cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dyspnea Ratings for Prescription of Cross-Modal Exercise in Patients With COPD

Study objective To investigate the ability of patients with COPD to reproduce an exercise intensity accurately on the treadmill using dyspnea ratings obtained during incremental exercise on the cycle ergometer (cross-modal exercise prescription). Design Five visits over an 8-week period. Patients Thirteen symptomatic patients with stable COPD. Age was 67±6 years (mean±SD). FEV 1 was 1.15±0.22 L (45±7% predicted). Interventions At each visit, patients performed spirometry and exercise. Visit 1 was a practice incremental exercise test on the cycle ergometer. At visit 2 (1 week later), patients estimated the intensity of dyspnea using the 0 to 10 category-ratio scale during an incremental exercise test on the cycle ergometer (cycle estimation trial). Visit 3, 5 weeks later, was a practice session on the treadmill. At visit 4, 1 week later, patients were instructed to produce specific intensities of dyspnea ( ie , dyspnea targets) at 50% and at anaerobic threshold (AT) or 80% of peak oxygen consumption (Vo 2 ) as calculated from results at visit 2 (treadmill production trial). Visit 5, 1 week later, was the treadmill estimation trial. Measurements and results Lung function was stable at all visits. Dyspnea ratings were 1.9±0.9 at 50% of Vo 2 and 5.6±1.5 at AT/80% of peak Vo 2 (17.5±3.3 mL/kg/min). The Vo 2 at the treadmill production trial (761±185 mL/min) was significantly higher than at the cycle estimation trial (612±159 mL/min) at the low dyspnea target (p 2 values (929±176 mL/min vs 948±259 mL/min) at the high dyspnea target (p>0.5; 0±11% bias). Conclusions Patients with COPD can use dyspnea ratings from an incremental cycle ergometry test to regulate exercise on the treadmill without systematic bias at an intensity of 80% of peak Vo 2 , but exceed the desired Vo 2 when using the dyspnea rating at an intensity of 50% of peak Vo 2 .
Comparison of the teratogenic potential of two aliphatic nitriles in hamsters: succinonitrile and tetramethylsuccinonitrile.

Abstract Succinonitrile (SN) and tetramethylsuccinonitrile (TMSN) were evaluated and compared for their teratogenic potential. Groups of 3 to 20 pregnant hamsters received a single ip injection of either SN, at doses ranging from 0.78 to 6.24 mmol/kg, or TMSN, at doses ranging from 0.036 to 0.147 mmol/kg, on the morning of day 8 of gestation. Other groups of animals received in addition to either nitrile a total of 8.06 mmol/kg thiosulfate, a cyanide antagonist, or 3.49 mmol/kg trimethadione, an anticonvulsant. Examination of offspring on day 11 of gestation indicated that SN produced a significant incidence of malformations, including exencephaly, encephalocoele and runting. Signs of maternal toxicity, including dyspnea, hypothermia and ataxia, occurred in about 20% of the mothers at doses where teratogenic effects were observed. Thiosulfate provided significant protection against maternal toxicity at both 4.56 and 6.24 mmol/kg SN, but against terata only at the lower dose. Trimethadione had no effect on SN toxicity or teratogenicity. In nonpregnant animals, dose related concentrations of cyanide were measured in whole blood after SN treatment. Similar fetal and maternal effects have been produced by other aliphatic nitriles, amygdalin and cyanide itself. Tetramethylsuccinonitrile was not teratogenic at any of the doses tested. At 0.147 mmol/kg signs of maternal toxicity included clonic-tonic convulsions and death occurred in 37% of the animals treated. Malformations were observed only rarely and included exencephaly and fetal runting. The incidence of such anomalies was not different from controls. Pretreatment with the anticonvulsant trimethadione prevented toxicity in 55% of the mothers while thiosulfate had no effect on either fetal malformations or maternal toxicity after TMSN. Only trace amounts of cyanide were measured in whole blood of nonpregnant animals treated with 0.147 mmol/kg TMSN. We conclude that SN produces its teratogenic effects through metabolically released cyanide. The toxicity of TMSN is not due to cyanide, but may be due to the parent compound or some other unidentified metabolite.
Point defect analysis and microstructural effects in pure and donor-doped ceria

Abstract Ceria (CeO 2− x ) can be made electronically conductive by doping with pentavalent or hexavalent cations. A technique has been developed, within the framework of standard Kroger-Vink defect analysis, by which the concentrations of three coexisting major defect species (pentavalent impurity, free electrons, and one of several possible point defects) can be modeled in ceria or other MO 2 -type oxides. This analysis provides diagnostic information regarding the dominant defect behavior that cannot be obtained from the standard Brouwer approximation. Comparisons of microstructures and electrical conductivity were made between Nb-doped ceria synthesized by a conventional mixed-oxide route and by hydroxide coprecipitation. The mixed oxide materials contained silicate intergranular phases that acted as sinks for the dopant. Coprecipitated materials were virtually free of intergranular contamination and exhibited electrical conductivities approximately 25% higher than the mixed oxide materials. Finally, experimental results on the electrical conductivity of Nb-, Ta-, and W-doped ceria indicate that all are electronic conductors, with the W-doped materials showing the highest overall conductivity in air in the temperature range 600–900°C.
Fifty-Five Years of Research on the Sorghum Shootfly

The sorghum shootfly, Atherigona soccata Rondani, is the main species of Atherigona attacking cultivated and wild species of Sorghum in Africa and Asia. The past 55 years’ research on the pest has produced means for its management. The bionomics of A. soccata are well known and are being applied for its cultural control by adjusting planting dates. Natural enemies of the shootfly are few and their biology little known. The systemic insecticide carbofuran as a seed and seed furrow treatment provides effective fly control where the cost-benefit is favorable. Sources of host plant resistance to shootfly have been recognized for about 35 years. Incorporation of this resistance in high yielding varieties through plant breeding should be more rapid now that the mechanisms of resistance and their inheritance, through additive gene action, are better understood. These resistance factors include non-preference for oviposition, antibiosis and recovery through tillering.
Diffusion of ring current particles by low-frequency long-wavelength electrostatic oscillations.

The diffusion of charged particles by randomly fluctuating low-frequency long-wavelength electrostatic oscillations in the magnetosphere is investigated as a possible mechanism for transporting ring current particles. The diffusion process is assumed to preserve the first adiabatic invariant. The magnetosphere is represented by a simple model with cylindrical geometry. In the model the ionospheres are assumed to be perfectly conducting and the ring current is assumed to have a Maxwellian distribution of velocities. The electrostatic oscillations are treated as natural modes of the magnetospheric cavity which are driven by variations in the electric potential on the magnetopause. It is concluded that diffusion of ring current protons by this process is not important in the magnetosphere.
Hospital-based emergency department visits with oral candidiasis in the USA.

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the number of hospital Emergency Department (ED) visits with a diagnosis of oral candidiasis for the year 2007 in the USA and to identify the comorbid conditions associated with it. Study Design The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) for 2007 was employed in this study. Patients who visited the ED with a diagnosis of oral candidiasis were selected, and the estimates were projected to the national levels using the discharge weights. Presence of comorbid conditions in these patients was also determined. Results A total of 249,092 ED visits had oral candidiasis. Most of the patients belonged to the lower socioeconomic strata. Patients presented with a wide range of comorbid conditions and a large percentage of the patients were subsequently hospitalized after ED visits. Conclusions A significant number of patients in the US visited the ED with oral candidiasis in the year 2007.
Evaluation of a human-vision-system-based image fidelity metric for image compression

Conventional mean squared error based methods for objective image quality assessment are not well correlated with human evaluation. The design of better objective measures of quality has attracted a lot of attention and several image quality metrics based explicitly on the properties of the Human Visual System (HVS) have been proposed in recent years. However, only in a few cases has the performance of such metrics been demonstrated on real images. In accounting for visual masking, all these metrics assume that the multiple channels mediating visual perception are independent of each other. Recent neuroscience findings and psychophysical experiments have established that there is interaction across the channels and that such interactions are important for visual masking. In this work, we propose the Picture Distortion Metric (PDM) which integrates these new visual masking properties, and we evaluate its performance for image coding applications. We evaluate the performance at medium to high range of quality to predict subjective scores on a 0-10 numerical scale, and on a wide range of quality for the 1-5 CCIR impairment scale.
A First Principle Engine Model for Up-Front Design: Further Studies on Hydrodynamic Bearing Models

The design of a conceptually new engine system requires an engineering tool that can quickly estimate effects of the design changes on NVH and durability at the very onset of the engine design cycle. In (Ma, et al., 2000 and Ma and Perkins 2001), we presented an engine modeling template (EngTmp) to support up-front design of engine systems. The EngTmp employs a recursive formulation of multibody dynamics that leads to the minimum number of equations of motion to represent engine dynamics and vibration. The engine models generated from the EngTmp thus enjoy greater computational efficiency. The objective of this paper is to provide some further discussions on the hydrodynamic bearing models employed in the EngTmp and numerical results obtained recently for the sample engine. The attention will be focused on discussing effects of employing different hydrodynamic bearing models based on the Reynolds equation.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Effect of work-hour restriction on operative experience in cardiothoracic surgical residency training

Objective Resident work-hour regulations were instituted to improve patient care during resident training. Although initial data have not shown the intended benefit of limiting resident work hours, concern has developed as to whether resident operative experience has significantly decreased since instituting the work-hour restrictions. Methods Resident operative logs were reviewed for 3 training institutions in the western United States for residents graduating in the years 1999–2007. Residents were divided into pre–work-hour restriction (1999–2002) and post–work-hour restriction (2003–2007) groups. Thoracic, cardiac, and all combined cases were reviewed separately for all residents at yearly intervals. Statistical analysis was subsequently conducted. Results A total of 37 residents were identified from 3 different programs over the study period. Thoracic cases were lower during the first year of training but increased in the second and third years of training after work-hour restrictions (78 vs 42, 65 vs 72, and 102 vs 138; P = .17, P = .59, and P = .11, respectively). Cardiac cases were substantially lower during each year of training after work-hour restrictions (190 vs 153, 154 vs 108, and 116 vs 76; P = 0.15, P P = .001, respectively). Overall total cases were also lower over all years of residency after work-hour restrictions (251 vs 195, 219 vs 187, and 234 vs 214; P = .03, P = .049, and P = .59, respectively). Conclusions The overall volume of thoracic surgery cases was not significantly different after the implementation of the 80-hour work-week restriction. The total number of cardiac cases logged was substantially less during the same time period, and therefore as a result, the total number of cases performed after the implementation of the work-hour restrictions was also reduced. Although recent data have not shown an improvement in patient outcomes after restriction of resident work hours, we speculate that in a time of increasingly complex cases, reduction in resident case volumes caused by work-hour restrictions and decreasing cardiac cases might lead to inadequate operative experience.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES UNDERLYING ONTOGENETIC HABITAT SHIFTS IN A CORAL REEF FISH

Distribution of mobile animals may reflect decisions on how to balance conflicting demands associated with foraging and avoiding predators. A simple optimality model predicts that mobile animals should respond to changes in mortality risk (μ) and growth rate (g) by shifting habitats in a way that maximizes net benefits. In this study, field caging and tethering experiments quantified habitat-specific growth rates and mortality risk, respectively, for three different sizes of a coral reef fish, Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus), during its juvenile tenure in off-reef nursery habitats. These sizes bracketed the size at which this species undergoes an ontogenetic habitat shift from the interstices of macroalgal clumps (“algal habitat”) to areas outside, or adjacent to, macroalgae and other physically complex microhabitats (“postalgal habitats”). Experimental results were used in a cost–benefit analysis to test the following alternative (but not mutually exclusive) hypotheses: (1) juvenile grouper shift habitats in a way that maximizes growth rates (g); (2) juveniles shift habitats in a way that minimizes mortality (predation) risk (μ); and (3) if trade-offs exist between maximizing growth rate and minimizing mortality risk, juveniles shift habitats in a way that minimizes the ratio of mortality risk to growth rate (μ/g). Results suggested that small fish face a trade-off between living in the relatively safe algal habitat and achieving high growth rates in postalgal habitats. The value of μ/g was significantly lower in the algal than postalgal habitats for small fish, which typically reside in the algal habitat, and significantly lower in postalgal habitats for medium and large fish, which typically reside in postalgal habitats. Thus, habitat use by juvenile Nassau grouper was consistent with the “minimize μ/g hypothesis.” These results highlight how behavioral responses to ecological processes, such as changing predation risk with body size, determine distribution patterns of mobile animals.
Spatial variability of sulfate reduction in a shallow aquifer.

Summary The distribution and metabolic activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in a shallow, suboxic aquifer were studied. A radioimaging technique was used to visualize and quantify the activity of sulfate reducers in sediments at a centimetre-level scale. The distribution of SRB metabolic activity was heterogeneous with areas showing little activity far outnumbering areas with high activity. Variation in sulfate-reducing activity was not statistically correlated with variation in depth, bacterial numbers, or the following sediment properties: sediment type (sand, peat or silt), grain size, permeability and hydraulic conductivity. Sulfate-reducing bacteria activity did vary significantly with sediment porosity (multivariate analysis, r = 0.48). We hypothesized that the small pore sizes associated with sediments with low porosity restricted the ability of SRB to grow to high numbers as well as their access to nutrients. To further explore the relationship between pore size and microbial metabolic activity, columns with varying pore diameters were constructed. Sulfate-reducing bacteria in the columns with the smallest pore diameters had the lowest rates of metabolism and SRB metabolic rates increased as the pore diameter increased. For the aquifer studied, sediment porosities and pore sizes were the main factor controlling SRB activity.
An equivalent electrical circuit model for "sodium-transporting" epithelia in the steady-state.

Abstract An equivalent electrical circuit model for “Na-transporting” epithelia is described which provides a consistent framework for the interpretation of transepithelial and intracellular bioelectric parameters under steady-state conditions. The predictions of this model are qualitatively consistent with electrophysiologic data on amphibian skin and urinary bladder. In addition, these predictions suggest experimental approaches by which the resistances and driving forces of the “active Na transport pathway” across the mucosal and baso-lateral membranes can be defined quantitatively in terms of equivalent electrical analogues.
Recurrent thromboembolism, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and coumarin-induced skin necrosis associated with protein C deficiency.

Summary Defiency of protein C has been reported to be associated with recurrent thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and coumarin-induced skin necrosis and peripheral gangrene. That all of these serious and eventually lethal complications of protein C deficiency, including embolic myocardial infarction, may occur in the same person is the subject of this case report and description of pathological findings.
Modeling of diffusion with partitioning in stratum corneum using a finite element model

Partitioning and diffusion of chemicals in skin is of interest to researchers in areas such as transdermal penetration and drug disposition, either for risk assessment or transdermal delivery. In this study a finite element method is used to model diffusion in the skin's outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC). The SC is considered to be a finite two-dimensional composite having different diffusivity values in each medium as well as a partition coefficient at the interfaces between media. A commercial finite element package with thermal analysis capabilities is selected due to the flexibility of this software to handle irregular geometries. Partitioning is accommodated through a change of variables technique. This technique is validated by comparison of model results with analytical solutions of steady-state flux, transient concentration profiles, and time lag for diffusion in laminates. Two applications are presented. Diffusion is solved in a two-dimensional "brick and mortar" geometry that is a simplification of human stratum corneum, with a partition coefficient between corneocyte and lipid. Results are compared to the diffusion in multiple laminates to examine effects of the partition coefficient. The second application is the modeling of diffusion with partitioning through an irregular geometry which is obtained from a micrograph of hairless mouse stratum corneum.
Effects of stage of the menstrual cycle and gonadotrophins on luteinization of rhesus monkey granulosa cells in culture.

Granulosa cells harvested from large preovulatory follicles of rhesus monkeys at days 12–14 of the menstrual cycle luteinized in culture; they increased in size and cytoplasmic-nuclear ratio, accumulated numerous cytoplasmic granules and lipid droplets and secreted elevated levels of progestins (90–200 pg/cell/day) up to 6 days in culture. Progestin secretion rates and cell numbers decreased gradually after this time. Cells harvested from small 1 mm follicles did not luteinize. Cells harvested from intermediate-sized follicles of monkeys from day 7 t o 11 of the cycle luteinized partially or not at all. Addition of human LH or FSH alone to cultures of granulosa cells harvested from 1 mm follicles of monkeys at all stages of the cycle did not induce luteinization; however, a mixture of LH and FSH did induce luteinization in these cultures. In contrast, addition of human LH or FSH alone to cultures of granulosa cells harvested from medium-sized follicles of monkeys from day 7 to 11 of the cycle induced morp...
Influence of dual task constraints during walking for children

The effects of dual-task constraints on bimanual coordination and walking in three age groups: young (4-6 years old), middle (7-9 years old), and older groups (10-13 years old) were examined. Children were asked to first walk along a path (baseline condition) and then to walk along the same path while carrying a box steady and level (dual-task condition). The young group showed less bimanual coordination with less level and more variable normalized vertical box positioning (mean hand differences, young: 3.68%, middle: 2.42%, older: 1.61%), less correlated hand movements (mean correlation, young: r(8)=0.58, middle: r(8)=0.77, older: r(8)=0.79), and more elbow and shoulder joint excursion on the dominant side (all Ps<0.05). In addition, the young group had shorter stride lengths and less normalized anterior/posterior ground reaction forces under the dual-task condition than the baseline condition (all Ps<0.05). These findings indicate that 4- to 6-year-old children might still be developing their ability to perform activities requiring dual-task constraints that involve simultaneous use of the upper and lower extremities.
Expression and purification of recombinant tung tree diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2

Diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGATs) esterify sn-1,2-diacylglycerol with a long-chain fatty acyl-CoA, the last and rate-limiting step of triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis in eukaryotic organisms. At least 74 DGAT2 sequences from 61 organisms have been identified, but the expression of any DGAT2 as a partial or full-length protein in Escherichia coli had not been reported. The main objective of this study was to express and purify recombinant DGAT2 (rDGAT2) from E. coli for antigen production with a minor objective to compare rDGAT2 expression in yeast. A plasmid was engineered to express tung tree DGAT2 fused to maltose binding protein and poly-histidine (His) affinity tags. Immunoblotting showed that rDGAT2 was detected in the soluble, insoluble, and membrane fractions. The rDGAT2 in the soluble fraction was partially purified by amylose resin, nickel-nitrilotriacetic agarose (Ni-NTA) beads, and tandem affinity chromatography. Multiple proteins co-purified with rDGAT2. Size exclusion chromatography estimated the size of the rDGAT2-enriched fraction to be approximately eight times the monomer size. Affinity-purified rDGAT2 fractions had a yellow tint and contained fatty acids. The rDGAT2 in the insoluble fraction was partially solubilized by seven detergents with SDS being the most effective. Recombinant DGAT2 was purified to near homogeneity by SDS solubilization and Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Mass spectrometry identified rDGAT2 as a component in the bands corresponding to the monomer and dimer forms as observed by SDS-PAGE. Protein bands with monomer and dimer sizes were also observed in the microsomal membranes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing hemagglutinin-tagged DGAT2. Nonradioactive assay showed TAG synthesis activity of DGAT2 from yeast but not E. coli. The results suggest that rDGAT2 is present as monomer and dimer forms on SDS-PAGE, associated with other proteins, lipids, and membranes, and that post-translational modification of rDGAT2 may be required for its enzymatic activity and/or the E. coli protein is misfolded.
ETHANOL PRESERVATION OF FIRE ANTS ALLOWS RETROSPECTIVE SCREENING FOR SOLENOPSIS INVICTA VIRUS-1

Solenopsis invicta virus-1 (SINV-1) is a positive-strand RNA virus assigned to the Dicistroviridae (Mayo 2002) that appears to infect ants only in the Solenopsis genus (Valles et al. 2007). SINV1 infection has been associated with brood death among colonies of Solenopsis invicta, but whether it is the causative agent of mortality is not known (Valles et al. 2004). Thus, it is hoped that SINV-1 may be able to be exploited for use as a microbial control agent, or as a mode of delivering genes or inhibitors to study functional genomics in this ant pest. Because the virus was only recently discovered and it is the only currently known virus to infect S. invicta, basic knowledge about its biology is lacking. Epidemiologic and phylogenetic studies would certainly benefit if the virus could be examined in archived samples. To address this question, we archived SINV-1-positive S. invicta worker ants in 95% ethanol and tested the ants for the presence of SINV-1 on an irregular basis over a 2-year period. In addition, we examined 2propanoland ethanol-archived S. invicta samples from 1999 and 2001, respectively, for the presence of SINV-1. In February 2005, 2 groups of approximately 300 worker ants from a colony of S. invicta previously determined to be SINV-1-positive (collected from Gainesville, FL) were placed into a 7-ml scintillation vial containing 5 ml of 95% ethanol and stored at room temperature. On an irregular basis over the next 2 years, RNA was extracted from a group of 20 workers from each vial. RNA was extracted by the Trizol (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) method as described previously (Valles & Strong 2005). cDNA was synthesized and subsequently amplified by the One-Step RT-PCR kit (Invitrogen) with oligonucleotide primers p114 (5' CTTGATCGGGCAGGACAAATTC) and p116 (5' GAACGCTGATAACCAATGAGCC). Samples were considered positive for virus when a visible amplicon of anticipated size (646 nt) was present after separation on 1.2% agarose gel containing ethidium bromide. Positive and negative controls were included for each time point. RT-PCR was conducted in a PTC 100 thermal cycler (MJ Reearch, Waltham, MA) under the following optimized temperature regime: 1 cycle at 45'C for 30 min, 1 cycle at 94oC for 2 min, 35 cycles of 94?C for 15 s, 54?C for 15 s, 68'C for 30 s, followed by a final elongation step of 680C for 5 min. Additional alcohol-archived S. invicta ant samples from previous surveys of Florida were examined for the presence of SINV-1 by RT-PCR. Samples from 2001 were archived in 95% ethanol, and those from 1999 were archived in 70% 2-propanol. Table 1 summarizes the results of ethanol
Expanded prediction equations of human sweat loss and water needs

The Institute of Medicine expressed a need for improved sweating rate (msw) prediction models that calculate hourly and daily water needs based on metabolic rate, clothing, and environment. More than 25 years ago, the original Shapiro prediction equation (OSE) was formulated as msw (g.m(-2).h(-1))=27.9.Ereq.(Emax)(-0.455), where Ereq is required evaporative heat loss and Emax is maximum evaporative power of the environment; OSE was developed for a limited set of environments, exposures times, and clothing systems. Recent evidence shows that OSE often overpredicts fluid needs. Our study developed a corrected OSE and a new msw prediction equation by using independent data sets from a wide range of environmental conditions, metabolic rates (rest to 500 observations) by using a variety of metabolic rates over a range of environmental conditions (ambient temperature, 15-46 degrees C; water vapor pressure, 0.27-4.45 kPa; wind speed, 0.4-2.5 m/s), clothing, and equipment combinations and durations (2-8 h). Data are expressed as grams per square meter per hour and were analyzed using fuzzy piecewise regression. OSE overpredicted sweating rates (P 200 observations). OSEC and PW were more accurate predictors of sweating rate (58 and 65% more accurate, P<0.01) and produced minimal error (standard error estimate<100 g.m(-2).h(-1)) for conditions both within and outside the original OSE domain of validity. The new equations provide for more accurate sweat predictions over a broader range of conditions with applications to public health, military, occupational, and sports medicine settings.
Regulation of Aging and Age-Related Disease by DAF-16 and Heat-Shock Factor

The Caenorhabditis elegans transcription factor HSF-1, which regulates the heat-shock response, also influences aging. Reducing hsf-1 activity accelerates tissue aging and shortens life-span, and we show that hsf-1 overexpression extends lifespan. We find that HSF-1, like the transcription factor DAF-16, is required for daf-2–insulin/IGF-1 receptor mutations to extend life-span. Our findings suggest this is because HSF-1 and DAF-16 together activate expression of specific genes, including genes encoding small heat-shock proteins, which in turn promote longevity. The small heat-shock proteins also delay the onset of polyglutamine-expansion protein aggregation, suggesting that these proteins couple the normal aging process to this type of age-related disease.
Synthesis of high magnetic moment CoFe nanoparticles via interfacial diffusion in core/shell structured Co/Fe nanoparticles

We report the synthesis of high magnetic moment CoFe nanoparticles via the diffusion of Co and Fe in core/shell structured Co/Fe nanoparticles. In an organic solution, Co nanoparticles were coated with a layer of Fe to form a Co/Fe core/shell structure. Further raising the solution temperature led to inter-diffusion of Co and Fe and formation of CoFe alloy nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have high saturation magnetization of up to 192 emu/g CoFe and can be further stabilized by thermal annealing at 600 °C.
Tomographic imaging of the sun's interior

A new method is presented of determining the three-dimensional sound-speed structure and flow velocities in the solar convection zone by inversion of the acoustic travel-time data recently obtained by Duvall and coworkers. The initial inversion results reveal large-scale subsurface structures and flows related to the active regions, and are important for understanding the physics of solar activity and large-scale convection. The results provide evidence of a zonal structure below the surface in the low-latitude area of the magnetic activity. Strong converging downflows, up to 1.2 km s-1, and a substantial excess of the sound speed are found beneath growing active regions. In a decaying active region, there is evidence for the lower than average sound speed and for upwelling of plasma.
Loess landscapes could be major source of dust

Dust, which affects weather and climate and can be hazardous to health, can be generated when sand or silt grains are either dislodged from the surface by other windblown grains (saltation) or lifted by wind directly (direct entrainment). Direct entrainment of silt has been thought to generate only minimal quantities of dust, and atmospheric models that include dust usually assume that dust generation occurs through saltation.
Anchors away--of plaques and pathology in prion disease.

A recent study in a mouse model suggests that, by itself, prion-induced formation of amyloid plaques does not cause neurodegeneration.
Thrombospondin binding by human squamous carcinoma and melanoma cells: relationship to biological activity.

Abstract Human squamous carcinoma cells attach and spread on thrombospondin (TSP)-coated culture dishes but exhibit significant variability among individual cell lines in their degree of responsiveness. Using a highly responsive squamous carcinoma line and a cell line which is much less responsive (as well as a human melanoma cell line which does not respond at all in the adhesion assay), we have examined binding of exogenous radiolabeled TSP. The cells which were the most responsive to TSP in the adhesion assay bound the greatest amount of radiolabeled ligand. Binding was time- and dose-dependent, saturable, inhibitable with excess unlabeled TSP, reversible, and specific. The less-responsive squamous carcinoma cells bound only 25–30% of the amount of TSP bound by the highly responsive cells while the nonresponsive melanoma cells bound less than 10% of the amount bound by the highly responsive squamous carcinoma cells. Our previous studies (J. Varani et al. (1986) Exp. Cell Res.167, 376) have shown that the highly responsive squamous carcinoma cells also synthesized the greatest amount of TSP as indicated by biosynthetic labeling studies. The less-responsive squamous carcinoma cells were intermediate in synthetic activity and no synthetic activity was seen with the melanoma cells. These findings suggest that the amount of ligand bound may determine the degree of biological responsiveness and that endogenously synthesized TSP may be the source of that ligand.
Seed germination studies II. Pathways for starch degradation in germinating pea seedlings

Abstract Amylase activity is present in extracts of the axis tissue of etiolated pea seedlings. Several lines of evidence establish that this starch-hydrolyzing activity is due to the presence of a β-amylase (α-1,4-glucan maltohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.2); the properties of this enzyme are reported. Maltase (EC 3.2.1.20) activity is also present in extracts of the same tissues. Since α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) activity in the germinating cotyledon, the following hydrolytic pathway for the degradation of starch to glucose is present in the pea seedling: The importance of this pathway is considered in relation to the alternative route for starch catabolism, namely, the phosphorolytic pathway involving the enzyme phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1).
Ecological means of control of diarrhea

Abstract In summary, altered intestinal ecology is very important in the pathogenesis of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. Prevention of AAD has been demostrated with Lactobacillus GG, Enterococcus SF68 , and S. boulardii . While therapy with antibitics such as vancomycin or metranidazole is effective for PMC, relapse can occur and is difficult to treat. Antibiotics can be given, but another approach of restoring the normal colonic ecology may be more effective. Such therapy has included use of the nontoxigenic strains of C. difficile , rectal infusions of homologous feces or mixtures of bacteria, and oral administration of Lactobaccillus GG and the live yeast Saccharomyces boulardii . It is clear that many factors influence normal colonic homeostasis, including and individual's age, health, nutritions, medication, presence of gastrointentinal desease or surgery. The fetal flow is complex. Some factors related to C. difficile and disease production are known. For instance, only toxigenic strains cause disease, but rates of carrieage vary and not everyone with toxigenic strains of C. difficile will become ill. Studies of healthy volutenteers who took an oral cephalosporin antibiotic revealed that over 90% of them became colonized with C. difficile , and some excreted the organism for up to 26 days. Some volunteers had loose stools, but not was clinically ill[11]. Similary, neonates have a high rate of carriage of C. difficile and toxin (up to 60%), but usually are asymptomatic. Obviously, other factors besides presence of organism determine development of diseases. One such factor may the state of the immune system. In support of this are reports of recurrent C. difficile colitis in hypogammaglobulinemic children, and successful treatment of recurrent C. difficile colitis with intravenous gamma glubulin [51]. But recent studies of mucosal (secretory) IgA levels in C. difficile -associated diarrhea showed no clear-cut relaxationship of systemic or mucosol antibodies toxin A with the clinical course of C. Difficle infection [52] Other factors have not been explored, such as the influence of the diet. In addition, the intestinal flora may be allerted by bile acid production and/or pancreatics proteases.
Security Analysis of Accountable Anonymity in Dissent

Users often wish to communicate anonymously on the Internet, for example, in group discussion or instant messaging forums. Existing solutions are vulnerable to misbehaving users, however, who may abuse their anonymity to disrupt communication. Dining Cryptographers Networks (DC-nets) leave groups vulnerable to denial-of-service and Sybil attacks; mix networks are difficult to protect against traffic analysis; and accountable voting schemes are unsuited to general anonymous messaging.dissent is the first general protocol offering provable anonymity and accountability for moderate-size groups, while efficiently handling unbalanced communication demands among users. We present an improved and hardened dissent protocol, define its precise security properties, and offer rigorous proofs of these properties. The improved protocol systematically addresses the delicate balance between provably hiding the identities of well-behaved users, while provably revealing the identities of disruptive users, a challenging task because many forms of misbehavior are inherently undetectable. The new protocol also addresses several nontrivial attacks on the original dissent protocol stemming from subtle design flaws.
Measuring the volatility of wholesale electricity prices caused by wind power uncertainty with a correlation model

There is an increasing need to understand the impact of high-penetration wind power on various aspects of power system operation. This study presents a methodology to evaluate the impact of market price volatility on intermittent wind power. The proposed methodology first considers the uncertainty of wind power using a probabilistic distribution of wind speed in combination with the rated speed–MW curve. The correlation among different wind power plants is also modelled. With these statistical models, a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) approach can be used to assess the probabilistic distribution of the price signals, that is, the probabilistic locational marginal pricing (LMP) distribution. Since the computational effort of MCS is intensive, a lookup table is proposed as preprocessing to greatly simplify the MCS. The proposed approach is tested with the PJM 5-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system. Rules of thumb are drawn regarding the probabilistically calculated LMP and the correlation coefficients.
Ras responsive element binding protein-1 (RREB-1) down-regulates hZIP1 expression in prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND Normal prostate accumulates extremely high levels of zinc compared to other soft tissues. In contrast, the level of zinc in the prostate decreases significantly in prostate cancer. We have shown that down-regulation of the expression of the zinc transporter hZIP1 in prostate cancer is an important event that is responsible for the decrease of zinc levels. However, the mechanism of hZIP1 down-regulation is not known. We have hypothesized that hZIP1 is down-regulated through transcriptional regulation. METHODS The hZIP1 promoter was studied using luciferase reporter assays, site-directed mutagenesis, gel shift, and ChIP assay. RESULTS We have characterized a promoter region, downstream of the transcription start site, responsible for repression of hZIP1 transcription. We demonstrate that this region contains a binding site for the Ras-Responsive Element Binding protein 1 (RREB-1) and that the binding of RREB-1 to the hZIP1 promoter is involved in the decrease of hZIP1 transcription in PC-3 cells. CONCLUSION The Ras pathway and activation of RREB-1 are involved in hZIP1 down-regulation and may play a role in the decrease of the transporter expression in prostate cancer. Prostate 70: 288–296, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Carnivore olfactory bulb size allometry phylogeny and ecology

Olfactory bulb size was measured in 146 species of Carnivora in order to examine whether recently observed functional patterns for overall brain size were similar for component parts of the brain. Comparative measures were analysed in relation to various allometric characters (body, brain and skull size), phylogeny, behaviour and ecology. Olfactory bulbs are significantly and positively correlated with all allometric variables, but indices of skull size correlate slightly more closely than other variables. This probably relates to functional aspects of skull size, facial proportions, and anterior elements of the brain. Phylogenetic associations were examined by two comparative methods: the method of independent contrasts and phylogenetic autoregression. Both revealed similar phylogenetic correlation at generic and familial levels. Using calculated values from either method, relative olfactory bulb size only correlates with zonation among seven behavioural and ecological variables; aquatic otters have smaller bulb sizes than carnivores of other zonal types. This agrees with discussion about the diminution of olfactory communication in aquatic environments. Also, olfactory bulb size correlates with home range size, which is consistent with a recent model on the use of olfaction for foraging in designated home ranges. Generally, comparative differences in olfactory bulb size in carnivores do not associate with functional variables found in other comparative studies. Nevertheless, future analyses of specific brain components in mammals may be more useful than overall brain size for testing evolutionary hypotheses of mammalian brain size.
Accumulation and depuration of trace metals in Southern Toads, Bufo Terrestris, exposed to coal combustion waste

Accumulation and depuration of metals by an organism are underrepresented in the literature. We collected southern toads (Bufo terrestris) from coal by-product (ash)-contaminated and uncontaminated sites to examine metal concentrations over time. Toads were placed in four exposure regimes, then sacrificed periodically over a 5-month period, and whole-body metal levels were measured. Toads exposed to ash accumulated significant concentrations of metals. Metal concentrations changed throughout the experiment, and profiles of accumulation and depuration differed depending on the metal and exposure regime. Ash-exposed toads exhibited elevated levels of 11 of 18 metals measured. Increases ranged from 47.5% for Pb to more than 5000% for As. Eight of 18 metals did not change in control toads, while 10 of 18 metals decreased in toads removed from ash, ranging from −25% for Co to −96% for Tl. Seven metals that decreased in toads removed from ash did not change in control toads.
Calcium-induced Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum of pigs susceptible to malignant hyperthermia. The effects of halothane and dantrolene.

Abstract Calcium-induced calcium release and halothane-induced calcium release from pig sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) were studied. The SR prepared from pig susceptible to malignant hyperthermia (MH) was shown to release calcium at a much lower level of calcium content than in normal pig SR. The concentration above which halothane can release calcium is 40 μM for both MH-SR and normal SR, although the latter required a high calcium content to demonstrate the calcium release. Dantrolene was shown to inhibit the halothane-induced calcium release. Results suggests that SR plays an importnat role in pathogenesis of MH.
Heart transplant recipients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: outcomes from a single-center experience.

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides hemodynamic support in refractory cardiogenic shock and may be used after heart transplantation for primary graft dysfunction or rejection. We hypothesized that survival after ECMO support is contingent upon patient selection. Methods We examined consecutive adult heart transplant recipients at a single center who underwent transplantation between 1997 and 2009 and required ECMO support. Patients were divided by clinical presentation: pre-emptive therapy, escalating inotropic requirements despite support by intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP); and salvage therapy, cardiac arrest undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation with chest compressions. Results Between 1997 and 2009, there were 37 instances of ECMO use in 32 patients: 23 episodes (19 patients) for pre-emptive therapy and 14 episodes (14 patients) for salvage therapy; 1 patient had both pre-emptive and salvage therapy. Patients did not differ in age, gender or ischemic time. ECMO support was for a median 6 days in both groups, and the incidence of serious vascular complications was comparable (35% and 36%). In the pre-emptive therapy group, 15 episodes (79%) were associated with survival to hospital discharge and 5 patients (26%) were alive at 1 year. In the salvage therapy group, 2 episodes (14%) were associated with survival to hospital discharge and 1 patient (7%) was alive at 1 year. Conclusions ECMO support is a viable option for adult heart transplant recipients with severe rejection and refractory cardiogenic shock. To maximize the benefit of this aggressive approach in heart transplant recipients requires early intervention, with a heightened awareness of this option to facilitate expedited use.
High Speed High Power Spindles with Roller Bearings

Abstract The paper evaluates the characteristics associated with dynamic stiffness as well as those of temperature and power losses for spindles on cylindrical and tapered roller bearings. It is shown that successful designs can be obtained for speeds resulting in the characteristic number DN = 1 million.
Differential ratings of and maternal impact on anxiety and depression among African American children in special education

Abstract African American children are overrepresented in special education based on diagnoses of internalizing behaviors, such as anxiety and depression. Differential ratings of depression and anxiety between self-report and children's mothers and teachers have caused skepticism around the accuracy of teachers' ratings of signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression among African American children. If African American children are truly suffering from disproportionate rates of anxiety and depression, prevention and intervention efforts should be targeted to improve their mental health. According to the ecological systems theory and the social cognitive theory, children's mental health development is impacted by their environments and efficacy beliefs. This study aimed to see if teachers, mothers, and African American children in special education rate internalizing behaviors of children differently and to understand what factors impact these behaviors among African American children in special education. A secondary data analysis of a sample of 126 African American children in special education found that children's self-report of internalizing behaviors was significantly higher than mothers' and teachers' ratings of African American children's internalizing behaviors. Higher reports of mothers' mastery were associated with fewer internalizing behaviors of African American children in special education. In addition, African American girls were more likely to experience anxiety and depression than boys. There was not a statistically significant relationship between children's environment, receipt of the Nurse–Family Partnership intervention, and their internalizing behaviors.