cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Syntheses and Structures of [CH2(NCnH2n)2]Mo(CO)4 (n = 4,5) Complexes with Bis(cycloamine) Ligands Easily Prepared from CH2Cl2

Dipyrrolidylmethane, CH2(pyr)2, and dipiperidylmethane, CH2(pip)2, are synthesized via the condensation of their respective secondary amine precursors and dichloromethane at room temperature in the absence of light. Their use as chelating ligands is shown by the isolation and complete characterization of [CH2(pyr)2]Mo(CO)4 and [CH2(pip)2]Mo(CO)4 complexes. X-ray analysis reveals the methylene bis(cycloamines) to possess a sharp bite angle between 61° and 63° and a strong steric impact on the surrounding carbonyl ligands as a result of their ring conformations.
Spotted hyaena survival and density in a lion depleted ecosystem: The effects of prey availability, humans and competition between large carnivores in African savannahs

Abstract Interspecific competition between large carnivores is not well understood due to the complexity of carnivore guild dynamics and the array of ecological and human factors affecting them. The loss of a carnivore guild's dominant species can therefore provide considerable insights. We evaluated spotted hyaena density and demography from Zambia's Liuwa Plain National Park, a recovering ecosystem where the hyaena's main competitor, the African lion, was severely reduced to 3–5 animals. Using data from 233 individuals in five clans and mark-resight robust design models we estimated population size, density, age and sex-specific annual survival rates for the hyaena population from 2010 to 2013 and tested for the effect of human settlements, prey density, competition with lions and hyaena clan size on mean hyaena survival. We estimated a minimum density of 0.13 hyaenas/km2 and maximum density of 0.52 hyaenas/km2. Density fluctuated with seasonal migrations of the main prey species, the blue wildebeest. Mean annual survival across all age classes was 0.93 (95%CI: 0.79–0.99). With high survival rates across all sex and age classes, we found no detectable effects of ecological or anthropogenic factors on survival. These results suggest that the combination of abundant prey, weak human-carnivore conflict, and weak competition from lions provide very favourable conditions for hyaena survival. Additional investigations of hyaena demography concurrent with lion population recovery efforts can provide considerable insights into the dynamics of carnivore competition and predation in African savannahs and the human and ecological factors affecting them.
Joint error-resilient video source coding and FEC code rate optimization for an AWGN channel

A joint source-channel rate-distortion (RD) optimization is proposed for video communication systems. The source coding and channel coding options are optimized by seeking the best trade-off between the estimated end-to-end distortion of a video packet and the sum of the number of source bits and forward error correction bits used to encode that packet. The proposed RD algorithm controls the total bit rate by using a Lagrange multiplier. Compared to conventional RD optimization schemes, which only optimize over the source coding modes of macroblocks, our proposed RD algorithm achieves superior performance over an AWGN channel.
A Mindfulness-Based Lifestyle Intervention for Obese, Inactive Endometrial Cancer Survivors: A Feasibility Study.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to address self-regulation and lifestyle behaviors (diet, physical activity) may benefit endometrial cancer survivors (ECS), who are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality associated with obesity. However, the acceptability of mindfulness training and whether it can augment behavior change in ECS is unknown. We aimed to examine; 1) the feasibility of the Mindfulness in Motion + Diet (MIM+D) intervention and 2) the preliminary efficacy of MIM+D for improving mindfulness, diet, PA and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Methods: ECS (Mage=62.4, ±5yrs from diagnosis) completed assessments at baseline, 8 and 14 weeks. Feasibility was determined by intervention completion surveys, attendance and adherence data. We used repeated measures ANOVA’s (SPSS 22.0) and effect size estimates (Cohen’s d) to examine changes in mindfulness, diet, PA, and HRQL over time. Results: Thirteen ECS (76%) completed the MIM+D program and attendance (≥6/8 sessions) was 90%...
Case Study 25. Parallel Paradigms: Umbrella Hypotheses and Aquatic Apes

An umbrella hypothesis is an evolutionary scenario built around a premise that offers answers for a wide range of adaptive problems. Umbrella hypotheses have a deceptive appearance of parsimony because the explanations they offer for independent characters are hypotheses that are no better tested or supported with evidence than before. Instead, another layer of untestable hypothesis has been added. The example examined in this chapter is the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis, which proposes that important human characteristics were originally adaptations to an ecological niche in or near the water. Unlike many conventional umbrella hypotheses, this one emerged within a separate paradigm that has not yet been reconciled to mainstream paleoanthropology.
Secure wireless communications via cooperation

The feasibility of physical-layer-based security approaches for wireless communications in the presence of one or more eavesdroppers is hampered by channel conditions. In this paper, cooperation is investigated as an approach to overcome this problem and improve the performance of secure communications. In particular, a decode-and-forward (DF) based cooperative protocol is considered, and the objective is to design the system for secrecy capacity maximization or transmit power minimization. System design for the DF-based cooperative protocol is first studied by assuming the availability of global channel state information (CSI). For the case of one eavesdropper, an iterative scheme is proposed to obtain the optimal solution for the problem of transmit power minimization. For the case of multiple eavesdroppers, the problem of secrecy capacity maximization or transmit power minimization is in general intractable. Suboptimal system design is proposed by adding an additional constraint, i.e., the complete nulling of signals at all eavesdroppers, which yields simple closed-form solutions for the aforementioned two problems. Then, the impact of imperfect CSI of eavesdroppers on system design is studied, in which the ergodic secrecy capacity is of interest.
Manhattan Path-Difference Median Trees

Median tree problems are a powerful tool for inferring large-scale phylogenetic trees that hold enormous promise for society at large. Such problems seek a median tree for a given collection of input trees under some problem-specific distance. Here, we introduce this problem for the classic Manhattan path-difference distance and show that this problem is NP-hard. To address this inherent time complexity we devise an ILP formulation, and an effective local search heuristic that is based on solving a local search problem exactly. Our algorithm for the local search problem improves asymptotically by a factor of n/log n on the best-known (naive) solution, where n is the size of the input trees. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of our heuristic in a comparative study using large-scale published empirical data sets, and showing its accuracy for small phylogenetic studies by using exact ILP solutions.
Individual Logit Models for Consumer Preferences

This article presents an extension of the methodological development proposed by Chapman and Staelin (1982) for the estimation of individual-level binary logit preference models from conjoint-type data. These individual binary logit models are compared with traditional conjoint models, in terms of estimation accuracy and predictive efficiency. Both simulation and empirical results suggest that binary logit analysis yields models which are equivalent to those produced by conjoint analysis. The implications of these results for the potential reduction of data requirements for individual-level preference modeling are discussed.
Bean peptides have higher in silico binding affinities than ezetimibe for the N-terminal domain of cholesterol receptor Niemann-Pick C1 Like-1

Abstract Niemann-Pick C1 like-1 (NPC1L1) mediates cholesterol absorption at the apical membrane of enterocytes through a yet unknown mechanism. Bean, pea, and lentil proteins are naturally hydrolyzed during digestion to produce peptides. The potential for pulse peptides to have high binding affinities for NPC1L1 has not been determined. In this study , in silico binding affinities and interactions were determined between the N-terminal domain of NPC1L1 and 14 pulse peptides (5≥ amino acids) derived through pepsin-pancreatin digestion. Peptides were docked in triplicate to the N-terminal domain using docking program AutoDock Vina, and results were compared to those of ezetimibe, a prescribed NPC1L1 inhibitor. Three black bean peptides (−7.2 to −7.0 kcal/mol) and the cowpea bean dipeptide Lys-Asp (−7.0 kcal/mol) had higher binding affinities than ezetimibe (−6.6 kcal/mol) for the N-terminal domain of NPC1L1. Lentil and pea peptides studied did not have high binding affinities. The common bean peptide Tyr-Ala-Ala-Ala-Thr (−7.2 kcal/mol), which can be produced from black or navy bean proteins, had the highest binding affinity. Ezetimibe and peptides with high binding affinities for the N-terminal domain are expected to interact at different locations of the N-terminal domain. All high affinity black bean peptides are expected to have van der Waals interactions with SER130, PHE136, and LEU236 and a conventional hydrogen bond with GLU238 of NPC1L1. Due to their high affinity for the N-terminal domain of NPC1L1, black and cowpea bean peptides produced in the digestive track have the potential to disrupt interactions between NPC1L1 and membrane proteins that lead to cholesterol absorption.
Decision Analysis and the Clinical Laboratory

“Can Decision Analysis be helpful to Laboratory Medicine?” This is a question that many of us have been striving to answer for some time. We have more experience and information to guide us now, and I believe that this is a good time to try to answer this question.
Uncondensed Graphitic Carbon Nitride on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Oxygen Sensing via a Photoredox Mechanism

Melon, a polymeric, uncondensed graphitic carbon nitride with a two-dimensional structure, has been coupled with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to create an oxygen chemiresistor sensor that is active under UV photoactivation. Oxygen gas is an important sensor target in a variety of areas including industrial safety, combustion process monitoring, as well as environmental and biomedical fields. Because of the intimate electrical interface formed between melon and rGO, charge transfer of photoexcited electrons occurs between the two materials when under UV (λ = 365 nm) irradiation. A photoredox mechanism wherein oxygen is reduced on the rGO surface provides the basis for sensing oxygen gas in the concentration range 300–100 000 ppm. The sensor response was found to be logarithmically proportional to oxygen gas concentration. DFT calculations of a melon-oxidized graphene composite found that slight protonation of melon leads to charge accumulation on the rGO layer and a corresponding charge depletion on the me...
Program synthesis for interactive-security systems

Developing practical but secure programs remains an important and open problem. Recently, the operating-system and architecture communities have proposed novel systems, which we refer to as interactive-security systems. They provide primitives that a program can use to perform security-critical operations, such as reading from and writing to system storage by restricting some modules to execute with limited privileges. Developing programs that use the low-level primitives provided by such systems to correctly ensure end-to-end security guarantees while preserving intended functionality is a challenging problem. This paper describes previous and proposed work on techniques and tools that enable a programmer to generate programs automatically that use such primitives. For two interactive security systems, namely the Capsicum capability system and the HiStar information-flow system, we developed languages of policies that a programmer can use to directly express security and functionality requirements, along with synthesizers that take a program and policy in the language and generate a program that correctly uses system primitives to satisfy the policy. We propose future work on developing a similar synthesizer for novel architectures that enable an application to execute different modules in Secure Isolated Regions without trusting any other software components on a platform, including the operating system.
Psychosocial Functioning in Youth with Chronic Illness

A substantial number of children and adolescents experience chronic illness. Due to medical advances, many young patients survive into adulthood. A chronic illness has the potential to affect several facets of a young patient’s life. The impact that chronic illness may have on various domains of psychosocial functioning will be reviewed. Youth with chronic illness and their families can experience a variety of consequences, but many adjust well and have favorable outcomes. However, factors associated with chronic illness and its treatment may influence the trajectory of development and functioning. The psychosocial treatment of youth with chronic illness will be covered. Issues pertaining to adherence to treatment regimens and means to enhance adherence will also be addressed. Recommendations for practice and future research will be offered.
Steady Flight at Different Speeds

An airplane uncomplicated by power, compressibility, or elasticity ordinarily uses tails and straight wings of high aspect ratio. This chapter presents an analysis of the simplest possible criteria for stability and trim—for the simplest possible airplane. There exists an aircraft for which these methods suffice—for instance, low-speed gliders or sailplanes—but most airplanes of real interest involve features that require greater aerodynamic sophistication to analyze. The simplified discussion of stability and neutral point, their association with the control gradient for trim in steady flight, and the connection with control to trim C Lmax have served to emphasize the importance of the center of gravity (CG) position. The airplane must be designed so that a range for the CG can be found that provides stability evidenced by the proper control gradient and at the same time allow trim over the specified speed range.
Somaclonal variants of sunflower with modified coumarin expression under stress

Two coumarins, scopoletin and ayapin, have been shown to accumulate in sunflower following insect damage or fungal infection (Tal & Robeson, 1986a, 1986b & Olson, 1989). The technique of shoot regeneration from embryo-derived callus was used to produce somaclonal variants of sunflower with enhanced levels of coumarin expression after an applied stress. Five regenerates (R1–R5) of inbred lines RHA 297 produced viable seeds following self-pollination. One of the S1 families from these plants had significantly higher concentration of scopoletin (12.75 μg/g fresh weight) compared to the parental inbred line (5.66 μg/g). The increased levels of scopoletin in S1 plants were partially inherited after a second self-fertilization (S2 plants). The ploidy of the regenerates and their S1 and S2 progeny was not examined. No consistent correlation between higher levels of scopoletin in stimulated S1 and S2 plants, and deterrence to feeding of Heliothis virescens (Fab) larvae on unstimulated plants was shown after in vivo assays. From inbred line HA 300, three regenerates (H1–H3) were derived which produced S1 progeny with higher or lower concentrations of ayapin or scopoletin than the parental inbred. The inheritance of increased ayapin in the HA 300-derived lines was not assessed in the S2 generation because of poor seed germination. Feeding deterrence of H. virescens larvae was not consistently correlated with ayapin concentrations in S1 progeny of HA 300 regenerates. However, a correlation (-0.61) between ayapin concentration and daily feeding score was observed in one planting of these unstimulated S1 progeny. Sunflower germplasm was developed with enhanced levels of stress-induced coumarin expression through somaclonal variation and this germplasm may also show increased resistance to some leaf-feeding insects.
Principle of large component number in multicomponent fuel combustion – a Monte Carlo study

Abstract The current work expands on a recently proposed principle concerning the combustion chemistry of multicomponent real fuels. The principle of large (fuel) component number states that the high-temperature combustion chemistry behaviors of multicomponent real fuels become statistically and practically identical when the number of hydrocarbon components exceeds a critical value. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out here to sample fuel mixtures comprised from 2 to 18 compounds with hydrocarbon classes including n -alkane, iso -alkane, alkylated cyclohexane compounds and alkylated benzenes. It is found that the critical number of fuel components is between 12 and 14 above which typical global combustion properties, including ignition delay time, laminar flame speed, and extinction residence time in a perfectly stirred reactor, converge to their respective mean values with standard deviations smaller than any modern-day combustion experiments can discern, irrespective of the exact composition of the fuel mixture.
The Case n = 2 of the Goldberg-Straus Inequality

It is shown by an example that the best (greatest possible) value of the constant K in the Goldberg-Straus combinatorial inequality for normed vectors over the complex field is less than the known best value of K for vectors over the real field. For n = 2, the exact best value of K is here determined in the complex case.
A Variation on Freud's Theme in “A Child is Being Beaten”—Mother's Role: Some Implications for Superego Development in Women

Clinical material is presented leading to a discussion of beating fantasies which varies from Freud's model. Analysis shows that the fantasied role girls assign to mother as the punisher in the oedipal drama is equivalent to the fantasied role boys ascribe to father as castrator. For both sexes, castration anxiety spurs the internalization of parental prohibitions, the repression of oedipal wishes, and the subsequent structuralization of the superego. Mother establishes the "oedipal law" for the girl analogously to father's doing the same for the boy. The role that such fantasies play in the formation of the female superego is examined.
Remote Monitoring: Technology and Evolving Use

Remote monitors are transmitters that can download stored diagnostic data from patients’ cardiovascular implantable electronic devices to physicians’ offices. Clinical trials have shown that monitoring implantable devices remotely can lead to earlier detection of clinically relevant events that may result in medical intervention. Clinically relevant events that may require action include new-onset atrial arrhythmias, early signs of congestive heart failure, shocks from defibrillators (either appropriate or inappropriate), and compromise in device hardware system. Whether early intervention of clinically relevant events using remote monitors can actually lead to a reduction in health care utilization remains inconclusive.
Chemogenetic Manipulation of Dorsal Hippocampal Astrocytes Protects Against the Development of Stress-enhanced Fear Learning

Maladaptive behavioral outcomes following stress have been associated with immune dysregulation. For example, we have previously reported that stress-induced dorsal hippocampal interleukin-1β signaling is critical to the development of stress-enhanced fear learning (SEFL). In parallel, astroglial signaling has been linked to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like phenotypes and our most recent studies have revealed astrocytes as the predominant cellular source of stress-induced IL-1β. Here, we used chemogenetic technology and morphological analyses to further explore dorsal hippocampal astrocyte function in the context of SEFL. Using a glial-expressing DREADD construct (AAV8-GFAP-hM4Di(Gi)-mCherry), we show that dorsal hippocampal astroglial Gi activation is sufficient to attenuate SEFL. Furthermore, our data provide the first initial evidence to support the function of the glial-DREADD construct employed. Specifically, we find that CNO (clozapine-n-oxide) significantly attenuated colocalization of the Gi-coupled DREADD receptor and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), indicating functional inhibition of cAMP production. Subsequent experiments examined dorsal hippocampal astrocyte volume, surface area, and synaptic contacts (colocalization with postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95)) following exposure to severe stress (capable of inducing SEFL). While severe stress did not alter dorsal hippocampal astrocyte volume or surface area, the severe stressor exposure reduced dorsal hippocampal PSD95 immunoreactivity and the colocalization analysis showed reduced PSD95 colocalized with astrocytes. Collectively, these data provide evidence to support the functional efficacy of the glial-expressing DREADD employed, and suggest that an astrocyte-specific manipulation, activation of astroglial Gi signaling, is sufficient to protect against the development of SEFL, a PTSD-like behavior.
Total Losers and Bad Hombres: The Political Incorrectness and Perceived Authenticity of Donald J. Trump

During the 2016 presidential election, Donald J. Trump’s rhetoric created a perception of authenticity. In particular, his parataxis, political incorrectness, bumptious language, and frequent error...
Are Health-Care Providers Well Prepared in Providing Optimal End-of-Life Care to Critically Ill Patients? A Cross-Sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital in the United States.

It is important for health-care providers to be comfortable in providing end-of-life (EOL) care to critically ill patients and realizing when continuing aggressive measures would be futile. Therefo...
Influence of blending and hot water extraction on the quality of wood pellets

Abstract In order to meet the projected demand for biomass feedstocks, multiple sources will be needed. Biomass feedstocks are often have a high degree of variability with regards to important properties such as ash, moisture, and energy content. The efficiency of conversion processes may be sensitive to this variability; thus, strategies are needed to ensure that consistent and reliable feedstocks are produced that meet end-user specifications. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of source, blending and hot water extraction (HWE) on the quality of wood pellets. Debarked maple biomass was blended at various rates with whole stem harvested willow, HWE willow, and HWE maple biomass, made into pellets and then compared to existing ISO (17225) pellet standards. Untreated willow pellets were unable to consistently meet key specifications such as ash and moisture. However, pellets blended with either HWE willow, maple or HWE maple at rates between 20 and 50 percent willow still met the most stringent requirements. HWE decreased the ash content of willow below 1% and was on par with untreated maple. HWE increased the energy content of pellets in this study approximately 1 MJ kg−1. Blending and HWE have the potential to decrease variation in feedstock for pellet production and expand the range of material that can be used while still meeting standards for quality. Technologies for rapidly assessing feedstock properties at the front or back end will be needed to maximize the benefits of these two strategies when more variable feedstocks are used.
Training a RoboCup Striker Agent via Transferred Reinforcement Learning.

Recent developments in reinforcement learning algorithms have made it possible to train agents in highly complex state and action spaces, including action spaces with continuous parameters. Advancements such as the Deep-Q Network and the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient were a critical step in making reinforcement learning a feasible option for training agents in real world scenarios. The viability of these technologies has previously been demonstrated in training a RoboCup Soccer agent with no prior domain knowledge to successfully score goals; however, this work required an engineered intermediate reward system to direct the agent in its exploration of the environment. We introduce the use of transfer learning rather than engineered rewards. Our results are positive, showing that it is possible to train an agent through a series of increasingly difficult tasks with fewer training iterations than with an engineered reward. However, when the agent’s likelihood of success in a task is low, it may be necessary to reintroduce an engineered reward or to provide extended training and exploration using simpler tasks.
Limited dispersal by large juvenile males leads to kin-structured neighborhoods in the black-crested titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)

Dispersal of young from natal home ranges can result in gene flow and increased variation within populations. However, juveniles that remain near kin and form familial groups can accrue indirect fitness benefits. Between 2013 and 2015, we studied families (n = 34) of black-crested titmice (Baeolophus atricristatus) in central Texas to assess factors affecting juvenile dispersal. Our results suggest that males of greater mass relative to siblings tended to be more philopatric than smaller males or females of any size. Dispersal of juveniles was not affected by home range size of the territorial male, habitat composition of the home range (percent woodland cover), or date in which young fledged the nest. Interactions between neighboring groups of related titmice were more tolerant than interactions between unrelated groups. In most cases, retained male juveniles established territories adjacent to their natal home range, likely increasing their fitness by saving energy through tolerant interactions with kin. Certain species form family groups that provide additional fitness benefits to related individuals. However, not all kin-structured organisms respond to the same factors that enable the persistence of family-dominated populations. We examined factors that could influence the limited dispersal behavior of the black-crested titmouse, Baeolophus atricristatus, in central Texas. Limited dispersal occurs when a juvenile disperses a short distance (< 400 m) and establishes a territory adjacent to its natal home range the following year. In the black-crested titmouse, sex and mass of juveniles greatly influence limiting dispersing individuals, typically with the heaviest male juveniles exhibiting philopatry. Thus, overtime, kin-structured neighborhoods develop, allowing related family groups to spare energetically taxing aggressive behaviors and instead forage passively near one another.
Using a Repetitive Instructional Intervention to Improve Students’ Higher-Order Thinking Skills

The ability to synthesize and communicate complicated problems with confidence is paramount for success in STEM fields, but programs tend to overemphasize memorization. We conducted a preliminary s...
An efficient predictive modeling for simulating part-scale residual stress in laser metal deposition process

Residual stress and deformation are common issues which prevent dimensional accuracy and lead early fatigue of products by laser metal deposition process. Finite element analysis is an efficient means to estimate the temperature history and thermal stress distribution. However, it is extremely challenging to predict thermal history and stress distribution of a practical large and complex geometry if each laser pulse is taken into account as by conventional laser pulse modeling. Therefore, in this study, an efficient predictive finite element model with assumptions on the laser heat source and loading is established to study the evolution of thermal history, residual stresses, and deformations of a test coupon. The efficient predictive model, which is also called as the 2-layer by 2-layer model, simulates two layers at each laser pulse time. This model is compared with conventional laser pulse model in terms of the evolution of thermal history of selected points and residual stresses. Results show that the 2-layer by 2-layer model considerably reduces the simulation time without much compromising the accuracy of the prediction of deformation and thermal stress. In addition, test coupon is designed and fabricated to capture temperature history and observe microstructure change. It is found that microstructure presents certain correlation with cooling rate. Microstructure and residual stress of the test coupon are evaluated and found to be consistent with the prediction by proposed model. This efficient predictive model can shed light on large-scale part fabrication by laser metal deposition process in industry.
Revelation of Typology in Historical Native American Leadership: Implications for Contemporary Praxes

The various forms of damage, to include genocide, that historic colonialism has instituted upon Native American people is no longer a secret. Native Americans have suffered through many negative socio-psychological effects through this process. Despite their historical maltreatment, Native Americans have proven resilient. The authors hypothesized that specific traits have been prominent in the histories of Native American leaders although they mostly came from distinct tribal systems. What does this type of leadership look like? To engage the hypothesis we used Boolean operator search functions and computer-aided random selection for data with which to analyze leadership behavior of four Indigenous leaders. These leaders were drawn from a historic pool of fifty, from four separate databases. Through surveying the literature it was necessary to conduct four biographical case studies of these leaders. We detailed the various leadership traits exhibited by these randomly selected Native American leaders and were able to synthesize and classify the results as either innate or cognate characteristics. While these leaders were separated by time, tribe, and vast geographical distance —in an area that became the United States — their traits, when integrated, revealed a thematic framework of Native American leadership — a typology that could inform and guide leaders (and managers) in various contemporary praxes.
Evaluation of the Conference Proceedings and Peer-reviewed Publications for Vaccine-related Studies Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners from 1988 to 2003

Conference proceedings are a common source of information for veterinarians. However conference proceedings tend to be brief and not subject to peer review. Studies in human medicine suggest that the results from conference proceedings tend to be "rosier" than subsequent peer reviewed publications suggesting that reliance on conference proceedings may result in an overestimation of efficacy. The objective of this study was to compare results presented in conference proceedings with subsequent publications.
Uteroplacental nutrient flux and evidence for metabolic reprogramming during sustained hypoxemia.

Gestational hypoxemia is often associated with reduced birth weight, yet how hypoxemia controls uteroplacental nutrient metabolism and supply to the fetus is unclear. This study tested the effects of maternal hypoxemia (HOX) between 0.8 and 0.9 gestation on uteroplacental nutrient metabolism and flux to the fetus in pregnant sheep. Despite hypoxemia, uteroplacental and fetal oxygen utilization and net glucose and lactate uptake rates were similar in HOX (n = 11) compared to CON (n = 7) groups. HOX fetuses had increased lactate and pyruvate concentrations and increased net pyruvate output to the utero-placenta. In the HOX group, uteroplacental flux of alanine to the fetus was decreased, as was glutamate flux from the fetus. HOX fetuses had increased alanine and decreased aspartate, serine, and glutamate concentrations. In HOX placental tissue, we identified hypoxic responses that should increase mitochondrial efficiency (decreased SDHB, increased COX4I2) and increase lactate production from pyruvate (increased LDHA protein and LDH activity, decreased LDHB and MPC2), both resembling metabolic reprogramming, but with evidence for decreased (PFK1, PKM2), rather than increased, glycolysis and AMPK phosphorylation. This supports a fetal-uteroplacental shuttle during sustained hypoxemia whereby uteroplacental tissues produce lactate as fuel for the fetus using pyruvate released from the fetus, rather than pyruvate produced from glucose in the placenta, given the absence of increased uteroplacental glucose uptake and glycolytic gene activation. Together, these results provide new mechanisms for how hypoxemia, independent of AMPK activation, regulates uteroplacental metabolism and nutrient allocation to the fetus, which allow the fetus to defend its oxidative metabolism and growth.
Line Graph Isomorphisms

The precursor of line graphs as an object of study was in isomorphisms between graphs and automorphisms of graphs. Consider a one-to-one function from the edges of a graph with three edges with a common vertex and a graph with three edges forming a cycle. As shown by Hassler Whitney, this mapping not only preserves adjacency of edges, but these two are the only connected non-isomorphic graphs with this property. Whitney also proved that there are just three connected graphs having automorphisms in which three edges forming triangles and Y-graphs get interchanged. Groups connected with line graphs are also explored in this chapter, and it concludes with an interesting result on graphs that are not only isomorphic to their line graph but with their vertex-sets being preserved.
Emergency Medical Services and Syndromic Surveillance: A Comparison With Traditional Surveillance and Effects on Timeliness.

ObjectiveTraditional public health surveillance of nonfatal opioid overdose relies on emergency department (ED) billing data, which can be delayed substantially. We compared the timeliness of 2 new...
Meet the Majors

(1952). Meet the Majors. Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 31-31.
Studies on the mechanism of the enzymic catalysis of disulfide interchange in proteins.

Abstract An enzyme that catalyzes disulfide interchange in proteins, localized in the microsomes of all tissues tested, has been isolated in pure form from bovine liver microsomes. The protein contains 3 half-cystine residues, only 1 of which appears to be essential for enzymic activity. This unique residue must be in the sulfhydryl form for catalysis. The enzyme has been shown to catalyze the rearrangement of random, "incorrect" pairs of half-cystine residues to the native disulfide bonds in several protein substrates. Rearrangement occurs when the enzyme is used in the presence of low levels of mercaptoethanol, or in the absence of mercaptoethanol after previous reduction. The efficiency of the enzyme in the conversion of randomly cross-linked proteins to their native states appears to be a function of the number of disulfide bonds in the substrate.
Glycogen stores in glucagon-treated rats. III. Effect of adrenalectomy and hypophysectomy.

Summary and ConclusionsThe effect of glucagon and of epinephrine on liver and muscle glycogen of adrenalectomized and hypophysectomized rats with or without treatment with cortisone or insulin was studied. 1) Epinephrine caused an immediate decrease in muscle glycogen in all cases and a decrease in liver glycogen in animals treated with cortisone. 2) In untreated adrenalectomized rats, liver glycogen was very low and further decrease due to epinephrine was not significant. Xo secondary increase in liver glycogen was noted. 3) Two hours after injection of glucagon, no significant changes in liver and muscle glycogen of untreated adrenalectomized or hypophysectomized animals were noted. 4) Twenty-four hours after the injection of glucagon in untreated adrenalectomized rats there was a significant, but very small increase in liver glycogen. Muscle glycogen was unchanged. No significant changes were noted in liver and muscle glycogen of untreated hypophysectomized rats. 5) In cortisone treated adrenalectomize...
Use of Assumed Modes in Equations Governing Large-Displacement Elastodynamic Plate Behavior

The dynamic behavior of multibody systems containing structural elements undergoing large overall rotation and translation as well as small elastic deformations is considered. A systematic procedure, using assumed mode functions and von Karman-type strain measures, is developed in order to properly account for motion-induced structural stiffness variations during arbitrary overall motion. The procedure is compared in terms of accuracy and efficiency with recently developed imbedded geometric constraint methods involving linear strain-displacement relationships and with more conventional multibody techniques. A numerical example involving a simply supported plate attached to a rigid body (floating frame) undergoing a prescribed large-displacement motion is presented. Extensions to complex multibody systems containing various element types will be discussed.
Evidence for the role of collagenase in collagen metabolism.

THE enzyme mechanisms by which the connective protein, collagen, is metabolized in vivo are not clearly understood. Specific extracellular enzymes, from animal sources, which can degrade collagen in physiological conditions, were first reported in 19621 when Gross and Lapiere used an organ culture system of tadpole tailfin. Similar collagenolytic enzymes have been found in human skin2, post-partum rat uterus3, rheumatoid synovium4, bone5, oral tissues6, regenerating amphibian limbs7 and granulocytes8. Except in the cases of the granulocytic enzyme and an enzyme from crab hepato-pancreas9, these enzymes can be isolated in soluble form only after culture of the tissues which produce them. We have investigated the role of these specific collagenases in connective tissue metabolism by searching for the products of the action of collagenase in vivo.
Differences between cardiac and skeletal troponin interaction with the thin filament probed by troponin exchange in skeletal myofibrils.

Troponin (Tn) is the calcium-sensing protein of the thin filament. Although cardiac troponin (cTn) and skeletal troponin (sTn) accomplish the same function, their subunit interactions within Tn and with actin-tropomyosin are different. To further characterize these differences, myofibril ATPase activity as a function of pCa and labeled Tn exchange in rigor myofibrils was used to estimate Tn dissociation rates from the nonoverlap and overlap region as a function of pCa. Measurement of ATPase activity showed that skeletal myofibrils containing >96% cTn had a higher pCa 9 ATPase activity than, but similar pCa 4 activity to, sTn-containing myofibrils. Analysis of the pCa–ATPase activity relation showed that cTn myofibrils were more calcium sensitive but less cooperative (pCa50 = 6.14, nH = 1.46) than sTn myofibrils (pCa50 = 5.90, nH = 3.36). The time course of labeled Tn exchange at pCa 9 and 4 were quite different between cTn and sTn. The apparent cTn dissociation rates were ∼2–10-fold faster than sTn under all the conditions studied. The apparent dissociation rates for cTn were 5 × 10−3 min−1, 150 × 10−3 min−1, and 260 × 10−3 min−1, whereas for sTn they were 0.6 × 10−3 min−1, 88 × 10−3 min−1, and 68 × 10−3 min−1 for the nonoverlap region at pCa 9, nonoverlap region at pCa 4, and overlap region at pCa 4, respectively. Normalization of the apparent dissociation rates gives 1:30:50 for cTn compared with 1:150:110 for sTn (nonoverlap at pCa 9:nonoverlap at pCa 4:overlap at pCa 4) suggesting that calcium has a smaller influence, whereas strong cross-bridges have a larger influence on cTn dissociation compared with sTn. The higher cTn dissociation rate in the nonoverlap region and ATPase activity at pCa 9 suggest that it gives a less off or inactive thin filament. Analysis of the intensity ratio (after a short time of exchange) as a function of pCa showed that cTn had greater calcium sensitivity but lower cooperativity than sTn. In addition, the magnitude of the change in intensity ratio going from pCa 9 to 4 was less for cTn than sTn. These data suggest that the influence of calcium on cTn exchange is less than sTn even though calcium can activate ATPase activity to a similar extent in cTn compared with sTn myofibrils. This may be explained partially by cTn being less off or inactive at pCa 9. Modeling of the intensity profiles obtained after Tn exchange at pCa 5.8 suggest that the profiles are best explained by a model that includes a long-range cross-bridge effect that grades with distance from the rigor cross-bridge for both cTn and sTn.
Calibration and data quality of warm IRAC

We present an overview of the calibration and properties of data from the IRAC instrument aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope taken after the depletion of cryogen. The cryogen depleted on 15 May 2009, and shortly afterward a two-month- long calibration and characterization campaign was conducted. The array temperature and bias setpoints were revised on 19 September 2009 to take advantage of lower than expected power dissipation by the instrument and to improve sensitivity. The final operating temperature of the arrays is 28.7 K, the applied bias across each detector is 500 mV and the equilibrium temperature of the instrument chamber is 27.55 K. The final sensitivities are essentially the same as the cryogenic mission with the 3.6 μm array being slightly less sensitive (10%) and the 4.5 μm array within 5% of the cryogenic sensitivity. The current absolute photometric uncertainties are 4% at 3.6 and 4.5 μm, and better than milli-mag photometry is achievable for long-stare photometric observations. With continued analysis, we expect the absolute calibration to improve to the cryogenic value of 3%. Warm IRAC operations fully support all science that was conducted in the cryogenic mission and all currently planned warm science projects (including Exploration Science programs). We expect that IRAC will continue to make ground-breaking discoveries in star formation, the nature of the early universe, and in our understanding of the properties of exoplanets.
Selection of rural assistive technology using a HyperCard-based knowledge system.

Resources and expertise on selecting assistive technology appropriate for an agricultural work setting are scarce. To meet this need a prototype knowledge system for the selection and documentation of rural assistive technology (BNG DATA) was developed to aid professionals working with farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers with physical disabilities. The knowledge system consists of a hypertext database of technology examples and a decision support system that helps users identify solution alternatives to meet consumers' needs. End-user acceptance of BNG DATA was determined through field trials and an evaluation questionnaire administered to staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agr Ability Project. Using a statistical experiment in conjunction with the questionnaire, it was concluded that BNG DATA significantly reduced the time required by end users to find acceptable solution alternatives for consumers and increased the end users' confidence in the solutions they obtained. This manuscript ...
Action potential-evoked calcium release is impaired in single skeletal muscle fibers from heart failure patients

Author(s): DiFranco, Marino; Quinonez, Marbella; Shieh, Perry; Fonarow, Gregg C; Cruz, Daniel; Deng, Mario C; Vergara, Julio L; Middlekauff, Holly R | Abstract: BackgroundExercise intolerance in chronic heart failure (HF) has been attributed to abnormalities of the skeletal muscles. Muscle function depends on intact excitation-contraction coupling (ECC), but ECC studies in HF models have been inconclusive, due to deficiencies in the animal models and tools used to measure calcium (Ca2+) release, mandating investigations in skeletal muscle from HF patients. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that Ca2+ release is significantly impaired in the skeletal muscle of HF patients in whom exercise capacity is severely diminished compared to age-matched healthy volunteers.Methods and findingsUsing state-of-the-art electrophysiological and optical techniques in single muscle fibers from biopsies of the locomotive vastus lateralis muscle, we measured the action potential (AP)-evoked Ca2+ release in 4 HF patients and 4 age-matched healthy controls. The mean peak Ca2+ release flux in fibers obtained from HF patients (10±1.2 µM/ms) was markedly (2.6-fold) and significantly (pl0.05) smaller than in fibers from healthy volunteers (28±3.3 µM/ms). This impairment in AP-evoked Ca2+ release was ubiquitous and was not explained by differences in the excitability mechanisms since single APs were indistinguishable between HF patients and healthy volunteers.ConclusionsThese findings prove the feasibility of performing electrophysiological experiments in single fibers from human skeletal muscle, and offer a new approach for investigations of myopathies due to HF and other diseases. Importantly, we have demonstrated that one step in the ECC process, AP-evoked Ca2+ release, is impaired in single muscle fibers in HF patients.
Development and Validation of a Simulated Market to Test Children for Selected Consumer Skills

This study investigated use of selected consumer skills by children of two ages. A simulated market was developed and used to determine each participating child's level of consumer competence. It was found that (a) children learn consumer skills by being given opportunities to participate in consumer decision-making and sharing family responsibilities, (b) too little or excessive time spent in market search lessened the chance of obtaining a best buy, and (c) although children can and do learn to be consumers early, some skills depend upon maturation and use of education.
Plex Phase II: A Truth Maintenance System (TMS)-Based Placement Program For Printed Wire Boards Using Dependency-Directed Backtracking And Human-Aided Machine Design

The problems inherent in expert systems which model human design processes are discussed. An example of such a system is given with PLEX, a knowledge-based expert system that does initial placement of components on a printed circuit board. A discussion follows on how dependency-directed backtracking and human-aided machine design are being added to PLEX to help overcome some of the difficulties in modeling a human designer.
Intratracheal adenovirus-mediated gene transfer is optimal in experimental lung transplantation.

Abstract Objective: Gene transfer to experimental lung grafts has been shown to reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury and acute rejection. The optimal delivery route should produce high lung expression with no inflammation and minimal systemic expression. The goal of this study was to determine the optimal gene transfer route for use in experimental lung transplantation. Methods: F344 rats were injected with 2.9 × 10 10 plaque-forming units of adenovirus vector encoding β-galactosidase through intratracheal, intravenous, intraperitoneal, or intramuscular delivery routes and killed 48 hours later. Gene expression was measured by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Intratracheal delivery produces significantly greater gene expression in the lung (75,350 ± 47,288 pg/100 μg of protein, P P =.016 for heart). Immunohistochemistry staining showed β-galactosidase expression in the bronchial epithelium of lungs transfected through the intratracheal route with mild inflammation. Conclusions: Intratracheal gene transfer provides significant expression in the lung with mild to no inflammation and minimal systemic expression. This delivery strategy has tremendous potential in experimental lung transplant models to reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury and acute allograft rejection and should be investigated further. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;124:1130-6