cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C: kinetic and stereochemical evidence for an interaction between arginine-69 and the phosphate group of phosphatidylinositol.

A new substrate analogue, (2R)-1,2-dipalmitoyloxypropanethiophospho-1-D-myo-inositol (DPsPI), has been used in a new, continuous assay for phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). DPsPI is superior to other substrate analogs that have been used for assaying PI-PLC since it is synthesized as a pure diastereomer and maintains both acyl chains of the natural substrate, dipalmitoylphosphatidylinositol (DPPI). The assay that has been developed using this new analogue has allowed us to elucidate detailed kinetic data so far lacking in the field. In addition, several mutants of PI-PLC were constructed and assayed. The results show that Arg-69 is essential for catalysis, since mutations at this position led to a 10 3 -10 4 -fold decrease in activity with respect that of to the wild-type (WT) enzyme. An alanine mutant of Asp-67, a residue also found at the active site, displays activity similar to that of WT. We have also used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy to analyze the structural integrity and conformational stability of the mutants. The results show that the overall global conformation of the enzyme is not perturbed by the mutants. The 15 N- 1 H HSQC NMR spectrum of WT PI-PLC is also reported at 600 MHz. The stereoselectivity of the reaction toward the stereoisomers of another analogue, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-thiophospho-1-myo- inositol (DPPsI), was used to probe whether Arg-69 interacts with the phosphate moiety of the substrate. We have calculated that the WT enzyme shows a stereoselectivity ratio of 160000:1 in favor of the Rp isomer versus the Sp isomer. The R69K mutant displayed a significant 10 4 -fold relaxation of stereoselectivity. Our data support the role of Arg-69 in stabilizing the negative charge on the pentacoordinate phosphate in the transition state during catalysis.
Kinetics of formation of renotropic growth factor.

Abstract In the Wistar/Furth rat, twenty-four hours after unilateral nephrectomy, the remaining contralateral kidney produces maximum amounts of renotropic growth factors. These factors stimulate tumor growth in recipient rats with s.c. Wilms tumor, but have no effect on kidney weight. In tumor free recipients, kidney hypotrophy results when the factors are administered.
Dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography for the quantification of tumor response to vasoactive agents in a rat tumor model: preliminary results

Rationale and Objectives The purpose of this pilot study was to establish the ability of dynamic contrast enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) to detect changes in tumor blood flow (BF) and oxygenation induced by vasoactive substances in rats. Materials and Methods Under ultrasound guidance, a fiber-optic probe was guided into thigh tumors in eight rats and attached to an oxygenation/blood flow-sensing device. A DCE-CT sequence was acquired at the oxygen-sensing probe tip during injection of iodinated contrast media. Group 1 rats (n = 6) were administered a vasodilator (hydralazine, 5 mg/kg i.v.) and group 2 rats (n = 2) were given physiologic saline in a similar volume. DCE-CT was repeated at the probe tip after 30 min. BF in the whole tumor and at the probe tip were estimated pre- and post-drug administration and the percentage change was calculated. Results DCE-CT defined significant differences between pre- and post-drug BF in the whole tumor (p = 0.007) and at the probe tip (p = 0.03). Estimates of percentage change in BF in the whole tumor agreed with fiber-optic measure of percentage change perfusion (r2 = 0.60; p = 0.02) and pO2 (r2 = 0.65; p = 0.02). Estimates of percentage change in BF at the probe tip agreed with fiber-optic measures of percentage change in perfusion (r2 = 0.83; p = 0.001) and pO2 (r2 = 0.62; p = 0.02). Conclusions Preliminary results indicate that DCE-CT is capable of identifying alterations in tumor BF in rats. The percentage change in BF agrees with a validated estimate of tumor perfusion and oxygenation. This research technique may prove useful for assessment of tumor BF during combined chemotherapeutic and radiation therapy to improve outcome. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chapter 1: Biomedical Knowledge Integration

The modern biomedical research and healthcare delivery domains have seen an unparalleled increase in the rate of innovation and novel technologies over the past several decades. Catalyzed by paradigm-shifting public and private programs focusing upon the formation and delivery of genomic and personalized medicine, the need for high-throughput and integrative approaches to the collection, management, and analysis of heterogeneous data sets has become imperative. This need is particularly pressing in the translational bioinformatics domain, where many fundamental research questions require the integration of large scale, multi-dimensional clinical phenotype and bio-molecular data sets. Modern biomedical informatics theory and practice has demonstrated the distinct benefits associated with the use of knowledge-based systems in such contexts. A knowledge-based system can be defined as an intelligent agent that employs a computationally tractable knowledge base or repository in order to reason upon data in a targeted domain and reproduce expert performance relative to such reasoning operations. The ultimate goal of the design and use of such agents is to increase the reproducibility, scalability, and accessibility of complex reasoning tasks. Examples of the application of knowledge-based systems in biomedicine span a broad spectrum, from the execution of clinical decision support, to epidemiologic surveillance of public data sets for the purposes of detecting emerging infectious diseases, to the discovery of novel hypotheses in large-scale research data sets. In this chapter, we will review the basic theoretical frameworks that define core knowledge types and reasoning operations with particular emphasis on the applicability of such conceptual models within the biomedical domain, and then go on to introduce a number of prototypical data integration requirements and patterns relevant to the conduct of translational bioinformatics that can be addressed via the design and use of knowledge-based systems.
The impact of conventional water treatment processes on cells of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa

Abstract Cyanobacteria can produce toxins, tastes and odors which significantly impair water quality. Removal of intact cyanobacterial cells with their intracellular compounds during water treatment would potentially reduce the concentration of taste, odor and toxic cell metabolites present in the treated water. In this study, the effect of conventional water treatment processes using aluminum sulphate (alum) on the integrity of cells of toxic Microcystis aeruginosa was evaluated using both jar tests and pilot plant studies. Removal of M. aeruginosa cells by alum flocculation using a jar test apparatus indicated all cells were removed without damage to membrane integrity. Thus the chemical treatment and mechanical action did not damage the cultured M. aeruginosa cells and, more importantly, did not result in additional release of cell metabolites above background concentrations. For pilot plant experiments, which consisted of coagulation/flocculation–sedimentation–filtration, most of the cells were removed intact and no additional microcystin was found in the finished water.
Sites of arrestin action during the quench phenomenon in retinal rods.

The target proteins for arrestin (48 kDa protein) action during the quench of cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activation in retinal rod disk membranes were identified by the use of a cross-linking reagent. A heterobifunctional, cleavable, photoactivatable cross-linker (sulfo-SADP) was coupled to purified arrestin. Under precise weak visible light bleach and nucleotide conditions of quench, the cross-linker was UV flash-activated at a time when quench was well established. The target proteins covalently linked to arrestin by cross-linker activation were identified by immunoblotting. In the presence of ATP arrestin cross-linked to both PDE and rhodopsin during the quench phenomenon. Removal of ATP from the reaction mixture essentially abolished the cross-link with PDE, just as ATP omission abolishes quench, but significantly increased the cross-link to rhodopsin. The absence of a cross-link to the plentiful β-subunit of transductin, as well as the results of competition studies employing arrestin without attached cross-linker, suggest that the observed cross-links are specific and reflect true binding interactions of arrestin during quench. The data are consistent with a model of quench in which photolyzed rhodopsin (R*) catalyses the formation of an activated form of arrestin, which dissociates from R* in the presence of ATP, and binds to PDEs, thereby deactivating them.
Isotopically selective photodissociation of gas phase OCS at low termperatures

Abstract Two-step laser photodissociation of gas phase OCS over the temperature range 296–150 K was used to enrich oxygen and sulfur isotopes. The 0–2v2 vibrational transition of OCS was pumped with a line-tuned CO2 TEA laser, followed by UV photodissociation with a KrF laser at 249 nm. The degree of isotope enrichment achieved in the photodissociation products was found to increase significantly with decreasing sample temperature, reaching a maximum enrichment factor 4.84±0.5 at 150 K for enrichment of 18O. The observed temperature dependence was fit to a simple theory based on the effect of the thermal population of excited vibrational levels on the photodissociation cross-section. The dependence of isotope enrichment on the densities of OCS, xenon diluent gas and C2D4 scavenger, was also investigated.
Racial Inequality and Child Mortality in Brazil

This paper addresses the issue of racial inequality in Brazil. The authors apply demographic techniques to sample data from the 1980 census to estimate survival probabilities of children born to white and nonwhite mothers in metropolitan areas. Because mortality bears a direct and obvious relationship to human welfare estimates of the probability of death are useful for comparing living standards of whites and nonwhites in Brazil. The results of applying the Brass method to 1950 and 1980 census data indicate the magnitude and the persistence of racial inequalities in length of life in Brazil. In 1940/1950 the mortality experience of children born to white mothers was equivalent to an average expectation of life at birth of 47.5 years. The comparable figure for nonwhite children was 40 years. By 1970/1980 whites reached an average expectation of life of 66.1 years. The rate for nonwhites rose to 59.4 years. Because both groups experienced about the same rate of improvement over the 30-year period the gap between the 2 remained high. The findings of this study only imply the presence of exclusionary practices that deprive nonwhite children of health services that are otherwise available to white children. Still the discrimination hypothesis--which is admittedly speculative--is indirectly strengthened by 3 observations: 1) the interpretation is consistent with the conclusions of earlier studies that document the presence of other forms of racial discrimination in Brazil; 2) there is no evidence that nonwhite mothers endorse sharply different ideas about nutrition child rearing or about modern medical care; and 3) residential segregation by race in Brazil is not nearly as pronounced as 2 of the alternative explanations necessarily imply. The authors conclude that discrimination is a plausible interpretation of the observed racial differences in child mortality in metropolitan Brazil. Yet additional data are required to document whether discrimination exists and to identify the precise mechanisms through which exclusionary practices differentially affect the proximate determinants of child mortality among whites and nonwhites in urban areas.
Evidence for interspecific-recombination for three monopartite begomoviral genomes associated with the tomato leaf curl disease from central Sudan

Two distinct viral genotypes were identified in the same tomato plant collected from Gezira, Sudan and are provisionally designated Tomato leaf curl Sudan virus (ToLCSDV-Gez) and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus-Sudan (TYLCV-SD). A third genotype was identified in tomato samples collected in Shambat, Sudan (ToLCSDV-Sha). The ToLCSDV-Gez and ToLCSDV-Sha isolates were ∼90% identical, TYLCV-SD from Gezira shared ∼93% identity with TYLCV-Mld. Recombination analyses identified two fragments in the ToLCSDV-Gez and TYLCV-SD genomes, providing evidence that these two genomes had undergone intermolecular recombination. A half unit size (737 nt) single-stranded satellite DNA was associated with ToLCSDV-Gez and TYLCV-SD.
Depression of papillary muscle contractility by plasma incubated with pneumococci.

Abstract Mechanisms of death in pneumococcal disease are poorly understood. We have previously shown that intravenous pneumococcal products in dogs caused a mean decrease in cardiac output of 58%. The present study used measurements of the force and rate of contraction of isolated rabbit papillary muscle to determine whether pneumococci (PNC) altered myocardial contractility. Nine papillary muscles were sueprfused with various solutions including Tyrode's, Tyrode's incubated with sonicated type 1 PNC, normal rabbit plasma, and rabbit plasma incubated with PNC. Compared to untreated Tyrode's solution, PNC-treated Tyrode's solution did not alter papillary muscle contractility. However, compared to untreated rabbit plasma, plasma incubated with PNC caused a mean decrease of 18% in the force of contraction and 16.7% in the maximum rate of force development in nine studies. We conclude that PNC do not directly affect papillary muscle contractility. However, the interaction of PNC and plasma does cause a decrease in rabbit papillary muscle contractility.
Early developmental changes in sleep in infants: the impact of maternal depression.

MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS (MDD) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT SLEEP DISTURBANCES, INCLUDING PROLONGED SLEEP LATENCY, REDUCED total sleep time (TST), increased wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO), and in the timing and distribution of rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep stages. Although the findings are more equivocal in children and adolescents with MDD, several large studies have shown both insomnia and hypersomnia in early-onset MDD. 1 Weak circadian rest-activity cycles and poor synchronization of sleep electroencephalographic rhythms are also evident in early-onset MDD. In some studies, damped-amplitude rest-activity cycles were evident in MDD children as young as 6 years of age. 2, 3 Anecdotal parent reports indicated that these children had a long history of sleep disturbance, suggesting to us that initial entrainment of sleep and circadian rhythms in infancy may play a role. Further, there is evidence that sleep disturbances may be an antecedent of depression with REM sleep and temporal coherence abnormalities in those with a family history of depression but no personal illness. 4 These findings prompted us to evaluate sleep and circadian entrainment in infancy in those with and without a positive maternal history of MDD. Previous work has identified 2 to 4 months of age as a key period in the development of sleep/
The End of an Era: Cambridge Puritanism and the Christ's College Election of 1609

Near the end of September I609, Edmund Barwell, master of Christ's College, Cambridge, died.' Two months later, after an election by the fellows had been declared void, Valentine Cary, fellow of StJohn's and a royal chaplain, was chosen by the Crown to succeed to the mastership. On hearing of Cary's selection, Samuel Ward, master of Sidney Sussex, expressed his alarm: 'Woe is me for Christ's College. Now is one imposed ... who will be the utter ruin and destruction of that college. 0 Lord, thou hast some iudjments in store for this Land, of which this is no doubt a forerunner. Lord, my God, take some pity and compassion upon that poor college. In the multitude of thy mercies do not utterly forsake it. Remember what labouring was to annul the Election of Mr Pemberton and in pretence to bring in D[r] Dunham, but nothing less intended by the A[rch] B[ishop]. 0 Lord, have mercy, mercy, mercy...'2 In the historiography of Stuart England, the Christ's election of I 609 has received little attention. This comparative neglect has been based, at least in part, on the assumption that, because Cambridge remained markedly Puritan well into the I620S, Ward's cry of despair was merely a good example of the Puritan proclivity for prophecies of doom. Nevertheless, this is to ignore the fact that, in the country as a whole, Puritanism was undergoing a profound transformation in the years between I590 and I6I0 militancy of the sort that fuelled the presbyterian movement declined in favour of a greater willingness to coexist peacefully with the Anglican establishment.3 Might not much the same transformation have taken place at Cambridge? In I597, Samuel Ward, then a student at Christ's, had admonished himself for 'the not considering of the great benefits we enjoy under the raigne of our soveraigne as also here in the university, having the Word truly preached and the Sacraments duly administered '.4 Twenty-five years later, however, Ward was no longer counting his blessings. In addition to the 'sinnes of the land', Ward despaired of the ' sinns of the university' including excess in apparel and drink and 'disobedience
The 14N quadrupole coupling in hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD)

Using high-field NMR, we have determined the magnitude of the nuclear quadrupole interaction in hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), the explosive allegedly used in the London bombings of July 2005. The experimental quadrupolar coupling constant, 5.334 MHz, is in good agreement with quantum chemical calculations. The predicted single zero-field transition frequency should lie in a relatively empty part of the 14N nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectrum; the spin relaxation rate is reasonably fast. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heavy Ion Beam Studies and Imaging with a Multiplane Multiwire Proportional Chamber

A 16-plane multiwire proportional chamber is used to accurately measure intensity profiles of heavy ion beams at the Bevalac. An imaging capability has now been developed for the system, allowing for reconstruction of 3-dimensional representation of radiological objects using heavy ion beams.
Potential of Poultry Processing Waters for Reuse

Abstract Processing water from 10 point sources was evaluated for potential clean-up and reuse. Criteria used to evaluate the potential of these waters for renovation by diatomaceous earth filtration were levels of suspended solids, dissolved matter, grease, chemical oxygen demand, and biochemical oxygen demand. Water from the gizzard splitter after screening and total effluent after air flotation had the lowest levels, whereas water from the neck chiller and neck flume had the highest levels of suspended solids, dissolved matter, and grease. Based on suspended solids only, all 10 water sources tested would be suitable for renovation by diatomaceous earth filtration. However, the high level of grease in many of the samples would shorten the filtration cycle to an impractical level. Developing a method for grease removal would be necessary for renovating some of these water sources by diatomaceous earth filtration.
Pain intensity and duration can be enhanced by prior challenge: Initial evidence suggestive of a role of microglial priming

Abstract Activation of spinal microglia and consequent release of proinflammatory mediators facilitate pain. Under certain conditions, responses of activated microglia can become enhanced. Enhanced microglial production of proinflammatory products may result from priming (sensitization), similar to macrophage priming. We hypothesized that if spinal microglia were primed by an initial inflammatory challenge, subsequent challenges may create enhanced pain. Here, we used a “two-hit” paradigm using 2 successive challenges, which affect overlapping populations of spinal microglia, presented 2 weeks apart. Mechanical allodynia and/or activation of spinal glia were assessed. Initially, laparotomy preceded systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Prior laparotomy caused prolonged microglial (not astrocyte) activation plus enhanced LPS-induced allodynia. In this “two-hit” paradigm, minocycline, a microglial activation inhibitor, significantly reduced later exaggerated pain induced by prior surgery when minocycline was administered intrathecally for 5 days starting either at the time of surgery or 5 days before LPS administration. To test generality of the priming effect, subcutaneous formalin preceded intrathecal HIV-1 gp120, which activates spinal microglia and causes robust allodynia. Prior formalin enhanced intrathecal gp120-induced allodynia, suggesting that microglial priming is not limited to laparotomy and again supporting a spinal site of action. Therefore, spinal microglial priming may increase vulnerability to pain enhancement. Perspective Spinal microglia may become “primed” (sensitized) following their activation by disparate forms of peripheral trauma/inflammation. As a result, such primed microglia may overrespond to subsequent challenges, thereby enhancing pain intensity and duration.
A sequence-independent in vitro transposon-based strategy for efficient cloning of genomes of large DNA viruses as bacterial artificial chromosomes

Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) derived from genomes of large DNA viruses are powerful tools for functional delineation of viral genes. Current methods for cloning the genomes of large DNA viruses as BACs require prior knowledge of the viral sequences or the cloning of viral DNA fragments, and are tedious because of the laborious process of multiple plaque purifications, which is not feasible for some fastidious viruses. Here, we describe a novel method for cloning the genomes of large DNA viruses as BACs, which entails direct in vitro transposition of viral genomes with a BAC cassette, and subsequent recovery in Escherichia coli. Determination of insertion sites and adjacent viral sequences identify the BAC clones for genetic manipulation and functional characterization. Compared to existing methods, this new approach is highly efficient, and does not require any information on viral sequences or cloning of viral DNA fragments, and plaque purifications. This method could potentially be used for discovering previously unidentified viruses.
Materials and Textile Architecture Analyses for Mechanical Counter-Pressure Space Suits using Active Materials

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (OCT Space Technology Research Fellowship Grant NNX11AM62H)
Sorafenib for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose. To describe the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review and approval of sorafenib (Nexavar; Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp., Montville, NJ, and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Corp., Emeryville, CA), an oral kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Experimental Design. The FDA independently analyzedaninternational,double-blind,placebo-controlled trial comparing the effect of best supportive care plus sorafenib or matching placebo on overall survival. Eligible patients had unresectable, biopsy-proven HCC and had not received prior systemic therapy. Results. Among the 602 randomized patients (placebo, 303;sorafenib,299),baselinecharacteristicswerewellbalanced, and 97% were Child-Pugh score A. HCC was “advanced” in 70% overall, as defined by extrahepatic metastases or by tumor radiographically visible in venous structures outside the liver. Underlying liver diseases included hepatitis B (18%), hepatitis C (28%), and alcoholrelated (26%). The trial was stopped following a prespecifiedsecondinterimanalysisshowingastatistically significant survival advantage for sorafenib [median, 10.7 vs 7.9 months; hazard ratio, 0.69 (95% confidence interval, (0.55, 0.87)), p 0.00058]. Adverse events in sorafenib-treatedpatientsincludeddiarrheain55%(grade3, 10%), hand–foot syndrome in 21% (grade 3, 8%), rash in 19% (grade 3, 1%), and cardiac ischemia or infarction in 2.7% (versus 1.3% for placebo). On sorafenib, treatment
The Role of High Tibial Osteotomy in the ACL-Deficient Knee

High tibial osteotomy for correction of varus overload or malalignment should be considered in ACL deficiency, particularly when associated with medial compartment degeneration. This procedure, either in isolation or in concert with ACL reconstruction, can provide the patient with stability and improved joint mechanics, which can ameliorate the symptoms of unicompartmental gonarthrosis. This chapter discusses the role of high tibial osteotomy in the surgical management of ACL deficiency, and provides evidence-based support for its role in the management of these complex patients. The surgical technique, with pearls and pitfalls, is also described.
Scale-Length Assessment of the Trigate Bulk MOSFET Design

The scale length for trigate and planar ground-plane bulk MOSFETs is derived, and its sensitivity to device design parameters is investigated. The results indicate that the trigate bulk MOSFET is a more scalable design as compared with the planar ground-plane bulk MOSFET and the double-gate SOI MOSFET.
Organizations as Place Builders

We argue that the role of organizations as agents in the construction of place has been overlooked in the management and organizations literature. Using concepts from sociology, cultural geography, and management, we develop a typology that illustrates how organizations contribute to the social construction of place. This typology presents an analytic scheme for examining the place-building characteristics of organizations and a basis for developing theories on the interdependence between places and organizations.
Speed-Up Theorems in Type-2 Computations Using Oracle Turing Machines

A classic result known as the speed-up theorem in machine-independent complexity theory shows that there exist some computable functions that do not have best programs for them (Blum in J. ACM 14(2):322–336, 1967 and J. ACM 18(2):290–305, 1971). In this paper we lift this result into type-2 computations. Although the speed-up phenomenon is essentially inherited from type-1 computations, we observe that a direct application of the original proof to our type-2 speed-up theorem is problematic because the oracle queries can interfere with the speed of the programs and hence the cancellation strategy used in the original proof is no longer correct at type-2. We also argue that a type-2 analog of the operator speed-up theorem (Meyer and Fischer in J. Symb. Log. 37:55–68, 1972) does not hold, which suggests that this curious speed-up phenomenon disappears in higher-typed computations beyond type-2. The result of this paper adds one more piece of evidence to support the general type-2 complexity theory under the framework proposed in Li (Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Theoretical Computer Science, pp. 471–484, 2004 and Proceedings of Computability in Europe: Logical Approach to Computational Barriers, pp. 182–192, 2006) and Li and Royer (On type-2 complexity classes: Preliminary report, pp. 123–138, 2001) as a reasonable setup.
Altered muscle force and stiffness of skeletal muscles in α-sarcoglycan-deficient mice

α-Sarcoglycan (ASG) is a transmembrane protein of the dystrophin-associated complex, and absence of ASG causes limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. We hypothesize that disruption of the sarcoglycan comp...
A mixed-effects regression model for longitudinal multivariate ordinal data.

Summary. A mixed-effects item response theory model that allows for three-level multivariate ordinal outcomes and accommodates multiple random subject effects is proposed for analysis of multivariate ordinal outcomes in longitudinal studies. This model allows for the estimation of different item factor loadings (item discrimination parameters) for the multiple outcomes. The covariates in the model do not have to follow the proportional odds assumption and can be at any level. Assuming either a probit or logistic response function, maximum marginal likelihood estimation is proposed utilizing multidimensional Gauss–Hermite quadrature for integration of the random effects. An iterative Fisher scoring solution, which provides standard errors for all model parameters, is used. An analysis of a longitudinal substance use data set, where four items of substance use behavior (cigarette use, alcohol use, marijuana use, and getting drunk or high) are repeatedly measured over time, is used to illustrate application of the proposed model.
The effects of short-term undernutrition and adrenocortical stimulation on wool growth

Seven daily doses of 60 or 120 mg cortisol administered to mature sheep given a maintenance ration depressed wool fibre diameter by approximately 10%. Similar treatment with 120 mg cortisol for 14 days produced a more severe and prolonged effect, though fibre diameter was unaffected by a series of seven injections of 40 IU ACTH given every second day.Fourteen days at 10% of maintenance and 14 days' cortisol treatment were applied to mature sheep fed either continually at 150% maintenance, or at 75% followed by 150% maintenance. Cortisol treatment was associated with a significant reduction in fibre diameter only in the animals fed at 150% maintenance. Restriction to 10% maintenance for 14 days had no such effect. Approximately 20% of fibres were shed following cortisol treatment in both nutritional groups, but a marked ‘break’ in the fleece occurred only in the 75% maintenance group.A low plane of nutrition is confirmed as a major factor predisposing to ‘tenderness’ and ‘break’, and short-term adrenocortical stimulation is shown to be sufficient to produce the reduction in fibre diameter and increased fibre shedding associated with these faults. However, semi-starvation (represented by restriction to 10% of maintenance) appears to have played a relatively minor role in their development.
The Context: What’s Not Changing

Despite the upheavals that are impacting companies globally, some fundamental organizational and human behavior basics have endured over the years: all organizations are made up of the building blocks of structure, rewards, and processes; and certain human behaviors seem hard-wired (e.g., relying on emotion or instinct as the first screen, feeling more self-confident than reality justifies). Henson asserts that there are a small number of universal people management principles that good managers use: treating employees fairly and with respect, creating a positive and motivating environment, building self-confidence, setting high standards and expectations, and building collaboration and teamwork. However, the practices associated with implementing these principles invariably differ by culture.
tetrad: A Set of Stata Commands for Confirmatory Tetrad Analysis.

This article provides a brief overview of confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA) and presents a new set of Stata commands for conducting CTA. The tetrad command allows researchers to use model-implied vanishing tetrads to test the overall fit of structural equation models (SEMs) and the relative fit of two SEMs that are tetrad-nested. An extension of the command, tetrad_matrix, allows researchers to conduct CTA using a sample covariance matrix as input rather than relying on raw data. Researchers can also use the tetrad_matrix command to input a polychoric correlation matrix and conduct CTA for SEMs involving dichotomous, ordinal, or censored outcomes. Another extension of the command, tetrad_bootstrap, provides a bootstrapped p value for the chi-square test statistic. With Stata’s recently developed commands for structural equation modeling, researchers can integrate CTA with data preparation, likelihood ratio tests for model fit, and the estimation of model parameters in a single statistical software package.
The Role and Value of Technical Communicators: Technical Communicators and Subject Matter Experts Weigh In

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study compares how technical communicators (TCs) and subject matter experts (SMEs) characterize the role and value of the TC. Seven TCs and eight SMEs participated in an investigation of the similarities and differences between the perceptions of these two groups. Key findings are that SMEs perceive of TCs as investigators, educators, and relationship builders; TCs talk about themselves in terms of investigators, interpreters, and audience advocates; and TCs are often uncomfortable discussing their value.
A Different Marital Equality

This chapter explores conceptions of marital equality among urban women of the Mao and post-Mao generations. It shows that, instead of engaging in transactional equity as suggested by Western theories of social exchange, many Chinese women pursue “relational harmony” with their spouses. To them, it is mutual respect and equal dignity that constitute the essence of marital equality rather than the exchange values of paid market work and unpaid domestic responsibilities. Chinese women’s alternative conceptions of marital equality are attributable to their perception of the family setting as a collective in which they share common interests with their spouses, aiming for spousal cooperation and relational harmony. Alternative marital exchange patterns are also explored in this chapter.
Exploring tensions and conflicts in invasive species management: The case of Asian carp

Abstract There is a growing recognition that scientific and social conflict pervades invasive species management, but there is a need for empirical work that can help better understand these conflicts and how they can be addressed. We examined the tensions and conflicts facing invasive Asian carp management in Minnesota by conducting 16 in-depth interviews with state and federal agency officials, academics, and stakeholders. Interviewees discussed the tensions and conflicts they saw impacting management, their implications, and what could be done to address them. We found three key areas of conflict and tension in Asian carp management: 1) scientific uncertainty concerning the impacts of Asian carp and the efficacy and non-target effects of possible management actions; 2) social uncertainty concerning both the lack of societal agreement on how to respond to Asian carp and the need to avoid acting from apathy and/or fear; and 3) the desired approach to research and management – whether it is informed by “political need” or “biological reality”. Our study of these tensions and conflicts reveals their importance to Asian carp management and to invasive species management, more broadly. We conclude with a discussion of possible ways to address these areas of tension and conflict, including the potential of deliberative, participatory approaches to risk-related decision making and the need to productively engage with apathy and fear.
Antibiotic discovery throughout the Small World Initiative: A molecular strategy to identify biosynthetic gene clusters involved in antagonistic activity.

The emergence of bacterial pathogens resistant to all known antibiotics is a global health crisis. Adding to this problem is that major pharmaceutical companies have shifted away from antibiotic discovery due to low profitability. As a result, the pipeline of new antibiotics is essentially dry and many bacteria now resist the effects of most commonly used drugs. To address this global health concern, citizen science through the Small World Initiative (SWI) was formed in 2012. As part of SWI, students isolate bacteria from their local environments, characterize the strains, and assay for antibiotic production. During the 2015 fall semester at Bowling Green State University, students isolated 77 soil-derived bacteria and genetically characterized strains using the 16S rRNA gene, identified strains exhibiting antagonistic activity, and performed an expanded SWI workflow using transposon mutagenesis to identify a biosynthetic gene cluster involved in toxigenic compound production. We identified one mutant with loss of antagonistic activity and through subsequent whole-genome sequencing and linker-mediated PCR identified a 24.9 kb biosynthetic gene locus likely involved in inhibitory activity in that mutant. Further assessment against human pathogens demonstrated the inhibition of Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of this compound, thus supporting our molecular strategy as an effective research pipeline for SWI antibiotic discovery and genetic characterization.
Characteristics of the local cutaneous sensory thermoneutral zone.

Contrary to a widespread concept in human thermoreception, we show that local sensory thermoneutrality is achievable outside the 32–34°C skin temperature range. We propose that sensory adaption und...
Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome susceptibility and the pulmonary microbiome.

Background Lung transplantation outcomes remain complicated by bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), a major cause of mortality and retransplantation for patients. A variety of factors linking inflammation and BOS have emerged, meriting further exploration of the microbiome as a source of inflammation. In this analysis, we determined features of the pulmonary microbiome associated with BOS susceptibility. Methods Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were collected from 25 patients during standard of care bronchoscopies before BOS onset. Microbial DNA was isolated from BAL fluid and prepared for metagenomics shotgun sequencing. Patient microbiomes were phenotyped using k-means clustering and compared to determine effects on BOS-free survival. Results Clustering identified 3 microbiome phenotypes: Actinobacteria dominant (AD), mixed, and Proteobacteria dominant. AD microbiomes, distinguished by enrichment with Gram-positive organisms, conferred reduced odds and risks for patients to develop acute rejection and BOS compared with non-AD microbiomes. These findings were independent of treatment models. Microbiome findings were correlated with BAL cell counts and polymorphonuclear cell percentages. Conclusions In some populations, features of the microbiome may be used to assess BOS susceptibility. Namely, a Gram-positive enriched pulmonary microbiome may predict resilience to BOS.
Magnesium, Bone Wasting, and Mineralization

Relatively little attention has been paid to the importance of magnesium in bone metabolism, except to the degree that it affects the activity of the parathyroid glands and C cells and their secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT), and the response of target organs. However, experimental magnesium deficiency causes abnormalities in skeletal structure, enzymes, and mineralization that resemble some of those seen in several clinical bone diseases. Depending on the degree and duration of the magnesium deficiency and concomitant dietary or iatrogenic imbalances (of magnesium with calcium, phosphates, vitamin D, and other calcemic agents), the pathologic skeletal findings can range from osteopenias to osteosclerosis. The effects of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus on magnesium requirements and on skeletal responses have been intensively studied, particularly in the 1930s, when vitamin D toxicity was the focus of much attention. Many of the results are conflicting, probably due to the dietary variations, and to species differences in requirements (i.e., of vitamin D). Only those portions of the PTH/CT/Mg data that deal directly with magnesium and bone are considered here. Much of that relating to gestational abnormalities has already been discussed. The relatively little information found on heteroionic magnesium/calcium exchange in bone, and on the magnesium interrelationships between the phosphatases that affect mineralization, alkaline phosphatase and pyrophosphatase, are brought into focus as possibly providing some insight into the conflicting and confusing data on mechanisms of pathologic skeletal processes.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Apnea–Hypopnea Index. AHI 30—Severe Sleep Apnea. Sleep Syndromes: Snoring. Upper airway resistance syndrome: daytime hypersomnolence, normal PSG. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: daytime hypersomnolence. Apnea and hypopnea (AHI >5). Definitions: Apneic event: cessation of ventilation for 10 s or longer leading to an arousal. Hypopneic event: a decrease in airflow of 30 % with a 4 % decrease in oxygen saturation or a 50 % decrease in airflow with a 3 % decrease in oxygen saturation. Respiratory effort-related arousal (RERA): absence of apnea–hypopnea with a 10 s or more duration of progressive negative esophageal pressure leading to an arousal or microarousal. Apnea Index (AI): number of apneas in an hour period. Respiratory distress index (RDI): number of apneas, hypopneas, and Rera’s in an hour. No longer used in defining sleep apnea
Comparison of methods of estimating variance components in pigs.

Components of variance due to average effects of genes (sigma 2g), environmental effects common to littermates (sigma 2c), and environmental effects peculiar to individual pigs (sigma 2e) were estimated (--) by the Pseudo Expectation Approach (PE). Data were litter size (LS), backfat (BF; centimeter) and ADG (kilograms/day) collected from the Nebraska Gene Pool swine population between 1967 and 1986. Mean square errors (MSE) for h--2 and c--2 (sigma--2g and sigma--2c divided by phenotypic variance) by PE and nested ANOVA and h2 estimated by offspring on parent regression (REGOP) were evaluated using simulation of 200 repetitions of the Nebraska Gene Pool population. Parameter values for sigma 2g, sigma 2c, and sigma 2e used in simulations were PE estimates from the Gene Pool population. Estimates of h2 from PE were .18 +/- .06 for LS, .56 +/- .06 for BF, and .16 +/- .05 for ADG. Estimates of c2 from PE were .01 +/- .03 for LS, .09 +/- .02 for BF, and .19 +/- .03 for ADG. Compared with REGOP, PE yielded h--2 with smaller MSE for BF and ADG and larger MSE for LS. The MSE of PE was smaller than the MSE of the nested ANOVA estimate for all estimates and traits. These results were interpreted to suggest that considerable gains in precision in estimation of genetic parameters could be achieved by accounting for all relationships in lieu of accounting for only half- and full-sib relationships or parent-offspring relationships.
Energy components of growth in Holstein steers fed formaldehyde- and formic acid-treated alfalfa or orchardgrass silages at equalized intakes of dry matter

Energy retention was compared in Holstein steers fed either alfalfa or orchardgrass silages for 164 d at either 65 or 90 g DM/kg.75 BW daily in a 2 x 2 factorial. Energy retention was estimated by slaughter-balance using an initial kill of eight steers at 216 kg and a final kill of eight steers per treatment at 326 kg. The ADG was not affected (P greater than .05) by silage, but steers fed alfalfa gained less (P less than .001) gut fill (they lost gut fill) and gained more (P less than .001) of the following than steers fed orchardgrass: empty body, 23%; fat, 50%; fat-free matter, 18%; protein, 16%; water, 17%; ash, 43%; gross energy, 31%; and carbon, 38%. With retained energy at 1.15 Mcal/d, retained energy was equally distributed between fat and protein. Increments of daily retained energy greater than 1.15 Mcal were deposited as 76% to fat and 24% to protein; this distribution was not affected by silage. The energy requirement for maintenance, with BW adjusted to equal gut fill, was not different (P greater than .05) at 130 kcal ME/kg.75 BW for steers fed alfalfa vs 125 for steers fed orchardgrass. Although not significant (P greater than .05), retained energy/ME intake above maintenance was 13% greater for steers fed alfalfa (.261) than for steers fed orchardgrass (.230), which supports the difference observed by calorimetry. The difference in dietary protein (25.6 vs 20.5%) did not contribute to the difference in energy retention because the differences in fat and protein retention could be explained totally by differences in daily energy deposition. The higher NDF of orchardgrass, or other fiber components, seems to be the most probable cause of its somewhat lower partial energetic efficiency relative to alfalfa.
The ICSI+ Multilingual Sentence Segmentation System

The ICSI+ multilingual sentence segmentation with results for English and Mandarin broadcast news automatic speech recognizer transcriptions represents a joint effort involving ICSI, SRI, and UT Dallas. Our approach is based on using hidden event language models for exploiting lexical information, and maximum entropy and boosting classifiers for exploiting lexical, as well as prosodic, speaker change and syntactic information. We demonstrate that the proposed methodology including pitch- and energyrelated prosodic features performs significantly better than a baseline system that uses words and simple pause features only. Furthermore, the obtained improvements are consistent across both languages, and no language-specific adaptation of the methodology is necessary. The best results were achieved by combining hidden event language models with a boosting-based classifier that to our knowledge has not previously been applied for this task. Index Terms: maximum entropy, boosting, hidden event language models, prosody
Assessment of Lesion Severity (Intravascular Ultrasound, Optical Coherence Tomography, NIRS, and Beyond)

The use of IVUS in clinical practice is an important diagnostic tool used for quantitative assessment of coronary artery disease. The principle of IVUS imaging is based on the oscillatory movement (expansion and contraction) of a piezoelectric transducer (crystal) in order to produce sound waves when electrically excited. The generated sound waves by the transducers propagate through the different tissues and are reflected according to the acoustic properties of the tissue it travels through.
Human Head and Binocular Eye Movement Control via Feedback Linearization

In this paper, eye and head movement control problems are studied as a constrained dynamics on SO(3) from the point of view of a nonlinear multi input multi output system. In the mid-nineteenth century, Donders had proposed that for every human head rotating away from the primary pointing direction, the rotational vectors are restricted to lie on a surface. The same is true for the human eye as well, under the head-fixed condition as proposed by Listing, wherein the Donders' surface would degenerate to a plane, called the Listing's plane. Additionally, when two eyes are gazing at a moving target, their gaze directions have to intersect at all time. Each eye and the head are controlled by a triplet of external torques provided by muscles. For the head (respectively Eye) movement problem, three output signals are chosen as follows. Two of the signals are coordinates of the frontal pointing direction. The third signal measures deviation of the state vector from the Donders' surface (respectively Listing's plane). For the binocular eye movement problem, inputs are the two triplets of external torques that control the two eyes. Output signals from one eye are identical to what we had in the monocular problem. Output signals for the other eye is modified as follows. One of the coordinate of the frontal pointing direction is replaced by a scalar that measures deviation of the gaze direction vectors to meet at a point. Thus we have a 3 × 3 (or a 6 × 6 for the binocular case) square system and the claim in this paper is that the proposed square system is locally feedback linearizable on a suitable neighborhood $\mathscr{N}$ of the state space.
Effect of online courses on US college students’ knowledge about health disparities:

Objective:To describe faculty efforts to deliver and evaluate health disparities–related education in US online undergraduate and graduate public health courses.Design:A pre- and post-survey was gi...