cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protective Role of the Angiotensin AT2 Receptor in a Renal Wrap Hypertension Model

Abstract —We evaluated the role of the renal angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor in blood pressure regulation in rats with 2-kidney, 1 figure-8 wrap (Grollman) hypertension. Renal wrapping increased systolic blood pressure (SBP). Renal interstitial fluid (RIF) bradykinin (BK), nitric oxide end-products (NOX), and cGMP were higher in the contralateral intact kidney than in the wrapped kidney. In rats with Grollman hypertension, losartan normalized SBP and increased renal function, RIF BK, NOX, and cGMP only in contralateral kidneys. In contrast, PD 123319, a specific AT2-receptor antagonist, significantly increased SBP and decreased RIF BK, NOX, and cGMP in both kidneys. Combined administration of losartan and PD 123319 prevented the decrease in SBP and the increase in RIF BK, NOX, and cGMP levels observed with losartan alone. BK-receptor blockade caused a significant increase in RIF BK and a decrease in RIF NOX and cGMP in both kidneys similar to that observed during administration of PD 123319. In rats that underwent sham operation, RIF BK increased in response to angiotensin II, an effect that was blocked by PD 123319. These data demonstrate that angiotensin II mediates renal production of BK, which, in turn, releases nitric oxide and cGMP via stimulation of AT2 receptors. The increase in blood pressure and the decrease in renal BK, nitric oxide, and cGMP during AT2-receptor blockade suggests that the AT2 receptor mediates counterregulatory vasodilation in Grollman hypertension and prevents a further increase in blood pressure.
Phosphorylation of bovine prolactin eliminates luteotropic activity in the rat.

Abstract Phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated prolactins were isolated from bovine pituitaries and their luteotropic activity determined in female rats. Three groups of rats in day 1 of diestrus were treated ip twice daily for three days with 0.25 mg of either prolactin preparation or vehicle. Rats were sacrificed each day of treatment. Serum progesterone concentrations of the groups receiving vehicle or phosphorylated prolactin were similar and the vaginal cytology of these animals indicated that phosphorylated bovine prolactin (bPRL) treatment had not prolonged diestrus. Treatment with nonphosphorylated bPRL significantly increased serum progesterone concentration and the vaginal cytology indicated a diestrus prolonged for up to 4 days. Nonphosphorylated and phosphorylated bPRLs were cleared from the blood at similar rates after ip injection. In vitro receptor binding studies demonstrated that phosphorylated bPRL did not bind the ovarian prolactin receptor. Nonphosphorylated, but not phosphorylated, bPRL competed with radiolabeled bovine hormone for occupancy of rat ovarian prolactin receptors. These data are the first to test the activities of phosphorylated bPRL in vivo and indicate; 1) nonphosphorylated bPRL is luteotropic, 2) phosphorylated bPRL is neither luteotropic nor a prolactin receptor agonist or antagonist and 3) phosphorylated bPRL is not dephosphorylated in vivo rapidly enough to provide sufficient biologicallyactive bPRL to maintain luteal function.
The Forgotten Side of School Finance Equity: The Role of Infrastructure Funding in Student Success.

Traditionally, local school districts have shouldered the burden of funding school infrastructure in the name of local control, relying upon local prop erty tax revenues and the willingness of local voters to approve bond issues. Given vast disparities in school districts' property wealth, gross inequities in school facilities will remain without new state or federal funding. With emerg ing research establishing the critical role of the physical environment of schools in student success, adequate and equitable funding of infrastructure takes on new urgency.
Accelerated re-entrainment to advanced light cycles in BALB/cJ mice

Circadian rhythms in mammals are coordinated by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus, which are most potently synchronized to environmental light-dark cycles. Large advances in the light-dark cycle typically yield gradual advances in activity rhythms on the order of 1-2h per day until re-entrainment is complete due to limitations on the circadian system which are not yet understood. In humans, this delay until re-entrainment is accomplished is experienced as jetlag, with accompanying symptoms of malaise, decreased cognitive performance, sleep problems and gastrointestinal distress. In these experiments, locomotor rhythms of BALB/cJ mice monitored by running wheels were shown to re-entrain to large 6- or 8-hour shifts of the light-dark cycle within 1-2 days, as opposed to the 5-7 days required for C57BL/6J mice. A single-day 6-hour advance of the LD cycle followed by release to constant darkness yielded similar phase shifts, demonstrating that exaggerated re-entrainment is not explained by masking of activity by the light-dark cycle. Responses in BALB/cJ mice were similar when monitored instead by motion detectors, indicating that wheel-running exercise does not influence the magnitude of responses. Neither brief (15 min) light exposure late during subjective nighttime nor 6-hour delays of the light-dark cycle produced exaggerated locomotor phase shifts, indicating that BALB/cJ mice do not merely experience enhanced sensitivity to light. Fos protein was expressed in cells of the SCN following acute light exposure at ZT10 of their previous light-dark cycle, a normally non-responsive time in the circadian cycle, but only in BALB/cJ (and not C57BL/6J) mice that had been subjected two days earlier to a single-day 6-hour advance of the light-dark cycle, indicating that their SCN had been advanced by that treatment. BALB/cJ mice may thus serve as a useful comparative model for studying molecular and physiological processes that limit responsiveness of circadian clocks to photic input.
Variations in Rodent Models of Type 1 Diabetes: Islet Morphology

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by hyperglycemia due to lost or damaged islet insulin-producing β -cells. Rodent models of T1D result in hyperglycemia, but with different forms of islet deterioration. This study focused on 1 toxin-induced and 2 autoimmune rodent models of T1D: BioBreeding Diabetes Resistant rats, nonobese diabetic mice, and Dark Agouti rats treated with streptozotocin. Immunochemistry was used to evaluate the insulin levels in the β -cells, cell composition, and insulitis. T1D caused complete or significant loss of β -cells in all animal models, while increasing numbers of α -cells. Lymphocytic infiltration was noted in and around islets early in the progression of autoimmune diabetes. The loss of lymphocytic infiltration coincided with the absence of β -cells. In all models, the remaining α - and δ -cells regrouped by relocating to the islet center. The resulting islets were smaller in size and irregularly shaped. Insulin injections subsequent to induction of toxin-induced diabetes significantly preserved β -cells and islet morphology. Diabetes in animal models is anatomically heterogeneous and involves important changes in numbers and location of the remaining α - and δ -cells. Comparisons with human pancreatic sections from healthy and diabetic donors showed similar morphological changes to the diabetic BBDR rat model.
Measuring Performance: An Introduction to Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

Abstract Data Envelopment Analyses (DEA) is a methodology that has been used to evaluate the efficiency of entities (e.g., programs, organizations etc.) which are responsible for utilizing resources to obtain outputs of interest. It has been used to evaluate activities as varied as public schools, hospital surgical units, and real-property maintenance for the U.S. Air Force. DEA is a fractional programming model that can include multiple outputs and inputs without recourse to a priori weights (as in index number approaches) and without requiring explicit specification of functional relations between inputs and outputs (as in regression approaches). It computes a scalar measure of efficiency and determines efficient levels of inputs and outputs for the organizations under evaluation.
End-user computing environments—finding a balance between productivity and control

Abstract Finding a proper balance between productivity and control is critical for maintaining an effective end-user computing environment. This paper surveys problems associated with productivity in end-user computing environments including their causes and organizational impacts. Controls are recommended to overcome the problems and thereby enhance productivity.
Heating Characteristics of Homogeneous Milk‐Based Formulas in Cans Processed in an Agitating Retort

Milk-based formulas with proximate analyses similar to infant formulas were heated to determine influence of headspace, reel speed, solids content, and consistency on Fo. Concentrations with 12.5, 25, and 30% solids were heated in three can sizes. Increasing Steritort rpm from 3.4 to 10.9 for 307 × 710 cans (12.5% solids) had greatest effect; the Fo increased from 9.8 to 12.3. The same increase in rpm for a continuous retort would reduce Fo from 9.8 to 2.0 because of reduced processing time. Solids content and consistency influenced heating, but variations in consistency of a given concentration had no measurable effect on Fo. Headspace influenced heating for each concentration, but was not as critical as for more viscous products.
Maryland adults' knowledge of oral cancer and having oral cancer examinations.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine (1) knowledge of risk factors for oral cancer, (2) knowledge of signs and symptoms of oral cancers, and (3) factors associated with having had an oral cancer examination among 916 Maryland adults 18 years of age and older. METHODS A statewide, random-digit dial, computer-assisted telephone survey was conducted. The pretested instrument consisted of 32 questions that required 12 minutes to complete. RESULTS Overall, level of knowledge about risk factors for and signs and symptoms of oral cancers was low; misinformation was high. Although 85 percent reported hearing about oral or mouth cancer, only 28 percent of the respondents reported having had an oral cancer examination. Of these, 20 percent had the exam during the past year--the recommended frequency for persons 40 years of age or older. In logistic regression analysis, adults more likely to have had an oral cancer examination included those who thought personal behavior causes more cancer than environmental factors; had more knowledge about risk factors for oral cancer; and were 40-64 years of age, white, and better educated than their counterparts (P < .05). The primary reasons for not having an exam were "no reason/didn't know I should" and "doctor/dentist didn't recommend." CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate a need for interventions designed to increase knowledge levels of risk factors for, signs, and symptoms of oral cancers and the need for oral cancer examinations; and to increase oral cancer examinations.
Dramatic Functional Improvement Following Bariatric Surgery in a Patient With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Morbid Obesity

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and morbid obesity both dramatically impair functional capacity. New therapies have emerged for both conditions, including pharmaceutical agents for the former and bariatric surgery for the latter. The presence of both conditions simultaneously, however, may limit the applicability and effectiveness of these therapies. We report a case of a morbidly obese patient with severe PAH and functional impairment. A three-drug combination regimen consisting of oral bosentan and sildenafil, and inhaled iloprost produced sufficient hemodynamic improvement to allow for the performance of bariatric surgery. Over the subsequent 7 months, body weight, oxygen requirement, functional class, and 6-min walk distance all improved dramatically despite the persistence of PAH. While such surgery is typically denied to patients with PAH, we suggest that aggressive medical therapy for patients with PAH may allow for its safe performance, and that the clinical improvement resulting from the subsequent weight loss may be quite dramatic.
Commentary on: A complete subperichondrial dissection with management of the nasal ligaments.

The authors describe a new rhinoplasty operation that is entirely subperichondrial and preserves both Pitanguy’s ligament and the scroll ligament. They believe that dissection in the subperichondrial plane is less traumatic than in the sub-superficial musculoaponeurotic system (sub-SMAS) or subcutaneous plane and that restoring the integrity of the ligaments minimizes the potential for a supratip problem and helps restore valvular function. In 228 cases, they had only a 5% revision rate. What is exciting about the subperichondrial approach is that it is theoretically the best plane for dissection. Since the subperichondrial approach is best for the septum, why should it not be best for the rest of the nose? Moreover, restoration of normal anatomy (repairing the ligaments) is one of the most fundamental tenets of surgery. The authors extend the known anatomy of the nose established by Daniel1,2 one step further and make us aware of the importance of the scroll ligament for valvular function, which has never been emphasized this much before.3,4 The authors also make us aware of the importance of Pitanguy’s ligament. Finally, we are impressed that they are able to perform this type of delicate surgery. We do believe that most surgeons use a subperichondrial approach on the tip cartilages as they open the nose. However, as the upper lateral cartilages (ULC) are reached, the dissection becomes supraperichondrial because it has generally been considered too much effort to follow the perichondrium into the interstices of the scroll and get under the perichondrium of the ULC. We found that the authors are correct in that the …
The structure of tetramethyl μ‐monothiopyrophosphate

The compound tetramethyl μ-monothiopyrophosphate (C4H12O6P2S) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C 2/c, with (at -130°C) a = 10.322 A, b = 8.229 A, c = 12.062 A, β = 98.44°, and Dcalc = 1.639 g/mL3 and Z = 4. The crystal structure has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction to give a final R value of 0.0329 for 614 independent observed reflections [F˚ > 2.5σ(F˚)]. The sulfur atom resides on a crystallographic two-fold axis. The PSP bond angle is 105.4° and the PS bond lengths are 2.093 A. The bond angles around phosphorus range from 99.1° to 118.2°. The terminal PO bond is 1.465 A, and the methoxyl PO bond is about 1.556 A. The H3COP bond angle is about 119.5°. Many structural features are interpreted in terms of π-bonding to phosphorus. Comparisons with the structures of pyrophosphate and related compounds indicate that the combined effects of increased acuteness of the PSP bond and the increased length of the P—S bonds lead to an increase of about 0.4 A in the separation of phosphorus atoms in the sulfur-bridging compound. These facts, together with the weakness of the PS bond, must be taken into account in the interpretation of kinetic data for enzymatic reactions of phosphorothiolates as substrates in place of phosphates.
Comparison of results of stent implantation in small (<20 kg) children versus larger children with pulmonary artery stenoses.

Abstract Our results suggest that even though complications may be more frequent in smaller patients, PA stent implantation can be performed in children who weigh
Stiffness matrix method for foot force distribution of walking vehicles

A general method, called the stiffness matrix method, is developed to determine the foot forces of walking vehicles, taking into account the elasticity of the leg structures, the actuating systems, and the terrain. Also derived are the analytical expressions of the stiffness matrix for the popular pantograph-type legs when only the leg elasticity is considered. The method is effective and well suited for real-time control by onboard microcomputers since the major computation involved is only the solution of a linear system of six equations. As an example of its application, a quadruped walking chair is analyzed in terms of this approach. >
Mantle cell lymphoma: an update on management

Although response rates are increased, the addition of rituximab to induction chemotherapy has not yet been proven to extend the progression-free and overall survival benefits of chemotherapy alone. In first remission, high-dose therapy plus stem cell rescue improves time to treatment failure and progression-free survival when compared with maintenance interferon alpha. However, relapse rate does not reach a plateau. Radioimmunotherapy has substantial single-agent activity and when combined with chemotherapy may provide a platform onto which rituximab or autologous stem cell transplantation can be added. Targeted therapies are also showing promise and may have a role in maintenance and/or initial therapy.
Identification of a Genomic Island of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

Background: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a process by which bacteria acquire genes from organisms of distant taxa. HGT is now recognized as a major driving force in the evolution of bacterial pathogens. Through this process, bacteria may accumulate blocks of DNA such as genomic islands (GEIs) that encode fitness or virulence factors. The periodontal pathogen A. actinomycetemcomitans has been known to exhibit variable virulence potential. It is postulated that GEIs may play a role in modifying the virulence potential of A. actinomycetemcomitans. This study was initiated to identify and determine the distribution of GEIs in A. actinomycetemcomitans.Methods: Forty-seven A. actinomycetemcomitans strains of serotypes a through f were examined. Strain-specific variant DNA in the genomes of A. actinomycetemcomitans was identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genomic mapping and sequenced to identify GEIs. The distribution of the GEIs among test strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans was determined by PCR...
Current-Limited Rectifiers

Several ac rectifier circuits have the property, inherent in the rectification process, of limiting their output current to a specified maximum. They are technically simple and can be used as the foundation for power supplies that remain undamaged and absorb little power with a short-circuited load. In combination with a dc regulator, such a rectifier provides a constant-voltage supply with desirable overload characteristics. A modified bridge rectifier is especially useful.
Cytokinesis in the rabbit zygote: fine-structural study of the contractile ring and the mid-body.

The temporal events of cytokinesis were examined with light- and electron-microscopes during first cleavage of the rabbit zygote. When karyokinesis is at the late anaphase-to-early-telophase stage a shallow indentation appears in the vitelline membrane in a plane perpendicular to the spindle. Microvilli are absent in the indentation although present elsewhere. A band of microfilaments is recognizable under the plasma membrane of this region. Sections which pass through the band of microfilaments contain several early mid-bodies located centrally in the egg. In later stages of furrowing the band of filaments is 0.1 μ wide and is circumferentially arranged. These filaments which underlie the broad leading edge of the furrow are 50–80 A in diameter and are components of the contractile ring. The furrow cavity is filled with blebs of the plasma membrane. The microvilli of the lateral furrow walls interdigitate and “primitive” intermediate junctions develop between the two blastomeres. During late cleavage the stem-bodies fuse into a continuous mid-body which spans two opposite points of the intercellular bridge and fuses with the filaments of the contractile ring.
Absorbing covers and intransitive non-interference

The paper gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a system to satisfy intransitive non-interference. Security is defined in terms of allowable flows of information among action domains as represented by an interferes relation /spl sim/>. We examine properties of special sets called basis elements generated from the relation /spl sim/> and introduce the notion of absorbing covers which is associated with the standard unwinding theorems for non-interference. Our approach separates the equivalence relation arguments from the non-interference properties, and as a by product, we develop a decision procedure for non-interference. An upper bound on the number of iterations needed for termination of the procedure is provided. >
Review article: Enhancing employability: Human, cultural, and social capital in an era of turbulent unpredictability

Turbulence and unpredictability in 21st-century labor markets arguably magnify the importance of maintaining employability. Drawing on recent research, I discuss three mechanisms for enhancing employability in this context: identity work, training and networking, and laboring in unpaid and marginal paid positions. Few of these activities are counted as ‘work’ because they are mostly unpaid and they often take place outside formal job structures. By specifying how a range of employment-related activities are essential to and even constitute work, this article contributes to debates about the scope and boundaries of employment and shows how everyday actions build and reinforce new economic structures — how individual actions make the new economy possible. It also provides greater specification of the concept of employability.
Minimizing attention in a motion control context

In this paper we motivate the need for an algorithmic solution to the problem of segmenting and representing vector-valued functions of time with the goal of identifying a set of standard parts which can be used as the basis for a efficient description of an entire family. We motivate the use of such an approach in a feedback control context where one can use such efficient descriptions together with concatenation and scaling operations to generate quite general trajectories. Our results include a procedure for jointly specifying feedback gains and open-loop controls leading to the definition of efficient motion control languages.
The Role of Clonal Interference in the Evolutionary Dynamics of Plasmid-Host Adaptation

Promiscuous plasmids replicate in a wide range of bacteria and therefore play a key role in the dissemination of vari- ous host-beneficial traits, including antibiotic resistance. Despite the medical relevance, little is known about the evolutionary dynamics through which drug resistance plasmids adapt to new hosts and thereby persist in the absence of antibiotics. We previ- ously showed that the incompatibility group P-1 (IncP-1) minireplicon pMS0506 drastically improved its stability in novel host Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 after 1,000 generations under antibiotic selection for the plasmid. The only mutations found were those affecting the N terminus of the plasmid replication initiation protein TrfA1. Our aim in this study was to gain insight into the dynamics of plasmid evolution. Changes in stability and genotype frequencies of pMS0506 were monitored in evolving popu- lations of MR-1 (pMS0506). Genotypes were determined by sequencing trfA1amplicons from individual clones and by 454 pyro- sequencing of whole plasmids from entire populations. Stability of pMS0506 drastically improved by generation 200. Many evolved plasmid genotypes with point mutations as well as in-frame and frameshift deletions and duplications in trfA1were ob- served in all lineages with both sequencing methods. Strikingly, multiple genotypes were simultaneously present at high fre- quencies (>10%) in each population. Their relative abundances changed over time, but after 1,000 generations only one or two genotypes dominated the populations. This suggests that hosts with different plasmid genotypes were competing with each other, thus affecting the evolutionary trajectory. Plasmids can thus rapidly improve their stability, and clonal interference plays a significant role in plasmid-host adaptation dynamics. IMPORTANCE Promiscuous plasmids play an important role in the spread of antibiotic resistance and many other traits between closely and distantly related bacteria. However, little is known about the dynamics by which these broad-host-range antibiotic resistance plasmids adapt to novel bacteria and thereby become more persistent, even in the absence of antibiotics. In this study, we show that after no more than 200 generations of growth in the presence of antibiotics, a plasmid that was initially poorly maintained in a novel bacterial host evolved to become drastically more persistent in the absence of antibiotics. In each of the evolving populations, an unexpectedly large number of bacterial variants arose with distinct mutations in the plasmid's replica- tion initiation protein. Our results suggest that clonal interference, characterized by competition between variant clones in a population, plays a major role in the evolution of the persistence of drug resistance.
Control system design realization via VHDL-A: requirements

Recent additions to Analog HDL specifications, the IEEE 1076.1 VHDL-AMS language standard, have raised the question as to whether the new additions provide sufficient capability for control system design. Control systems design is typically performed using signal flow based CAE packages. This paper describes the interface requirements between these packages and VHDL-AMS. Important issues concerning simulation control, model interface definitions and user interfaces are presented. The intent is to foster discussion and hopefully coordination between the control system design package vendors and the vendors of packages that support Analog HDLs.
A parallel architecture for disk-based computing over the Baby Monster and other large finite simple groups

We outline a distributed, disk-based technique for computing over very large matrix groups. This technique is used to compute a permutation representation for the Baby Monster, a sporadic simple group that acts on 13,571,955,000 points. Its group order is approximately 4 × 1033. This is a landmark because it is 100 times larger than any previous construction of a permutation representation. By using the computed on-disk data structures, computation over the Baby Monster is now feasible using the distributed disks of a cluster. Our work allows researchers to use either a matrix, a permutation, or a word representation for computing over the Baby Monster where previously only a matrix representation was available. The methodology is demonstrated by using as a signature the image of a vector that is stabilized by the maximal subgroup. The technique extends to finite simple groups and to other groups, through other signatures.
Insights into Jammer Mitigation Via Space-Time Adaptive Processing

Abstract—In recent years, the military and civilian populations have become increasingly reliant upon the Global Positioning System (GPS) for knowledge of geographical location and timing information for synchronous operations, asset deployment, and communications. GPS receivers have been shown to operate with accuracy in benign environments and enjoy a wide variety of modern day applications. The high level of military and civilian dependence upon GPS makes it a likely electronic warfare (EW) target. This effort concerns the mitigation of a particular type of EW known as jamming. Jamming is the direction of electromagnetic energy towards a GPS receiver that causes degraded GPS signal reception and navigational performance. The focus of this work is on a particular jamming mitigation technique known as space-time adaptive processing (STAP). STAP is a signal processing method which combines data from multiple antenna elements to mitigate jamming while concurrently facilitating the reception of GPS signals.
A Strategic Planning Model for Commercial Laying Flocks

Abstract The economic desirability of alternative commercial layer flock placement or replacement plans is difficult to assess. However, business firm behavior must be predicated on an appraisal of the financial impact that alternative courses of action will have on the firm. This paper describes a computerized budgeting procedure that can be easily modified to incorporate unique business firm considerations and provide an economic evaluation of flock option alternatives. Representative technical and market condition assumptions are detailed and the budgeting procedure results for 15 flock option alternatives are presented.
How Can Genomics Inform Education

— This article offers some thoughts on possible connections between genomics and education. Genomics is already revolutionizing the way medical care is delivered and distributed; it will inevitably affect children‘s developmental trajectories by introducing more pharmacological and behavioral therapies. Educators should be prepared to understand the effect of these changes on children in the classroom, where children around the world spend a large portion of their formative years. Educators should also be prepared to understand the current advances in genomics and be able to discuss them with the parents and health care providers of their students.
Phylloquinone intake, insulin sensitivity, and glycemic status in men and women.

Background: Limited evidence suggests that vitamin K may have a beneficial role in glucose homeostasis. No observational data exist on the associations between vitamin K intake and insulin sensitivity. Objective: We aimed to examine associations between vitamin K intake and measures of insulin sensitivity and glycemic status in men and women aged 26-81 y. Design: We assessed the cross-sectional associations of self-reported phylloquinone (vitamin K 1 ) intake with insulin sensitivity and glycemic status in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Dietary and supplemental phylloquinone intakes were assessed by using a food-frequency questionnaire. Insulin sensitivity was measured by fasting and 2-h post-oral-glucose-tolerance test (OGTT) insulin, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and the insulin sensitivity index (ISI 0,120 ). Glycemic status was assessed by fasting and 2-h post-OGTT glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ). Results: Higher phylloquinone intake was associated with greater insulin sensitivity and glycemic status, as measured by 2-h post-OGTT insulin and glucose and ISI 0-120 ,after adjustment for age, sex, waist circumference, lifestyle characteristics, and diet quality [2-h post-OGTT insulin: lowest and highest quintile, 81.0 and 72.7 μV/ mL, respectively (P for trend = 0.003); 2-h post-OGTT glucose: 106.3 and 101.9 mg/dL, respectively (P for trend = 0.009); ISI 0,120 : 26.3 and 27.3 mg L 2 /mmol. mU.min (P for trend = 0.009)]. Phylloquinone intake was not associated with fasting insulin and glucose concentrations, HOMA-IR, or HbA 1c . Conclusion: Our findings support a potential beneficial role for phylloquinone in glucose homeostasis in men and women.
Nonparametric Variable Transformation in Sufficient Dimension Reduction

Sufficient dimension reduction (SDR) techniques have proven to be very useful data analysis tools in various applications. Underlying many SDR techniques is a critical assumption that the predictors are elliptically contoured. When this assumption appears to be wrong, practitioners usually try variable transformation such that the transformed predictors become (nearly) normal. The transformation function is often chosen from the log and power transformation family, as suggested in the celebrated Box–Cox model. However, any parametric transformation can be too restrictive, causing the danger of model misspecification. We suggest a nonparametric variable transformation method after which the predictors become normal. To demonstrate the main idea, we combine this flexible transformation method with two well-established SDR techniques, sliced inverse regression (SIR) and inverse regression estimator (IRE). The resulting SDR techniques are referred to as TSIR and TIRE, respectively. Both simulation and real da...
Dynamic Response of a Model Levee on Sherman Island Peat: A Curated Data Set

A model levee resting atop soft compressible peaty organic soil in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta was shaken by forced vibration to study the seismic deformation potential of the underlying peat ...
Ethnicity, control appraisal, coping, and adjustment to chronic pain among black and white Americans.

Seattle, Washington; § The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA Abstract Objective .T o identify similarities and differences among non-Hispanic black and white patients in pain appraisal, beliefs about pain, and ways of coping with pain. We also examined the association between these factors (i.e., appraisals, beliefs, coping) and patient perception or subjective experi- ence of their functioning in each ethnic group. Design. Cross-sectional survey of patients with chronic pain at pretreatment assessment. Setting. Integrated pain management program at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Texas. Patients .A total of 128 non-Hispanic black Americans and 354 non-Hispanic white Americans completed self-report measures of pain appraisal, coping, and adjustment that included the Multi- dimensional Pain Inventory, Survey of Pain Attitudes, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and Chronic Pain Coping Inventory. Results. Although the analyses indicated many similarities between the two groups concerning pain- related beliefs and coping, the black patients reported lower perceived control over pain, more external pain-coping strategies, and a stronger belief that others should be solicitous when they experience pain. The black patients also reported significantly higher levels of depression and disability, even after controlling for pain severity. Regression analyses revealed that the coping and appraisal factors predicting physical and psychological functioning were the same for both white and black patients, with ethnicity accounting for a nonsignificant amount of the total variance. Conclusions. The current findings suggest similarities as well as differences between non-Hispanic black and white patients in the ways they view and cope with pain. However, the association between psychological factors (attitudes and beliefs, coping responses) and adjustment to chronic pain was comparable for both ethnic groups. If replicated, the findings suggest that specific tailoring of cognitive behavioral therapies to different racial/ethnic groups may not be needed to maximize treatment outcome.
Microhabitat use and migration distance of an endangered grassland amphibian

There have been many studies of microhabitat use in forest-dwelling amphibians, but very few for grassland specialists. This study examines habitat use of the endangered California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), which inhabits grasslands in California’s Great Central Valley. We used an extensive drift fence array to capture most of the surface-active salamanders over 2 years at two adjacent breeding ponds in a natural prairie ecosystem. Model selection using simultaneous autoregressive models was used to generate models describing the microhabitat use of each of three salamander age classes (adults, juveniles, and metamorphs). Adults tended to use microhabitats with flood intolerant vegetation and juveniles were most often found at higher elevation sites; both of these surprising results suggest that California tiger salamanders favor the driest microhabitats in the prairie. For certain comparisons, significant interaction terms indicated that there is both temporal and spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of A. californiense with respect to proximity to breeding ponds. A literature review indicated that A. californiense have the second longest migration distance reported for any salamander (median = 556 m) and the longest among ambystomatids. Our results emphasize the importance of replicating landscape ecological studies over sites and years, particularly for endangered taxa where effective management hinges on understanding the variability in habitat use across time and space. They also suggest that habitat use of grassland amphibians may be fundamentally different from that of forest-dwelling amphibians in that they require larger terrestrial buffers and use different microhabitats within those buffers.
Anion transport in heart

Anion transport proteins in mammalian cells participate in a wide variety of cell and intracellular organelle functions, including regulation of electrical activity, pH, volume, and the transport o...
An Unexpected Range Extension forCICINDELA TRIFASCIATAF. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae)

Abstract The North American distribution of Cicindela trifasciata F. (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) continues to extend northward. This species is coastal in distribution and is generally found along the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf Coast, and major rivers. We report a new state record in north-central Kansas and discuss possible modes of dispersal.
Cognition and Echolocation of Dolphins

In this conference, we have already been given several examples of sonar hunting bats relying on an internal representation of some past experience as a basis for action. These include experiments demonstrating the predictive tracking of horizontally moving targets by a fishing bat (Campbell & Suthers, this volume) and the extracting of a species-specific concept from acoustical “glint” cues by greater horseshoe bats (von der Emde, this volume). Internal representation involves the encoding of information about specific features of stimuli as well as about relations among stimuli (Schusterman and Krieger, in press).
A Second Species of Carinodula Gordon, Pakaluk, and Ślipiński (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Microweiseinae: Carinodulini)

Abstract Carinodula chiapanensis Bares and Ivie, new species, is described from the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Mexico. It is diagnosed and illustrated, distinguished from its only congener, Carinodula campbelli Gordon, Pakaluk, and Ślipinski, by details of the prothorax, first ventrite, and genitalia. The definition of the genus is expanded to accommodate the new species. The first example of sexual dimorphism in the tribe Carinodulini is described — the presence of a patch of dense setae on ventrite I of the male.
Geographic Variation in the North American Milkweed Bugs of the Lygaeus kalmii Complex

Geographic variation for 6 characters is analyzed in the small milkweed bug, Lygaeus kalmii Stal, and L. reclivatus Say (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) using hybrid index methods. It is concluded that L. kalmii is separable into an eastern population (ssp. angustomarginatus Parshley) and a western population (ssp. kalmii) with an intergrade zone in the vicinity of the 100th meridian. L. reclivatus is shown to vary geographically from southern Mexico to Arizona and Texas, but no final conclusion as to its status is given. Discussion of origin and dispersal is given and compared with those of the host plants and other insect groups.
Spin and Magnetic Moment of Mn 53

The microwave paramagnetic resonance hyperfine structure of ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{53}$ has been observed in a powdered sample of Mn${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$ diluted with Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$ at 3 cm wavelength and 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. From the number of hfs lines the nuclear spin is found to be $I({\mathrm{Mn}}^{53})=\frac{7}{2}$; from their spacing relative to those of ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{55}$, the magnetic moment is found to be $|\ensuremath{\mu}({\mathrm{Mn}}^{53})|=5.050\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.007$ nuclear magnetons. These results are discussed in relation to the nuclear shell model.
Charted Port Positions in the Pacific As Defined by Satellite Determined Positions Using Multiple Observations

Positions for 34 docks or anchorage sites in and around the Pacific basin were defined by multiple position determination using the Magnavox 702 Satellite Navigator as a fixed-point positioning device. A significant number of positions represent improvements of 15 seconds or more in the charted positions of islands, ports and harbors in the Pacific basin. This study will contribute to the safety of land-approach navigation by providing more modern and accurate positional information than can be obtained from curren t charts.
The Added Cost of Rapid Diagnostic Testing and Active Antimicrobial Stewardship, Is It Worth It?

ABSTRACT Rapid diagnostic testing reduces the turnaround time for pathogen identification in the clinical microbiology laboratory, but the impact on patient care and hospital costs is a matter of speculation. Patel et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. 55:60–67, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01452-16 ) investigate the impact of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in conjunction with active antimicrobial stewardship to determine if implementation is indeed worth the added costs.
Mercury levels in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from regulated and unregulated rivers

Abstract Within areas of comparable atmospheric mercury deposition rates methylmercury burden in largemouth bass populations vary significantly between regulated and unregulated rivers. To investigate if trophic dynamics strongly influenced pollutant body load, we sampled largemouth bass from two adjacent rivers, one regulated and one unregulated, and applied a suite of biochemical and stable isotope assays to compare their trophic dynamics. Total mercury burden in the bass from the unregulated Sipsey River (Elrod, AL, USA) and the regulated Black Warrior River (Demopolis, AL, USA) averaged 0.87 mg kg−1 and 0.19 mg kg−1 wet weight, respectively. For both populations, age, weight, and length were positively correlated with muscle mercury concentration. Compound specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids showed the trophic position of both populations was just under four. Quantitative and isotopic analysis of neutral lipid fatty acid of Sipsey River bass indicated a greater reliance upon the detrital component of the food web compared to Demopolis Reservoir bass which fed within the autochthonous, pelagic component of the food web. Since the close proximity of the rivers makes differences in atmospheric deposition unlikely and both populations had similar trophic position, our findings indicate that food web dynamics should be included among the factors that can strongly influence mercury concentration in fish.
Aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 attenuates PDGF-induced vascular smooth muscle cell migration via the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway

Author(s): Mottola, Giorgio; Chatterjee, Anuran; Wu, Bian; Chen, Mian; Conte, Michael S | Abstract: Background and objectivesResolvin D1 (RvD1) is a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator that has been previously shown to attenuate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration, a key process in the development of intimal hyperplasia. We sought to investigate the role of the cAMP/PKA pathway in mediating the effects of the aspirin-triggered epimer 17R-RvD1 (AT-RvD1) on VSMC migration.MethodsVSMCs were harvested from human saphenous veins. VSMCs were analyzed for intracellular cAMP levels and PKA activity after exposure to AT-RvD1. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced migration and cytoskeletal changes in VSMCs were observed through scratch, Transwell, and cell shape assays in the presence or absence of a PKA inhibitor (Rp-8-Br-cAMP). Further investigation of the pathways involved in AT-RvD1 signaling was performed by measuring Rac1 activity, vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation and paxillin translocation. Finally, we examined the role of RvD1 receptors (GPR32 and ALX/FPR2) in AT-RvD1 induced effects on VSMC migration and PKA activity.ResultsTreatment with AT-RvD1 induced a significant increase in cAMP levels and PKA activity in VSMCs at 5 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. AT-RvD1 attenuated PDGF-induced VSMC migration and cytoskeletal rearrangements. These effects were attenuated by the PKA inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cAMP, suggesting cAMP/PKA involvement. Treatment of VSMC with AT-RvD1 inhibited PDGF-stimulated Rac1 activity, increased VASP phosphorylation, and attenuated paxillin localization to focal adhesions; these effects were negated by the addition of Rp-8-Br-cAMP. The effects of AT-RvD1 on VSMC migration and PKA activity were attenuated by blocking ALX/FPR2, suggesting an important role of this G-protein coupled receptor.ConclusionsOur results suggest that AT-RvD1 attenuates PDGF-induced VSMC migration via ALX/FPR2 and cAMP/PKA. Interference with Rac1, VASP and paxillin function appear to mediate the downstream effects of AT-RvD1 on VSMC migration.
Appraisal Rights and Economic Growth

In disputes relating to valuation, the courts prefer the discounted cash flow (DCF) method and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). The usual approach is to calculate value year-by-year for the coming five years (the projection period) and to use projected average cash flow to calculate value for the period thereafter (the terminal period). Since cash flow differs from GAAP earnings by netting out funds reinvested in the firm (plowback), future returns can be expected to grow. Thus, one must adjust for expected growth during the terminal period. The standard practice is to reduce the discount rate by the projected inflation rate plus the GDP growth rate, since a firm must keep up with inflation (lest it disappear over time) and since economic growth comes from returns generated by business. But if plowback generates return at the same rate ordinarily required of the firm, growth in value will equal plowback. Thus, it is simpler to use projected GAAP earnings as the measure of return. To use cash flow together with an adjusted discount rate is akin to making Maraschino cherries – which are first soaked in lye to remove color and flavor and then soaked in food coloring and sugar to put it back. The question is whether long-term growth in firm value is limited to growth from plowback. There is good reason to think so since opportunities to generate above normal returns (economic rents) are likely to dissipate quickly because of competition. Still, it is possible that firms do grow by more than can be explained by plowback. But data are to the contrary. Since 1930, S&P 500 growth can be fully explained by plowback (GAAP earnings less dividends) together with reinvestment by investors. While plowback has been just enough to match inflation, remaining growth in stock prices is slightly less than would be expected by dividend reinvestment (consistent with diversion of some portion to consumption). The data since 2000 is somewhat different in that plowback has been less than inflation, but stock prices have nonetheless increased consistent with reinvestment. The bottom line is that real stock prices seem to grow slightly more than the real growth rate but a bit less than plowback plus the likely reinvestment rate. It follows that as there is no reason for stockholders to expect any more growth and no need for courts to struggle with estimating growth rates. By using projected GAAP earnings as the measure of average long-term return, the courts can use an unadjusted discount rate to calculate terminal value.