cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of visceral obesity (waist/hip ratio) in predicting vascular endothelial function in healthy overweight adults

Vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) is associated with obesity; however, its etiology remains controversial. By determining the predictors of fasting and postprandial endothelial function in overweight adults without other cardiovascular risk factors, we were able to investigate novel mechanisms directly linking obesity to VED. Thirty-two healthy adults (body mass index [BMI] > or =27 kg/m(2)) underwent determination of fasting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size, high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, anthropometric measurements, and endothelial function by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery. Postprandial lipemia and FMD were measured 4 hours after ingestion of a high-fat meal. Blood pressures and fasting levels of lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and fatty acids were within normal limits in all subjects. An abdominal fat pattern, as determined by an increased waist/hip ratio (WHR), was the sole significant predictor of FMD (r = -0.58, p = 0.001), despite no significant correlation between whole body obesity (BMI) and FMD. At comparable levels of BMI, obese subjects with a WHR > or =0.85 had a significantly blunted FMD compared with those with a WHR <0.85 (3.93 +/- 2.85% vs 8.34 +/- 5.47%, p = 0.016). Traditional coronary risk factors, C-reactive protein, postprandial lipemia, and LDL particle size did not predict FMD. We found no appreciable alteration in the postprandial state from fasting FMD (6.31 +/- 4.62% vs 6.25 +/- 5.47%, p = 0.95). The same results were found when women were analyzed alone. Increased abdominal adiposity determined by a simple WHR is a strong independent predictor of VED even in healthy overweight adults; this is a finding unexplained by alterations in conventional risk factors, systemic inflammation, or the atherogenic lipoprotein pattern.
Multivariate Classification of Complex and Multi-echo fMRI Data

Multivariate pattern classification and prediction offers an alternative to standard univariate analysis techniques, and has recently been applied in MR imaging using support vector machines (SVM), and used to attain real-time feedback. The standard approach has been to use reconstructed image magnitude data. However, information is also present in the image phase data, and in the k-space data itself. Further, multi-echo imaging offers possibilities of increased functional sensitivity and quantitative imaging. In this study, we explore applying SVM techniques to complex and multi-echo fMRI data, using both phase information and earlier echo-times for prediction.
Embryo development and ageing in birds and mammals

The rate of ageing is a genetically influenced feature of an individual's life history that responds to selection on lifespan. Various costs presumably constrain the evolution of prolonged life, but these have not been well characterized and their general nature is unclear. The analyses presented here demonstrate a correlation among birds and mammals between rates of embryonic growth and ageing-related mortality, which are quantified by the exponents of fitted power functions. This relationship suggests that rapid early development leads to accelerated ageing, presumably by influencing some aspect of the quality of the adult individual. Although the mechanisms linking embryo growth rate and ageing are not known, a simple model of life-history optimization shows that the benefits of longer life can be balanced by connected costs of extended development.
SPITZER INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH (IRS) MAPPING OF THE INNER KILOPARSEC OF NGC 253: SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE [Ne III], POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON 11.3 MICRON, AND H~2 (0-0) S(1) LINES AND A GRADIENT IN THE [Ne III]/[Ne II] LINE RATIO

We present our early results of the mapping of the nucleus of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 and its immediate surroundings using the Infrared Spectrograph on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The map is centered on the nucleus of the galaxy and spans the inner 800 × 688 pc2. The spatial distribution of the [Ne III] line at 15.55 μm and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon feature at 11.3 μm peaks at the center, while the purely rotational transition of molecular hydrogen at 17.03 μm is strong over several slit positions. We perform a brief investigation of the implications of these measurements on the properties of the star formation in this region, using theories developed to explain the deficiency of massive stars in starbursts.
Magnetic and Petrologic Variations along the Galapagos Spreading Center and Their Relation to the Galapagos Melting Anomaly

Magnetic anomalies with unusually large amplitudes are found along the Galapagos spreading center near the Galapagos Islands from long. 85° to 95° W. On either end of the Galapagos spreading center, however, normal amplitudes occur. Modeling of these magnetic anomalies, which were measured by both surface and deep-tow methods, indicates that the amplitude differences are probably caused by variations in the magnetic intensity of the rocks in the area. Tholeiitic basalt samples that were recovered from the ridge crests involved showed the expected variation in magnetic intensity. Basalt samples from the ridge crests with normal-amplitude anomalies contained 9 percent total Fe (calculated as FeO) and 1 percent TiO 2 , whereas basalt samples from the ridge crests with large-magnetic amplitude contained 14 percent total Fe and 2 percent TiO 2 . Variations in MgO, CaO, P 2 O 5 , K 2 O, and Al 2 O 3 , as well as in FeO and TiO 2 , are consistent with the theory of Fe enrichment by fractional crystallization as a mechanism for the formation along ridge crests of tholeiite with high magnetic intensity. This phenomenon may be related to the proximity of those ridge segments with large magnetic amplitudes to the Galapagos melting anomaly. Furthermore, the transition from large magnetic amplitudes at the ridge crest near the Galapagos Islands to normal magnetic amplitudes on the flanks suggests that the Galapagos melting anomaly may have formed 3 to 4 m.y. ago.
Age Effects and Health Appraisal: A Meta-Analysis

Objective. The purpose was to clarify the effects of methodological variables in the research on age differences in self-rated health and specifically the effects of: (a) the item type used to solicit the appraisal, (b) the approach to sampling, and (c) the criteria for assembling the age groups for study. Methods. Studies differing on these dimensions were compared using meta-analytic techniques. Seventeen usable samples were grouped according to the age comparisons—seven compared "young" and "old" samples while ten compared "young-old" and "old-old" groups. Results. The results failed to support the frequently reported health optimism of old-old samples when compared with young-old. Further, the findings suggest that the item type used in eliciting the rating of health may be instrumental in the respondent's appraisal process. For instance, use of the age-comparative item tends to favor "old" groups when compared to young, whereas the global health item has an effect in the other direction. Effect size was also related to a study's sampling procedure and to the method used in assembling groups (i.e., age ranges used to represent young and old). Discussion. Practical implications and areas of needed research are discussed.
Electrostatic interactions in the reconstitution of an SH2 domain from constituent peptide fragments

Fragment complementation has been used to delineate the essential recognition elements for stable folding in Src homology 2 (SH2) domains by using NMR spectroscopy, alanine scanning, and surface plasmon resonance. The unfolded 9-kD and 5-kD peptide fragments formed by limited proteolytic digestion of the N-terminal SH2 domain from the p85α subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase fold into an active native-like structure on interaction with one another. The corresponding 5-kD fragment of the homologous Src protein, however, was not capable of structurally complementing the p85 9-kD fragment, indicating that fragment complementation among these SH2 domains is sensitive to the sequence differences between the Src and p85 domains. Partial complementation and folding activity could be recovered with hybrid sequences of these SH2 domains. Complete alanine scanning of the 5-kD p85 fragment was used to identify the sequence recognition elements required for complex formation. The alanine substitutions in the p85 5-kD fragment that abolished binding affinity with the cognate 9-kD fragment correlate well with highly conserved residues among SH2 domains that are either integrally involved in core packing or found at the interface between fragments. Surprisingly, however, mutation of a nonconserved surface-exposed aspartic acid to alanine was found to have a significant effect on complementation. A single additional mutation of arginine to aspartic acid allowed for recovery of native structure and increased the thermal stability of the designed Src-p85 chimera by 18°C. This modification appears to relieve an unfavorable surface electrostatic interaction, demonstrating the importance of surface charge interactions in protein stability.
Source-optics polarization effects on ellipsometry analysis.

Analytical expressions for the Fourier coefficients are presented that permit the effects of source polarization to be included in the analysis of ellipsometric data for the inference of the optical properties of bulk samples. The developed expressions are general and can be obtained for any ellipsometer system as long as the source-optics characteristics are known. In addition, no constraints are imposed on the angle of incidence of the light beam and on the polarizer/analyzer azimuthal angles. We obtained measurements on an amorphous carbon sample at a temperature of 25 °C and in the 400–700-nm wavelength range and analyzed the data using the discrete Fourier transform. Comparisons were carried out for the inferred refractive indices with and without the source-polarization effects. We show that for the source optics and sample used in this study the real part of the index increases by 1.5% when the source-optics parameters are included, whereas the imaginary part of the index decreases by as much as 12%. Thus the correction should not be neglected when accurate values for the indices are to be obtained from the complex ellipsometric parameters of the sample surface.
Appropriate frequency of carotid duplex testing following carotid endarterectomy

Abstract Background : The value of carotid duplex analysis is well proven for the diagnosis of carotid bifurcation occlusive disease, but its use in the postoperative setting is less well defined. Patients and methods : A series of 281 carotid endarterectomies were performed in 222 patients. A protocol of serial duplex examinations was established, with tests performed at the time of the first postoperative clinic visit and every 6 months thereafter. The goal of postoperative surveillance was to identify critical restenotic carotid lesions of greater than 80% diameter reduction and determine the incidence of subsequent carotid occlusion and neurologic events. Results : Critical restenoses developed in 25 (8.9%) of the arteries and occlusions occurred in 12 (4%). Restenosis occurred with greatest frequency during the first year after operation (5%), but continued to develop with a frequency of approximately 2% per year thereafter. Postoperative carotid occlusions occurred at a rate of approximately 1% per year. Known restenotic lesions progressed to occlusion over a mean duration of 11 months. Stroke was infrequent in patients with critical restenoses (4%) until the lesions progressed to occlusion (33%). Conclusions : These observations suggest that a protocol of semiannual duplex testing into the late postoperative period may identify critical carotid restenotic lesions prior to the development of carotid occlusion and stroke.
Effects of photoperiod and reproductive responsiveness on pituitary sensitivity to GnRH in male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Abstract In order to promote survival and reproductive success, many nontropical rodents inhibit reproduction well in advance of winter in response to decreasing day lengths. Male prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster ), small temperate zone rodents, vary in their reproductive response to photoperiod. Some male voles undergo complete gonadal regression when housed in short days (responders) whereas others fail to inhibit reproduction when exposed to short (i.e., P P > 0.05). Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that short photoperiods lead to reproductive inhibition by acting at the level of the hypothalamus rather than the pituitary.
Theoretical implications of regional effects

Local economic institutions (systems of property rights and rules of land use) influenced the course of economic change in European history, as well as state formation and religious change. In this paper, I outline the theoretical implications of these regional effects. None of our existing macrolevel theories and explanations of the “rise of the West” can adequately incorporate them, so I present an alternative theory, based on rational choice premises. Yet the existence of these regional effects also highlights the deficiencies of a rational choice theoretical approach. First, the approach is unable to explain historical contexts, institutional legacies, or the effects of timing, which were vital for outcomes of social change but that lie outside the model itself. Second, although it can be very useful, the model of the actor motivated by material self-interest often proved inadequate in historical situations. Solutions are suggested.
Predicting Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage Versus Lacunar Disease in Patients With Longstanding Hypertension

Background and Purpose—Hypertension results in a spectrum of subcortical cerebrovascular disease. It is unclear why some individuals develop ischemia and others develop hemorrhage. Risk factors may differ for each population. We identify factors that predispose an individual to subcortical symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) compared with ischemia. Methods—Demographic and laboratory data were prospectively collected for hypertensive patients presenting with ischemic stroke or sICH during an 8.5-year period. Neuroimaging was retrospectively reviewed for acute (subcortical lacunes [<2.0 cm] versus subcortical sICH) and chronic (periventricular white matter disease and cerebral microbleeds) findings. We evaluated the impact of age, race, sex, serum creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, low-density lipoprotein, presence of periventricular white matter disease or cerebral microbleeds, and other factors on the risk of sICH versus acute lacune using multivariate logistic regression. Results—Five hu...
Mucosal Immunization with a Novel Nanoemulsion-Based Recombinant Anthrax Protective Antigen Vaccine Protects against Bacillus anthracis Spore Challenge

The currently available commercial human anthrax vaccine requires multiple injections for efficacy and has side effects due to its alum adjuvant. These factors limit its utility when immunizing exposed populations in emergent situations. We evaluated a novel mucosal adjuvant that consists of a nontoxic, water-in-oil nanoemulsion (NE). This material does not contain a proinflammatory component but penetrates mucosal surfaces to load antigens into dendritic cells. Mice and guinea pigs were intranasally immunized with recombinant Bacillus anthracis protective antigen (rPA) mixed in NE as an adjuvant. rPA-NE immunization was effective in inducing both serum anti-PA immunoglobulin G (IgG) and bronchial anti-PA IgA and IgG antibodies after either one or two mucosal administrations. Serum anti-PA IgG2a and IgG2b antibodies and PA-specific cytokine induction after immunization indicate a Th1-polarized immune response. rPA-NE immunization also produced high titers of lethal-toxin-neutralizing serum antibodies in both mice and guinea pigs. Guinea pigs nasally immunized with rPA-NE vaccine were protected against an intradermal challenge with ∼1,000 times the 50% lethal dose (∼1,000× LD50) of B. anthracis Ames strain spores (1.38 × 103 spores), which killed control animals within 96 h. Nasal immunization also resulted in 70% and 40% survival rates against intranasal challenge with 10× LD50 and 100× LD50 (1.2 × 106 and 1.2 × 107) Ames strain spores. Our results indicate that NE can effectively adjuvant rPA for intranasal immunization. This potentially could lead to a needle-free anthrax vaccine requiring fewer doses and having fewer side effects than the currently available human vaccine.
JAK2 inhibition for the treatment of hematologic and solid malignancies

Introduction: Mutations in Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and in particular JAK2 V617F, are common in Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). In the past several years, JAK2 inhibitors have been rapidly developed as targeted therapies for MPNs. Areas covered: JAK2 mutations, including JAK2 V617F and unique fusion proteins, are critical for oncogenesis of some hematologic malignancies. Although JAK2 mutations are extremely rare in solid cancers, pathophysiological JAK2/STAT signaling can still promote tumor cell growth, proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis. JAK2 inhibition can curtail malignant cellular behaviors and thus may be a promising therapeutic strategy. Expert opinion: The involvement of oncogenic JAK2 mutations in hematologic malignancies indicates that JAK2 inhibition has the potential to be a highly successful treatment option. The exact role of JAK2 signaling in solid cancers is unclear, but JAK2 inhibition may prevent disease progression by restricting mal...
Functional ANOVA and regional climate experiments: a statistical analysis of dynamic downscaling

Climate model experiments incorporating model runs conducted using different conditions have become popular for the study of uncertainty affecting model output and projections of climate change. Recently, such experiments have been used to also study of the uncertainties in producing high-resolution projections of climate change based on methods for dynamic downscaling of global models. In this paper, we discuss an initial analysis of a subset of the ensemble being produced by the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program. Using an approach based on a functional analysis of variance, we examine the differences between two different dynamic downscaling methods and demonstrate that there are significant differences between the two models and their projections of summer temperature and precipitation over North America. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neutrophil-Mediated Tissue Injury in Periodontal Disease Pathogenesis: Findings from Localized Aggressive Periodontitis

Neutrophils play a major role in the host response against invading periodontopathogenic microorganisms. Localized aggressive periodontitis (LAgP) is associated with various functional abnormalities of neutrophils. Based on the recent findings, LAgP neutrophils are not "hypofunctional" or "deficient." They are "hyperfunctional," and their amplified activity is responsible for the tissue destruction in periodontal disease. Several signal transduction abnormalities are associated with elevated neutrophil function in LAgP. There is a strong correlation between defective chemotaxis and decreased intracellular Ca2+ levels; total calcium-dependent protein Kinase C (PKC) activity of neutrophils is significantly lower than healthy subjects; and there is a marked increase in diacylglycerol (DAG) accompanied by a pronounced decrease in DAG kinase activity. In a separate set of experiments on the involvement of the inducible cyclooxygenase isoform (COX-2) and the role of novel lipid mediators in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, crevicular fluid samples from LAgP patients were found to contain prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 5-LO-derived products, leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and the biosynthesis interaction product, lipoxin LXA4. Neutrophils from peripheral blood of LAgP patients, but not from healthy volunteers, also generated LXA4, suggesting that this immunomodulatory molecule may have a role in periodontal disease. Lipoxin generation and its relationship to PGE2 and LTB4 can be visualized as an important marker for the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Thus, major advances in our understanding of the role of the neutrophil in host defense against periodontal organisms have been made through studies of LAgP. LAgP is used as an example of a severe periodontal disease that is related to abnormal neutrophil function. In this model, it appears that a hyperresponsiveness of the neutrophil, due to cell priming/predisposition, results in enhanced tissue damage.
Investigating Antecedents to the Experience of Flow and Reported Learning Among Social Networking Site Users

Using an online survey (N = 888), this study investigated if the experience of flow mediated the influence of perceived social networking site credibility and social capital affinity (the sense of community and likeness felt for people online) on perceived focused and incidental knowledge gain among social networking sites users. The findings indicated that flow acted as a partial mediator in this context. However, social capital affinity strongly predicted perceived social networking site credibility and flow. Both perceived social networking site credibility and flow were predictors of perceived focused learning while social capital affinity was a strong, direct predictor of perceived incidental knowledge gain in this sample.
Isomorphous substitution and infra-red spectra of the layer lattice silicates

Infrared spectra of series of dioctahedral and trioctahedral synthetic clays in the region 400-5000 cm -1 have been obtained. Characteristic changes in the IR spectra with ionic substitution have been observed with both types. From these results some general conclusions concerning the variations of IR spectra with ionic substitution in both groups of clay minerals can be drawn. In many cases quantitative relationships between frequencies or intensities of the characteristic absorption bands and the extent of ionic substitutions could be established. The same parameters can also be used for the location of substituent ions.
Wood decay in desert riverine environments

Abstract Floodplain forests and the woody debris they produce are major components of riverine ecosystems in many arid and semiarid regions (drylands). We monitored breakdown and nitrogen dynamics in wood and bark from a native riparian tree, Fremont cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. wislizeni), along four North American desert streams. We placed locally-obtained, fresh, coarse material [disks or cylinders (∼500–2000 cm3)] along two cold-desert and two warm-desert rivers in the Colorado River Basin. Material was placed in both floodplain and aquatic environments, and left in situ for up to 12 years. We tested the hypothesis that breakdown would be fastest in relatively warm and moist aerobic environments by comparing the time required for 50% loss of initial ash-free dry matter (T50) calculated using exponential decay models incorporating a lag term. In cold-desert sites (Green and Yampa rivers, Colorado), disks of wood with bark attached exposed for up to 12 years in locations rarely inundated lost mass at a slower rate (T50 = 34 yr) than in locations inundated during most spring floods (T50 = 12 yr). At the latter locations, bark alone loss mass at a rate initially similar to whole disks (T50 = 13 yr), but which subsequently slowed. In warm-desert sites monitored for 3 years, cylinders of wood with bark removed lost mass very slowly (T50 = 60 yr) at a location never inundated (Bill Williams River, Arizona), whereas decay rate varied among aquatic locations (T50 = 20 yr in Bill Williams River; T50 = 3 yr in Las Vegas Wash, an effluent-dominated stream warmed by treated wastewater inflows). Invertebrates had a minor role in wood breakdown except at in-stream locations in Las Vegas Wash. The presence and form of change in nitrogen content during exposure varied among riverine environments. Our results suggest woody debris breakdown in desert riverine ecosystems is primarily a microbial process with rates determined by landscape position, local weather, and especially the regional climate through its effect on the flow regime. The increased warmth and aridity expected to accompany climate change in the North American southwest will likely retard the already slow wood decay process on naturally functioning desert river floodplains. Our results have implications for designing environmental flows to manage floodplain forest wood budgets, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling along regulated dryland rivers.
The effects of cooking on avian eggshell microstructure

Abstract Although avian eggshell is a common component of the faunal assemblages at archeological sites, attempts to identify it taxonomically and use it to construct complex economic arguments have been limited. One method of identifying avian eggshell, using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to examine characteristic microstructures, can provide more specific taxonomic identifications. This study sought to test whether cross-culturally common egg preparation methods were likely to damage eggshell in ways that would make it difficult to identify taxonomically under a SEM. We found that most food preparation practices caused minimal or no damage. Only cooking eggs in hot coals caused significant damage to eggshell microstructures, making it impossible to identify these eggshells taxonomically. With the exception of fire-cooked eggs, the lack of damage to eggshell microstructures meant that SEM analysis was sufficient to identify cooked eggshells taxonomically but insufficient to differentiate most cooking techniques.
Investor Overconfidence in REIT Stock Trading

Executive Summary. Extant research has increasingly focused on investor psychology to understand market behavior. One area of interest has been investor overconfidence. The overconfidence paradigm ...
Advanced Chemistry Surrogate Model Development within C3M for CFD Modeling, Part 1: Methodology Development for Coal Pyrolysis

A generalized method was developed to implement complex chemistry from third-party computational coal chemistry tools within multiphase, reacting computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes. This method involves generating response surfaces that represent the computational coal chemistry tool output and using them to build a comprehensive surrogate model which can be easily incorporated into a CFD code. In this first part of a series of work, the method was applied to coal pyrolysis of Powder River Basin coal using PC Coal Lab (PCCL) and Carbonaceous Chemistry for Computational Modeling (C3M) to generate the series of response surfaces which form the basis of the surrogate model that can be implemented in CFD. This method has the benefit that local environmental variables (such as heating rate, final pyrolysis temperature, local pressure, and particle diameter) can be incorporated as part of the chemistry model in CFD on a cell by cell, time step by time step basis which creates the potential to significantly...
Phase relations in the Ru-Ir-O2 system in air

The equilibrium phase relations were determined in an air environment for the system Ru-Ir-O2. In air Ru oxidizes at moderate temperatures, to form RuO2, which in turn dissociates at 1405 °C. Similarly Ir oxidizes to form IrO2 and dissociates at 1020 °C. The dissociation of RuO2 and IrO2 are reversible processes. A ternary equilibrium phase diagram was constructed indicating selected oxygen reaction lines and isotherms. A binary representation of the Ru-Ir-O2 system in air is given. Up to 1020 °C, RuO2 reacts with IrO2 to form a complete solid solution series having the rutile-type structure. At 134S °C three solid phases, rutiless, Russ, and Irss, exist in equilibrium for compositions between approximately 2 and 45 mole percent IrO2. Above 1405 °C dissociation is complete for all compositions and the phase relations are represented by the Ru-Ir system. At 1500 °C solid solution of Ru and Ir occurs with the addition of up to 45 mole percent Ir and up to 44 mole percent Ru, respectively.
Anatomy of Eccrine Sweat Glands in Children with Chronic Renal Insufficiency and Other Fatal Chronic Diseases

The excretory duct length and secretory coil size of microdissected eccrine sweat glands of children with fatal chronic renal disease, cystic fibrosis, and congenital heart disease were compared with those of a control series. Patients with chronic renal disease had small sweat glands compared with controls matched for age, whereas older children with congenital heart disease had long sweat gland ducts compared with controls, and patients with cystic fibrosis had normal glands. The reduced size of the sweat glands of patients with chronic renal insufficiency demonstrates that the factor(s) causing nephron hypertrophy in kidneys with increased "work loads" do not stimulate growth of eccrine sweat glands. The increase in sweating reported for patients with "failure-prone" forms of congenital heart disease is not reflected in enlargement of sweat glands demonstrable by the methods employed in this study.
Basic Amino Acids as Green Catalysts for Isomerization of Glucose to Fructose in Water

Fructose is not only an important food and beverage ingredients, but also a renewable resource for production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. This study investigated nontoxic basic amino acids (arginine, lysine, and histidine) as isomerization catalysts to isomerize glucose to fructose in water. The results showed that arginine was the most effective isomerization catalyst with a 31% maximum fructose yield with 76% selectivity achieved under the investigated reaction conditions. A mechanistic study verified that the isomerization reaction catalyzed by arginine proceeded through an enediol intermediate, which formed after the deprotonation at C-2 position of acyclic glucose.
Robust t-type state estimation based on Gauss-Markov model for power system

The t-type estimation is introduced into the state estimation to form the robust t-type state estimation based on the adaptive Gauss-Markov model,which,compatible with the traditional state estimation program,uses the freedom degree of t-type estimation to dynamically adjust its efficiency and robustness. Its objective function is continuously differentiable and can be solved by the Newton method,similar to the WLS(Weighted Least Square) method. It avoids the shortage of traditional bad data identification program, which cannot identify the strongly correlative bad data effectively. Its effectiveness is verified with IEEE standard system and a practical transmission network,which demonstrates that it has obviously better robustness than WLS estimation and Quadratic-Constant estimation.
Metallo-Wittig chemistry of an alkylidene to form a terminal titanium oxo complex

We report the synthesis and structure of a titanium(IV) benzophenone adduct bearing a terminal oxo ligand, (PNP)Ti = O(OTf)(OCPh2) (PNP− = N[2-PiPr2-4-methylphenyl]2) (2). Complex 2 is readily synthesized in 71% yield from the previously reported titanium alkylidene (PNP)TiCHtBu(OTf) (1) and two equivalents of benzophenone, by extruding the olefin Ph2CCHtBu. Treatment of benzophenone adduct 2 with a bulky aryloxide salt results in formation of (PNP)TiO(OAr) (3) (OAr− = 2,6-bis(diphenylmethyl)-4-tert-butylphenoxide), concurrent with salt elimination and displacement of the benzophenone. Complexes 2 and 3 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and a variety of spectroscopic techniques, including NMR, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopies, and TD-DFT calculations.
Demonstration of Restoration of Images Distorted by Dynamic Atmospheric Turbulence under Reflection Configuration

We demonstrate that under reflection configuration the images being distorted by dynamic atmospheric turbulence can be completely recovered by optical phase conjugation achieved in a second-order nonlinear composite.
Feeling green: Empathy affects perceptions of usefulness and intention to use a robotic recycling bin

This paper investigates whether empathy towards an interactive trash bin, particularly empathy induced by the bin's anthropomorphic appearance and behavior, affects people's evaluations of the artifact and their intention to use it to recycle. We performed an online survey in which 344 participants viewed a video showing a person interacting with a recycling bin in one of three conditions: non-interactive/control, non-anthropomorphic interactive, and anthropomorphic interactive. We measured people's perceptions of the bin's anthropomorphism and animacy, their empathy and anxiety towards and enjoyment of the bin, their perceptions of its sociability and usefulness, and finally their intentions to use the bin. The results suggest that the level of anthropomorphism attributed to the artifact by participants positively affected their empathy towards the recycling bin, which in turn directly influenced their intentions to use the bin.
Loss of Institutional Trust Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Consequence of Procedural Injustice and a Cause of Life-Span Outcomes

This research tested a social-developmental process model of trust discernment. From sixth to eighth grade, White and African American students were surveyed twice yearly (ages 11–14; Study 1, N = 277). African American students were more aware of racial bias in school disciplinary decisions, and as this awareness grew it predicted a loss of trust in school, leading to a large trust gap in seventh grade. Loss of trust by spring of seventh grade predicted African Americans’ subsequent discipline infractions and 4-year college enrollment. Causality was confirmed with a trust-restoring “wise feedback” treatment delivered in spring of seventh grade that improved African Americans’ eighth-grade discipline and college outcomes. Correlational findings were replicated with Latino and White students (ages 11–14; Study 2, N = 206).
G-quadruplex–forming promoter sequences enable transcriptional activation in response to oxidative stress

Oxidative DNA damage is an implacable consequence of aerobic metabolism and often exacerbated in inflammatory processes that use reactive oxygen species (ROS) both as signaling molecules and as chemical warfare against pathogens. An extensive body of work, recently reviewed in ref. 1, has highlighted the deleterious consequences of oxidative DNA damage, which involves oxidized nucleobases that, if left unrepaired, are either mutagenic or strong replication blockers. Most oxidative DNA damage is efficiently processed by DNA repair pathways, primarily base excision repair (BER), the molecular details of which are generally well understood (2). However, an emerging area of research posits that certain oxidative DNA lesions and their associated repair complexes are intermediates in a signaling transduction cascade that uses ROS as secondary messengers to ultimately effect transcriptional regulation (3⇓⇓⇓–7). In PNAS, Fleming et al. (8) reinforce these notions by describing a compelling mechanism by which 8-oxoguanine (OG), a canonical oxidative DNA damage product, when occurring in guanine-rich, G-quadruplex–forming promoter sequences, directly up-regulates transcription of the downstream gene. Evidence for ROS acting as signaling molecules has been around for more than a decade (9). In the hypoxia field, it has been increasingly appreciated that the expression of hypoxia-inducible genes [e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)] depends, in part, on a controlled oxidative DNA damage and repair cycle (3, 6). More intriguingly, even in normoxic conditions, the expression of estrogen- or androgen-responsive genes also requires DNA oxidation and repair (10, 11). Fleming et al. provide an overarching mechanistic framework for these studies, by highlighting a connection between DNA repair and the ability of certain DNA sequences to fold into G quadruplexes (G4s). Non-Watson–Crick secondary structures of nucleic acids, and in particular, G4 structures in DNA is an area of extremely active research (12⇓⇓ … [↵][1]1Email: bogdan{at}mit.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
MIND OVER MAGMA.by Davis A. Young. Princeton Universtity Press, Princeton and Oxford, 20F03, 686 pp, $69.96.

Although magmatic processes directly or indirectly impact all or nearly all facets of earth science, few historians of science have devoted themselves to describing the evolution of our understanding of igneous rocks. Mind over Magma provides one of the first records of many of the important people, institutions, and events that have had major impact on this discipline. As pointed out in the preface, this subject cannot, however, realistically be covered to everybody’s satisfaction within a book of about 600 pages. Those restrictions notwithstanding, a reader will leave the book with at least a flavor of the many important events that influenced our science and the context in which these events took place. The book also points to how discoveries in other sciences such as chemistry and physics as well as technological advances affected this process. Mind over Magma is organized into 6 separate “eras,” each characterized by particularly important events or developments. Although in broad terms these eras are chronological, they are not meant to imply that the topics are isolated from what occurred before and what may have happened subsequently. Each section (era) contains from 3 to 7 chapters resulting in a total of 30 chapters and 613 pages of text, 58 figures or diagrams, and 9 tables. There is a comprehensive and very useful 50-page bibliography that includes both scientific and historical literature, a subject index, and an author index. The subject index is comparatively short and not as useful as might be desired. The first 5 chapters comprise the “Foundational Era.” Chapter 1 covers the record of volcanology in ancient Greek and Roman literature and in the Old Testament, the extent of survival of this literature through the Middle Ages, and the evolution of knowledge in the 16th, 17th, and to a …
A framework for data-driven analysis of materials under uncertainty: Countering the curse of dimensionality

A new data-driven computational framework is developed to assist in the design and modeling of new material systems and structures. The proposed framework integrates three general steps: (1) design of experiments, where the input variables describing material geometry (microstructure), phase properties and external conditions are sampled; (2) efficient computational analyses of each design sample, leading to the creation of a material response database; and (3) machine learning applied to this database to obtain a new design or response model. In addition, the authors address the longstanding challenge of developing a data-driven approach applicable to problems that involve unacceptable computational expense when solved by standard analysis methods – e.g. finite element analysis of representative volume elements involving plasticity and damage. In these cases the framework includes the recently developed “self-consistent clustering analysis” method in order to build large databases suitable for machine learning. The authors believe that this will open new avenues to finding innovative materials with new capabilities in an era of high-throughput computing (“big-data”).
Usher Syndrome: Correlation between Visual Field Size and Maximal ERG Response B-Wave Amplitude

The evaluation of a patient affected with hereditary retinal degenerations is based on the combination of psychophysical (e.g., visual acuity, visual field) and objective measurements [(e.g., the electroretinogram (ERG)]. The ERG provides essential information on the amount and quality of functioning retina left. The a-wave of the full-field flash maximal ERG response reflects the combined activity of rod and cone photoreceptors, whereas the b-wave reflects the activity of both the rod-and the cone-driven postreceptoral pathways. Vision begins at the level of photoreceptors but is subsequently fine-tuned via a series of gain and filtering steps taking place both inside the retina and, of course, at the brain level. Therefore, among the ERG parameters, the b-wave of the full-field flash maximal ERG response offers, however imperfect it may be, the best approximation of the full visual potential of any given retina, as it already encompasses the gain of the visual response performed intraretinally by the bipolar cells. In addition, since both the rod-and cone-driven pathways can contribute to the detection of the test targets used conventionally to delimit visual fields with the Goldmann kinetic technique, the maximal ERG response b-wave is well suited also for correlation analysis between ERG and visual fields obtained under these conditions.
Energy Transfer Between two Sites in Nd3+:KLiYF5

High resolution spectroscopy of Nd3+ in Potassium Lithium Yttrium Fluoride (KLiYF5) at ≤ 80 K reveals two crystal-field sites which are equally populated independent of concentration. Site selective excitation of photoluminescence distinguishes each site's contribution to the spectra. The analysis of integrated line intensities reveals a bidirectional energy transfer between Nd3+ ions in different sites. A rapid increase in transfer rate with increasing Nd concentration is explained only if non-radiative transfer via exchange interaction contributes strongly to the effect. The observed relative decrease with increasing concentration of those emission lines which overlap strongly with opposite-site absorption lines implies that radiative transfer is also important. The energy transfer strongly depends on temperature (2 K - 80 K) which indicates the participation of phonons.
Freeze-Substitution of Fungi

To critical cytologists, well-preserved cells are of the utmost importance. It is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately interpret cell structure and relate function to cell components if the cells have not been adequately preserved. For mycologists or cell biologists interested in fungal ultrastructure, cell preservation achieved with chemical fixatives at room temperatures has served as the basis for nearly all structural interpretations to date. Some fungi, particularly members of the Phycomycetes, appear to be preserved well enough with conventional fixation protocols that serious fixation artifacts are not usually recognized. Most members of the Ascomycotina and Basidiomycotina (and Fungi Imperfecti), in contrast, are not well fixed. The cytoplasm of these fungi often appears so muddled that one cannot easily distinguish between mitochondria, Golgi, and endoplasmic reticulum (cf. Brushaber and Jenkins, 1971; Hammill, 1974; Hoch, 1977a; Collinge and Markham, 1982; O’Donnell and McLaughlin, 1984). Unfortunately, mycological cytologists have become accustomed to this quality of preservation and too often either do not recognize the gross cytoplasmic distortions or tend to ignore such artifactual problems and interpret cell structure as best they can.
On the Nonparametric Estimation of Regression Functions

AN important statistical problem is the estimation of a regression function g(x) = E(y I x). Typically, g(x) has a specified functional form and parameter estimates are obtained according to certain desirable criteria, such as least squares. Assuming normal errors the investigator can test the appropriateness of the hypothesized model. One may wish, however, to have an estimation technique applicable for an arbitrary g(x). In a recent paper, Priestley and Chao (1972) considered the problem of estimating an unknown regression function g(x) given observations at a fixed set of points. Their estimate, referred to here as the Priestley-Chao (PC) estimate, is nonparametric in the sense that g(x) is restricted only by certain smoothing requirements. It can be viewed as a moving average of sample Y's whose weights are based on a class of kernels suggested by Rosenblatt (1956) and Parzen (1962). These weights are similar to those used in nonparametric density estimation. In this paper, the results of Priestley and Chao will be reviewed and further properties of their estimate considered.
Women and Bipolar Disorder Across the Life Span

Bipolar I disorder occurs in approximately 1% of the adult population, and it affects women and men equally. Women develop bipolar II disorder, bipolar depression, mixed mania, and a rapid-cycling course of illness more commonly than men and are at greater risk of such comorbid conditions as alcohol use problems, thyroid disease, medication-induced obesity, and migraine headaches. The treatment of bipolar disorder remains challenging. Although lithium reduces symptoms and prevents recurrence with good efficacy, a significant number of patients stop taking it. Furthermore, several anticonvulsants and antidepressants are prescribed off label for acute episodes and prophylaxis despite the lack of adequate research support. Psychotherapy may alleviate mania or depression and improve treatment compliance, yet its ability to prevent relapse remains uncertain. Changes throughout the reproductive cycle also have an impact on the onset and presentation of bipolar symptoms and the choice of treatment. This article provides an overview of common presentations and comorbidities, along with approaches to evaluation and treatment of women with bipolar disorder.
Molecular analysis of human glycophorin MiIX gene shows a silent segment transfer and untemplated mutation resulting from gene conversion via sequence repeats

The human glycophorin (HGp) loci that define the red blood cell surface antigens of the MNSs blood group system exhibit considerable allelic variation. Previous studies have identified gene conversion events involving HGpA(alpha) and HGpB(delta) that produced delta-alpha-delta hybrid genes which differ in the location of breakpoints. This report presents the molecular analysis of HGpMilX, the first example of a reverse alpha-delta-alpha hybrid gene that specifies a newly described phenotype of the Miltenberger complex. A novel restriction fragment unique to the HGpMilX gene was detected by Southern blot hybridization. The structure of the genomic region encoding the entire extracellular domain of the MilX protein was determined. Nucleotide sequencing of amplified genomic DNA showed that a silent segment of the HGpB(delta) gene had been transposed to replace the internal part of exon III in the HGpA(alpha) gene, thereby resulting in the formation of the MilX allele with an alpha-delta-alpha configuration. The proximal alpha- delta breakpoint was found to be flanked by a direct repeat of the acceptor splice site, whereas the distal delta-alpha breakpoint was localized to a palindromic region. This DNA rearrangement, with a minimal transfer of 16 templated nucleotides and a single mutation of untemplated adenyl nucleotide, not only created two intraexon hybrid junctions but transactivated the expression of a new stretch of amino acid residues in the MilX protein. Such a segment replacement may have occurred through the directional transfer from one duplex to the other via the mechanism of gene conversion. The occurrence of HGpMilX as another hybrid derived from parts of parent genes underlines the role of the recombinational “hotspot” in the generation of allelic diversity in the glycophorin family.