cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The nature and toxicity of the photoconversion products of aldrin.

As part of the studies concerning the environmental fate of pesticides, the nature and toxicity of the products obtained when aldrin (I) is exposed to sunlight have been determined. Previous work by Roburn (2) has shown that an aldrin film was converted to dieldrin (II) and a "smaller amount of an unknown substance" after exposure to ultraviolet light for 2 to 3 hours. Mitchell (3) found extensive pho_ todecomposition after a one hour exposure on paper. Our procedure consisted of dissolving aldrin in carbon tetrachloride in a Petri dish and evaporating the solvent. The dish was covered with a quartz plate (4) and exposed to sunlight for one month between mid-June and mid-July. A control sample, covered with taped glass was also "exposed". A three-day exposure was made earlier in June. At the end of the one-month exposure period it was observed that 22% of the material had sublimed onto the underside of the quartz plate. This material consisted of 6.3% I, 2.4% I!, 53% dieldrin photoconversion isomer (III)
Airbag Asthma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background Although airbags are a significant development in automobile safety, they have brought with them new medical problems. Objective To describe a case of new-onset asthma occurring after exposure to a deployed airbag's contents. Methods A 47-year-old man had a 2.5-year history of chest tightness, decreased exercise tolerance, and nocturnal and activity-associated cough beginning after a head-on motor vehicle collision when he was driving an automobile equipped with dual driver-passenger airbags. The collision activated both airbags, with the driver's side airbag breaking open, filling the automobile with particulates. The driver remained in the car for 3 minutes and developed acute shortness of breath and chest tightness for the first time in his life. He had a smoking history of 1 pack-year 20 years earlier. Before that time he could exercise frequently, running for 30 minutes almost daily without difficulty. After the collision, he had respiratory symptoms at rest and after exercise, requiring daily control and rescue medication. Subsequently, he developed bronchospasm following exposure to nonspecific agents, which he had never previously experienced. Results Skin test reactivity was detectable only to dust mite. Methacholine challenge results were markedly positive at 8 weeks and 2.5 years after the incident. Video laryngoscopy revealed normal vocal cord appearance and function. Conclusions Our patient represents the first case, to our knowledge, of new-onset, persistent, irritant-induced asthma following airbag deployment. Physicians should be aware of its possibility after airbag exposure, since prompt institution of aggressive therapy may improve patient outcome and dampen or prevent persistent disease.
Genome organization of retroviruses. VIII. Nonproducer cell lines of mouse fibroblasts transformed by Moloney murine sarcoma virus DNA synthesized in vitro.

Abstract Moloney murine sarcoma virus DNA (M-MSV DNA) synthesized in vitro was capable of inducing focus formation in NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts. Three cell lines were established from the transformed cultures. None of them produced infectious or defective virus particles. These transformed nonproducer cells were highly tumorigenic in newborn NIH Swiss mice. Immunoprecipitation with antiserum against virions of helper Moloney leukemia virus (M-MLV) did not detect any helper-related structural proteins in the nonproducer cells. The data suggest that helper virus information may not be involved in transforming mouse fibroblasts by M-MSV.
Managerial discretion in the choice among financial reporting alternatives

Abstract This paper considers the role of an agent choosing among reporting alternatives when that choice is unobserved by the principal, and the agent's compensation contract is optimal. The agent is allowed to take post-outcome costly actions which lead to more precise reports of actual profits than would be yielded by less precise, but costless conventional translations of outcomes (e.g., GAAP). The extent to which the principal allows the agent this discretion depends upon the improvement in profits as an indicator of the agent's pre-outcome effort when post-outcome actions take place versus the attendant cost of these actions.
An introduction—Development and production special section: Born 1992, died 2004

In most years since the late 1980s, in direct support of the Development and Production Committee and SEG's Development and Production Summer Forum, THE LEADING EDGE has published many papers that dealt with D&P and/or were originally presented at the forum. Beginning in 1992 and in most succeeding years, TLE had a Development and Production special section, usually in the spring, that was always well subscribed and contained many high quality and very topical contributions. In the early years, the vast majority of submitted manuscripts associated with D&P were clustered in this spring special section.
Modeling anisotropic strain hardening and deformation textures in low stacking fault energy fcc metals

Abstract The main issues and challenges involved in modeling anisotropic strain hardening and deformation textures in the low stacking fault energy (SFE) fcc metals (e.g. brass) are reviewed and summarized in this paper. The objective of these modeling efforts is to capture quantitatively the major differences between the low SFE fcc metals and the medium (and high) SFE fcc metals (e.g. copper) in the stress–strain response and the deformation textures. While none of the existing models have demonstrated success in capturing the anisotropy in the stress–strain response of the low SFE fcc metals, their apparent success in predicting the right trend in the evolution of deformation texture is also questionable. There is ample experimental evidence indicating that the physical mechanism of the transition from the copper texture to the brass texture is represented wrongly in these models. These experimental observations demonstrate clearly the need for a new approach in modeling the deformation behavior of low SFE fcc metals. This paper reports new approaches for developing crystal plasticity models for the low SFE fcc metals that are consistent with the reported experimental observations in this class of metals. The successes and failures of these models in capturing both the anisotropic strain hardening and the deformation textures in brass are discussed in detail.
Non-visual Arrestins Are Constitutively Associated with the Centrosome and Regulate Centrosome Function

In addition to regulating receptor activity, non-visual arrestins function as scaffolds for numerous intracellular signaling cascades and as regulators of gene transcription. Here we report that the two non-visual arrestins, arrestin2 and arrestin3, localize to the centrosome, a key organelle involved in microtubule nucleation and bipolar mitotic spindle assembly. Both arrestins co-localized with the centrosomal marker γ-tubulin during interphase and mitosis and were found in purified centrosome preparations. In vitro binding assays demonstrated that both arrestins directly interact with γ-tubulin. Knockdown of either arrestin by RNA interference resulted in multinucleation, centrosome amplification, and mitotic defects, although only the loss of arrestin2 triggered aberrant microtubule nucleation. Importantly, overexpression of wild type arrestin rescued the multinucleation phenotype and restored normal centrosome number in arrestin siRNA-transfected cells. Moreover, overexpression of arrestin2 or -3 rescued the multinucleation defect observed in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Taken together, our data reveal that non-visual arrestins are novel centrosomal components and regulate normal centrosome function.
Unsedated small-caliber esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD): less expensive and less time-consuming than conventional EGD.

Background: A significant portion of the costs and complications of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) are related to the use of sedation. The feasibility and tolerability of small-caliber EGD (scEGD) without sedation has been evaluated; however, there is limited data concerning times and costs associated with this procedure as compared with conventional EGD (cEGD) with sedation. Study: Sixteen patients underwent scEGD with the Pentax EG-1840 (outside diameter, 6 mm) without sedation. A control group of 16 patients was matched for age, sex, day, and indication of procedure. The time of procedure, time in procedure room, time in recovery room, and procedure costs were determined in both the study and control groups. After the procedure, scEGD patients completed surveys consisting of visual-analogue scales to assess tolerance and preference regarding sedation for future procedures. Results: Procedure time, procedure room time, and recovery room time was 5.2, 16.3, and 9 minutes for scEGD and 13.5, 34.9, and 41.3 minutes for cEGD, respectively (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). The mean cost of scEGD, excluding physician fees, was $462.00, which was significantly lower than the $587.00 for cEGD (p < 0.001). Survey results revealed good tolerance for the unsedated procedure. Conclusions: Unsedated scEGD was well tolerated and resulted in a shorter time of procedure, less time spent in procedure room, reduced recovery room time, and lower costs as compared with cEGD with sedation.
College Women's Sexual Decision Making: Cognitive Mediation of Alcohol Expectancy Effects

Abstract Objective: Alcohol has been linked to a variety of risky sexual practices, including inconsistent condom use. Due to the high rates of alcohol consumption among underage college women, greater understanding of the role of alcohol in young women's sexual decision making is warranted. Participants and Methods: Female underage (18- to 20-year-old) social drinkers (N = 94) participated in an experiment in which they projected themselves into a written hypothetical sexual situation with a new partner. One half of the situations portrayed alcohol consumption; one half did not involve alcohol consumption. Their appraisals of the situation's sexual potential, impelling and inhibiting cognitions, and sexual behavior intentions were assessed. Results: Results revealed that alcohol's expectancy effects on young women's unprotected sexual intentions were mediated by their cognitive appraisals of the situation. Conclusions: These findings indicate that alcohol expectancies and their influence on women's sexua...
Influence of drinking water–tap versus purified–on embryo and fetal development in mice

Pregnant CD-1 mice drank either chlorinated tap water obtained at NIEHS from the City of Durham, North Carolina municipal water supply or this same water passed in sequence through an organic removal cartridge and a demineralizer, followed by glass distillation. No significant overall differences in the reproductive status of pregnant mice were noted when the two groups were compared. Similarly, no significant overall influence on the incidence of malformed fetuses could be traced to the purity of drinking water. Month by month comparisons indicated that there were three statistically significant differences; all of which indicated improved performance for the mice that drank tap water. When the results for both groups were combined and a month by month comparison was made there was a significant difference in the pregnancy rate for February (68%) as compared with an overall pregnancy rate of 80% and a 79-93% spread for the other months, but the decrease was due to the low incidence of pregnancy in the group that drank the purified water.
Is diagnosing metabolic syndrome a uniquely simple way to predict incident type 2 diabetes mellitus

The perceived need for introducing metabolic syndrome as a diagnostic category was to identify individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular disease whose primary abnormality is not an elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level.[1][1],[2][2] Identification of such individuals would permit
Interactive dashboard for demand response with multiple facilities

Some companies operate owns numerous buildings where they do their business. A typical example of this is the retail stores. These companies are significant power consumers and therefore they are also important players at the power market, especially in the DR programs because they are able to bid really big curtailments and are able to ensure them, either with own personnel or by a servicing company. Some actions can be predefined or taken automatically. However, it is not easy to monitor all the variables that are considered. We consider at least (i) the actual power load and (ii) indoor temperatures because of comfort satisfaction monitoring. Considering 60 sites, with 5 zones and 24 time instants, we have minimally 7200 numbers. This huge amount of numbers cannot be shown in form of tables on a single screen or time series on. The operators however will appreciate the general overview of the whole situation, especially the critical and almost critical aspects. Another requirement is to keep the attention of the operators awaken for a longer time. The mentioned facts can be - of course - summarized in some tabular overview.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain plasticity in patients with stroke and arteriovenous malformation

Abstract After stroke, the degree of recovery varies from patient to patient. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of motor, sensory, and language systems has been used to evaluate brain plasticity in patients recovering from a stroke. Patients with arteriovenous malformations also have been tested with functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate plasticity of brain function. Arteriovenous malformations may cause the developing brain to develop such that unexpected areas are responsible for functions typically performed by the regions of the brain with the arteriovenous malformations.
Commentary on "In silico modeling system: a national research resource for simulation of complex brain disorders".

The proposal to create a comprehensive in silico modeling system, as a national shared resource, for simulation of complex biologic neural systems integrates perfectly with other new national efforts to develop distributed and federated infrastructures for combining in vivo functional and structural biomedical human brain imaging data such as the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) and those aimed at developing open-source, shared computational models and algorithms building on best practices and National Library of Medicine (NLM) sponsored toolkits (ITK; www.itk.org) such as the National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NAMIC). Where BIRN provides an integrating network, computational and database elements of cyberinfrastructure, as well as test-bed projects such as magnetic resonance image acquisition and calibration techniques for distributed studies, NAMIC provides novel algorithm research and new applications development. The establishment of an in silico modeling system as outlined by Khachaturian and Lombardo [1] would provide an extraordinary opportunity for national stakeholders in the study, treatment, and cures of brain disorders.
Defense Mechanisms of Arthropods. Xxviii. a Quinone and a Phenol in the Defensive Secretion of a Parajulid Milliped

The defensive glands of millipeds produce a diversity of substances (references in Jacobson 1966, Eisner and Meinwald 1966, Weatherston 1967). The most widespread of these are benzoquinones, which have been identified in species of the orders Cambalida, Julida, Spirobolida, and Spirostreptida. We here report on the anomalous secretion of Oriulus delus Chamberlin, a member of the chiefly nearctic family Parajulidae (order Julida), of which no representatives had hitherto been studied chemically.
Free energy landscape for glucose condensation and dehydration reactions in dimethyl sulfoxide and the effects of solvent.

Abstract The mechanisms and free energy surfaces (FES) for the initial critical steps during proton-catalyzed glucose condensation and dehydration reactions were elucidated in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) using Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) coupled with metadynamics (MTD) simulations. Glucose condensation reaction is initiated by protonation of C1 OH whereas dehydration reaction is initiated by protonation of C2 OH. The mechanisms in DMSO are similar to those in aqueous solution. The DMSO molecules closest to the C1 OH or C2 OH on glucose are directly involved in the reactions and act as proton acceptors during the process. However, the energy barriers are strongly solvent dependent. Moreover, polarization from the long-range electrostatic interaction affects the mechanisms and energetics of glucose reactions. Experimental measurements conducted in various DMSO/Water mixtures also show that energy barriers are solvent dependent in agreement with our theoretical results.
Available options for treatment of interferon nonresponders.

Abstract In the great majority of patients, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not self-limiting. Approximately 70% to 85% of patients exposed to HCV will go on to develop chronic hepatitis. Among those who undergo treatment with interferon α, only 15% to 20% can be expected to respond to a 12- to 18-month course of therapy. With the addition of ribavirin to interferon monotherapy, the likelihood of sustained response (defined as normal alanine aminotransferase levels and negative HCV RNA persisting 6 months after the end of therapy) increases to approximately 40%. The fact remains, however, that there is still a substantial proportion of patients who will fail to respond to treatment. Without viral eradication, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma persist as long-term risks. Several options are available for the treatment of patients who fail to respond to interferon monotherapy. These include interferon dose escalation, whether by administering higher doses or administering them more frequently; changing to a different form of interferon; retreatment with a combination of interferon and ribavirin; adjunctive therapies, of which the best studied is phlebotomy to decrease hepatic iron stores; use of long-term, low-dose "maintenance"-type therapy; and watchful waiting with frequent follow-up. In the absence of long-term, large-scale clinical trials to support these modalities, physicians must exercise their best clinical judgment and individualize treatment to suit the patient's condition, needs, and preferences.
Introduction: Postphenomenological Research

This introduction to the special issue of Human Studies on postphenomenology outlines specific developments which have led to this style of phenomenology. Postphenomenology adapts aspects of pragmatism, including its anti-Cartesian program against early modern subject/object epistemology. Postphenomenology retains and emphasizes the use of phenomenological variations as an analytic tool, and in practice postphenomenology takes what is commonly now called “an empirical turn,” which deeply analyzes case studies or concrete issues under its purview.
Threat Assessment: Workplace

Threat assessment arose in the latter half of the twentieth century through the work of a handful of pioneers of various backgrounds seeking techniques for the analysis of threatening communications. Some public agencies and private employers have developed internal capabilities to evaluate threats, but many threat assessment services are delivered by unregulated private vendors of variable quality and expertise. Standardizing use of the terms threat and threat assessment would be an important advance. The diversity of threats arising in workplaces requires that a system for recognizing, reporting, investigating, assessing, and managing threats be implemented as part of a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program. Keywords: dangerousness; profiles; profiling; risk assessment; threat; threats; threat assessment; violence, workplace; workplace violence
Vehicle lateral control for automated highway systems

This paper addresses the modeling and control of the lateral motion of a highway vehicle. In particular, a steering controller is designed that tracks the center of the present lane on both curved and straight highway sections without knowledge of the radius of curvature of the road. Also, it is shown that a lane change maneuver can be completed on a curved road section using this controller. The controller is designed using an H/sub /spl infin//-based loop shaping design procedure due to McFarlane and Glover. It is shown that this controller achieves the required performance as well as exhibiting excellent robustness. In particular, the controller's robustness due to varying speeds, icy road conditions, and wind gusts are examined.
DNA polymerases and somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes

Somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin variable genes, which increases antibody diversity, is initiated by the activation-induced cytosine deaminase (AID) protein. The current DNA-deamination model posits that AID deaminates cytosine to uracil in DNA, and that mutations are generated by DNA polymerases during replication or repair of the uracil residue. Mutations could arise as follows: by DNA replicating past the uracil; by removing the uracil with a uracil glycosylase and replicating past the resulting abasic site with a low-fidelity polymerase; or by repairing the uracil and synthesizing a DNA-repair patch downstream using a low-fidelity polymerase. In this review, we summarize the biochemical properties of specialized DNA polymerases in mammalian cells and discuss their participation in the mechanisms of hypermutation. Many recent studies have examined mice deficient in the genes that encode various DNA polymerases, and have shown that DNA polymerase H (POLH) contributes to hypermutation, whereas POLI, POLK and several other enzymes do not have major roles. The low-fidelity enzyme POLQ has been proposed as another candidate polymerase because it can efficiently bypass abasic sites and recent evidence indicates that it might participate in hypermutation.
Anxiety-Disordered Adolescents With and Without a Comorbid Depressive Disorder: Variations in Clinical Presentation and Emotion Regulation

There is a high degree of comorbidity between anxiety and depressive disorders among treatment-seeking adolescents. Comorbid youth often present with greater diagnostic severity, worse social funct...
Lateral approach for radiocarpal wrist arthrography.

OBJECTIVE. We describe a technique of radiocarpal arthrography using the lateral approach. This technique may be used as an alternative to conventional dorsal techniques.CONCLUSION. Radiocarpal injection using the lateral approach can be considered as an alternative to conventional dorsal approaches in the evaluation of wrist pain and instability.
Age Differences in Decision Making: A Process Methodology for Examining Strategic Information Processing

This study explored the use of process tracing techniques in examining the decision-making processes of older and younger adults. Thirty-six college-age and thirty-six retirement-age participants decided which one of six cars they would purchase on the basis of computer-accessed data. They provided information search protocols. Results indicate that total time to reach a decision did not differ according to age. However, retirement-age participants used less information, spent more time viewing, and re-viewed fewer bits of information than college-age participants. Information search patterns differed markedly between age groups. Patterns of retirement-age adults indicated their use of noncompensatory decision rules which, according to decision-making literature (Payne, 1976), reduce cognitive processing demands. The patterns of the college-age adults indicated their use of compensatory decision rules, which have higher processing demands.
Spatial Ecology of Breeding Least Bitterns in Northwest Missouri

Abstract We examined the spatial ecology of breeding Least Bitterns (Ixobrychus exilis) on Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri using radiotelemetry. We collected 1,585 locations for 60 individuals (28 males, 32 females) during 23 May–2 August 2005 and 6 June-18 July 2006. Pooled data for both males and females, and both years resulted in mean 50 and 95% fixed kernel home range use distributions of 37.6 (n = 25) and 223.2 ha (n = 25) for all individuals with ≥30 locations. The mean maximum distance traveled between telemetry observations was 2,147.1 m (n = 28). There were no differences in home range size or mobility between male and female Least Bitterns, although there were great variations between years with birds in 2006 using home ranges five times larger than those in 2005. Habitat use was disproportionate to availability with birds using sites with cattail (Typha spp.) and arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.) to a greater extent than available in both 2005 and 2006. One of eight ...
The Histone H3K9 Demethylase Kdm3b Is Required for Somatic Growth and Female Reproductive Function

Kdm3b is a Jumonji C domain-containing protein that demethylates mono- and di-methylated lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me1 and H3K9me2). Although the enzyme activity of Kdm3b is well characterized in vitro, its genetic and physiological function remains unknown. Herein, we generated Kdm3b knockout (Kdm3bKO) mice and observed restricted postnatal growth and female infertility in these mice. We found that Kdm3b ablation decreased IGFBP-3 expressed in the kidney by 53% and significantly reduced IGFBP-3 in the blood, which caused an accelerated degradation of IGF-1 and a 36% decrease in circulating IGF-1 concentration. We also found Kdm3b was highly expressed in the female reproductive organs including ovary, oviduct and uterus. Knockout of Kdm3b in female mice caused irregular estrous cycles, decreased 45% of the ovulation capability and 47% of the fertilization rate, and reduced 44% of the uterine decidual response, which were accompanied with a more than 50% decrease in the circulating levels of the 17beta-estradiol. Importantly, these female reproductive phenotypes were associated with significantly increased levels of H3K9me1/2/3 in the ovary and uterus. These results demonstrate that Kdm3b-mediated H3K9 demethylation plays essential roles in maintenance of the circulating IGF-1, postnatal somatic growth, circulating 17beta-estradiol, and female reproductive function.
Effects of aging, gender, and physical training on peripheral vascular function

BACKGROUNDBlood pressure and total peripheral resistance increase with age. However, the effect of age on vasodilatory capacity has not been characterized.METHODS AND RESULTSTo delineate the effects of aging, gender, and physical training on peripheral vascular function, we measured blood pressure during submaximal and maximal treadmill exercise and measured blood pressure, calf blood flow, and calf conductance (blood flow/mean blood pressure) at rest and during maximal hyperemia in 58 healthy sedentary subjects (men aged 25 +/- 5 and 65 +/- 3 years and women aged 27 +/- 5 and 65 +/- 4 years) and in 52 endurance exercise-trained subjects (men aged 30 +/- 3 and 65 +/- 4 years and women aged 27 +/- 3 and 65 +/- 3 years). Systolic and mean blood pressures were higher at rest, during maximal calf hyperemia, and during submaximal exercise of the same intensity in the older than in the younger subjects of the same gender and exercise training status (p less than 0.01). The magnitude of the age-related effect on...
Rationalizing the self‐assembly of poly‐(3‐hexylthiophene) using solubility and solvatochromic parameters

The assembly of poly(3-hextylthiophene) (P3HT) in solvent mixtures is studied using solubility and solvatochromic parameters. Correlations between the excitonic coupling of P3HT assemblies and the Kamlet–Taft (α, β, π*) and ETN solvent scales reveal that lower excitonic coupling values are observed in binary mixtures characterized by low β values (0 < β ≤ 0.25) and low polarity (0.1 ≤ ETN ≤ 0.3). Hansen solubility theory is revisited by evaluating the directionality of the solubility distance, Ra. Relationships between the excitonic coupling and the Δδh and Δδp vector components indicate that the polarity of the solvent (Δδp) and the specific solvent-solvent interactions reflected by the Δδh component direct the formation of well-ordered P3HT aggregates. The complementary results of the solubility and solvatochromic parameter analyses are in agreement with one another. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 841–850
Does practicing hatha yoga satisfy recommendations for intensity of physical activity which improves and maintains health and cardiovascular fitness

Little is known about the metabolic and heart rate responses to a typical hatha yoga session. The purposes of this study were 1) to determine whether a typical yoga practice using various postures meets the current recommendations for levels of physical activity required to improve and maintain health and cardiovascular fitness; 2) to determine the reliability of metabolic costs of yoga across sessions; 3) to compare the metabolic costs of yoga practice to those of treadmill walking. In this observational study, 20 intermediate-to-advanced level yoga practitioners, age 31.4 ± 8.3 years, performed an exercise routine inside a human respiratory chamber (indirect calorimeter) while wearing heart rate monitors. The exercise routine consisted of 30 minutes of sitting, 56 minutes of beginner-level hatha yoga administered by video, and 10 minutes of treadmill walking at 3.2 and 4.8 kph each. Measures were mean oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), percentage predicted maximal heart rate (%MHR), metabolic equivalents (METs), and energy expenditure (kcal). Seven subjects repeated the protocol so that measurement reliability could be established. Mean values across the entire yoga session for VO2, HR, %MHR, METs, and energy/min were 0.6 L/kg/min; 93.2 beats/min; 49.4%; 2.5; and 3.2 kcal/min; respectively. Results of the ICCs (2,1) for mean values across the entire yoga session for kcal, METs, and %MHR were 0.979 and 0.973, and 0.865, respectively. Metabolic costs of yoga averaged across the entire session represent low levels of physical activity, are similar to walking on a treadmill at 3.2 kph, and do not meet recommendations for levels of physical activity for improving or maintaining health or cardiovascular fitness. Yoga practice incorporating sun salutation postures exceeding the minimum bout of 10 minutes may contribute some portion of sufficiently intense physical activity to improve cardio-respiratory fitness in unfit or sedentary individuals. The measurement of energy expenditure across yoga sessions is highly reliable.
Detection of Enocyanin in Cranberry Juice Cocktail by Color and Pigment Profile

Addition of enocyanin to cranberry juice cocktail can be determined by a four-step color and pigment profile. Enocyanin colorant is slightly more blue, therefore, a simple measurement of color will detect samples with 12% or less cranberry juice. Cranberry juice cocktail normally contains 25% cranberry juice. Anthocyanins and flavonoids, recoverable by a CG-50 ion exchange column, are lower in samples with 12% or less cranberry juice. Anthocyanin aglycones, found in grapes and not in cranberries, can be detected by paper chromatography in Formic reagent. Replacement of 50% of cranberry juice by a solution of enocyanin and citric acid, can be detected by paper chromatography of anthocyanins in 1% HCl in water.
Hypercontracture of Isolated Adult Rat Heart Myocytes: Multiple Causes and a Common Mechanism

The hypercontracture of adult rat ventricular myocytes is an indication of severe and irreversible damage. Normally rectangular and striated myocytes are converted into grossly disorganized round forms as the consequence of an excessive and seemingly uncontrolled shortening of the myofibrils. Under the light microscope, hypercontracture can often be seen to occur after multiple spontaneous cycles of contraction and partial but incomplete relaxation that gradually reduce the overall length of each myocyte. In the final stages, the myofibrils appear to fuse into a nearly amorphous central mass, and the mitochondria and fragments of the sarcoplasmic reticulum are extruded into large superficial blebs of cytosol (see 1 for typical micrographs).
Drought-induced in vivo synthesis of camptothecin in Camptotheca acuminata seedlings.

Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites may be affected by environmental stimuli. In the present work, the effect of drought on the levels of an indole alkaloid (camptothecin [CPT]) in Camptotheca acuminata seedlings was investigated. Three seed sources, one from its native habitat in China and two from earlier introductions to the United States, in Texas and South Carolina, were used to compare response patterns. Progressive drought stress significantly reduced biomass production in the 3 seed sources of C. acuminata. Stomatal conductance closely followed the drought cycles, indicating the stress levels experienced by the plants. Leaf CPT concentrations showed a strong increase in the initial drought cycle in all seed sources except Texas, but they deviated in the second drought cycle, in which the South Carolina source continued to increase, whereas the Chinese and Texas seed sources decreased. CPT was inducible by drought, but the sustainability of the drought effect on leaf CPT concentrations was low and varied among seed sources.
Kdo Hydrolase Is Required for Francisella tularensis Virulence and Evasion of TLR2-Mediated Innate Immunity

ABSTRACT The highly virulent Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis has been classified as a category A bioterrorism agent. A live vaccine strain (LVS) has been developed but remains unlicensed in the United States because of an incomplete understanding of its attenuation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modification is a common strategy employed by bacterial pathogens to avoid innate immunity. A novel modification enzyme has recently been identified in F. tularensis and Helicobacter pylori. This enzyme, a two-component Kdo (3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid) hydrolase, catalyzes the removal of a side chain Kdo sugar from LPS precursors. The biological significance of this modification has not yet been studied. To address the role of the two-component Kdo hydrolase KdhAB in F. tularensis pathogenesis, a Δ kdhAB deletion mutant was constructed from the LVS strain. In intranasal infection of mice, the Δ kdhAB mutant strain had a 50% lethal dose (LD 50 ) 2 log 10 units higher than that of the parental LVS strain. The levels of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were significantly higher (2-fold) in mice infected with the Δ kdhAB mutant than in mice infected with LVS. In vitro stimulation of bone marrow-derived macrophages with the Δ kdhAB mutant induced higher levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in a TLR2-dependent manner. In addition, TLR2 −/− mice were more susceptible than wild-type mice to Δ kdhAB bacterial infection. Finally, immunization of mice with Δ kdhAB bacteria elicited a high level of protection against the highly virulent F. tularensis subsp. tularensis strain Schu S4. These findings suggest an important role for the Francisella Kdo hydrolase system in virulence and offer a novel mutant as a candidate vaccine. IMPORTANCE The first line of defense against a bacterial pathogen is innate immunity, which slows the progress of infection and allows time for adaptive immunity to develop. Some bacterial pathogens, such as Francisella tularensis, suppress the early innate immune response, killing the host before adaptive immunity can mature. To avoid an innate immune response, F. tularensis enzymatically modifies its lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A novel LPS modification—Kdo (3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid) saccharide removal—has recently been reported in F. tularensis. We found that the ∆ kdhAB mutant was significantly attenuated in mice. Additionally, the mutant strain induced an early innate immune response in mice both in vitro and in vivo . Immunization of mice with this mutant provided protection against the highly virulent F. tularensis strain Schu S4. Thus, our study has identified a novel LPS modification important for microbial virulence. A mutant lacking this modification may be used as a live attenuated vaccine against tularemia.
Effects of Single and Multiple Applications of Mosquito Insecticides on Nontarget Arthropods

Mosquito management plans have been implemented in the United States and globally to manage mosquito vectors of West Nile virus and many other diseases. However, there is public concern about ecological risks from using insecticides to manage mosquitoes. Two studies were conducted during the late summers of 2004 through 2006 at Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Great Falls, MT. The first experiment was conducted in 2004 and 2005 to assess acute impacts of mosquito adulticides (permethrin and d-phenothrin) and larvicides (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and methoprene) on nontarget aquatic and terrestrial arthropods after a single application. The second experiment was conducted in 2005 and 2006 to assess longer-term impacts of permethrin on nontarget terrestrial arthropods after multiple repeated applications. For aquatic samples, in the first study, no overall treatment effects were observed despite a potentially deleterious effect on amphipods on sample date 1 in 2004. During the same study, 1 of 54 responses had a significant overall treatment effect for sticky-card samples. Many of the responses for sticky- card samples suggested significant time effects and time 3 treatment effects. Three response variables were associated with fewer individuals present in the insecticide-treated plots in a multivariate analysis. For the multiple-spray study conducted in 2005 and 2006, 6 of the response variables collected via sticky cards exhibited significant overall treatment effects, but none was associated with fewer individuals in the insecticide-treated plots. None of the responses collected using sweep-net sampling suggested overall treatment effects. Time and time 3 treatment effects were prevalent in 2005, but no discernable pattern was evident. In general, nearly all of the responses evaluated for either study indicated few, if any, deleterious effects from insecticide application.
A whole new ball game: Stem cell-derived epithelia in the study of host-microbe interactions.

Recent advances in developmental and stem cell biology have resulted in techniques that enable the generation and maintenance of complex epithelium in vitro. While these models have been utilized to study host development and disease, a renewed appreciation of host-microbe interactions has sparked interest in employing these new techniques to study microbes at the epithelial interface. Here we review the current advances in host-microbe interactions that have resulted from experiments using these complex epithelia. Furthermore we highlight aspects of these techniques that warrant further development to facilitate the study of host-microbe interactions.
Examination of Bow-Shock Formation in Supersonic Radiatively Cooled Plasma Flows

Radiative high-Z plasma bow shocks driven by a 200-kA current are investigated by using high-resolution dark-field laser Schlieren imaging and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Results demonstrate stationary high-density compressible bow shocks and provide data on the plasma Mach number and electron density.
A locally conformal finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm for modeling three-dimensional perfectly conducting objects

A novel conformal finite-difference time-domain (CFDTD) technique for locally distorted contours that accurately model curved metallic objects is presented in this paper. This approach is easy to implement and is numerically stable. Several examples are presented to demonstrate that the new method yields results that are far more accurate than those generated by the conventional staircasing approach. Example geometries include cylindrical and spherical cavities, and a circular microstrip patch antenna. Accuracy of the scheme is demonstrated by comparing the results derived from analytical and Method of Moments (MoM) techniques.
T2-weighted endorectal magnetic resonance imaging of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy

PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine the accuracy of T2-weighted endorectal MR imaging in the detection of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy and to investigate the relationship between imaging accuracy and time since therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained and the study was HIPPA compliant. We identified 59 patients who underwent 1.5 Tesla endorectal MR imaging of the prostate between 1999 and 2006 after definitive external beam radiation therapy for biopsy-proven prostate cancer. Two readers recorded the presence or absence of tumor on T2-weighted images. Logistic regression and Fisher’s exact tests for 2x2 tables were used to determine the accuracy of imaging and investigate if accuracy differed between those imaged within 3 years of therapy (n = 25) and those imaged more than 3 years after therapy (n = 34). Transrectal biopsy was used as the standard of reference for the presence or absence of recurrent cancer. RESULTS: Thirty-four of 59 patients (58%) had recurrent prostate cancer detected on biopsy. The overall accuracy of T2-weighted MR imaging in the detection cancer after external beam radiation therapy was 63% (37/59) for reader 1 and 71% for reader 2 (42/59). For both readers, logistic regression showed no difference in accuracy between those imaged within 3 years of therapy and those imaged more than 3 years after therapy (p = 0.86 for reader 1 and 0.44 for reader 2). CONCLUSION: T2-weighted endorectal MR imaging has low accuracy in the detection of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy, irrespective of the time since therapy.
A rank minimization approach to fast dynamic event detection and track matching in video sequences

This paper addresses the problems of track stitching and dynamic event detection in a sequence of frames. The input data consists of tracks, possibly fragmented due to occlusion, belonging to multiple targets. The goals are to (i) establish track identity across occlusion, and (ii) detect points where the motion modalities of these targets undergo substantial changes. The main result of the paper is a simple, computationally inexpensive approach that allows achieving these goals in a unified way. Given a continuous track, the main idea is to detect changes in the dynamics by parsing it into segments according to the complexity of the model required to explain the observed data. Intuitively, changes in this complexity correspond to points where the dynamics change. In turn, the problem of estimating the complexity of the underlying model can be reduced to estimating the rank of a Hankel matrix constructed from the observed data, leading to a simple algorithm, computationally no more expensive that a sequence of SVDs. Proceeding along the same lines, fragmented tracks corresponding to multiple targets can be linked by searching for sets corresponding to minimal complexity joint models. As we show in the paper, this problem can be reduced to a semi- definite optimization and efficiently solved.
MicroRNAs in cancer invasion and metastasis

The field of cancer research has received invaluable gifts over the last few decades through novel innovations in molecular understanding and drug development. One area that is currently receiving much attention is that of microRNAs (miRNAs). The miRNAs are small, non-coding molecules that inhibit gene expression post-transcriptionally, and emerging evidence suggests that miRNAs are involved in cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. These developments could serve as the catalyst for further research focusing on finding a possible molecular link between miRNAs and cancer. This revolutionary research in the field of cancer has shown great promise in understanding the regulatory role of miRNAs in the development and progression of cancer, emphasizing its biochemical and pathological implications, and in particular, its significant role in cancer invasion and metastasis. For example, it has now been widely accepted that certain miRNAs are oncogenic while others act as tumor suppressors. Additionally, studies have shown that miRNAs can be used to alter sensitivity of drug-resistant tumor cells in order to improve the effects of conventional therapeutics. Furthermore, natural agents have been shown to alter miRNA expression, leading to possible inhibition of cancer cell growth and induction of apoptosis, which may contribute to the inhibition of tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastases. Therefore, selective up- and down-regulation of miRNAs holds a great promise for cancer therapy especially for those patients with invasive and metastatic disease. In this chapter, we will summarize the state of our knowledge regarding the role of miRNAs in cancer invasion and metastasis, and will also provide some information on how miRNAs could be regulated for therapeutic interventions.
High Speed Sample and Hold and Analog-to-Digital Converter Circuits

Architectures for analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion above 100 Msamples-per-second are described. The well known pipeline and flash configurations are examined, including variations which reduce complexity and power consumption. Static and dynamic errors common to flash architecture A/D circuits are enumerated. The advantages of sample and hold (S/H) circuits in reducing dynamic errors in flash converters are described. A simple model for sample and hold circuits is used to predict S/H performance limits and sources of error.
A Simple Method for Solving the SVM Regularization Path for Semidefinite Kernels

The support vector machine (SVM) remains a popular classifier for its excellent generalization performance and applicability of kernel methods; however, it still requires tuning of a regularization parameter, $C$ , to achieve optimal performance. Regularization path-following algorithms efficiently solve the solution at all possible values of the regularization parameter relying on the fact that the SVM solution is piece-wise linear in $C$ . The SVMPath originally introduced by Hastie et al. , while representing a significant theoretical contribution, does not work with semidefinite kernels. Ong et al. introduce a method improved SVMPath ( ISVMP ) algorithm, which addresses the semidefinite kernel; however, Singular Value Decomposition or QR factorizations are required, and a linear programming solver is required to find the next $C$ value at each iteration. We introduce a simple implementation of the path-following algorithm that automatically handles semidefinite kernels without requiring a method to detect singular matrices nor requiring specialized factorizations or an external solver. We provide theoretical results showing how this method resolves issues associated with the semidefinite kernel as well as discuss, in detail, the potential sources of degeneracy and cycling and how cycling is resolved. Moreover, we introduce an initialization method for unequal class sizes based upon artificial variables that work within the context of the existing path-following algorithm and do not require an external solver. Experiments compare performance with the ISVMP algorithm introduced by Ong et al. and show that the proposed method is competitive in terms of training time while also maintaining high accuracy.