cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyroid function before and after four-week light treatment in winter depressives and controls

Abstract Thyroid function in patients in a current major depressive episode during the course of recurrent major mood disorder with seasonal pattern according to DSM-IIIR was compared to that of controls before and after 4 weeks' light treatment, and to that of controls at baseline and after 4 weeks' of arising early without exposure to bright light. No consistent abnormalities in thyroxine, free thyroxine index, triiodothyroine, reverse triiodothyronine, thyrotropin, thyrotropin response to TRH infusion, or thyroid autoantibodies were seen in depressives at baseline. No differences in these parameters were seen at baseline between depressives and controls. No intergroup differences were seen with treatment, although reverse T 3 decreased significantly during the protocol in all groups. These data do not support the hypothesis that the thyroid axis plays a role in the pathogenesis of winter depressive symptoms or their response to light treatment.
AMP-activated protein kinase connects cellular energy metabolism to KATP channel function.

Abstract AMPK is an important sensor of cellular energy levels. The aim of these studies was to investigate whether cardiac KATP channels, which couple cellular energy metabolism to membrane excitability, are regulated by AMPK activity. We investigated effects of AMPK on rat ventricular KATP channels using electrophysiological and biochemical approaches. Whole-cell KATP channel current was activated by metabolic inhibition; this occurred more rapidly in the presence of AICAR (an AMPK activator). AICAR had no effects on KATP channel activity recorded in the inside-out patch clamp configuration, but ZMP (the intracellular intermediate of AICAR) strongly activated KATP channels. An AMPK-mediated effect is demonstrated by the finding that ZMP had no effect on KATP channels in the presence of Compound C (an AMPK inhibitor). Recombinant AMPK activated Kir6.2/SUR2A channels in a manner that was dependent on the AMP concentration, whereas heat-inactivated AMPK was without effect. Using mass-spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation approaches, we demonstrate that the AMPK α-subunit physically associates with KATP channel subunits. Our data demonstrate that the cardiac KATP channel function is directly regulated by AMPK activation. During metabolic stress, a small change in cellular AMP that activates AMPK can be a potential trigger for KATP channel opening. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Local Signaling in Myocytes”.
Cell-Permeable Peptide Nucleic Acid Designed to Bind to the 5‘-Untranslated Region of E-cadherin Transcript Induces Potent and Sequence-Specific Antisense Effects

Establishing a general and effective method for regulating gene expression in mammalian systems is important for many aspects of biological and biomedical research. Herein we report the antisense activities of a cell-permeable, guanidine-based peptide nucleic acid (PNA) called GPNA. We show that a GPNA oligomer designed to bind to the transcriptional start-site of human E-cadherin gene induces potent and sequence-specific antisense effects and is less toxic to the cells than the corresponding PNA-polyarginine conjugate. GPNA confers its silencing effect by blocking protein translation. The findings reported in this study provide a molecular framework for designing the next generation cell-permeable nucleic acid mimics for regulating gene expression in live cells and intact organisms.
Spectral bounds for

Abstract It is shown that for positive definite Hermitian matrices A such that A n has no more than kn nonzero entries in each row, the following upper bound holds: ||A −1 ∥∞ ⩽ 33 √k ∥A −1 ∥ 2 5 4 ∥A∥ 2 1 4 . The method of proof involves a Chebyshev expansion of A − .
Human leukocyte interferon (HuIFN-α): Potent endorphin-like opioid activity

Abstract Human leukocyte interferon, but not fibroblast or immune interferons, binds to opiate receptor in , vitro . When injected intracerebrally into mice, human leukocyte, but not fibroblast or immune interferon, caused potent endorphin-like opioid effects. These effects include analgesia, lack of spontaneous locomotion and catalepsy. All of these actions of human leukocyte interferon were preventable and reversible by the opiate antagonist naloxone. The findings suggest that some of the side effects of leukocyte interferon therapy may be mediated by opiate receptor binding. They also provide evidence for a regulatory circuit between the immune and neuroendocrine system. This putative circuit could be an etiologic site for certain psychopathological states.
Small cobaltacarborane clusters in synthesis. Peralkylation, perhalogenation, and macrocycle construction

Abstract Methods are described for achieving stepwise replacement of all BH terminal hydrogens in CoC 2 B 4 clusters with halogen or alkyl groups, leading to complexes such as Cp*Co(2,3-Et 2 C 2 B 4 X 4 ) (X=Me or I) and Cp*Co(2,3-Et 2 C 2 B 4 IMe 2 [O 3 SCF 3 ]). Building on earlier work on B-functionalization of small metallacarboranes via metal-catalyzed cross-coupling, two- and three-dimensional macrocycles containing four to six metal centers have been constructed systematically from monomeric precursor complexes.
Status and the brain.

Social hierarchy is a fact of life for many animals. Navigating social hierarchy requires understanding one's own status relative to others and behaving accordingly, while achieving higher status may call upon cunning and strategic thinking. The neural mechanisms mediating social status have become increasingly well understood in invertebrates and model organisms like fish and mice but until recently have remained more opaque in humans and other primates. In a new study in this issue, Noonan and colleagues explore the neural correlates of social rank in macaques. Using both structural and functional brain imaging, they found neural changes associated with individual monkeys' social status, including alterations in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and brainstem—areas previously implicated in dominance-related behavior in other vertebrates. A separate but related network in the temporal and prefrontal cortex appears to mediate more cognitive aspects of strategic social behavior. These findings begin to delineate the neural circuits that enable us to navigate our own social worlds. A major remaining challenge is identifying how these networks contribute functionally to our social lives, which may open new avenues for developing innovative treatments for social disorders.
NMR study of the cataract-linked P23T mutant of human γD-crystallin shows minor changes in hydrophobic patches that reflect its retrograde solubility

Abstract The Pro23 to Thr (P23T) mutation in human γD-crystallin (HGD) shows several cataract phenotypes. We found earlier [A. Pande, O. Annunziata, N. Asherie, O. Ogun, G.B. Benedek, J. Pande, Decrease in protein solubility and cataract formation caused by the Pro23 to Thr mutation in human gamma D-crystallin, Biochemistry 44 (2005) 2491–2500] that the mutation dramatically lowers the solubility of P23T but the overall protein fold is maintained. Recently we observed that solutions of P23T showed liquid–liquid phase transition behavior similar to that of HGD but the liquid–protein crystal phase transition was altered, suggesting an asymmetric distribution of “sticky” patches on the protein surface [J.J. McManus, A. Lomakin, O. Ogun, A. Pande, M. Basan, J. Pande, G.B. Benedek, Altered phase diagram due to a single point mutation in human gammaD-crystallin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104 (2007) 16856–16861]. Here we present high-resolution NMR studies of HGD and P23T in which we have made nearly complete backbone assignments. The data provide a structural basis for explaining the retrograde solubility of P23T by (a) identifying possible “sticky” patches on the surface of P23T and (b) highlighting their asymmetric distribution.
An Exercise for Explicating and Critiquing Students’ Implicit Personality Theories:

Despite, its recent growth, implicit psychology is largely excluded from undergraduate personality textbooks. Students’ preconceptions about personality likely bias their evaluation of formal perso...
Output calibration in solid water for high energy photon beams.

The AAPM Protocol recommends the use of water, polystyrene or acrylic media for measuring the output of high energy photon beams. It provides the appropriate restricted mass stopping powers and mass energy absorption coefficients for converting the dose to these media to dose to water. A water‐equivalent solid has been developed for dosimetric applications [C. Constantinou, F. Attix, and B. Paliwal, Med. Phys. 9, 436 (1982)]. Calculated values for the restricted mass stopping powers and mass energy absorption coefficients have been published for this material. [A. Ho and B. Paliwal, Med. Phys. 1 3, 403 (1986)]. The accuracy of these calculations was investigated by making output measurements, following the Protocol, with a Farmer type chamber in four materials for Co‐60, 4, 6, 10, 18, and 24 MV photon beams. The results show that the scaled dose to water for the different media agree to better than 1%, and the analysis supports the methodology of the Protocol for obtaining the dose to water from the different media.
Preparation and evaluation of an antibacterial dental cement containing quaternary ammonium salts

A novel PQAS-containing antibacterial glass-ionomer cement has been developed. The functional QAS and their constructed PQAS were synthesized, characterized, and formulated into the light-cured cements. Compressive strength (CS) and bacterial (S. mutans and lactobacillus) viability were used to evaluate the mechanical strength and antibacterial activity of the cements. Flexural (FS) and diametral tensile strengths (DTS) were tested as well. Fuji II LC cement was used as control. The specimens were conditioned in distilled water at 37°C for 24 h prior to testing. All the PQAS-containing cements showed a significant antibacterial activity, accompanying with an initial CS reduction. The effects of chain length, loading, and grafting ratio of the QAS were significant. Increasing chain length, loading, grafting ratio significantly enhanced antibacterial activity but reduced the initial CS of the formed cements. The antibacterial effect of the substitute chain lengths from free QAS seem more significant in water than those from their polymers (PQAS) after integrating to the cement. The experimental cement showed less CS reduction and higher antibacterial activity than Fuji II LC. The long-term aging study indicates that the cement might have a long-lasting antibacterial function with no PQAS leaching. Within the limitations of this study, it appears that the experimental cement is a clinically attractive dental restorative that can be potentially used for long-lasting restorations due to its high mechanical strength and long-lasting antibacterial function. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.
A student emergency medicine clerkship that uses new information technologies.

Abstract The effective teaching of clinical emergency medicine to medical students requires efficiency in the management of both student and faculty time. Presented is a course outline that makes use of the following elements to structure and augment clinical time in the emergency department (ED): 1.1. Videotape to present a 19.7-hour series of faculty-produced lectures covering a "core" emergency medicine curriculum. 2.2. A microcomputer to facilitate staggered scheduling of clinical time. 3.3. A microcomputer test generation program that permits a secretary to formulate, administer, and grade a different final exam with each rotation. 4.4. Computer-assisted recordkeeping for faculty evaluation of a student's clinical performance. Once established, this program can be administered with fewer than five faculty hours per month assisted by a part-time (25% full-time equivalent) clerical coordinator. The total cost for the instructional program is $86.37 per student using the new technologies, and $144.15 per student when presenting the same program using traditional teaching techniques. The use of new technologies in student teaching will therefore result in significant savings.
Resource pools: an abstraction for configurable computing codesign*

The utility of configurable computing platforms has been demonstrated and documented for a wide variety of applications. Retargeting an application to custom computing machines (CCMs) has been shown to accelerate execution speeds with respect to execution on a sequential, general- purpose processor. Unfortunately, these platforms have proven to be rather difficult to program when compared to contemporary general-purpose platforms. Retargeting applications is non-trivial, due to the lack of design tools which work at a high level and consider all available computational units in the target architecture. To make configurable computing accessible to a wide user base, high- level entry tools -- preferably targeted toward familiar programming environments -- are needed. Also, in order to target a wide variety of custom computing machines, such tools cannot depend on a particular, fixed, architectural configuration. This paper introduces resource pools as an abstraction of general computing devices which provides a homogeneous description of FPGAs, ASICs, CPUs, or even an entire network of workstations. Also presented is an architecture-independent design tool which accepts a target architecture's description as a collection of resource pools, and partitions a program written in a high-level language onto that architecture, effectively synthesizing a hardware description for the FPGA portions of A CCM, and a software description for any attached CPUs.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Analysis of chronic lung transplant rejection by MALDI-TOF profiles of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

While lung transplant is an effective therapy for advanced lung disease, chronic allograph rejection remains a primary basis for lower survival rates than those for other solid organ transplants. This study used carefully controlled Zip-Tip extraction of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) followed by MALDI-TOF MS to identify biomarkers of chronic lung transplant rejection. Many differences were observed between controls, those who did not develop chronic rejection within 100 months, and patients who had developed chronic rejection, diagnosed as bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). Intensity ratios of peaks within the same MALDI-TOF profile were used to quantify the result. One of the best identifiers of BOS was a lowered ratio of clara cell protein (CCP m/z = 15 835) to lysozyme (m/z = 14 700), which gave 94% specificity and 74% sensitivity for diagnosis. Furthermore, low values for CCP/Lysozyme (<0.3) were observed in 66% of samples taken at 1 to 15 months prior to the diagnosis of BOS. Many other components of the profile gave similar or better outcomes for diagnosis but tended to be less valuable for the prediction of future disease. Overall, this study demonstrated the feasibility of this approach for the detection of disease biomarkers.
Age-related changes in the electrophysiological response to visual stimulus novelty: A topographical approach

The relationship of task relevance and stimulus probability to P300 morphology, latency and distribution was assessed. Eight year olds and adults completed visual oddball tasks of recognition memory with frequent non-target (60%), infrequent target (20%), and infrequent novel (20%) stimuli. Stimuli consisted of 2 female faces posing neutral expressions, and 40 trial unique novel photographs depicting scenes, animals, objects or abstract patterns. Event-related potentials were recorded from 17 electrodes over frontal, central and parietal scalp, including lateral temporal sites. All stimuli elicited P300 responses at parietal electrodes, with the largest responses to the target stimuli (relevant and infrequent). The P300 responses of adults and children were morphologically dissimilar, with children showing broader peaks and latency shifts across electrodes. In addition, the eight year olds displayed a frontal negativity to novel stimuli which was absent in the responses of adult participants. Results suggest that different anatomical or functional circuitry may be involved in the processing of novelty for adults as compared to eight year olds.
Low-cost and scalable classroom equipment to promote physical activity and improve education

Background: We tested a low-cost and scalable set of classroom equipment, called Active Classroom Equipment, which was designed to promote physical activity while children learn. We hypothesized the Active Classroom Equipment would be associated with increased physical activity without impairing learning. Methods: Fourteen first-grade students in a public elementary school (7 females, 7 males, aged 6.9 ± (SD) 0.4 years, 24 ± 5.4 kg, BMI 15.8 ± 2.6 kg/m2) used the Active Classroom Equipment for 30 minutes each day throughout the school year. Five-day physical activity was measured using validated triaxial accelerometers at baseline (before the intervention began) and on 4 sequential occasions during the 9-month intervention. Results: For the baseline period, 5-day physical activity averaged 157 ± 65 AU/min. When the 14 children accessed the Active Classroom Equipment, their mean 5-day physical activity was 229 ± 103 Acceleration Units (AU)/min (P < .0001). There were sequential increases in physical activi...
Concerning the thermolability of cholesta-5,8-dien-3β-ol, a sterol that accumulates in blood and tissues in a human genetic developmental disorder

Abstract Cholesta-5,8-dien-3β-ol, a sterol fo current biomedical interest, undergoes facile thermal decomposition as its acetate and TMS derivatives to the corresponding derivatives of 19-norcholesta-5,7,9-trien-3β-ol. This finding may be relevant to the reported occurrence of the nortriene in blood of patients with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.
IMPACT OF MEDICAL VERSUS SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF A HEMODYNAMICALLY SIGNIFICANT PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS (HSPDA) IN LOW BIRTH WEIGHT NEWBORNS. 1375

IMPACT OF MEDICAL VERSUS SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF A HEMODYNAMICALLY SIGNIFICANT PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS (HSPDA) IN LOW BIRTH WEIGHT NEWBORNS. 1375
Stimulation of Na+ and K+ dependent adenosine triphosphatase by ouabain.

Abstract Ouabain is capable of stimulating as well as inhibiting a microsomal Na + -K + ATPase. Some conditions required for stimulation are outlined and discussed. Evidence is presented that ions are required for ouabain stimulation suggesting that it is a monovalent cation-activated ATPase that is stimulated rather than the Mg ++ ATPase of the preparation. The phenomenon of stimulation by ouabain has properties distinct from those of inhibition. Aging of a preparation of the ATPase results in loss of its ability to be stimulated, but inhibition is preserved. Varying concentrations of K + influence inhibition but not stimulation.
Reaction–diffusion systems in protein networks: Global existence and identification

Abstract Spatio-temporal biochemical signaling in a large class of protein–protein interaction networks is well modeled by a reaction–diffusion system. The global existence of the solution to the reaction–diffusion system is determined by the reaction kinetics model and the protein network topology. We propose a novel reaction kinetics model that guarantees that the reaction–diffusion system with this model has a nonnegative invariant global classical solution for any network topology. We then present a computational method to identify the unknown parameters and initial values for a reaction–diffusion system with this reaction kinetics model. The identification approach solves an optimization problem that minimizes the cost function defined as the L 2 -norm of the difference between the data and the solution of the reaction–diffusion system. We utilize an adjoint-based optimal control method to obtain the gradients of the cost function with respect to the parameters and initial values. The regularity of the global classical solutions of the reaction–diffusion system and its corresponding adjoint system avoids situations in which the gradients blow up, and therefore guarantees the success of the identification method for any network structure. Utilizing this gradient information, an efficient algorithm to solve the optimization problem is proposed and applied to estimate the mass diffusivities, rate constants and initial values of a reaction–diffusion system that models protein–protein interactions in a signaling network that regulates the actin cytoskeleton in a malignant breast cell.
Word-gustatory synesthesia: a case study

A case study of a rare form of synesthesia is presented, where specific words act as the inducer, and gustatory sensations function as the concurrent. The female participant (TD) was twice presented with a list of 806 English words and 222 grammatically correct non-words (with 3 months between presentations). For each presentation, TD was asked to provide: a subjective description of the gustatory experience (if any) associated with each stimulus; a rating (from 0 to 10) of the intensity of the gustatory experience; and an indication (yes/no) if the experience was aversive. TD's responses across the two presentations were quantified, and comparisons are provided. In addition, TD's ability to create and recall novel word – taste associations was compared to that demonstrated by a sample of ten age-matched non-synesthete females. TD's synesthetic experiences were found to be highly consistent, more common in English words than non-words, and rarely aversive. Although TD was superior to control participants ...
Crossflow-vortex instability and transition on a 45 deg swept wing

A crossflow vortex experiment on a 45 deg swept wing is currently being conducted in the Arizona State University Unsteady Wind Tunnel. The experimental apparatus is designed to produce crossflow-dominated transition by simulating infinite swept wing flow using contoured end liners in a closed throat wind tunnel. Stationary fixed-wavelength crossflow vortices are observed at several chord Reynolds numbers. The vortex wavelength which is fixed for a given Reynolds number varies with Reynolds number approximately as predicted by linear stability theory, but with the predicted wavelengths about 30 percent larger than the observed wavelengths. Travelling waves are observed both in the frequency range predicted by linear stability theory and at higher frequencies. These higher frequency waves may be harmonics of the primary crossflow waves generated by a nonlinear parametric resonance phenomena.
Formation of glassy islands and deterioration of crystal structure in irradiated long-chain n-alkane crystals detected by high resolution NMR

Abstract A set of new peaks in the high-resolution solid-state 13 C NMR spectrum of γ-irradiated crystalline n -alkanes have been assigned to intact alkanes in the glassy region formed by corruption of the crystal structure. The saturation recovery curve for the interior methylene carbon showed that the flexibility of the crystalline region near this glassy region is also increased. This defect may profoundly affect successive radiation damage to the alkane crystal.
The Evolution of Culture and Sociology

Orthodox neo-Darwinians have typically sought to explain human pro-social behavior by invoking kin altruism and reciprocal altruism, principles that explain the pro-social behavior of non-human species. These principles, however, do not account for those features of our species that are most unique and of greatest importance to sociologists—our group identities and behavior, our cognitive and behavioral plasticity, our capacity for social learning and cumulative culture, among other things. This article describes the efforts of “dual inheritance” theorists to overcome the deficiencies of orthodox neo-Darwinism by developing an evolutionary theory of culture, a theory that also seeks to account for human “groupishness,” intelligence, language use, empathy, morality and religion. The article asserts that dual inheritance theory accommodates most of the traditional research interests of sociologists while proving a robust explanatory framework and that sociologists are positioned especially well to contribute to the study of the evolution of culture.
PORTREP: A portable repeated string finder

In recent years, several authors have presented algorithms that locate instances of a given string, or set of strings, within a text. Recently, authors have given less consideration to the complementary problem of processing a text to find out what strings appear in the text, without any preconceived notion of what strings might be present. A system called PATRICIA, which was developed two decades ago, is an implementation of a solution to this problem. The design of PATRICIA is very tightly bound to the assumptions that individual string elements are bits and that the user of the system can provide complete lists of starting and stopping places for strings. This paper presents an approach that drops these assumptions. Our method allows different definitions of indivisible string elements for different applications, and the only information the user provides for the determination of the beginning and ends of strings is a specification of a maximum length for output strings. This paper also describes a portable C implementation of the method, called PORTREP. The primary data structure of PORTREP is a trie represented as a ternary tree. PORTREP has a method for eliminating redundancy from the output, and it can function with a bounded number of nodes by employing a heuristic process that reuses seldom-visited nodes. Theoretical analysis and empirical studies, reported here, give confidence in the efficiency of the algorithms. PORTREP has the ability to form the basis for a variety of text-analysis applications, and this paper considers one such application, automatic document indexing.
The final steps of integrin activation: the end game

Cell-directed changes in the ligand-binding affinity ('activation') of integrins regulate cell adhesion and migration, extracellular matrix assembly and mechanotransduction, thereby contributing to embryonic development and diseases such as atherothrombosis and cancer. Integrin activation comprises triggering events, intermediate signalling events and, finally, the interaction of integrins with cytoplasmic regulators, which changes an integrin's affinity for its ligands. The first two events involve diverse interacting signalling pathways, whereas the final steps are immediately proximal to integrins, thus enabling integrin-focused therapeutic strategies. Recent progress provides insight into the structure of integrin transmembrane domains, and reveals how the final steps of integrin activation are mediated by integrin-binding proteins such as talins and kindlins.
Protein coronas suppress the hemolytic activity of hydrophilic and hydrophobic nanoparticles

The role of nanoparticle surface hydrophobicity on hemolytic properties is established in the absence and presence of plasma proteins. Significantly, the formation of a plasma protein corona on the NP surface protects red blood cells from both hydrophilic and hydrophobic NP-mediated hemolysis.
Early developments in gene-expression profiling of breast tumors: potential for increasing black-white patient disparities in breast cancer outcomes?

New prognostic tests, such as gene-expression profiling (GEP) of breast tumors, are expected to prolong survival and improve the quality of life for many breast cancer patients. In this article, we argue that GEP has not been adequately validated in minority populations, and that both biological and social factors might affect the broad utility of these tests in diverse populations. We suggest that the widespread use of this technology could potentially lead to suboptimal treatment for black women, resulting in a further increase in black–white patient disparities in treatment response, morbidity and mortality rates. We argue for the need to build a large and diverse evidence base for GEP and other emerging technologies in personalized medicine.
Molecular Mechanism of Force Production: From the Difficult 1980s to the Supercharged 1990s and Beyond

At the time of the Cold Spring Harbor muscle meeting in 1972 there was much euphoria and great enthusiasm. Essentially all of the investigators there accepted the sliding filament, attached cross-bridge, model of muscle contraction as dogma and many even felt that the problem was solved. Throughout the 1970s and beyond experiments in the muscle field were designed with the underlying assumption of the correctness of the proposed model. After all there was Huxley’s (1969) swinging-tilting cross-bridge model of muscle contraction based on electron microscopic and X-ray diffraction evidence, the transient kinetic mechanical studies of Huxley and Simmons (1971) and the natural way that ATP was proposed to fit into the cross-bridge cycle by Lymn and Taylor (1971). The sliding filament model even appeared in introductory textbooks of physiology. Nonetheless there were difficult but essential issues that had to be addressed. Could the kinetic data derived from the biochemical studies of the actomyosin ATPase reaction mechanism be applied to contracting muscle fibers? Furthermore Huxley (1973) issued a cautionary note at the Cold Spring Harbor meeting when he said that “there is a large gap in our present knowledge, unfortunately right at the heart of the whole problem.” The gap concerned the lack of structural evidence for the proposed changes in the angle of cross-bridge attachment to actin during muscle contraction. This was a enormous problem that would hold up progress in much of the muscle field throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. In fact looking back on this period Huxley (1996) has commented that “…by the mid-1980s, confidence in a straightforward sliding filament mechanism for muscle contraction had been significantly eroded…”. What happened? Why was there skepticism about the sliding filament mechanism of contraction? Between the stagnant 1980s and early twenty-first century there was a spectacular revolution in muscle research that could not have been predicted by even the most ardent dreamer. The investigation of the mechanism of contraction moved from the study of the behavior of billions of cross-bridges in muscle fibers to the investigation of the mechanical properties of individual molecular motors. This work combined with the elucidation of the atomic structures of actin and myosin and the advent of mutagenesis approaches supercharged what would now be called the motility field. But it was still a major challenge to elucidate the mechanism of action of cross-bridges in muscle fibers. In 2004, Hugh Huxley finally proclaimed (Huxley 2004): “…I really do believe that, altogether, there is now incontrovertible evidence for the correctness of the tilting lever-arm model, although of course many important details still remain to be worked out.” (Huxley 2004. With permission John Wiley & Sons Inc) What was the incontrovertible evidence? Was the mechanism of muscle contraction finally solved? These and other issues will be considered in this chapter.
Dietary energy density but not glycemic load is associated with gestational weight gain

Background The majority of pregnant women are gaining outside of the recommended weight gain ranges. Excessive weight gains have been linked to pregnancy complications and long term maternal and child health outcomes.
Identifying MIMO wireless devices based on radiometric signatures

Maximum performance in networks of cognitive radios requires careful coordination among the nodes desiring spectrum access. One part of this coordination that is becoming increasingly important is the authentication of nodes requesting network access. Prior work on this topic has shown that unique imperfections in the waveform transmitted by a device, referred to as radiometric features, can be used to identify devices with relatively high accuracy. This paper experimentally quantifies the authentication accuracy improvements achieved when applying such techniques to multiple-input multiple-output systems. It further studies an information theoretic technique for determining which radiometric features are most effective in discriminating different devices.
I-domain of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 mediates rolling of polystyrene particles on ICAM-1 under flow.

In their active state, β2-integrins, such as LFA-1, mediate the firm arrest of leukocytes by binding intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) expressed on endothelium. Although the primary function of LFA-1 is assumed to be the ability to mediate firm adhesion, recent work has shown that LFA-1 can contribute to cell tethering and rolling under hydrodynamic flow, a role previously largely attributed to the selectins. The inserted (I) domain of LFA-1 has recently been crystallized in the wild-type (wt) and locked-open conformations and has been shown to, respectively, support rolling and firm adhesion under flow when expressed in αLβ2 heterodimers or as isolated domains on cells. Here, we report results from cell-free adhesion assays where wt I-domain-coated polystyrene particles were allowed to interact with ICAM-1-coated surfaces in shear flow. We show that wt I-domain can independently mediate the capture of particles from flow and support their rolling on ICAM-1 surfaces in a manner similar to how carbohydrate-selectin interactions mediate rolling. Adhesion is specific and blocked by appropriate antibodies. We also show that the rolling velocity of I-domain-coated particles depends on the wall shear stress in flow chamber, I-domain site density on microsphere surfaces, and ICAM-1 site density on substrate surfaces. Furthermore, we show that rolling is less sensitive to wall shear stress and ICAM-1 substrate density at high density of I-domain on the microsphere surface. Computer simulations using adhesive dynamics can recreate bead rolling dynamics and show that the mechanochemical properties of ICAM-1-I-domain interactions are similar to those of carbohydrate-selectin interactions. Understanding the biophysics of adhesion mediated by the I-domain of LFA-1 can elucidate the complex roles this integrin plays in leukocyte adhesion in inflammation.
MANAGING CORPORATE LIQUIDITY: STRATEGIES AND PRICING IMPLICATIONS

Defaults arising from illiquidity can lead to private workouts, formal bankruptcy proceedings or even liquidation. All these outcomes can result in deadweight losses. Corporate illiquidity in the presence of realistic capital market frictions can be managed by (a) equity dilution, (b) carrying positive cash balances, or (c) entering into loan commitments with a syndicate of lenders. An efficient way to manage illiquidity is to rely on mechanisms that transfer cash from "good states" into "bad states" (i.e., financial distress) without wasting liquidity in the process. In this paper, we first investigate the impact of costly equity dilution as a method to deal with illiquidity, and characterize its effects on corporate debt prices and optimal capital structure. We show that equity dilution produces lower firm value in general. Next, we consider two alternative mechanisms: cash balances and loan commitments. Abstracting from future investment opportunities and share re-purchases, which are strong reasons for corporate cash holdings, we show that carrying positive cash balances for managing illiquidity is in general inefficient relative to entering into loan commitments, since cash balances (a) may have agency costs, (b) reduce the riskiness of the firm thereby lowering the option value to default, (c) postpone or reduce dividends in good states, and (d) tend to inject liquidity in both good and bad states. Loan commitments, on the other hand, (a) reduce agency costs, and (b) permit injection of liquidity in bad states as and when needed. Then, we study the trade-offs between these alternative approaches to managing corporate illiquidity. We show that loan commitments can lead to an improvement in overall welfare and reduction in spreads on existing debt for a broad range of parameter values. We derive explicit pricing formulas for debt and equity prices. In addition, we characterize the optimal draw down strategy for loan commitments, and study its impact on optimal capital structure.
OWL that can Choose to Inherit and Hide it Too

OWL has inherent limitations in expressing many Object Oriented (OO) features such as default inheritance, conflict resolution in multiple inheritance, method inheritance and encapsulation. But these features are essential to model real world phenomena, a fact that is underscored by the presence of many object oriented programming languages. OWL chooses not to support these features possibly because of its two design decisions (i) decidability and (ii) low computational complexity. Usually more expressive language tends to be computationally expensive, and in some cases, the language becomes either semi-decidable or undecidable. In this paper, we extend OWL to OWL$++ by supporting two inheritance modes, overriding and inflating, and three inheritance types, value, code and null. Our goal is to increase the expressive power of OWL as well as to maintain it as a computationally efficient decidable language. We demonstrate this by taking translational semantics of OWL++ to OWL. It allows us to build our OWL++ reasoner by using existing technologies such as Jena that works on top of well known OWL reasoners such as Pellet.
The Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Industry: What Prognosis for Good Jobs?

This paper draws on the case study literature on diagnostic imaging, on publicly available industry data, and on the business press. It also incorporates very preliminary findings from interviews and site visits by the author and others at five diagnostic imaging companies, two in the United States and three in Japan. At the companies' request, their identities must currently remain confidential. Some of the company-based research has been supported by the Sloan Foundation through a project entitled "Corporate Restructuring Skill Formation and Earnings Inequality." The paper unfolds in four sections that mirror the four propositions. Each section summarizes both quantitative trends and case study evidence. The evidence available from published sources, coupled with preliminary interview findings, reveal quite a few interesting patterns but also leave a great deal unanswered. Consequently, we follow these four sections with a brief conclusion making the case for additional case study research and sketching directions for such future research.
WEIGHT REDUCTION AND OBESITY

Obesity and hypertension are intimately linked. Weight loss lowers blood pressure and improves the blood pressure response to sodium restriction and antihypertensive medications. In addition to the effects of energy restriction, diets rich in fruits and vegetables (and hence potassium) and rich in low fat dairy products (and hence rich in calcium and magnesium), high in fiber, and low in saturated fat also lower blood pressure independent of sodium and energy content. These dietary modifications, along with weight loss are beneficial in patients only mildly overweight and, because of beneficial effects on other cardiac risk factors should be part of the therapeutic regimen in all obese hypertensive patients.
Hardy Personality: A Potential Link with Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Hardiness is a personality construct which is assumed to protect the individual from stress-induced illness. Although widely accepted, hardiness has shown only modest relations with the development of illness. Examining the components of hardiness indicates apparent consistency with organizational citizenship behaviors such as obedience, participation, and loyalty. This study investigated the potential relations between hardiness and organizational citizenship behavior, using Kobasa's Personal Views Survey, and Van Dyne, Graham, and Diensch's citizenship measure. Subjects were 129 unionized employees whose mean age was 37 yr.; 58% were men. Correlations and regressions indicated that scores for total hardiness and its components of commitment and control were linked to citizenship behaviors. Differential relationhips were identified between hardiness and citizenship behavior for individuals with high versus low scores on hardy personality. Hardiness appears to have a positive association with organizational effectiveness through its link to citizenship behavior and consequently may have more implications for organizational behavior than for health.
Solution-processing of thick chalcogenide-chalcogenide and metal-chalcogenide structures by spin-coating and multilayer lamination

This paper presents a new technique for fabricating thick (>10µm) chalcogenide multilayer structures. Films of arbitrary thicknesses are readily achieved through spin-coating, lamination and baking. For homogeneous systems, layer interfaces can be effectively removed by annealing above Tg. Alternatively, heterogeneous multilayer films can be realized by introducing layers of different chalcogenide materials or metals. In particular, photo-induced Ag dissolution is verified in a laminated multilayer film, with a refractive index increase greater than 0.2. The work presented here has great implications for chalcogenide deposition with potential applications in data storage, IR detection and IR beam combining.
Dissolution of quartz accompanying carbonate precipitation and cementation in reefs; example from the Red Sea

ABSTRACT This study illustrates the surface texture of quartz particles that have been etched, corroded, embayed, and replaced by calcium carbonate during precipitation of carbonate cement in reefs. Oriented V-shaped and prismatic etch patterns or irregular depressions lacking orientation develop; as etching becomes more intense depressions coalesce to form spongy surfaces. Advanced etching, as carbonate cement is precipitated, results in lowering of the entire etched surface. Such strong chemical etching and dissolution of quartz particles have not been previously recorded with the scanning-electron microscope from sediments deposited in a marine environment.
Effect of endothelial integrity, transmural pressure, and time on the intimal-medial uptake of serum 125I-albumin and 125I-LDL in an in vitro porcine arterial organ-support system

This report describes a new in vitro, metabolically supported, Sinclair Research Farm minipig aortic preparation in which the intimal-medial uptakes (M, mg.cm-2 of intimal surface) of porcine 125I-albumin and normocholesterolemic (nonoxidized) porcine 125I-low density lipoprotein (LDL) from a stirred, autogenous serum (containing a 125I-protein concentration of c0, mg.cm-3 at 37 degrees C and pH 7.4) were studied as functions of transmural pressure (0 < or = P < or = 150 mm Hg), time (30 < or = t < or = 120 minutes), and endothelial integrity. The following new observations were made: 1) The normalized transendothelial uptakes (M/c0, cm) of both albumin and LDL across normal intact aortic endothelial surfaces were insensitive to P. This indicated that these macromolecular solutes were not readily convected across the normal aortic endothelial surface despite increasing P. 2) However, the associated transendothelial M/c0 versus t relations for the normal intact surfaces were shown to increase monotonically with t in a manner consistent with a simple diffusive transport across a large surface barrier into the subjacent media, either with (Cases 2A and 2B) or without (Case 1) an associated transmural water convection. 3) The shapes of these temporal M/c0 curves of albumin and LDL were virtually the same; however, the magnitude of the albumin M/c0 curve was about sevenfold greater than that of LDL. 4) The M/c0 across the injured endothelial surface (Case 2C) not only increased monotonically with t but also increased significantly with P, indicating that in the absence of a normal endothelial surface, a very large convective component was added to the transport processes across the exposed aortic endothelial basement membrane and internal elastica. We conclude that: 1) the normal porcine aortic endothelial surface can provide a virtually complete barrier to the transendothelial convective transport of both albumin and LDL, 2) the diffusive barrier of the normal endothelial surface to LDL was sevenfold greater than that to albumin, 3) loss of the endothelial cell layer was associated with a threefold increase in the (P = 0) diffusive intimal-medial uptake of serum albumin in contrast to an eightfold increase in the pressurized (P = 150 mm Hg) combined diffusive-convective intimal-medial albumin uptake in the same vessel.
Ontogenetic Parameters and Life History Strategies of the Late Cretaceous Lamniform Shark, Cretoxyrhina mantelli, Based on Vertebral Growth Increments

Abstract Cretoxyrhina mantelli is a Late Cretaceous lamniform shark that possibly resembled the modern white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in size, body form, and feeding strategies. Here, a previously identified set of growth increment (= periodic marker) bands in a vertebra from an individual of Cretoxyrhina mantelli (5 m in total length [TL]) is used as a model to quantitatively infer the ontogenetic development and life history strategies of the fossil shark. The results indicate that its length at birth was large, and that the early part of its life history was marked by a comparably rapid growth, which could have helped the neonatal C. mantelli to efficiently exploit prey items while deterring potential predators. The von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) experimentally fitted to the data gives the following estimated growth parameters: the length at birth (L0) of 1.28 m TL, the asymptotic length (L∞) of 6.91 m TL, and the rate constant with units of reciprocal time (k) of 0.073 yr−1. The large ma...
Orthopaedic Clinical Examination: An Evidence-Based Approach for Physical Therapists

Cleland J. Carlstadt, NJ 07072, Icon Learning Systems, 2005, paperback, 516 pp, illus, ISBN 1-929007-87-6, $64.95. The stated goal of this textbook is to serve as a supplement in academic musculoskeletal evaluation courses and also to provide a quick reference guide for clinicians who want to enhance their ability to incorporate research evidence into their clinical decision-making process. The intended audience for this book includes educators, students, and clinicians involved in the examination of patients with musculoskeletal impairments. This book contains 12 chapters. The first chapter introduces the evidence-based practice paradigm and reviews statistical concepts and measures relevant to reliability, diagnostic accuracy, and predictive validity. The second chapter deals with search …
Large group simulation: Using combined teaching strategies to connect classroom and clinical learning

A growing disconnect exists between what students learn in the classroom and how they use nursing concepts to provide safe and effective care in a clinical setting. The purpose of this article is to share a large group simulation teaching and learning strategy that combines unfolding case studies, low-fidelity simulation, and PowerPoint® to facilitate active learning and the integration of classroom and clinical learning in an associate degree nursing program.