cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gait adaptations in response to perturbations in adults with Down syndrome.

Abstract Objectives Ligamentous laxity, hypotonia and physiologic changes associated with aging lead to gait adaptations to increase control during comfortable unperturbed walking in adults with Down syndrome (DS). These changes appear at earlier ages than changes associated with aging in adults with typical development (TD) [1] . Here we describe gait adaptation and stability when gait is perturbed in relatively older adults with DS compared to their peers with TD. Participants A volunteer sample of 14 adults with DS and 14 adults with TD, all 35–65 years of age, participated. Methods We used 3D motion analysis to capture walking patterns at self-selected pace and in seven environmentally relevant perturbation conditions. We tested for group differences in gait parameters and amount of variability by condition: specifically percent stance, step width and stride length, velocity and frequency. To quantify overall change in gait parameters and variability from baseline to each condition, we created summative parameters of the overall percent change from baseline to each condition for each dependent variable. Results Adults with DS and TD made small but complex adjustments in gait parameters and variability in response to perturbations. Conclusions Overall adults in both groups maintained group differences in gait patterns while adapting well to anticipated perturbations.
Oral antiplatelet therapy for atherothrombotic disease: overview of current and emerging treatment options

Clinical presentations of atherothrombotic vascular disease, such as acute coronary syndromes, ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, and symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Platelet activation and aggregation play a seminal role in the arterial thrombus formation that precipitates acute manifestations of atherothrombotic disease. As a result, antiplatelet therapy has become the cornerstone of therapy for the prevention and treatment of atherothrombotic disease. Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a P2Y(12) adenosine diphosphate (ADP) receptor inhibitor, such as clopidogrel or prasugrel, is the current standard-of-care antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute coronary syndromes managed with an early invasive strategy. However, these agents are associated with several important clinical limitations, including significant residual risk for ischemic events, bleeding risk, and variability in the degree of platelet inhibition. The residual risk can be attributed to the fact that aspirin and P2Y(12) inhibitors block only the thromboxane A(2) and ADP platelet activation pathways but do not affect the other pathways that lead to thrombosis, such as the protease-activated receptor-1 pathway stimulated by thrombin, the most potent platelet agonist. Bleeding risk associated with aspirin and P2Y(12) inhibitors can be explained by their inhibitory effects on the thromboxane A(2) and ADP pathways, which are critical for protective hemostasis. Interpatient variability in the degree of platelet inhibition in response to antiplatelet therapy may have a genetic component and contribute to poor clinical outcomes. These considerations underscore the clinical need for therapies with a novel mechanism of action that may reduce ischemic events without increasing the bleeding risk.
A review on equivalent magnetic noise of magnetoelectric laminate sensors

Since the turn of the millennium, multi-phase magnetoelectric (ME) composites have been subject to attention and development, and giant ME effects have been found in laminate composites of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive layers. From an application perspective, the practical usefulness of a magnetic sensor is determined not only by the output signal of the sensor in response to an incident magnetic field, but also by the equivalent magnetic noise generated in the absence of such an incident field. Here, a short review of developments in equivalent magnetic noise reduction for ME sensors is presented. This review focuses on internal noise, the analysis of the noise contributions and a summary of noise reduction strategies. Furthermore, external vibration noise is also discussed. The review concludes with an outlook on future possibilities and scientific challenges in the field of ME magnetic sensors.
On a problem of Spencer

LetX1, ...,Xn be events in a probability space. Let ϱi be the probabilityXi occurs. Let ϱ be the probability that none of theXi occur. LetG be a graph on [n] so that for 1 ≦i≦n Xi is independent of ≈Xj‖(i, j)∉G≈. Letf(d) be the sup of thosex such that if ϱ1, ..., ϱn≦x andG has maximum degree ≦d then ϱ>0. We showf(1)=1/2,f(d)=(d−1)d−1d−d ford≧2. Hence\(\mathop {\lim }\limits_{d \to \infty } \)df(d)=1/e. This answers a question posed by Spencer in [2]. We also find a sharp bound for ϱ in terms of the ϱi andG.
P3-14-26: The Effect of Biologic Subtype in Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A UAB Experience.

Purpose: Previous studies have suggested that the pre treatment clinical stage drives loco-regional recurrence (LRR), distant metastasis (DM) and survival in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This retrospective analysis was performed to look at the effect of biologic subtype on patient outcomes. Methods: Between 1999 and 2005, 115 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and +/−radiation therapy at UAB were identified. Patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics were recorded. Pathologic complete response was defined as resolution of both invasive disease and DCIS in both the primary and nodal disease. Survival was measured using the Kaplan Meier statistics. Univariate and multivariate analyses of covariates associated with LRR, DM, progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed. Results: The mean age was 49 years, with a mean follow-up of 5.8 years. Subtype distribution was as follows: 52 luminal A, 17 luminal B, 36 triple negative, 9 Her2+ and one patient with an unknown biologic subtype. Distribution of clinical stage was as follows: 40 IIA, 34 IIB, 26 IIIA, 10 IIIB, and 5 IIIC. Tumors were down-staged following neoadjuvant therapy as follows: 18: pCR, 6: residual DCIS, 17: I, 38: IIA, 11: IIB, 13: IIIA, 5: IIIB, and 7: IIIC. Pre-treatment clinical stage did not significantly influence LRR, DM or progression free and overall survival; however, final pathologic T, N and group stage were associated with both progression free, p=0.003, 0.011, 0.005 and overall survival, p=0.02, 0.037, and 0.009. Complete resolution of tumor by mammographic or MR imaging to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, was associated with an increased overall survival, p=0.0025. Univariate analysis did not show a significant effect of biologic subtype, age, grade, use of radiation therapy or anti-hormonal therapy. Discussion: In this retrospective series, response to chemotherapy and the final pathologic stage, representing the volume of residual disease, were important predictors of survival. Further study to determine factors predictive of chemotherapy response is needed. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-14-26.
Further study of the genetic toxicity of gentian violet.

The genetic toxicity of gentian violet was studied with the Ames and the Rosenkranz bacterial assays as well as the cytogenetic assays (Chinese hamster ovary cells in vitro in the presence of rat-liver S-9 fractions, the chicken-embryo and mouse-bone-marrow cells in vivo). Gentian violet was found to be toxic but not mutagenic in the Ames assay. However, it was active in the Rosenkranz assay causing reparable DNA damage. The presence of S-9 in the in vitro cytogenetic assay and in the bacterial assays showed that the activity of gentian violet could be reduced or eliminated. In the in vivo assays, gentian violet was not clastogenic and failed to induce sister-chromatid exchanges. However, gentian violet proved to be highly toxic to growing chick embryos at high dosage and depressed mitotic activities in mouse bone marrow after prolonged treatment. Our study suggested that gentian violet can be inactivated by the liver detoxification system. However, it is potentially hazardous to cells that are exposed to the dye directly (e.g. skin epithelium and cell lining of the gastrointestinal tract).
Water Vapor Imagery: A New Observation for Weather Analysis

Water vapor imagery is now available routinely from weather satellites for use in meteorological operations. Research during the past 5 years has provided insight concerning the physical interpretation of this data under varying atmospheric moisture and temperature distributions. Investigations have also identified new applications for use in operational weather analysis and forecasting. The water vapor patterns and the changes of these patterns with time, relate to upper tropospheric flow, the jet stream, tropopause breaks, the intensification of thunderstorms, and tropical storm motion. Animated hourly water vapor imagery will become available next year for use by National Weather Service (NWS) field forecasters. It will provide them with a new diagnostic tool for short range forecasts.
Effect of Organic Matter Oxidation on the Fractionation of Copper, Zinc, Lead, and Arsenic in Sewage Sludge and Amended Soils

Long-term land application of sewage sludge (SS) has caused concern over the potential release of trace metals into the environment following the degradation of organic matter (OM). This study was performed to assess the impact of OM degradation on the relative distribution of Cu, Zn, Pb, and As in SS and SS-amended soils. Three SSs of different ages and two soils treated with SS were subjected to incubation and direct chemical oxidation using diluted HO, followed by a sequential extraction. The majority of Cu, Pb, and As were bound to OM, whereas the majority of Zn was bound with Fe/Mn oxides for all three SSs. Incubation of SS for 6 mo did not result in a substantial decrease in OM content or a change in the relative distribution of Cu, Zn, Pb, and As. Direct OM oxidation to 30 and 70% by diluted HO resulted in a significant decrease in organically bound Cu but increased its exchangeable, carbonate-bound, and Fe/Mn-bound fractions. Oxidation of OM slightly decreased organically bound Zn but significantly increased exchangeable Zn in all SSs. Oxide- and carbonate-bound Zn also decreased following OM oxidation. Exchangeable fractions of As and Pb were minute before and after OM degradation, indicating that release into the environment would be unlikely. The relative distribution of Cu, Zn, Pb, and As in SS-treated soils was similar to that of SS, suggesting a dominant role of SS properties in controlling metal distribution following OM oxidation. Overall, OM oxidation increased the mobility and bioavailability of Zn and Cu, whereas it had less impact on Pb and As.
RNA synthesis in the sex chromosomes of the opossum, Didelphis virginiana. I. Female.

Pour une etude quantitative de la synthese du RNA, nous avons utilise des chromosomes sexuels d'Opossum, morphologiquement faciles a distinguer en prophase et possedant des caracteres cytogenetiques inusuels. Les resultats suggerent que les deux chromosomesX des lymphocytes femelles sont actifs genetiquement (quoique l'un d'eux le soit moins que l'autre) pendant une courte periode du cycle de la cellule.
New methods for boundary value problems

Nonlinear two-point boundary value problems abound in the theory of the urine concentrating mechanism. Systems of order 50 are commonly considered. Various approaches to these problems have been employed including quasilinearization. Three difficulties have been noted with quasilinearization: 1) Large Jacobian matrices need to be evaluated at each integration step. 2) A large amount of memory is needed to store the temporary particular and complementary solution values. 3) The differential equations may be stiff and therefore difficult to integrate. A recent conceptual advance has made possible the automatic and exact evaluation of the gradient functions. This advance makes coding of the derivatives less prone to error and enables the derivatives to be evaluated efficiently. The memory constraint is overcome by storing the temporary function values on the disk. Since access to these values is sequential, the amount of time spent storing and retrieving the values from disk is minimal. The difficulty in integrating the differential equations can be solved by using an invariant imbedding technique, which has proven useful in the past for solving stiff counterflow problems.
Microflow Cytometer: Hydrodynamic Focusing and Separation of Sample Stream

Using grooves in the walls of a microchannel and two sheath streams, we have passively focused a sample stream in the center of the microchannel for optical analysis. Even though the sample stream is completely surrounded by sheath fluid, reversing the orientation of the grooves in the channel walls returns the sample stream to its original position with respect to the sheath streams. The use of this sheathing technique has already been demonstrated in a sensitive microflow cytometer; the unsheathing capability now provides the opportunity to recover particles from the sensor with minimal dilution or to recycle the sheath fluid for long-term unattended operation. The ability to reverse focused laminar flows opens a variety of options for combining target transport, processing and analysis procedures.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Ontogeny of immune responsiveness in the absence of the spleen: a review.

Abstract Controversy exists concerning the role of the spleen in the ontogeny of the immune system. Some experimental studies in the mouse have indicated that the spleen may influence both thymus and bone marrow cells to cooperate in the response to sheep erythrocytes; others have failed to find such influence. A review of the literature leads to the suggestion that the spleen may exert a rate-controlling influence on thymus maturation so that in the absence of the spleen in the neonatal period thymus development is delayed. A possible function of splenic suppressor cells in the ontogeny of immune responsiveness is also discussed.
Free-operant assessment of musical preference

Abstract Conjugate reinforcement was used as a contingency to assess musical preferences of two S s. Each S was involved in two experimental sessions, in which two different musical selections were constantly available. The S , provided with a hand switch, could select continuously the music of his choice by either responding or not responding. These hand-switch responses were graphically recorded, enabling the E to determine not only the individually preferred music, but the quantitative amount this option represented. These data revealed that each S responded in a manner indicative of a decided preference for one musical selection over another throughout each experimental session.
Serotonin-4 receptor antagonists reverse cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmia

The effect of the 5-HT4 antagonists GR113808A and GR125487D on cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmia was examined in the rat. Cocaine alone, given IV at a rate of 2 mgkg every 5 min, produced an initial increase in blood pressure followed by a severe drop in pressure and bradycardia. Sustained ventricular fibrillation was noted after 6–12 mgkg cocaine and quickly progressed to asystole. Pretreatment with both GR113808A and GR125487D antagonized these effects in a dose-dependent manner. When given after the onset of arrhythmia, both drugs reversed the cocaine-induced arrhythmia's. Thus, the 5-HT4 antagonists may be useful in the treatment of cocaine toxicity.
Diet and cancer: food additives, coffee, and alcohol.

(1982). Diet and cancer: Food additives, coffee, and alcohol. Nutrition and Cancer: Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 273-279.
5.8 GHz orientation-specific extruded-fin heatsink antennas for 3D RF system integration

In high-power RF transmitter applications, the heatsink can be used as an antenna for improved antenna performance and increased integration. Extruded-fin heatsink antennas designed at 5.8 GHz are orientation-specific when the heatsink base replaces the patch of a patch antenna. In this case, the orientation of the fins with respect to the patch edges plays a significant role in the antenna performance and must be considered. The results show that the heatsink antenna using a lossy, low-cost FR4 substrate increases the bandwidth from 3.1 to 17.6% and radiation efficiency from 62 to 87% compared with the patch antenna on the same substrate. Also, the orientation has a significant effect on the directivity, gain, and radiation pattern. By combining two functions into one structure, the component count in a system is reduced and the antenna performance can be improved. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 1826–1831, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23478
Molecular weight and shape of the phycocyanin hexamer

The hexamer of phycocyanin from Phormidium luridum has been isolated and purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and gel chromatography. The protein is characterized by the sedimentation constant S°20, w = 10.2S, the diffusion coefficient D20, w = 4.73 × 10−7 cm2/sec, and intrinsic viscosity [η] = 3.89 ml/g. The molecular weight of the aggregate is 209,000. The shape and dimensions of the hexamer are discussed in terms of a model consisting of subunits arranged with C6 symmetry. The monomers, assumed to be spherical, are found to have a radius of 22 A, and the diameter across the hexamer is 132 A. The latter figure agrees closely with dimensions observed in electron micrographs.
Expectancy Narratives and Interactional Contingencies

Successful social interaction requires that participants continually adjust their responses and expectations about others' responses to interactional contingencies. This article extends the analysis of expectations to include not just the anticipation of single responsive actions but also patterns of action that constitute what Schutz referred to as completed acts. Here, I suggest that when events render the future of the interaction problematic, individuals' expectations of the future take on a narrative form. These expectancy narratives provide a script for the formation of actions, which may be revised frequently over the course of the interaction in response to the actions of others. Analysis of responses to an unfolding vignette shows that both the content and structural form of such narratives vary in numerous ways in response to interactional contingencies and according to the gender of respondents.
Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3), a potential mediator of interleukin-6-dependent insulin resistance in hepatocytes

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of several pro-inflammatory cytokines implicated in insulin resistance during infection, cachexia, and obesity. We recently demonstrated that IL-6 inhibits insulin signaling in hepatocytes (Senn, J. J., Klover, P. J., Nowak, I. A., and Mooney, R. A. (2002) Diabetes 51, 3391-3399). Members of the suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family associate with the insulin receptor (IR), and their ectopic expression inhibits IR signaling. Since several SOCS proteins are induced by IL-6, a working hypothesis is that IL-6-dependent insulin resistance is mediated, at least in part, by induction of SOCS protein(s) in insulin target cells. To examine the involvement of SOCS protein(s) in IL-6-dependent inhibition of insulin receptor signaling, HepG2 cells were treated with IL-6 (20 ng/ml) for periods from 1 min to 8 h. IL-6 induced SOCS-3 transcript at 30 min with a maximum effect at 1 h. SOCS-3 protein levels were also markedly elevated at 1 h. Transcript and protein levels returned to near basal levels by 2 h. SOCS-3 induction by IL-6 paralleled IL-6-dependent inhibition of IR signal transduction. Ectopically expressed SOCS-3 associated with the IR and suppressed insulin-dependent receptor autophosphorylation, insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) tyrosine phosphorylation, association of IRS-1 with the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and activation of Akt. SOCS-3 was also a direct inhibitor of insulin receptor autophosphorylation in vitro. In mice exposed to IL-6 for 60-90 min, hepatic SOCS-3 expression was increased. This was associated with inhibition of hepatic insulin-dependent receptor autophosphorylation and IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. These data suggest that induction of SOCS-3 in liver may be an important mechanism of IL-6-mediated insulin resistance.
Behavioral evidence for dopaminergic supersensitivity after chronic haloperidol.

Abstract Chronic administration for 16 days of haloperidol (in increasing doses up to 20 mg/kg/day) results in a supersensitivity of dopamine receptors. This supersensitivity is manifested by an enhanced stereotypy and aggression in response to small, otherwise ineffective, doses of apomorphine. Maximum aggression is observed 7 days after the last dose of haloperidol when 2.5 mg/Kg of apomorphine is administered. In addition, “wet shakes”, reminiscent of withdrawal from morphine, are observed in these animals after the cessation of the haloperidol administration. These shakes are blocked by morphine. These results may be interpreted to mean that “wet shakes” and drug induced aggression are the results of hyperactivity of the dopaminergic system.
On p-permutation equivalences: Between Rickard equivalences and isotypies

Broue and Rickard defined in their landmark papers from 1990 and 1996 the notions of an isotypy and a splendid equivalence between p-blocks of finite groups. Here, we define a notion of equivalence, which we call a p-permutation equivalence, that implies an isotypy and is implied by a splendid equivalence. Moreover, we study properties of p-permutation equivalences.
Gender Differences in Monitoring and Deviant Peers as Predictors of Delinquent Behavior Among Low-Income Urban African American Youth

Juvenile delinquency is an ongoing social problem particularly among low-income urban youth who are regularly exposed to numerous risk factors. Although much research has been conducted in this are...
Content auditing using video signatures

The large amount of broadcast and multimedia distribution channels introduces a new challenge for the advertisement industry. Keeping track of ad placements and effectiveness is highly necessary. This paper introduces a novel method for content monitoring and control through the use of video signatures. A video tomography based video signature is used. The goal is to determine the number of times a particular advt. clip is included in a video stream. The proposed method is low complexity and can monitor video streams in real-time. The proposed method not only allows the monitoring of the broadcast transmission, but also permits the extraction of user statistical behavior if this solution is included in setup boxes.
The architecture of RNA polymerase fidelity.

Replicative or transcribing nucleic acid polymerases must produce complementary copies of nucleic acid templates by a mechanism that strikes a fine balance between fidelity and speed. For many of these enzymes, this is achieved by high selectivity for the correct substrate, with a proofreading step for removing incorrect nucleotides if the selection step fails (for a recent review see [1]). A number of options exist for proofreading by polymerases. DNA polymerases recognize noncomplementary base pairs and translocate them to a different domain or subunit of the enzyme for excision. For multisubunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs), detection and correction of nucleotide misincorporation both occur in the same active site: incorrect nucleotides may be released before they have been incorporated; or the misincorporation may cause the enzyme to pause and undergo an active site reorganization that, sometimes with the participation of extrinsic cofactors, favors a nucleolytic removal of RNA containing misincorporated substrates. In broad terms, it is thought that binding of the correct complementary nucleotide to the DNA template in the RNAP active site induces closure of the site, with the correct alignment of critical amino acids for the polymerization reaction and thus efficient catalysis (see Figure 5 of [2]). The critical component in this structural rearrangement is the trigger loop, a flexible element of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase (the β’ subunit in
Reactive molecular dynamic simulations of hydrocarbon dissociations on Ni(111) surfaces

Abstract Empirical potential parameters for H, C and Ni elements have been developed for the ReaxFF force field in order to study the decomposition of small hydrocarbon molecules on nickel using molecular dynamics simulations. These parameters were optimized using the geometrical and energetic information obtained from density functional (DFT) calculations on a subset of hydrogen and methane reactions with nickel (111) surfaces. The resulting force field was then used to obtain a molecular perspective of the dynamics of the methane dissociative adsorption on Ni(111) as well as two other small alkane molecules, ethane and n -butane. NVT simulations of dissociative adsorption of methane over a range of temperatures enabled the estimation of the sticking coefficient for the adsorption as well as the activation energy of the first C–H bond breaking. The rate constants of each elementary step (both forward and reverse) of CH x dissociation on Ni(111) were obtained by monitoring the surface species and a microkinetic model was constructed as a result. Qualitative analyses of the simulations of ethane and n -butane decompositions on Ni(111) demonstrate that such reactive MD technique can also be used to obtain useful information on complex reaction networks.
The culture of rat lenses in high sugar media: effect on mixed disulfide levels.

Lens proteins are long lived proteins with those in the center of the lens predating the birth of the individual. As a result, they are subject to a host of modifications and damage through a variety of mechanisms. Two such modifications have been proposed as primary events which could cause conformational changes potentiating further modifications. These are non-enzymatic glycation and mixed disulfide formation. Human lenses accumulate protein-thiol mixed disulfides of three kinds throughout the lifespan. The presence of one of these, protein-glutathione (PSSG) mixed disulfide has been shown to be intimately involved in protein aggregation. We have utilized ex vivo lens culture and in vitro incubations of purified γ-crystallin to evaluate the following hypotheses. A) Lenses cultured with a high sugar media will form higher mixed disulfide levels than controls; B) glycation of lens proteins will be dependent on initial mixed disulfide level. Xylose levels in the cultured lens rise rapidly (to 23 mM by 4 h...
Regulation of a novel gene encoding a lysyl oxidase-related protein in cellular adhesion and senescence.

We report here a novel cDNA clone with a predicted protein sequence similar to lysyl oxidase. This full-length cDNA clone of 3432 base pairs (WS9-14) was isolated from human fibroblasts on the basis of its overexpression in senescent cells. It encodes an 87-kDa polypeptide, whose protein is a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich family, because it contains four scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domains that are found in several secreted or cell surface proteins. The WS9-14 protein has a 48% identity with both lysyl oxidase and lysyl oxidase-like protein at a region corresponding to exons 2–, implying the existence of a lysyl oxidase gene family. The pattern of WS9-14 gene expression by fibroblasts parallels pro-collagen I-α1 expression. Its mRNA level is induced by transforming growth factor β-1 and indomethacin and inhibited by phorbol ester and retinoic acid. WS9-14 is abundantly expressed in all tumor cell lines examined that attach to culture dishes but not in cell lines that grow in suspension and is also up-regulated in senescent fibroblasts. These results suggest that WS9-14 gene encodes an extracellular protein that may be specifically involved in cell adhesion and senescence.
Biosynthesis of cholestanol: 5α-cholestan-3-one reductase of rat liver

The 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of rat liver which catalyzes the conversion of 5alpha-cholestan-3-one to 5alpha-cholestan-3beta-ol is localized mainly in the microsomal fraction. The enzyme required NADPH as hydrogen donor and differed from the known 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases of the C(19) series in being inactive in the presence of NADH. The microsomal preparations did not reduce the 3-keto groups of cholest-4-en-3-one, cholest-5-en-3-one, or 5beta-cholestan-3-one to the corresponding 3beta-hydroxy compounds. The conversion of 5alpha-cholestan-3-one to 5alpha-cholestan-3beta-ol was only slightly inhibited by the reaction product or by other monohydroxy steroids, but a strong inhibitory effect was noted with cholest-5-en-3-one, 5alpha-cholestane-3beta, 7alpha-diol and 5alpha-cholestan-7-on-3beta-ol. The microsomes, but not high speed supernatant solution, catalyzed the reverse of the cholestanone reductase reaction, namely the conversion of 5alpha-cholestan-3beta-ol to 5alpha-cholestan-3-one in the presence of oxygen and an NADP-generating system. The action of the microsomal preparations upon 5alpha-cholestan-3-one produced 5alpha-cholestan-3alpha-ol in addition to the 3beta-epimer. The 3-alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase involved functioned with either NADH or NADPH as hydrogen donor. The ratio of 5alpha-cholestan-3beta-ol to 5alpha-cholestan-3alpha-ol formed from 5alpha-cholestan-3-one was approximately 10:1 and was independent of the sex of the animal from which the microsomes were prepared.
Castration-induced upregulation of muscle ERα supports estrogen sensitivity of motoneuron dendrites in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system.

The spinal cord of rats contains the sexually dimorphic motoneurons of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB). In males, SNB dendrites fail to grow after castration, but androgen or estrogen treatment supports dendritic growth in castrated males. Estrogenic support of SNB dendrite growth is mediated by estrogen receptors (ER) in the target muscle. ERα expression in cells lacking a basal lamina (referred to as “extra-muscle fiber cells”) of the SNB target musculature coincides with the period of estrogen-dependent SNB dendrite growth. In the SNB target muscle, extra-muscle fiber ERα expression declines with age and is typically absent after postnatal (P) day 21 (P21). Given that estradiol downregulates ERα in skeletal muscle, we tested the hypothesis that depleting gonadal hormones would prevent the postnatal decline in ERα expression in the SNB target musculature. We castrated male rats at P7 and assessed ERα immunolabeling at P21; ERα expression was significantly greater in castrated males compared with normal animals. Because ERα expression in SNB target muscles mediates estrogen-dependent SNB dendrogenesis, we further hypothesized that the castration-induced increase in muscle ERα would heighten the estrogen sensitivity of SNB dendrites. Male rats were castrated at P7 and treated with estradiol from P21 to P28; estradiol treatment in castrates resulted in dendritic hypertrophy in SNB motoneurons compared with normal males. We conclude that early castration results in an increase in ERα expression in the SNB target muscle, and this upregulation of ERα supports estrogen sensitivity of SNB dendrites, allowing for hypermasculinization of SNB dendritic arbors. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 73: 921–935, 2013
The Idea Factory: An Interactive Intergroup Exercise

This article outlines the Idea Factory exercise, an interactive exercise designed to help participants examine group, individual, and organizational factors that affect intergroup conflict. Specific emphasis is placed on exploring the relationship between intra- and intergroup dynamics and identifying managerial practices that foster effective collaboration. The article reviews the relevant literature on intergroup dynamics and includes detailed directions for implementing and debriefing the exercise. The appendixes include facilitator(s) notes, participant instructions, debriefing suggestions, and sample agendas. The article concludes with the results of a participant survey, providing evidence that the Idea Factory exercise achieves its learning objectives.
Auto-tuning of PID controllers via extremum seeking

The proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is widely used in the process industry, but to various degrees of effectiveness because it is sometimes poorly tuned. The goal of this work is to present a method using extremum seeking (ES) to tune the PID parameters such that optimal performance is achieved. ES is a non-model based method which searches on-line for the parameters which minimize a cost function; in this case the cost function is representative of the controllers performance. Furthermore, this method has the advantage that it can be applied to plants in which there is no knowledge of the model. We demonstrate the ES tuning method on a cross section of plants typical of those found in industrial applications. The PID parameters are tuned based on the results of step response simulations to produce a response with minimal settling time and overshoot. Additionally, we have compared these results to those found using other tuning methods widely used in industry.
On the edge location error for local maximum and zero-crossing edge detectors

Examines the localization criterion for edge detection and determine the probability density function describing the edge location error. Canny (1986) defines the measure of localization as the reciprocal of the root-mean-square edge location error and formulates an expression of this measure for local maximum detectors. However, Tagare and deFigueiredo (1990) point out that an incorrect assumption is made in the calculation. The same procedure is used by Sarkar and Boyer (1991) for their localization measure for zero-crossing detectors. We modify the analysis and obtain a closed-form solution of the probability density function of the edge location error. Examination of the density function indicates the variance of the edge location error does not exist, and hence cannot be used directly as a measure of localization. >
Plant genomics: Present state and a perspective on future developments

The year 2001 may well be called the Year of the Human Genome. Less in the limelight, but equally exciting for plant scientists, is the rapid progress in plant genomics. With relatively modest resources, a lot has been achieved. The Arabidopsis genomic sequence (125 megabases [Mb]) is essentially finished, and rice sequencing is progressing rapidly. For many species, expressed sequence tag (EST) resources are plentiful, allowing broad inter-specific comparisons. At the same time, development of integrated physical-genetic maps for large-genome crop species is not progressing as rapidly as desired, while resources for the complete sequencing of these crops are not likely to become available. Some important plant genomes are so large that their complete sequencing may not be practical for many years. Significant plant genome research is concentrated in industry, and not freely available, creating some frustration in the academic community. Growing interest is anticipated in the development of metabolic profiling technologies, RNA profiling, proteomics and integrated systems approaches to plant biology.
ent-Kaurane-based regio- and stereoselective inverse electron demand hetero-Diels-Alder reactions: synthesis of dihydropyran-fused diterpenoids.

A mild and concise approach for the construction of a 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran ring integrated into the A-ring of the natural product oridonin using an optimized inverse electron demand hetero-Diels–Alder (IED HDA) reaction is reported herein. A self-dimerization of the exocyclic enone installed in the A-ring through a homo-HDA reaction was identified to exclusively give a dimeric ent-kaurane diterpenoid with the spirochroman core. Moreover, efficient cross-HDA cycloadditions of this enone with various vinyl ethers or vinyl sulfides, instead of its own homo-HDA dimerization, were achieved in a regio- and stereoselective manner, thus providing access to novel dihydropyran-fused diterpenoids as potential anticancer agents to overcome chemoresistance.
A Taper to Reduce the Straight-to-Bend Transition Loss in Compact Silicon Waveguides

Strong confinement of light in silicon waveguides allows for sharp bends and, as a result, high-density integration. However, the mode transition loss between the straight and bent portions of a silicon waveguide begins to affect the device performance when the bending radius becomes small. In this letter, we show that a transition region with a step taper between the straight and bent portions of the waveguide can effectively reduce this transition loss. This is demonstrated by measuring the intrinsic round-trip losses of micro-racetrack resonators, where ultralow loss can be precisely characterized according to the quality (Q)-factor change. The results show that the taper can suppress the transition loss from 0.016 to 0.0022 dB for a 4.5-μ m bend radius. Consequently, we improve the Q-factor of such a racetrack resonator from 31 000 to 87 000.
Developmental Aggregation of Myxococcus xanthus Requires frgA, an frz-Related Gene

Myxococcus xanthus is a gram-negative bacterium which has a complex life cycle that includes multicellular fruiting body formation. Frizzy mutants are characterized by the formation of tangled filaments instead of hemispherical fruiting bodies on fruiting agar. Mutations in the frz genes have been shown to cause defects in directed motility, which is essential for both vegetative swarming and fruiting body formation. In this paper, we report the discovery of a new gene, called frgA (for frz-related gene), which confers a subset of the frizzy phenotype when mutated. The frgA null mutant showed reduced swarming and the formation of frizzy aggregates on fruiting agar. However, this mutant still displayed directed motility in a spatial chemotaxis assay, whereas the majority of frz mutants fail to show directed movements in this assay. Furthermore, the frizzy phenotype of the frgA mutant could be complemented extracellularly by wild-type cells or strains carrying non-frz mutations. The phenotype of the frgA mutant is similar to that of the abcA mutant and suggests that both of these mutants could be defective in the production or export of extracellular signals required for fruiting body formation rather than in the sensing of such extracellular signals. The frgA gene encodes a large protein of 883 amino acids which lacks homologues in the databases. The frgA gene is part of an operon which includes two additional genes, frgB and frgC. The frgB gene encodes a putative histidine protein kinase, and the frgC gene encodes a putative response regulator. The frgB and frgC null mutants, however, formed wild-type fruiting bodies.
Recognizing Planned, Multiperson Action

Multiperson action recognition requires models of structured interaction between people and objects in the world. This paper demonstrates how highly structured, multiperson action can be recognized from noisy perceptual data using visually grounded goal-based primitives and low-order temporal relationships that are integrated in a probabilistic framework.The representation, which is motivated by work in model-based object recognition and probabilistic plan recognition, makes four principal assumptions: (1) the goals of individual agents are natural atomic representational units for specifying the temporal relationships between agents engaged in group activities, (2) a high-level description of temporal structure of the action using a small set of low-order temporal and logical constraints is adequate for representing the relationships between the agent goals for highly structured, multiagent action recognition, (3) Bayesian networks provide a suitable mechanism for integrating multiple sources of uncertain visual perceptual feature evidence, and (4) an automatically generated Bayesian network can be used to combine uncertain temporal information and compute the likelihood that a set of object trajectory data is a particular multiagent action.The recognition method is tested using a database of American football play descriptions and manually acquired but noisy player trajectories. The strengths and limitations of the system are discussed and compared with other multiagent recognition algorithms.
Initiation and persistence of alcohol use in United States Black, Hispanic, and White male and female youth

BACKGROUND: The relation between early and frequent alcohol use and later difficulties is quite strong. However, the degree that alcohol use persists, which is often a necessary cause for developing alcohol-related problems or an alcohol use disorder, is not well studied, particularly with attention to race and gender. A novel statistical approach, the Multi-facet Longitudinal Model, enables the concurrent study of age of initiation and persistence. METHODS: The models were applied to longitudinal data on youth alcohol use from ages 12 through 19, collected in the (U.S.) National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort (N=8984). RESULTS: Results confirmed that Black adolescents initiate alcohol use at later ages than do White youth. Further, after initiation, White adolescents were substantially more likely than Black adolescents to continue reporting alcohol use in subsequent years. Hispanic teens showed an intermediate pattern. Gender differences were more ambiguous, with a tendency for boys to be less likely to continue drinking after initiation than were girls. CONCLUSIONS: Novel findings from the new analytic models suggest differential implications of early alcohol use by race and gender. Early use of alcohol might be less consequential for males who initiate alcohol use early, Black, and Hispanic youth than for their female and White counterparts. Language: en
Optimization of simulation models with GADELO: a multi-population genetic algorithm

In this paper, a new Genetic Algorithm based on the Dynamic Exploration of Local Optima (GADELO) was used to estimate the parameters of the MRD (Micro-population model of Risk-group Dynamics) micro-population model for smoking cessation by minimizing a deviation function between the model's predictions and the smoking cessation data of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). The efficiency and accuracy of the GADELO estimations were consistently superior to those obtained using the standard genetic algorithm or the simplex algorithm of Nelder-Mead.
Effect of filter bandwidth and spectral sampling rate of analysis filterbank on automatic phoneme recognition

In this study we investigate the effect of filter bandwidth and spectral sampling rate of analysis filterbank for speech recognition. Two experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of an automatic phoneme recognition system on clean speech and speech in noise as the filter bandwidth increases from 0.5 to 3.5 ERB and the spectral resolution changes from 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, to 6 samples per Bark. Results indicate that the optimum filter bandwidth varies for different speech sounds at different frequency ranges. A spectral sampling of 4 filters per Bark with the filter bandwidth being ≈ 1 ERB produces the best performance on average.
The Seat at the Table Problem: Broadening Reception for Historians of Medicine and Public Health.

In “Making the Case for History in Medical Education,” David Jones et al. identify a promising inroad for the history of medicine into the medical curriculum: the ability to satisfy multiple curricular competencies. Alongside the field’s virtues, however, they discuss persistent difficulties with inconsistent funding, curricular time, and qualified instructors that reflect a lower priority for history in medical education. Their essay addresses one dimension of what I call the Seat at the Table Problem: the frustration historians face in proving their importance and weaving their way into nonhistory circles, both inside and outside the academy. Here, I explore the problem further by moving the discussion beyond medical schools and into health policy and public health. But I examine the history discipline itself as well and ask whether it is doing everything it can when it comes to training students who can widen the discipline’s reception and appeal, especially at a time when history and the humanities’ relevance are being called into question. I base these remarks on my own recent experience as a graduate student, and some are more impressionistic, meant as fodder for further debate. The more critical observations, in fact, arise from a longstanding sense of what I wish I could do better as a scholar but cannot. In , I received a degree from a traditional history department but did so in a less orthodox way, earning a Masters in Public Health (M.P.H.) simultaneously. During my last two years of graduate school, the United States Department of Education funded my studies, and afterwards, I left for a two-year postdoctoral fellow in a school of medicine and public health. The program requirements of all three meant that I took courses and interacted with as many nonhistorians as historians. In these orbits, I soon noticed—whether attending seminars on changing Medicare reimbursement or reading Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports for class—that historians were not nearly as Commentaries 
Quality and Cost of Diabetes Mellitus Care in Community Health Centers in the United States

Objective To examine variations in the quality and cost of care provided to patients with diabetes mellitus by Community Health Centers (CHCs) compared to other primary care settings.
Soybean Nodulin-26: A Channel Protein Conserved from Bacteria to Mammals

Nodulin-26 is an intrinsic membrane protein of the peribacteroid membrane in soybean root nodules. This protein contains six transmembrane domains and forms an ion channel translocating specific molecules to the bacteroids. We have determined the topology of this protein by co-translational processing and protease protection experiments. Our results suggest that the carboxy and amino termini of this protein face the cytoplasm while the glycosylation site at amino acid position 150 is located on the surface facing the bacteroids. Two transmembrane domains are sufficient for the integration of nodulin-26 into the membrane as revealed by deletion analysis. Nodulin-26 is phosphorylated by a kinase located in the peribacteroid membrane. The phosphorylation mechanism may allow nodulin-26 to be an active channel.
Capital Markets and Sustainable Real Estate: What Are the Perceived Risks and Barriers?

This paper examines the perceptions of the real estate capital market players regarding green buildings. Through an online survey of lenders, equity investors, and developers, the study collects an...