cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential effects of nitroblue tetrazolium on the hemodynamic responses elicited by activation of alpha1-adrenoceptors and 5-HT2 receptors in conscious rats.

Abstract This study determined the effects of the lipophobic electron acceptor, nitroblue tetrazolium (5 μmol/kg, i.v.) on the vasoconstrictor responses elicited by the 5-hydroxytryptamine2 (5-HT2) receptor agonist, α-methyl-5-HT (5–50 μg/kg, i.v.) and the α1-adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine (2.5–20 μg/kg, i.v.) in conscious Sprague–Dawley rats. The systemic injection of nitroblue tetrazolium elicited pronounced hemodynamic responses that subsided by 10–15 min. Prior to the administration of nitroblue tetrazolium, the injections of α-methyl-5-HT and phenylephrine elicited dose-dependent increases in mean arterial blood pressure and mesenteric, renal and hindquarter vascular resistances. After administration of nitroblue tetrazolium, the vasoconstrictor responses elicited by α-methyl-5-HT were augmented whereas those elicited by phenylephrine were diminished. These results are consistent with the possibility that nitroblue tetrazolium interacts with the extracellular ligand-binding domains of 5-HT2 receptors and α1-adrenoceptor and that this interaction has opposite effects on activities of these G protein coupled receptors.
A POSITIVE PROGRAM FOR FEDERAL DEBT MANAGEMENT

THIS STUDY IS CONCERNED with an analysis of various ways the federal debt may be managed with a view toward the development of a "positive program for federal debt management." One of the major tasks undertaken is that of the selection and establishment of goals for debt policy. Another major problem is an evaluation of the effects of the existing institutional framework upon the formulation and implementation of debt policy. Given the nature of operational goals, makeup of policy-formulating agencies, investment requirements of major debt-holding groups, and structure and composition of existing debt, changes in ownership patterns, maturity patterns, and rates of interest are examined. The analysis proceeds to an investigation of the manner and degree to which changes in these debt variables contribute to the attainment of established goals of debt policy. For the purpose of the study, the following goals are accepted as being uppermost in the minds of officials responsible for policymaking decisions: (1) the maintenance of confidence in the credit of the United States government, (2) the promotion of a sustained rate of economic growth and relatively stable commodity prices, (3) the maintenance and promotion of private financial institutions. The findings of the study are summarized in the form of a general set of policy recommendations. The findings support the contention that variation in policy as a means of promoting a net rate of capital formation, full employment, and price stability is possible. However, the considerations which must be made in regard to goals (1) and (3) restrict the freedom of choice of debt policy. The present pattern of debt ownership is conducive to the maintenance of full employment and adequate capital formation, but, under certain conditions, is a threat to price stability. Shifts in debt ownership affect the supply of money, velocity of its circulation, size of bank reserves, structure of interest rates, debt maturities, and the
Calorimetric and spectroscoptc Investigation of drug - DNA Interactions. I. The binding of netropsin to poly d(AT)

Abstract We report the first calorimetric investigation of netropsin binding to poly d(AT). Temperature-dependent uv absorption, circular dichroism (CD), batch calorimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to detect, monitor, and thermodynamically characterize the binding process. The following results have been obtained: 1) Netropsin groove binding is accompanied by a large exothermic enthalpy of 9.2 kcal/mol of drug bound at 25 degrees C. This indicates that a large negative binding enthalpy may be a necessary but not a sufficient criterion for drug intercalation. We suggest that the exothermic binding might be correlated with specific H-bonding interactions. 2) From the difference in DSC transition enthalpies in the presence and absence of netropsin, we calculate a binding enthalpy of -10.7 kcal/mol of netropsin at 88 degrees C. 3) We calculate a positive delta S for netropsin binding to poly d(AT) at 25 degrees C. This positive entropy change may reflect netropsin-induced release of condensed cations and/or bound water. 4) The netropsin-saturated duplex monophasically melts 46 degrees C higher than the free duplex. The unsaturated duplex melts through two thermally-resolved transitions that correspond to netropsin-free and netropsin-bound regions. These two regions interact dynamically with no substantial influence on the thermal stabilities of the separate domains. 5) Netropsin binding decreases the cooperativity of the duplex to single strand transition.
A method for evaluating correlation times for tumbling and internal motion in macromolecules using cross-relaxation rate constants from proton NMR spectra

Abstract A method of estimating the correlation times and extent of internal motion of macromolecules using 1 H NMR is proposed. The method relies on measuring the cross-relaxation rate constant between resolved, identified protons separated by a fixed distance, for example 2, 3 protons of tyrosine residues or 4, 5 protons of tryptophan residues in proteins, and the 5, 6 protons of cytosine residues in DNA. For a rigid body, the cross-relaxation rate constant yields directly an estimate of the tumbling time. Deviation of its dependence on viscosity and temperature from expectations for a rigid body allows one to estimate the degree to which internal motions contribute to the relaxation. The method is illustrated for Ribonuclease A and a 20 base pair fragment of DNA corresponding to the trp operator of Escherichia coli . The calculated correlation time of RNAse A is about 8 ns at 298 K, in good agreement with expectations from hydrodynamic measurements. Tyrosine 25 has significant internal motion, characterized by an apparent amplitude of 50–60°, a correlation time of about 5 ns, and low activation energy. The correlation time of the fragment of DNA is about 6.4 ns at 298 K, in agreement with expectations for a rigid rod. The apparent activation energy was 3.8 kcal/mol, close to the value for the dependence of the viscosity of D 2 O on temperature. Further, the same result was obtained regardless of the position of the base in the sequence, indicating that bending motions are of small amplitude on the nanosecond time scale for short fragments of DNA.
Associations between neighborhood characteristics and physical activity among youth within rural-urban commuting areas in the US

The association among rural–urban communities, neighborhood characteristics, and youth physical activity is inconsistent in the literature. We used data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, for youth aged 10–17 years (n = 45,392), to examine the association between physical activity and neighborhood characteristics, after adjusting for known confounders. We also examined the association between physical activity and neighborhood characteristics within seven levels of Rural–Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs) that depict a continuum from isolated rural to dense urban communities. Attainment of a minimum physical activity level differed by RUCA (P = 0.0004). In adjusted, RUCA-specific models, the presence of parks was associated with attaining a minimum physical activity level in only one of the seven RUCAs (adjusted odds ratio: 3.49; 95 % confidence interval: 1.55, 7.84). This analysis identified no association between youths’ minimum physical activity attainment and neighborhood characteristics in unstratified models; and, RUCA-specific models showed little heterogeneity by rural–urban community type. Although this analysis found little association between youth physical activity and neighborhood characteristics, the findings could reflect the crude categorization of the neighborhood amenities (sidewalks, parks, recreation centers) and detracting elements (litter, dilapidated housing, vandalism) and suggests that simple measurement of the presence of an amenity or detracting element is insufficient for determining potential associations with reaching minimum levels of physical activity. By exploring neighborhood characteristics and features of neighborhood amenities within the context of well-defined community types, like RUCAs, we can better understand how and why these factors contribute to different levels of youth physical activity.
Dynamic, computer-assisted interpretation of infrared spectra of condensed-phase mixtures

Abstract A knowledge-based system, MIXIR, designed to assist researchers in interpreting the infrared spectra of condensed-phase mixtures is described. This system overcomes many of the inherent limitations of static-rule-based systems. An iterative problem-solving approach is permitted, making use of information gained during the interpretation process. The dynamic rule selection and significance evaluation alos allow the user to provide information on the sample matrix, or to select a subset of the compounds for rule derivation. The MIXIR system was evaluated with a knowledge base compiled using IRBASE, a complementary program, and a test set of 20 mixtures.
Developmental origins of central norepinephrine neuron diversity

Central norepinephrine-producing neurons comprise a diverse population of cells differing in anatomical location, connectivity, function and response to disease and environmental insult. The mechanisms that generate this diversity are unknown. Here we elucidate the lineal relationship between molecularly distinct progenitor populations in the developing mouse hindbrain and mature norepinephrine neuron subtype identity. We have identified four genetically separable subpopulations of mature norepinephrine neurons differing in their anatomical location, axon morphology and efferent projection pattern. One of the subpopulations showed an unexpected projection to the prefrontal cortex, challenging the long-held belief that the locus coeruleus is the sole source of norepinephrine projections to the cortex. These findings reveal the embryonic origins of central norepinephrine neurons and provide multiple molecular points of entry for future study of individual norepinephrine circuits in complex behavioral and physiological processes including arousal, attention, mood, memory, appetite and homeostasis.
Long-Term Trajectories and Service Needs for Military Families

The deployment of US military personnel to recent conflicts has been a significant stressor for their families; yet, we know relatively little about the long-term family effects of these deployments. Using data from prior military service eras, we review our current understanding of the long-term functioning and needs of military families. These data suggest that overseas deployment, exposure to combat, experiencing or participating in violence during war deployment, service member injury or disability, and combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) all have profound impacts on the functioning of military families. We offer several recommendations to address these impacts such as the provision of family-centered, trauma-informed resources to families of veterans with PTSD and veterans who experienced high levels of combat and war violence. Recent efforts to address the needs of caregivers of veterans should be evaluated and expanded, as necessary. We should also help military families plan for predictable life events likely to challenge their resilience and coping capacities. Future research should focus on the following: factors that mediate the relationship between PTSD, war atrocities, caregiver burden, and family dysfunction; effective family-centered interventions that can be scaled-up to meet the needs of a dispersed population; and system-level innovations necessary to ensure adequate access to these interventions.
Diversity of phenotype and function of vascular smooth muscle cells

Recent observations indicate that cell-to-cell and segment-to-segment variation occur in the morphology and function of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells in pulmonary and systemic arteries. This diversity includes differences in cell phenotype and in expression of cytoskeletal proteins as well as heterogeneity of the number and activity of potassium (K) channel types. The concept of cell diversity indicates that the arterial media is a mosaic of cell populations that differ from each other in phenotype and function. The prevalence of various VSM populations varies from segment to segment within a single artery and also may contrast among vascular trees of different organs. The composition of the arterial media is plastic, changing with normal development from fetus to adult and in response to vascular injury. Diversity of cell function is important in physiology and pathophysiology, allowing localized responses to vasodilators, vasoconstrictors, and proliferative stimuli within a vascular segment. Diversity may also explain the divergent responses of vascular beds to a common stimulus, such as hypoxia.
Plasmon stimulated emission in arrays of bimetallic stripes

Plasmon stimulated emission gives rise to coherent emission of leakage radiation from adjacent stripes in arrays of bi-metallic structures coated with dye-doped dielectric. This resulted in unambiguous interference patterns imaged by Fourier-plane leakage radiation microscopy.
In-vitro activity of dapsone and two potentiators against Mycobacterium avium complex

The efficacy of dapsone against Mycobacterium avium, M. intracellulare, M. kansasii, M. fortuitum and M. tuberculosis was determined by disc elution in agar. The minimal inhibitory concentration at which 90% of the colony forming units were inhibited (90MIC) by dapsone was 8 mg/l for M. avium, M. intracellulare and M. kansasii and greater than or equal to 32 mg/l for M. tuberculosis and M. fortuitum. The 90MICs were confirmed by culturing these test organisms with dapsone in the BACTEC 460 system. Reduction of the 90MIC from 8 mg/l to 2 mg/l was observed by combining dapsone with either or both of the potentiators tested. The dapsone-potentiator combinations had no effect on the bacteria with 90MICs of greater than or equal to 32 mg/l. The clinical relevance of this drug combination against M. avium complex infections remains to be evaluated.
Clinical and immunologic spectrum of plasmacytoid lymphocytic lymphoma without serum monoclonal IgM.

Summary. As first suggested by Lukes & Collins (1979, and recently confirmed in the literature, the pathological lesion associated with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia can be found in patients with serum IgG or IgA monoclonal proteins. To expand upon the clinical and immunologic spectrum of this lesion, we reviewed the records of 12 patients with identical tumour morphology, though lacking an IgM paraprotein. The median age of the patients was 62 years. In five patients the tumour secreted monoclonal IgG, while one secreted monoclonal IgA. One patient had normal serum protein electrophoresis, although monoclonal light chains were demonstrated on urinary protein electrophoresis. The remaining patients had no detectable monoclonal protein. Marker studies demonstrated the U cell origin of tumour; these findings were consistent with the monoclonal protein secreted. Clinically, these cases varied, from peripheral blood involvenient resembling chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, to typical lymphomatous processes, to presentations resembling multiple myeloma, reflecting the similarity of all of these conditions as varying expressions of neoplasia of the B cell system.
A framework for performance-based design

The international competitiveness of the US construction industry is linked to its strategic ability to design and build quality projects. This means delivering facilities that satisfy all the needs of the client. Correct decision-making during design and construction planning is the best means for assuring a quality project. Performance-based design is a framework that enables the project team to approach the project delivery process systematically and provides basic principles for evaluating and comparing alternative solutions. The principles of axiomatic design (as previously advanced by Suh) and the concept of an interface index are key elements of the framework. Axiomatic design provides an operational structure for the design process as well as a set of basic principles or axioms for guiding each decision-maker. The interface index complements the design axioms by quantifying the effort associated with integrating the contributions of multiple decision-makers into a total system. Elements of the framework are demonstrated through application to an actual facility.
Production scheduling of single-stage multi-product batch chemical processes with fixed batch sizes

We address the problem of scheduling a single-stage multi-product batch chemical process with fixed batch sizes. We present a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model to determine the schedule of batches, the batch size, and the number of overtime shifts that satisfy the demand at minimum cost for this process. We introduce a polynomial-time algorithm to solve the problem when the processing times of all batches are identical and the setup and cleaning times are sequence-independent. The solution procedure is based on recognizing that the optimal fixed batch size is a member of a set whose cardinality is polynomial. Given a batch size, the problem may be formulated as an assignment problem. Thus, an optimal solution may be found by iteratively solving a polynomial number of assignment problems. This work was motivated by a pesticide manufacturing company in the design of a new plant where the assumptions of a single bottleneck machine, fixed batch sizes, sequence-independent setup times, and identical batch processing times are all valid. An example is developed for this application.
Bridging the gap between micros and minis in the teaching laboratory

This paper briefly considers the differences between minicomputers and microcomputers and the implications of these differences for data-generating simulations. The important difference is that between a timesharing and a single-user system. Finally, a hybrid model of survey research is presented. This model has some unusual features and is suitable for either type of computer.
A Fluorescence Energy Transfer Method for Analyzing Protein Oligomeric Structure: Application to Phospholamban

We have developed a method using fluorescence energy transfer (FET) to analyze protein oligomeric structure. Two populations of a protein are labeled with fluorescent donor and acceptor, respectively, then mixed at a defined donor/acceptor ratio. A theoretical simulation, assuming random mixing and association among protein subunits in a ring-shaped homo-oligomer, was used to determine the dependence of FET on the number of subunits, the distance between labeled sites on different subunits, and the fraction of subunits remaining monomeric. By measuring FET as a function of the donor/acceptor ratio, the above parameters of the oligomeric structure can be resolved over a substantial range of their values. We used this approach to investigate the oligomeric structure of phospholamban (PLB), a 52-amino acid protein in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Phosphorylation of PLB regulates the SR Ca-ATPase. Because PLB exists primarily as a homopentamer on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, it has been proposed that the pentameric structure of PLB is important for its regulatory function. However, this hypothesis must be tested by determining directly the oligomeric structure of PLB in the lipid membrane. To accomplish this goal, PLB was labeled at Lys-3 in the cytoplasmic domain, with two different amine-reactive donor/acceptor pairs, which gave very similar FET results. In detergent solutions, FET was not observed unless the sample was first boiled to facilitate subunit mixing. In lipid bilayers, FET was observed at 25 degrees C without boiling, indicating a dynamic equilibrium among PLB subunits in the membrane. Analysis of the FET data indicated that the dye-labeled PLB is predominantly in oligomers having at least 8 subunits, that 7-23% of the PLB subunits are monomeric, and that the distance between dyes on adjacent PLB subunits is about 10 A. A point mutation of PLB (L37A) that runs as monomer on SDS-PAGE showed no energy transfer, confirming its monomeric state in the membrane. We conclude that FET is a powerful approach for analyzing the oligomeric structure of PLB, and this method is applicable to other oligomeric proteins.
Examination and Treatment of Hamstring Related Injuries

Context: There is a wide spectrum of hamstring-related injuries that can occur in the athlete. Accurate diagnosis is imperative to prevent delayed return to sport, injury recurrence, and accurate clinical decision making regarding the most efficacious treatment.Evidence Acquisition: This review highlights current evidence related to the diagnosis and treatment of hamstring-related injuries in athletes. Data sources were limited to peer-reviewed publications indexed in MEDLINE from 1988 through May 2011.Results: An accurate diagnostic process for athletes with posterior thigh–related complaints should include a detailed and discriminative history, followed by a thorough clinical examination. Diagnostic imaging should be utilized when considering hamstring avulsion or ischial apophyseal avulsion. Diagnostic imaging may also be needed to further define the cause of referred posterior thigh pain.Conclusions: Differentiating acute hamstring strains, hamstring tendon avulsions, ischial apophyseal avulsions, pro...
The Mannose/N-Acetylgalactosamine-4-SO4Receptor Displays Greater Specificity for Multivalent than Monovalent Ligands

Recognition of carbohydrates on glycosylated molecules typically requires multivalent interactions with receptors. Monovalent forms of terminal saccharides engaged by the receptor binding sites typically display weak affinities in the mm range and poor specificity. In contrast, multivalent forms of the same saccharides are bound with strong affinity (10(-7)-10(-9) m) and significantly greater specificity. Although multivalency can readily account for increased affinity, the molecular basis for enhanced specificity is not well understood. We have examined the specificity of the cysteine-rich domain of the mannose/GalNAc-4-SO4 receptor using monovalent and multivalent forms of the trisaccharide GalNAcbeta1,4GlcNAcbeta1,2Manalpha (GGnM) sulfated at either the C4 (S4GGnM) or C3 (S3GGnM) hydroxyl of the terminal GalNAc. Monovalent S4GGnM and S3GGnM have K(i) values of 25.8 and 16.2 microm, respectively. Multivalent conjugates of the same GalNAc-4-SO4- and GalNAc-3-SO4-bearing trisaccharides (6.7 mol of trisaccharide/mol of bovine serum albumin) have K(i) values of 0.013 and 0.170 microm, respectively. The 2000-fold versus 95-fold change in affinity seen for the multivalent forms of these 4-sulfated and 3-sulfated trisaccharides reflects a difference in the impact of conformational entropy. A large fraction of the SO4-3-GalNAc structures exists in a form that is not favorable for binding to the Cys-rich domain. This reduces the effective concentration of SO4-3-GalNAc as compared with SO4-4-GalNAc under the same conditions and results in a markedly lower association rate. This difference in association rate accounts for the 12-fold difference in the rate of clearance from the blood seen with S4GGnM-BSA and S3GGnM-BSA in vivo.
Amplify-and-forward based cooperation for secure wireless communications

A physical layer approach to security for wireless networks is considered. In single-antenna wireless systems, such approaches are hampered by channel conditions in the presence of one or more eavesdroppers. Cooperation has the potential to overcome this problem and improve the security of of wireless communications. In this paper, an amplify-and-forward based cooperative protocol is proposed. Assuming availability of global channel state information, system design that maximizes the secrecy capacity is considered. Since the optimal solution to this problem is intractable, suboptimal closed-form solutions are proposed that optimize bounds on secrecy capacity for the case of a single eavesdropper, or that introduce additional constraints, such as nulling of signals at all eavesdroppers, for the case of multiple eavesdroppers.
The soy isoflavone genistein promotes apoptosis in mammary epithelial cells by inducing the tumor suppressor PTEN

The isoflavone genistein (GEN), a biologically active component of soy foods, is associated with reduced breast cancer risk in women who consume soy-rich diets. GEN has been reported to influence many biological processes, of which suppression of cell proliferation and stimulation of apoptosis are considered to be the major pathways underlying its inhibition of tumorigenesis. This study evaluated the mechanism by which diets containing GEN promote mammary epithelial cell death. We report that mammary glands of young adult female rats exposed from gestation day 4 to postnatal day 50, to AIN-93G diets containing as sole protein source, casein (CAS) supplemented with GEN, or soy protein isolate (SPI+) had increased apoptosis, relative to rats fed CAS diet devoid of GEN. Mammary gland proliferation was unaffected by diet. The increased apoptotic index in mammary glands of GEN and SPI+ rats was accompanied by increased levels of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted in chromosome ten), albeit enhanced mammary expression of the pro-apoptotic p21, Bax and Bok genes was observed only in GEN-fed rats. GEN-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells was concomitant with increased PTEN expression, and this was abrogated by PTEN siRNA. MCF-7 cells treated with serum from GEN- or SPI(+)-fed rats had increased apoptosis as well as increased levels of the PTEN transcript. PTEN siRNA attenuated the increased apoptotic response of MCF-7 cells to serum from rats fed SPI+ or GEN, although the inhibition to basal (CAS serum) apoptotic levels was achieved only for cells treated with GEN serum. Decreased p21 and Bok gene expression accompanied the inhibition of apoptosis by PTEN siRNA. Data implicate PTEN in the induction of apoptosis by GEN and suggest that the promotion of apoptosis leading to inhibition of tumorigenesis in vivo by diets containing GEN may also involve the distinct activities of yet unknown GEN metabolite(s) and/or other systemic factors induced by GEN.
Non-parametric paired two-sample tests for censored survival data incorporating longitudinal covariate information

In this manuscript, we present non-parametric two-sample tests for paired censored survival data incorporating longitudinal covariate information. These tests take advantage of information collected at baseline and post-baseline to provide efficiency gains when censoring is uninformative. Additionally, these methods adjust for potential bias from informative censoring that is captured by the baseline and longitudinal covariates. Finite sample properties are investigated with simulation, and we illustrate methodology with an example from the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study.
Sentiment analyzer: extracting sentiments about a given topic using natural language processing techniques

We present sentiment analyzer (SA) that extracts sentiment (or opinion) about a subject from online text documents. Instead of classifying the sentiment of an entire document about a subject, SA detects all references to the given subject, and determines sentiment in each of the references using natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Our sentiment analysis consists of 1) a topic specific feature term extraction, 2) sentiment extraction, and 3) (subject, sentiment) association by relationship analysis. SA utilizes two linguistic resources for the analysis: the sentiment lexicon and the sentiment pattern database. The performance of the algorithms was verified on online product review articles ("digital camera" and "music" reviews), and more general documents including general Webpages and news articles.
Paving the Road to 'Too Big to Fail' - Business Interests and the Politics of Financial Deregulation in the U.S.

The debate over the political power of business has witnessed a revival after the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. We begin by arguing that business political fragmentation or unity has important consequences for policy outcomes. The structure of the U.S. government is conducive to incremental policy changes, often in response to business pressures. In turn, these changes shape the political interests and alliances of business. We illustrate this dynamic through an analysis of the political processes leading to the enactment of the Financial Modernization Act (FMA) of 1999, which repealed Depression-era regulations and allowed commercial banks to enter the securities and insurance business and vice versa. The FMA condoned the emergence of largely unregulated diversified financial institutions, which proved “too big to fail” during the crisis. Several factors contributed to the FMA: political institutions, international competition, the ideological convergence of the Republican and Democratic parties, and the political interests of financial industry actors.
Relationships among the subjective quality, magnetic resonance spectra, and price of wine: A randomized trial

Rationale and Objectives. We sought to discriminate among wines on the basis of three techniques: physical properties such as smell, taste, and quality; market price; and chemical analysis using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy. Methods. A randomized, double-masked, controlled crossover wine-tasting trial was conducted. Participants included seven men and seven women affiliated with an urban academic medical center, half of whom were physicians. The interventions consisted of eight red and eight white wines, including two respective, lower priced control wines. Each subject sampled all wines. Participants rated the overall quality of wine samples on a 5-point scale. The outcome measures were mean wine quality score, market price, and visual analysis of proton nuclear MR spectra. Results. One subject dropped out. Three white wines (ps = .0245, .0275, and .0425) and two red wines (ps = .0072 and .0128) were rated significantly higher than their respective, lower priced control wines. The mean wine quality score was not significantly correlated with market price (white wine, ρ = .371, p = .326; red wine, ρ = −.072, p = .8492). Visual analysis of proton nuclear MR spectra from the highest scoring wines and their respective control wines revealed more similarities than differences. Conclusion. Quality assurance of wine may best be left to the discriminating palate rather than market price or visual analysis of proton nuclear MR spectra.
Dietary Fat and Cancer Risk: Evidence and Research Needs

INT RODUCfION... 167 Two-Stage Model for Carcinogenesis... ....... ...... 168 DIETARY FAT AND INITIATION OF CARCINOGENESIS ........ ....... 168 Positive Effects .. ........ 168 Inhibitory Effects ... 169 DIETARY FAT AND TUMOR PROMOTION 171 Positive Effects: Enhancement of Tumor Promotion 171 Inhibitory Effects 179 C ONCLUSIONS 179
Diversity-multiplexing-delay tradeoff of a DDF protocol on a half-duplex ARQ relay channel

The diversity-multiplexing-delay tradeoff (DMDT) of the dynamic decode-and-forward (DDF) protocol on a half-duplex (HD) relay channel is analyzed, where the source uses an automatic retransmission request (ARQ) protocol. Our analysis for short-term static (STS) channels, where each of the retransmissions go through an independent and identically distributed channel state than the original one, shows that diversity gains keep increasing with maximum number of ARQ rounds L, for all multiplexing gains. The optimal DMDT for the long-term static (LTS) channel ( where all the retransmissions take place in the same channel state ) derived in [1], shows that diversity gains can be obtained only at higher multiplexing gains and that too bounded by the diversity order at zero multiplexing gain of the basic DDF protocol. To circumvent this limitation, different ARQ rounds are allowed to use different power level keeping the long term average power constant and dramatic improvement in the diversity order has been observed. Closed form solution for the L = 2 case is provide however the DMDT with long-term power control for a general L can be computed using numerical methods. Throughout the paper, the performance of our scheme is compared with another ARQ relay scheme considered in [2] (hereafter mentioned as TDK-scheme). In all of the above discussed scenarios, the optimal diversity orders of our scheme are shown to be higher than those of the TDK-scheme, for all multiplexing gains. Further, we derive an exact expression for the optimal DMDT of the TDK-scheme for the STS channel condition ( since only an upper bound was derived in [2] ) and a closed form expressions for the DMDT of the TDK-schemes under long term power constraint for L = 2 case, which enable us to analytically quantify the performance gain of our scheme over that of the TDK-scheme.
Isolation of Chlamydomonas Flagella

A simple, scalable, and fast procedure for the isolation of Chlamydomonas flagella is described. Chlamydomonas can be synchronously deflagellated by treatment with chemicals, pH shock, or mechanical shear. The Basic Protocol describes the procedure for flagellar isolation using dibucaine to induce flagellar abscission; we also describe the pH shock method as an Alternate Protocol when flagellar regeneration is desirable. Sub-fractionation of the isolated flagella into axonemes and the membrane + matrix fraction is described in a Support Protocol.
Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Capitellum in Fraternal Twins: Case Report

The etiology of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the capitellum is unknown but has generally been attributed to repetitive microtrauma or ischemia. We present a case report of fraternal twins with OCD lesions in their nondominant arms without a known history of repetitive injury to the elbow. This report provides evidence to support the idea of genetic predisposition for OCD lesions.
A theoretical analysis of pitch stability during gliding in flying snakes.

Flying snakes use their entire body as a continuously morphing ‘wing’ to produce lift and shallow their glide trajectory. Their dominant behavior during gliding is aerial undulation, in which lateral waves are sent posteriorly down the body. This highly dynamic behavior, which is unique among animal gliders, should have substantial effects on the flight dynamics and stability of the snakes, resulting from the continuous redistribution of mass and aerodynamic forces. In this study, we develop two-dimensional theoretical models to assess the stability characteristics of snakes in the pitch direction. Previously measured force coefficients are used to simulate aerodynamic forces acting on the models, and undulation is simulated by varying mass. Model 1 is a simple three-airfoil representation of the snake’s body that possesses a passively stable equilibrium solution, whose basin of stability contains initial conditions observed in experimental gliding trajectories. Model 2 is more sophisticated, with more degrees of freedom allowing for postural changes to better represent the snake’s real kinematics; in addition, a restoring moment is added to simulate potential active control. The application of static and dynamic stability criteria show that Model 2 is passively unstable, but can be stabilized with a restoring moment. Overall, these models suggest that undulation does not contribute to stability in pitch, and that flying snakes require a closed-loop control system formed around a passively stable dynamical framework.
Biphasic patterns of diversification and the emergence of modules

The intricate molecular and cellular structure of organisms converts energy to work, which builds and maintains structure. Evolving structure implements modules, in which parts are tightly linked. Each module performs characteristic functions. In this work we propose that a module can emerge through two phases of diversification of parts. Early in the first phase of this biphasic pattern, the parts have weak linkage—they interact weakly and associate variously. The parts diversify and compete. Under selection for performance, interactions among the parts increasingly constrain their structure and associations. As many variants are eliminated, parts self-organize into modules with tight linkage. Linkage may increase in response to exogenous stresses as well as endogenous processes. In the second phase of diversification, variants of the module and its functions evolve and become new parts for a new cycle of generation of higher-level modules. This linkage hypothesis can interpret biphasic patterns in the diversification of protein domain structure, RNA and protein shapes, and networks in metabolism, codes, and embryos, and can explain hierarchical levels of structural organization that are widespread in biology.
REopt: A Platform for Energy System Integration and Optimization

REopt is NREL's energy planning platform offering concurrent, multi-technology integration and optimization capabilities to help clients meet their cost savings and energy performance goals. The REopt platform provides techno-economic decision-support analysis throughout the energy planning process, from agency-level screening and macro planning to project development to energy asset operation. REopt employs an integrated approach to optimizing a site?s energy costs by considering electricity and thermal consumption, resource availability, complex tariff structures including time-of-use, demand and sell-back rates, incentives, net-metering, and interconnection limits. Formulated as a mixed integer linear program, REopt recommends an optimally-sized mix of conventional and renewable energy, and energy storage technologies; estimates the net present value associated with implementing those technologies; and provides the cost-optimal dispatch strategy for operating them at maximum economic efficiency. The REopt platform can be customized to address a variety of energy optimization scenarios including policy, microgrid, and operational energy applications. This paper presents the REopt techno-economic model along with two examples of recently completed analysis projects.
Tendon Transfers for Achilles Reconstruction

Tendon transfers are commonly used in the foot and ankle to restore function in neglected ruptures, reconstruct degenerated tendons, and correct deformity. The Achilles tendon is commonly afflicted by these problems because of the dominant role it plays in the mechanics of gait and running and its inherently poor blood supply. This article discusses the general principles of tendon transfers with regard to Achilles tendon function, the surgical techniques involved, and published results using these techniques. The goal is to provide the orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon with a wide variety of techniques to solve both the straightforward Achilles tendon problem as well as the difficult revision case.
Serum Opsonic Activity in Infants with Sickle-Cell Disease Immunized with Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Protein Conjugate Vaccine

Pneumococcal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children with sickle-cell disease (SCD). Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are immunogenic in healthy infants <2 years of age but have not been evaluated in young children with SCD. Infants with SCD were immunized with a 7-valent PCV (Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines & Pediatrics) at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. A booster dose of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV; Pnu-Immune) was administered at 24 months of age. Antipneumococcal type 6B and 14 serum opsonic activity was measured to assess the biologic function of the antibody. Following the administration of three doses of PCV, opsonic activity against serotype 6B increased from 4.8% at 2 months to 33.5% at 7 months, with a subsequent decline to 8.1% at 12 months and 7.5% at 24 months and with an increase to 30.7% at 25 months after administration of a booster dose of PPV. Similar trends were seen with serotype 14 (opsonic activities were 9.4% at 2 months, 24.9% at 7 months, 16.5% at 12 months, and 12.6% at 24 months, and the opsonic activity was 27.3% 1 month after the administration of PPV). Serum opsonic activity correlated with antibody levels for both serotypes. PCV induces serum opsonic activity in infants with SCD. Antipneumococcal serum opsonic activity correlates with antibody levels.
A dynamic H3K27ac signature identifies VEGFA-stimulated endothelial enhancers and requires EP300 activity

Histone modifications are now well-established mediators of transcriptional programs that distinguish cell states. However, the kinetics of histone modification and their role in mediating rapid, signal-responsive gene expression changes has been little studied on a genome-wide scale. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), a major regulator of angiogenesis, triggers changes in transcriptional activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Here, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) to measure genome-wide changes in histone H3 acetylation at lysine 27 (H3K27ac), a marker of active enhancers, in unstimulated HUVECs and HUVECs stimulated with VEGFA for 1, 4, and 12 h. We show that sites with the greatest H3K27ac change upon stimulation were associated tightly with EP300, a histone acetyltransferase. Using the variation of H3K27ac as a novel epigenetic signature, we identified transcriptional regulatory elements that are functionally linked to angiogenesis, participate in rapid VEGFA-stimulated changes in chromatin conformation, and mediate VEGFA-induced transcriptional responses. Dynamic H3K27ac deposition and associated changes in chromatin conformation required EP300 activity instead of altered nucleosome occupancy or changes in DNase I hypersensitivity. EP300 activity was also required for a subset of dynamic H3K27ac sites to loop into proximity of promoters. Our study identified thousands of endothelial, VEGFA-responsive enhancers, demonstrating that an epigenetic signature based on the variation of a chromatin feature is a productive approach to define signal-responsive genomic elements. Further, our study implicates global epigenetic modifications in rapid, signal-responsive transcriptional regulation.
Can the dark energy equation - of - state parameter w be less than -1?

Models of dark energy are conveniently characterized by the equation-of-state parameter $w=p/\ensuremath{\rho},$ where $\ensuremath{\rho}$ is the energy density and p is the pressure. Imposing the dominant energy condition, which guarantees stability of the theory, implies that $wg~\ensuremath{-}1.$ Nevertheless, it is conceivable that a well-defined model could (perhaps temporarily) have $wl\ensuremath{-}1 ,$ and indeed such models have been proposed. We study the stability of dynamical models exhibiting $wl\ensuremath{-}1$ by virtue of a negative kinetic term. Although naively unstable, we explore the possibility that these models might be phenomenologically viable if thought of as effective field theories valid only up to a certain momentum cutoff. Under our most optimistic assumptions, we argue that the instability time scale can be greater than the age of the universe, but only if the cutoff is at or below ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}\mathrm{eV}.$ We conclude that it is difficult, although not necessarily impossible, to construct viable models of dark energy with $wl\ensuremath{-}1;$ observers should keep an open mind, but the burden is on theorists to demonstrate that any proposed new models are not ruled out by rapid vacuum decay.
A method for transporting a team of miniature robots

The Scouts, developed at the University of Minnesota, are miniature robots designed mainly for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. The Scout's small size and multiple mobility and sensing modes allow it to efficiently navigate and carry out certain missions in indoor environments and on relatively smooth surfaces. However, like many other small-sized robots, its miniature size and limited battery life become a bottleneck when it comes to cover long distances, particularly on rough, outdoor surfaces. In order to address this issue, we present a method to carry the Scouts to and from their main mission locations by adding a larger robot, a Pioneer 2-AT, to the team. The Pioneer carries a team of Scouts in a color marked box that it holds with its grippers. The Scouts jump out of the box, carry out their mission, and autonomously find the box and jump back in.
The Carolingian World through Hagiography

Hagiographic texts – including the lives of saints, accounts of relic translations, miracle collections, and deeds of abbots and bishops – are plentiful and rich sources for investigating the Carolingian world. The recognition that hagiography offers a great deal of information about the author's time has led scholars to use these texts to shed light on a variety of topics. Hagiography's similarity to history as well as literature means that scholarship on history and literature can contribute to our understanding of hagiography and the world that produced it. Works comparing earlier versions of saints' lives with their Carolingian-era revisions and investigating hagiography alongside works of other genres have contributed to some of the biggest debates in Carolingian history: the reform of the church, monasticism, and society; the renaissance of learning, the impact of doctrinal controversies, and views of kingship and reactions to political change.
A Chemical Perspective on Allostery.

Much work has been done in the past decade to quantify the phenomenon of allosteric communication in proteins. Every new study unveils an extra piece of the puzzle in our search for an understanding of allostery that allows us to make predictions on the response of a protein to medically relevant stimuli such as pathological mutations or drug binding. This review summarizes recent advances in the analysis of mechanisms of allosteric communication in proteins, and combines this new knowledge to offer a perspective of allostery which is consistent with chemical views of molecular processes. First, we review recent work, particularly computational, on the characterization of signal propagation and conformational changes in allosteric proteins. We then compare different models of allostery, and discuss the significance of the concept of an allosteric pathway. We argue that allostery can be rationalized in terms of pathways of residues that efficiently transmit energy between different binding sites. We then p...
Thermally Stable Photocuring Chemistry for Selective Morphological Trapping in Block Copolymer Melt Systems

In this work, we report the novel application of thermally stable photocuring chemistry toward high fidelity translation of block copolymer based melt-state morphologies into their equivalent solid analogues. The thermal stability of the cationic photcuring chemistry allows for both extended thermal processing prior to cure, as well as precise trapping of selected morphologies afforded by the temperature independent initiation mechanism. We demonstrate this powerful approach using a model polyisoprene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PI−PEO, fPEO = 0.39, Mn = 10 120 g mol−1) block copolymer, prepared by two step anionic polymerization and subsequent partial epoxidation (7.3−16.8 mol % relative to diene repeat units) with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic rheology were used to determine morphological behavior of the block copolymers synthesized. The targeted PI−PEO parent block copolymer exhibited multiple melt-state morphologies including crystalline lamellae (Lc), hexagon...