cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The History of Preconception Care: Evolving Guidelines and Standards

This article explores the history of the preconception movement in the United States and the current status of professional practice guidelines and standards. Professionals with varying backgrounds (nurses, nurse practitioners, family practice physicians, pediatricians, nurse midwives, obstetricians/gynecologists) are in a position to provide preconception health services; standards and guidelines for numerous professional organizations, therefore, are explored. The professional nursing organization with the most highly developed preconception health standards is the American Academy of Nurse Midwives (ACNM); for physicians, it is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). These guidelines and standards are discussed in detail.
Interaction of water molecules with macromolecular structures in cardiac muscle

Abstract Measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation times ( T 1 ) and spin-spin relaxation times ( T 2 ) of the hydrogen atoms of water molecules in the myocardium of the rat have been made. Both T 1 and T 2 for water molecules in the myocardium are shorter than those for pure water. The dramatic shortening of relaxation times suggests that the water molecules within the myocardial tissue significantly interact with cellular macromolecules.
ANTIGENS OF PLASMODIUM LOPHURAE.

SYNOPSIS. Erythrocyte-free Plasmodium lophurae were lysed by freeze-thawing and the lysate subjected to contrifugation. Two fractions were obtained: (1) hemozoin, an insoluble protein-containing pigment and (2) soluble proteins. Hemozoin when “solubilized” in 4 M urea was immobile upon electro-phoresis in a 4 M urea starch gel. The soluble plasmodial proteins were grossly contaminated by host cell hemoglobin, but were readily separated from the latter by starch gel electrophoresis. Employment of the Ouchterlony and immunoelectrophoretic techniques demonstrated that one of the major antigenic components in this avian plasmodium is hemoglobin. The malarial pigment showed no antigenicity. Rabbit antisera prepared against formalinized erythrocyte-free parasites discerned some 4 to 6 precipitating antigens, but no such reaction was obtained using hyperimmune chicken serum after naturally induced blood infections. These studies show the distinct nature of the host and parasite by physico-chemical means and illustrate the value of the immunoelectrophoretic method in providing a simple and sensitive tool for detecting impurities in parasite protein preparations. It is further suggested that confusion in host and parasite antigens as described in the literature may in part be due to these unidentified erythrocyte elements.
A unified quantum theory of mechanics and thermodynamics. Part IIa. Available energy

Part II of this three-part paper presents some of the most important theorems that can be deduced from the four postulates of the unified theory discussed in Part I. In Part IIa, it is shown that the maximum energy that can be extracted adiabatically from any system in any state is solely a function of the density operator\(\hat \rho\) associated with the state. Moreover, it is shown that for any state of a system, nonequilibrium, equilibrium or stable equilibrium, a unique propertyS exists which is proportional to the total energy of the system minus the maximum energy that can be extracted adiabatically from the system in combination with a reservoir. For statistically independent systems, propertyS is extensive, it is invariant during all reversible processes, and it increases during all irreversible processes.
Adaptive Control of Semiactive Variable Stiffness Devices for Narrow-Band Disturbance Rejection

The present study examines the potential of using a semiactive controllable stiffness device, whose spring coefficient can be modulated in real-time, for tonal disturbance rejection applications. A frequency-domain control algorithm is developed for determining the spring coefficient variation (at twice the disturbance frequency) that minimizes the force transmitted to the support at the disturbance frequency. The effectiveness of open loop, closed loop, and adaptive controllers in rejecting the transmitted disturbances are evaluated. The results of the study indicate that when limits in stiffness coefficient variation are considered, the support force could be reduced by about an additional 30%, beyond the levels due to the passive isolation characteristics (no cyclic stiffness modulation). When the disturbance phase changes during operation, the effectiveness of the open loop controller is rapidly degraded. While the closed loop controller (with inputs based on current levels of force transmitted to the support) performed better, there was still some degradation in performance, and transmitted support forces were not reduced to levels prior to change in disturbance phase. The results show that for the semiactive system to retain its effectiveness in rejecting disturbances, a closed loop, adaptive controller (with on-line system identification) is required; even when there is only a change in disturbance, and no change in basic system properties. An explanation for this phenomenon, related to the bilinear nature of the semiactive system, is provided.
Desoxyisoprenaline: an adrenoceptor stimulating and blocking agent.

Desoxyisoprenaline (N-isopropyldopamine, DOI), an optically inactive analogue of isoprenaline, which lacks the alcoholic -OH group, was shown to stimulate β-adrenoceptors in cat papillary muscle, rat aorta and rat trachea, in addition to causing a hypotensive effect in anaesthetized cats. DOI was also shown to stimulate α-adrenoceptors in rat aorta. Furthermore, DOI blocked both α- and β-adrenoceptors in rabbit aortic strips and β-adrenoceptors in rat trachea. These different actions indicate that DOI has both adrenoceptor stimulating and blocking properties.
Audio signal classification with temporal envelopes

The conventional approach to audio processing, based on the short-time power spectrum model, is not adequate when it comes to general audio signals. We propose an approach, justified by studies from psycho-acoustics and neuroimaging, which uses the magnitude and frequency envelope of the audio signal in the from of AM-FM modulations to build an ARMA model which is then fed to a GMM to classify into various audio classes. We show that it makes explicit certain aspects of the signal which are overlooked when processing is limited to the spectral domain.
Quantification of Calcification in Atherosclerotic Lesions

Calcification can be deposited throughout the vasculature in several forms of calcium phosphate, including calcium hydroxyapatite (CHA). Calcium accumulation in arteries by mineralization and calcium loss from bone by osteoporosis often coexist, and vascular calcification may share common mechanisms with bone remodeling. Deposition of calcification in valves and arteries diminishes the valvular or arterial wall elasticity, a major cause of aneurysm and stenosis. Obstruction of arteries by calcification and other components can lead to heart attack and stroke. Mineralization in the femoral arteries can cause intermittent claudication in the legs, causing decreased mobility. Accurate measurement of calcification is essential for identifying other factors associated with this process and ultimately for elucidating the mechanism(s) of calcification. A wide range of methods for visualizing and measuring calcification for diagnosis and treatment in vivo and for studying the calcification process ex vivo are available. This review provides a critical comparison of older established methods and newer evolving technologies for quantifying calcification.
Towards immersive virtual reality (iVR): a route to surgical expertise

Surgery is characterized by complex tasks performed in stressful environments. To enhance patient safety and reduce errors, surgeons must be trained in environments that mimic the actual clinical setting. Rasmussen’s model of human behavior indicates that errors in surgical procedures may be skill-, rule-, or knowledge-based. While skill-based behavior and some rule-based behavior may be taught using box trainers and ex vivo or in vivo animal models, we posit that multimodal immersive virtual reality (iVR) that includes high-fidelity visual as well as other sensory feedback in a seamless fashion provides the only means of achieving true surgical expertise by addressing all three levels of human behavior. While the field of virtual reality is not new, realization of the goals of complete immersion is challenging and has been recognized as a Grand Challenge by the National Academy of Engineering. Recent technological advances in both interface and computational hardware have generated significant enthusiasm in this field. In this paper, we discuss convergence of some of these technologies and possible evolution of the field in the near term.
The Dublin Gate Theatre Archive at Northwestern University

The state of theatre archives in Ireland was a major subject of the recent Irish Theatre History Conference (subtitled Archives, Historiography, Politics) held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in November 2001. Many of the theatre-related collections in Ireland discussed at the conference, despite the best efforts of their curators, have historically lacked the resources to make materials fully accessible to scholars or to catalog their holdings comprehensively. This trend has changed in recent years, however, and new efforts in managing Irish theatre resources are planned. It seems an appropriate time to discuss one major Irish theatre collection that is both fully cataloged and readily accessible, although it is located at some distance from its original home.
Emergent trend detection in diurnal activity

When monitoring elders' daily routines, it is desirable to track significant deviations from a baseline pattern, as consecutive, aberrant days may foreshadow a need for medical attention. However, many traditional, unsupervised methods for pattern classification are ill-suited for this task, as they are incapable for adapting to additive datasets. To surmount this shortcoming, we establish a framework for recognizing temporal trends in feature data extracted from passive sensors.
Non-solenoidal velocity effects and Korteweg stresses in simple mixtures of incompressible liquids

Abstract We study some basic problems of fluid dynamics of two incompressible miscible liquids modeled as a simple mixture in which the volume of the mixture does not change on mixing. In general, the expansion Δ = div u in these problems does not vanish. The velocity in such a mixture can be decomposed into a solenoidal and an expansion part. The expansion velocity is induced by diffusion which is proportional to the gradient of the volume fraction in a simple mixture. The expansion can be large at certain times and places. We have carried out an analysis of transient or dynamic interfacial tension for the problem of smoothing of an inital discontinuity of composition across a plane and spherical surface. The dynamic tension at the spherical interface decays as t − 1 2 ; it has two terms, one term arises from the Korteweg stress and it gives rise to a stress opposing the internal pressure as in the case of equilibrium tension if the Korteweg coefficient has the appropriate sign. The other term arises from the expansion velocity and is proportional to the rate of change of viscosity with volume fraction. This term has the wrong sign for interfacial tension in the case of glycerin and water solutions but has the right sign when the light fluid is more viscous. In the context of the new theory, we derive a new and elementary solution which describes diffusion of binary species along a pipe. An analysis of this solution to small disturbances leads to a nonseparable problem which is solved by a finite element method. The numerical study indicates stability under all circumstances.
Cooperation enforcement in a highly dynamic mobile ad hoc network

Operations of mobile ad hoc networks rely on the collaboration of participating nodes to route data for each other. This standard approach using a fixed set of nodes for each communication link cannot cope with high mobility due to a high frequency of link breaks. A recent approach based on virtual routers has been proposed to address this problem. In this new environment, virtual routers are used for forwarding data. The functionality of each virtual router is provided by the mobile devices currently within its spatial proximity. Since these routers do not move, the communication links are much more robust compared to those of the conventional techniques. In this paper, we investigate techniques to enforce collaboration among mobile devices by identify and punish misbehaving users in supporting the virtual router functionality. Simulation results based on various system configurations are given. They indicate that the proposed technique is effective.
Improved mass spectrometric characterization of protein glycosylation reveals unusual glycosylation of maize-derived bovine trypsin

Although bottom-up proteomics using tryptic digests is widely used to locate post-translational modifications (PTM) in proteins, there are cases where the protein has several potential modification sites within a tryptic fragment and MS2 strategies fail to pinpoint the location. We report here a method using two proteolytic enzymes, trypsin and pepsin, in combination followed by tandem mass spectrometric analysis to provide fragments that allow one to locate the modification sites. We used this strategy to find a glycosylation site on bovine trypsin expressed in maize (TrypZean). Several glycans are present, and all are attached to a nonconsensus N-glycosylation site on the protein.
Nitric acid photolysis on forest canopy surface as a source for tropospheric nitrous acid

Photolysis of nitrous acid generates hydroxyl radicals — a key atmospheric oxidant. Measurements at a forest in Michigan suggest that sunlight-induced breakdown of nitric acid on the canopy surface serves as a significant source of nitrous acid to the overlying atmosphere.
Reproductive ecophysiology of Rubus occidentalis in southeastern Michigan I. A survey of tolerance ranges

Abstract Research on Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry or blackcap) has recently intensified due to the health benefits of its fruits, its potential as a crop, and its aggressive growth in certain sensitive environments. However, the conditions in the wild in which stands of the species best persist and fruit are currently unknown. I measured light, soil pH, soil organic matter, soil fine particle fraction, and soil nitrogen in 49 R. occidentalis stands in southeastern Michigan and, using generalized linear and general mixed-effects models, examined whether these environmental factors were correlated with measures of reproductive success. Rubus occidentalis stands generally grew in moderate to low incident light and in neutral to mildly acidic (pH ∼5–7.5), coarsely textured soils with average to low levels of organic matter and inorganic nitrogen. Stands had a significantly higher proportion of successfully fruiting canes as light and soil pH increased and as organic matter decreased. Stands also had si...
Using Spatio-Temporal Patches for Simultaneous Estimation of Edge Strength, Orientation, and Motion

We describe an extension to ordinary patch-based edge detection in images using spatio-temporal volumetric patches from video. The inclusion of temporal information enables us to estimate motion normal to edges in addition to edge strength and spatial orientation. The method can handle complex edges in clutter by comparing distributions of data on either half of an extracted patch, rather than modeling the intensity profile of the edge. An efficient approach is provided for building the necessary histograms which samples candidate edge orientations and motions. Results are compared to classical spatio-temporal filtering techniques.
Buffer Insertion and Sizing Under Process Variations for Low Power Clock Distribution

Power dissipated in clock distribution is a major source of total system power dissipation. Instead of increasing wire widths or lengths to reduce skew which results in increased power dissipation, we use a balanced buffer insertion scheme to partition a large clock tree into a number of small subtrees. Because asymmetric loads and wire width variations in small subtrees induce very small skew, minimal wire widths are used. This results in minimal wiring capacitance and dynamic power dissipation. Then the buffer sizing problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem: minimize power subject to tolerable skew constraints. To minimize skew caused by device parameter variations from die to die, PMOS and NMOS devices in buffers are separately sized. Substantial power reduction is achieved while skews are kept at satisfiable values under all process conditions.
Evolutionary comparisons suggest many novel cAMP response protein binding sites in Escherichia coli

The cAMP response protein (CRP) is a transcription factor known to regulate many genes in Escherichia coli. Computational studies of transcription factor binding to DNA are usually based on a simple matrix model of sequence-dependent binding energy. For CRP, this model predicts many binding sites that are not known to be functional. If they are indeed spurious, the underlying binding model is called into question. We use a species comparison method to assess the functionality of a population of such predicted CRP sites in E. coli. We compare them with orthologous sites in Salmonella typhimurium identified independently by CLUSTALW alignment, and find a dependence of mutation probability on position in the site. This dependence increases with predicted site binding energy. The positions where mutation is most strongly suppressed are those where mutation would have the biggest effect on predicted binding energy. This finding suggests that many of the novel sites are functional, that the matrix model correctly estimates their binding strength, and that calculated CRP binding strength is the quantity that is conserved between species. The analysis also identifies many new E. coli binding sites and genes likely to be functional for CRP.
ACES: introducing girls to and building interest in engineering and computer science careers

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, with support from the National Science Foundation, conducts a program for middle school girls-Adventures in Computers, Engineering, and Space-whose main goal is to address the gender gap in engineering and computer science. The program emphasizes hands-on engineering and computer activities through participation in (1) a one-week residential summer camp for girls entering seventh and eighth grades, (2) one-day camp follow-up sessions throughout the school year, and (3) fairs conducted at schools and other public and private facilities throughout the local community. This paper provides an overview of the program and a discussion of the lessons learned from the 2001-2002 focus and how these lessons are affecting the design of the 2002 camp and later project activities and proposals. The paper also addresses program assessment, including tracking the program participants, to determine the program's effectiveness at reaching its goals.
The Brain and Resuscitation

Perinatal asphyxia remains an often devastating event that results in death or impaired survival despite extensive resuscitative efforts at birth. The hypoxic-ischemic brain injury after severe birth asphyxia is largely dependent on a neurotoxic cascade that is initiated during reoxygenation and reperfusion. This results in secondary energy failure and neuronal death within hours to days after resuscitation. The mechanisms leading to secondary brain injury include release of excitatory amino acids, free radical formation, induction of apoptosis, and inflammatory activation. The interval between the primary insult and the development of permanent injury opens a time window for therapeutic interventions to improve brain outcome. Early identification of high-risk infants who may benefit from such neuroprotective treatment is, thus, important and is based on strict criteria for birth asphyxia combined with clinical and electroencephalographic signs of significant encephalopathy. Moderate hypothermia is the most studied intervention, and reduced impairment in survivors has been reported. Promising pharmacologic agents are being investigated, but further research is needed to determine their role in improving outcome.
Synthesis of Multistable Equilibrium Compliant Mechanisms Using Combinations of Bistable Mechanisms

In this paper, we present a mathematical approach to synthesize multistable compliant mechanisms by combining multiple bistable equilibrium mechanisms. More specifically, we identify and categorize various types of bistabilities by characterizing the essential elements of their complicated deformation pattern. The behavior of a bistable compliant mechanism, in general, is highly nonlinear. Using combinations of such nonlinearities to capture the behavior of multistable (more than two stable positions) mechanisms can be quite challenging. To determine multistable behavior, our simplified mathematical scheme captures the essential parameters of bistability, such as the load-thresholds that cause the jump to the next stable position. This mathematical simplification enables us to characterize bistable mechanisms by using piecewise lower-order polynomials and, in turn, synthesize multistable mechanisms. Three case studies involving combinations of two, three, and four bistable behaviors are presented for the purpose of generating multistable mechanisms with up to 16 stable positions. The methodology enables us to design a compliant mechanism with a desired number of stable positions. A design example of a quadristable equilibrium rotational compliant mechanism consisting of two bistable submechanisms is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. DOI: 10.1115/1.3013316
Adoption of Video Laryngoscopy in Massachusetts Emergency Departments

Abstract Background Previous research suggests that video laryngoscopy may be superior to direct laryngoscopy. Objectives We sought to determine the proportion of Massachusetts emergency departments (EDs) that have adopted video laryngoscopy, the characteristics of user and non-user EDs, the reasons why non-users do not use video laryngoscopy, and how the adoption of video laryngoscopy compares to typical technology adoption life cycles. Methods Surveys were mailed to directors of all non-federal EDs in Massachusetts (n = 74) in early 2009. Non-responders received repeat mailings and were then contacted via telephone or e-mail. Results Sixty-three of 74 (85%) EDs responded and 43% had adopted video laryngoscopy. EDs with video laryngoscopy had a higher median annual visit volume than EDs without video laryngoscopy (48,000 vs. 36,500, p = 0.04), but had similar mean intubations per week (4.5 vs. 4.4, p = 0.97) and mean surgical airways per year (0.7 vs. 1.1, p = 0.19). Half of the EDs affiliated with emergency medicine residency programs had video laryngoscopy available. Among EDs with video laryngoscopy, the technology had been available for > 5 years in 4% (1/27), 1–5 years in 44% (12/27), and Conclusion Video laryngoscopy has been adopted by 43% of Massachusetts EDs; results were similar in academic institutions. Cost is the primary barrier to adoption for non-user EDs, but adoption is progressing more rapidly than expected for a new technology.
Creating digital libraries: content generation and re-mastering

This article has two main goals: to describe the automatic creation of a digital library and to provide an overview of the metaalgorithmic patterns that can be applied to increase the accuracy of its creation. Automating the creation of useful digital libraries - that is, digital libraries affording searchable text and reusable ("repurposable") output - is a complicated process, whether the original library is paper-based or already available in electronic form. We outline the steps involved in the creation of a deployable digital library (>1.2 /spl times/ 10/sup 6/ pages) for MIT Press, as well as its implications to other aspects of digital library creation, management, use and repurposing. Input, transformation, information extraction, and output processes are considered in light of their utility in creating layers of content. Interestingly, in some aspects, scanning directly from paper offers extra opportunities for error-checking through feedback-feedforward combination. Strategies for quality assurance (QA) at the document, chapter and book level are also discussed. We emphasize the use of metaalgorithmic design patterns for application towards improving the content generation, extraction and remastering. This approach also increases the ease with which modules and algorithms are added to and deprecated from the system.
Acute Ethanol Withdrawal Impairs Contextual Learning and Enhances Cued Learning

Background Alcohol affects many of the brain regions and neural processes that support learning and memory, and these effects are thought to underlie, at least in part, the development of addiction. Although much work has been done regarding the effects of alcohol intoxication on learning and memory, little is known about the effects of acute withdrawal from a single alcohol exposure. Methods We assess the effects of acute ethanol withdrawal (6 hours postinjection with 4 g/kg ethanol) on 2 forms of fear conditioning (delay and trace fear conditioning) in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. The influence of a number of experimental parameters (pre- and post training withdrawal exposure; foreground/background processing; training strength; and nonassociative effects) is also investigated. Results Acute ethanol withdrawal during training had a bidirectional effect on fear-conditioned responses, decreasing contextual responses and increasing cued responses. These effects were apparent for both trace and delay conditioning in DBA/2J mice and for trace conditioning in C57BL/6J mice; however, C57BL/6J mice were selectively resistant to the effects of acute withdrawal on delay cued responses. Conclusions Our results show that acute withdrawal from a single, initial ethanol exposure is sufficient to alter long-term learning in mice. In addition, the differences between the strains and conditioning paradigms used suggest that specific learning processes can be differentially affected by acute withdrawal in a manner that is distinct from the reported effects of both alcohol intoxication and withdrawal following chronic alcohol exposure. Thus, our results suggest a unique effect of acute alcohol withdrawal on learning and memory processes.
Relationship between student selection criteria and learner success for medical dosimetry students

Medical dosimetry education occupies a specialized branch of allied health higher education. Noted international shortages of health care workers, reduced university funding, limitations on faculty staffing, trends in learner attrition, and increased enrollment of nontraditional students force medical dosimetry educational leadership to reevaluate current admission practices. Program officials wish to select medical dosimetry students with the best chances of successful graduation. The purpose of the quantitative ex post facto correlation study was to investigate the relationship between applicant characteristics (cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA), science grade point average (SGPA), prior experience as a radiation therapist, and previous academic degrees) and the successful completion of a medical dosimetry program, as measured by graduation. A key finding from the quantitative study was the statistically significant positive correlation between a student׳s previous degree and his or her successful graduation from the medical dosimetry program. Future research investigations could include a larger research sample, representative of more medical dosimetry student populations, and additional studies concerning the relationship of previous work as a radiation therapist and the effect on success as a medical dosimetry student. Based on the quantitative correlation analysis, medical dosimetry leadership on admissions committees could revise student selection rubrics to place less emphasis on an applicant׳s undergraduate cumulative GPA and increase the weight assigned to previous degrees.
Identification of species in the conchostracan genus Eulimnadia by egg shell morphology

ABSTRACT Clam shrimps in the genus Eulimnadia (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata) cover their eggs with tertiary envelopes that on close examination exhibit species-specific morphologies. Most of the other characters used by previous students of this group are misleadingly variable. I review the 12 species described from North America. Egg morphology suggests that only 5 of these are valid. To these 5, I add 2 new species clearly recognizable by egg morphology.
Intellectual property rights and knowledge sharing across countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate the empirical and game theoretical approaches to address the strategic interactions among countries in choosing their optimal levels of intellectual property rights (IPRs), and to identify how these countries can reach an efficient and equitable equilibrium.Design/methodology/approach – Because countries' decisions on which IPR standards and protections to implement are interrelated, the authors apply game theory to characterize the scenarios before and after the 1994 Agreement on Trade‐related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) involving developed and developing countries.Findings – The model shows that the pre‐TRIPS equilibrium is comprised of high‐income (H‐I) developed countries which choose a strong IPR protection while the middle‐income (M‐I) and low‐income (L‐I) developing countries choose a weak IPR standard. For countries to move from such an equilibrium to the uniformly strong IPR regime under TRIPS, it is necessary for the H‐I countries to c...
Neuromorphic semiconductor memory

Microprocessors designed with von Neumann architecture are hitting the power and performance limits as silicon CMOS continues to scale the critical dimensions of the circuit components towards single digit nanometer size limit. Multi-core processor, parallel processing without increasing operating frequency of the cores, was introduced in the early 2000 to extend the power and performance scaling, keeping Moore's Law viable. Evolution has provided us with the most efficient parallel processing architecture: the biological brain. In this talk, we shall examine what we can do with little that we know about how the brain works to design machines to mimic the brain's memory.
Blood volume and cardiac index in rats after exchange transfusion with hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers

Migita, Russell, Armando Gonzales, Maria L. Gonzales, Kim D. Vandegriff, and Robert M. Winslow. Blood volume and cardiac index in rats after exchange transfusion with hemoglobin-based oxygen carrie...
Theodore Brameld's culturological vision: profile of a reconstructionist

Theodore Brameld was a visionary philosopher of education and a prophetic reconstructionist. He devoted his career to reconceptualizing education so it could serve as an agent in building a democratic social order. He saw education as grounded in culture; its study required a partnership among anthropology, philosophy, and education, from which he defined philosophy as an effort of culture to become conscious of itself and undertake sustained explorations of the relationship between education and culture. As a methodological framework Brameld formulated and practised the theory of anthropotherapy whereby research is guided by normative consideration.
Three-dimensional triple-resonance NMR Spectroscopy of isotopically enriched proteins

correlates the amide ‘H and “N shifts with the 13C shift of the carbonyl resonance of the preceding amino acid. A second experiment (HNCA) correlates the intraresidue amide ‘H and 15N shifts with the CLY chemical shift. This experiment often also provides a weak correlation between the amide NH and 15N resonances of one amino acid and the Ca resonance of the preceding amino acid. A third experiment (HCACO) correlates the Ha and GY shifts with the intraresidue carbonyl shift. Finally, a 3D relay experiment, HCA( CO)N, correlates Ha and Cal resonances of one residue with the “N frequency of the succeeding residue. The principles of these experiments are described in terms of the operator formalism. To optimize spectral resolution, special attention is paid to removal of undesired J splittings in the 3D spectra. Technical details regarding the implementation of these triple-resonance experiments on a commercial spectrometer are also provided. The experiments are demonstrated for the protein calmodulin ( 16.7 kDa).
A poleward jet and an equatorward undercurrent observed off Oregon and northern California, during the 1997-98 El Nino

Abstract The timing and intensity of the effects of the 1997–98 El Nino on sea-surface temperature (SST) and coastal sea level along the US west coast are examined using in situ time-series measurements, and the effects on upper ocean currents on the continental shelf and slope off Oregon and northern California are examined using repeated shipborne ADCP transects, a mid-shelf mooring off Newport Oregon and an HF surface current radar. An initial transient positive anomaly was observed in both adjusted sea level and SST during May–June 1997, followed by anomalously high coastal sea levels, generally strongest during September 1997 through February 1998 and abruptly returned to normal in late February 1998, and by positive temperatures anomalies over the mid-shelf that persisted longer, into April 1998. Low-frequency coastal sea-level anomalies propagated poleward at 2.1 m/s. Poleward flow over the shelf and slope was enhanced at most depths during the El Nino, compared with following years. Northward currents in the upper 12 m over the continental shelf off Newport, Oregon averaged 13.7 cm/s stronger during August 1997 through February 1998 than during the same period the following year. Enhanced poleward flow was present at all latitudes sampled during November 1997 and February 1998, particularly over the continental slope. These transects also provided clear views of a fall/winter equatorward undercurrent, which was both strongest and had the most alongshore similarity of form, during the ENSO. Finally, subsurface-intensified anticyclonic eddies originating in the poleward undercurrent appear to be a recurrent feature of the circulation off Newport late in the upwelling season.
Bayesian parentage analysis with systematic accountability of genotyping error, missing data and false matching

Motivation: The goal of any parentage analysis is to identify as many parent–offspring relationships as possible, while minimizing incorrect assignments. Existing methods can achieve these ends, but they require additional information in the form of demographic data, thousands of markers and/or estimates of genotyping error rates. For many non-model systems, it is simply not practical, cost-effective or logistically feasible to obtain this information. Here, we develop a Bayesian parentage method that only requires the sampled genotypes to account for genotyping error, missing data and false matches. Results: Extensive testing with microsatellite and SNP datasets reveals that our Bayesian parentage method reliably controls for the number of false assignments, irrespective of the genotyping error rate. When the number of loci is limiting, our approach maximizes the number of correct assignments by accounting for the frequencies of shared alleles. Comparisons with exclusion and likelihood-based methods on an empirical salmon dataset revealed that our Bayesian method had the highest ratio of correct to incorrect assignments. Availability: Our program SOLOMON is available as an R package from the CRAN website. SOLOMON comes with a fully functional graphical user interface, requiring no user knowledge about the R programming environment. In addition to performing Bayesian parentage analysis, SOLOMON includes Mendelian exclusion and a priori power analysis modules. Further information and user support can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/parentagemethods/. Contact: christim@science.oregonstate.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Approaches to cardiovascular disease and its treatment.

This is the third of a series of articles reviewing presentations at the 63rd annual scientific session of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), held in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 2003. Barbara Howard (Hyattsville, MD) gave the Kelley West lecture, in which she discussed the Strong Heart Study and the relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study, which began in 1988 in three American Indian communities, describes “the epidemic of CVD and diabetes among this population.” A total of 4,549 individuals age 45–74 years of age living in the Hela River Indian reservation in Arizona, including Pima, Sioux, and Dakota Indians, were studied with examinations at 5-year intervals and ongoing yearly surveillance of CVD mortality and events. Comparing the study population with their counterparts in the general populations of North and South Dakota, Arizona, and Oklahoma, levels of total and CVD mortality are ∼2-fold higher among women and 1.5-fold higher among men. Similarly, carotid ultrasound studies show increased atherosclerosis among Indian men and women compared with other populations. There also appear to be trends to increasing CVD rates over the decade of the study. Diabetes is very prevalent among American Indian communities. In the Strong Heart Study, rates exceed 60% in Arizona and 40% in the Oklahoma and Dakota groups. At 8-year follow-up, CVD rates are markedly increased among people with diabetes; coronary heart disease (CHD) risks are eight- and threefold higher among women and men with diabetes, respectively. If, as Howard suggested, CVD takes 15–20 years to develop, one would expect a lag time of approximately this duration between the development of diabetes and that of CVD. This appears to be the case in the studied population, suggesting that the current epidemic of diabetes in the U.S. population will result in an increase in CVD rates, reversing current …
Spinal cord injury is a risk factor for gallstone disease.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of gallstone disease among patients with a spinal cord injury. We identified all patients with a spinal cord injury of greater than 2 weeks' duration who died and underwent an autopsy between 1975 and 1985. These 38 patients with spinal cord injury were age-, sex-, and race-matched with 38 patients without spinal cord injury who underwent an autopsy during the same period. Gallstone disease was significantly more prevalent in patients with spinal cord injury (11 of 38 or 29%) compared to the control population (4 of 38 or 11%) (p
Transient β-hairpin formation in α-synuclein monomer revealed by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation

Parkinson's disease, originating from the intrinsically disordered peptide α-synuclein, is a common neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 5% of the population above age 85. It remains unclear how α-synuclein monomers undergo conformational changes leading to aggregation and formation of fibrils characteristic for the disease. In the present study, we perform molecular dynamics simulations (over 180 μs in aggregated time) using a hybrid-resolution model, Proteins with Atomic details in Coarse-grained Environment (PACE), to characterize in atomic detail structural ensembles of wild type and mutant monomeric α-synuclein in aqueous solution. The simulations reproduce structural properties of α-synuclein characterized in experiments, such as secondary structure content, long-range contacts, chemical shifts, and (3)J(HNHCα )-coupling constants. Most notably, the simulations reveal that a short fragment encompassing region 38-53, adjacent to the non-amyloid-β component region, exhibits a high probability of forming a β-hairpin; this fragment, when isolated from the remainder of α-synuclein, fluctuates frequently into its β-hairpin conformation. Two disease-prone mutations, namely, A30P and A53T, significantly accelerate the formation of a β-hairpin in the stated fragment. We conclude that the formation of a β-hairpin in region 38-53 is a key event during α-synuclein aggregation. We predict further that the G47V mutation impedes the formation of a turn in the β-hairpin and slows down β-hairpin formation, thereby retarding α-synuclein aggregation.
Dynamics of Near-Coastal Fish Assemblages following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

AbstractCoastal ecosystems along the northern Gulf of Mexico are highly productive and are affected by fishing and petroleum industries in different, sometimes contrasting, ways. As a result of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in April 2010, oil and oil dispersants were introduced into the northern Gulf of Mexico. At the same time, large portions of the Gulf of Mexico were closed to commercial and recreational fishing for most of the 2010 summer. This presented a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of a fish assemblage exposed to changes in two disparate types of anthropogenic disturbances. We compared assemblage data for near-coastal fish (456 samples representing over 45,000 individuals and 109 species) from pre-DWH (before 2010) and post-DWH (2011–2014) to assess potential changes in abundance, diversity (alpha, beta, and gamma), and assemblage structure. In contrast to predicted oil-induced mortality, post-DWH assemblages were characterized by high abundance in 2011 (CPUE across all species ...
Geomorphological significance of at-many-stations hydraulic geometry

The critically important at-a-station hydraulic geometry (AHG) relationships relate hydraulic variables (depth, width, or velocity) to discharge in power law form. The recently discovered at-many-stations hydraulic geometry (AMHG) states that AHG exponents and coefficients are strongly correlated, removing one parameter and lending AMHGs to remote sensing discharge estimation. Despite the excitement, there is an urgent need to clarify AMHG's geomorphological significance for different hydraulic variables. Using data from 57 rivers in the U.S. and perturbation experiments, we show that the width-AMHG is weak, arising mainly from the mathematical construct involving the exponent in both the regressor and the regressand. In contrast, the depth-AMHGs result from geomorphological coevolution. The similar-time-mean condition, as argued for in the literature, is sufficient but not necessary for rating curve convergence and in turn AMHG, for depth and velocity. The predictive accuracy of AMHGs, whose coefficient of determination is unit dependent, is similar to the flow percentile-based downstream hydraulic geometry.
Reflections on unproven remedies

The use of unproven remedies is widespread in the United States. Most rheumatic disease patients, regardless of socioeconomic or educational background, try a number of these. This essay presents a somewhat tolerant view of nontraditional arthritis remedies, which, when considered thoughtfully, may advance our art.
Physiological response to reward and extinction predicts alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use two years later

Abstract Background Physiological responses to reward and extinction are believed to represent the behavioral activation system (BAS) and behavioral inhibition system (BIS) constructs of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and underlie externalizing behaviors, including substance use. However, little research has examined these relations directly. Methods We assessed individuals’ cardiac pre-ejection periods (PEP) and electrodermal responses (EDR) during reward and extinction trials through the “number elimination game” paradigm. Responses represented BAS and BIS, respectively. We then examined whether these responses provided incremental utility in the prediction of future alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. Results Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression models were used to examine the predictive utility of physiological BAS and BIS responses above and beyond previous substance use. Physiological responses accounted for incremental variance over previous use. Low BAS responses during reward predicted frequency of alcohol use at year 3. Low BAS responses during reward and extinction and high BIS responses during extinction predicted frequency of marijuana use at year 3. For cigarette use, low BAS response during extinction predicted use at year 3. Conclusions These findings suggest that the constructs of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, as assessed through physiology, contribute to the longitudinal maintenance of substance use.
Abstract 1085: Serum miR-30e and miR-223 are promising non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the world9s third most common cancer and causes 600,000 deaths annually. Early detection is the key for improving the survival of HCC patients. Current diagnostic markers, such as alpha fetoprotein or fibroscan have their own limitations. Investigating serum microRNA as biomarkers for early diagnosis of cancer has become an important tool in clinical research. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that serum microRNAs (miRNAs) can be used as a potential biomarker for HCC. We analyzed serum miRNA using reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) from serum samples. Our study revealed that two miRNAs, miR-30e and miR-223, were expressed at significantly lower levels (P Citation Format: Ratna B. Ray, Sourav Bhattacharya, Robert Steele, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, Sounak chakraborty. Serum miR-30e and miR-223 are promising non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1085.
Abstract 2738: Establishing anin vitrocell culture model for studying the function of FAM190A deletions

A growing number of studies have reported a variety of genetic alterations to FAM190A (CCSER1) in cancer. Interestingly, a large percentage of these are focused on deleting downstream exons producing in-frame arrangements for this protein. An analysis of coding sequences reveals that regions of FAM190A are highly conserved throughout the N-terminus, however, with no recognizable protein domains. Published immunofluorescence and shRNA knockdown studies have since suggested that FAM190A is localized to the midbody during cytokinesis and may function in maintaining genome stability. Unfortunately, attempts to overexpress FAM190A were not successful by these authors. The aim of our current study was to try to generate an in vitro model that would allow us to examine the effect of a C-terminal deletion on cellular division and FAM190A9s ability to associate with the spindle and/or midbody structures. To accomplish this, full length FAM190A and a deletion mutant construct lacking exons 8-11 were separately cloned into mammalian expression vectors that include a N-terminal HaloTag Fusion marker and a modified CMV promoter. Current studies are focused on introducing these constructs into the pancreatic cancer cell line, PL-5, to generate FAM190A stably expressing cell lines. Citation Format: Eric S. Calhoun. Establishing an in vitro cell culture model for studying the function of FAM190A deletions. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2738.