cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of a Novel Diagnostic Biomarker, the Plasma Cardiac Bridging Integrator 1 Score, With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Cardiovascular Hospitalization.

Importance Transverse tubule remodeling is a hallmark of heart failure. Cardiac bridging integrator 1 (cBIN1) is a circulating membrane scaffolding protein that is essential for transverse tubule health, and its plasma level declines with disease. Objective To determine if a cBIN1-derived score can serve as a diagnostic biomarker of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Design, Setting, and Participants In this cohort study, the cBIN1 score (CS) was determined from enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay-measured plasma cBIN1 concentrations from study participants in an ambulatory heart failure clinic at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF; defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50%) were recruited from July 2014 to November 2015 and compared with age-matched and sex-matched healthy volunteers with no known cardiovascular diagnoses and participants with risk factors for heart failure but no known HFpEF. Baseline characteristics and 1-year longitudinal clinical information were obtained through electronic medical records. Data analysis occurred from November 2016 to November 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures The analysis examined the ability of the CS and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) results to differentiate among patients with HFpEF, healthy control participants, and control participants with risk factors for heart failure. We further explored the association of the CS with future cardiovascular hospitalizations. Results A total of 52 consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HFpEF were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 57 [15] years; 33 [63%] male). The CS values are significantly higher in the patients with HFpEF (median [interquartile range (IQR)], 1.85 [1.51-2.28]) than in the 2 control cohorts (healthy control participants: median [IQR], -0.03 [-0.48 to 0.41]; control participants with risk factors only: median [IQR], -0.08 [-0.75 to 0.42]; P < .001). For patients with HFpEF, the CS outperforms NT-proBNP when the comparator group was either healthy control participants (CS: area under curve [AUC], 0.98 [95% CI, 0.96-1.00]; NT-proBNP level: AUC, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.88-0.99]; P < .001) or those with risk factors (CS: AUC, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.97-1.00]; NT-proBNP: AUC, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.88-0.99]; P < .001). Kaplan-Meier analysis of 1-year cardiovascular hospitalizations adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and NT-proBNP levels reveals that patients with HFpEF with CS greater than or equal to 1.80 have a hazard ratio of 3.8 (95% CI, 1.3-11.2; P = .02) for hospitalizations compared with those with scores less than 1.80. Conclusions and Relevance If further validated, the plasma CS, a marker of transverse tubule dysfunction, may serve as a biomarker of cardiomyocyte remodeling that has the potential to aide in the diagnosis of HFpEF.
Data Mining Methods for Describing Federal Government Career Trajectories and Predicting Employee Separation

Data mining methods can be applied to human resources datasets to discover insights into how employees manage their careers. We examine two elements of career trajectories in federal government HR data. First, we apply association rule mining and sequential pattern mining to understand the prevalence and direction of interdepartmental transfers. Then we apply logistic regression and decision tree induction to understand and predict employee separation. In this specific application, we find that interdepartmental transfers are uncommon, except between branches of the armed services and out of these branches to the Department of Defence. We also find that demographics, compensation, and political transitions are significant factors for retention, but they account for only a small portion of the probability of a federal employee leaving service. We expect these methods would perform better in industry with a small amount of additional data gathered upon hiring and exit interviews.
Hyperlocal sustainabilities: theorizing action research for sustainability in the digital age

Hyperlocal relationships are internet-enabled interactions in a common locale. They are opening new frontiers for geographically based, community-oriented, and civically engaged action. However, the influences of virtual interactions over procedural aspects of sustainability projects are not fully theorized. To fill this gap, we examine whether anticipating the use of social media re-shapes how the community voice method (CVM) intervenes in deliberative spaces associated with waterway sustainability in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA). CVM is a video-based participatory research approach designed to foster inclusive and community-focused planning. Like most visual methods, it originated before the wide availability of interactive web 2.0 technologies. Our working hypothesis is that the intention to engage the public through online fora creates a new group of stakeholders who are poorly understood. As a result of analyzing field notes, audio-visual recordings of participants, and other documents, we find that anticipating the use of social media shapes all aspects of participation, including: awareness of context, group dynamics, interventions, outcomes of concern. Concern for the opinions and perspectives of hyperlocal participants re-shapes recommendations about how to align research projects with community needs and planning deliberation. Social media is an important outlet for the work, but changed the placement of video products in relation to waterway sustainability plans, especially with respect to environmental justice. We conclude by proposing a framework for hyperlocal sustainability research that appropriately emphasizes justice.
Optimizing Actigraphic Estimation of Sleep Duration in Suspected Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Study Objectives:To determine the optimal Actiwatch 2 setting configuration for the estimation of total sleep time (TST) in persons with suspected idiopathic hypersomnia.Methods:Thirty-three patien...
Live Programming By Example

Live programming is a novel approach for programming practice. Programmers are given real-time feedback when writing code, traditionally via a graphical user interface. Despite live programming's practical values, such as providing an easier overview of code and better understanding of its structure, it is not yet widely used. In this work, we extend live programming to general purpose code editors, which allows for live programming to be used by programmers, and provides new interfaces for understanding and changing the functionality of code. To achieve this we extended a fully-featured IDE with the ability to show input/output examples of code execution, as the programmer is writing code. Furthermore, we integrate programming by example (PBE) synthesis into our tool by allowing the user to change the shown output, and have the code update automatically. Our goal is to use live programming to give novice programmers a new way to interact and understand programming, as well as being a useful development tool for more advanced programmers.
The Design of Inherently Fault-Tolerant Systems

With very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits having as many as 10 million circuit components on a silicon chip and the potential for an order of magnitude more when considering wafer scale integration (WSI), two questions arise. First, how can all these components be organized so that a useful function is performed? For a device such as a random access memory, the organization is relatively obvious. However, if processing elements are considered, the organization is significantly complicated and may change, depending upon the application. Second, how can all these circuit components work together reliably? One approach, known as fault avoidance, is to manufacture the parts using very rigorous and expensive procedures and to take into consideration all possible environmental influences when designing, fabricating, and packaging the device. A second approach is to employ fault-tolerant design techniques.
Write CFD Report

ASHRAE produces the Guideline 33 for Documenting Indoor Airflow and Contaminant Transport Modeling (ASHRAE in Guideline 33-2013: Guideline for Documenting Indoor Airflow and Contaminant Transport Modeling, 2013). This can be used as the ground for general requirements for reporting engineering CFD simulation and results. In general, four parts are required to form a complete CFD report.
Solution-Processed Ultrahigh Detectivity Photodetectors by Hybrid Perovskite Incorporated with Heterovalent Neodymium Cations.

Hybrid perovskite materials have drawn a remarkable attention for approaching high-performance photovoltaics owing to their superior optoelectronic properties. But most of research studies focused ...
Honeypot Allocation over Attack Graphs in Cyber Deception Games

In this paper, we propose a scalable algorithm to allocate honeypots over an attack graph. We formulate a two-person zero-sum strategic game between the network defender and an attacker. This formulation captures the importance of different nodes inside the network. The game mode accounts for the cost associated with different defense strategies as well as the cost paid by the attacker. Moreover, this game model considers a practical threat model with respect to the available information about the attacker to the network defender. Nash equilibrium defense strategies are analytically characterized and studied for a special game. The complexity of a general game is discussed and a scalable algorithm is proposed to obtain honeypots allocation strategy in large scale networks. Finally, samples of our numerical results are shown to verify our findings.
Microstructural banding of directed energy deposition-additively manufactured 316L stainless steel

Abstract The microstructures of 316 L stainless steel created by rapid solidification are investigated by comparing the similar microstructures of individual hatches of directed energy deposition additive manufacturing (DED-AM) and those of single, laser surface-melted tracks formed on a solid plate. High recoil pressure, which is exponentially dependent on the laser beam power density, induces convection of the melt pool, which causes formation of microstructural bands in the as-solidified microstructure. The microstructural bands are associated with changes in the chromium concentration and are a significant component of the inhomogeneous microstructure of DED-AM.
Behavioral Time Scale Plasticity of Place Fields: Mathematical Analysis

Traditional synaptic plasticity experiments and models depend on tight temporal correlations between pre- and postsynaptic activity. These tight temporal correlations, on the order of tens of milliseconds, are incompatible with significantly longer behavioral time scales, and as such might not be able to account for plasticity induced by behavior. Indeed, recent findings in hippocampus suggest that rapid, bidirectional synaptic plasticity which modifies place fields in CA1 operates at behavioral time scales. These experimental results suggest that presynaptic activity generates synaptic eligibility traces both for potentiation and depression, which last on the order of seconds. These traces can be converted to changes in synaptic efficacies by the activation of an instructive signal that depends on naturally occurring or experimentally induced plateau potentials. We have developed a simple mathematical model that is consistent with these observations. This model can be fully analyzed to find the fixed points of induced place fields, the convergence to these fixed points, and how these fixed points depend on system parameters such as the size and shape of presynaptic place fields, the animal9s velocity, and the parameters of the plasticity rule.
Theoretical study of fast diffusion in carbon nanontubes

Using a recently reported method for the statistical representation of gaseous diffusion within a cylindrical pore, we report here on an analysis of situations that describe fast diffusion within carbon nanotubes. It is proposed that if gaseous flow properties of the tube, in the highly rarefied situation, are due to there being only specular particle–wall reflections, then these particles can transit the tube via self-diffusion. On comparing this self-diffusive flux with Knudsen transport diffusion, our model predicts that enhanced diffusion is indeed possible in the carbon nanotube. Depending upon the statistical nature of the particle–wall scattering phenomenon, the enhancements are predicted be three to four times that of classical transport diffusion and, for certain conditions, the enhancement factor can be greater than 4.
Habitability: a process versus a state variable framework with observational tests and theoretical implications

The term habitable is used to describe planets that can harbour life. Debate exists as to specific conditions that allow for habitability but the use of the term as a planetary variable has become ubiquitous. This paper poses a meta-level question: What type of variable is habitability? Is it akin to temperature, in that it is something that characterizes a planet, or is something that flows through a planet, akin to heat? That is, is habitability a state or a process variable? Forth coming observations can be used to discriminate between these end-member hypotheses. Each has different implications for the factors that lead to differences between planets (e.g. the differences between Earth and Venus). Observational tests can proceed independent of any new modelling of planetary habitability. However, the viability of habitability as a process can influence future modelling. We discuss a specific modelling framework based on anticipating observations that can discriminate between different views of habitability.
Vibration of general symmetric systems using group theory

Abstract This work presents group-theory-based vibration analysis to determine the highly structured, symmetry-related modal properties of symmetric systems and classify them into specific types. No eigenvalue problem solutions are required. In fact, the properties are obtained without a mathematical model. They derive only from symmetry and the degrees of freedom chosen to describe the deformation. Dynamic or static response is similarly decomposed into the sum of multiple response components associated with the mode types. One knows a priori, without any numerical computation, which mode types can or can not be excited by a given input excitation. Group theory divides the full system equations of motion and eigenvalue problem into multiple, smaller, decoupled problems associated with each mode type, which is computationally efficient. The method applies for general three-dimensional systems having any type of symmetry where components of the system are modeled using any mixture of lumped-parameter (including finite element) and elastic continuum models. Only basic elements of group theory are required, and they are introduced. Among three examples of the method, one derives the modal properties for general cyclically symmetric systems having any number of central components and substructures that can be modeled as any of rigid bodies, finite element meshes, and elastic continua.
Spatio-temporal biodistribution of 89Zr-oxine labeled huLym-1-A-BB3z-CAR T-cells by PET imaging in a preclinical tumor model.

Quantitative in vivo monitoring of cell biodistribution offers assessment of treatment efficacy in real-time and can provide guidance for further optimization of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified cell therapy. We evaluated the utility of a non-invasive, serial 89Zr-oxine PET imaging to assess optimal dosing for huLym-1-A-BB3z-CAR T-cell directed to Lym-1-positive Raji lymphoma xenograft in NOD Scid-IL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice. In vitro experiments showed no detrimental effects in cell health and function following 89Zr-oxine labeling. In vivo experiments employed simultaneous PET/MRI of Raji-bearing NSG mice on day 0 (3 h), 1, 2, and 5 after intravenous administration of low (1.87 ± 0.04 × 106 cells), middle (7.14 ± 0.45 × 106 cells), or high (16.83 ± 0.41 × 106 cells) cell dose. Biodistribution (%ID/g) in regions of interests defined over T1-weighted MRI, such as blood, bone, brain, liver, lungs, spleen, and tumor, were analyzed from PET images. Escalating doses of CAR T-cells resulted in dose-dependent %ID/g biodistributions in all regions. Middle and High dose groups showed significantly higher tumor %ID/g compared to Low dose group on day 2. Tumor-to-blood ratios showed the enhanced extravascular tumor uptake by day 2 in the Low dose group, while the Middle dose showed significant tumor accumulation starting on day 1 up to day 5. From these data obtained over time, it is apparent that intravenously administered CAR T-cells become trapped in the lung for 3-5 h and then migrate to the liver and spleen for up to 2-3 days. This surprising biodistribution data may be responsible for the inactivation of these cells before targeting solid tumors. Ex vivo biodistributions confirmed in vivo PET-derived biodistributions. According to these studies, we conclude that in vivo serial PET imaging with 89Zr-oxine labeled CAR T-cells provides real-time monitoring of biodistributions crucial for interpreting efficacy and guiding treatment in patient care.
Effect of Occlusal Splints on Posture Balance in Patients with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder: A Prospective Study.

Aim and objective Force platforms are widely used to evaluate the relationship between bodily posture and jaw positions. The aim and objective of this clinical prospective study was to evaluate the effect of occlusal splints on bodily posture using force platforms. Materials and methods Forty-seven female patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) underwent a clinical and postural examination before and during an occlusal treatment with an upper splint. Six postural stabilometric examinations were performed under different visual conditions. Postural stability was assessed using a force platform (SATEL). Subjects were evaluated in static and dynamic conditions, with open and closed eyes, at baseline, at 1 week, and at 3 months. Changes in stabilometric parameters (sway area and sway length) were assessed and compared. Results In static and dynamic positions, the sway surface area decreased significantly after the occlusal guard placement with closed eyes (p-value, 0.012). Likewise, the sway surface area decreased significantly in the dynamic lateral position with closed eyes (p-value, 0.018) and in anteroposterior dynamic position with open eyes (p-value, 0.031). The mean sway length decreased significantly after the placement of the occlusal guard when participants were in the lateral position with open eyes (p-value, 0.025) and in the anteroposterior position with open eyes (p-value, 0.014). On a 3-month assessment, the mean surface and mean length decreased significantly after the placement of the occlusal guard for practically all the static and dynamic positions. Conclusion The sway surface area and sway length decreased significantly with the use of occlusal splints Clinical significance: In female patients with TMD, the use of an occlusal splint is associated with a postural improvement evaluated by posturo-stabilometric tests.
Position of the Kenzan Method in the Space-Time of Tissue Engineering

The Kenzan method is a bioprinting method which has already generated several of the most relevant in vivo applications of tissue engineering and holds promise for further substantial development. However, it is less appreciated that Kenzan’s success derives from being one of the most truly “engineering” methods among the robotic biofabrication technologies. This is not due only to the exquisite sophistication and precision of the two instruments operating on this approach (Regenova and S-PIKE) but also to the very principle it implements in practice: the integration of the biological, modular, and semistochastic space–time of the cell spheroids within the Cartesian space created by the rectangular microneedles array. For this reason, after an overview of the Kenzan method in the larger context of bioprinting, here we will comparatively discuss these two frameworks, and then we will illustrate their synthesis with examples generated by virtual computer simulations.
The reproductive cycle of yellow bass, Morone mississippiensis, in Clear Lake, Iowa

Gillnet collections of yellow bass, Morone mississippiensis, were made from April, 1967 to September, 1968 at Clear Lake, Iowa to determine the normal reproductive cycle and variations in fecundity which could be related to changes in food supply and water temperatures. A major mortal­ ity from Aeromonas infection occurred in May, 1968 which also allowed documentation of changes in body condition, fecundity and success of reproduction during the year preceding a mass mortality from disease. Spawning was initiated during mid-May in 1967 and late April in 1968 when water temperatures approached 15°C after a rapid temperature rise of 3.5 to 4.5°C over several days. At spawning time ovaries of adult bass comprised up to 16 percent body weight and testes up to 8 percent body weight. Fish commenced spawning when maturing ova reached a mean diameter of 0.4 mm in the preserved state. Fresh ovulated ova averaged 0.8 + 0.11 mm in diameter. Wide variation in effective fecundity was apparent among mature females of similar length. Although 50 percent of the variation in fecundity could be attributed to body length in 1967, the relation was not significant in 1968 (r = 0.32). In 1967 mature females contained an average of 560 mature ova per mm total body length in contrast to 276 ova in 1968. In terms of body weight the average female produced 835 ova per gram body weight in 1967 but only 350 in 1968. The change in fecundity was attributed to poor body condition in 1968. Females measuring 200 mm total body length weighed approximately 137 grams in 1967 at spawning time but only 115 grams in 1968.
Effects of Insulation Thickness on the Aging of Organic Insulation in Air [includes discussion]

Organic insulations composed of paper or cloth base with phenolic or black asphaltic varnish impregnant are shown by extensive tests to have an aging rate in air dependent on the insulation thickness. A change in insulation thickness from that representative of turn insulation to that used for a major voltage barrier may increase its useful life in air by as much as ten times if in a dry atmosphere. The corresponding change in temperature class for a specific number of hours of life in air may be of the order of 30 degrees centigrade (C) to 50 C for this change in thickness, under the same favorable conditions. A possible explanation of this difference is offered, based on the progressive shielding of the inner laminae by the outer portions which gives the effect of the shielded portions operating in a nonoxidizing medium. The inhibition of evaporation effects may also be a factor.
An electron spin resonance study of liver and adrenal mixed function oxidases near the temperature of liquid helium.

Abstract Comparison of electron spin resonance signals of mitochondria, microsomes, and mitochondrial subfractions from the bovine adrenal cortex with the signals from rabbit liver microsomes have been made at temperatures near that of liquid helium. No evidence for the existence of an iron protein with g = 1.94 in liver microsomes could be obtained, whereas the presence of this component in adrenal cortical particles was confirmed. It was not possible to distinguish between the mitochondrial iron proteins of Beinert and those concerned with mixed function oxidation of steroids, and the relationship between mitochondrial electron transport and mixed function oxidation of steroids in the adrenal cortex remains uncertain.
Climate science research is rigged: but what about economics?

Recent discoveries have revealed that there is intellectual bias in the field of climate science; the present paper makes the case that this moral and intellectual rot has also affected the field of economics.
Changing Minds: Policy and Political Implications of Changing One's Mind on Gay Rights

As part of the Field Poll administered during February 2006, we included a number of questions addressing attitudes towards homosexuality and various gay rights policy issues. We also asked questions related to two of the key elements which form the basis of the strategy promoted by gay rights activists – questions concerning whether or not a respondent knew any gay people (and, if so, on what basis did they know them) and whether or not the respondent had changed his or her mind on homosexuality since becoming an adult. There are an increasing number of studies that have looked at the impact of “knowing someone gay” on attitudes. The focus of this paper, however, is on the questions concerning whether or not a person had changed his/her mind about homosexuality.
Splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans does not require an AG at the 3' splice acceptor site

The dinucleotide AG, found at the 3' end of virtually all eukaryotic pre-mRNA introns, is thought to be essential for splicing. Reduction-of- function mutations in two Caenorhabditis elegans genes, the receptor tyrosine kinase gene let-23 and the collagen gene dpy-10, both alter the AG at the end of a short (ca. 50-nucleotide) intron to AA. The in vivo effects of these mutations were studied by sequencing polymerase chain reaction-amplified reverse-transcribed RNA isolated from the two mutants. As expected, we find transcripts that splice to a cryptic AG, skip an exon, and retain an unspliced intron. However, we also find significant levels of splicing at the mutated 3' splice site (AA) and at nearby non-AG dinucleotides. Our results indicate that for short C. elegans introns an AG is not required for splicing at either the correct 3' splice site or incorrect sites. Analysis of a splice site mutant involving a longer, 316-nucleotide C. elegans intron indicates that an AG is also not required there for splicing. We hypothesize that elements besides the invariant AG, e.g., an A-U-rich region, a UUUC motif, and/or a potential branch point sequence, are directing the selection of the 3' splice site and that in wild-type genes these elements cooperate so that proper splicing occurs.
Thresholds of flow‐induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river

[1] Storm-driven flow pulses in rivers destroy and restructure sediment habitats that affect stream metabolism. This study examined thresholds of bed disturbances that affected patch- and reach-scale sediment conditions and metabolism rates. A 4 year record of discharge and diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations (ΔDO) was analyzed for disturbances and recovery periods of the ΔDO signal. Disturbances to the ΔDO signal were associated with flow pulses, and the recovery times for the ΔDO signal were found to be in two categories: less than 5 days (30% of the disturbances) or greater than 15 days (70% of the disturbances). A field study was performed during the fall of 2007, which included a storm event that increased discharge from 3.1 to 6.9 m3/s over a 7 h period. During stable flow conditions before the storm, variability in patch-scale stream metabolism values were associated with sediment texture classes with values ranging from −16.4 to 2.3 g O2/m2/d (negative sign indicates net respiration) that bounded the reach-averaged rate of −5.6 g O2/m2/d. Hydraulic modeling of bed shear stresses demonstrated a storm-induced flow pulse mobilized approximately 25% of the bed and reach-scale metabolism rates shifted from −5 to −40 g O2/m2/d. These results suggest that storm-induced bed disturbances led to threshold behavior with respect to stream metabolism. Small flow pulses resulted in partial-bed mobilization that disrupted stream metabolism by increased turbidity with short recovery times. Large flow pulses resulted in full-bed mobilization that disrupted stream metabolism by destroying periphyton habitats with long recovery times.
Enforcing performance isolation across virtual machines in Xen

Virtual machines (VMs) have recently emerged as the basis for allocating resources in enterprise settings and hosting centers. One benefit of VMs in these environments is the ability to multiplex several operating systems on hardware based on dynamically changing system characteristics. However, such multiplexing must often be done while observing per-VM performance guarantees or service level agreements. Thus, one important requirement in this environment is effective performance isolation among VMs. In this paper, we address performance isolation across virtual machines in Xen [1]. For instance, while Xen can allocate fixed shares of CPU among competing VMs, it does not currently account for work done on behalf of individual VMs in device drivers. Thus, the behavior of one VM can negatively impact resources available to other VMs even if appropriate per-VM resource limits are in place.In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of a set of primitives implemented in Xen to address this issue. First, XenMon accurately measures per-VM resource consumption, including work done on behalf of a particular VM in Xen's driver domains. Next, our SEDF-DC scheduler accounts for aggregate VM resource consumption in allocating CPU. Finally, ShareGuard limits the total amount of resources consumed in privileged and driver domains based on administrator-specified limits. Our performance evaluation indicates that our mechanisms effectively enforce performance isolation for a variety of workloads and configurations.
South Arch volcanic field—Newly identified young lava flows on the sea floor south of the Hawaiian Ridge

Several young lava fields were imaged by GLORIA sidescan sonar along the Hawaiian Arch south of Hawaii. The largest, 35 by 50 km across, includes a central area characterized by high sonar backscatter and composed of several flow lobes radiating from a vent area. Reflection profiling and sea-floor photography indicate that the central lobes are flat sheet flowsbounded by pillowed margins; thin surface sediment and thin palagonite rinds on lava surfaces suggest ages of 1-10 ka. Vents are localized along the arch crest near bases of Cretaceous seamounts. Two dredged flows are basanite and alkalic basalt, broadly similar to rejuvenated-stage and some pre-shield alkalic lavas on the Hawaiian Ridge. Arch volcanism representsperipheral leakage of melt from the Hawaiian hot spot over much larger areas than previously recognized.
Density functional computations of 99Ru chemical shifts: relativistic effects, influence of the density functional, and study of solvent effects on fac—[Ru(CO)3I3]−

Solvent effects on the 99Ru NMR chemical shift of the complex fac—[Ru(CO)3I3]− are investigated computationally using density functional theory. Further, benchmark calculations of the 99Ru shift for a set of ten Ru complexes have been performed in order to calibrate the computational model and to determine the importance of relativistic effects on the 99Ru nuclear magnetic shielding and on the chemical shift. A computational model for fac—[Ru(CO)3I3]− that includes both explicit solvent molecules and a continuum model is shown to yield the best agreement with experiment. Relativistic corrections are shown to be of minor importance for determining 99Ru chemical shifts. On the other hand, the nature of the density functional is of importance. In agreement with literature data for ligand trends of 99Ru chemical shifts, the chemical shift range for different solvents is also best reproduced by a hybrid functional. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Access to healthcare: going beyond fair equality of opportunity.

(2001). Access to Healthcare: Going Beyond Fair Equality of Opportunity. The American Journal of Bioethics: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 22-23.
Relationship between peat geochemistry and depositional environments, Cranberry Island, Maine

Abstract The Heath, Great Cranberry Island, Maine, offers a unique locality for studying lateral and vertical relationships between radically different peat types within 1 km2. The majority of The Heath is a Sphagnum moss-dominated raised bog. Surrounding the raised bog is a swamp/marsh complex containing grass, sedge, Sphagnum moss, alder, tamarack, and skunk cabbage. Swamp/ marsh-deposited peat occurs both around the margins of The Heath and under Sphagnum-dominated peat, which was deposited within the raised bog. A third peat type, dominated by herbaceous aquatics, is present underlying the swamp/marsh-dominated peat but is not present as a dominant botanical community of The Heath. The three peat types have major differences in petrographic characteristics, ash contents, and associated minerals. Sulfur contents range from a low of 0.19 wt.% (dry) within the raised bog to a high of 4.44 wt% (dry) near the west end of The Heath, where swamp/marsh peat occurring directly behind a storm beach berm has been influenced by marine waters. The presence of major geochemical variations within a 1-km2 peat deposit suggests the need for in-depth characterization of potential peat resources prior to use.
Hydrogen bonding Part 47. Stoichiometry, stability, and IR spectra of N,N,N-Trimethyl-1-adamantylammonium hydroxide hydrates; IR evidence for a covalent HOHOH− species in the monohydrate and hemihydrate

Abstract N,N,N-trimethyl-1-adamantylammonium hydroxide tetrahydrate, dihydrate, monohydrate, and hemihydrate are stable crystalline materials. IR comparison with tetramethylammonium hydroxide tetrahydrate of known structure suggests that the tetrahydrate is a framework clathrate species in which hydroxide ions act as hydrogen bond donors. The dihydrate appears to contain both stronger and weaker hydrogen-bonded water molecules, unlike tetramethylammonium hydroxide dihydrate in which all water molecules are similar. The IR spectrum of the monohydrate is of a significantly different type, and supports the presence of HOHOH− molecular ions containing covalent three-center OHO hydrogen bonds. A structure is proposed for the water—hydroxide ion arrangement in the monohydrate in which such HOHOH− ions are linked into a sheet through hydrogen bonds from terminal OH groups. The hemihydrate also appears to contain the HOHOH− species found in the monohydrate, and thus would also contain an equal number of OH− ions. A structure is proposed for the hemihydrate in which alternate chains of the sheet structure of the monohydrate are dehydrated and the remaining chains are linked through OH− ions which act as both hydrogen bond donors and acceptors.
Effect of Immobilized Nerve Growth Factor on Conductive Polymers: Electrical Properties and Cellular Response

The use of biologically active dopants in conductive polymers allows the polymer to be tailored for specific applications. The incorporation of nerve growth factor (NGF) as a co-dopant in the electrochemical deposition of conductive polymers is evaluated for its ability to elicit specific biological interactions with neurons. The electrochemical properties of the NGF-modified conducting polymers are studied by impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Impedance measurements at the neurobiologically important frequency of 1 kHz reveal that the minimum impedance of the NGF-modified polypyrrole (PPy) film, 15 kX, is lower than the minimum impedance of peptide-modified PPy film (360 kX). Similar results are found with NGF-modified poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT). The microstructure of the conductive polymer films is characterized by optical microscopy and electron microscopy and indicates that the NGF-functionalized polymer surface topology is similar to that of the unmodified polymer film. Optical and fluorescence microscopy reveal that PC-12 (rat pheochromacytoma) cells adhered to the NGF-modified substrate and extended neurites on both PPy and PEDOT, indicating that the NGF in the polymer film is biologically active. Taken together these data indicate that the incorporation of NGF can modify the biological interactions of the electrode without compromising the conductive properties or the morphology of the polymeric film.
Contemporary Issues on Pesticide Safety

At any given moment there are always new issues on pesticide safety. Some of those issues are forced by the society based on the emergence of new threats, the changing attitude of the general public or complaints by action groups representing special interests of certain sub-populations. Others are the results of new scientific discoveries, technological development and/or introduction of new compounds. In this paper an effort has been made to analyze some of the recent issues from the viewpoint of categorizing them into several major types of safety issues in order to clarify the reason behind those issues, and thereby to assist the process of achieving the balance of effective use of pesticides and their safety. © Pesticide Science Society of Japan
Outcomes and Bleb-Related Complications of Trabeculectomy

Purpose To determine rates of success and complications of trabeculectomy surgery. Design Case series. Participants Consecutive patients undergoing trabeculectomy by 2 surgeons between May 2000 and October 2008. Intervention By using the Wilmer Institute's billing database, we identified all patients at least 12 years of age coded as having undergone trabeculectomy between May 2000 and October 2008 by 1 of 2 glaucoma surgeons and whose surgery was not combined with another operation. From the chart, we abstracted demographic information on the patients and clinical characteristics of the eyes. The Kaplan–Meier product-limit method and Cox proportional hazard models were used to look at success rates and characteristics associated with inadequate intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction. Complications were tabulated. Main Outcome Measures (1) Success rate of trabeculectomy, as determined by the achievement of each of 4 different IOP goals, with or without IOP-lowering medications; and (2) incidence of surgical complications. Results During the study period, 797 eyes of 634 persons underwent trabeculectomy without concurrent surgery. The success rates 4 years after surgery, with or without the use of IOP-lowering eye drops, were 70%, 72%, 60%, and 44%, for achievement of target IOP, ≤18 mmHg and ≥20% IOP reduction, ≤15 mmHg and ≥25% reduction, and ≤12 mmHg and ≥30% reduction, respectively. Increased chance of success was associated with European-derived race; use of mitomycin C (MMC); higher concentrations of MMC, when used; and higher preoperative IOP. Age and previous intraocular surgery were not associated with surgical success. Complications included worsening lens opacity in 242 of 443 phakic eyes (55%), loss of ≥3 lines of acuity (Snellen) in 161 eyes (21%), surgery for bleb-related problems in 70 eyes (8.8%), and infection occurring >6 weeks after surgery in 27 eyes (3.4%). A total of 101 eyes of 94 patients had at least 1 subsequent operation for inadequate IOP control. Conclusions Trabeculectomy surgery performed by 2 experienced glaucoma specialists achieved target IOP at 4 years in 70% of those operated and was associated with progressive cataract and small risks of bleb-related complications. These results are comparable to those reported in smaller series. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Remembering the lost neuroscience of pharmaco-EEG.

To the electrophysiologist accustomed, in his animal experiments, to probing with his electrode into the nervous system and even into the nerve cell itself, it remains a matter of astonishment that so many of the brain's secrets escape across the wall of the skull to electrodes fixed to the scalp of man. That they indeed do so is testimony to the fact that the brain's electrical activity is a most sensitive indicator of its function. In this fact lies the attraction of electroencephalography for its devotees.
Bacterial Growth Dynamics, Limiting Factors, and Community Diversity in a Proposed Geological Nuclear Waste Repository Environment

Microbiological growth parameters, including limiting factors, kinetics, and minimal cell densities were assessed for subsurface microbiological communities collected with rock from an area proposed for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis revealed that approximately 104–105 viable cells per gram of dry rock are extant, and water availability was shown to be the primary factor limiting microbial growth in situ. Phosphate and carbon limitation, however, also suppress final cell densities by at least one order of magnitude under saturated conditions. Despite these limiting factors, significant growth of aerobic chemoheterotrophic microorganisms was shown to occur in unconcentrated simulated groundwater with or without addition of a reduced carbon source (7 × 107 and 8 × 106 planktonic cells/mL, respectively), indicating that when water becomes available in the repository environment, microbial growth will ensue. Organisms that were isolated from stationary c...
Enabling Association of the GINS Protein Tetramer with the Mini Chromosome Maintenance (Mcm)2–7 Protein Complex by Phosphorylated Sld2 Protein and Single-stranded Origin DNA

The Cdc45-Mcm2–7-GINS (CMG) complex is the replication fork helicase in eukaryotes. Synthetic lethal with Dpb11-1 (Sld2) is required for the initiation of DNA replication, and the S phase cyclin-dependent kinase (S-CDK) phosphorylates Sld2 in vivo. We purified components of the replication initiation machinery and studied their interactions in vitro. We found that unphosphorylated or CDK-phosphorylated Sld2 binds to the mini chromosome maintenance (Mcm)2–7 complex with similar efficiency. Sld2 interaction with Mcm2–7 blocks the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7. The interaction between CDK-phosphorylated Sld2 and Mcm2–7 is substantially inhibited by origin single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Furthermore, origin ssDNA allows GINS to bind to Mcm2–7 in the presence of CDK-phosphorylated Sld2. However, unphosphorylated Sld2 blocks the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7 even in the presence of origin ssDNA. We identified a mutant of Sld2 that does not bind to DNA. When this mutant is expressed in yeast cells, cell growth is severely inhibited with very slow progression into S phase. We propose a model wherein Sld2 blocks the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7 in vivo. Once origin ssDNA is extruded from the Mcm2–7 ring and CDK phosphorylates Sld2, the origin ssDNA binds to CDK-phosphorylated Sld2. This event may allow the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7 in vivo. Thus, CDK phosphorylation of Sld2 may be important to release Sld2 from Mcm2–7, thereby allowing GINS to bind Mcm2–7. Furthermore, origin ssDNA may stimulate the formation of the CMG complex by alleviating inhibitory interactions between Sld2 with Mcm2–7.
Response to vitamin D in adrenalectomized animals.

IN recent years there have been repeated attempts to establish that the action of vitamin D is in some way mediated through the adrenal glands. Perhaps the first such suggestion came from Raoul and Gounelle1, who described an increase in an ultra-violet absorbing material in the adrenal glands of rats given vitamin D. The same authors also reported that the adrenals accumulate a large fraction of the administered vitamin shortly after supplementation. Neither Kodicek et al.2, Blumberg et al.3 nor Norman and DeLuca4, using either 14C- or tritium-labelled vitamin D, were able to confirm the latter observation. In fact, in this laboratory no more than 0.3 per cent of the labelled vitamin administered has ever been found in the adrenals.
Molecular characterization of the genomic S RNA segment from lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

Abstract We have used cDNA clones derived from the genomic S RNA segment of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), Armstrong strain, as hybridization probes to monitor virus gene expression during acute infections. Our results with strand-specific probes confirm the ambisense character of the LCMV S RNA segment and document the presence of both genomic sense and genomic complementary sense RNA species over the time course of infection. We have used nucleotide sequence information to predict primary amino acid sequences for the major viral structural proteins, nucleoprotein (NP) and glycoprotein (GP-C). Antibodies raised against synthetic peptides derived from these predicted protein sequences have indicated that the gene order for the S segment is 3′ NP → 5′ GP-C and provided direct demonstration that the GP-1 portion of the GP-C precursor is encoded nearest the 5′ end of the S segment. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences for NP and GP-C between the Armstrong CA-1371 strain and the WE strain shows over 90% amino acid identity. This suggests that significant differences described for the pathogenic potential of the Arm and WE strains in C3H mice reside in one or a very few critical amino acid changes.
A simulation study of some simple estimators for the three-parameter weibull distribution

Analytic estimates of the three Weibull parameters are important to the practitioners for their simplicity and to the analyst as starting points of iterative procedures for obtaining better estimates, e.g. MLE. This paper examines more than seventeen simple Weibull estimators. Their accuracy (in a MSE sense) is evaluated on a set of randomly generated three-parameter Weibull problems. The most accurate (simple percentile) estimator is identified for the location, the scale and the shape parameter.
Delayed Myelination in an Intrauterine Growth Retardation Model Is Mediated by Oxidative Stress Upregulating Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with neurological deficits including cerebral palsy and cognitive and behavioral disabilities. The pathogenesis involves oxidative stress that leads to periventricular white matter injury with a paucity of mature oligodendrocytes and hypomyelination. The molecular mechanisms underlying this damage remain poorly understood. We used a rat model of IUGR created by bilateral ligation of the uterine artery at embryonic Day 19 that results in fetal growth retardation and oxidative stress in the developing brain. The IUGR rat pups showed significant delays in oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination that resolved by 8 weeks. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), which inhibits oligodendrocyte maturation, was elevated in IUGR brains at postnatal time points and returned to near normal by adulthood. Despite the apparent recovery, behavioral deficiencies were found in 8-week-old female animals, suggesting that the early transient myelination defects have permanent effects. In support of these in vivo data, oligodendrocyte precursor cells cultured from postnatal IUGR rats retained increased BMP4 expression and impaired differentiation that was reversed with the BMP inhibitor noggin. Oxidants in oligodendrocyte cultures increased BMP expression, which decreased differentiation; however, abrogating BMP signaling with noggin in vitro and in BMP-deficient mice prevented these effects. Together, these findings suggest that IUGR results in delayed myelination through the generation of oxidative stress that leads to BMP4 upregulation.
The ins and outs of biological zinc sites

The inner shell coordination properties of zinc proteins have led to the identification of four types of zinc binding sites: catalytic, cocatalytic, structural, and protein interface. Outer shell coordination can influence the stability of the zinc site and its function as exemplified herein by the zinc sites in carbonic anhydrase, promatrix metalloproteases and alcohol dehydrogenase. Agents that disrupt these interactions, can lead to increased off rate constants for zinc. d-penicillamine is the first drug to inhibit a zinc protease by catalyzing the removal of the metal. Since it can accept the released zinc we have referred to it as a catalytic chelator. Agents that catalyze the release of the metal in the presence of a scavenger chelator will also inhibit enzyme catalysis and are referred to as enhanced dechelation inhibitors.