cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biocatalytic reduction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandimethanol using coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water

Abstract The hexose dehydration product and important renewable feedstock 5-hydroxymethylfurfural can be biocatalytically reduced to 2,5-furandimethanol in 96% yield using coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water as the biocatalyst at room temperature. The dimer of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural 5,5'-[oxybis(methylene)]bis[2-furaldehyde] can also be reduced to the corresponding diol 5,5'-[oxybis(methylene)]bis-[2-furanmethanol] using coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water in 95% yield under similar conditions. This biocatalytic system could be reused in four cycles without an appreciable loss in activity.
Causal Inference and Assessment of Risk in the Health Sciences

This chapter presents fundamental concepts related to risk assessment and causal inference in the health sciences. It discusses the processes involved in the identification of risk and causative factors for diseases based on the counterfactual framework and contemporary sufficient component cause models. It provides definitions of commonly used terms, and exemplifies their use. It demonstrates why causal inference is made at the population rather than the individual level, and discusses its relevance to personalized medicine and future epidemiological research.
Neonatal CSF vasopressin concentration predicts later medical record diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a brain disorder characterized by social impairments. ASD is currently diagnosed on the basis of behavioral criteria because no robust biomarkers have been identified. However, we recently found that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentration of the "social" neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) is significantly lower in pediatric ASD cases vs. controls. As an initial step in establishing the direction of causation for this association, we capitalized upon a rare biomaterials collection of newborn CSF samples to conduct a quasi-prospective test of whether this association held before the developmental period when ASD first manifests. CSF samples had been collected in the course of medical care of 0- to 3-mo-old febrile infants (n = 913) and subsequently archived at -70 °C. We identified a subset of CSF samples from individuals later diagnosed with ASD, matched them 1:2 with appropriate controls (n = 33 total), and quantified their AVP and oxytocin (OXT) concentrations. Neonatal CSF AVP concentrations were significantly lower among ASD cases than controls and individually predicted case status, with highest precision when cases with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were removed from the analysis. The associations were specific to AVP, as ASD cases and controls did not differ in neonatal CSF concentrations of the structurally related neuropeptide, OXT. These preliminary findings suggest that a neurochemical marker of ASD may be present very early in life, and if replicated in a larger, prospective study, this approach could transform how ASD is detected, both in behaviorally symptomatic children, and in infants at risk for developing it.
A copper-catalyzed asymmetric oxime propargylation enables the synthesis of the gliovirin tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine core

The bicyclic tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine subunit of gliovirin is synthesized through a diastereoselective copper-catalyzed cyclization of an N-hydroxyamino ester. Oxidative elaboration to the fully functionalized bicycle was achieved through a series of mild transformations. Central to this approach was the development of the first catalytic, enantioselective propargylation of an oxime to furnish a key N-hydroyxamino ester intermediate.
Study assessing the efficacy of herbal teas on bone health and quality of life in a population with osteopenia: rooibos actions on melatonin and tulsi actions on quality of life.

The purpose of the OsTea translational study was to assess the efficacy of teas (tulsi, rooibos, oolong) compared to placebo (coriander) on markers of bone health and quality of life (QOL) in those with osteopenia and on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) differentiation into osteoblasts to identify potential mechanisms of action. Following consumption of tea (3 times/day; 90 days), participants collected a urine sample during the night (10pm-6am) and filled in questionnaires before and after the study. Rooibos consumption demonstrated a significant decrease in urinary CTX levels vs placebo; trended towards increases in nocturnal melatonin levels (p=0.06); significantly decreased serotonin-producing microbes in the gut; and demonstrated trends towards improvements (p=0.09) in QUALIOST emotional parameters. Tulsi consumption primarily affected subjective measures, such as significantly improved scores for PSS, STAI-trait anxiety, and osteoporosis/osteopenia-related parameters in the QUALIOST. To further identify potential mechanisms underlying these actions of rooibos on CTX and melatonin (urinary and gut), rooibos and melatonin effects on human osteoblastogenesis were carried out for 21 days under oxidative stress conditions to mimic osteopenia. Although both rooibos and melatonin protected against oxidative stress-induced loss of osteoblasts in vitro, their underlying mechanisms were different. Melatonin, like tulsi and oolong, demonstrated the greatest protection against oxidative stress at days 10-11 of exposure, which was due to effects on hMSC viability and through melatonin receptors. Rooibos, on the other hand, demonstrated protection at days 10-11 and 20-21, which was through signaling mechanisms involved in differentiation processes and not on cell viability. These findings suggest that the clinical actions of rooibos on decreasing CTX levels in a population with osteopenia may be through a cooperative effort between melatonin and rooibos by protecting hMSC viability against oxidative stress-induced loss and by promoting osteoblast differentiation, respectively. This study also supports the use of tulsi for improving quality of life in a population susceptible to osteoporosis.
MARS-Net: Deep learning-based segmentation pipeline for profiling cellular morphodynamics from multiple types of live cell microscopy

Quantitative studies of cellular morphodynamics rely on extracting leading-edge velocity time-series based on accurate cell segmentation from live cell imaging. However, live cell imaging has numerous challenging issues about accurate edge localization. Here, we develop a deep learning-based pipeline, termed MARS-Net (Multiple-microscopy-type-based Accurate and Robust Segmentation Network), that utilizes transfer learning and the datasets from multiple types of microscopy to localize cell edges with high accuracy, allowing quantitative profiling of cellular morphodynamics. For effective training with the datasets from multiple types of live cell microscopy, we integrated the pretrained VGG-19 encoder with U-Net decoder and added dropout layers. Using this structure, we were able to train one neural network model that can accurately segment various live cell movies from phase contrast, spinning disk confocal, and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopes. Intriguingly, MARS-Net produced more accurate edge localization than the neural network models trained with single microscopy type datasets, whereas the standard U-Net could not increase the overall accuracy. We expect that MARS-Net can accelerate the studies of cellular morphodynamics by providing accurate segmentation of challenging live cell images.
Beehive: O(1)lookup performance for power-law query distributions in peer-to-peer overlays

Structured peer-to-peer hash tables provide decentralization, self-organization, failure-resilience, and good worst-case lookup performance for applications, but suffer from high latencies (O(log N)) in the average case. Such high latencies prohibit them from being used in many relevant, demanding applications such as DNS. In this paper, we present a proactive replication framework that can provide constant lookup performance for common Zipf-like query distributions. This framework is based around a closed-form optimal solution that achieves O(1) lookup performance with low storage requirements, bandwidth overhead and network load. Simulations show that this replication framework can realistically achieve good latencies, outperform passive caching, and adapt efficiently to sudden changes in object popularity, also known as flash crowds. This framework provides a feasible substrate for high-performance, low-latency applications, such as peer-to-peer domain name service.
Using photo-crosslinking to determine intracellular CD11b/CD18 signaling interactions (609.12)

The leukocyte integrin, Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18), plays an essential role in mediating both cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion interactions during an inflammatory response. Historically, in...
Impulse framework for unsteady flows reveals superdiffusive bed load transport

[1] Sediment transport is an intrinsically stochastic process, and measurement of bed load in the environment is further complicated by the unsteady nature of river flooding. Here we present a methodology for analyzing sediment tracer data with unsteady forcing. We define a dimensionless impulse by integrating the cumulative excess shear velocity for the duration of measurement, normalized by grain size. We analyze the dispersion of a plume of cobble tracers in a very flashy stream over two years. The mean and variance of transport distance collapse onto well-defined linear and power-law relations, respectively, when plotted against cumulative dimensionless impulse. Data suggest that the asymptotic limit of bed load tracer dispersion is superdiffusive, in line with a broad class of geophysical flows exhibiting strong directional asymmetry (advection), thin-tailed step lengths and heavy-tailed waiting times. The impulse framework justifies the use of quasi-steady flow approximations for long-term river evolution modeling.
The Emergence of Black English: Text and Commentary

The Emergence of Black English: Text and Commentary. Guy Bailey. Natalie Maynor. and Patricia Cukor-Avila. eds. Creole Language Library. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1991. 352 pp. $70.00 (cloth)
Application of latent semantic indexing in generating graphs of terrorist networks

Understanding networks of connections among individuals is an important element of counterterrorism analysis. Determining nodes and links for such networks is one of the most labor-intensive aspects of counterterrorism analysis. This paper presents an automated approach for generating and displaying an initial estimate of nodes and links relevant to a chosen topic. This work combines the use of entity extraction and latent semantic indexing (LSI).
Overview of genetically engineered mouse models of colorectal carcinoma to enable translational biology and drug development

Preclinical models for colorectal cancer (CRC) are critical for translational biology and drug development studies to characterize and treat this condition. Mouse models of human cancer are particularly popular because of their relatively low cost, short life span, and ease of use. Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of CRC are engineered from germline or somatic modification of critical tumor suppressor genes and/or oncogenes that drive mutations in human disease. Detailed in this overview are the salient features of several useful colorectal cancer GEMMs and their value as tools for translational biology and preclinical drug development.
Pitfalls in Diagnosis of Pediatric Clostridium difficile Infection

The incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has risen among children and C difficile is increasingly recognized as an important cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea among pediatric patients. Still, increased identification of CDI in healthy children in the community and increased testing among infants requires cautious interpretation, given the high prevalence of asymptomatic colonization in young infants and frequent detection of viruses and other co-pathogens in stool specimens in these age groups. The significance of CDI among infants and the implications of positive C difficile testing among healthy children in the community are areas in need of further study.
Fungi in Marine/Estuarine Waters

The Marine-Decomposer Ascomycetes and Straminipiles Marine Adaptation of Eukaryotic Mycelial Decomposers Biomasses and Productivities Fates Pollution and Marine Fungi Keywords: fungi; fungi in marine/estuarine waters; marine environment
New methods of bladder augmentation

Gastrointestinal segments are commonly used for bladder replacement or repair. However, when gastrointestinal tissue is in contact with the urinary tract, several complications may ensue. Recent surgical approaches have relied on native urological tissue for reconstruction. These are based on sound surgical principles, allowing for the exclusion of tissue that is not urological. De-epithelialized bowel segments, either alone or over native urothelium, have also been used. An experimental system of progressive dilatation for ureters and bladders has been proposed. This appears promising, although it has yet to be attempted clinically. There has been a resurgence of interest in the use of acellular collagen-based matrices as scaffolds for bladder regeneration; experimental work is currently underway. Recently, functional bladder tissue has been engineered using selective cell transplantation. This technique uses autologous cells, so avoiding rejection. Tissue is obtained from the host, the cells then dissociated and expanded in vitro, re-attached to a matrix and implanted into the same host. Clinical trials are currently being arranged. Even though the use of bowel for bladder tissue replacement was first proposed over 100 years ago, it remains the gold standard, despite its associated problems. It is evident that urothelial-urothelial anastomoses are preferable functionally. Experience is currently being gained with the recent clinical and experimental approaches to augmentation cystoplasty. It is hoped that this will result in more technologies and methods for bladder augmentation.
Simulating point spread functions for the James Webb Space Telescope with WebbPSF

Experience with the Hubble Space Telescope has shown that accurate models of optical performance are extremely desirable to astronomers, both for assessing feasibility and planning scientific observations, and for data analyses such as point-spread-function (PSF)-fitting photometry and astrometry, deconvolution, and PSF subtraction. Compared to previous space observatories, the temporal variability and active control of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) pose a significantly greater challenge for accurate modeling. We describe here some initial steps toward meeting the community's need for such PSF simulations. A software package called WebbPSF now provides the capability for simulating PSFs for JWST's instruments in all imaging modes, including direct imaging, coronagraphy, and non-redundant aperture masking. WebbPSF is intended to provide model PSFs suitable for planning observations and creating mock science data, via a straightforward interface accessible to any astronomer; as such it is complementary to the sophisticated but complex-to-use modeling tools used primarily by optical designers. WebbPSF is implemented using a new exible and extensible optical propagation library in the Python programming language. While the initial version uses static precomputed wavefront simulations, over time this system is evolving to include both spatial and temporal variation in PSFs, building on existing modeling efforts within the JWST program. Our long-term goal is to provide a general-purpose PSF modeling capability akin to Hubble's Tiny Tim software, and of sufficient accuracy to be useful to the community.
An electron microscopic and radioautographic study of the rat parotid gland after actinomycin D administration

Rat parotid glands have been examined by electron microscopy and radioautography (H3-leucine incorporation) at various intervals following an injection of actinomycin D in the amount of 0.125 μg per gram of body weight. Light microscopic observations confirmed results from previous experiments similar to this. Radioautographs showed a definite drop in number of silver grains in acinar cells of the parotid from experimental animals. This was most pronounced in 7-day rats which received H3-leucine four hours prior to sacrifice. Electron microscopic observations revealed a generalized reduction in number and degree of the organization of organelles concerned with protein synthesis. Furthermore, frequent appearances of lipid droplets, cytolysomes and crystalloid structures were noted. Changes of the nucleolus included the reduction of its size and the formation of spherical encapsulated bodies. A brief discussion is made of these results in relation to the biochemical nature of actinomycin effects on protein producing cells.
Computing Tight Bounds for a Bézier Curve

Abstract This note shows how to compute tight bounds (within ar ithmetic error) on cubic Bezier curves. A C++ implementation is available online.
A quantitative analysis of two scale characters in snakes

We quantified the effectiveness of two scale characters commonly used to identify snakes: smooth versus keeled dorsal scales and straight versus oblique dorsal scale rows. We examined 169 species of African snakes from close-up photographs of the dorsal scales. We calculated the prominence of keels (if present) along the dorsal scales and the degree of straightness or obliqueness of the dorsal scale rows. We compared our measurements to species descriptions from the literature and looked for overlap of the character states with each other. Our results show a distinct difference between keel prominence for species described as having keeled dorsal scales versus species described as having smooth dorsal scales. Our results also show considerable overlap of straightness or obliqueness between species described as having straight dorsal scale rows versus those described as having oblique dorsal scale rows. Revision of this character would be beneficial.
Spontaneous cholecystocolonic fistula treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy.

Cholecystocolonic fistulas represent the second most common form of spontaneous enterobiliary fistula. Invariably, these fistulas occur in the context of cholelithiasis. Accepted therapy of this complication has been primarily surgical, usually consisting of cholecystectomy, closure of the colonic defect, and choledocholithotomy. Occasionally, in the setting of overwhelming sepsis, cholecystostomy or cecostomy is indicated prior to a later definitive procedure. We report a patient with a cholecystocolonic fistula successively managed by endoscopic sphincterotomy and choledocholithotomy alone.
Microarray analysis of gene expression during auditory hair cell regeneration in zebrafish (Danio rerio

Background Fishes are capable of regenerating sensory hair cells in the inner ear after overexposure to sound [1]. However, the time course and gene expression of auditory hair cell regeneration has not been established for zebrafish (Danio rerio). This study establishes a time course of cell proliferation associated with hair cell regeneration in the zebrafish inner ear and examines gene expression patterns exhibited during this process.
Topography of Nucleic Acid Helices in Solutions

Abstract A number of reporter molecules of the structure R-(CH2)n-N+(CH3)2(CH2)mN+(CH3)3·2Br−, where R is a chromophore absorbing in the 300–500 mp region, have been synthesized. The effect of DNA and RNA on the absorption, induced circular dichroism, and proton magnetic resonance spectra is reported. A red shift and a hypochromic effect on the absorption spectra of the bound chromophore is observed. In all cases where R is an “unsymmetrical” 4-nitroaniline chromophore, it is found that DNA and RNA induce an opposite CD in the absorption band of the bound reporter molecules. These results together with PMR studies are interpreted in terms of the structure of the nucleic acid systems in solutions.
Alternatives to Lotka-Volterra competition: models of intermediate complexity.

Abstract A family of one-level differential-equation competition models in which two populations are limited by the energy flowing into the system generates the following results. For competitors on the same and only resource: 1) Purely exploitative competition leads to exclusion; which species wins depends on relative abilities to appropriate and extract energy from the resource, and the relative death and maintenance rates. 2) If conspecific interference (e.g., deaths or energy loss from fighting, cannibalism, or display) is sufficiently high relative to abilities to exploit the common resource, competition for the same resource can lead to coexistence. 3) If heterospecific interference is sufficiently high relative to abilities to exploit the common resource, competition for the same resource can lead to a priority effect, in which the outcome depends on initial population sizes. 4) Depending on whether situation (2) or (3) prevails, an increase in the amount of the common resource can convert an outcome in which one species always wins into one giving coexistence (2) or a priority effect (3). 5) If species are similar to one another in their abilities to appropriate and extract energy from the common resource and show reciprocity in intererence costs, competition can have multiple outcomes; either one species wins or the species coexist, depending on initial values. For competition on the same resource, but with each species monopolizing an exclusive resource as well: 1) Purely exploitative competition always leads to a unique point coexistence. 2) If interference is added to the system described in (1), two points of coexistence, separated by a saddle (an “unstable equilibrium”) are possible. This is favored by a) a small yield from the exclusive resources relative to the common one; and b) strong interspecific relative to intraspecific interference.
Response latency and verbal complexity: Stochastic models of individual differences in children with specific language impairments

Within-subject statistical modeling techniques were employed to investigate individual differences in the extent to which two possible indicators of processing time predicted changes in utterance complexity during spontaneous discourse for 10 children ages 7;1 to 10;1 with specific language impairments (SLI) who differed in receptive language abilities. The two indicators of processing time that were modeled were response latency and the use of a specific discourse marker (Verbal Pause) that provided children with additional time to respond. Longer response latencies were not a strong predictor of increased utterance length for any of the children. However, results indicated that children with better receptive skills used substantially more verbal pauses than children with both expressive and receptive deficits and that the use of these pauses was a strong predictor of increased utterance length for children with better comprehension skills.
Singularities on complete algebraic varieties

We prove that any finite set of n-dimensional isolated algebraic singularities can be afforded on a simply connected projective variety.
Origin of the Lakes in the Chuska Mountains, Northwestern New Mexico

The hundreds of small depressions in the flat crest of the Chuska Mountains of New Mexico are formed in cross-bedded siliceous Tertiary sandstone. The basins are bounded by low rock bluffs and contain intermittent lakes of irregular form and shallow depth. Many are concentrated in broad valley openings along the crest, but others are isolated in the intervening uplands. The clayey lake sediments on the floors of the basins are almost entirely of Pleistocene age, according to pollen analysis and radiocarbon dates. The depressions cannot be explained by glaciation, volcanism, solution, wind action, or any other of the geologic processes that ordinarily produce depressions. In morphology and distribution, they most resemble collapse depressions, and the hypothesis is proposed that they formed as a result of collapse of cemented sandstone layers above vacuities that had been produced by piping of uncemented sand out to the steep escarpments of the mountains. The pipes originated at springs or seeps along escarpments and extended headward under successive cap rocks, which thereupon became pock-marked. Integration of depressions by lake overflow under Pleistocene conditions of pluvial climate, along with broadening of the basins by slope retreat, produced shallow lowlands on the mountain crest. These lowlands then became dotted with more depressions as the process continued on the next cemented unit. The depressions near the eastern escarpment are truncated by landslide scars which themselves are of Pleistocene age, so the process of lake-basin formation seems now to be extinct or dormant. In fact the entire mountain geomorphology is a relic of processes active in the Pleistocene, when the climate was colder, the water table was higher, and the forest cover was restricted.
Excess volumes of cyclohexane + n-hexane, + n-heptane, + n-octane, + n-nonane, and + n-decane

Abstract Excess volumes have been obtained with the vibrating tube densimeter for cyclohexane + n -hexane, + n -heptane, + n -octane, + n -nonane, and + n -decane at the three temperatures 283.15, 298.15, and 313.15 K. The excess volume increases regularly with increasing size of the alkyl group of the hydrocarbon.
Imaging biomolecular interactions by fast three-dimensional tracking of laser-confined carrier particles.

The quantitative study of the near-equilibrium structural behavior of individual biomolecules requires high-resolution experimental approaches with longtime stability. We present a new technique to explore the dynamics of weak intramolecular interactions. It is based on the analysis of the 3D Brownian fluctuations of a laser-confined glass bead that is tethered to a flat surface by the biomolecule of interest. A continuous autofocusing mechanism allows us to maintain or adjust the height of the optical trap with nanometer accuracy over long periods of time. The resulting remarkably stable trapping potential adds a well-defined femto-to-piconewton force bias to the energy landscape of molecular configurations. A combination of optical interferometry and advanced pattern-tracking algorithms provides the 3D bead positions with nanometer spatial and >120 Hz temporal resolution. The analysis of accumulated 3D positions has allowed us not only to identify small single biomolecules but also to characterize their...
On stable summands of the classifying space of a compact lie group

LET G be a finite group. Recent works of Benson and Feshbach [2] and Martin0 and Priddy [8,9] give a complete account of the question of stable splittings of the classifying space BG into indecomposable summands. This work is in part motivated by the work of Nishida [13] in which the notion of a dominant summand was first introduced. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for studying the analogous question for compact Lie groups. As in the case of finite groups where a certain generalization of the affirmative solution to Segal’s Burnside ring conjecture was used, our work begin with a theorem of May, Snaith and Zelewski [lo] which describes the set of stable maps from BQ to BK where Q is finite and K is compact Lie. If there were a similar description for Q compact Lie, one could try to imitate the work of [2] and [8] and reduce the problem to one of representation theory. However, as shown by work of Feshbach [4] and later Bauer [l] on Segal’s Burnside ring conjecture for compact Lie groups, the situation when Q is not finite is much more intricate. The key ingredient in our investigation of the stable summands of BG when G is a compact Lie group is the utilization of certain group-theoretic notions to analyze stable maps between classifying spaces of compact Lie groups. The end result is that we can define group-theoretic invariants for stable summands of BG which are invariant under stable homotopy equivalence. This puts a restriction on what kind of stable summands can occur for a given compact Lie group G. As an application, we use this framework to study two special classes of stable summands. The first is a generalized notion of a dominant summand in BG applicable for compact Lie groups. Let ( )i denote completion at the prime p in the sense of Bousfield and Kan [3]. For technical reasons, we shall add a disjoint basepoint to each classifying space of G, denoting the result by BG, . Our main theorem in this case is _ THEOREM 3.8. Suppose Xi is a dominant summand of BGi+~ where Gi is a compact Lie group with p-Sylow subgroup Ni, i = 1,2. Zf X1 is stably homotopy equivalent to X2, then N1 is isomorphic to N1.
‘I do therefore there is’: enlivening socio-environmental theory

Socio-environmental theory needs to be enlivened, to be made with bodies – literally – in mind. Experiences of nature do not always fit neatly within categories of reason and rationality. Embodied knowledge plays a significant role in shaping how we think about nature. Following a brief overview of some literature on embodiment, to place ‘flesh’ on this argument, case studies, ethnographies and the like are examined to clarify the idea that we think – and thus think about nature – as bodies. Finally, discussion turns toward what an enlivened environmental politics may look like once we begin thinking of nature as being embodied.
The escape of positive ions from quantized vortex lines in superfluid helium

Abstract We have observed trapping of positive ions by quantized vortex lines in superfluid helium. The thermally activated escape rate has been measured as a function of temperature and electric field and is compared with existing theories and a model calculation.
Cyclic AMP causes differentiation and decreases the expression of neutral glycosphingolipids in cell cultures derived from a malignant glioma

Cultures derived from a malignant glioma (U-87 MG) were treated with 3 mM dibutyryl cAMP. The treatment resulted in morphological differentiation of the cultures and a decrease in cell proliferation. Biochemically, dibutyryl cAMP treatment caused a general reduction in the concentration of neutral glycosphingolipids in the U-87 MG cells. The concentration of individual neutral glycosphingolipids in the untreated cells was 1.8- to 3.0-fold higher than in cells treated for 72 h with 3 mM dibutyryl cAMP. Cells were labeled with [3H]galactose to monitor synthesis of the neutral glycosphingolipids. Decreased synthesis was noted in cells treated with dibutyryl cAMP as compared with untreated cells as indicated by decreased uptake of [3H]galactose label. The ganglioside composition of the cells was essentially unchanged after dibutyryl cAMP treatment.
Effects of acute caloric restriction compared to caloric balance on the temporal response of the IGF-I system.

Abstract Objective Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a key regulator of metabolism during altered energy states. The IGF-I system components respond to prolonged caloric restriction but it is not clear if this system responds similarly to acute caloric restriction. The purpose of this study was to characterize the IGF-I system response to acute caloric restriction with a secondary purpose of determining if two isocaloric diets with different ratios of carbohydrate to fat alter the IGF-I system under conditions of caloric balance. Materials/Methods A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design was used in which 27 subjects underwent three, 48-h experimental treatments: 1) caloric restriction 2) carbohydrate and 3) carbohydrate/fat. Blood was sampled periodically (6 time points total) for IGF-I (total and free), IGFBPs1–4, insulin and glucose. ANOVAs were used with significance set at P Results Total IGF-I decreased 7% during CR (P = 0.051) and remained stable during CHO and CHO/F. Free IGF-I decreased 43% during CR (P Conclusion Our findings indicate that free IGF-I decreases and IGFBP-1 increases during caloric restriction, but they are not altered with diets differing in carbohydrate and fat content. Changes in free IGF-I and IGFBP-1 are sensitive to caloric restriction, and their measurement may be valuable in monitoring the physiological response to refeeding in those consuming suboptimal calories.
Thermodynamic linkage of ion binding and hydration in myofibrillar protein solutions determined from multinuclear spin relaxation studies

The mechanisms for the anionic and cationic interactions with myofibrillar proteins in aqueous solutions were investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance over a wide range of salt concentration. Markedly nonlinear dependeces of the 17 O and 23 Na NMR transverse relaxation rates on salt concentration were analyzed with a thermodynamic linkage model of salt-dependent solubility and hydration (ligand-induced association model), according to Wyman's theory of linked functions. Nonlinear regression analysis of both 17 O and 23 Na NMR data suggested cooperative, reversible binding of hydrated ions to myofibrillar proteins. Both ions and water were found to exchange fast, on the NMR timescale, between the binding sites of the myofibrillar proteins and the aqueous solution. At sodium chloride concentrations higher than about 0.1 grams salt/gram water, ion activities have marked effects upon the NMR relaxation rates of both ions and water. A salt activity model allowed quantitative fitting of the NMR data at high salt concentrations. The effect of neglecting the ion activity in solutions of myofibrillar proteins was also estimated and compared with the ligand-induced, cooperative association model for myofibrillar proteins. The comparison between the 17 O and 23 Na results strongly suggests that water is exchanged as the hydrated ion species between the myofibrillar protein binding sites and the bulk, aqueous solution.
Associations among social support, income, and symptoms of depression in an educated sample: The UNC alumni heart study

It has been suggested that the inverse association between social support and depression may be stronger in persons with lower income. This study tested the support X income hypothesis in a sample of 2,472 individuals enrolled in the UNC Alumni Heart Study. The income was examined as a moderator of the relation between support and self-reported ratings of symptoms of depression. The appraisal subscale of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation Scale, household income level, and their interaction were modeled as predictors of depression ratings. The support x income interaction term was significantly associated with symptoms of depression, F(2, 2471) = 4.71, p = .007. Social support was more strongly associated inversely with depression ratings in persons with lower income as compared to those with higher income. The present results extend previous work regarding the moderating effect of income to a sample of relatively high education and income level.
A Sketch Algorithm for Estimating Two-Way and Multi-Way Associations

We should not have to look at the entire corpus (e.g., the Web) to know if two (or more) words are strongly associated or not. One can often obtain estimates of associations from a small sample. We develop a sketch-based algorithm that constructs a contingency table for a sample. One can estimate the contingency table for the entire population using straightforward scaling. However, one can do better by taking advantage of the margins (also known as document frequencies). The proposed method cuts the errors roughly in half over Broder's sketches.
Cumulant matrix subspace algorithm for blind single fir channel identification

ABSTRACT Blind identification of discrete nonminimum phase FIR channels is studied here. Exploiting higher order statistics of the unknown channel output, a closed-form solution to the FIR channel impulse response is presented. The algorithm is simple and relies only on nullspace decomposition. It does not involve global minimization of non-unimodal costfunctions nor does it use overparametrization. Its application is broad. It can be used either as the final channelestimate or as a good initial point in non-linear cumulant matching techniques. 1. INTRODUCTION Blind identification of non-minimum phase linear systems has found many applications and attracted a great dealof research interests in recent years. One of its prominent applications is in data communication systems wheredigital signals are transmitted through unknown channels with severe linear distortion. In order to improve thedemodulation performance, receivers are often designed based on identified channel responses. When the availableinput training signal is either non-existent or too short for channel identification, blind channel identification canplay a critical role.Blind channel identification relies solely on the received channel output signal and some a priori statisticalknowledge of the original input signal. For systems with no channel diversity (i.e., the number of signal channelsdoes not exceed the number of users) ,
Predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass: a possible role for myocardial ischemia and atrial inflammation.

Objective To evaluate the preoperative presence of C-reactive protein (CRP) and troponin T(hs-TnT) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in order to better clarify the role of atrial inflammation and/or myocardial ischemia in the development of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF). Design Prospective, nonrandomized study. Setting University hospital. Participants Thirty-eight consecutive ischemic patients admitted to the authors’ hospital for CAD undergoing elective on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Intervention Elective on-pump CABG. Measurements and Main Results Peripheral blood samples were collected from all patients before and 24 hours after CABG to assess high sensitive (hs)-CRP and troponin T (hs-TnT) levels. The patients’ heart rhythm was monitored by continuous ECG telemetry. Biopsies from the right atrial appendage were obtained at the beginning of the CABG procedure in order to perform immunohistochemistry for CRP and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for CRP mRNA expression. Fourteen patients out of 38 (36%) developed POAF. Atrial CRP was found in 31 patients (82%), 10 with POAF and 21 with sinus rhythm (71% v 87% respectively, p = ns). None of the atrial samples was positive for CRP mRNA. Atrial CRP did not correlate with serum hs-CRP levels and with occurrence of POAF, but with the incidence of diabetes (p = 0.010). Postoperative hs-TnT levels, but not hs-CRP levels, were identified as the only predictor of POAF occurrence (p = 0.016). Conclusions In patients undergoing CABG, neither peripheral nor tissue preoperative CRP levels, but only postoperative hs-TnT levels, correlated with POAF, suggesting the primary role of an ischemic trigger of atrial fibrillation.
A class of solutions to bargaining problems

Abstract A reformation of Nash's axiom of Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives is proposed, generalizing an idea due to Roth. It involves the concept of a reference function g , whose purpose is to summarize the main features of the bargaining problem and so facilitate the evaluation of the relative bargaining positions of the players. It is with respect to g that the Independence condition is reformulated. In conjunction with the other axioms used by Nash, it is shown that if g satisfies certain natural properties, the bargaining problem admits of a unique solution. Several examples of reference functions are shown to satisfy these conditions. An existence problem discovered by Roth for a particular choice of g is shown to be resolved if solutions are permitted to be multi-valued, the axioms being correspondingly reformulated.
Present status and future directions of research in electron-transfer mediated by DNA

This commentary article presents an overview of recent experimental results on DNA-mediated electron transfer (ET) from the perspective of semiclassical ET theory. The question concerning whether or not DNA can act as a wire is addressed. Much of the article focuses on a discussion of the decay of electronic coupling (β) between electron donors and acceptors with increasing donor/acceptor separation in DNA and in protein systems. In particular, the dependence of the electronic coupling itself (H AB) on the energy gap between the tunneling energy of the reactants and the virtual ionic states of the DNA bridge is highlighted. The article concludes by suggesting that future experimental and theoretical work in this field should focus on the tunneling gap energies of the systems studied and that special attention should be paid to systems that are likely to be in the "small tunneling gap" regime. It is these systems that are expected to exhibit enhanced electronic couplings and consequently enhanced rates of long-distance ET.
Hybrid artificial neural network segmentation and classification of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (DEMRI) of osteosarcoma

The evaluation of pediatric osteosarcoma has suffered from the lack of an accurate imaging measure of response. One major problem is that osteosarcoma do not shrink in response to chemotherapy; instead, viable tumor is replaced by necrotic tissue. Currently available techniques that use dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to quantitatively evaluate tumor response fail to assess the percentage of necrosis. At present, histopathologic evaluation of resected tissue is the only means of measuring the percentage of necrosis in treated osteosarcoma. The current study presents a non-invasive method to visualize necrotic and viable tumor and quantitatively assess the response of osteosarcoma. Our technique uses a hybrid neural network consisting of a Kohonen self-organizing map to segment dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images and a multilayer backpropagation neural network to classify the segmented images. Because the hybrid neural network is completely automated, our technique removes both inter- and intra-operator error. An analysis comparing the percentage of necrosis from our technique to the histopathologic analysis revealed a highly significant Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.617 with p < 0.001.
Students' Ratings of College Teaching: A Social Validation

This investigation was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of social validation procedures to students' ratings of college teaching. The premise of social validation is that criteria should include items that are meaningful and important to consumers. This study is unique in that the criterion was based entirely on students' ideas about effective teaching. Results indicated that there was a significant canonical correlation between four scores from a conventional instrument and two socially valid criteria (Rc =. 83). However, there were also important differences between the two measures. In particular, the socially valid instrument contained many items describing teachers' interpersonal behavior and presentation of class material, but only one item reflecting subject mastery. These results suggest that social validation procedures are applicable to and important for the evaluation of college teaching.
ESR studies of copper(II) complex ions.

Abstract The bonding parameter a 2 has been evaluated for several amino acid, peptide and trypsin complexes with copper (II) ions at liquid nitrogen temperatures. The changes in the nature of the metal to ligand bonding are reflected in changing values of a 2 as the pH is varied. There appears to be a reasonable correlation between those structures proposed in the literature as determined by spectrophotometric and potentiometric techniques and the values of a 2 as determined from ESR measurements. Of particular interest is the apparent change in the nature of the bonding in the trypsin-copper (II) complex over the range pH 5–6, which suggests a notable rearrangement from primarily amine-amide oxygen bonding sites to amine-amide nitrogen bonding sites. There does not appear to be any detectable change in ESR parameters on exposure of trypsin-copper(II) samples to magnetic fields of approximately 14,100 G.
Nitrate Addition Has Minimal Effect on Anaerobic Biodegradation of Benzene in Coastal Saline (salt), Brackish and Freshwater Marsh Sediments

In response to the 2010 British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Macondo well oil spill, saline (salt), brackish and freshwater marsh sediments were used to study whether nitrate addition could stimulate petroleum biodegradation. Benzene was selected as a model petroleum hydrocarbon, and its biodegradation was assumed to follow first-order kinetics. The results show that the intrinsic benzene degradation activities in the marsh sediments were inversely correlated (R 2 = 0.83, n = 9) with the sediment salinity, with following order of benzene degradation rate regardless of nitrate treatments, freshwater > brackish > salt (P < 0.05). Addition of nitrate shows a minimal potential to stimulate the benzene degradation. Increase of redox potentials by addition of nitrate even shows a slight inhibition effect on benzene degradation in these coastal marsh sediments without a clear mechanism. Excessive loading of nitrate has been causing frequent occurrence of coastal eutrophication and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, application of additional nitrate to the coastal marsh sediments for the remediation of the 2010 BP oil spill is not recommended.
Adam Pastor, Antitrinitarian Antipædobaptist

The intellectual, social, and religious upheaval of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of which the Renaissance and the Protestant Revolution were phases, along with the decidedly skeptical tendency of the Scotist philosophy which undermined the arguments by which the great mysteries of the Christian faith had commonly been supported while accepting unconditionally the dogmas of the Church—together with the influence of Neoplatonizing mysticism which aimed and claimed to raise its subjects into such direct and complete union and communion with the Infinite as to make any kind of objective authority superfluous:—all these influences conspired to lead many of the most conscientious and profoundly religious thinkers of the sixteenth century to reject simultaneously the baptism of infants and the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. Infant baptism they regarded as being without scriptural warrant, subversive of an ordinance of Christ, and inconsistent with regenerate church membership. Likewise the doctrine of the tripersonality of God, as set forth in the so-called Nicene and Athanasian creeds, involving the co-eternity, co-equality and consubstantiality of the Son with the Father and the personality of the Holy Spirit, they subjected to searching and fundamental criticism.