cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ageing is associated with reduced basal and stimulated release of nitric oxide by the coronary endothelium

The ageing process is known to be associated with biochemical and functional changes in the heart. In an attempt to determine whether the ability of the coronary endothelium to secrete nitric oxide (NO) both at rest and in response to pharmacological stimulation is age dependent, we studied four groups of rats of different ages (1, 5, 15 and 26 months, respectively). Basal release of NO by endothelium as assessed by response of coronary flow to L-monomethylarginine, an inhibitor of NO synthase, was higher in the younger age groups. Similarly, the response of coronary flow to 5-hydroxytryptamine, a selective probe of endothelial capacity to secrete NO, was diminished in the older animals. This was confirmed by direct measurement of NO by chemiluminescence in the coronary effluent. In contrast, the response to glyceryl trinitrate appeared to be unaltered by age. It is concluded that in rats, basal and stimulated release of nitric oxide by the coronary endothelium deteriorates with age.
Transducer design simulation using finite element method

The fast development of computer power and computational algorithms has made it possible to design complex transducers and arrays using computer simulation. Practical examples are given here for transducer modeling using 3-D finite element method (FEM) instead of the traditional 1-D equivalent circuit models. The merits and deficiencies of the frequency domain and time domain FEM formulations will also be analyzed.
Characterization of electrostatic and nonelectrostatic components of protein--membrane binding interactions.

A general method was developed to determine the thermodynamic parameters for the interaction of proteins with membranes. Protein intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence was quenched by titration with large unilamellar vesicles containing 9,10-dibrominated distearoylphosphatidylcholine (Br4-DSPC) or a small amount of trinitrophenylphosphatidylethanolamine (TNP-PE). Binding was modeled as a bimolecular reaction of free protein with a unit of “n” lipid molecules and a dissociation constant, Kd. The contribution of residual fluorescence and light scattering could be eliminated by using the second derivative of the titration function as the basis for calculations. For the binding of C-terminal channel domain polypeptides (178−190 residues) of the colicin E1 ion channel, n = 50−60 and Kd = 2−3 nM at pH 4, ionic strength, I = 0.12 M, and anionic lipid content = 40% (surface potential, ψo = −30 mV), conditions for which the protein has high activity. Values of n = 95 and 210 for the binding of a C-terminal 293-residue ...
The effect of estrogen treatment on scopolamine inhibition of lordosis.

Abstract Previous evidence indicates that the cholinergic muscarinic antagonist, scopolamine, inhibits lordosis in female rats. In the experiments reported here, the effects of various doses and repeated administrations of estrogen on the scopolamine inhibition of lordosis were examined. In the first experiment, intraperitoneal injections of scopolamine (1 mg/rat) completely inhibited lordosis in ovariectomized rats primed with low doses of estradiol benzoate (0.25 or 0.5 μg for 3 days) and progesterone (500 μg). However, scopolamine was significantly less effective in inhibiting lordosis in females primed with a higher dose of estradiol benzoate (25 μg for 3 days) and progesterone (500 μg). When hormone priming was repeated on subsequent weeks, scopolamine continued to inhibit lordosis in females that received 0.25 μg estradiol benzoate but was less effective in females primed with 0.5 μg. Scopolamine failed to inhibit lordosis in females treated with 25 μg estradiol benzoate on these later tests. In the second experiment, various doses of scopolamine (1, 2, or 4 mg/rat) were administered intraperitoneally to females primed with the highest dose of estradiol benzoate (25 μg) and progesterone (500 μg). Lordosis was inhibited equally by all scopolamine doses during the first week. As in the first experiment, scopolamine failed to inhibit lordosis at all doses on subsequent weeks of testing. These results indicate that the ability of scopolamine to inhibit lordosis is reduced by increasing the dose or the number of estrogen exposures. Because higher doses of scopolamine failed to restore its inhibitory effect on lordosis an upregulation of muscarinic receptors by estrogen cannot account for the reduced effectiveness of scopolamine.
HIV-1 protease flaps spontaneously close to the correct structure in simulations following manual placement of an inhibitor into the open state.

We report unrestrained, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of HIV-1 protease (HIV-PR) with a continuum solvent model that reproducibly sample closing of the active site flaps following manual placement of a cyclic urea inhibitor into the substrate binding site of the open protease. The open form was obtained from the unbound, semi-open HIV-PR crystal structure, which we recently reported (Hornak, V.; et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2006, 103, 915−920.) to have spontaneously opened during unrestrained dynamics. In those simulations, the transiently open flaps always returned to the semi-open form that is observed in all crystal structures of the free protease. Here, we show that manual docking of the inhibitor reproducibly induces spontaneous conversion to the closed form as seen in all inhibitor-bound HIV-PR crystal structures. These simulations reproduced not only the greater degree of flap closure, but also the striking difference in flap “handedness” between bound and free enzyme. In most of ...
A radiant energy dosimeter for field use

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, necessity led to the design and construction of a radiant energy dosimeter. Perhaps the homemade instrument described here is somewhat crude, but with improvements, it holds promise for the future.
Synthesis and Morphology of Molecular Brushes with Polyacrylonitrile Block Copolymer Side Chains and Their Conversion into Nanostructured Carbons

Densely grafted brushes with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) di- (AB) and triblock (ABC) copolymer side chains were synthesized first time by ATRP using the “grafting from” technique. Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy showed that these brushes displayed wormlike shapes on mica surface. A necklacelike structure was observed for brushes with poly(n-butyl acrylate)-b-polyacrylonitrile-b-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) triblock copolymer side chains. After conversion of poly(tert-butyl acrylate) side chains to poly(acrylic acid), they were cross-linked with diamine to fix the extended 3-dimensional structure. Such shell-cross-linked molecular brushes showed improved stability during transferring from solution to flat substrates and have been successfully converted into nanostructured carbons through pyrolysis. The pyrolyzed materials exhibited characteristics of partially graphitic carbon.
TRANSIENT AND PERMANENT CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM AND MATERNAL ATROPHIC THYROIDITIS

Cases of familial transient hypothyroidism born to mothers with atrophic thyroiditis have been described, although a regular coincidence of neonatal hypothyroidism and maternal thyroid antibodies(AB) has been disproved by a systematic study in newborns.
Comment on "Female reproductive development: a hazards model analysis," by Andrew Foster, Jane Menken, Aladdin Chowdhury and James Trussell.

This article summarizes the differences between 2 similar studies. Endocrinological studies of the time to the 1st ovulatory cycle in early and late maturing girls in Finland (Apter and Vihko 1983) are contrary to the Bangladeshi results reported by Foster in 1986. Apter found that the frequency of ovulation depended significantly on both the time since menarche and the age at menarche. Early menarche was associated with early onset of ovulatory cycles. It would be interesting to know why the Bangladesh data differ. They are puzzling and their use in fertility models is problematic. This article also makes 2 corrections in the use of the fatness index in the Foster paper.
Nitrogen conservation decreases with fertilizer addition in two perennial grass cropping systems for bioenergy

Abstract Warm-season prairie grasses are promising bioenergy crops that exhibit conservative nitrogen use and cycling, which promise to reduce expensive N amendments and contributions to environmental N pollution associated with annual cropping systems. However, efforts to maximize crop yields with fertilizer may reduce N conservation in these systems. We used two perennial grass systems of differing diversity levels – a restored tallgrass prairie and a Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) monoculture—to determine the effects of N fertilizer level and harvest timing on biomass yields, N concentrations and N removal at harvest. To address plant N conservation, we measured N resorption efficiency (proportion of N resorbed), resorption proficiency (minimum N level attained after senescence), and timing of resorption under different N fertilizer rates. Yield responses to N fertilizer were not consistent between cropping system, year, or harvest timing, and were generally weak, resulting in an average of only 1.27 times more biomass compared to unfertilized plots. In contrast, fertilized plots removed 1.67 times more N relative to unfertilized plots, as N removal was largely driven by increases in biomass N concentrations rather than increases in yield. N resorption was affected by fertilizer in switchgrass, but not in selected prairie species. Fertilized switchgrass plants took longer to reach their maximum resorption levels and had reduced resorption proficiency, despite higher resorption efficiencies. Our results suggest that striving to increase biomass yields with N fertilizer may be an imprudent approach to sustainable bioenergy production, because yield responses are highly variable and N conservation mechanisms are compromised.
On criticality in high-dimensional data

Data sets with high dimensionality such as natural images, speech, and text have been analyzed with methods from condensed matter physics. Here we compare recent approaches taken to relate the scale invariance of natural images to critical phenomena. We also examine the method of studying high-dimensional data through specific heat curves by applying the analysis to noncritical systems: 1D samples taken from natural images and 2D binary pink noise. Through these examples, we concluded that due to small sample sizes, specific heat is not a reliable measure for gauging whether high-dimensional data are critical. We argue that identifying order parameters and universality classes is a more reliable way to identify criticality in high-dimensional data.
Relationships of Cognitive Difficulties to Immune Measures, Depression and Illness Burden in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Objective. We related the subjective assessment of cognitive difficulties with lymphocyte phenotypes, cellmediated immunity (CMI), cytokine and neopterin levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), in order to determine if CFS patients complaining of greater cognitive difficulties would show greater impairments in cell-mediated immunity and a greater degree of immune system dysregulation, and to determine if these cognitive difficulties would correlate with the other non-affective measures of CFS associated illness burden. We also assessed whether these relationships would hold independent of depression in two ways, by statistically covarying depression severity scores and by comparing subsets of CFS patients with and without a concurrent diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Design. A case series of CFS patients. Setting. Outpatient tertiary referral clinic at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL. Patienrs. Consecutive sample of 65 patients who were referred as CFS to the U...
Effect of Hard Water and Ammonium Sulfate on Weak Acid Herbicide Activity

Glyphosate is a weak acid herbicide and can bind with calcium in the spray carrier. Diammonium sulfate is commonly used as an adjuvant with glyphosate to enhance phytotoxicity and overcome antagonistic effect of these cations. Most postemergence herbicides are also weak acid herbicides. Data is limited for other weak acid herbicides and the effect of diammonium sulfate in enhancing herbicide activity and overcoming antagonism. Field studies were conducted with aminopyralid, tembotrione, dicamba plus diflufenzopyr, and glufosinate to determine if (1) these weak acid herbicides are enhanced by ammonium, (2) if they are antagonized by calcium and magnesium in the spray solution, (3) if diammonium sulfate overcomes salt antagonism, and (4) if a previously published equation for the amount of ammonium sulfate required to overcome salt antagonism of glyphosate based on cation concentration in spray water correctly predicts to other weak acid herbicides. The activity of the four weak acid herbicides increased with the addition of ammonium to the spray solution, all were antagonized by calcium and magnesium, and diammonium sulfate overcame the antagonism. The previously published equation to calculate the amount the diammonium sulfate needed to overcome 500 and 1000 ppm hardness was accurate and can be used for these herbicides and possibly other weak acid herbicides.
Hydrogenation and isomerization of (+)-apopinene over well-characterized Pt SiO2 and over Pt Al2O3

Abstract Six Pt SiO 2 and four Pt Al 2 O 3 catalysts were characterized by CO chemisorption and H 2 O 2 titration and by electron microscopy. Five of the Pt SiO 2 catalysts originated at Northwestern University and had been similarly characterized before. Over these catalysts the hydrogenation reaction of the complex molecular probe (+)-apopinene (6,6-dimethyl-1 R ,5 R -bicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-ene) was used to evaluate the change in the mix of active sites as a function of percentage exposed Pt atoms (percentage dispersion, % D ). The ratio of isomerization to addition, k i k a , goes through a maximum at approximately 60% D , which corresponds to a maximum in edge sites (C 7 sites) on fcc octahedra. These sites are identified as Siegel type 2 M sites which catalyze essentially isomerization whereas adatoms and vertices (C 4 sites), Siegel type 3 M sites, catalyze addition and isomerization.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation trends for pediatric respiratory failure and central nervous system injury.

Abstract Background Guidelines regarding arterial cannula site and cannula site-specific risks of central nervous system (CNS) injury for pediatric patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support are lacking. We reviewed cannulation trends for pediatric respiratory failure and evaluated CNS complication rates by cannulation site and mode of support. Methods The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry was queried for all pediatric respiratory failure patients 18 years treated from 1993-2007. The primary outcome was radiographic evidence of CNS injury. Results Venoarterial (VA) support was used in 62% of 2617 ECMO runs. The carotid artery was used in 93% of VA patients. Femoral artery use increased in patients >5 years of age and >20 kg. Venovenous (VV) ECMO was used in >50% of children >10 years. No significant difference was identified in CNS injury between carotid and femoral cannulation in any age group but the femoral group was small (4.4%). VA support was independently associated with increased odds of CNS injury compared to VV cannulation (OR, 1.6). Conclusion VA ECMO is the most common mode of support in pediatric respiratory failure patients. Although no significant difference in CNS injury was noted between carotid and femoral artery cannulation, the odds of injury were significantly higher than VV support.
Light Stops from Seiberg Duality

If low-energy supersymmetry is realized in nature, a seemingly contrived hierarchy in the squark mass spectrum appears to be required. We show that composite supersymmetric theories at the bottom of the conformal window can automatically yield the spectrum that is suggested by experimental data and naturalness. With a non-tuned choice of parameters, the only superpartners below one TeV will be the partners of the Higgs, the electroweak gauge bosons, the left-handed top and bottom, and the right-handed top, which are precisely the particles needed to make weak scale supersymmetry breaking natural. In the model considered here, these correspond to composite (or partially composite) degrees of freedom via Seiberg duality, while the other MSSM fields, with their heavier superpartners, are elementary. The key observation is that at or near the edge of the conformal window, soft supersymmetry breaking scalar and gaugino masses are transmitted only to fundamental particles at leading order. With the potential that arises from the duality, a Higgs with a 125 GeV mass, with nearly SM production rates, is naturally accommodated without tuning. The lightest ordinary superpartner is either the lightest stop or the lightest neutralino. If it is the stop, it is natural for it to be almost degenerate with the top, in which case it decays to top by emitting a very soft gravitino, making it quite difficult to find this mode at the LHC and more challenging to find SUSY in general, yielding a simple realization of the stealth supersymmetry idea. We analyze four benchmark spectra in detail.
Cationic polymerizations of substituted 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxocyclic acetals, 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dithiolane and copolymerization of 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dithiolane with 4‐(t‐butyl)‐2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxolane1

Carbon black-supported sulfuric acid or BF3·Et2O-initiated polymerizations of 2-methylene-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3-dioxolane (1), 2-methylene-4-phenyl-1,3-dioxolane (2), and 2-methylene-4-isopropyl-5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane (3) were performed. 1,2-Vinyl addition homopolymers of 1–3 were produced using carbon black-supported H2SO4 initiation at temperatures from 0°C to 60°C whereas both ring-opened and 1,2-vinyl structural units were present in the polymers using BF3·Et2O as an initiator. Cationic polymerizations of 2-methylene-1,3-dithiolane (4) and copolymerization of 4 with 2-methylene-4-(t-butyl)-1,3-dioxolane (5) were initiated with either carbon black-sulfuric acid or BF3·Et2O. Insoluble 1,2-vinyl addition homopolymers of 4 were obtained upon initiation with the supported acid or BF3·Et2O. A soluble copolymer of 2-methylene-1,3-dithiolane (4) and 4-(t-butyl)-2-methylene-1,3-dioxolane (5) was obtained upon BF3·Et2O initiation. This copolymer is composed of three structural units: a ring-opened dithioester unit, a 1,2-vinyl-polymerized 1,3-dithiolane unit, and a 1,2-vinyl polymerized 4-(t-butyl)-1,3-dioxolane unit. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2823–2840, 1999
Neil Gaiman's Sandman as Mythic Romance

The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman and many illustrators, is a two-thousand-page frame tale. Critics have focused on the enclosed tales and argue or assume that Gaiman's concern is the nature of narrative. If we look at the frame, the actions of Morpheus/Dream, we find instead a mythic romance that heavily emphasizes death and the need for us to accept death, not recoil in horror or frantically resist it. This complementary reading, based on several theories of the romance form, helps explain the heavy reliance on imprisonment and death in the tales and also makes sense of using an attractive young woman to represent death.
Quantitative Phase Imaging using Quantum Light

We experimentally demonstrate quantitative phase imaging using entangled photons. By using transport-of-intensity methods, we show that phase retrieval from quantum illumination is more sensitive and less noisy than that of classical light.
Combustion, a chemical and kinetic view

The growing quantitative understanding of the molecular mechanism of oxidation has in the past 20 years resolved most of the key problems that had perplexed the field. Quantitative thermochemistry has played a key role in this development. The important milestones in this work will be reviewed concerning the behavior of cool flames, induction periods in cool flames and the transition to hot ignition. The significance of molecular structure will be explored and the still unresolved phenomenon of knock in auto engines will be discussed as well. It will be shown that the major reaction responsible for hydrocarbon reaction at all temperatures from ambient atmospheric temperatures (smog) to hot ignition is the reaction with the OH radical: OH+RH→HOH+R. A critical ignition temperature is also shown to exist at about 900 K above which HO 2 +M→H+O 2 +M becomes rapid enough to initiate the chain branching reaction important in hot ignition: H+O 2 →HO+O. Two recent developments of importance rre the need to use a three-parameter rate constant over any extended temperature range in modeling and unimolecular isomerization reactions in soot formation.
EFFECT OF DRY AND MOIST HEAT TREATMENTS ON SELECTED BEEF QUALITY FACTORS

SUMMARY Pieces of beef semimembranosus muscle, relatively uniform in weight and shape, were deep-fat fried (DF), oven-roasted (OR), oven-braised (OB) and pressure-braised (PB) at 10 psig to an internal temperature of 70°C to investigate he effects of dry and moist heat on selected characteristics of beef. Rate of heat penetration, cooking time, cooking losses, total moisture, press fluid, water-holding capacity and juiciness varied (P < 0.01) and apparent degree of doneness varied (P < 0.05) among the 4 heat treatments. Warner-Bratzler shear, color-difference, flavor, tenderness and over-all acceptability were not affected significantly by treatment. OR pieces had the slowest rate of heat penetration and the longest cooking time, highest values for total moisture, press fluid, water-holding capacity and juiciness. For those measurements, OB pieces always ranked next to OR pieces, followed by DF and PB pieces. OR pieces appeared less well-done than meat given the other treatments. For every heat treatment, there was an excellent relationship between rate of heat penetration and cooking time. For PB pieces, rate of heat penetration was moderately related to total moisture, press fluid, juiciness and apparent degree of doneness, and highly related to cooking losses. It appeared that tenderness and flavor influenced over-all acceptability scores more than juiciness or apparent degree of doneness. Differences between values for selected characteristics of raw muscle and of muscle subjected to each treatment were not significantly different from each other.
Introduction to the Thematic Minireview Series on Radical S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) Enzymes

In the early days, radical enzyme reactions that use S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) coordinated to an Fe-S cluster, which Perry Frey described as a "poor man's coenzyme B12," were believed to be relatively rare chemical curiosities. Today, bioinformatics analyses have revealed the wide prevalence and sheer numbers of radical SAM enzymes, conferring superfamily status. In this thematic minireview series, the JBC presents six articles on radical SAM enzymes that accomplish wide-ranging chemical transformations. We learn that despite the diversity of the reactions catalyzed, family members share some common structural and mechanistic themes. Still in its infancy, continued explorations promise to be fertile grounds for discoveries that will undoubtedly further broaden our understanding of the catalytic repertoire and deepen our understanding of the chemical strategies used by radical SAM enzymes.
The Feasibility of a Telecommunications Service in Support of Outpatient Congestive Heart Failure Care in a Diverse Patient Population

A home telemonitoring system for patients with congestive heart failure was studied for feasibility and efficacy in a diverse patient population. Fifty patients used the service, in which they weighed themselves and answered yes/no questions about symptoms. Changes in patient weights or symptoms prompted a nurse to call the patient and/or the physician. Patients were given educational and quality of life surveys at enrollment, at 30 days, and at 6 months. The average daily usage rate was 94%. Patients were contacted 57 times—prompting 57 physician notifications, eight medication changes, and 11 nonroutine clinic visits. Patient response to lifestyle surveys showed an improvement in quality of life and improved understanding of prevention measures. Eighty-four percent of patients and 65% of physicians reported satisfaction with the system. This pilot study suggests that home telemonitoring is feasible and has clinical utility in diverse patient groups, and may improve patients' satisfaction and knowledge of self-care.
On the measurement of lactate turnover in humans

It has been shown in studies of turnover in vivo of lactate and several amino acids that the specific activity in blood depends on the site of tracer administration and of sampling. Theoretical and experimental studies have established that to obtain valid estimation of turnover in vivo for these compounds, tracers should be administered into the left heart, ideally the ventricle, and blood sampled from the right heart, ideally the pulmonary artery. Alternately, tracer may be infused into the pulmonary artery and blood sampled from the right ventricle. The insertion of such in-dwelling catheters for turnover studies is difficult in small animals and not justified on ethical grounds in humans. We describe here a method to calculate valid turnover rates when the tracer is administered in a peripheral vein and blood sampled from any peripheral artery. In humans, infusion into a hand vein and sampling from the contralateral heated hand vein can be used. The true turnover rate can then be calculated if the cardiac output is determined. Several noninvasive methods for the determination of cardiac output are available. Thus a correct estimate, avoiding major catheterization, for turnover for many blood-borne compounds is possible.
Regulation of arterial tone by activation of calcium-dependent potassium channels

Blood pressure and tissue perfusion are controlled in part by the level of intrinsic (myogenic) vascular tone. However, many of the molecular determinants of this response are unknown. Evidence is now presented that the degree of myogenic tone is regulated in part by the activation of large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in arterial smooth muscle. Tetraethylammonium ion (TEA+) and charybdotoxin (CTX), at concentrations that block calcium-activated potassium channels in smooth muscle cells isolated from cerebral arteries, depolarized and constricted pressurized cerebral arteries with myogenic tone. Both TEA+ and CTX had little effect on arteries when intracellular calcium was reduced by lowering intravascular pressure or by blocking calcium channels. Elevation of intravascular pressure through membrane depolarization and an increase in intracellular calcium may activate calcium-activated potassium channels. Thus, these channels may serve as a negative feedback pathway to control the degree of membrane depolarization and vasoconstriction.
Two-State Model of Acto-Myosin Attachment-Detachment Predicts C-Process of Sinusoidal Analysis

The force response of activated striated muscle to length perturbations includes the so-called C-process, which has been considered the frequency domain representation of the fast single-exponential force decay after a length step (phases 1 and 2). The underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon, however, are still the subject of various hypotheses. In this study, we derived analytical expressions and created a corresponding computer model to describe the consequences of independent acto-myosin cross-bridges characterized solely by 1), intermittent periods of attachment (tatt) and detachment (tdet), whose values are stochastically governed by independent probability density functions; and 2), a finite Hookian stiffness (kstiff) effective only during periods of attachment. The computer-simulated force response of 20,000 (N) cross-bridges making up a half-sarcomere (Fhs(t)) to sinusoidal length perturbations (Lhs(t)) was predicted by the analytical expression in the frequency domain, ð ˜ FhsðvÞ= ˜ LhsðvÞÞ ¼ ð tatt= tcycleÞN kstiffðiv=ð t � 1 att 1ivÞÞ; where tatt ¼ mean value of tatt, tcycle ¼ mean value of tatt 1 tdet, kstiff ¼ mean stiffness, and v ¼ 2p 3 frequency of perturbation. The simulated force response due to a length step (Lhs) was furthermore predicted by the analytical expression in the time domain, Fhsðt Þ¼ ð tatt= tcycleÞN kstiffLhset= t att : The forms of these analytically derived expressions are consistent with expressions historically used to describe these specific characteristics of a force response and suggest that the cycling of acto-myosin cross-bridges and their associated stiffnesses are responsible for the C-process and for phases 1 and 2. The rate constant 2pc, i.e., the frequency parameter of the historically defined C-process, is shown here to be equal to t � 1 att : Experimental results from activated cardiac muscle examined at different temperatures and containing predominately a -o rb-myosin heavy chain isoforms were found to be consistent with the above interpretation.
Efficient generation of flexible-monomer intermolecular potential energy surfaces.

A new method of generating flexible-monomer intermolecular interaction potentials has been proposed. The method, based on symmetry-adapted perturbation theory, extends a rigid-monomer potential into a flexible-monomer one at a cost negligible compared to performing calculations on a full-dimensional grid (i.e., including internal degrees of freedom of monomers). The nonrigidity effects are accounted for by density-overlap integrals and by asymptotic expansion coefficients. Results for a model system (Ar-HF) demonstrate that the method recovers a substantial portion of these effects.
Traffic at the intersection of neurotrophic factor signaling and neurodegeneration

Advances in understanding the biology of neurotrophic factors and their signaling pathways have provided important insights into the normal growth, differentiation and maintenance of neurons. Stimulated by neuropathological observations and genetic discoveries, studies in cell and animal models of neurodegenerative disorders have begun to clarify pathogenetic mechanisms. We examine the intersection of these research themes and identify several potential mechanisms for linking failed neurotrophic factor signaling to neurodegeneration. Studies of nerve growth factor signaling in a mouse model of Down syndrome encourage the views that neuronal dysfunction and atrophy might be linked to failed neurotrophic support and that additional studies focused on this possibility would enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and their treatment.
Optical and x-ray streak camera gain measurements

Measurements of streak camera gain as the number of CCD (charge-coupled-device) electrons recorded per single-electron events hitting the streak tube phosphor are presented. The CCD is fiber optically coupled to the streak tube output; there is no image intensifier in the system. The gain is measured from the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the recorded photoelectrons. This technique allows us to verify that the photoelectron SNR follows Poisson statistics and to establish the linear dynamic range. Superpixel histograms of sparse streak records are also used to generate the pulse-height distribution (PHD) for recording single-electron events and corroborate the gain measurement. The noise factor and the number distribution of secondary electrons emitted per absorbed x ray from Au, KBr, and CsI photocathodes are derived from the PHD’s recorded with an x-ray streak camera.
Accuracy of a stereo vision system for portable roadside portal monitoring

Increasing concern over the smuggling of fissile material has prompted recent interest in constructing portable, rapidly deployable portal monitors to detect gamma radiation in passing vehicles. In this paper, we introduce a stereo system for precise, real-time, roadside tracking of vehicles in multi-lane roadways. The stereo system reports 3-D vehicle tracks to a gamma imager, which uses the track information to compensate for vehicle motion and produce detectable gamma peaks. We first describe the algorithmic components of the system, including calibration, camera motion correction, point tracking, stereo correspondence, and vehicle clustering. We also describe the physical system configuration. We then report results from tracking two different vehicles at speeds ranging from 5 to 20 MPH. We report on the accuracy of the system, where we observed a worst-case tracking error of 31 cm and an average tracking error of 9 cm in the direction of motion from a viewing distance of approximately 15 m.
Engagement in Training as a Mechanism to Understanding Fidelity of Implementation of the Responsive Classroom Approach.

Fidelity of implementation of classroom interventions varies greatly, a reality that is concerning because higher fidelity of implementation relates to greater effectiveness of the intervention. We analyzed 126 fourth and fifth grade teachers from the treatment group of a randomized controlled trial of the Responsive Classroom® (RC) approach. Prior to training in the intervention, we assessed factors that had the potential to represent a teacher’s readiness to implement with fidelity. These included teachers’ observed emotional support, teacher-rated use of intervention practices, teacher-rated self-efficacy, teacher-rated collective responsibility, education level, and years of experience, and they were not directly related to observed fidelity of implementation 2 years later. Further analyses indicated, however, that RC trainers’ ratings of teachers’ engagement in the initial weeklong RC training mediated the relation between initial observed emotional support and later observed fidelity of implementation. We discuss these findings as a way to advance understanding of teachers’ readiness to implement new interventions with fidelity.
MEMS-enabled mechanically-tunable 2D photonic crystal lens

We report design, fabrication and characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) enabled mechanically tunable 2D photonic crystal lens. The photonic crystal lens was realized by embedding honeycomb lattice silicon nano rods array inside flexible 10 µm thick SU-8 membrane. A pair of chevron shape nickel actuators was used to symmetrically stretch the 2D photonic crystal lens. The induced uniaxial elongation in photonic crystal lens thus perturbs the photonic band structure, leading to modulation of the focal length. The tunable lens was characterized using infrared tunable laser and far field imaging infrared camera. The profiles of the scattered light spot at the deflection at various strains were digitized and carefully compared with 2D finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. Both simulation and experiment results were in good agreement.
An Examination of School Resource Officers' Attitudes Regarding Behavioral Issues among Students Receiving Special Education Services

For many parents and educators, school safety is one of the most important issues in the United States. Despite anecdotal evidence that students receiving special education services are often negatively stereotyped by school administrators and educators for behaviors threatening school order and safety, and despite increased media attention to the interaction between students receiving special education services and law enforcement officers in schools, no research has examined perceptions of school resource officers toward these students. Because school resource officers are now a permanent part of the school culture, and because disproportionate numbers of students receiving special education services are disciplined (e.g., school suspensions and arrests) each year, research is needed to examine attitudes of SROs regarding the presence and behaviors of students receiving special education services. Data collected from 130 School Resource Officers (SROs) in Kentucky revealed that large portions of SROs perceived that behaviors of students receiving special education services had a negative impact on the school environments and these perceptions had little association with the SRO’s demographic and experiential variables. Implications for policy and future research are addressed.
Assessing the Impact of User Interfaces to the Usability of a Clinical Decision Support System

In a clinical decision support system (CDSS), the outcome of the system is related to the user interface directly. A successful CDSS should offer an efficient user interface to clinicians in order to get the most proper consultation results. This study is to assess the impact of user interface to the usability of CDSS. Two different types of input user interfaces were integrated into a well-established CDSS, namely, keyword-based interface and menu-based interface. The operating time of each interface was assessed, and the efficiency of the interfaces, effectiveness of the systems, and enjoyment of the users were also evaluated for degree of usability.
Allergen immunotherapy: immunomodulatory treatment for allergic diseases.

Allergen immunotherapy is currently the only immune-modifying treatment for allergic disease. At the present time it is indicated for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, asthma and venom hypersensitivity. Efficacy appears to be dose dependent, and the immunological mechanisms responsible for the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy are still being elucidated. Immunological changes associated with immunotherapy include induction of T regulatory cells, increase in allergen-specific immunoglobulin G4, increase in interleukin-10 production and downregulation of the T helper 2 response. The disadvantages of allergen immunotherapy include risk of adverse events and patient time and inconvenience. Risks of immunotherapy range from large local reactions to mild systemic reactions, such as rhinitis. Fatalities from immunotherapy injections have been reported at a rate of approximately one fatality per 2.5 million injections. Conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy build-up schedules involve administration of a singl...
A comparison of various mating disruption technologies for control of two internally feeding Lepidoptera in apples

Sex pheromone mating disruption (MD) is an approach used to control several moth pest species of pome fruit by disrupting the ability of the males to find females and consequently prevent mating. The following experiments were performed to determine the effectiveness of several new and experimental sex pheromone MD technologies, and dispenser densities for simultaneous control of the codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L.), and the oriental fruit moth (OFM), Grapholita molesta (Busck) (both Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in Pennsylvania apple orchards. In one study, three MD approaches to control CM and oriental fruit moth – CM and OFM Disrupt Micro-Flakes, Isomate CM/OFM TT, and both a CideTrak OFM and a CideTrak CM dispenser containing both codlemone and pear ester – and an insecticides-only treatment were compared over the course of 2 years. In the other studies, the efficacy of several CheckMate Duel dispenser densities (i.e., 250, 375, 425, and 500 dispensers ha−1) were compared against Isomate CM/OFM TT, and an insecticides-only treatment. The CideTrak CM/pear ester combination and Isomate CM/OFM TT treatments both substantially reduced CM captures in traps in 2007 and 2008. Meanwhile, OFM trap shutdown was highest in the CheckMate Duel densities of 375 (99.9 ± 0.08%) and 500 dispensers ha−1 (98.9 ± 0.07%) and the Isomate CM/OFM TT treatment (98.0 ± 1.13%), and lowest in the 250 dispensers ha−1 density treatment (94.3 ± 3.23%). In orchards where OFM is the dominant pest species, a CheckMate Duel dispenser density of 375 ha−1 is necessary for effective control, whereas higher densities are needed to control CM.
Logic Modeling and the Ridiculome Under the Rug

Logic-derived modeling has been used to map biological networks and to study arbitrary functional interactions, and fine-grained kinetic modeling can accurately predict the detailed behavior of well-characterized molecular systems; at present, however, neither approach comes close to unraveling the full complexity of a cell. The current data revolution offers significant promises and challenges to both approaches - and could bring them together as it has spurred the development of new methods and tools that may help to bridge the many gaps between data, models, and mechanistic understanding.
Why Innovations Come and Go (and Mostly Go): The Case of Whole Language

There are lessons to be learned from the rapid rise and descent of the whole language movement. This paper reviews three aspects of the whole language movement. First, it is unprecedented for a progressive education movement to be as accepted by mainstream educators as whole language was. Second, whole language filled a need for a shift in pedagogy, from word recognition and comprehension to motivation, and from Reading-to-Learn to Reading-to-Enjoy. Third, the whole language movement was political, both in the means used to promote itself and in its notions that whole language instruction can effect societal change.
Development of admixture mapping panels for African Americans from commercial high-density SNP arrays

Admixture mapping is a powerful approach for identifying genetic variants involved in human disease that exploits the unique genomic structure in recently admixed populations. To use existing published panels of ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) for admixture mapping, markers have to be genotyped de novo for each admixed study sample and samples representing the ancestral parental populations. The increased availability of dense marker data on commercial chips has made it feasible to develop panels wherein the markers need not be predetermined. We developed two panels of AIMs (~2,000 markers each) based on the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 for admixture mapping with African American samples. These two AIM panels had good map power that was higher than that of a denser panel of ~20,000 random markers as well as other published panels of AIMs. As a test case, we applied the panels in an admixture mapping study of hypertension in African Americans in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Developing marker panels for admixture mapping from existing genome-wide genotype data offers two major advantages: (1) no de novo genotyping needs to be done, thereby saving costs, and (2) markers can be filtered for various quality measures and replacement markers (to minimize gaps) can be selected at no additional cost. Panels of carefully selected AIMs have two major advantages over panels of random markers: (1) the map power from sparser panels of AIMs is higher than that of ~10-fold denser panels of random markers, and (2) clusters can be labeled based on information from the parental populations. With current technology, chip-based genome-wide genotyping is less expensive than genotyping ~20,000 random markers. The major advantage of using random markers is the absence of ascertainment effects resulting from the process of selecting markers. The ability to develop marker panels informative for ancestry from SNP chip genotype data provides a fresh opportunity to conduct admixture mapping for disease genes in admixed populations when genome-wide association data exist or are planned.
Amniotic fluid creatinine in the Rh-sensitized pregnancy

Abstract Amniotic fluid creatinine concentrations were analyzed in 165 samples from 62 normal and 32 Rh (D)-sensitized pregnancies. A close correlation between maturity and amniotic fluid creatinine was observed in the uncomplicated pregnancies, a concentration of less than 1.8 mg. per cent being predictive of fetal immaturity. In contrast, amniotic fluid creatinine was significantly lower in the sensitized pregnancies, values less than 1.8 mg. per cent commonly (11 of 15) accompanying fetal maturity. In addition, a paradoxical decline in concentration with advancing gestation was shown to be associated with serious perinatal morbidity and a 40 per cent risk of perinatal death. These data suggest that serial analysis of creatinine concentrations in conjunction with routine analysis of amniotic fluid bilirubin 4 and total osmolality 5 may be of significant value in the prospective clinical management of the Rh-sensitized pregnancy.
MISO broadcast channel with user-cooperation and limited feedback

This paper presents a user-cooperation scheme with limited feedback in a broadcast channel. The proposed scheme allows mobile stations to forward received messages over finite-capacity orthogonal channels, known as conferencing. In addition, the proposed scheme jointly uses the feedback from mobile stations to mitigate multi-user interference by choosing the best beamforming vectors from a finite-sized codebook. As a result, a multi-user broadcast channel is located between a point-to-point multiple-input multiple-output channel and a multi-user multiple-input single-output channel. The former is where full coherent cooperation among receiver antennas is allowed, and the latter is where no cooperation among mobile stations is assumed. Then, this paper analyzes the relation between the amounts of user-cooperation and limited feedback, and shows a trade-off between the relative use of each. Simulation results verify the advantage of cooperation and feedback as complementary technologies in wireless cellular networks.
Development of a highly sensitive search strategy for the retrieval of reports of controlled trials using PubMed

Objective To develop, through revision of the Cochrane Collaboration search strategy for OVID-MEDLINE, a highly sensitive search strategy to retrieve reports of controlled trials using PubMed. Methods The original highly sensitive Cochrane strategy was revised to take into account additional Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and other terminology as well as the current unique features of PubMed. We compared the retrieval of the revised strategy with that of the original Cochrane strategy before and after translation of the strategies into PubMed format. Finally, we used a gold standard database of reports of controlled trials identified by electronic and hand search of selected journals to test the revised strategy in PubMed format. Results The revised strategy included a search statement modified for increased precision, and added ‘Cross-over Studies’ as a MeSH term and the term ‘latin square’ as a text word. Compared to the original Cochrane strategy, the revised strategy identified 53 additional reports of controlled trials accessing MEDLINE through OVID. When the revised strategy and original Cochrane strategy were translated into PubMed format, the revised strategy retrieved 90 reports of controlled trials not identified by the original strategy. Finally, the revised strategy in PubMed format retrieved all of the reports of controlled trials in the gold standard database. Ninety-eight per cent of the gold standard reports of controlled trials were retrieved by Phase 1 of the optimal PubMed search strategy. Conclusions Failure to identify all relevant trials for systematic review could result in bias. We developed a highly sensitive search strategy for the retrieval of reports of controlled trials for use with PubMed that retrieves more relevant citations (greater sensitivity) and fewer non-relevant citations (greater precision) than the original Cochrane search strategy.