cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel FAK scaffold inhibitors targeting the FAK–VEGFR3 protein–protein interaction

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3) are tyrosine kinases, which function as key modulators of survival and metastasis signals in cancer cells. Previously, we reported that small molecule chlorpyramine hydrochloride (C4) specifically targets the interaction between FAK and VEGFR3 and exhibits anti-tumor efficacy. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of 1 (C4) analogs on the basis of structure activity relationship and molecular modeling. The resulting new compounds were evaluated for their binding to the FAT domain of FAK and anti-cancer activity. Amongst all tested analogs, compound 29 augmented anti-proliferative activity in multiple cancer cell lines with stronger binding to the FAT domain of FAK and disrupted the FAK-VEGFR3 interaction. In conclusion, we hope that this work will contribute to further studies of more potent and selective FAK-VEGFR3 protein-protein interaction inhibitors.
Cholinesterase activity in black-crowned night-herons exposed to fenthion-treated water

Fenthion, (0,0-Dimethyl0-[3-methyl-4-(methylthio)phenyl] phosphorothioate), a widely used mosquito control agent, has caused wildlife mortality. To simulate a shallow wetland environment, an exposure chamber was used containing water treated with fenthion at 1 and 10 times the field application rate of 112 g active ingredient (AI)/ ha. This system permitted an evaluation of exposure routes and the effects of fenthion in a representative species of wading bird, the black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). The results suggested that herons received only a dermal exposure, and that their brain acetylcholinesterase activity was not significantly inhibited. In contrast, however, plasma butyrylcholinesterase activity was inhibited, suggesting the herons were exposed to the insecticide. The application rates and types of exposures were not life-threatening in this species.
Incubation of HK and LK sheep red cells in vitro for long periods.

Abstract HK and LK sheep red cells have been maintained in vitro at 37°C for periods of up to 3 weeks. During the incubation, periodic measurements of cell Na + , K + , ouabain-sensitive and ouabain-insensitive K + influxes were made. The effects of lowering the in vitro incubation temperature and of reducing the K + concentration in the medium on cell cation content and volume were also investigated. The results of these experiments were, in general, consistent with previous measurements of the effects of these parameters on K + and Na + fluxes in short term experiments. In vitro incubation for several days was also used to show that exposure to anti-L serum produces a net uptake of K + and extrusion of Na + in LK sheep red cells. A new procedure for measuring the active and passive influxes of K + was developed. The early time course of K + influx inhibition by ouabain was also studied by this procedure.
Diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

Abstract There is no single specific test available for the clinician to diagnose sarcoidosis with certainty. Alternatively, the diagnosis, in the majority of cases, is not problematic and depends upon identifying typical pathologic features in combination with a compatible clinical presentation. A histologic diagnosis alone is unsatisfactory since the noncaseating granulomas of sarcoidosis are identical to those found in other disease states including berylliosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, the noncaseating granulomas of tuberculosis and the fungal diseases, in lymph nodes adjacent to some malignancies, and in lymph nodes draining inflammatory sites (such as in Crohn's disease). Even in the more obvious cases of sarcoidosis, it is important to examine tissue for acid-fast and fungal organisms. Primary tuberculosis, coccidiodomycosis, or histoplasmosis may occasionally mimic sarcoidosis presenting with bilateral hilar adenopathy, pulmonary infiltrates, and erythema nodosum.
Applicability of fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry to the characterization of fulvic acid

Abstract A variety of experimental parameters have been evaluated for their effect on the fast-atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrum of five fulvic acids. Eleven common FAB matrices were evaluated. Only glycerol gave any indication of a fulvic acid spectrum, and this was a very weak signal increase superimposed onto the glycerol spectrum. Continuous-flow FAB was also evaluated using a glycerol matrix and no significant signal was observed in the FAB mass spectrum. Five techniques used to modify the matrix or the sample to enhance a spectrum's signal-to-noise ratio were also studied. Surfactants were added to modify the matrix surface tension, removal of sodium from the fulvic acid samples (to minimize the formation of ([M + Na] + ) was accomplished using complexation and ultra-centrifugation, fulvic acid `ions' were preformed in the matrix by the addition of acid or base, and fulvic acid was methylated to increase its hydrophobicity. None of these techniques enhanced the FAB mass spectrum of fulvic acid. The lack of a significant ion intensity attributable to fulvic acid is probably due to its heterogeneous, multi-component nature. Despite some reports in the literature to the contrary, it does not appear that it is possible to characterize fulvic acid by FAB mass spectrometry.
Tabulation of hyperfine splittings in rotational F1 and F2 levels of the ground vibrational state of 12CH4 for J ≤ 20

Abstract To a good approximation, hyperfine splittings for F 1 and F 2 rotational levels of the ground vibrational state of 12 CH 4 depend linearly on three hyperfine interaction parameters. Coefficients in these linear expressions have been computed in a relatively simple manner and tabulated for levels with 1 ≤ J ≤ 20. The hyperfine pattern for the J = 7 F 2 (2) level computed from these expressions using values for the three hyperfine interaction parameters reported recently by Yi, Ozier and Ramsey ( 1 ) agrees well with the pattern obtained from new HeNe laser measurements of Hall and Borde ( 2 ) on the P(7) F 2 (2) line of the ν 3 band of methane.
Limited gene flow in the brooding coral Favia fragum (Esper, 1797)

Understanding population connectivity in corals is particularly important as these organisms are increasingly threatened by abiotic and biotic factors. This study examined the population genetic structure of the brooding coral Favia fragum across four locations in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Morphological features were also compared to test whether genetic diversity corresponds with skeletal morphology. When comparing across distantly related Caribbean and Bermudian locations, F ST values were high and significant, indicating strong genetic structure. At a local scale, significant genetic structure was found among reefs in Panama, while no genetic structure was found among reefs within Barbados, Bermuda or Jamaica. Surprisingly, a single haplotype for each of the three markers examined was found in Bermuda, where samples varied significantly from all other locations in three out of four morphological features analyzed. These data indicate that gene flow of F. fragum may occur locally among reefs but is highly restricted at distant locations. Furthermore, isolated populations, such as that of Bermuda, must be self-seeding to maintain the observed genetic uniformity.
Reducing blendshape interference by selected motion attenuation

Blendshapes (linear shape interpolation models) are perhaps the most commonly employed technique in facial animation practice. A major problem in creating blendshape animation is that of blendshape interference: the adjustment of a single blendshape "slider" may degrade the effects obtained with previous slider movements, because the blendshapes have overlapping, non-orthogonal effects. Because models used in commercial practice may have 100 or more individual blendshapes, the interference problem is the subject of considerable manual effort. Modelers iteratively resculpt models to reduce interference where possible, and animators must compensate for those interference effects that remain. In this short paper we consider the blendshape interference problem from a linear algebra point of view. We find that while full orthogonality is not desirable, the goal of preserving previous adjustments to the model can be effectively approached by allowing the user to temporarily designate a set of points as representative of the previous (desired) adjustments. We then simply solve for blendshape slider values that mimic desired new movement while moving these "tagged" points as little as possible. The resulting algorithm is easy to implement and demonstrably reduces cases of blendshape interference found in existing models.
The potential for aircraft noise reduction through active suppression from a ground-based system

The feasibility of devising ground-based active noise suppression systems for aircraft which are on the ground and in the air is considered. Detailed numerical calculations are given for various geometries involving an aircraft, sound cancelling sources, reference microphones as well as correction microphones. The calculations are for broadband noise based on a frequency spectrum typical of a jet aircraft. For an aircraft on the ground (during engine run-up and during takeoff from a runway), calculations indicate that noise suppression is both feasible and practical. For an aircraft in the air, while noise suppression is feasible, it is not necessarily practical due to the fact that the most advantageous locations for the suppressing control sources are midway between the ground and the flight path. However, this may not preclude a limited application for very confined areas and for aircraft at relatively low altitudes.
Cardiac transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute: comparative analysis of two groups of patients (1968-1969 and 1982-1983).

Abstract Two groups of heart transplant recipients were studied. Patients in Group 1 underwent heart transplantation from May, 1968, to November, 1969. They were compared with Group 2, a series begun in July, 1982, when the current cardiac transplantation program was renewed at the Texas Heart Institute, and terminated in December, 1983. Patient selection, management, and results were compared. With a cumulative follow-up of 64 patient-months (Group 1) versus 93 patient-months (Group 2), the actuarial 18-month survival was 0 in Group 1 versus 70% in Group 2. Nine of the 18 patients in Group 1 died of rejection versus 4 of the 18 patients in Group 2. There were 6 infection-related deaths in Group 1 and none in Group 2. Using linearized rates based on 100 patient-months, the incidences of rejection and infection were, respectively, 23 versus 10.7 ( p p
Aspects of ozone transport, mixing, and chemistry in the greater Maryland area

Abstract This study examined the role of ozone transported and the subsequent mixing of the transported ozone on the ozone concentration and chemistry in the surface layer at locations in central Maryland. Surface data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS) database, ozone profile data from the University of Maryland's aircraft measurements, trajectory analyses using the HYSPLIT model, and predictions using the Semi-Empirical Integrated Pollution Model (SIPM) for the periods 11–15 July 1995 and 12–16 July 1997 were used to meet the objectives of this study. It was found that on the day before the air mass reached the receptor in Maryland, the air mass passed over regions where the diurnal maximum ozone concentration was sufficiently large and the mixing sufficiently deep, in most cases, to have been the primary source of the ozone that was found over central Maryland the next morning. Mixing took place between the air mass above the nocturnal inversion and the surface layer when the nocturnal inversion broke down sometime after sunrise, and the ozone in the surface layer increased by about 13 ppb, on average, as a result of the mixing. The results also showed that when certain conditions were met, the chemistry in the surface layer produced up to about three times more ozone when mixing of ozone into the surface layer took place and when a non-zero value for the diurnal minimum zone concentrations were used to initialize the chemistry. There were, however, a number of situations when mixing of ozone into the surface layer and when a non-zero value for the diurnal minimum ozone concentrations were used to initialize the chemistry, had little effect on the surface ozone layer. The conditions, under which both situations occurred, are discussed.
Comparative tests of the production of positive helium ions using a duoplasmatron with three alternative aperture arrangements

Abstract The production of negative helium ions by a charge exchange source requires an optimum positive beam to be extracted from the duoplasmatron and focused through the exchange region if maximum negative currents are to be produced. Comparative tests are described for three aperture arrangements to determine the positive ion current obtainable and typical parameters for operation.
A MEMS-based reformed methanol fuel cell for portable power

A reformed methanol fuel cell system is described. The use of a microfluidic fuel processor enables component scaling and integration sufficient to achieve power sources in the 2–10 W regime that are competitive in size and energy density in comparison to alternative power sources. While carbon monoxide tolerance of proton conducting membranes has typically limited the performance of reformed methanol fuel cells, phosphoric-acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes have been tested that exhibit no degradation for carbon monoxide >2% mole fraction. Further benefits of the PBI membrane include operating temperature of 150–200 °C, and no need for water to assist protonic conduction. As a result, a chemically and thermally robust fuel cell power source is realized. Results of methanol steam reforming and catalytic combustor heating elements formed in a silicon MEMS platform, and PBI membrane performance with reformate fuel feed will be discussed.
The structure of Io's thermal corona and implications for atmospheric escape

We investigate the escape of species from Io's atmosphere using a steady-state model of Io's exospheric corona and its interaction with the Io plasma torus. The corona is assumed to be spherically symmetric with the radial density and compositional structure determined by the gas kinetic temperature, critical level radius, and mixing ratios of the component species. Thermal and nonthermal escape rates are calculated and the results compared with previously estimated torus and neutral cloud supply rates for O, S, Na, and K. Both oxygen- and sulfur-dominated exospheres are considered. Atmospheric sputtering is found to be the major escape mechanism for models in which the plasma flow reaches the critical level. However, such models produce total mass-loading rates an order of magnitude larger than inferred values suggesting that either (1) the structure of the thermal corona is significantly modified by the nonthermal interaction, or (2) substantial plasma flow modification and deflection occurs in the corona at or above the critical level. Assuming that the thermal model is a correct description of the corona, a comparison of these results with the observed near-Io distribution of neutral Na and estimated source rates for the neutral Na "jets" suggests an extended Na coronal component. Assuming that this component is part of the thermal exosphere, we find that the observations are consistent with an O-dominated corona, an exospheric temperature ~1000 K, a 0.001 critical level mixing ratio of Na, and a critical level radius ~1.5 R_(Io).
Observation of chiral heat transport in the quantum Hall regime

Heat transport in the quantum Hall regime is investigated using micron-scale heaters and thermometers positioned along the edge of a millimeter-scale two dimensional electron system (2DES). The heaters rely on localized current injection into the 2DES, while the thermometers are based on the thermoelectric effect. In the v=1 integer quantized Hall state, a thermoelectric signal appears at an edge thermometer only when it is “downstream,” in the sense of electronic edge transport, from the heater. When the distance between the heater and the thermometer is increased, the thermoelectric signal is reduced, showing that the electrons cool as they propagate along the edge.
Readability and acceptance of public relations releases from institutions of higher education

This study compared readability levels for PR releases used and not used by newspapers to determine if they differ in reading difficulty. Flesch scores and other readability measures were calculated. Releases used were easier to read. However, releases with longer paragraphs were more acceptable with shorter paragraphs.
Phylogenetic structure of the Sphaeriinae, a global clade of freshwater bivalve molluscs, inferred from nuclear (ITS-1) and mitochondrial (16S) ribosomal gene sequences

The Sphaeriidae represent one of the primary molluscan radiations into freshwater environments. We have reconstructed phylogenetic relationships of the Sphaeriinae, a cosmopolitan sphaeriid subfamily, using variation in nuclear ribosomal first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) and mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (16S) gene fragments. A total of 38 New World, Eurasian and Antipodean taxa were characterized, including all primary taxonomic groupings except for Neopisidium, and members of the sister clade Euperinae were employed as outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses of individual and combined (16S + ITS1) datasets all recovered a paraphyletic Pisidium and a derived clade of asynchronous brooding Sphaerium/Musculium taxa. Maximum parsimony as well as maximum likelihood analyses of combined data yielded largely congruent and well-resolved topologies, and robustly supported clades were utilized to revise current sphaeriine taxonomy. Instead of the traditionally accepted three cosmopolitan genera, Pisidium s.l., Musculium, and Sphaerium, five major monophyletic lineages, Afropisidium, Odhneripisidium, Pisidium, Cyclocalyx and Sphaerium, were recognized at the generic level. In addition, a number of subgeneric level groups were recovered in Sphaerium: Herringtonium, Sphaerium s.s., Sphaerinova, Amesoda, and Musculium, together with one unassigned species, S. transversum.
Optic flow modeling under shifting center of zoom

It has been demonstrated recently that images obtained under varying focal lengths contain information on the 3D structure of the scene. This depth-from-zoom approach relies on the knowledge of `center of zoom'. Under zoom, image flow expands radially outward from the image center. In real lenses, however, this center is itself moving on a trajectory determined by the zoom action as well as lens manufacture. Therefore, optic flow vectors will follow an arbitrary curvilinear path in the image plane. In this paper we develop a general model for the determination of image flow given a corresponding locus for the center of zoom.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Statistical inference in high dimensional spaces of genomics: an RNA structural example

The emergence of genome scale data sets leads to increasingly more precise parameter estimates that are ideally suited for maximum likelihood methods and other highest scoring procedures, when the number of unknowns is modest. However, paradoxically just the opposite is becoming increasingly common in genomics. This paradox has emerged because these technologies have simultaneously opened opportunities to draw inferences on previously unanswerable high dimensional questions. In this regime the curse of dimensionality not only denies frequentist methods including maximum likelihood estimation of all their asymptotic advantages, but also often makes these estimates at best misleading if not downright wrong. However, ensemble based Bayesian inferences do not suffer from these afflictions, as they recognize that drawing inferences is an inherently uncertain process and employ the laws of probability to address this uncertainty. This talk will briefly introduce the ideas probabilistic statistical inference using the following example of RNA secondary structure prediction. RNA secondary structures play a crucial role in the function of many RNAs, and structural features are often essential to their interaction with other cellular components. But as we show the Boltzmann weighted space of RNA secondary structures can be very complex. Here we present a new algorithm, RGibbs, to identify RNA motifs in longer unaligned sequence, and predict consensus secondary structures for using the blocked Gibbs sampler, which has theoretical advantage in convergence time. This algorithm iteratively samples from the conditional probability distributions P(Structure | Alignment) and P(Alignment | Structure). We illustrate how these probabilistically drawn samples can characterize these potentially complex spaces using hierarchical clustering method to characterize the shape of the posterior space, γ-centroid estimator to generate a prediction from sampled structures, and credibility limits to characterize the uncertainty. An analysis of 17 RNA families shows substantially improved structural prediction based on PPV-SEN curves comparisons, compactness of sampled structures around their ensemble centroids, at least eleven families with well separated clusters. The fact that the distances between the references structures and the centroid structures were large compared to the variation among structures within an ensemble raises questions the aptness of the term maximum expected accuracy estimator.
Occupation in Relation to the Self

Knowledge of the construct of occupation remains fragmented within traditional social science disciplines. In this paper, we aim to provide a theoretical synthesis by explicating the unique properties of occupation in relation to the self within social science discourse. Occupations relate to other social science constructs in three ways: (a) they recruit a set of associated changes into a person's life; (b) they serve a person's ability to achieve important goals; and (c) they act as a mirror by reflecting multiple dimensions of the self. Key characteristics of occupation such as its experiential salience and its repetitional flavor powerfully amplify its significant role in affecting self-relevant outcomes. Occupation represents a crucial playing field that profoundly affects the unfolding of human lives. Therefore, the continued pursuit of occupational science is warranted and can uniquely contribute to an improved understanding of the self.
A Thiobios Does Exist - Gnathostomulid Domination of the Canyon Community at the East Flower Garden Brine Seep

A community of organisms dominated by gnathostomulids has been discovered at the East Flower Garden Brine Seep. This discovery clearly demonstrates that specialized communities of micro-metazoans exist in and below sulfide-dependent chemoclines. The term thiobios should be retained to describe these communities.
Effects of [Met5]enkephalin on regional blood flow and vascular resistance in rabbits

Methionine enkephalin [( Met5]enkephalin) has different cardiovascular effects, depending on species and routes of peptide administration. In anesthetized animals [Met5]enkephalin decreases blood pressure and heart rate. The site(s) and the mechanism of the hypotensive effects of the peptide are not known. The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that [Met5]enkephalin dilates specifically a certain vascular bed which may account for the hypotensive effect of the peptide. Anesthetized male rabbits were instrumented for the measurement of blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram and renal nerve activity. Four different microspheres (15 microns) were infused into the left ventricle in 10-15 s in either saline or with [Met5]enkephalin (1 mg/kg). Upon completion of the last microsphere injection the animals were killed and 35 tissues samples were taken for the determination of blood flow. Blood flows to many organs such as brain, glandular and cardiac tissues were not altered significantly by [Met5]enkephalin. However, [Met5]enkephalin increased blood flow to skeletal muscular bed. The increase in muscle blood flow was antagonized by naloxone, a specific opioid antagonist. These results suggest that the hypotensive action of [Met5]enkephalin in anesthetized rabbit is in part due to its vasodilatory effect in skeletal muscle.
Fundamental Limitations and Topological Considerations for Fast Discharge Homopolar Machines

Fusion research experiments require high energy short duration pulses. A homopolar machine, as an inertial energy storage system, offers an attractive source of energy meeting these requirements. The Energy Storage Group at The University of Texas at Austin has investigated the fundamental limitations to the discharge time of homopolar machines of various topological configurations. This paper presents a mathematical model for fast discharge homopolar machines. Based on this model, various machine configurations are analyzed. A new configuration - the spool type machine - is also discussed, criteria for the evaluation of different alternatives are presented, and it is concluded that highly efficient (? 95%), high energy (? gigajoules), fast-discharge (? 5 to 30 milliseconds) homopolar inertial energy storage systems are technically feasible. Brief reference is also made to some of the experimental results obtained from the existing laboratory models.
Corrigendum to “Analysis of the Active-Site Mechanism of Tyrosyl-DNA Phosphodiesterase I: A Member of the Phospholipase D Superfamily” [J. Mol. Biol. 415/4 (2012) 741–758]

Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA Institut fur Molekulare Biowissenschaften, Karl Franzens Universitat, Humboldtstrasse 50/3, A-8010 Graz, Austria Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Room 155, Volker Hall, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0019, USA Department of Molecular Pharmacology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
Solute-micelle binding constants. A simple fluorescence quenching method which is independent of the fluorescence lifetime

Abstract A method is described for the evaluation of binding constants of solutes to micelles The method involves fluorescence quenching of a probe and the major advantage is that the probe lifetime need not be known, allowing the use ot short-lived probes Binding constants for Cu2+ and 1,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene are reported.
The federal case for school-based mental health services and supports.

Provision of health care in schools is a logical component of an advanced industrial society; however, health care providers have struggled to make universal school health and mental health a reality. Despite the President_s New Freedom Commission Report that stressed the need for school-based mental health in the context of a wider public health agenda, school mental health services and supports continue to be fragmented. Instead of riding a wave of new resources, knowledge, and a quality focus, the school-based mental health movement struggles to answer basic questions about identity. Is school mental health the provision of services similar to those found in a community mental health center? Is it psychosocial services? Or is it a cluster of prevention strategies that engage the entire school? These questions remain largely unanswered. Federal and state health policy is not only a necessary component of any strategy to advance mental health for children and youth but also requires consideration of issues central to the identity of school-based programs: what is at stake, how services are integrated, and who pays.
Effect of Hypertension on the Closing Dynamics and Lagrangian Blood Damage Index Measure of the B-Datum Regurgitant Jet in a Bileaflet Mechanical Heart Valve

We hypothesize that the formation of the closing vortex and subsequent b-datum regurgitation jet in bileaflet mechanical heart valves is governed by the magnitude of the driving mean aortic pressure (MAP), and that this sensitivity does impact the blood damage index (BDI) corresponding to platelet activation and lysis. High spatial resolution time resolved (1 kHz) as well as phase locked particle image velocimetry techniques captured the dynamic leaflet closure and regurgitation jet of a model 25 mm St. Jude Medical BMHV. Cell trajectories were estimated using Lagrangian particle tracking analysis while the leaflet kinematics was quantified by tracking the leaflet tip-position throughout closure. The non-principal as well as principal shear stress loading histories along each cell trajectory revealed BDI for platelet activation and lysis as a function of cell initial position, release time-point, and blood pressure. Results show that the leaflet closing time reduces by roughly 10 ms, in response to an increase in MAP by 40 mmHg. We report that higher MAP leads to a stronger b-datum vortex and jet formation. Platelet activation BDI lowers with a higher MAP due to reduction in exposure times despite an increase in principal shear stress experienced. Platelet lysis BDI however increases with higher MAP. Maximum BDI may occur for cells initially in the b-datum zone during the onset of leaflet closure. Our results provide a better understanding of BDI of the regurgitant b-datum jet and sheds light on the potential importance of blood damage testing under hypertensive conditions.
The bipedicled lip flap for reconstruction of the vermilion border in the patient with a severe perioral burn

Reconstruction of the severely burned lip may require both reconstitution of the tissue bulk and an increase in size of the vermilion. We present two patients in whom a bipedicled lip flap was used to transpose both bulk and vermilion from the relatively normal donor lip to the atrophic burned lip.
Ethnic-Specific BMI and Waist Circumference Thresholds

BMI and waist circumference (WC) are used to identify individuals with elevated obesity-related health risks. The current thresholds were derived largely in populations of European origin. This study determined optimal BMI and WC thresholds for the identification of cardiometabolic risk among white and African-American (AA) adults. The sample included 2096 white women, 1789 AA women, 1948 white men, and 643 AA men aged 18-64 years. Elevated cardiometabolic risk was defined as ≥2 risk factors (blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mm Hg; glucose ≥100 mg/dl; triglycerides ≥150 mg/dl; high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol <40 mg/dl (men) or <50 mg/dl (women)). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify optimal BMI and WC thresholds in each sex-by-ethnicity group. The optimal BMI thresholds were 30 kg/m2 in white women, 32.9 kg/m2 in AA women, 29.1 kg/m2 white men, and 30.4 kg/m2 in AA men, whereas optimal WC thresholds were 91.9 cm in white women, 96.8 cm in AA women, 99.4 in white men, and 99.1 cm in AA men. The sensitivities at the optimal thresholds ranged from 63.5 to 68.5% for BMI and 68.4 to 71.0% for WC and the specificities ranged from 64.2 to 68.8% for BMI and from 68.5 to 71.0% for WC, respectively. In general, the optimal BMI and WC thresholds approximated currently used thresholds in men and in white women. There are no apparent ethnic differences in men; however, in AA women the optimal BMI and WC values are ~3 kg/m2 and 5 cm higher than in white women.
Rapamycin Promotes the Enrichment of CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ T Regulatory Cells From Naïve CD4+ T Cells of Baboon That Suppress Antiporcine Xenogenic Response In Vitro

The CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells play an important role in regulating the immune response. These Treg cells are present in peripheral blood and lymphoid organs and have a high potential for immunotherapy in clinics. Adoptive cell transfer therapy using CD4(+)CD25(+) cells has been shown to prevent autoimmune diseases and has also induced transplant tolerance in mice. Treg cells low frequency in peripheral blood will necessitate its ex vivo expansion to enable adaptive immunotherapy. Recently, it has been reported that rapamycin, an immunosuppressive agent, inhibits T-cell proliferation while selectively increasing the number of Treg cells. Based on this additional mode of action, rapamycin can be used to expand Treg cells for ex vivo cellular therapy in T-cell-mediated diseases and in transplantation. We have reported the ex vivo expansion of baboon Treg cells, using irradiated pig peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and interleukin (IL)-2, and have demonstrated the suppression of autologus CD4(+)CD25(neg) T-cell proliferation in response to pig PBMCs. In the present study, we have expanded baboon CD4(+) T cells in the presence or absence of rapamycin (0.1-10 nmol/L) using irradiated pig PBMCs and IL-2 to enrich the regulatory T cells. CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg cells were increased up to 2 times in the presence of rapamycin versus without rapamycin in vitro. However, a higher dose of rapamycin (> or = 10 nmol/L) considerably decreases the number of Treg cells. Furthermore, purified CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells enriched from CD4(+) cells in the presence of rapamycin were able to suppress the baboon anti-porcine xenogeneic immune responses in vitro up to 93% at a 1:1 ratio (Treg cells:T effector cells) and suppression ability exists even at a 1:256 ratio, whereas freshly isolated natural Treg cells suppress only 70% at 1:1 and lose their suppressive ability (>50%) at 1:16. Our results demonstrate that the addition of rapamycin to the culture enriches the Treg phenotype and induces functional regulatory T cells. This method may allow the production of large numbers of regulatory cells for the preclinical testing of Treg cell therapy in a non-human primate model.
Prostatitis, Steatitis, and Diarrhea in a Dog following Presumptive Flea-Borne Transmission of Bartonella henselae

Bartonella henselae is increasingly associated with a variety of pathological entities, which are often similar in dogs and human patients. Following an acute flea infestation, a dog developed an unusual clinical presentation for canine bartonellosis. Comprehensive medical, microbiological, and surgical interventions were required for diagnosis and to achieve a full recovery.
Hedgehog signaling is required for primary motoneuron induction in zebrafish

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is crucial for motoneuron development in chick and mouse. However, zebrafish embryos homozygous for a deletion of the shh locus have normal numbers of motoneurons, raising the possibility that zebrafish motoneurons may be specified differently. Unlike other vertebrates, zebrafish express three hh genes in the embryonic midline: shh, echidna hedgehog (ehh) and tiggywinkle hedgehog (twhh). Therefore, it is possible that Twhh and Ehh are sufficient for motoneuron formation in the absence of Shh. To test this hypothesis we have eliminated, or severely reduced, all three Hh signals using mutations that directly or indirectly reduce Hh signaling and antisense morpholinos. Our analysis shows that Hh signals are required for zebrafish motoneuron induction. However, each of the three zebrafish Hhs is individually dispensable for motoneuron development because the other two can compensate for its loss. Our results also suggest that Twhh and Shh are more important for motoneuron development than Ehh.
History of the Medical Home Concept

“Every child deserves a medical home” is one of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) essential child health outcomes for the 21st century. With increasing health care costs, technology, survivorship, specialization, and fragmentation of care, the medical home is steadily gaining interest and standing in the public eye. Today’s policy makers, those who are involved with children, and parents are increasingly using the term to describe the concept as the form of high-quality health care. With so much attention focused on this concept as the standard of care for all infants, children, adolescents, young adults, and particularly children with special health care needs (CSHCN), it is important to define this term and how its definition has evolved. Whereas the term was originally used to describe a place—a single source of all medical information about a patient—the term now refers to a partnership approach with families to provide primary health care that is accessible, family centered, coordinated, comprehensive, continuous, compassionate, and culturally effective.1 The first known documentation of the term “medical home” appeared in Standards of Child Health Care, a book published by the AAP in 1967 and written by the AAP Council on Pediatric Practice (COPP). The book defines a medical home as one central source of a child’s pediatric records and emphasizes the importance of centralized medical records to CSHCN. “For children with chronic diseases or disabling conditions, the lack of a complete record and a ‘medical home’ is a major deterrent to adequate health supervision. Wherever the child is cared for, the question should be asked, ‘Where is the child’s medical home?’ and any pertinent information should be transmitted to that place” (pp 77–79).2 The COPP, noting that care for CSHCN is often provided by many different practitioners who work in disparate locations independent of each … Reprint requests to (C.S.) 656 Paikau St, Honolulu, HI 96816-4406. E-mail: Calsia{at}pol.net
Expression of heat shock proteins in response to high and low temperature extremes in diapausing pharate larvae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

Diapausing pharate first instars of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, respond to high temperature (37–41°C) by suppressing normal protein synthesis and synthesizing a set of seven heat shock proteins with Mrs of 90,000, 75,000, 73,000, 60,000, 42,000, 29,000, and 22,000 as determined by SDS-PAGE. During recovery at 25°C from heat shock, synthesis of the heat shock proteins gradually decreases over a period of 6 h, while normal protein synthesis is restored. A subset of these same heat shock proteins is also expressed during recovery at 4°C or 25°C from brief exposures to low temperature (-10 to 20°C), and its expression is more intense with increased severity of cold exposure. During recovery at 4°C after 24 h at −20°C, both 90,000 and 75,000 Mr heat shock proteins are expressed for more than 96 h. While normal protein synthesis is suppressed during heat shock and recovery from heat shock, normal protein synthesis coincides with synthesis of the heat shock proteins during recovery from low temperatures, thus implying that expression of the heat shock proteins is not invariably linked to suppression of normal protein synthesis. Western transfer, using a monoclonal antibody that recognizes the inducible form of the human 70,000 Mr heat shock protein, demonstrates that immunologically related proteins in the gypsy moth are expressed at 4°C and during recovery from cold and heat shock.
AlGaN/GaN heterojunction bipolar transistor

We demonstrate the first GaN bipolar transistor. An AlGaN/GaN HBT structure was grown by MOCVD on c-plane sapphire substrate. The emitter was grown with an Al/sub 0.1/Ga/sub 0.9/N barrier to increase the emitter injection efficiency. Cl/sub 2/ RIE was used to pattern the emitter mesa, and selectively regrown base contact pads were implemented to reduce a contact barrier associated with RIE etch damage to the base surface. The current gain of the devices was measured to be as high as three with a base width of 200 nm. DC transistor characteristics were measured to 30 V V/sub CE/ in the common emitter configuration, with an offset voltage of 5 V. A gummel plot and base contact characteristics are also presented.
Working memory in developing and applying mental models from spatial descriptions

Four dual-task experiments examined visuospatial, articulatory, and central executive working memory involvement during the development and application of spatial mental models. In Experiments 1 and 2 participants read route and survey spatial descriptions while undertaking one of four secondary tasks targeting working memory components. Converging evidence from map drawing and statement verification tasks indicates that while articulatory mechanisms are involved in processing the language itself, visuospatial and central executive mechanisms are involved in developing spatial mental models, particularly during route description reading. In Experiments 3 and 4 participants undertook the same working memory tasks, but did so during testing; results from memory and secondary task performance converge to demonstrate that using spatial mental models is a visuospatially and centrally demanding process, particularly following route description learning. Taken together, results demonstrate that spatial mental model development and application are contingent upon multiple working memory systems and interact with representational formats.
Optimal robust multihop routing for wireless networks of mobile micro autonomous systems

This paper develops algorithms to ensure that agents of a mobile micro autonomous system (MMAS) maintain integrity of communication flows as they move to accomplish their task. Due to inherent uncertainties in estimation of wireless channels, we advocate a stochastic approach whereby achievable communication rates of point-to-point links are regarded as random variables with known means and variances. To achieve reliable end-to-end communication flows, terminals route their traffic through various alternative paths to reduce the effect of uncertainty in individual link rates. The proposed algorithms are optimal and robust in that routes are obtained as solutions of optimization problems subject to constraints on minimum required rates and maximum acceptable variances. Algorithms are tested in an event-based simulator that uses an accurate data-driven model of radio communications to model both the structure of code running independently on multiple robots as well as the transmission of messages via a real radio. Simulation results corroborate that rates of end-to-end flows are maintained at target levels despite variations in the rates of individual links.
Coupling of hydrodynamics and chemical reaction in gas-lift reactors

A model was developed to study the strong coupling between hydrodynamics and chemical reaction that occurs in external-loop gas-lift reactors. The model predicts the liquid circulation rate, as well as the axial profiles of gas holdup, pressure, gas and liquid velocity, and reactant conversion in the riser. The study on the first-order, irreversible, isothermal reaction in the gas phase nA→B with a change in the number of moles on reaction shows that for n>1, the gas holdup decreases along the riser, the liquid circulation rate is lower than that in the absence of reaction, and liquid circulation decreases as n and k increase. The bubble radius at the sparger and the inlet gas composition can have important effects on reactor performance. Scale-up strategies that involve increasing the reactor length result in higher reactant conversion, but a lower ratio of liquid circulation rate to gas feed rate.
Variability in platyrrhine social organization

Greater intraspecific and intrageneric variability exists in the social organization of platyrrhine primates than has previously been recognized. Although this is most marked and already recognized in the callitrichins, it also appears in many other neotropical species. One area of striking variability is the degree of troop fragmentation. Fission-fusion and cohesion are ends of a continuum of social organizations in which troop fragmentation is greatest among the former and least among the latter. Troop fragmentation appears to be a facultative adjustment to environmental, demographic, and social conditions among New World primates. A hallmark of the non-monogamous platyrrhines, and possibly of all neotropical primates, is flexibility in their social systems, and the occurrence, to a greater or lesser extent, of troop fragmentation. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Estrogen conjugate measurements to monitor ovarian activity

Abstract The measurement of urinary conjugates of estrogen can provide equal or superior information compared to the more conventional evaluation of serum or plasma estradiol. Three types of situations are presented as examples to demonstrate this in regard to ovarian follicular activity. The first situation includes cases where blood samples could be collected but only with great difficulty. In these cases, urinary estrogen metabolites are used as an alternative strategy for the measurement of serum or plasma free estradiol. The second situation includes study designs in which blood could be easily collected, but because the physiologic event being studied occurs infrequently, serial urine collections are preferred over blood collections. In the third situation, blood samples can be collected as easily as urine but the evaluation of urine does not provide useful information.
Real-time identification of piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities with application to precision trajectory control

In the absence of profound understanding of the underlying physics of piezoelectric actuators, real-time identification of the system dynamics is a promising strategy for the precision trajectory control. In this paper, an on-line estimation strategy is presented for the actuator nonlinearities and ever-present unmodeled dynamics. More specifically, the influence of unknown terms is gathered into a single perturbation vector which is quantified utilizing actuator input/output real-time values. It is experimentally shown that this technique can accurately estimate actuator nonlinearities in low frequency operation, where the effect of feedback noise is not significant. Utilizing Lyapunov method and the sliding mode control strategy, the control force acting on the actuator is then designed such that the high frequency tracking control and the asymptotic stability of the system are attained. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller for high frequency applications.
Information Exchange and Induced Cooperation in Group Decision Support Systems

Groups are becoming increasingly important in organizations, and they use electronic groupware to facilitate communication and workflow. The author uses a 2 x 2 laboratory experiment with 96 participants to evaluate the interaction between communication channel and incentive structure when groups have to solve a mixed-motive task. The communication channel variable has two values: face-to-face (FTF) communication and computer-mediated communication (CMC). Also, the incentive structure has two values: group-based and individual-based values. This article compares the performance and information exchange truthfulness of groups under these different experimental conditions. The author utilizes a game theory perspective to study the behavior of members in these groups. The results indicate that communication channel and incentive structure mitigate strategies that lead to decision choices and information exchange truthfulness among members in a group.