifestation of the Divine

Abstract As faith communities are moving online and creating virtual churches, one widespread critique is the disembodied nature of online relationships. Citing fears of engagement with others who are misrepresenting themselves, many argue that virtual churches are not “real” and Internet-mediated communications (IMC) should not be incorporated into faith formation. However, with the exception of those who lived and walked with Jesus, most of humanity knows God and feels God's presence through “virtual incarnations.” This article identifies the essential communicative and expressive aspects of physical relationships that manifest the Divine and some of the ecclesial ramifications of virtual church.
Agnostic G1 Gregory surfaces

Graphical abstractAgnostic G1 Gregory surfaces: input data, G0 intermediate surfaces, and final G1 surface.Display Omitted Highlights? G1 smoothness conditions for rectangular and triangular Gregory patches, which are rational surfaces, are presented. ? A G1 surface fitting algorithm for rectangular and triangular Gregory patches is outlined. ? The surface fitting method incorporates point-normal interpolation and the concept of tangent ribbons. We discuss G1 smoothness conditions for rectangular and triangular Gregory patches. We then incorporate these G1 conditions into a surface fitting algorithm. Knowledge of the patch type is inconsequential to the formulation of the G1 conditions, hence the term agnostic G1Gregory surfaces.
Factor IX activation by factor XIa proceeds without release of a free intermediate

Factor IX activation by factor XIa is thought to proceed through the singly-cleaved free intermediate, factor IXα. However, we observed no intermediate development during factor IX activation by factor XIa when using a low substrate to enzyme ratio (44:1 mol/mol). This result can be explained by one of two mechanisms: (1) factor XIa-catalyzed activation proceeds via a singly-cleaved free intermediate with a much higher efficiency of cleavage than factor IX zymogen, or (2) the reaction occurs without free intermediate generation, whereby factor XIa makes both proteolytic cleavages in a single substrate molecule before releasing the final product (processive mechanism). We compared the factor XIa cleavage rates of free factor IXα and factor IXaα with that of factor IX zymogen. In contrast to the requirements of mechanism (1), the cleavage rate constants of factor IX zymogen, factor IXα, and factor IXaα were similar: 0.38 ± 0.02 s-1, 0.34 ± 0.05 s-1, and 0.27 ± 0.01 s-1, respectively. It seems likely that ...
Folate and Homocysteine Metabolism: Therapeutic Targets in Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Disorders

Individuals with elevated homocysteine levels are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases Homocysteine is a modified form of the amino acid methionine that is tightly regulated by enzymes requiring folate. By impairing DNA repair mechanisms and inducing oxidative stress, homocysteine can cause the dysfunction or death of cells in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Dietary folate stimulates homocysteine removal and may thereby protect cells against disease processes. The enzymes involved in homocysteine and folate metabolism provide novel targets for drug discovery.
Designing and Testing Navigational Strategies and Guidance Tools for a Hypermedia Program

This article reports on exploratory research that examined the effectiveness of guidance tools to help users access information in a hypermedia program. Also, the study examined the influence of affective and motivational dispositions and cognitive strategies on users' search strategies. A stepwise regression analysis revealed that students were able to effectively use the Guide and the Browse modes to locate information that pertained to focus questions assigned them. The Index was not an effective means of locating information. The findings also suggested that students need adequate learning and study skills preparation to be successful navigators in hypermedia systems.
Comparison of protein and DNA synthesis assays of bovine peripheral blood lymphocytes after antigenic and phytohemagglutinin stimulation

Abstract Comparison of protein and DNA synthesis for the detection and qualitative measurement of antigen- and mitogen-induced lymphocyte stimulation is described. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from cattle first sensitized to purified protein derivatives (PPD) and then to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) were assayed for lymphocyte stimulation 30 days after sensitization with each antigen. Mitogen (PHA)-induced lymphocyte stimulation was measured for a 25-day period. The protein synthesis assay not only permitted the earlier detection of antigen-induced lymphocyte stimulation, but was also more precise in the demonstration of antigen-induced lymphocyte activation. Antigen-and PHA-induced lymphocyte stimulation was detected with precision in one-quarter of the time required by the DNA synthesis assay. The application of protein synthesis to evaluate lymphocyte activation provides a rapid and reliable assay with the same sensitivity as the more time-consuming and variable DNA synthesis assay.
Antimuscarinic Drugs: Review of the Cognitive Impact When Used to Treat Overactive Bladder in Elderly Patients

The blockade of muscarinic receptors in the management of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms provides beneficial as well as adverse effects. The cognitive changes observed are caused by the drugs’ ability to cross the blood–brain barrier and bind to muscarinic receptors within the central nervous system (CNS). To date, while not specifically testing for CNS side effects, most of the controlled efficacy trials of multiple OAB medications have not shown significant adverse effects on cognitive function. However, elderly individuals, in whom OAB is more prevalent, often are excluded from these studies. The few trials that have performed cognitive testing in healthy elderly people taking antimuscarinics have clearly shown that oxybutynin can adversely affect cognition. Darifenacin, trospium, solifenacin, and tolterodine appear to have little to no risk of causing CNS side effects in this population. However, caution needs to be used in elderly patients with preexisting dementia.
Soft power: From ethnic attraction to national attraction in sociological globalism

Abstract This paper explores the influence of ethnic relations in sociological globalism on the formulation process of a country’s soft power (i.e., national attraction). People migrate into a country, become an ethnic group, and experience sociological contact/interaction with other ethnic groups, through which they form more concrete and experiential attitudes toward each other. In turn, these attitudes affect their perceptions of other ethnic groups’ homeland countries. With soft power being defined as favorability toward a foreign country, this paper investigates the influence of ethnic relations in a three-predictor regression model of soft power—ethnic relations, between country relationship quality, and normative performance (i.e., reputation) of a country. In testing the model, this study uses secondary data consisting of U.S. national surveys including polls of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations on perceptions of foreign countries and aggregate nation-level data. The findings show that ethnic relations has a sizable, significant influence on favorability, second to relationship quality, with normative performance having a weak, insignificant influence. This paper further discusses the findings’ implications for contemporary public diplomacy practice and theory and outlines directions for future study of ethnic relation’s influence on soft power in sociological globalism.
Smad7 Is Required for the Development and Function of the Heart

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family members, including TGF-βs, activins, and bone morphogenetic proteins, exert diverse biological activities in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, embryonic development, and many other processes. These effects are largely mediated by Smad proteins. Smad7 is a negative regulator for the signaling of TGF-β family members. Dysregulation of Smad7 is associated with pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases. However, the in vivo physiological roles of Smad7 have not been elucidated due to the lack of a mouse model with significant loss of Smad7 function. Here we report generation and initial characterization of Smad7 mutant mice with targeted deletion of the indispensable MH2 domain. The majority of Smad7 mutant mice died in utero due to multiple defects in cardiovascular development, including ventricular septal defect and non-compaction, as well as outflow tract malformation. The surviving adult Smad7 mutant mice had impaired cardiac functions and severe arrhythmia. Further analyses suggest that Smad2/3 phosphorylation was elevated in atrioventricular cushion in the heart of Smad7 mutant mice, accompanied by increased apoptosis in this region. Taken together, these observations pinpoint an important role of Smad7 in the development and function of the mouse heart in vivo.
Trinuclear hydridobis-μ3-sulphido complexes of Rh(I); Synthesis and structures of Rh3(COD)3(μ3-S)2(μ-H), Rh3(COD)2(t-Bu2PH)2(μ3-S)2(μ-H), (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) and Rh3(CO)4(t-Bu2PH)2(μ-S)2(μ-H)

Abstract Reaction of [Rh(COD)Cl]2 (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with two equivalents of NaSH in methanol at −78°C gives bright red crystalline Rh3(COD)3(μ3-S)2(μ-H)(1)(83%), H2S is also formed. The overall molecular geometry of (1) consists of a Rh3 triangle capped on each face by a μ3-S atom. Each Rh atom bears a COD ligand in the boat configuration. The centroids of the carbon-carbon double bonds of each COD and the μ3-S atoms give each Rh a roughly planar coordination geometry. One RhRh bond is notably longer than the other two: (2.814(1), 2.962(1) and 3.210(3) A). The overall molecular geometry suggests that the μ-H atom bridges the longest RhRh bond, although this could not be confirmed by X-ray data. Reaction of (1) with excess t-Bu2PH in THF gives Rh3(COD)2(t-Bu2PH)2(μ3-S)2(μ-H), (2), in which the unique COD ligand bonded to the Rh atom opposite the long Rh(μ-H)Rh bond is replaced by two cis t-Bu2PH ligands. (2) reacts with CO (1 atm., 25°C) in toluene to give Rh3(CO)4(t-Bu2PH)2(μ3-S)2(μ-H), (3). Both (2) and (3) are formed quantitatively. In (3), two terminal CO ligands replace each of the COD ligands. Crystal data for (l): C24H37Rh3S2, M = 698.40, monoclinic, C2/c (No. 15), a = 27.808(5), b = 9.060(1), c = 19.248(3) A, β = 97.52(2)dg, U = 4807.6(5) A3, Dc = 1.930 g cm−3, Z = 8, λ(Mo-Kα) = 0.71073 A (graphite monochromator), μ(Mo-Kα,) = 21.83 cm−1. Methods: MULTAN, difference Fourier, full matrix least-squares. Refinement of 2432 reflections (I > 3σ(I)) out of 4123 unique observed reflections (3° 1 , (No. 2), a = 10.738(1), b = 19.503(2), c = 20.353(4) A, α = 90.36(1), β = 105.47(2), γ = 92.77(1)°, U = 4102.3(5) A3, Dc = 1.58 g cm−3, Z = 4, μ(Mo-Kα) = 13.76 cm−1. Refinement of 4205 reflections (I > 3σ(I)) out of 5674 unique observed (3° 3σ > (I)) out of 4649 unique observed (3°
Dynamic Changes in Neural Circuit Topology Following Mild Mechanical Injury In Vitro

Despite its enormous incidence, mild traumatic brain injury is not well understood. One aspect that needs more definition is how the mechanical energy during injury affects neural circuit function. Recent developments in cellular imaging probes provide an opportunity to assess the dynamic state of neural networks with single-cell resolution. In this article, we developed imaging methods to assess the state of dissociated cortical networks exposed to mild injury. We estimated the imaging conditions needed to achieve accurate measures of network properties, and applied these methodologies to evaluate if mild mechanical injury to cortical neurons produces graded changes to either spontaneous network activity or altered network topology. We found that modest injury produced a transient increase in calcium activity that dissipated within 1 h after injury. Alternatively, moderate mechanical injury produced immediate disruption in network synchrony, loss in excitatory tone, and increased modular topology. A calcium-activated neutral protease (calpain) was a key intermediary in these changes; blocking calpain activation restored the network nearly completely to its pre-injury state. Together, these findings show a more complex change in neural circuit behavior than previously reported for mild mechanical injury, and highlight at least one important early mechanism responsible for these changes.
Pharmacotherapy for Hypertension in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Hypertension increases with increasing age. Optimal treatment of hypertension is important to reduce cardiovascular disease. Recent guidelines for hypertension have made recommendations for older adults but are supported by evidence that includes younger individuals. This systematic review evaluates the benefits and harms of antihypertensive agents in adults aged ≥65 years. We searched MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov for studies from 1996 to 2014. Eligible studies included participants aged ≥65 years with hypertension. Eligible studies had clearly defined treatment assignments, blood pressure (BP) targets, and evaluated endpoints of cardiovascular morbidity, mortality, and/or harms of antihypertensive medications. We abstracted study characteristics, cardiovascular benefits, and harms. Thirty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. Most studies compared different antihypertensive agents and/or placebo groups. These studies consistently demonstrated reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared with no treatment. Seven studies examined optimal BP targets. Strict control [systolic BP (SBP) <140 mmHg] was not consistently better than mild control (SBP <150 mmHg) for adults aged ≥65 years. Mild SBP control benefitted subjects in all age ranges over 65 years. Few studies assessed and explicitly reported harms. In this review, older adults with hypertension had decreased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with antihypertensives compared with no treatment. Strict control was not consistently better than mild control in older adults. There was enormous heterogeneity in these studies, and reporting of harms stratified by age is lacking. The current evidence is insufficient to determine the safest, most beneficial hypertension regimen in older adults.
Prediction of transcriptional activity based on gene association with the nuclear matrix.

Summary In this report, we show that androgen-dependent genes expressed in rat ventral prostate, Cl, C2 and C3, are enriched in residual DNA extracted from the nuclear matrix of ventral prostate. The enrichment is androgen-dependent and is likely to be related to their transcriptional activity. While this finding corroborates other data demonstrating that transcriptionally active genes can be protected from nuclease digestion by their association with the nuclear matrix, we have extended this analysis to show that nuclear matrix protection experiments can be used both to analyze tissue-specific expression among members of a highly related gene family and also to predict transcriptional activity of genes in particular tissues.
Salinity stress results in rapid cell cycle changes of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) gill epithelial cells.

We have developed a technique for immunocytochemistry of fish gill cells that we used to quantify tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) mitochondria-rich cells (MRC) and other gill cells (non-MRC) within different cell cycle phases by laser scanning cytometry. Gill cells fixed on coverslips were triple stained with propidium iodide to distinguish G1 vs. G2 phases, Ser10- phosphorylated histone H3 antibody to label mitotic cells, and Na + /K + ATPase antibody to label MRC. These parameters were measured at 0 (control), 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, 72, and 168 hr (1 week) following exposure of freshwater (FW) acclimated fish to 2/3 seawater (SW). MRC increased mitotic activity very rapidly peaking at 8 hr following SW exposure. This change in mitotic MRC is indicative of epithelial reorganization during SW acclimation. In contrast to MRC, the proportion of non-MRC (likely pavement cells (PVC)) in mitosis did not change significantly in response to SW exposure. Moreover, twice as many MRC were in mitosis compared with non-MRC, suggesting that MRC turn over faster than other cell types during SW acclimation. Following the mitosis peak, MRC accumulated in G2 phase over a period of 16-72 hr post-SW exposure. We also observed G2 arrest with similar kinetics following SW exposure in tilapia non-MRC (likely PVC). We interpret the G2 arrest that occurs after an initial wave of transient increase in MRC mitosis as a means for conserving energy for dealing with the osmotic stress imposed during the exposure of FW fish to SW. J. Exp. Zool. 311A:80-90, 2009. r 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.