cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Circulating Biomarkers of Gut Barrier Function: Correlates and Nonresponse to Calcium Supplementation among Colon Adenoma Patients

Background: Gut barrier dysfunction contributes to several gastrointestinal disorders, including colorectal cancer, but factors associated with intestinal hyperpermeability have been minimally studied in humans. Methods: We tested the effects of two doses of calcium (1.0 or 2.0 g/d) on circulating biomarkers of gut permeability [anti-flagellin and anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Ig, measured via ELISA] over a 4-month treatment period among colorectal adenoma patients in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial ( n = 193), and evaluated the factors associated with baseline levels of these biomarkers. Results: Baseline concentrations of anti-flagellin IgA and anti-LPS IgA were, respectively, statistically significantly proportionately higher by 11.8% and 14.1% among men, 31.3% and 39.8% among those with a body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m2, and 19.9% and 22.0% among those in the upper relative to the lowest sex-specific tertile of waist circumference. A combined permeability score (the summed optical densities of all four biomarkers) was 24.3% higher among women in the upper tertile of plasma C–reactive protein ( P trend < 0.01). We found no appreciable effects of supplemental calcium on anti-flagellin or anti-LPS Igs. Conclusions: Our results suggest that (i) men and those with higher adiposity may have greater gut permeability, (ii) gut permeability and systemic inflammation may be directly associated with one another, and (iii) supplemental calcium may not modify circulating levels of gut permeability biomarkers within 4 months. Impact: Our findings may improve the understanding of the factors that influence gut permeability to inform development of treatable biomarkers of risk for colorectal cancer and other health outcomes. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(2); 318–26. ©2015 AACR .
Patient adherence to burn care: A systematic review of the literature.

Abstract Objective Few studies have been conducted on treatment adherence to burn care. Given the prevalence of burn injuries across the lifespan and the impact of proper burn care on associated morbidity, it is important to understand factors associated with regimen non-adherence in this population. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and critique all published literature on patient adherence to burn care. Method With no restriction on publication date, 13 relevant articles met the following inclusion criteria: (a) utilized a sample of patients who sustained a burn injury or their medical staff; (b) focused on treatment or healthcare adherence of the patient (e.g., adherence to pressure garment therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, diet, dressing changes, or sunscreen use); and (c) publication written or translated into English. Results Most studies (70%) used a correlational design, while only four studies used an experimental design (either longitudinal or single subject) to assess adherence to burn care treatment. Current research suggests that burn treatment characteristics, knowledge, and beliefs are associated with adherence to burn care regimens. Conclusions Given that adherence may vary as a function of different factors, future research should assess pediatric burn patients as a separate population, as well as investigate adherence to multiple aspects of the burn care regimen. To enhance adherence to burn care, healthcare providers should educate their patients on various treatment components and tailor these components to meet patients’ goals and needs, as feasible.
Trends and practice patterns in the management of thoracic empyema.

BackgroundThis study explored the modern treatment of thoracic empyema. We evaluated outcomes of various operative approaches in both academic and nonacademic institutions.MethodsWe queried the Soc...
Discussion on Security and Stability Control Measures Coping with Icing Disaster for North Guangdong Power Grid

For improving the capacity of coping with the icing disaster and maintaining the security and stability of power grid,north Guangdong grid is taken for example and the current status of its security and stability control system is analyzed.Special security and stability control measures when the power channels from north Guangdong grid to south grid are damaged and north Guangdong gird is partly damaged by the disaster are discussed.It is concluded that during icing and snowing disaster,the impact of icing on the security and stability of power grid should be dealt with by the security and stability control measures besides conventional control strategy,and the worst-hit units and loads should be shed in time to ensure the security and stability of power grid.
From Pain to Healing in Language Teacher Education

The author reflects on the need for critical multilingual approaches to language teacher education in the U.S. that addresses the unique and sometimes painful experiences of the individuals. She suggests that strategic pedagogy be used to empower preservice teachers' home languages in their own learning spaces.
Dexamethasone Chemotherapy Does Not Disrupt Orexin Signaling.

Background Steroid-induced sleep disturbance is a common and highly distressing morbidity for children receiving steroid chemotherapy for the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Sleep disturbance can negatively impact overall quality of life, neurodevelopment, memory consolidation, and wound healing. Hypothalamic orexin neurons are influential wake-promoting neurons, and disturbances in orexin signaling leads to abnormal sleep behavior. A new class of drug, the orexin receptor antagonists, could be an intriguing option for sleep disorders caused by increased orexinergic output. Our aim was to examine the impact of ALL treatment doses of corticosteroids on the orexin system in rodents and in children undergoing treatment for childhood ALL. Methods We administered repeated injections of dexamethasone to rodents and measured responsive orexin neural activity compared to controls. In children with newly diagnosed standard risk B-cell ALL receiving dexamethasone therapy per Children’s Oncology Group (COG) induction therapy from 2014–2016, we collected pre- and during-steroids matched CSF samples and measured the impact of steroids on CSF orexin concentration. Results In both rodents, all markers orexin signaling, including orexin neural output and orexin receptor expression, were preserved in the setting of dexamethasone. Additionally, we did not detect a difference in pre- and during-dexamethasone CSF orexin concentrations in children receiving dexamethasone. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that rodent and human orexin physiology is largely preserved in the setting of high dose dexamethasone. The data obtained in our experimental model fail to demonstrate a causative role for disruption of the orexin pathway in steroid-induced sleep disturbance.
Can Asian Models Be Effective to White American Consumers in Values Advocacy Ads? The Implications of Collectivistic Self-Construal as a Self-Motive in the Context of Values Advocacy Ads

Guided by the motivated reasoning theoretical framework, this study examines the relationship between ethnicity cues (model race) and self-concept (collectivistic self-construal) among white Americ...
Comparison of the Quantum Hall Resistance and OHM NRC

We report on the progress towards the establishment of a quantum Hall resistance measurement system suitable for maintaining OHM NRC. This new system will be described and compared to the previously reported 15T, 20 mK potentiometric system. General problems concerning utilization of the Hall resistance as a unit will be discussed.
Psychological resources and glucoregulation in Japanese adults: Findings from MIDJA.

Objective To examine associations between glucoregulation and 3 categories of psychological resources: hedonic well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect), eudaimonic well-being (i.e., personal growth, purpose in life, ikigai), and interdependent well-being (i.e., gratitude, peaceful disengagement, adjustment) among Japanese adults. The question is important given increases in rates of type 2 diabetes in Japan in recent years, combined with the fact that most prior studies linking psychological resources to better physical health have utilized Western samples. Method Data came from the Midlife in Japan Study involving randomly selected participants from the Tokyo metropolitan area, a subsample of whom completed biological data collection (N = 382; 56.0% female; M(SD)age = 55.5(14.0) years). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the outcome. Models adjusted for age, gender, educational attainment, smoking, alcohol, chronic conditions, body mass index (BMI), use of antidiabetic medication, and negative affect. Results Purpose in life (β = -.104, p = .021) was associated with lower HbA1c, and peaceful disengagement (β = .129, p = .003) was associated with higher HbA1c in fully adjusted models. Comparable to the effects of BMI, a 1 standard deviation change in well-being was associated with a .1% change in HbA1c. Conclusions Associations among psychological resources and glucoregulation were mixed. Healthy glucoregulation was evident among Japanese adults with higher levels of purpose in life and lower levels of peaceful disengagement, thereby extending prior research from the United States. The results emphasize the need for considering sociocultural contexts in which psychological resources are experienced in order to understand linkages to physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record
Visual Experience-Dependent Expression of Fn14 Is Required for Retinogeniculate Refinement.

Summary Sensory experience influences the establishment of neural connectivity through molecular mechanisms that remain unclear. Here, we employ single-nucleus RNA sequencing to investigate the contribution of sensory-driven gene expression to synaptic refinement in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, a region of the brain that processes visual information. We find that visual experience induces the expression of the cytokine receptor Fn14 in excitatory thalamocortical neurons. By combining electrophysiological and structural techniques, we show that Fn14 is dispensable for early phases of refinement mediated by spontaneous activity but that Fn14 is essential for refinement during a later, experience-dependent period of development. Refinement deficits in mice lacking Fn14 are associated with functionally weaker and structurally smaller retinogeniculate inputs, indicating that Fn14 mediates both functional and anatomical rearrangements in response to sensory experience. These findings identify Fn14 as a molecular link between sensory-driven gene expression and vision-sensitive refinement in the brain.
The cost of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants.

Abstract Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a common morbidity of prematurity, affects 5–10% of premature infants with a birthweight
Magnetic properties of A2CunX2n2− systems

The magnetic behavior of planar bibridged copper(II) halide dimers, trimers, and tetramers are summarized. The planar oligomers exhibit antiferromagnetic coupling. Dimeric Cu2X62 ions can undergo one of two types of distortions: a tetrahedral twist distortion and a bifold, or sedia, distortion. Both distortions cause the exchange interaction to become ferromagnetic. Trimeric species have a S = 1/2 ground state. Evidence for non-Boltzman depopulation of the excited quartet state is observed and is tentatively assumed to arise from frustrated intertrimer interactions. Comparison of the X = Cl and X = Br salts show that the antiferromagnetic contribution to the exchange coupling is approximately twice as large for the bromide salts as for the chloride salts. It is also seen that the coupling becomes more antiferromagnetic as the length of the oligomer increases.
Comparative Cardiac Safety of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors among Individuals Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis

Background Individuals receiving maintenance hemodialysis may be particularly susceptible to the lethal cardiac consequences of drug-induced QT prolongation because they have a substantial cardiovascular disease burden and high level of polypharmacy, as well as recurrent exposure to electrolyte shifts during dialysis. Electrophysiologic data indicate that among the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), citalopram and escitalopram prolong the QT interval to the greatest extent. However, the relative cardiac safety of SSRIs in the hemodialysis population is unknown. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we used data from a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries receiving hemodialysis included in the US Renal Data System registry (2007–2014). We used a new-user design to compare the 1-year risk of sudden cardiac death among hemodialysis patients initiating SSRIs with a higher potential for prolonging the QT interval (citalopram, escitalopram) versus the risk among those initiating SSRIs with lower QT-prolonging potential (fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline). We estimated adjusted hazard ratios using inverse probability of treatment weighted survival models. Nonsudden cardiac death was treated as a competing event. Results The study included 30,932 (47.1%) hemodialysis patients who initiated SSRIs with higher QT-prolonging potential and 34,722 (52.9%) who initiated SSRIs with lower QT-prolonging potential. Initiation of an SSRI with higher versus lower QT-prolonging potential was associated with higher risk of sudden cardiac death (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 1.31). This association was more pronounced among elderly individuals, females, patients with conduction disorders, and those treated with other non-SSRI QT-prolonging medications. Conclusions The heterogeneous QT-prolonging potential of SSRIs may differentially affect cardiac outcomes in the hemodialysis population.
Social Responses to Criminal Governance in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Kingston, and Medellín

Over the past generation Latin America has experienced high levels of criminal violence associated with extortion, the drug trade, and other criminal rackets. While there has been considerable research into the role of state policy in controlling criminal violence, there has been considerably less investment in analyzing the success of social action to control both police and criminal violence in the high-conflict zones where criminal groups operate. The inadequacy of the existing literature emerges at least in part from the limited data on successful social efforts to control violence in urban areas controlled by organized crime groups. Drawing on over three hundred qualitative interviews conducted in four cities in Latin America and the Caribbean over an extended period of time, this article examines the various strategies used by civic groups to control violent activities on the part of police and criminal groups. The article observes six different forms of social responses to violence and points to the conditions under which these actions emerge. Resumen Durante la ultima generacion, America Latina ha experimentado altos niveles de violencia criminal asociada con la extorsion, el trafico de drogas y otras actividades criminales. Si bien ha habido una considerable investigacion sobre el papel de las politicas estatales en el control de la violencia criminal, se ha invertido considerablemente menos en analizar el exito de la accion social para controlar la violencia policial y criminal en las zonas de alto conflicto donde operan los grupos criminales. La insuficiencia de la literatura existente surge, al menos en parte, de los datos limitados sobre esfuerzos sociales exitosos para controlar la violencia en areas urbanas controladas por grupos del crimen organizado. Sobre la base de mas de trescientas entrevistas cualitativas realizadas en cuatro ciudades de America Latina y el Caribe durante un periodo prolongado de tiempo, este articulo examina las diversas estrategias utilizadas por los grupos civicos para controlar las actividades violentas por parte de la policia y los grupos delictivos. El articulo observa seis formas diferentes de respuestas sociales a la violencia criminal y senala las condiciones bajo las cuales surgen estas acciones.
The influence of emotional and conditional motivations on gardeners’ participation in community (allotment) gardens

Abstract Despite the benefits of participating in community gardens, motivations that influence gardeners’ participation in gardening activities is largely unexplored. The goal of the study is to quantitatively examine, beyond the commonly known functional motivations, the individual impact of emotional and conditional motivations on gardening participation. To reach our goal, a web-based survey and on-site surveys were administered to 180 gardeners in three community gardens in Austin, Texas. Results showed that, while most functional motivations were significant, the emotional motivation of attachment towards gardening was also statistically significant, demonstrating the individual role of emotional motivations on garden participation. Additionally, a significant conditional motivation was found, including time required to garden. We discuss the implication of our findings for ensuring continual community garden participation.
Semg-Based Hand Gesture Recognition Via Dilated Convolutional Neural Networks

The recent evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning models coupled with advancements of assistive robotic systems have shown great potential in significantly improving myoelectric control of prosthetic devices. In this regard, the paper proposes a novel deep-learning-based architecture for processing surface Electromyography (sEMG) signals to classify and recognize upper-limb hand gestures via incorporation of dilated causal convolutions. The proposed approach has the potential to significantly improve the overall recognition accuracy due to the specific design of the convolutional layers. By using dilated causal convolutions which gradually increases the receptive field of the network, and by applying Conv1D, the proposed architecture eliminates the need for readjustment of the input sequences and inherently takes into account the hidden temporal correlations existing among the available set of sEMG sequences. Contrary to recent hybrid (RNN-CNN) solutions, the proposed architecture neither uses recurrent units nor 2-dimensional convolutions. The publically-accessible NinaPro DB2 dataset is utilized for training and evaluation of the proposed network. Through an extensive set of experiments, it is observed that the proposed architecture significantly outperforms its state-of-the-art counterparts and provides an average 8.71% performance improvement.
Shared genetic etiology underlying Alzheimer's disease and major depressive disorder.

Patients with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) frequently manifest comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms with depression and anxiety being most frequent, and individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have an increased prevalence of LOAD. This suggests shared etiologies and intersecting pathways between LOAD and MDD. We performed pleiotropy analyses using LOAD and MDD GWAS data sets from the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), respectively. We found a moderate enrichment for SNPs associated with LOAD across increasingly stringent levels of significance with the MDD GWAS association (LOAD|MDD), of maximum four and eightfolds, including and excluding the APOE-region, respectively. Association analysis excluding the APOE-region identified numerous SNPs corresponding to 40 genes, 9 of which are known LOAD-risk loci primarily in chromosome 11 regions that contain the SPI1 gene and MS4A genes cluster, and others were novel pleiotropic risk-loci for LOAD conditional with MDD. The most significant associated SNPs on chromosome 11 overlapped with eQTLs found in whole-blood and monocytes, suggesting functional roles in gene regulation. The reverse conditional association analysis (MDD|LOAD) showed a moderate level, ~sevenfold, of polygenic overlap, however, no SNP showed significant association. Pathway analyses replicated previously reported LOAD biological pathways related to immune response and regulation of endocytosis. In conclusion, we provide insights into the overlapping genetic signatures underpinning the common phenotypic manifestations and inter-relationship between LOAD and MDD. This knowledge is crucial to the development of actionable targets for novel therapies to treat depression preceding dementia, in an effort to delay or ultimately prevent the onset of LOAD.
Biochemical Characterization of Yeast Xrn1.

Messenger RNA degradation is an important component of overall gene expression. During the final step of eukaryotic mRNA degradation, exoribonuclease 1 (Xrn1) carries out 5′ → 3′ processive, hydrol...
Narrative Review of Sensory Changes as a Biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease:

Early recognition of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the prodromal period has not been robust yet will be necessary if effective disease-modifying drugs are to be useful in preventing or delaying the condition. The objective of this narrative review was to describe the current, evidenced based understanding of alterations in sensory data as potential biomarkers for AD. Review of empirical studies that tested senses as biomarkers for AD and were published in English within the past 50 years was completed. Eighteen empirical studies were identified that met the strict criteria for inclusion, with 12 of these studies being related to the olfactory system. Two studies examined auditory, two examined vision, one examined proprioception, and one examined taste. Thus, only olfaction has been studied to any extent, leaving a clear gap in the literature for the use of other senses. A promising area of research has begun to be reported concerning differences in responses to pain stimuli in AD relative to cognitively normal subjects. Pain is not a single sense like the others but integrates several senses and may allow for use as an early biomarker for AD, as it integrates several brain areas and pathways. Unlike the other senses, simple devices can be used to measure changes in pain perception in cognitively normal adults with genetic predispositions for possible AD, making this potentially useful for clinicians in the future.
Knowledge-Driven Wikipedia Article Recommendation for Electronic Textbooks

In this paper, we introduce an approach that combines automatic domain knowledge modeling, student modeling, and content recommendation approaches to recommend relevant Wikipedia articles for students working with online electronic textbooks.
Detection of Site to Site Variations From Volume Measurement Data in Multisite Semiconductor Testing

The rising analog content in mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) is driving an increased need for measurement of analog parametric specifications during manufacturing test, thereby significantly increasing overall chip cost. Multisite (parallel) measurement alleviates this issue by measuring multiple chips at the same time, hence massively increasing throughput and reducing measurement time per chip. For successful multisite test and measurement, product and test engineers have to design multisite boards that can ensure robust measurement and test quality for each site. However, as the number of sites increases, variations in site to site behavior are often seen, leading to degradation of test results at some sites. These variations result from various artifacts such as nonhomogenous layout and routing, compromises in component placement, etc. Very often, methods to detect board and site anomalies are ad hoc , leading to a time-consuming and expensive diagnosis cycle. Therefore, there is a need for a cost-effective approach to investigate and identify SSV from measurement data. This work proposes an automated technique that leverages advanced statistical learning methods to pronounce and detect SSV not always visible to human inspections of measurement data. Specifically, we contribute the concept of using domain transformation that converts measurement data in the specification value space to a statistical parameter space, allowing for robust automatic detectability of SSV. Robustness and accuracy of the method are confirmed after application to real-world industrial and simulated measurement data.
A Rheological Analogue for Brownian Motion with Hydrodynamic Memory

When the density of the fluid surrounding suspended Brownian particles is appreciable, in addition to the forces appearing in the traditional Ornstein and Uhlenbeck theory of Brownian motion, additional forces emerge as the displaced fluid in the vicinity of the randomly moving Brownian particle acts back on the particle giving rise to long-range force correlations which manifest as a ``long-time tail'' in the decay of the velocity autocorrelation function known as hydrodynamic memory. In this paper, after recognizing that for Brownian particles immersed in a Newtonian, viscous fluid, the hydrodynamic memory term in the generalized Langevin equation is essentially the 1/2 fractional derivative of the velocity of the Brownian particle, we present a rheological analogue for Brownian motion with hydrodynamic memory which consists of a linear dashpot of a fractional Scott-Blair element and an inerter. The synthesis of the proposed mechanical network that is suggested from the structure of the generalized Langevin equation simplifies appreciably the calculations of the mean-square displacement and its time-derivatives which can also be expressed in terms of the two-parameter Mittag--Leffler function.
Vascular comorbidities worsen prognosis of patients with heart failure hospitalised with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Prior diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is associated with increased length of hospital stay (LOS) and mortality from COVID-19. Associations between substance use, venous thromboembolism (VTE) or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and its effects on LOS or mortality in patients with HF hospitalised with COVID-19 remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study identified risk factors associated with poor in-hospital outcomes among patients with HF hospitalised with COVID-19. METHODS: Case-control study was conducted of patients with prior diagnosis of HF hospitalised with COVID-19 at an academic tertiary care centre from 1 January 2020 to 28 February 2021. Patients with HF hospitalised with COVID-19 with risk factors were compared with those without risk factors for clinical characteristics, LOS and mortality. Multivariate regression was conducted to identify multiple predictors of increased LOS and in-hospital mortality in patients with HF hospitalised with COVID-19. RESULTS: Total of 211 patients with HF were hospitalised with COVID-19. Women had longer LOS than men (9 days vs 7 days; p<0.001). Compared with patients without PAD or ischaemic stroke, patients with PAD or ischaemic stroke had longer LOS (7 days vs 9 days; p=0.012 and 7 days vs 11 days, p<0.001, respectively). Older patients (aged 65 and above) had increased in-hospital mortality compared with younger patients (adjusted OR: 1.04; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.07; p=0.036). Prior diagnosis of VTE increased mortality more than threefold in patients with HF hospitalised with COVID-19 (adjusted OR: 3.33; 95% CI 1.29 to 8.43; p=0.011). CONCLUSION: Vascular diseases increase LOS and mortality in patients with HF hospitalised with COVID-19.
Identifying Risk Factors for Complications During Exposure for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Introduction An anterior approach to lumbar interbody fusion is a widely utilized method of access to the lumbar spine. Due to the potential for vascular complications with spine exposure, vascular surgeons are frequently included in the care of these patients as part of a team-based approach. Identifying risk factors for such complications is difficult and not well-defined in the literature. In this investigation, we evaluate the potential risk factors for complications during anterior lumbar inter-body fusion (ALIF). Methods This is a retrospective review of 106 patients who underwent ALIF at a single institution between May 1, 2007, and April 30, 2017. Patients were identified through operating room case logs and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes correlating with ALIF. Vascular surgeons performed all anterior exposures. Patient demographics and data regarding their surgical care and postoperative course were obtained from a review of operative and progress notes in the electronic medical record. Statistical methods employed included a t-test for normally distributed data and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for non-normally distributed data. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests. A logistic regression model was applied to predict complications by controlling other significant covariates. Results Of the 106 patients included in this analysis, 16 patients experienced a defined complication, giving an overall complication rate of 15%. Patients with complications were more likely to be of male gender (n=11, P=0.016), with older average age (54.6, P=0.017), with higher estimated blood loss, with higher use of blood products, and with higher use of cell-saver. A venous injury was the most common complication (n=11, 10.4%); ileus and nerve injury were the next most common (n=3, 2.8%). The 30-day mortality was 0%. Male gender demonstrated an odds ratio of 3.78 (P=0 .034) in a logistic regression model after adjusting for age and blood products. Conclusions Overall complication rates were comparable to those in the published literature and male gender was identified as a predictor for risk of complications in those undergoing ALIF. This is the first study to identify male sex as a risk factor for complications following ALIF. The results of this study will hopefully guide future studies in gaining more insight into the predictors of complications in larger series.
Addition of protein or fiber to pasta does not alter satiety or mid-afternoon snacking in healthy men and women (1040.4)

Protein and fiber can promote satiety and reduce energy intake independently, but few studies have compared the satiating effects of both nutrients in whole foods. This study compared satiety after protein-enhanced pasta (16g protein, 6g fiber), fiber-enhanced pasta (11g protein, 8g fiber) or control pasta (11g protein, 6g fiber). In a randomized, double-blind crossover trial, fasted (4 hours) men (n=18) and women (n=18) ate pastas at 12:00pm along with 500mL of water and rated satiety using Visual Analog Scales at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 minutes and palatability at 30 minutes. At 3:00pm, subjects received ad libitum snacks and intake was overtly measured by weight. Breakfast intake was recorded in a food diary and so was intake after men and women left the study visit. Gastrointestinal tolerance was rated by a questionnaire. No differences were found between the pastas for satiety, snacking or gastrointestinal tolerance. Men ate significantly more calories (p=0.007) after the protein pasta ver...
Phosphorylation of the peripherin 58-kDa neuronal intermediate filament protein. Regulation by nerve growth factor and other agents.

Abstract Peripherin, a recently described member of the intermediate filament multigene family, is present in peripheral and certain central nervous system neurons as well as in cultured neuron-like cell lines, including PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. In PC12 cells, peripherin appears to be the major intermediate filament protein and its relative levels and synthesis are specifically increased during nerve growth factor (NGF)-promoted neuronal differentiation. The present study examines the phosphorylation of peripherin and the regulation thereof by nerve growth factor and other agents in cultured PC12 cells. Immunoblotting experiments using a peripherin-specific antiserum show five distinct isoforms of this protein in whole cell and cytoskeletal extracts resolved by two-dimensional isoelectric focusing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three of these isoforms incorporate detectable quantities of [32P]phosphate during metabolic radiolabeling. The small proportion (approximately 6%) of total cellular peripherin that is extractable with 1% Triton X-100, does not appear to incorporate phosphate. NGF increases peripherin phosphorylation by 2-3-fold within 1-2 h of treatment. Epidermal growth factor and insulin have no effect. The relative levels of phosphorylated peripherin are markedly elevated (17-fold) by long term NGF exposure, and peripherin becomes a major cytoskeletal phosphoprotein. Activators of protein kinases A and C and treatment with depolarizing levels of K+ also enhance peripherin phosphorylation by 2-3-fold, in cultures both with and without prior long term NGF treatment. Evidence is presented that NGF regulates peripherin phosphorylation by a mechanism independent of protein kinases A and C and of depolarization. The large increase in phosphorylated peripherin brought about by NGF treatment suggests that this neuronal filament protein may play a role in the elaboration and maintenance of neurites. The presence of multiple independent pathways that acutely enhance peripherin phosphorylation indicates that this role is subject to modulation by extrinsic signals.
Regions of stability for limit cycles of piecewise linear systems

This paper starts by presenting local stability conditions for limit cycles of piecewise linear systems (PLS), based on analyzing the linear part of Poincare maps. Local stability guarantees the existence of an asymptotically stable neighborhood around the limit cycle. However, tools to characterize such neighborhood do not exist. This work gives conditions in the form of LMIs that guarantee asymptotic stability of PLS in a reasonably large region around a limit cycle, based on recent results on impact maps and surface Lyapunov functions (SuLF). These are exemplified with a biological application: a 4/sup th/-order neural oscillator, also used in many robotics applications like, for example, juggling and locomotion.
QUANTITY AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF LIPID EXTRACTED FROM CELLS OF STREPTOCOCCUS LACTIS

MacLeod, Patricia (University of Connecticut, Storrs), R. G. Jensen, G. W. Gander, and J. Sampugna. Quantity and fatty acid composition of lipid extracted from cells of Streptococcus lactis . J. Bacteriol. 83: 806–810. 1962.—A method for the extraction of lipid from bacterial cells is described. Lysozyme-treated cells of Streptococcus lactis yielded 5% of their dry weight as lipid, whereas cells not treated with lysozyme yielded only 3% lipid. More than two-thirds of the bacterial lipid extracted was tentatively classified as phospholipid, based on the elution behavior of this fraction on silicic acid columns when chloroform and methanol were the eluting solvents. The following five major fatty acids were present in all lipid fractions isolated: myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, lactobacillic, and an 18-carbon acid possessing one double bond, which may actually be oleic acid or a mixture of oleic and one or more of its isomers. These acids comprised more than 85% of the acids found, as indicated by gas-liquid chromatography of their methyl esters. Since lactobacillic acid accounted for about 20% of the fatty acids extracted from cells of S. lactis , this organism may prove to be a ready source of this comparatively rare acid.
Structural and immunological characterization of a biosurfactant produced by Bacillus licheniformis JF-2.

Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 produces a very active biosurfactant under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. We purified the surface-active compound to homogeneity by reverse-phase C18 high-performance liquid chromatography and showed that it is a lipopeptide with a molecular weight of 1,035. Amino acid analysis, fast atom mass and infrared spectroscopy, and, finally, 1H, 13C, and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance demonstrated that the biosurfactant consists of a heterogeneous C15 fatty acid tail linked to a peptide moiety very similar to that of surfactin, a lipopeptide produced by Bacillus subtilis. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against surfactin and shown to exhibit identical reactivity towards purified JF-2 lipopeptide in competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, thus providing further evidence for the structural similarity of these two compounds. Under optimal conditions, the B. licheniformis JF-2 biosurfactant exhibits a critical micelle concentration of 10 mg/liter and reduces the interfacial tension against decane to 6 x 10(-3) dyne/cm, which is one of the lowest interfacial tensions ever reported for a microbial surfactant. Images
Steady State Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Medical Diagnosis

Light can react with tissue in different ways and provide information for identifying the physiological state of tissue or detecting the presence of disease. The light used to probe tissue does so in a non-intrusive manner and typically uses very low levels of light far below the requirements for therapeutic applications. The use of fiber optics simplifies the delivery and collection of this light in a minimally invasive manner. Since tissue response is virtually instantaneous, the results are obtained in real-time and the use of data processing techniques and multi-variate statistical analysis allows for automated detection and therefore provides an objective estimation of the tissue state. These then form the fundamental basis for the application of optical techniques for the detection of tissue physiology as well as pathology. These distinct advantages have encouraged many researchers to pursue the development of the different optical interactions for biological and medical detection.
Mesh-structured on-chip power/ground: design for minimum inductance and characterization for fast R, L extraction

For high-speed circuits, on-chip inductance can no longer be ignored. This paper deals with inductance in the presence of multilayered meshes used for on-chip power supplies. We have shown ways of designing power/ground (p/g) mesh that reduces inductance. Accurate 3-dimensional inductance extraction problem is intractable for large chips. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using flexible-accuracy empirical formulae for fast determination of inductance. We have reported results obtained from a real chip.
RTC: language support for real-time concurrency

Language constructs for the expression of timing and concurrency requirements in distributed real-time programs are presented. The approach to concurrent real-time programming is to explicitly express real-time concurrency constraints in a program and allow the run-time system to enforce them. To define these constraints precisely, the authors develop a real-time concurrency model that combines an object-based paradigm for the specification of shared resources, a distributed transaction-based paradigm for the specification of application processes, support for timing constraints, and support for precedence ordering. An implementation of the language constructs with real-time scheduling and locking for concurrency control is also described. >
Vaccination with partial knowledge of external effectiveness

Economists studying public policy have generally assumed that the relevant planner knows how policy affects population behavior. Planners typically do not possess all of this knowledge, so there is reason to consider policy formation with partial knowledge of policy impacts. Here I consider choice of a vaccination policy when a planner has partial knowledge of the effect of vaccination on illness rates. To begin, I pose a planning problem whose objective is to minimize the utilitarian social cost of illness and vaccination. The consequences of candidate vaccination rates depend on the extent to which vaccination prevents illness. I study the planning problem when the planner has partial knowledge of the external-response function, which expresses how the illness rate of unvaccinated persons varies with the vaccination rate. I suppose that the planner observes the illness rate of a study population whose vaccination rate has been chosen previously. He knows that the illness rate of unvaccinated persons weakly decreases as the vaccination rate increases, but he does not know the magnitude of the preventive effect of vaccination. In this setting, I first show how the planner can eliminate dominated vaccination rates and then how he can use the minimax or minimax-regret criterion to choose an undominated vaccination rate.
Courtship, spermatophores and eggs of the Mexican Achoque, Ambystoma (Bathysiredon) dumerili (Dugès)

Detailed reproductive data on this salamander endemic to Lake Patzcuaro, Michoacan, are reported for the first time, and were obtained from a laboratory colony. This species is relatively easy to culture in the laboratory, and it should be useful in experimental zoological studies. The courtship resembles closely that of Ambystoma tigrinum. Four matings resulted in deposition of 9 to 16 spermatophores. The large (10 to 28 mm in diameter) spermatophores are topped by an undetachable cap of seminal fluid (2times3 mm). Females apparently removed some seminal fluid from each of several caps. About one day after courtship each female laid eggs, 290 to 1120 per female per spawning; the total complement per year is probably 300 to 1700 depending on the size of the female. The relatively small (2.0–2.2 mm vitellus) and lightly pigmented eggs were attached to the substrate in long strands, in single file.
An examination of reliability in developmental research.

ABSTRACT.The purpose of this investigation was to examine quantitative methods used to determine reliability in developmental research. Procedures used to compute reliability estimates in 30 studies published in three developmental journals were examined. Four types of reliability studies were ident
Tissue distribution of mammalian aldose reductase and related enzymes.

Abstract Activities of aldose reductase (AR) and related NADPH-dependent enzymes were examined in extracts of human, cat, dog, guinea pig, mouse, monkey, pig, rabbit, rat and sheep lenses and a variety of other tissues. The activity of the tissues against dl -glyceraldehyde, d -glucuronic acid, and 3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (PCA) was determined. High glyceraldehyde:glucuronic acid activity ratios, a characteristic of aldose reductase, were found in all lenses, except from mouse. An analytical thin-layer isoelectric focusing system which separates the mammalian NADPH-dependent enzymes was developed. AR appears to be present as two or more isozymes in all mammalian lenses studied with the exception of mouse. Other tissues contain one or more isozymes which have the same isoelectric point and substrate specificity as the AR present in the lens of that species. This AR activity, however, may represent only a small proportion of the total NADPH reducing activity present. AR and HDH isozymes reduce the aromatic substrate, PCA, and thus have the general characteristics of an aldehyde reductase.
Design and synthesis of an antigenic mimic of the Ebola glycoprotein

An antigenic mimic of the Ebola glycoprotein was synthesized and tested for its ability to be recognized by an anti-Ebola glycoprotein antibody. Epitope-mapping procedures yielded a suitable epitope that, when presented on the surface of a nanoparticle, forms a structure that is recognized by an antibody specific for the native protein. This mimic-antibody interaction has been quantitated through ELISA and QCM-based methods and yielded an affinity (Kd = 12 × 10−6 M) within two orders of magnitude of the reported affinity of the native Ebola glycoprotein for the same antibody. These results suggest that the rational design approach described herein is a suitable method for the further development of protein-based antigenic mimics with potential applications in vaccine development and sensor technology.
Molecular simulations of the competitive adsorption of siloxanes and water on amorphous silica surfaces as a function of temperature

Abstract Molecular simulations of individual and competitive adsorption of water and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) on an amorphous silica surface in the temperature range 300–1500 K show that the presence of PDMS does not appear to change the adsorption behavior of water significantly but that the presence of water has a substantial effect on the adsorption behavior of PDMS at temperatures below approximately 600 K. Water adsorbs adjacent to and penetrates into the silica surface while PDMS adsorbs adjacent to the water layer. Finally, the vapor pressure is enhanced at low temperatures because of the formation of nanoclusters on the surface as a consequence of the Gibbs–Thomson effect.
THE ANTIGENIC POTENCY OF EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA VIRUS FOLLOWING INACTIVATION BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION

A study of the antigenic potency of influenza virus inactivated by ultraviolet radiation has been made. Virus so inactivated is still capable of functioning as an immunizing agent when given to mice by the intraperitoneal route. In high concentrations inactivated virus appears to be nearly as effective as active virus but when quantitative comparisons of the immunity induced by different dilutions are made, it is seen that a hundredfold loss in immunizing capacity occurs during inactivation. Virus in suspensions prepared from the lungs of infected mice is inactivated more rapidly than virus in tissue culture medium. A standard for the comparison of vaccines of epidemic influenza virus is proposed.
Penetration and mass loss rates with different energy levels in the human meniscus for the holmium:YAG laser

Abstract Only PENETRATIONAND MASS LOSS RATES WITHDIFFERENT ENERGY LEVELS IN THE HUMANMENISCUS FOR THE HOLMIUM: YAG LASER C. Thomas Vangsness, Jr. , M.D. Bahram Ghaderi Marshall Brustein, M.D. Vahid SadettmaneshJoan Hawver ABSTRACT Using a pulsed Holmium:YAG laser, wavelength 2. lum, the ablation rate and thermal effect were measured on human meniscal cartilage. Holding the pulsewidth and repetition rate constant, fluences per pulse were varied between 167-927 J/cm2/pulse for the penetration rateand between 1 .7-100 J/cm2/pulse for the mass loss rate. The fastest ablation rate was found at927 J/cm2/pulse for the penetration rate and at 100J/cm2/pulse for the mass loss rate/ Thethresholds were 53 J/cm2/pulse and 1.36 J/cm2/pulse, respectively. The increases in ablation rate were directly proportional to increases in fluences for both methods. Histological examination showed the average lateral thermal change to be 400-SOOum and 400-460um,respectively, with no relation to level of fluence.Clinical Implications: At these laser parameters the higher levels of fluence per pulse showed