cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Omni-ATAC to Profile Chromatin Accessibility Before and After Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation

Abstract Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and subsequent autologous transplantation has allowed resumption of endocrine function as well as fertility in certain populations. However, graft function is short-lived due to ischemia and aberrant follicular activation post-transplantation. While many studies have focused on gene expression, we wanted to determine whether cryopreservation itself had a deleterious effect on regulatory elements that might influence transcriptional integrity and graft performance. In this study, we used Omni-ATAC to assess genome-wide chromatin accessibility in primary human follicles before and after cryopreservation. Omni-ATAC from fresh ovarian follicles identified active regulatory elements expected to be functional in oocytes and granulosa cells, and gene ontology was consistent with RNA translation/processing and DNA repair. While promoter accessibility was largely maintained in cryopreserved ovarian follicles, we observed a widespread increase in the number of accessible enhancers. Transcription factor motif analysis and gene ontology suggested that this dysregulation was focused around the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Indeed, transcription factor binding was noted in major pathways involved in this transition: TGF-β and Wnt signaling. Overall, our work provides the first genomic analysis of active regulatory elements in matched fresh and cryopreserved ovarian follicles as they undergo the process of ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Our data suggest that the process of cryopreservation activates an epithelial-mesenchymal transition state, which may lead to graft burn-out post-transplantation. Optimizing this technique in relation to this transition may therefore be an important step towards improving graft longevity and patient outcomes in fertility preservation. Summary sentence Cryopreservation of ovarian cortical tissue results in activation of differentiation and EMT pathways in follicles, which may explain graft burnout after autotransplantation.
Multi-Component Nanofiber Composite Membrane Enabled High PM0.3 Removal Efficiency and Oil/Water Separation Performance in Complex Environment.

Abstract Currently, industrial waste gas and oily wastewater are usually at high temperature and contain corrosive components (e.g., acid, alkali, oxidant, or high salt, etc.), presenting great challenges on filtration/separation materials. Here, a multi-purpose Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)/polyacrylonitrile/silica (PMIA/PAN/SiO2) nanofiber composite membrane with a high yield was prepared simply via electrospinning to satisfy the demands of air filtration and oil/water separation in complex environments. Under the synergy of PMIA, PAN and SiO2, the composite membrane possesses high PM0.3 removal capacity of 99.69%, robust purification ability against real smoke PM2.5, effective oil/water separation performance of > 99.6%, superior high temperature stability (about 250 °C) and excellent chemical resistance, showing the potential application in filtration/separation process under complex conditions. Moreover, the influence mechanism of SiO2 NPs on mechanical properties and filtration performance was systematically investigated through experiments and simulations, paving the way for future intensive research. This study provides an option for the facile and effective preparation of high-performance filtration/separation membranes applied in the field of dust filtration and oily wastewater separation, even in harsh environments.
The Killing Trap: Continuity and validation

In order to understand the onset of genocide, we must look at moments during which the vulnerability of victims was clearly established, and at the conditions that established vulnerability in the minds of the perpetrators. In this chapter, I first discuss continuity as one such condition. Later, validation – the absence of serious consequences for perpetrators – is presented as a second condition. In succeeding chapters, explanations will be offered for the transition from massacre to genocide. Continuity, whether through experience or identification with the mindset associated with mass murder, is supplemented by validation. Validation occurs when a morally reprehensible act, even a heinous act, goes unpunished. If the perpetrators of previous murders were not punished, then to all intents and purposes, in a purely pragmatic sense, the killings were justified by their tacit acceptance. Continuity of the killing in the three cases By continuity, I mean prior experience with massacre or identification with the aims and mindset of those associated with mass murder. Genocide as a thoroughgoing eradication requires preparation. And it is not only preparation in the material sense of building gas chambers or buying large numbers of guns and machetes. It is the experience of massacre that is crucial. To be sure, this is not a historical awareness as in Hitler's reference to the genocide of the Armenians in his speech to army commanders prior to the invasion of Poland. Nor does this experience require the perpetrators of genocide themselves to have murdered in the past.
Running Backwards: Consequences of Current HIV Incidence Rates for the Next Generation of Black MSM in the United States

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States are disproportionately impacted by HIV. To better understand this public health problem, we reviewed the literature to calculate an estimate of HIV incidence among Black MSM. We used this rate to model HIV prevalence over time within a simulated cohort, which we subsequently compared to prevalence from community-based samples. We searched all databases accessible through PubMed, and Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections abstracts for HIV incidence estimates among Black MSM. Summary HIV incidence rates and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random effects models. Using the average incidence rate, we modeled HIV prevalence within a simulated cohort of Black MSM (who were all HIV-negative at the start) from ages 18 through 40. Based on five incidence rates totaling 2898 Black MSM, the weighted mean incidence was 4.16 % per year (95 % CI 2.76-5.56). Using this annual incidence rate, our model predicted that 39.94 % of Black MSM within the simulated cohort would be HIV-positive by age 30, and 60.73 % by 40. Projections were similar to HIV prevalence found in community-based samples of Black MSM. High HIV prevalence will persist across the life-course among Black MSM, unless effective prevention and treatment efforts are increased to substantially reduce HIV transmission among this underserved and marginalized population.
Multiscale block compressed sensing with smoothed projected Landweber reconstruction

A multiscale variant of the block compressed sensing with smoothed projected Landweber reconstruction algorithm is proposed for the compressed sensing of images. In essence, block-based compressed-sensing sampling is deployed independently within each subband of each decomposition level of a wavelet transform of an image. The corresponding multiscale reconstruction interleaves Landweber steps on the individual blocks with a smoothing filter in the spatial domain of the image as well as thresholding within a sparsity transform. Experimental results reveal that the proposed multiscale reconstruction preserves the fast computation associated with block-based compressed sensing while rivaling the reconstruction quality of a popular total-variation algorithm known for both its high-quality reconstruction as well as its exceedingly large computational cost.
Cryo-EM in the Study of Membrane Transport Proteins

Electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) has evolved as a widely used approach to understand a range of structure-function questions, particularly of membrane proteins. Studies by both electron crystallography and single particle analysis have provided a wealth of information on membrane transport proteins. Cryo-EM methods with an emphasis on electron crystallography, which has yielded the most membrane transport protein structural information of any of the cryo-EM techniques, are described here. Two-dimensional crystallization approaches are outlined, as well as advances in cryo-EM specimen preparation, data collection, and image processing. Examples of membrane transport protein structure described serve to illustrate some of the advances in both structural understanding and methods. Further examples outline impressive results that were obtained by a combination of electron crystallography and X-ray crystallography as well as additional complementary methods.
Rapid evolution of reproductive barriers driven by sexual conflict

A growing amount of experimental data indicates extremely rapid evolution of traits and proteins related to fertilization in many diverging taxa. These data come from studies of sperm or pollen competition between closely related species, and from molecular studies of fertilization proteins. The positive selection for evolutionary novelty that appears to be acting on fertilization systems seems paradoxical because successful reproduction requires the close matching of female and male traits. It has been suggested that perpetual coevolution between the sexes can result from sexual conflict in mating. Sexual conflict occurs when characteristics that enhance the reproductive success of one sex reduce the fitness of the other sex. Numerous examples of sexual conflict resulting from sensory exploitation, polyspermy and the cost of mating have been discussed in detail. The potential for coevolution due to such conflict has been evaluated experimentally. Here I develop a simple mathematical model describing coevolutionary dynamics of male and female traits involved in reproduction. The model shows that continual change in such traits at a constant speed is expected whenever females (or eggs) experience fitness loss from having too many compatible males (or sperms). The plausibility of runaway coevolution increases with increasing population size. Rapid evolution of reproductive barriers driven by sexual conflict may explain increased speciation rates after colonization of new habitats ('adaptive radiation') and high species richness in resource-rich environments.
A Smooth, High-Gain Adaptive Stabilizer for Linear Systems with Known Relative Degree

This paper considers the problem of adaptively stabilizing an unknown, continuous-time, minimum phase linear process with known, but arbitrary, relative degree n*. The controller is of dimension n* and is a one-parameter, high-gain design. The single gain parameter, k, is adjusted continuously as a function of process output, and is shown to adaptively stabilize any such process, provided that the process high frequency gain, g, lies in any known half-open interval (O,?].
Heparin is essential for the storage of specific granule proteases in mast cells

All mammals produce heparin, a negatively charged glycosaminoglycan that is a major constituent of the secretory granules of mast cells which are found in the peritoneal cavity and most connective tissues. Although heparin is one of the most studied molecules in the body, its physiological function has yet to be determined. Here we describe transgenic mice, generated by disrupting the N-deacetylase/N-sulphotransferase-2 gene, that cannot express fully sulphated heparin. The mast cells in the skeletal muscle that normally contain heparin lacked metachromatic granules and failed to store appreciable amounts of mouse mast-cell protease (mMCP)-4, mMCP-5 and carboxypeptidase A (mMC-CPA), even though they contained substantial amounts of mMCP-7. We developed mast cells from the bone marrow of the transgenic mice. Although these cultured cells contained high levels of various protease transcripts and had substantial amounts of mMCP-6 protein in their granules, they also failed to express mMCP-5 and mMC-CPA. Our data show that heparin controls, through a post-translational mechanism, the levels of specific cassettes of positively charged proteases inside mast cells.
Circulating level of hepatocyte growth factor predicts incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Abstract Background Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleotropic factor posited to have metabolic homeostatic properties. The purpose of this study is to examine whether level of HGF is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Methods Data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) were used to examine the prospective association between serum level of HGF and incident diabetes. Fasting HGF was measured at Exam 1 (2000-2002) in 5395 participants free from diabetes (61.5 ± 10.2 years old) and incidence of diabetes was determined at four subsequent follow-up exams over 12 years. Hazard ratios (HR) for incident diabetes were estimated according to 1 standard deviation (SD) unit increment of HGF (1 SD = 26 μg/l), before and after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, study center, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, waist circumference, fasting glucose and insulin, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 levels. Results A 1 SD increment of baseline HGF was associated with a 46% (95% CI = 1.37, 1.56) increased risk of diabetes before adjustment. After adjustment, diabetes risk per 1 SD increment of HGF was attenuated but remained significantly increased (HR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.12, 1.32). Men had a significantly greater HR compared to women per equivalent increase of HGF (p-value for sex interaction = 0.04). There was no evidence of effect modification by race/ethnicity. Conclusions This study advances understanding from cross-sectional studies and investigation of incident insulin resistance, demonstrating higher level of HGF is associated with incident diabetes and may reflect a unique type of impaired metabolism.
Exploring Spatial Patterns Using an Expanded Spatial Autocorrelation Framework

Spatial autocorrelation (SA) is regarded as an important dimension of spatial pattern. SA measures usually consist of two components: measuring the similarity of attribute values and defining the spatial relationships among observations. The latter component is often represented by a spatial weights matrix that predefines spatial relationship between observations in most measures. Therefore, SA measures, in essence, are measures of attribute similarity, conditioned by spatial relationship. Another dimension of spatial pattern can be explored by controlling observations to be compared based upon the degree of attribute similarity. The resulting measures are spatial proximity measures of observations, meeting predefined attribute similarity criteria. Proposed measures reflect degrees of clustering or dispersion for observations meeting certain levels of attribute similarity. An existing spatial autocorrelation framework is expanded to a general framework to evaluate spatial patterns and can accommodate the proposed approach measuring proximity. Analogous to the concept of variogram, clustergram is proposed to show the levels of spatial clustering over a range of attribute similarity, or attribute lags. Specific measures based on the proposed approach are formulated and applied to a hypothetical landscape and an empirical example, showing that these new measures capture spatial pattern information not reflected by traditional spatial autocorrelation measures.
Albuterol syrup in the treatment of asthma.

Abstract This study evaluated the administration of albuterol syrup (0.1 mg/kg/6 hr) or placebo to 2- to 6-year old children whose extrinsic asthma was treated with maintenance theophylline in a prerandomized, double-blind crossover study design. Albuterol/theophylline treatment produced peak expiratory flow rates 2 hours after administration that were significantly higher than in the theophylline/placebo-treated group (119.3 L/min versus 83 L/min) p p p
A Convenient Route to Diversely Substituted Icosahedral Closomer Nanoscaffolds

The design and synthesis of icosahedral polyhedral borane closomer motifs based upon carbonate and carbamate anchoring groups for biomedical applications are described. Dodecacarbamate closomers containing easily accessible groups of interest at their linker termini were synthesized via activation of the B-OH vertices as aryl carbonates and their subsequent reaction with primary amines. Novel dodecacarbonate closomers were successfully synthesized for the first time by reacting [closo-B(12)(OH)(12)](2-) with an excess of respective aryl chloroformates, utilizing relatively short reaction times, mild conditions and simple purification strategies, all of which had previously presented difficulties in closomer chemistry. This methodology for the 12-fold degenerate synthesis of carbonate and carbamate closomers will greatly facilitate further exploration of closomers as monodisperse nanomolecular delivery platforms.
Dimensional Synthesis of CRR Serial Chains

This paper presents the kinematic synthesis of a CRR serial chain. This is a four-degree-of-freedom chain constructed from a cylindric joint and two revolute joints in series. The design equations for this chain are obtained from the dual quaternion kinematics equations evaluated at a specified set of task positions. In this case, we find that the chain is completely defined by seven task positions. Furthermore, our solution of these equations has yielded 52 candidate designs, so far; there may be more. This synthesis methodology shows promise for the design of constrained serial chains.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Breast Cancer on Mammograms.

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) is a diagnosis made by a physician who takes into account the computer output of quantitative analysis of mammograms. CAD schemes in mammography have been developed to detect lesions such as clustered microcalcifications and masses, and also to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. Computerized schemes are composed of three major steps which are image processing, quantitation of image features, and data classification. The current performance level of detecting clustered microcalcifications by computer is approximately 85% at a false positive rate of 0.5 per mammogram, whereas the detection accuracy of masses is approximately 90% at a false positive rate of 2 per mammogram. Observer performance studies indicated that computer output can improve the performance of radiologists in detecting clustered microcalcifications by increasing the detection accuracy to 90% from 80% at a specificity of 90%. The automated classification of clustered microcalcifications is based on quantitative analysis of image features of individual microcalcifications and cluster, followed by artificial neural networks (ANNs) for data classification. With our database, the computer scheme correctly identified 82% of patients with benign lesions, all of whom had biopsies (ie, the radiologist thought the microcalcifications were suspicious for malignancy), and 100% of patients with malignant lesions. On the same set of images, the average of five radiologists was only 27% correct in classifying lesions as benign at 100% sensitivity. The automated classification of masses is made by the quantitation of image features of masses together with a rule-based and ANNs method for data classification. The computer scheme achieved, at 100% sensitivity, a positive predictive value of 83%, which was 12% higher than that of the experienced mammographer and 21% higher than that of the average of less experienced mammographers. The first prototype intelligent workstation for mammography was developed at the University of Chicago, and applied to approximately 12 000 screening cases for the detection of early breast cancers. Promising initial results were obtained with the workstation.
Semi-supervised learning of object categories from paired local features

This paper presents a semi-supervised learning (SSL) approach to find similarities of images using statistics of local matches. SSL algorithms are well known for leveraging a large amount of unlabeled data as well as a small amount of labeled data to boost classification performance. Our approach proposes to formulate the problem of matching two images as an SSL based classification problem of image pairs with a minimal amount of labeled pairs. We apply a Gaussian random field model to represent each image pair as vertices in a weighted graph and the optimal configuration of the field is obtained by harmonic energy minimization. A symmetrical feature selection criterion is first introduced to select robust matches of local keypoints between two images. The Mallows distance is then adopted to combine multiple cues from statistics of local matches. Our experiments confirm that our SSL based approach not only boost classification performance but also improve robustness of the learned category model using only simple local keypoint features.
A pathological reassessment of organ-confined, Gleason score 6 prostatic adenocarcinomas that progress after radical prostatectomy

Prior studies of radical prostatectomies have reported a small percentage of men with biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy showing organ-confined, Gleason Score 6. One might predict that this should virtually never occur. We identified 2551 (1983-2005) radical prostatectomies coded by the urologists at our institution as pathologically organ-confined, Gleason score 6 cancer with more than 1 year of follow-up. We re-examined histopathogically the serially sectioned and completely embedded radical prostatectomy specimens of 38 men who developed biochemical recurrence defined as a single prostate-specific antigen level of 0.2 ng/mL or greater. In 27 (71%) of 38 of cases, pathology re-review showed higher grade or stage than coded by the urologists. These included 10 cases of organ-confined with Gleason pattern 4 as either the primary or secondary pattern; 9 cases of organ-confined, Gleason score 6 with tertiary pattern 4 (in 4 cases, tertiary pattern 4 was described in the initial pathology report); 5 cases of Gleason score 7 plus extraprostatic extension; 1 case of Gleason score 6 with focal extraprostatic extension; and 2 cases with positive margins due to intraprostatic incision (listed in the initial pathology report). The remaining 11 cases were true organ-confined, Gleason score 6 tumors, but none of the patients developed systemic disease. Most prior reports of organ-confined, Gleason score 6 with progression are undergraded (upgrading with revision of Gleason system), understaged (difficulty recognizing focal extraprostatic extension), or suffer from situations with ambiguous staging (intraprostatic incision) or grading (tertiary pattern 4 or 2 + 4 = 6). Even for the rare true organ-confined, Gleason score 6 (no pattern 4) tumor with supposed biochemical progression, some may be false-positive progression based on low post-radical prostatectomy prostate-specific antigen levels and minute tumors that seem highly improbable to progress. With accurate pathologic evaluation, men with organ-confined, Gleason score 6 (no pattern 4) prostate cancer can be told that their risk of progression is very rare (0.4%).
Mesenteric ischemia in hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) has been widely viewed as a uniformly fatal form of congenital heart disease. Between January 1984 and December 1990, 387 patients with the diagnosis of HLHS were treated at this institution. Mesenteric ischemia was clinically diagnosed in 31 patients (8% incidence) and confirmed by pathology or surgery in 25 of those patients. The mean age at the time of onset was 17.5 +/- 5.4 weeks and only 13% were premature newborns. In 80% of the patients a low perfusion state and significant hypotension were documented within 48 hours prior to the diagnosis of bowel ischemia. Nine patients (29%) required operative intervention (bowel resection 4, diffuse ischemia 3, and simple drainage 2). Overall, at operation or at autopsy, nine patients (29%) had diffuse gastrointestinal ischemia. Of 31 patients with mesenteric ischemia, 26 children (84%) died shortly after onset of the gastrointestinal symptoms regardless of means of management. Five patients (10%) initially improved with aggressive medical and/or surgical management; however, 4 subsequently died secondary to complications of their primary cardiac disease. Therefore, the overall mortality of patients with mesenteric ischemia was 97%. Previous reports have estimated that up to 7% of full-term newborns with symptomatic congenital heart disease may develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Our unique group of patients with HLHS is comprised mostly of full-term infants who developed onset of mesenteric ischemia at a mean age of 4 months associated with an underlying low perfusion state. This mesenteric ischemia has been erroneously identified as NEC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Validation of distribution level measurements for power system monitoring and low frequency oscillation analysis

The University of Texas at Austin introduced the Independent Synchrophasor Network in order to monitor events and analyze low frequency oscillations from the electric power grid through PMU measurements taken at customer level voltage (120 V). The purpose of this paper is to present validation of the quality of these distribution level measurements for power system monitoring and analysis. Three different steps are used in the validation process. In the first step, the distribution voltage phase angle measurements are plotted with and compared to the state estimated transmission level voltage phase angle. The second step is the comparison of distribution level PMU measurements to transmission level PMU measurements during a power system transient response. The frequency, voltage magnitude, and voltage phase angle are analyzed during a unit trip event. In the final step, the modal frequency and damping estimates are used to illustrate the accuracy of distribution measurements as representative of the power system's ambient response. Because of the location of the PMUs within the network, it will also be possible to measure the effects of wind power on the rest of the grid.
Decentralizing Health Services in Mexico: A Case Study in State Reform (review)

Decentralization: Theory and History. Decentralization: The Long Road from Theory to Practice - the Editors. Decentralization of Health Services in Mexico: A Historical Review - the Editors. The First Attempt, 1983-1988. Decentralizing Health Services: Formulation, Implementaion, and Results - M. Gonzalez-Block, R. Leyva, O. Zapta, R. Loewe, and J. Alagon. Federalist Flirtations: The Politics and Execution of Health Services Decentralization for the Uninsured in Mexico, 1985-1995 - A.-E. Birn. Trying Again, 1994-2004: Case Studies from Five States. "Decentralized" in Quotes: Baja California Sur, 1996-2000 - L. Olvera Santana. The Slow and Difficult Institutionalization of Health Care Reform in Sonora: 1982-2000 - R. Abrantes Pego. Guanajuato: Invisible Results - S. Arjonilla Alday. Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas: Opening and Closing a Window of Opportunity - the Editors. Decentralization at the Health District Level in Nuevo Leon - the Editors. Conclusions - the Editors.
A practical approach to the InterGroup protocols

Existing reliable ordered group communication protocols have been developed for local-area networks and do not, in general, scale well to large numbers of nodes and wide-area networks. The InterGroup suite of protocols is a scalable group communication system that introduces an unusual approach to handling group membership, and supports a receiver-oriented selection of service. The protocols are intended for a wide-area network, with a large number of nodes, that has highly variable delays and a high message loss rate, such as the Internet. The levels of the message delivery service range from unreliable unordered to reliable timestamp ordered. We also present a secure group layer that builds on InterGroup to provide SSL-like security for groups.
A Prospective Comparison Between ICHD-II and Probability Menstrual Migraine Diagnostic Criteria

Objective.— To prospectively evaluate the diagnosis of menstrual migraine (MM) by comparing 2 diagnostic systems. Methods.— Female migraineurs self-reporting a substantial relationship between migraine and menses were evaluated with 3 consecutive months of daily headache recording diaries. A relationship between menses and migraine was evaluated using International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) criteria and a probability model called Probability MM. Results.— Three months of pretreatment prospective diaries were completed by 126 women. ICHD-II menstrually related migraine was diagnosed in 73.8% with pure MM in 7.1%. ICHD-II and Probability diagnoses agreed for all cases of ICHD-II non-MM and pure MM, with disagreement among women diagnosed with ICHD-II menstrually related migraine, only half of whom were identified as having a relationship with menses greater than chance alone using the Probability model. Interestingly, 20% of those women self-reporting a substantial relationship between migraine and menses were not prospectively diagnosed with MM using either diagnostic system. Differences in menstrual vs nonmenstrual headaches were greater when using the Probability model. Conclusions.— Prospective headache diaries are needed to diagnose MM. A probability-based method, which considers the chance occurrence of headaches during the menstrual cycle, identifies fewer women as having menstrually related migraine compared with the diary-based methods recommended by the current ICHD-II candidate criteria. (Headache 2010;50:539-550)
AMINOPEPTIDASE OF THE OCULAR LENS. I. METAL-ION REQUIREMENTS AND SYNERGISTIC ACTIVATION.

Abstract A quantitative assay for aminopeptidase was developed, using the chromogenic substrate, l -leucyl-β-naphthylamide. The enzyme from beef lens was purified about 200-fold and its properties were studied. The enzyme was activated by Co 2+ , Mg 2+ , or Mn 2+ , but maximal activity was observed only in the simultaneous presence of Co 2+ and Mn 2+ , or Co 2+ and Mg 2+ . This effect was termed synergistic activation. The activation was rapid even in crude homogenates, requiring generally less than 10 min. The metal-ion effects were shown to involve activation of the enzyme rather than the substrate. Distinct species differences were noted in the susceptibility of the lens enzyme to synergistic activation, with beef, hog, and sheep lenses possessing similar properties. The enzyme was very sensitive to inhibition by heavy-metal ions, reagents for sulfhydryl groups, and chelating agents. Exhaustive treatment of the enzyme with EDTA led to irreversible loss of activity, but if the chelator was removed before this stage was reached, most of the activity could be restored by the activation with Co 2+ plus Mn 2+ . Ca 2+ , Fe 2+ or Ni 2+ activated the enzyme partially, but could not replace Co 2+ or Mn 2+ for the synergistic effect. KCN stimulated the enzyme at 5.10 −5 −5.10 −3 M concentration, even after the peptidase had been freed of contaminating metals by treatment with EDTA. Co 2+ or Mn 2+ were able to afford the enzyme considerable protection against inhibition by mercurials, whereas Mg 2+ was not. The inhibition of the peptidase by sodium p -hydroxymercuribenzoate could be reversed by cysteine, glutathione, or mercaptoethanol. It appeared probable that Co 2+ is bound through a sulfhydryl group at the active site on the enzyme. Reexamination of the purified leucine aminopeptidase from hog kidney revealed that, after treatment with EDTA, it also exhibited some ability to be synergistically activated, and to be susceptible to inhibition by mercurials.
Polymer photovoltaic optimizations from exciton level

Future polymeric or ‘plastic’ solar cells are very attractive for solar energy conversions where large area, low cost, lightweight, and flexible shape are desired. In this brief review, fundamental mechanisms of inorganic and organic/polymeric photovoltaic materials will be briefly compared at exciton levels. This study shows that the frontier orbital couplings at atomic and molecular levels are crucial for the mechanisms of photo carrier generation and transport, either exciton or band models. Optimization approaches of polymer based solar cells are also addressed.
Selection of Optimal Sensor Locations Based on Modified Effective Independence Method: Case Study on a Gothic Revival Cathedral

AbstractThis study demonstrates a methodology for selecting optimal regions for placing vibration sensors to efficiently extract the dynamic characteristics of the nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (SJD). Placing sensors at optimal regions reduces not only the cost and time demands of vibration testing but also the amount of measurement data that needs to be postprocessed. Optimal sensor locations are determined by exploiting the finite-element (FE) model of the cathedral nave, built according to available documentation and best-engineering judgment and correlated against on-site measurement and inspection data. Optimal sensor locations are determined through a modified version of the effective independence method (MEIM) using the mode shape predictions of the correlated FE model. In (MEIM), there are two conflicting objectives: maximizing the orthogonality of mode-shape vectors of interest through an information-gain-based criterion while effectively exploring the geometry of the structure and...
Human disturbance and stage-specific habitat requirements influence snowy plover site occupancy during the breeding season

Habitat use has important consequences for avian reproductive success and survival. In coastal areas with recreational activity, human disturbance may limit use of otherwise suitable habitat. Snowy plovers Charadrius nivosus have a patchy breeding distribution along the coastal areas on the Florida Panhandle, USA. Our goal was to determine the relative effects of seasonal human disturbance and habitat requirements on snowy plover habitat use. We surveyed 303 sites for snowy plovers, human disturbance, and habitat features between January and July 2009 and 2010. We made multiple visits during three different sampling periods that corresponded to snowy plover breeding: pre-breeding, incubation, and brood-rearing and used multi-season occupancy models to examine whether human disturbance, habitat features, or both influenced site occupancy, colonization (probability of transition from an unoccupied site to an occupied site), and extinction (probability of transition from an occupied site to an unoccupied site). Snowy plover site occupancy and colonization was negatively associated with human disturbance and site extinction was positively associated with human disturbance. Interdune vegetation had a negative effect on occupancy and colonization, indicating that plovers were less likely to use areas with uniform, dense vegetation among dunes. Also, dune shape, beach debris, and access to low-energy foraging areas influenced site occupancy, colonization, and extinction. Plovers used habitat based on beach characteristics that provided stage-specific resource needs; however, human disturbance was the strongest predictor of site occupancy. In addition, vegetation plantings used to enhance dune rehabilitation may negatively impact plover site occupancy. Management actions that decrease human disturbance, such as symbolic fencing and signage, may increase the amount of breeding habitat available to snowy plovers on the Florida Panhandle and in other areas with high human activity. The specific areas that require this protection may vary across snowy plover life history stages.
Isolation of intracytoplasmic membrane from the Methanotrophic bacterium Methylomicrobium album BG8

Methane-oxidizing bacteria, including Methylomicrobium album BG8, form an intracytoplasmic membrane in addition to the cytoplasmic and outer membranes of the cell envelope. Techniques to isolate the intracytoplasmic membrane of M. album BG8 were developed. An intracytoplasmic membrane fraction was separated from a cell envelope fraction on the basis of sedimentation velocity in sucrose density gradients. Proteins associated with the particulate methane monooxygenase were found in both membrane fractions.
Fatigue of elbow flexor muscles in younger and older adults.

The aim of this study was to assess differences in the behavior of fatigue-related measures of neuromuscular function between younger (n = 10; 20-35 years) and older (n = 11; >65 years) healthy adults. Measures reflecting changes in voluntary activation, neuromuscular propagation, metabolite build-up, and excitation-contraction coupling processes were taken before, during, and after a sustained maximum elbow-flexion fatigue task. We found a greater role for a failure in voluntary activation (central fatigue) in about half of the older subjects compared with none of the younger subjects to explain the decrease in force-generating capacity with sustained activity. In contrast, similar behaviors in measures reflecting changes in peripheral mechanisms were noted for the two age groups. These results point to a potential shift in fatigue mechanisms with age, with a greater contribution of central fatigue in some older adults.
Craniota , Wirbel- oder Schädeltiere

Zu den Craniota zahlen alle Chordatiere, die eine dreiteilige Regionalisierung des Korpers in Kopf, Rumpf und Schwanz aufweisen. Der Kopf umfasst (1) das Neurocranium mit Gehirn und komplexen Sinnesorganen zur Wahrnehmung der Umgebung, (2) das Viscerocranium zur Nahrungsaufnahme und zur Ventilation der Kiemen bei den primar wasserlebenden Craniota und (3) das Dermatocranium (S. 38). Letzteres entsteht durch Verknocherungen im Bindegewebe des Integuments, es dient dem Schutz des Kopfes und tragt im Mundbreich die Zahne. Zusammen bilden die drei Skelettstrukturen die funktionelle Einheit Schadel (Cranium). Auser der (somatischen) Rumpfmuskulatur und dem Axialskelett liegen im Rumpf Kreislauf-, Atmungs-, Verdauungs-, Exkretions- und Fortpflanzungsorgane. Der Schwanz, der Abschnitt hinter der Afteroffnung, die das Ende der Leibeshohle markiert, dient mit Muskeln und Schwanzflosse der Fortbewegung.
SU‐GG‐T‐223: Multiple Imaging Modality Isocentricity (MIMI) Test

Purpose: Develop a simple and fast means for cross‐testing the isocentricity of four systems, cone‐beam‐CT (CBCT), on‐board imaging (OBI), optical guidance, and in‐room lasers. We have employed the Standard Imaging MIMI phantom for this test along with a Varian iX Linac with CBCT, OBI, and Varian's optical guidance system.Method and Materials: We placed a passive fiducial localizer with 4 infrared light reflecting markers on top of the MIMI phantom, which has 5 rods that run through it in various directions. A CT scan of the phantom was acquired and a simple treatment plan was created which was then sent to the optical guidance system. To enable localization of the phantom using optical guidance the phantom was registered in that system. The calibration of the optical guidance system with respect to in‐room lasers was then verified and the phantom was aligned to isocenter adjusting 3 translational and 3 rotational degrees of freedom to within 0.3 mm root mean square error and less than 0.3 degrees rotational offset in each rotational degree of freedom. After aligning the phantom to the isocenter localization predicted by the optical guidance system orthogonal MV OBI images were acquired and a 2D/2D match was performed. Lastly, a CBCT of the phantom was acquired and a manual match was performed. Results: The 4 methods agreed with each other to within 1 mm or less in any one direction. Conclusion: This is a simple and effective means for QA of optical guidance, CBCT, and OBI which can be performed either weekly or monthly. This is not a complete test of the localization accuracy of any of these systems but could be part of the arsenal of quick and routine QA checks to ensure coincidence between the different isocenter locations predicted by each of these localization systems.
Studies in vitro of amine uptake mechanisms in heart.

Abstract Amine uptake mechanisms of rabbit and rat heart slices were studied; l- and d-metaraminol, dl-α-methyl-m-tyramine, and l- and d-m-octopamine were accumulated by slices. The α-ethyl analog of metaraminol was taken up only slightly. Immunosympathectomy greatly inhibited metaraminol uptake, as did preheating slides, incubation in the cold, or presence of imipramine, cocaine, guanethidine, ouabain, or norepinephrine. Rabbit heart slices were much more sensitive to ouabain action than were rat heart slices. Reserpine or tetrabenazine had no effect on metaraminol uptake, but tetrabenazine or pretreatment with reserpine blocked m-octopamine accumulation. Treatment with a monamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor reversed the effect of reserpine and allowed m-tyramine, normally not accumulated, to be taken up. Comparison of these results with findings in vivo provide evidence for the existence of two amine concentrating mechanisms: a relatively nonspecific mechanism in the neuronal membrane, which is blocked by a variety of drugs; and an intracellular mechanism of higher specificity which is blocked by reserpine or tetrabenazine. The results also emphasize the important role of MAO in regulation of amine stores and in the action of aminedepleting drugs.
Vitamin D status and resistance exercise training independently affect glucose tolerance in older adults

We assessed the influence of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations on oral glucose tolerance, body composition, and muscle strength in older, nondiabetic adults who performed resistance exercise training (RT) while consuming diets with either 0.9 or 1.2 g protein kg(-1) d(-1). We hypothesized that individuals with insufficient 25(OH)D and/or high PTH would have less improvement in glucose tolerance after 12 weeks of RT compared with individuals with sufficient 25(OH)D and lower PTH. Sixteen men and 19 women (aged 61 ± 8 years; range, 50-80 years; body mass index, 26.3 ± 3.6 kg/m(2)) performed RT 3 times/wk for 12 weeks, with oral glucose tolerance tests done at baseline and postintervention. Protein intake did not influence the responses described below. Plasma glucose area under the curve (P = .02) and 2-hour plasma glucose concentration (P = .03) were higher for vitamin D-insufficient subjects (25[OH]D <50 nmol/L, n = 7) vs vitamin D-sufficient subjects (25[OH]D ≥50 nmol/L, n = 28). These differences remained significant after adjustment for age and body mass index. Resistance exercise training reduced fat mass (mean ± SD, -6% ± 7%; P < .001) and increased lean body mass (2% ± 3%, P < .001) and whole-body muscle strength (32% ± 17%, P < .001) in these weight-stable subjects but did not affect 25(OH)D or PTH concentrations. Oral glucose tolerance improved after RT (-10% ± 16% in glucose area under the curve and -21% ± 40% in 2-hour glucose, P = .001), but baseline 25(OH)D and PTH did not influence these RT-induced changes. These findings indicate that vitamin D status and RT independently affect glucose tolerance, and a training-induced improvement in glucose tolerance does not offset the negative effect of insufficient vitamin D status in older, nondiabetic adults.
Pulmonary atresia with and without ventricular septal defect: A different etiology and pathogenesis for the atresia in the 2 types?

In 15 of 20 hearts of neonates with pulmonary atresia and intact septum (PA-IVS) and in 4 with critical pulmonary stenosis, the pulmonary valve consisted of 3 fused cusps. One of the 11 patients with a ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) had a well-developed pulmonary root; in 8 the pulmonary trunk arose from a dimple. Two had a bicuspid valve. In 10 of the 20 patients with PA-IVS and in those with critical stenosis, the diameter of the pulmonary trunk was normal or larger than normal. The authors believe that this is related to flow through an initially patent pulmonary valve and, perhaps more importantly, to poststenotic dilatation. In all hearts with PA-VSD, the pulmonary trunk was very small. In the patients with PA-IVS and a normal-sized pulmonary trunk and in 3 with critical pulmonary stenosis, the morphology of the ductus arteriosus was normal, suggesting that even in the former the valve was patent before birth, allowing forward flow. In all patients with small pulmonary trunk, the ductus was long, tortuous, and originated from the aortic arch in a proximal position, suggesting that reversal of flow had occurred early in development. The authors postulate that in patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD), the pulmonary ostium becomes atretic early in development, at or shortly after partitioning of the truncoconal part of the heart has taken place but before closure of the ventricular septum. In patients with intact ventricular septum, on the other hand, atresia very likely occurs sometime after cardiac septation has been completed. In these cases the pulmonary atresia may be due to a prenatal inflammatory process, rather than representing a true congenital malformation.
Past and present forms of electric apparatus in physical medicine

The emphasis is placed on recurrent concepts underlying entire groups of nonacceptable electric devices to try and save potential manufacturers and users from further disappointment In addition, the article helps focus attention on problems in need of further research.
Reevaluation of Some Measures of Cognitive Styles.

The present study has indicated that a spuriously high correlation may be obtained by using extreme scores for the EFT and RFT. Such correlations imply that the tasks measure the same thing and may be used interchangeably, which is misleading. In addition, the results indicated that the Stroop test is measuring a different cognitive style than the EFT or RFT.
An exploration of sexual minority stress across the lines of gender and sexual identity.

Despite growing evidence to suggest that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals experience a range of stressors and consequences related to their sexual minority status, no known studies to date have employed focus group discussion to explore and document their perceptions of sexual minority stress. In this exploratory study, we present focus group data on a range of sexual minority stressors as described by 43 gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women. We explore gender and sexual identity differences in the respondents' perceptions of heteronormativity, disclosure issues in different social settings, sources of support, and strategies for coping with stress. Respondents reported that women's same-sex relationships were eroticized and distorted to accommodate heterosexual male desire, while men were negatively depicted as sexually promiscuous and deviant. These differing stereotypes held important consequences for disclosure decisions and affected men's and women's social interactions with heterosexual men. B...