cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Commentary: three approaches to drug abuse genetics.

Several different lines of evidence now suggest substantial genetic influences on inter-individual differences in vulnerability to drug abuse (Uhl et al. 1994). The three proposed studies described by Comings, by Tsuang and Lyons, and by McGue, Lykken, and Iacono each approach issues relating to genetics of drug abuse vulnerability in ways that are distinctive and interesting. Moreover they appear to represent several of the major perspectives in this emerging and exciting area of human genetics.
Why Kiswahili adopted the words for six, seven and nine

This squib addresses the topic of the numeral system of Kiswahili, in which some numerals are of Bantu origin and others are borrowed from Arabic. The main issue of interest is the following: Why did Kiswahili adopt the Arabic words for 'six', 'seven' and 'nine', when Kiswahili words already existed for these numerals? Little has been written on this topic, other than simple descriptions of the facts. I argue that sita 'six' and saba 'seven' were borrowed to replace the existing Bantu forms because they fit better into the pattern of disyllabic words found in the Kiswahili numbers from 1 to 10. The word for 'eight' was not borrowed because the Bantu word already fit this pattern. I also demonstrate that tisa 'nine' was borrowed into the language later than sita and saba, and probably for different reasons.
Emergency management of spinal cord injuries.

Patients with spinal cord injuries are frequently encountered in the emergency setting. The nurse’s ability to anticipate complications and differentiate shock states can decrease mortality and morbidity. Patients with spinal cord injuries should be treated as trauma patients to ensure comprehensive evaluation.
Predicting Logging Residue Volumes in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest forest managers seek estimates of post-timber-harvest woody residue volumes and biomass that can be related to readily available siteand tree-level attributes. To better predict residue production, researchers investigated variability in residue ratios, growing-stock residue volume per mill-delivered volume, across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. This project presented unique sample design challenges, and the authors adopted model-based sampling to calculate the growing-stock logging residue ratio for the four-state region and produced models that relate the residue ratio to individual treeand stand-level variables meaningful to land managers. The regionwide residue ratio was 0.0269, i.e., 26.9 ft of growing-stock logging residue per 1,000 ft (26.9 m per 1,000 m) of mill-delivered volume. Residue ratios were related to treeand site-level variables with predictive models. Residue ratios were predicted to increase with larger small-end used diameter and decline exponentially with increasing dbh. Ratios were predicted to drop when pulp logs were removed and when timber was mechanically felled. Results from this study could be used to produce or improve residue prediction tools for land managers.
Invisible While in Plain Sight: The World Bank in the New York Times

Despite the key role the World Bank plays in funding and promoting development projects that not only harm developing nations but also maintain their dependence on core nations, core nation corporations, and international development institutions, many people still regard the World Bank as the world9s most important and successful development institution, raising the question of how it is able to legitimate itself so successfully. Researchers have long been interested in explaining how powerful actors legitimize their activities, with one important strand of research highlighting the ways in which powerful organizations use impression management to keep the general public ignorant of actions these organizations undertake that would be deemed inappropriate, immoral, or illegitimate if widely known. We extend the literature on impression management, which tends to highlight powerful organizations’ defensive image maintenance practices and the strategies they use for communicating positive images to key stakeholders, by asking whether significant external parties, such as the news media, play an important role in affirming these organizational images and communicating them to external audiences. In particular, we examine three years’ worth of New York Times articles that highlight or in some way reference the World Bank, and ask whether the images of the World Bank presented by the Times are consistent with either the images of itself that the World Bank presents or the images set forth by the Bank9s critics. We find that the Times highlights images of the World Bank that are highly consistent with the images set forth by the World Bank, while downplaying and ignoring images highlighted by the Bank9s critics. This suggests that, intentionally or not, the New York Times plays an important role in helping the World Bank legitimize itself, in large part by helping the World Bank keep US citizens ignorant of the many negative effects of its development projects.
Predictive method for simultaneous switching output jitter of DDR for FPGA

Memory system level Simultaneous Switching Output (SSO) timing variation analysis requires a significantly large amount of simulation time and computing resource. Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (DDR DRAM) signal integrity analysis requires a complex model that includes numerous data signals, package routing model and Power Delivery Network (PDN) models. Besides, signal analysis and optimization requires multiple simulation iterations. Generally, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) comes in a package matrix where one FPGA device has a few different package types of Input/output (I/O) counts and DDR counts to suit its application. Hence, FPGA needs a long SSO analysis time to cover these package variations. This resulted in a long product cycle time for FPGA. This paper discusses a methodology to build a predictive tool for DDR's SSO noise estimation based on IO mutual inductance (L) coupling and PDN performance calculations of different packages. The test vehicle used was a low cost FPGA with DDR3 600Mbps of x16 DQ in a wirebond package. The correlation between the SSO predictive tool and characterization measurement is also discussed in this paper.
Understanding public sentiment toward I-710 Corridor Project from social media based on Natural Language processing

With many social media platforms like Twitter gaining popularity, extremely large amounts of user-generated content are becoming available online. These contents are closely related to the preferences, attitudes and beliefs of the general public on a particular topic. To provide Caltrans with opinions from Twitter users on the five alternatives of the 710 Corridor Project, we investigate relevant tweets from 2009 to August 3, 2015, analyze how public sentiment evolves over time, and examine the general sentiment for the five alternatives. The results can be used as a reference for the decision-makers to select the most acceptable alternative for the 710 Project in the future.
Directed excision of a transgene from the plant genome

The effectiveness of loxP-Cre directed excision of a transgene was examined using phenotypic and molecular analyses. Two methods of combining the elements of this system, re-transformation and cross pollination, were found to produce different degrees of excision in the resulting plants. Two linked traits, β-glucuronidase (GUS) and a gene encoding sulfonylurea-resistant acetolactate synthase (ALSr), were integrated into the genome of tobacco and Arabidopsis. The ALSr gene, bounded by loxP sites, was used as the selectable marker for transformation. The directed loss of the ALST gene through Cre-mediated excision was demonstrated by the loss of resistance to sulfonylurea herbicides and by Southern blot analysis. The β-glucuronidase gene remained active. The excision efficiency varied in F1 progeny of different lox and Cre parents and was correlated with the Cre parent. Many of the lox × Cre F1 progeny were chimeric and some F2 progeny retained resistance to sulfonylureas. Re-transformation of lox/ALS/lox/GUS tobacco plants with cre led to much higher efficiency of excision. Lines of tobacco transformants carrying the GUS gene but producing only sulfonylurea-sensitive progeny were obtained using both approaches for introducing cre. Similarly, Arabidopsis lines with GUS activity but no sulfonylurea resistance were generated using cross pollinations.
Deep Text: Using Text Analytics to Conquer Information Overload, Get Real Value From Social Media, and Add Big(ger) Text to Big Data

Tom Reamy begins Deep Text, his framework for companies who wish to begin using text analytics, by repeating the common assertion that anywhere from 80 percent to 90 percent of a company's valuable...
Analyzing the relationship between patient care outcomes and patient perceptions of quality

Patients are at risk for preventable adverse events during hospital stays. These events (e.g., medication errors, pressure ulcers, hospital acquired infections, falls) continue at alarming frequenc...
Abstract 365: Targeted Delivery of IGF-1 Following Acute Myocardial Infarction

During acute myocardial infarction (MI) there is excessive necrosis of myocardial cells, leading to the release of large amounts of DNA, representing a potential target for drug delivery. Hoechst, a commonly used molecule for staining nuclei, binds to the minor groove of double-stranded DNA and can be functionalized to contain reactive groups such as free amines, sulfhydryls, and biotin moieties. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a small molecule with a short half-life is protective immediately following MI, though there is potential for long-term toxicity and off-target effects. Therefore, we hypothesized that conjugating IGF-1 to Hoechst would increase targeting of IGF-1 to the injured myocardium. Hoechst-IGF1 (H-IGF1) was synthesized by binding Hoechst-biotin to biotinylated IGF-1 via a fluorescent streptavidin linker. Intact cells did not show nuclear staining with H-IGF1, while permeabilized cells had a significant increase in blue fluorescent Hoechst staining, indicating H-IGF1 was cell impermeable but could still bind DNA. Activity of H-IGF1 was demonstrated by Akt phosphorylation in cultured cardiac progenitor cells and was similar to native IGF-1. To determine in-vivo targeting of H-IGF1 to MI, mice underwent 30 minutes of coronary artery ligation followed by reperfusion (I/R). Six hours following MI, mice were injected intravenously with 70ng of H-IGF1, S-IGF1 (streptavidin bound IGF-1 only) or PBS followed by in vivo imaging at 30 and 120 minutes post-injection. At 30 minutes post-injection, we found 3.2% (2.2 of 70ng) of the injected dose of H-IGF1 in infarcted hearts compared with 1.8% (1.3 of 70ng) of S-IGF1 (n=5-7; p
Convective performance of a dielectric liquid in a channel with Conducting-Lubricating (CO-LUB) walls for liquid cooling of electronics

Abstract With increasing heat densities of electronics such as in servers in electronic and photonic data centers, liquid cooling has gained momentum in recent years. In this effort, forced convective performance of a dielectric liquid (mineral oil) was numerically and experimentally analyzed in a channel with two Conducting-Lubricating (CO-LUB) surface walls. The CO-LUB surfaces are hydrophilic surfaces formed on a solid (here, copper). These hydrophilic surfaces, when saturated with water, will hold a thin, strongly held water layer. A simplified two-dimensional model was developed using ANSYS FLUENT software to simulate single-phase forced convective flow of mineral oil in a channel with two CO-LUB side walls. The key finding of these simulations is that water held in the CO-LUB surface acts as a lubricating layer with high thermal conductivity which aided in both pressure drop reduction and heat transfer coefficient enhancement. Such reduction in pressure drop accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the heat transfer coefficient was rarely reported before. A facile, low-cost, and scalable bulk micro-manufacturing approach was used to prepare the CO-LUB surfaces and forced convection experiments were performed in a channel with these surfaces to verify the key finding of the numerical simulations.
Underdetermined methods for multichannel audio enhancement with partial preservation of background sources

Multichannel audio enhancement and source separation traditionally attempt to isolate a single source and remove all background noise. In listening enhancement applications, however, a portion of the background sources should be retained to preserve the listener's spatial awareness. We describe a time-varying spatial filter designed to apply a different gain to each sound source with minimal distortion of the source spectra and background spatial cues. The filter, inspired by methods from underdetermined source separation, adjusts its parameters at each time-frequency bin to preserve dominant sources. The time-varying filter enjoys greater flexibility than a fixed filter, while partial background preservation improves robustness to noise and errors.
Lattices with Large Dynamic Aperture for ILC Damping Rings

Author(s): Wolski, Andrzej | Abstract: The ILC damping rings will need a large acceptance to ensure good injection efficiency for the high-emittance, high-power beam from the positron source. The damping rings also need to have very low natural emittance for the collider to reach good luminosity. Meeting the simultaneous requirements for large dynamic aperture and low natural emittance presents a challenge for the lattice design. Previous designs have been based on theoretical minimumum emittance cells in the arcs; here, we present two lattice designs using simple FODO cells. The first design is for a 5 GeV ring with 16 km circumference and a layout similar to the TESLA "dogbone" damping ring. The second design is based on the same optics, but the circumference is reduced to 6.3 km by eliminating part of the long straight sections; this results in a small improvement in the dynamic aperture. The shorter ring also operates at the lower energy of 3.74 GeV. A drawback with both designs is that the high dispersion in the arcs leads to a large momentum compaction, which in turn leads to a requirement for a very high RF voltage, and a large value for the synchrotron tune. As well as presenting the designs and an analysis of the dynamic aperture in each lattice, we briefly consider the collective effects and, for the 16 km lattice, discuss the coupling bumps needed to reduce the space-charge tune shift.
Violence against women: law and its limits

Este articulo contempla el poder y los limites de la ley para enfrentar la violencia contra la mujer en los regimenes cuasi-liberal modernizantes tipo BRICS. Mientras los defensores del derecho aprecian el establecimiento de la normatividad y la responsabilidad, las criticas feministas senalan la ley como estructura patriarca y una difusion global malpensado. Para adelantar el debate, abogo que el balance dependiera en algunos elementos claves del sistema legal: su arquitectura, el acceso a la justicia, y la impunidad. El ensayo sigue la influencia de tales barreras a la justicia en una serie de casos relevantes, y al fin sugiere que la respuesta mejor seria la mobilizacion para transformar o superar estos rasgos normativos. Recibido : 25 julio 2016 Aceptado : 30 noviembre 2016 Publicacion en linea : 11 diciembre 2017
Magical Musical Tour: Rock and Pop in Film Soundtracks

Kevin Donnelly’s book is aptly named: as the author explains in his introduction, Magical Musical Tour “aims to provide some analytical snapshots of notable instances and issues” (1) of the dynamic...
Digital Design and Verilog HDL Fundamentals

Comprehensive and self contained, this tutorial covers the design of a plethora of combinational and sequential logic circuits using conventional logic design and Verilog HDL. Number systems and number representations are presented along with various binary codes. Several advanced topics are covered, including functional decomposition and iterative networks. A variety of examples are provided for combinational and sequential logic, computer arithmetic, and advanced topics such as Hamming code error correction. Constructs supported by Verilog are described in detail. All designs are continued to completion. Each chapter includes numerous design issues of varying complexity to be resolved by the reader.
What Can Employee Perceptions of Management Tell Us About the Relation Between Tone at the Top and Audit Production Costs

According to the internal control and auditing literatures, “tone at the top” plays an important role in entities’ internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) and in auditors’ planning and risk assessment decisions. We offer new insights on the relation between tone at the top and audit production costs by measuring tone at the top based on employees’ perceptions of management as independently solicited and gathered by Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW). Consistent with prior research findings that use material weakness disclosures as a proxy for internal control quality, we find that tone at the top is associated with reduced audit production costs. However, we find that the effect of tone at the top continues to be associated with audit production costs even for firms that have no material weakness disclosures, suggesting that auditors observe and rely on tone at the top even where ICFR is deemed to be effective overall. Our new proxy allows us to offer additional new insights. For example, we find that the relation between tone at the top and audit production costs is especially strong when employee perceptions relating to tone are more consistently held throughout the organization. We also find that a positive tone at the top is more positively associated with audit production costs in the presence of indicators of heightened client risk (i.e., higher earnings manipulation risk and complex accounting). Additionally, when we disaggregate our tone at the top measure into two components (employee perceptions of integrity and communication practices), we find that in higher risk settings, integrity is particularly strongly associated with audit production costs.
Decision simulation (DSIM) - one outcome of combining expert systems and decision support systems

Abstract This paper outlines one role for expert systems (ES) in decision support systems (DSS). This combination results in a hybrid system called Decision Support / Decision Simulation (DSIM). Examples are presented.
Runtime data management on non-volatile memory-based heterogeneous memory for task-parallel programs

Non-volatile memory (NVM) provides a scalable solution to replace DRAM as main memory. Because of relatively high latency and low bandwidth of NVM (comparing with DRAM), NVM often pairs with DRAM to build a heterogeneous main memory system (HMS). Deciding data placement on NVM-based HMS is critical to enable future NVM-based HPC. In this paper, we study task-parallel programs, and introduce a runtime system to address the data placement problem on NVM-based HMS. Leveraging semantics and execution mode of task-parallel programs, we efficiently characterize memory access patterns of tasks and reduce data movement overhead. We also introduce a performance model to predict performance for tasks with various data placements on HMS. Evaluating with a set of HPC benchmarks, we show that our runtime system achieves higher performance than a conventional HMS-oblivious runtime (24% improvement on average) and two state-of-the-art HMS-aware solutions (16% and 11% improvement on average, respectively).
Ten Theses on Accountability

The following is an essay, that is to say an attempt, to rethink the debate around accountability. Accountability has been frequently lauded as an essential value of democracy and an idea that is u...
Alcohol septal ablation in patients with concomitant hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and aortic valvular stenosis.

Objective To describe the hemodynamic and early clinical outcomes of percutaneous alcohol septal ablation in patients with concomitant dynamic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and aortic valvular stenosis (AS). Background Alcohol septal ablation is an established method to relieve dynamic LVOT obstruction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of alcohol septal ablation in patients with serial obstructions from HCM and AS remain unclear. Methods In this case series, we describe the early outcomes of alcohol septal ablation in six patients with significant dynamic LVOT obstruction and AS. All patients had evidence of severe dynamic LVOT obstruction (resting or provoked gradient ≥50 mmHg), mild to severe AS, and NYHA class III symptoms or greater. Results Four (66.7%) patients had septal ablation performed in the setting of concomitant native valvular AS and two (33.3%) patients had TAVR performed prior to septal ablation. Successful alcohol septal ablation was performed in all patients and was associated with an immediate reduction of the dynamic LVOT gradient with a residual fixed obstruction related to AS. Four (66.7%) patients had follow-up at 1 month and of these, three (75%) had NYHA Class I-II symptoms and one (25%) Class III. Conclusions Alcohol septal ablation is a feasible method of relieving dynamic LVOT obstruction in patients with concomitant HCM and AS. Further study is required to determine the optimal treatment approach in these patients.
Flow Controlled by Bottom Friction

The foregoing four chapters have all been concerned with the physics of developing or transient coastal currents. In most of the discussion so far, an important part of the problem was the acceleration of the fluid, accompanying the development of the flow, geostrophic adjustment, or wave propagation. As could be seen from the discussion of the observational evidence, transient models account for many important features of circulation in various shallow seas. There are, however, other important phenomena involved in circulation in which the fluid accelerations do not play a significant role. Such steady flow phenomena arise when external forcing comes to be balanced by dissipative processes, primarily bottom friction.
EXPERIMENTAL INTRADERMAL PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTION IN RABBITS

In Supplement No. 2, issued with the August, 1928, number of The Journal of Experimental Medicine , in the caption at the top of page 1, for July read August ; for Vol. xlviii, No. 1 , read Vol. xlviii, No. 2 . The attached slip may be pasted over the present caption.
Prenatal testing in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic testing.

OBJECTIVE Women with pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) with normal pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) are advised to undergo prenatal screening and testing during pregnancy. It is not well known how many follow these recommendations. Our objective was to study prenatal testing decisions made by women with pregnancies conceived through IVF with PGT-A. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of women who received genetic counseling during pregnancies conceived through IVF with normal PGT-A. We excluded those who received genetic counseling preconceptionally prior to IVF. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and after testing for normality by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Chi-square/Fisher's exact test. RESULTS Data from 83 women were included. Of these, 53 (63.9%) had at least one of the following prenatal tests: first trimester combined screening (16.9%), non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) (45.8%), second trimester serum screening (6%), and invasive diagnostic testing (6%). 10.8% had more than one of the above tests and 36.1% declined all tests. CONCLUSION Almost two-thirds of women who were pregnant after IVF with normal PGT-A had prenatal aneuploidy screening or testing. Future prospective studies with larger cohorts are needed to further ascertain decision making in this population.
Transphyseal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Hybrid Transtibial Femoral Drilling and a Quadriceps Tendon Autograft.

Abstract Significant controversy exists regarding the optimal surgical technique for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in adolescents with 1 to 3 years of skeletal growth remaining. Graft choice and physeal injury remain primary concerns given significantly elevated rates of failure of hamstring autograft reconstructions in this population, as well as risks of leg-length discrepancy and growth axis deviation. Traditional (more vertical) transtibial drilling of the femoral tunnel can reduce risks of physeal injury but has been shown to have less accuracy restoring the native femoral ACL footprint and associated incomplete knee stabilization. On the other hand, anteromedial and outside-in drilling yields improvements in the tunnel location and biomechanics but at the cost of a more oblique trajectory and greater risk of physeal injury. A hybrid transtibial pin technique using a Pathfinder guide facilitates femoral drilling with the “best of both worlds,” allowing for reproduction of the native ACL footprint and a more physeal-respecting femoral tunnel. When combined with an all–soft tissue quadriceps tendon autograft and suspensory fixation, the hybrid transtibial method yields a reliable, safe, and robust construct with promising results for the young athlete. We describe our preferred graft harvest, tunnel drilling, and fixation techniques to minimize physeal risks and optimize outcomes.
A large-scale chemical-genetic strategy to design antimicrobial combination chemotherapy for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract The efficacies of all antibiotics against tuberculosis are eventually eroded by resistance. New strategies to discover drugs or drug combinations with higher barriers to resistance are needed. Previously, we reported the application of a large-scale chemical-genetic interaction screening strategy called PROSPECT to the discovery of new Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibitors, which resulted in identification of the small molecule BRD-8000, an inhibitor of a novel target, EfpA. Leveraging the chemical genetic interaction profile of BRD-8000, we identified BRD-9327, another, structurally distinct small molecule EfpA inhibitor. We show that the two compounds are synergistic and display collateral sensitivity because of their distinct modes of action and resistance mechanisms. High-level resistance to one increases the sensitivity to and reduces the emergence of resistance to the other. Thus, the combination of BRD-9327 and BRD-8000 represents a proof-of-concept for the novel strategy of leveraging chemical-genetics in the design of antimicrobial combination chemotherapy in which mutual collateral sensitivity is exploited.
Duration of post-COVID-19 symptoms are associated with sustained SARS-CoV-2 specific immune responses.

A subset of COVID-19 patients exhibit post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), but little is known about the immune signatures associated with these syndromes. We investigated longitudinal peripheral blood samples in 50 individuals with previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 20 who experienced prolonged duration of COVID-19 symptoms (lasting more than 30 days; median = 74 days) compared with 30 who had symptom resolution within 20 days. Individuals with prolonged symptom duration maintained antigen-specific T cell response magnitudes to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in CD4+ and circulating T follicular helper cell populations during late convalescence, while those without persistent symptoms demonstrated an expected decline. The prolonged group also displayed increased IgG avidity to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Significant correlations between symptom duration and both SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and antibodies were observed. Activation and exhaustion markers were evaluated in multiple immune cell types, revealing few phenotypic differences between prolonged and recovered groups, suggesting that prolonged symptom duration is not due to persistent systemic inflammation. These findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses are maintained in patients suffering from prolonged post-COVID-19 symptom duration in contrast to those with resolved symptoms and may suggest the persistence of viral antigens as an underlying etiology.
Staying forever curious in a world of ideas

I certainly entered academic life with an underdeveloped and naive view of what was to come. In this essay I have tried to give my younger self 10 nuggets of acquired wisdom for how to live an academic life based on what I have learned since starting graduate school in 1969. If any of these 10 observations makes sense to you, I will consider this exercise to have been a success. Download the PDF and read Dr. Mayer's nuggets of wisdom.
Marketing for Sport Business Success

Since the late 1970s when the term “sport marketing” was coined by a writer at Ad Age, the necessity for sport scientists across disciplines to have a working understanding of the scale and scope o...
A glial ClC Cl- channel mediates nose touch responses in C. elegans.

Summary In touch receptors, glia and accessory cells play a key role in mechanosensation. However, the mechanisms underlying such regulation are poorly understood. We show, for the first time, that the chloride channel CLH-1 is needed in glia of C. elegans nose touch receptors for touch responses and for regulation of excitability. Using in vivo Ca2+ and Cl− imaging, behavioral assays, and combined genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we show that CLH-1 mediates Cl− flux needed for glial GABA inhibition of ASH sensory neuron function and for regulation of cyclic AMP levels in ASH neurons. Finally, we show that the rat ClC-2 channel rescues the clh-1 nose-touch-insensitive phenotype, underscoring conservation of function across species. Our work identifies a glial Cl− channel as a novel regulator of touch sensitivity. We propose that glial CLH-1 regulates the interplay between Ca2+ and cAMP signaling in ASH neurons to control the sensitivity of the worm's nose touch receptors.
Home Practice Breath Awareness

The objective of this home practice is to: 1. Identify situations during which you hold your breath or gasp. 2. Develop the ability to change this behavior. 3. Observe how a change in behavior affects your experience.
Extension of second level adaptation using multiple models to SISO systems

Second level adaptation using multiple models for the adaptive control of linear systems with unknown parameters was introduced in [1], and its robustness properties were discussed in [2]. In both cases, the plant, the identification models, and the reference model were assumed to be described by state equations in companion form, with all state variables accessible.
Formation of the bisulfite anion (HSO3–, m/z 81) upon collision-induced dissociation of anions derived from organic sulfonic acids

In the negative-ion collision-induced dissociation mass spectra of most organic sulfonates, the base peak is observed at m/z 80 for the sulfur trioxide radical anion (SO3–·). In contrast, the product-ion spectra of a few sulfonates, such as cysteic acid, aminomethanesulfonate, and 2-phenylethanesulfonate, show the base peak at m/z 81 for the bisulfite anion (HSO3–). An investigation with an extensive variety of sulfonates revealed that the presence of a hydrogen atom at the β-position relative to the sulfur atom is a prerequisite for the formation of the bisulfite anion. The formation of HSO3– is highly favored when the atom at the β-position is nitrogen, or the leaving neutral species is a highly conjugated molecule such as styrene or acrylic acid. Deuterium-exchange experiments with aminomethanesulfonate demonstrated that the hydrogen for HSO3– formation is transferred from the β-position. The presence of a peak at m/z 80 in the spectrum of 2-sulfoacetic acid, in contrast to a peak at m/z 81 in that of 3-sulfopropanoic acid, corroborated the proposed hydrogen transfer mechanism. For diacidic compounds, such as 4-sulfobutanoic acid and cysteic acid, the m/z 81 ion can be formed by an alternative mechanism, in which the negative charge of the carboxylate moiety attacks the α-carbon relative to the sulfur atom. Experiments conducted with deuterium-exchanged and deuterium-labeled analogs of sulfocarboxylic acids demonstrated that the formation of the bisulfite anion resulted either from a hydrogen transfer from the β-carbon, or from a direct attack by the carboxylate moiety on the α-carbon. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple pathways are involved in radioprotective effects of lithium chloride in the hippocampal neurons

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4383 Cranial irradiation therapy used in the treatment of certain cancers often causes neurocognitive deficiency in adult and childhood cancer survivors. This neurocognitive deficit is in part related to decreased neurogenesis and apoptosis of neuronal cells in subgranular zone of the hippocampus. Lithium treatment has been shown to enhance neurogenesis and to have neuroprotective effects in several experimental and clinical settings. Here, we show that lithium treatment decreases radiation-induced apoptosis in the culture of mouse hippocampal neurons HT-22, but not in the glioma cell lines GL261 and D54. The molecular mechanism of this neuroprotective effect of lithium is mediated through multiple pathways. In the present study we demonstrate that Akt/glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) is one of the pathways. Τreatment of HT-22 cells with 3 mM LiCl for 7 days results in activation of Akt, followed by inhibition of GSK-3β activity and function of its down-stream targets, β-catenin and cyclin D1. These effects are sustained or facilitated when cells are treated with lithium in combination with ionizing radiation. This combined treatment also alters response of the apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bax to ionizing radiation. The Microarray approach reveals additional set of genes in HT-22 cells, which levels of expression are regulated by lithium. From 38,467 mouse genes studied, several dozen show greater than two-fold increase or reduction in expression following LiCl treatment. Several of the Microarray data are confirmed by real-time PCR and immunoblot analyses. For example, levels of mRNA and protein for decorin, which is known to positively regulate neurogenesis and neuronal response to injury, are increased from 2 to 3-fold. These data show that lithium radioprotective effects are mediated through multiple pathways. Detailed studying of the molecular components of these pathways could uncover additional therapeutic targets for enhanced protection of normal neuronal tissue during radiotherapy.
Disordered speech disrupts conversational entrainment: a study of acoustic-prosodic entrainment and communicative success in populations with communication challenges

Conversational entrainment, a pervasive communication phenomenon in which dialogue partners adapt their behaviors to align more closely with one another, is considered essential for successful spoken interaction. While well-established in other disciplines, this phenomenon has received limited attention in the field of speech pathology and the study of communication breakdowns in clinical populations. The current study examined acoustic-prosodic entrainment, as well as a measure of communicative success, in three distinctly different dialogue groups: (i) healthy native vs. healthy native speakers (Control), (ii) healthy native vs. foreign-accented speakers (Accented), and (iii) healthy native vs. dysarthric speakers (Disordered). Dialogue group comparisons revealed significant differences in how the groups entrain on particular acoustic–prosodic features, including pitch, intensity, and jitter. Most notably, the Disordered dialogues were characterized by significantly less acoustic-prosodic entrainment than the Control dialogues. Further, a positive relationship between entrainment indices and communicative success was identified. These results suggest that the study of conversational entrainment in speech pathology will have essential implications for both scientific theory and clinical application in this domain.
Viscoelastic properties of healthy achilles tendon are independent of isometric plantar flexion strength and cross‐sectional area

Changes in tendon viscoelastic properties are observed after injuries and during healing as a product of altered composition and structure. Continuous Shear Wave Elastography is a new technique measuring viscoelastic properties of soft tissues using external shear waves. Tendon has not been studied with this technique, therefore, the aims of this study were to establish the range of shear and viscosity moduli in healthy Achilles tendons, determine bilateral differences of these parameters and explore correlations of viscoelasticity to plantar flexion strength and tendon area. Continuous Shear Wave Elastography was performed over the free portion of both Achilles tendons from 29 subjects. Isometric plantar flexion strength and cross sectional area were measured. The average shear and viscous moduli was 83.2kPa and 141.0Pa-s, respectively. No correlations existed between the shear or viscous modulus and area or strength. This indicates that viscoelastic properties can be considered novel, independent biomarkers. The shear and viscosity moduli were bilaterally equivalent (p=0.013,0.017) which allows determining pathologies through side-to-side deviations. The average bilateral coefficient of variation was 7.2% and 9.4% for shear and viscosity modulus, respectively. The viscoelastic properties of the Achilles tendon may provide an unbiased, non-subjective rating system of tendon recovery and optimizing treatment strategies.
Fragmentation of Ceramics in Rapid Expansion Mode

The study of the fragmentation process goes back to more than a century, motivated primarily by problems related to mining and ore handling (Grady and Kipp, 1985). Various theories have been proposed to predict the fragmentation stress and the fragment size and distribution. But the investigations are generally case specific and relate to only a narrow set of fragmentation processes. A number of theoretical studies of dynamic fragmentation in a rapidly expanding body can be found in the literature. For example, the study summarized in (Grady, 1982) presents a model based on a simple energy balance concept between the surface energy released due to fracture and the kinetic energy of the fragments. Subsequent refinements of the energy balance model have been proposed by (Glenn and Chudnovsky, 1986), which take into account the strain energy of the fragments and specify a threshold stress below which no fragmentation occurs. These models assume that the fracture events are instantaneous and occur simultaneously. Evidently, these assumptions are quite restrictive and these models can not take into account the transient nature of the fragmentation process after the onset of fracture in the material. A more recent model proposed by (Miller et al., 1999) however takes into account this time-dependent nature of the fragmentation event and the distribution of flaws of various strengths in the original material.
Propa: a papaya management expert system

Abstract Professor Papaya (Propa) is an expert system that solves disease, nutrition, insect and other problems related to papaya management. A moderator manages the interaction between the user and a panel of experts. During a session, the moderator periodically chooses a lead expert to work with the user. The role of the moderator and the knowledge of each member of the panel of experts are implemented as software routines. Dynamic relevance factors aid in the identification of the lead expert. Blackboards serve as communication devices between the user and panel. Propa can diagnose problems, recommend solutions and display and print articles related to papaya crop management and postharvest handling problems.
NGF and EGF rapidly, activate p21ras in PC12 cells by distinct, convergent pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation

Abstract Activation of p21 ras , demonstrated directly as an increase in p21 ras -associated GTP, was induced rapidly but transiently by both nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in PC12 cells. The factors activate p21 ras equal extents and with virtually identical time courses. Growth factor-induced p21 ras activation and tyrosine phosphorylation have similar time courses and sensitivities to genistein inhibition, indicating that p21 ras activation is a result of tyrosine kinase activity. Furthermore, PC12 mutants lacking the Trk NGF receptor tyrosine kinase also lack NGF-inducible p21 ras activation. The protein kinase inhibitor K252a and the methyltransferase inhibitor MTA abolish NGF-induced, but not EGF-induced, p21 ras -activation-effects correlated with inhibition only of NGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation. In spite of differences in sensitivity to genistein, MTA, and K252a, EGF- and NGF-stimulated p21 ras activation are not additive, implying that they do share at least one step in common.
Application of sequential paired covariance to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data enhancements in both the signal-to-noise ratio and the resolution of analyte peaks in the chromatogram

Abstract The algorithm of sequential paired covariance (SPC) has been previously reported to dramatically enhance the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio for on-line separations combined with mass spectrometry. That initial study focused on a limited number of data sets derived from the combination of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with time-of-flight mass spectrometry using an electrospray interface. Results from the initial study clearly demonstrated that a significant enhancement (almost two orders of magnitude) in the S/N ratio of the eluting peaks in the electropherogram could be obtained, facilitating identification of the analytes. In this report, the algorithm has been applied to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data obtained on a triple quadrupole instrument and we have evaluated the general applicability of the SPC approach to several types of microcolumn separations with mass spectrometric detection, including CE coupled with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. In all the cases we tested, we found the algorithm enhanced the S/N ratios of the resulting chromatograms or electropherograms to a similar extent. This report further demonstrates the SPC approach to enhance the resolution as well as the S/N ratio of the eluting peaks of a complex peptide mixture. While many variations of the algorithm are possible, we have also found higher order covariance (e.g., 3rd order) is useful for eliminating coincidental noise in sequential mass spectra, giving the potential to extract broad, low intensity analyte peaks. We also demonstrate the sequential covariance approach for enhancing the S/N ratio of mass spectra.
Production of loline alkaloids by the grass endophyte, Neotyphodium uncinatum, in defined media.

Lolines (saturated 1-aminopyrrolizidines with an oxygen bridge) are insecticidal alkaloids produced in symbioses of certain Epichloe (anamorph-Neotyphodium) species (fungal endophytes) with grasses, particularly of the genera Lolium and Festuca. Prior to the present study, it was unknown whether lolines were of plant or fungal origin. Neotyphodium uncinatum, the common endophyte of meadow fescue (Lolium pratense=Festuca pratensis) produced loline, N-acetylnorloline, and N-formylloline when grown in the defined minimal media at pH 5.0-7.5, with both organic and inorganic nitrogen sources and sugars as carbon sources. In contrast, lolines were not detected in complex medium cultures. GC-MS and 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses confirmed the identity of the alkaloids isolated from the defined medium cultures. Lolines accumulated to ca. 700 mg/l (4 mM) in cultures with 16.7 mM sucrose and 15-30 mM asparagine, ornithine or urea. Kinetics of loline production and fungal growth were assessed in defined medium with 16.7 mM sucrose and 30 mM ornithine. The alkaloid production rate peaked after the onset of stationary phase, as is common for secondary metabolism in other microbes.
Development and test application of a screening-level mercury fate model and tool for evaluating wildlife exposure risk for surface waters with mercury-contaminated sediments (SERAFM)

Complex chemical cycling of mercury in aquatic ecosystems means that tracing the linkage between anthropogenic and natural loadings of mercury to watersheds and water bodies and associated concentrations in the environment are difficult to establish without the assistance of numerical models that describe biogeochemical controls on mercury distribution and availability to organisms. This paper presents an overview of a process-based, steady-state model developed for state and water quality managers and scientists to assist in ecological risk assessments for mercury in aquatic environments. SERAFM (Spreadsheet-based Ecological Risk Assessment for the Fate of Mercury) incorporates the chemical, physical, and biological processes governing mercury transport and fate in a surface water including atmospheric deposition, watershed transport and transformation, solid transport and cycling within the water body, and water body mercury processes. This modelling framework was designed to assist risk assessors in evaluating wildlife risk at the screening-level for an aquatic ecosystem with mercury-contaminated sediments. An example application of the model that is used to inform a regional risk assessment is presented in this manuscript. In the example provided, hazard quotients for exposed wildlife and humans are calculated by the model for three scenarios: historical case of mercury-contaminated sediments, required clean-up levels to protect the most sensitive species, and background conditions. The spreadsheet structure of SERAFM permits dismantling and reassembling of specific sub-modules, while maintaining transparency to permit flexibility in use and application.
Optimal Design of Solenoid Actuators Driving Butterfly Valves

Smart valves are used in cooling applications and are responsible for regulating and supplying the coolant, which is critical for safe and effective operation of many components on naval and commercial ships. In order to be operated under local power (for various mission-critical reasons) they need to consume as little energy as possible in order to ensure continued operability. This paper focuses on optimized design of a typical system using high fidelity nonlinear dynamic models for all the subsystems with full consideration of stability constraints. A simulated annealing algorithm is applied to explore optimal design using two sets of design variables. The results indicate that substantial amount of energy can be saved by an intelligent design that helps select parameters carefully, but also uses hydrodynamic loads to augment the closing effort. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4024720]
A method for detecting hidden additivity in two-factor unreplicated experiments

Assessment of interaction in unreplicated two-factor experiments is a challenging problem that has received considerable attention in the literature. A model is proposed in which the levels of one factor belong in two or more groups. Within each group the effects of the two factors are additive but the groups may interact with the ungrouped factor. This structure is called ''hidden additivity'' if group membership is latent. To identify plausible groupings a search is performed over the space of all possible configurations, or placement of units into two or more groups. A multiplicity-adjusted all-configurations maximum interaction F (ACMIF) test to detect hidden additivity is developed. The method is illustrated using two data sets taken from the literature and a third taken from a recent study of copy number variation due to lymphoma. A simulation study demonstrates the power of the test for hidden additivity and compares it with other well-known tests from the literature.