cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical activity levels in coed and same-sex physical education using the tactical games model

This study compared physical activity levels of junior high school physical education students participating in coeducational and same-sex PE classes that followed the Tactical Games Model. A total of 446 students, aged 11 to 16 years old, enrolled in the seventh to ninth grades from one junior high school participated. Each student participated in four team sport units while wearing an accelerometer. All lessons followed the Tactical Games instructional model. Four three-way between-subjects analyses of variance were conducted as a method of evaluating the effect of gender, class setting, and grade on PE students’ PA levels for each sport unit. There was not a significant difference in PA for males by setting or sport unit. During the volleyball, flag football, and soccer unit, there was a nonsignificant difference between female students in the same-sex setting and between female and male students in the coeducational setting for percentage of time spent in MVPA. Results suggest setting does not affect MVPA time of males but does affect that of females depending on sport. Results also suggest that males spend more time in MVPA than females regardless of setting and sport unit. Subscribe to TPE
The Lactose Permease of Escherichia coli An Update

An unsolved basic biochemical phenomenon of critical importance is the general problem of energy transduction in biological membranes. Although the driving force for a variety of seemingly unrelated functions (e.g., secondary active transport, oxidative phosphorylation, rotation of the bacterial flagellar motor) is a bulk-phase, transmembrane electrochemical ion gradient, the molecular mechanism(s) by which free energy stored in such gradients is transduced into work or into chemical energy remains enigmatic. Nonetheless, gene sequencing and analyses of deduced amino acid sequences indicate that many biological machines involved in energy transduction, secondary transport proteins in particular,1,2 fall into families encompassing proteins from archaebacteria to the mammalian central nervous system, thereby suggesting that the members may have common basic structural features and mechanisms of action. Moreover, certain of these proteins have been implicated in human disease (e.g., glucose/galactose malabsorption, certain forms of drug abuse, depression).
To Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the Antislavery Movement

The antislavery movement entered an important new phase when William Lloyd Garrison began publishing the Liberator in 1831--a phase marked by massive petition campaigns, the extraordinary mobilization of female activists, and the creation of organizations such as the American Anti-Slavery Society. While the period from 1831 to 1865 is known as the heyday of radical abolitionism, the work of Garrison's predecessors in Massachusetts was critical in laying the foundation for antebellum abolitionism. To Plead Our Own Cause explores the significant contributions of African Americans in the Bay State to both local and nationwide antislavery activity before 1831 and demonstrates that their efforts represent nothing less than the beginning of organized abolitionist activity in America. Fleshing out the important links between Reformed theology, the institution of slavery, and the rise of the antislavery movement, author Christopher Cameron argues that African Americans in Massachusetts initiated organized abolitionism in America and that their antislavery ideology had its origins in Puritan thought and the particular system of slavery that this religious ideology shaped in Massachusetts. The political activity of black abolitionists was central in effecting the abolition of slavery and the slave trade within the Bay State, and it was likewise key in building a national antislavery movement in the years of the early republic. Even while abolitionist strategies were evolving, much of the rhetoric and tactics that well-known abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass employed in the mid-nineteenth century had their origins among blacks in Massachusetts during the eighteenth century.
School Finance Reform and School Quality: Lessons from Vermont

In June of 1997, the elected leaders of Vermont enacted the Equal Educational Opportunity Act (Act 60) in response to a state supreme court decision in Brigham v. State. Act 60 could provide a unique opportunity to determine if dramatic school finance reforms like those enacted in Vermont generate greater equality in measured student performance. This paper represents an attempt to document the changes in the distributions of spending and of student performance that have occurred in the post-Act 60 period. This paper begins with an overview of the institutional structure of educational finance and provision in Vermont. One purpose of this overview is to make the argument that the Vermont case is particularly interesting because there have not been dramatic demographics changes that could obscure the impact of finance reforms. With this context established, I then use a panel of Vermont school districts that spans the pre- and post-Act 60 period to examine the extent to which there has been convergence across school districts in per pupil expenditures and in student performance. Spending has clearly converged; a definitive answer on the extent of convergence in student performance must wait until more years of data are available.
Interfacing FPGA/VLSI processor arrays

Mapping DSP algorithms to FPGA/VLSI circuits is an important issue in Application-Specific Array Processor design. Since a DSP algorithm can be abstracted as a graph where each node is a shift-invariant DG (Dependence Graph) and the edges denote the data flow, it is possible to map a DSP algorithm to a set of processor arrays with some interface circuits. The interface design depends on the projection/scheduling vectors used on the two corresponding shift-invariant DGs and the interfacing cost is very significant when a lot of delays are necessary or when the processor operations are relatively inexpensive in terms of area. Therefore, when selecting these vectors in a design environment, the effect on the interface circuit must be accurately computed. In this paper, various interface circuit designs are presented and categorized based on the data conversion requirement. An algorithm to select a design from many design options to minimize the cost is also described.
Expansion of bacteriocin activity and host range upon complementation of two peptides encoded within the lactacin F operon.

Abstract Lactacin F is a membrane-active bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus johnsonii VPI11088 (Laf+). The genetic determinants encoding lactacin F are organized in a 1-kb polycistronic operon composed of a promoter (P(laf)), three genes (lafA, lafX, and ORFZ), and a functional rho-independent transcription terminator. Two Laf- derivatives of VPI11088, designated NCK64 and NCK65, were characterized. NCK64 contained a frameshift mutation in the lafA gene causing premature termination of translation. NCK65 harbored a 10-kb chromosomal deletion covering the laf operon. When the lafA gene was cloned independently and expressed in NCK65, bacteriocin activity was limited to L. helveticus 87, only one of the six known lactacin F-sensitive (Lafs) indicators. When lafX was introduced into NCK65, no bacteriocin activity against any of the sensitive strains was detected. Genetic combination of lafA and lafX, in cis or in trans, restored bacteriocin activity against all Lafs indicators. When two NCK65 clones containing either lafA or lafX were plated slightly apart on agar plates, fully active lactacin F was present in the intervening area where the two excreted gene products, LafA and LafX, diffused together. The genetic analysis revealed that the interaction of two bacteriocinogenic peptides encoded within the laf operon is likely to participate in the formation of poration complexes in the membranes of susceptible bacteria.
Extended dominating set in ad hoc networks using cooperative communication

We propose a notion of extended dominating set whereby each node in an ad hoc network is covered by either a dominating neighbor or several 2-hop dominating neighbors. This work is motivated by cooperative communication in ad hoc networks where transmitting independent copies of a packet generates diversity and combats the effects of fading. In this paper we propose several efficient heuristic algorithms for constructing a small extended dominating set.
Left ventricular twist and shear in patients with primary mitral regurgitation.

Author(s): Reyhan, Meral; Wang, Zhe; Li, Ming; Kim, Hyun J; Gupta, Himanshu; Lloyd, Steven G; Dell'Italia, Louis J; Denney, Thomas; Ennis, Daniel B | Abstract: PurposeTo evaluate the relationship between left ventricular (LV) twist, shear, and twist-per-volume and the severity of mitral regurgitation (MR). Primary MR is a valvular disorder that induces LV dysfunction. There exist several measures of LV rotational mechanics, but it remains unclear which measure of LV dysfunction best accords with the severity of MR. We hypothesized that LV systolic twist-per-volume slope would decrease with increasing severity of MR because of both decreases in rotational mechanics and increases in stroke volumes.Materials and methodsNormal subjects (n = 54), moderate MR patients (n = 29), and severe MR patients (n = 54) were studied. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5T scanner and grid-tagged LV images were collected at the LV base and LV apex. Measures of LV rotational mechanics were derived from tagged images using Fourier Analysis of STimulated echoes (FAST).ResultsPeak systolic twist-per-volume slope was significantly different for all pairwise comparisons (P l 0.0001) and compared to normal subjects (-0.14 ± 0.05°/mL) was decreased in moderate MR (-0.12 ± 0.04°/mL) and further decreased in severe MR (-0.07 ± 0.03°/mL).ConclusionPeak systolic twist-per-volume slope significantly decreased with increasing severity of MR and is therefore a suitable quantitative imaging biomarker for LV dysfunction in patients with MR.
Ab initio two-component Ehrenfest dynamics

We present an ab initio two-component Ehrenfest-based mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics method to describe the effect of nuclear motion on the electron spin dynamics (and vice versa) in molecular systems. The two-component time-dependent non-collinear density functional theory is used for the propagation of spin-polarized electrons while the nuclei are treated classically. We use a three-time-step algorithm for the numerical integration of the coupled equations of motion, namely, the velocity Verlet for nuclear motion, the nuclear-position-dependent midpoint Fock update, and the modified midpoint and unitary transformation method for electronic propagation. As a test case, the method is applied to the dissociation of H2 and O2. In contrast to conventional Ehrenfest dynamics, this two-component approach provides a first principles description of the dynamics of non-collinear (e.g., spin-frustrated) magnetic materials, as well as the proper description of spin-state crossover, spin-rotation, and spin-flip dynamics by relaxing the constraint on spin configuration. This method also holds potential for applications to spin transport in molecular or even nanoscale magnetic devices.
Electron trapping in high-current ion beam pipes

Abstract The space charge voltage depression in a drifting heavy ion beam during the final stages of current pulse compression can be hundreds of kV. For example, a 1 kA beam of ions at β = v / c =0.4 would have a beam center-to-edge potential difference of 75 kV. With suitable clearance from beam edge to the beam pipe, this amount is typically increased by a factor of 2–3 by the (1+2 ln( b / a )) term that accounts for the ratio of pipe radius, b , to beam radius, a . Such high voltages, and resulting high electric fields at the pipe wall, will result in electrons being pulled into the beam pipe. These electrons which are emitted from the grounded beam pipe, will pass through the ion beam at high velocity and then turn around without (usually) striking the wall and continue to pass through the beam on repeated oscillations. It is possible to control the longitudinal motion of these trapped electrons by suitably varying the pipe size while considering the beam diameter. A segment of the beam pipe that has a larger diameter will result in a potential well that traps the electrons longitudinally. In a constant current scenario in a uniform pipe, the electrons will drift in the direction of the beam. However, the head and especially the tail of the ion beam will have a dramatic effect on the electrons, causing them to be pulled into the ion beam. These complex processes will continue until the ion beam passes through an optical element such as a beam transport magnet that will effectively block the motion of the electron clouds following the ions. In this paper, we will show examples of how electrons can be trapped and controlled by varying the conditions determining their emission and confinement. Ray tracing simulations using the EGN2 (Herrmannsfeldt, SLAC Electron Trajectory Program, SLAC-331 (1988)) computer code will be used to model the electron trajectories in the presence of a high current heavy ion beam. The self-magnetic field of the ion beam, while not sufficient to affect the ions themselves significantly, has a strong influence on the electron orbits.
Kinetics of the human renin and human substrate reaction.

The Michaelis constant (Km) for the hydrolysis of human renin substrate by human renin is 0·931 n-mole/ml. This concentration of substrate is higher than that found in a normotensive population. Since the Km is numerically equal to the concentration of substrate that will permit the reaction to proceed at half its maximal velocity, substrate concentration in normal serum occurs at a very critical level.
Human Reliability Analysis for Computerized Procedures, Part Two: Applicability of Current Methods

Computerized procedures (CPs) are an emerging technology within nuclear power plant control rooms. While CPs have been implemented internationally in advanced control rooms, to date no U.S. nuclear power plant has implemented CPs in its main control room. Yet, CPs are a reality of new plant builds and are an area of considerable interest to existing plants, which see advantages in terms of easier records management by omitting the need for updating hardcopy procedures. The overall intent of this paper is to provide a characterization of human reliability analysis (HRA) issues for computerized procedures. It is beyond the scope of this document to propose a new HRA approach or to recommend specific methods or refinements to those methods. Rather, this paper serves as a review of current HRA as it may be used for the analysis and review of computerized procedures.
Application of two dimensional and three dimensional imaging techniques to frog microvessels in-situ loaded with fluorescent indicators

A limitation of the photomultiplier tube (PMT) based quantitation systems in fluorescence microscopy is the lack of spatial information. In this paper, a cooled CCD based imaging system for quantitative imaging in fluorescence microscopy and two applications in single capillaries is presented. Two dimensional (2D) ratio imaging revealed uniform distribution of intracellular ion concentration in the endothelial cells along a capillary. Optical sectioning and image restoration showed that the observed non-homogeneity of indicator loading into the microvessel wall was due to variation in cell thickness.
Fundamentals of tandem mass spectrometry: a dynamics study of simple C−C bond cleavage in collision-activated dissociation of polyatomic ions at low energy

The loss of methyl radical in collision-activated dissociation (CAD) of acetone and propane molecular ions has been studied at low energy using a tandem hybrid mass spectrometer. Although the two processes are very similar chemically and energetically, very different dynamical features are observed. Acetyl ions from acetone ion are predominantly backward-scattered, with intensity maxima lying inside and outside the elastic scattering circle, confirming our previous observation that electronically excited states are important in low-energy acetone CAD. Ethyl ions from propane ion show a forward-scattered peak maximum at a nonzero scattering angle, which is consistent with generally accepted models for vibrational excitation and redistribution of energy before dissociation. Both processes demonstrate that CAD at low energy proceeds via small-impact-parameter collisions with momentum transfer. Comparison of the present results with higher energy CAD dynamics studies and earlier work leads to some tentative general conclusions about energy transfer in these processes.
Rab10 associates with primary cilia and the exocyst complex in renal epithelial cells

Rab10, a mammalian homolog of the yeast Sec4p protein, has previously been associated with endocytic recycling and biosynthetic membrane transport in cultured epithelia and with Glut4 translocation in adipocytes. Here, we report that Rab10 associates with primary cilia in renal epithelia in culture and in vivo. In addition, we find that Rab10 also colocalizes with exocyst proteins at the base of nascent cilia, and physically interacts with the exocyst complex, as detected with anti-Sec8 antibodies. These data suggest that membrane transport to the primary cilum may be mediated by interactions between Rab10 and an exocyst complex located at the cilium base.
Automatic unstructured all-hexahedral mesh generation from B-Reps for non-manifold CAD assemblies

This paper describes an automatic and robust approach to convert non-manifold CAD assemblies into unstructured all-hexahedral meshes conformal to the given B-Reps (boundary-representations) and with sharp feature preservation. In previous works, we developed an octree-based isocontouring method to construct unstructured hexahedral meshes for arbitrary non-manifold and manifold domains. However, sharp feature preservation still remains a challenge, especially for non-manifold CAD assemblies. In this paper, boundary features such as NURBS (non-uniform rational B-Splines) curves and surface patches are first extracted from the given B-Reps. Features shared by multiple components are identified and distinguished. To preserve these non-manifold features, one given surface patch may need to be split into several small ones. An octree-based algorithm is then carried out to create an unstructured all-hexahedral base mesh, detecting and preserving all the sharp features via a curve and surface parametrization. Two sets of local refinement templates are provided for adaptive mesh generation, along with a novel 2-refinement implementation. Vertices in the base mesh are categorized into four groups based on the given non-manifold topology, and each group is relocated using various methods with all sharp features preserved. After this stage, a novel two-step pillowing technique is developed for such complicated non-manifold domains to eliminate triangle-shaped quadrilateral elements along the curves and “doublets”, handling non-manifold and manifold features in different ways. Finally, a combination of smoothing and optimization is used to further improve the mesh quality. Our algorithm is automatic and robust for non-manifold and manifold domains. We have applied our algorithm to several complicated CAD assemblies.
Photochemistry and spectroscopy of "stable organic radicals": steric and electronic effects in intermolecular photoinduced electron transfer.

The intermolecular reactivities of amino-substituted perchlorotriphenylmethyl radicals 1−3 were studied, with particular emphasis on electron transfer (ET) reactions. The natural fluorescence lifetimes and the rates of the electron-transfer quenching were studied with several electron donors and acceptors. Fluorescence quenching studies demonstrate the importance of the redox potentials of the ET pair on the observed steric and electronic properties.
A Defect-Tolerant Architecture for Nanoelectronic Resistive Memories

We have calculated the useful density that may be achieved by the synergy of bad bit exclusion and advanced (BCH) error correcting codes in prospective hybrid (CMOS/nanodevice) resistive memories, as a function of the defective memory cell fraction. The results indicate that the memories with a CMOS/nano pitch ratio close to 3 (which is typical for the current, initial stage of hybrid circuit development), may overcome the usual resistive and flash memories with the same CMOS design rules in useful bit density if the fraction of bad nanodevices is below ~ 15%, even under rather tough (30 ns) restrictions on the total access time. Moreover, as the technology matures, and the pitch ratio approaches an order of magnitude, the hybrid resistive memories may be far superior to the densest semiconductor memories by providing, e. g., a 1 Tbit/cm2 density even for a very conservative defect fraction of ~ 2%.
2 out of 3 isn't bad

In this issue of Blood , Sasu and colleagues demonstrate that a high-affinity antihepcidin antibody corrects iron-limited erythropoiesis in mice with the anemia of inflammation and restores responsiveness to erythropoietin.[1][1] This represents the first whole animal model in which 2 easily
Expression of the apoptosis-effector gene, Bax, is up-regulated in vulnerable hippocampal CA1 neurons following global ischemia.

: The observation that delayed death of CA1 neurons after global ischemia is inhibited by protein synthesis inhibitors suggests that the delayed death of these neurons is an active process that requires new gene expression. Delayed death in CA1 has some of the characteristics of apoptotic death; however, candidate proapoptotic proteins have not been identified in the CA1 after ischemia. We studied the expression of Bax protein and mRNA, a member of the bcl-2 family that is an effector of apoptotic cell death, after global ischemia in the four-vessel global ischemia model in the rat and compared these results with the expression of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2. Bax mRNA and protein are both expressed in CA1 before delayed death, whereas bcl-2 protein is not expressed. Bcl-2 protein expression, but not that of Bax, is increased in CA3, a region that is ischemic but less susceptible to ischemic injury. In the dentate gyrus, both Bax and bcl-2 proteins are expressed. The selective expression of Bax in CA1 supports the hypothesis that Bax could contribute to delayed neuronal death in these vulnerable neurons by an independent mechanism or by forming heterodimers with gene family members other than bcl-2.
Novel HDL-directed pharmacotherapeutic strategies

The burden of atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease remains high despite currently available optimum medical therapy. To address this substantial residual risk, the development of novel therapies that attempt to harness the atheroprotective functions of HDL is a major goal. These functions include the critical role of HDL in reverse cholesterol transport, and its anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, and antioxidant activities. Discoveries in the past decade have shed light on the complex metabolic and antiatherosclerotic pathways of HDL. These insights have fueled the development of HDL-targeted drugs, which can be classified among four different therapeutic approaches: directly augmenting apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) levels, such as with apo A-I infusions and upregulators of endogenous apo A-I production; indirectly augmenting apo A-I and HDL-cholesterol levels, such as through inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein or endothelial lipase, or through activation of the high-affinity niacin receptor GPR109A; mimicking the functionality of apo A-I with apo A-I mimetic peptides; and enhancing steps in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway, such as via activation of the liver X receptor or of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase.
Presence of Quorum-sensing Systems Associated with Multidrug Resistance and Biofilm Formation in Bacteroides fragilis

Bacteroides fragilis constitutes 1–2% of the natural microbiota of the human digestive tract and is the predominant anaerobic opportunistic pathogen in gastrointestinal infections. Most bacteria use quorum sensing (QS) to monitor cell density in relation to other cells and their environment. In Gram-negative bacteria, the LuxRI system is common. The luxR gene encodes a transcriptional activator inducible by type I acyl-homoserine lactone autoinducers (e.g., N-[3-oxohexanoyl] homoserine lactone and hexanoyl homoserine lactone [C6-HSL]). This study investigated the presence of QS system(s) in B. fragilis. The genome of American-type culture collection strain no. ATCC25285 was searched for QS genes. The strain was grown to late exponential phase in the presence or absence of synthetic C6-HSL and C8-HSL or natural homoserine lactones from cell-free supernatants from spent growth cultures of other bacteria. Growth, susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, efflux pump gene (bmeB) expression, and biofilm formation were measured. Nine luxR and no luxI orthologues were found. C6-HSL and supernatants from Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio cholerae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa caused a significant (1) reduction in cellular density and (2) increases in expression of four putative luxR genes, bmeB3, bmeB6, bmeB7, and bmeB10, resistance to various antibiotics, which was reduced by carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP, an uncoupler that dissipates the transmembrane proton gradient, which is also the driving force of resistance nodulation division efflux pumps) and (3) increase in biofilm formation. Susceptibility of ATCC25285 to C6-HSL was also reduced by CCCP. These data suggest that (1) B. fragilis contains putative luxR orthologues, which could respond to exogenous homoserine lactones and modulate biofilm formation, bmeB efflux pump expression, and susceptibility to antibiotics, and (2) BmeB efflux pumps could transport homoserine lactones.
One-photon emission in periodic magnetic fields

Abstract We present the matrix elements for one-photon emission from Dirac electrons moving in a static periodic magnetic field.
Formulation and testing of an incomplete-chromatic-adaptation model

A mathematical model of chromatic adaptation for calculating corresponding colors across changes of illumination based on the Hunt color appearance model is formulated and tested. This model consists of a modified von Kries transform that accounts for incomplete levels of adaptation. The model predicts that adaptation will be less complete as the saturation of the adapting stimulus increases and more complete as the luminance of the adapting stimulus increases. An experiment is described in which achromatic appearance is measured for various adapting conditions. The model is tested with these experimental results as well as results from another study and found to be significantly better at predicting corresponding colors than other proposed models.
Differential Effects of GLUT1 or GLUT4 Overexpression on Hexosamine Biosynthesis by Muscles of Transgenic Mice

Transgenic mice that overexpress GLUT1 or GLUT4 in skeletal muscle were studied; the former but not the latter develop insulin resistance. Because increased glucose flux via the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway has been implicated in glucose-induced insulin resistance, we measured the activity of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT; rate-limiting enzyme) and the concentrations of UDP-N-acetyl hexosamines (major products of the pathway) as well as UDP-hexoses and GDP-mannose in hind limb muscles and liver in both transgenic models and controls. GFAT activity was increased 60-70% in muscles of GLUT1 but not in GLUT4 transgenics. GFAT mRNA abundance was unchanged. The concentrations of all nucleotide-linked sugars were increased 2-3-fold in GLUT1 and were unchanged in GLUT4-overexpressing muscles. Similar results were obtained in fed and fasted mice. GFAT and nucleotide sugars were unchanged in liver, where the transgene is not expressed. We concluded that 1) glucose transport appears to be rate limiting for synthesis of nucleotide sugars; 2) chronically increased glucose flux increases muscle GFAT activity posttranscriptionally; 3) increased UDP-glucose likely accounts for the marked glycogen accumulation in muscles of GLUT1-overexpressing mice; and 4) glucose flux via the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway is increased in muscles of GLUT1-overexpressing but not GLUT4-overexpressing mice; products of the pathway may contribute to insulin resistance in GLUT1 transgenics.
Ontogenetic differences in the regional and cellular acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity in the rat brain

Considering the novel functions for both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in the developing nervous system (reviewed in Layer and Willbold, Prog. Histochem. Cytochem., 1995) a quantitative survey of the spatiotemporal developmental profiles of both AChE and BuChE activity in the neonatal rat brain would be extremely useful. To that end, we collected six brain regions at seven developmental time points, (postnatal day 1, 4, 7, 12, 17, 21, adult; n > or = 3) and measured AChE and BuChE activity using both biochemical and histological methods. These results indicated that the developmental pattern of AChE and BuChE activity varied with respect to brain region and age: (1) the ontogeny of either AChE or BuChE specific activity in one region was not necessarily indicative of the developmental pattern of the same cholinesterase in other regions; (2) the AChE developmental profile in a given region did not necessarily predict the BuChE developmental pattern for that same region. The data were also analyzed from a different perspective, i.e., the ratio of BuChE-AChE activity, in order to determine if BuChE activity preceded AChE activity during development as has been proposed for the chick nervous system (Layer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1983). Our analysis showed that, in general, the BuChE-AChE ratio decreased as the region matured, data which parallel the pattern of development of these esterases in the chick nervous system.
Insomnia in patients with COPD.

Study objectives Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and may frequently be associated with sleep disturbances. However, the correlates of insomnia in COPD patients have not been well characterized. The aim of the current study was to describe the prevalence of insomnia disorder in COPD and to elucidate the demographic and clinical characteristics of COPD patients that are associated with insomnia. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Clinic-based sample from an academic hospital. Participants Patients with stable COPD. Measurements An interviewer-conducted survey was administered to 183 participants with COPD. Seventy-two of these participants (30 with and 42 without insomnia) maintained a sleep diary and underwent actigraphy for 7 days. Results Insomnia (chronic sleep disturbance associated with impaired daytime functioning) was present in 27.3% of participants. Current tobacco users (odds ratio (OR), 2.13) and those with frequent sadness/anxiety (OR, 3.57) had higher odds, but oxygen use was associated with lower odds (OR, 0.35) of insomnia. Patients with insomnia had worse quality of life and a higher prevalence of daytime sleepiness. Actigraphy revealed shorter sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency, and a sleep diary revealed worse self-reported sleep quality in participants with insomnia. Conclusion Insomnia disorder is highly prevalent in patients with COPD; current tobacco use and sadness/anxiety are associated with a higher prevalence, and oxygen use with a lower prevalence of insomnia; patients with insomnia have poorer quality of life and increased daytime sleepiness; and insomnia is associated with worse objective sleep quality.
Identification of betamethasone and a major metabolite in equine urine.

Abstract Betamethasone and its major unconjugated metabolite, 6-β-hydroxybetamethasone, were detected in equine urine by thin-layer chromatography and characterized by micro-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (micro-LC/MS) [1, 2]. Their structures were confirmed by a combination of infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Livin: a proapoptotic factor in ALL?

[Comment on Choi et al, page 471][1]Expression of Livin, an antiapoptotic protein, has been associated with a poor outcome in patients with several different solid tumors. By contrast, Choi and colleagues in this issue of Blood show that its expression has independent favorable prognostic
Neonatal Infusion Therapy: Preventing Complications and Improving Outcomes

Abstract Infusion therapy is one of the most common procedures performed in the hospitalized patient. Particularly in the neonatal intensive care unit, almost 100% of the patients receive infusion therapy. The process becomes very routine and many patients do not suffer obvious complications. However, some complications are very common and often accepted as part of the treatment. There are measures that can help to decrease the incidence or seriousness of these complications. This article will focus on the process of initiation and maintenance of short peripheral infusion therapy, the most common type administered. Common complications and how they may be prevented or minimized in the neonatal patient are presented. Standards and guidelines currently in place are discussed as they apply to the neonatal population.
Asymmetry of projected increases in extreme temperature distributions

A statistical analysis reveals projections of consistently larger increases in the highest percentiles of summer and winter temperature maxima and minima versus the respective lowest percentiles, resulting in a wider range of temperature extremes in the future. These asymmetric changes in tail distributions of temperature appear robust when explored through 14 CMIP5 climate models and three reanalysis datasets. Asymmetry of projected increases in temperature extremes generalizes widely. Magnitude of the projected asymmetry depends significantly on region, season, land-ocean contrast, and climate model variability as well as whether the extremes of consideration are seasonal minima or maxima events. An assessment of potential physical mechanisms provides support for asymmetric tail increases and hence wider temperature extremes ranges, especially for northern winter extremes. These results offer statistically grounded perspectives on projected changes in the IPCC-recommended extremes indices relevant for impacts and adaptation studies.
The barriers to methyl group rotation in s-cis- and s-trans-methyl nitrite

Abstract Ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations at the 4–21 level reproduce the structures of s- cis - and s- trans -methyl nitrite as well as the surprisingly large difference in the methyl group rotational barriers of the two conformers. Furthermore, the computations reveal the significant structural changes accompanying internal rotation. These structural changes, together with the localized orbitais and population analyses, provide information for an understanding of the unusual barriers. The extraordinarily low barrier of the s- trans conformer results from stabilization of the higher-energy eclipsed form by an attractive interaction involving the in-plane methyl hydrogen atom and the lone pair of the nitrogen atom. The high barrier of the s- cis form is due to additional stabilization of the staggered conformation by a hyperconjugative interaction of the out-of-plane C-H groups with the NO double bond.
Latent Variable Structural Equation Models: LISREL in Special Education Research

A conceptual understanding of a broad range of research methods is important for those beginning or continuing a career in special education research. This article presents an overview of nonexperimental causal methods, with a particular focus on latent variable structural equation modeling through the LISREL computer program. An extended example is used to present LISREL as an extension of structural equations analysis (path analysis) and as a method of reducing the effects of error in research. Suggested steps are presented for conducting a LISREL analysis, and other uses of the method are presented. It is argued that nonexperimental research is important in special education, and that causal methods such as LISREL are especially appropriate for the analysis on nonexperimental data.
The calculating hemispheres: Studies of a split-brain patient

The purpose of the study was to investigate simple calculation in the two cerebral hemispheres of a split-brain patient. In a series of four experiments, the left hemisphere was superior to the right in simple calculation, confirming the previously reported left hemisphere specialization for calculation. In two different recognition paradigms, right hemisphere performance was at chance for all arithmetic operations, with the exception of subtraction in a two-alternative forced choice paradigm (performance was at chance when the lure differed from the correct answer by a magnitude of 1 but above chance when the magnitude difference was 4). In a recall paradigm, the right hemisphere performed above chance for both addition and subtraction, but performed at chance levels for multiplication and division. The error patterns in that experiment suggested that for subtraction and addition, the right hemisphere does have some capacity for approximating the solution even when it is unable to generate the exact solution. Furthermore, right hemisphere accuracy in addition and subtraction was higher for problems with small operands than with large operands. An additional experiment assessed approximate and exact addition in the two hemispheres for problems with small and large operands. The left hemisphere was equally accurate in both tasks but the right hemisphere was more accurate in approximate addition than in exact addition. In exact addition, right hemisphere accuracy was higher for problems with small operands than large, but the opposite pattern was found for approximate addition.
Dynamical screening of van der Waals interactions in nanostructured solids: Sublimation of fullerenes.

Sublimation energy is one of the most important properties of molecular crystals, but it is difficult to study, because the attractive long-range van der Waals (vdW) interaction plays an important role. Here, we apply efficient semilocal density functional theory (DFT), corrected with the dynamically screened vdW interaction (DFT + vdW), the Rutgers-Chalmers nonlocal vdW-DF, and the pairwise-based dispersion-corrected DFT-D2 developed by Grimme and co-workers, to study the sublimation of fullerenes. We find that the short-range part, which accounts for the interaction due to the orbital overlap between fullerenes, is negligibly small. Our calculation shows that there exists a strong screening effect on the vdW interaction arising from the valence electrons of fullerenes. On the other hand, higher-order contributions can be as important as the leading-order term. The reasons are that (i) the surface of fullerene molecules is metallic and thus highly polarizable, (ii) the band gap of fullerene solids is small (less than 2 eV), and (iii) fullerene molecules in the solid phase are so densely packed, yielding the high valence electron density and small equilibrium intermolecular distances (the first nearest neighbor distance is only about 10 A for C60). However, these two effects make opposite contributions, leading to significant error cancellation between these two contributions. We demonstrate that, by considering higher-order contributions and the dynamical screening, the DFT + vdW method can yield sublimation energies of fullerenes in good agreement with reference values, followed by vdW-DF and DFT-D2. The insights from this study are important for a better understanding of the long-range nature of vdW interactions in nanostructured solids.
A model for electron transfer and cell energetics in bacterial cables

Biological systems are known to communicate by diffusing chemical signals in the surrounding medium. However, most of the recent literature has neglected the electron transfer mechanism occurring amongst living cells, and its role in cell-to-cell communication. While the importance of biological electron transfer is well-known for individual cells, the past decade has also brought about remarkable discoveries of multi-cellular microbial communities that transfer electrons between cells and across centimeter length scales, e.g., biofilms and multi-cellular bacterial cables. This paper develops a stochastic model that links electron transfer to the energetic state of the cell. The model is also extensible to larger communities, by allowing for electron exchange between neighboring cells. The proposed model is a first step towards the design of electron-based communication networks in microbial communities, which may co-exist with the more well-known communication strategies based on molecular diffusion, while benefiting from a much shorter signaling delay.
Relationship between body mass index and quantitative 24-hour urine chemistries in patients with nephrolithiasis.

Objectives To examine the relationship between body mass index and 24-hour urine constituents in a population of stone-forming patients. Methods A total of 880 patients who presented to a metabolic stone clinic for initial evaluation were analyzed. Patients were stratified by gender and divided into quartiles of body mass index. Associations between body mass index (BMI) and urine parameters were explored using bivariate and multivariate linear regression. Results On bivariate analysis, increasing body mass index was associated with a significant increase in sodium, calcium, citrate, uric acid, magnesium, calcium oxalate, uric acid, and a decrease in pH in men. In women, it was associated with a significant increase in sodium, uric acid, oxalate, uric acid, and decreasing pH. On multivariate analysis, BMI was associated only with increases in sodium and calcium oxalate and decrease in pH in men. In women, multivariate analysis demonstrated positive association between BMI and urine sodium, creatinine, and phosphate and a negative relationship with urine citrate and sulfate. Conclusions Increasing body mass index was related to several risk factors for urinary stone disease in this study, including increasing urine sodium and decreasing pH in men and increasing urine uric acid, sodium, and decreasing urine citrate in women. Just as general recommendations for patients with nephrolithiasis include high voided volumes, low dietary sodium, and low animal protein intake, perhaps weight reduction should be included as part of the counseling of stone-formers to optimize 24-hour urine parameters.
Effect of environmental novelty and electroconvulsive shock on the tail flick reflex after placebo or morphine pellet implants

After implantation of either a placebo or morphine pellet, different groups of rats were either assessed or not assessed on the nociceptive tail-flick test. After 1 week, latencies of placebo-implanted rats were significantly increased if the animals were inexperienced with the nociceptive test or if they were unfamiliar with the environment in which the test was administered. Latencies were not altered by an electroconvulsive shock (ECS) administered 1 week before the reflex test. In contrast, latencies of morphine-pretreated rats were not altered by prior experience with the nociceptive test per se. However, latencies of animals with prior test experience were modified by environmental novelty and ECS. Rats who became tolerant to morphine in a familiar environment were hyperalgesic when subsequently tested in unfamiliar surroundings. The latencies of rats who received a single ECS during the development of tolerance were unchanged 1 week later, whereas the latencies of rats who did not receive ECS showed a significant decline during this interval. These data demonstrate the mutual contribution of pharmacological and environmental variables in nociceptive behavior.
High throughput screening and quantitative structure efficacy relationship models for designing displacers for antisense oligonucleotide purification in anion-exchange systems

A high throughput screening (HTS) technique was developed for the rapid evaluation of displacers for the purification of antisense oligonucleotides using anion-exchange systems. By employing this technique, a large number of potential displacers with a variety of structural properties were evaluated in parallel, dramatically decreasing the time required for displacer discovery. A database was generated containing molecular descriptors of the screened displacer probes as well as their displacement data obtained from the HTS experiments. A subset of the probe data was used to derive a predictive quantitative structure efficacy relationship (QSER) model using a partial least squares (PLS) approach. The resulting model was well correlated with In addition, the model was shown to predict the molecules not included in the model successfully. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the utility of the HTS technique for the rapid evaluation of displacers for the purification of antisense oligonucleotides. ...
The Correlation between some Characteristics of Dairy Bull Semen and Conception Rate

Summary A study has been made of the correlation between semen characteristics and conception rate in the University of Missouri dairy herd. The correlation between conception rate and pH, abnormal sperm, and concentration of sperm was found to be non-significant. A highly significant linear correlation was found between conception rate and viability of the sperm. A significant curvilinear relationship between motility and conception rate was found. The difference in conception rate between semen rated 3 motility, which is usually 45 per cent or more progressively motile sperm, and higher grades of motility was very slight.
708 RESISTANCE OF BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN ASTHMA TO THE ENHANCING EFFECT OF ISOPROTERENOL ON ROSETTE FORMATION WITH EAC1423 (EAC3)

708 RESISTANCE OF BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN ASTHMA TO THE ENHANCING EFFECT OF ISOPROTERENOL ON ROSETTE FORMATION WITH EAC1423 (EAC3)