cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partial C-fiber ablation modulates diphenylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (MDI)-induced respiratory allergy in Brown Norway rats

Abstract Brown Norway (BN) rats were topically sensitized to polymeric diphenylmethane-diisocyanate (MDI) and challenged with MDI-aerosol approximately every 2 weeks over a time period of 2 months. Half of the sensitized animals were pretreated with capsaicin for partial C-fiber defunctionalization. After the fourth challenge inflammatory and pro-inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and cells and physiological delayed-onset breathing patterns were analyzed. The latter endpoint was examined in the capsaicin pretreated group before and after each challenge. Findings were compared against naive but repeatedly MDI-challenged BN rats. BAL-neutrophils, -protein, and -LDH as well as lung weights were significantly increased in the MDI-sensitized and challenged rats relative to the naive, challenged control rats. With regard to these endpoints, capsaicin pretreatment did not affect the responsiveness to MDI-aerosol. In contrast, pro-inflammatory cytokines, the Th2 cell cytokine IL-4, and the CC-chemokine MCP-1 were significantly increased in BAL-cells of capsaicin pretreated and MDI-sensitized rats, whilst in the normal MDI-sensitized rats markedly less pronounced changes (if any) occurred. In the former group, IL-4 and MCP-1 were also significantly increased in the lung draining lymph nodes. Time-related increased frequencies of delayed-onset responses were observed in MDI-sensitized rats after subsequent MDI-challenges, however, differences between capsaicin pretreated and normal rats were not found. Despite the remarkable differences between normal and capsaicin pre-treated rats in the concentrations of pro-inflammatory and Th1-/Th2-cell specific cytokines, the inflammatory endpoints in BAL as well as the physiological measurements did not identify appreciable differences amongst these groups. This study included an ancillary study addressing the analysis of the modulating effect of capsaicin pre-treatment of naive Wistar rats exposed for single 6 h to MDI-aerosol. The results indicated more pronounced changes on endpoints in the BAL-fluid of capsaicin-pretreated rats as compared to rats with intact C-fibers. This complex picture appears to suggest that C-fibers may modulate the allergic inflammatory response elicited by MDI-challenge. It appears that tachykinergic sensory C-fibers modulate the protective pathways against irritant-related lung inflammation and, similarly, also pro-inflammatory immunological factors modulating allergic inflammation. Although difficult to disentangle unequivocally the mechanisms involved, neuro-immunological factors may be important in triggering and maintaining this complex disease and cytokine/chemokine patterns may not necessarily predict the functional outcome of test.
Separation and identification of smokeless gunpowder additives by capillary electrochromatography

This paper details a method for the separation and identification of fourteen organic compounds commonly found as constituents in commercial smokeless powders using a hexyl acrylate-based porous monolith. Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) coupled to UV and time of flight-mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) methods were both explored. The CEC–UV method provides an effective and efficient method for the detection of all components in the additive package of the powder. The TOF-MS procedure provides better sensitivity and selectivity allowing an additional confirmation of the presence of the subset of those compounds, which are detectable via positive and/or negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Both methods were used for the analysis of smokeless powder components in a mixed standard as well as in the determination of the composition of the additive package of individual powders.
Tris(mercaptoimidazolyl)hydroborato complexes of cobalt and iron, [TmPh]2M (M=Fe, Co): structural comparisons with their tris(pyrazolyl)hydroborato counterparts

Abstract The tris(mercaptophenylimidazolyl)borate iron and cobalt complexes [TmPh]2M (M=Fe, Co) have been synthesized by reaction of [TmPh]Tl with MI2. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction demonstrates that the potentially tridentate [TmPh] ligand binds through only two sulfur donors in these ‘sandwich’ complexes and that the ‘tetrahedral’ metal centers supplement the bonding by interactions with the two B–H groups. Comparison of the structures of [TmPh]2M (M=Fe, Co) with the related tris(pyrazolyl)borate [TpPh]2M counterparts indicates that the tris(mercaptoimidazolyl) ligand favors lower primary coordination numbers in divalent metal complexes. The trivalent complexes, {[TpPh]2Fe}[ClO4] and {[pzBmMe]2Co}I, however, exhibit octahedral coordination, with the ligands binding using their full complement of donor atoms.
Particle-hole stretched states excited in the 26Mg(p,n)26Al reaction at 134 MeV.

Strong excitation of both (\ensuremath{\pi}${d}_{5/2}$,\ensuremath{\nu}${d}_{5/2}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$) ${5}^{+}$, 0 \ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega} and (\ensuremath{\pi}${f}_{7/2}$,\ensuremath{\nu}${d}_{5/2}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$) ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$, 1 \ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega} stretched-state strength is observed in the $^{26}(\mathit{p}$,n${)}^{26}$Al reaction at 134.4 MeV. The T=0, ${5}^{+}$ strength is observed to be predominantly in the ground state which has 56% of the strength predicted by a distorted-wave impulse approximation calculation that assumes the extreme single-particle-hole model. Another 17% of this strength is observed in a ${5}^{+}$ state at 3.4 MeV. The ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ strength is split into three isospin components: 61% of the extreme single-particle-hole model T=0, ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ strength is observed in three states between 6.9 and 11.0 MeV; 58% of the predicted T=1 strength is observed in nine states between 9.3 and 16.5 MeV; 27% of the predicted T=2 strength is observed in a single state at 18.2 MeV. The observed ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$-state excitation energies are in general agreement with the T=0 and 1, ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ states observed in the $^{25}(\mathit{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$,t${)}^{26}$Al reaction and with the analog T=1 and 2, ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ states in $^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ observed in inelastic electron and proton scattering. The total observed ${5}^{+}$ strength and its distribution are in good agreement with distorted-wave impulse approximation calculations that use full S-D shell-model wave functions. The total ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ strength and its distribution are generally indicated by a shell-model calculation that assumes only 2p2h correlations in the $^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ target nucleus and requires one particle in the 1${f}_{7/2}$ orbital for the final ${6}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ states; quantitatively, the calculation predicts less fragmentation than observed.
Protein kinase C activation stabilizes LDL receptor mRNA via the JNK pathway in HepG2 cells

LDL is the most abundant cholesterol transport vehicle in plasma and a major prognostic indicator of atherosclerosis. Hepatic LDL receptors limit circulating LDL levels, since cholesterol internalized by the liver can be excreted. As such, mechanisms regulating LDL receptor expression in liver cells are appealing targets for cholesterol-lowering therapeutic strategies. Activation of HepG2 cells with phorbol esters enhances LDL receptor mRNA levels through transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. Here, we show that 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced stabilization of receptor mRNA requires the activity of protein kinase C and is accompanied by activation of the major mitogen activated protein kinase pathways. Inhibitor studies demonstrated that receptor mRNA stabilization is independent of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase or p38MAPK, but requires activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). An essential role for JNK in stabilizing receptor mRNA was further confirmed through small interfering RNA (siRNA) experiments and by activating JNK through two protein kinase C-independent mechanisms. Finally, prolonged JNK activation increased steady-state levels of receptor mRNA and protein, and significantly enhanced cellular LDL-binding activity. These data suggest that JNK may play an important role in posttranscriptional control of LDL receptor expression, thus constituting a novel mechanism to enhance plasma LDL clearance by liver cells.
Periodic trends and index of boron LEwis acidity.

Lewis acidity is customarily gauged by comparing the relative magnitude of coordinate covalent bonding energies, where the Lewis acid moiety is varied and the Lewis base is kept constant. However, the prediction of Lewis acidity from first principles is sometimes contrary to that suggested by experimental bond energies. Specifically, the order of boron trihalide Lewis acidities predicted from substituent electronegativity arguments is opposite to that inferred by experiment. Contemporary explanations for the divergence between theory, computation, and experiment have led to further consternation. Due to the fundamental importance of understanding the origin of Lewis acidity, we report periodic trends for 21 boron Lewis acids, as well as their coordinate covalent bond strengths with NH3, utilizing ab initio, density functional theory, and natural bond orbital analysis. Coordinate covalent bond dissociation energy has been determined to be an inadequate index of Lewis acid strength. Instead, acidity is meas...
Independent checkpointing and concurrent rollback for recovery in distributed systems-an optimistic approach

A checkpoint algorithm is presented that benefits from the research in concurrency control, commit, and site recovery algorithms in transaction processing. In the authors' approach a number of checkpointing processes, a number of rollback processes, and computations on operational processes can proceed concurrently while tolerating the failure of an arbitrary number of processes. Each process takes checkpoints independently. During recovery after a failure, a process invokes a two-phase rollback algorithm. It collects information about relevant message exchanges in the system in the first phase and uses it in the second phase to determine both the set of processes that must roll back and the set of checkpoints up to which rollback must occur. Concurrent rollbacks are completed in the order of the priorities of the recovering processes. The proposed solution is optimistic in the sense that it does well if failures are infrequent by minimizing overhead during normal processing. >
Merging Constrained Optimisation with Deterministic Annealing to "Solve" Combinatorially Hard Problems

Several parallel analogue algorithms, based upon mean field theory (MFT) approximations to an underlying statistical mechanics formulation, and requiring an externally prescribed annealing schedule, now exist for finding approximate solutions to difficult combinatorial optimisation problems. They have been applied to the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP), as well as to various issues in computational vision and cluster analysis. I show here that any given MFT algorithm can be combined in a natural way with notions from the areas of constrained optimisation and adaptive simulated annealing to yield a single homogenous and efficient parallel relaxation technique, for which an externally prescribed annealing schedule is no longer required. The results of numerical simulations on 50-city and 100-city TSP problems are presented, which show that the ensuing algorithms are typically an order of magnitude faster than the MFT algorithms alone, and which also show, on occasion, superior solutions as well.
The social history of indstrialization: ‘proto-indstry’ and the

This articl attempts to review the discussion of proto-industrialization set in motion by certain convergences of economic history and historical demography in the early 1970s. It focuses on the collaborative work of Peter Kriedte, Hans Medick and Jurgen Schulmbohm (originally published in Germany in 1977 and reissed in English in 1982) and the critical reactions is has produced. Aside from the relevance of this discussion to the analysis of industrialization and its origins in the stricter sense, it has also significantly broadened the agenda of acceptable question to include many of the perspectives pioneered by social historions to include two decades. In this sense the intervention of Kriedte, Medick and Schulmbohm helped convene a number of previously separate and frequently untheorized literatures on ground provided by the proto- industrial concept. This has brought the problem of a social history of industrialization more sharply into focus.
Laryngotracheal reconstruction outcomes in hypotonic children.

Importance Children with poor muscle tone may demonstrate upper airway obstruction due to several mechanisms including obstructive sleep apnea, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and laryngomalacia. Though hypotonia has been shown to compromise the pediatric airway, and some authors suggest that neurologic deficits can compromise the success of laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR), to our knowledge no studies have evaluated the effect of neurologic diagnoses or hypotonia on outcomes in LTR. Objective To determine whether hypotonic children with subglottic stenosis have lower rates of successful decannulation after LTR compared with children without neurologic deficit. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective medical chart review was conducted for 27 children aged 0 to 6 years, who underwent LTR for subglottic stenosis between December 2007 and December 2012 at a tertiary care children’s hospital. Children were classified based on documented neurologic findings. Group 1 comprised those children without neurologic impairment (n = 16). Group 2 included those children with a documented neurocognitive or neuromuscular diagnosis but without evidence of hypotonia (n = 7). Group 3 comprised hypotonic children (n = 4). Interventions Laryngotracheal reconstruction. Main Outcomes and Measures The number of procedures performed after LTR to optimize the airway and whether the child was successfully decannulated. Results All 16 of the neurologically intact patients (100%) were decannulated. Among children with a neurologic deficit, 5 of 7 (71%) were ultimately decannulated. No hypotonic children 0 of 4 were decannulated. The difference in rates of decannulation between unaffected and normotonic children with a neurologic deficit was not statistically significant ( P = .08). However, the difference in outcomes between hypotonic children and neurologically intact patients was statistically significant ( P Conclusions and Relevance Findings from this study suggest that hypotonic children may experience poorer rates of post-LTR decannulation compared with children without neurologic deficit. Dynamic upper airway obstruction may be unappreciated in hypotonic children. Future research may be directed at the appropriate evaluation and treatment of children with poor muscle tone and subglottic stenosis.
LEPTIN: ROLE OF METABOLISM IN THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION

Over the last few years the intricate interaction between immune system and adipose tissue has been recognized. Indeed, it has been suggested that adipose tissue is not only a mere site of lipid and energy storage but can be considered as an "immune-related" organ producing a series of molecules named adipokines. Among these, leptin, an adipocyte-derived cytokine-like hormone, seems to play a pivotal role in the regulation of several neuroendocrine and immune functions. In this review, we describe the effects of leptin in inflammation and immunity, and speculate on the possible modulation of the leptin axis in novel adipopharmacotherapeutic settings. Biomedical Reviews 2006; 17: 53-62.
Query-Aware MCMC

Traditional approaches to probabilistic inference such as loopy belief propagation and Gibbs sampling typically compute marginals for all the unobserved variables in a graphical model. However, in many real-world applications the user's interests are focused on a subset of the variables, specified by a query. In this case it would be wasteful to uniformly sample, say, one million variables when the query concerns only ten. In this paper we propose a query-specific approach to MCMC that accounts for the query variables and their generalized mutual information with neighboring variables in order to achieve higher computational efficiency. Surprisingly there has been almost no previous work on query-aware MCMC. We demonstrate the success of our approach with positive experimental results on a wide range of graphical models.
Atypical presentations and echocardiographic findings in patients with cardiac tamponade occurring early and late after cardiac surgery

Cardiac tamponade, a potentially lethal complication following cardiac surgery, may present either early or late postoperatively and may be difficult to diagnose due to atypical clinical, hemodynamic, or echocardiographic findings. To determine the frequency and clinical features of postoperative cardiac tamponade, we performed a review of 510 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery. The incidence of postoperative cardiac tamponade was 2.0 percent (10/510 patients) and occurred following valvular, bypass, and aortic surgery. Nine of ten patients had either atypical clinical, hemodynamic, and/or echocardiographic findings. The diagnosis of tamponade was made 1 to 30 days (mean = 8.5 days) postoperatively. Presenting symptoms were often mild and nonspecific. Classic signs including hypotension, pulsus paradoxus greater than 12 mm Hg, and elevated jugular venous pressure were present in 7, 6, and 5 patients, respectively. Right heart hemodynamics revealed elevated and equalized diastolic pressures in three of six patients. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed selective compression of the left ventricle (LV) (four patients), right ventricle (RV) (one patient), left atrium (LA)/RV (one patient), LA/LV (one patient), LA/LV/RV (one patient), all four chambers (one patient), and no diastolic collapse of any chamber (one patient). There was often an absence of anterior pericardial fluid (six patients) with tethering of a portion of the RV to the chest wall anteriorly (five patients). Coagulation parameters were "supratherapeutic" in only three of eight patients who were receiving systemic anticoagulants at the time of diagnosis. The initial diagnosis was confused with congestive heart failure in one patient, pulmonary embolism in three patients, acute myocardial infarction in two patients, and sepsis in one patient. Eight of ten patients survived; all of these patients underwent surgical removal of fluid and/or hematoma in the operating room. We conclude that postoperative tamponade after cardiac surgery may have varied clinical and hemodynamic presentations, often due to selective chamber compression by loculated fluid or clot. Due to its frequently atypical features and presentation that may simulate other disorders, the diagnosis of tamponade should be considered whenever hemodynamic deterioration or signs of low output failure occur in the postcardiotomy patient.
Waveband switching in optical networks

The rapid advances in dense wavelength-division multiplexing technology with hundreds of wavelengths per fiber and worldwide fiber deployment have brought about a tremendous increase in the size (i.e., number of ports) of photonic cross-connects, as well as in the cost and difficulty associated with controlling such large cross-connects. Waveband switching (WBS) has attracted attention for its practical importance in reducing the port count, associated control complexity, and cost of photonic cross-connects. We show that WBS is different from traditional wavelength routing, and thus techniques developed for wavelength-routed networks (including, for example, those for traffic grooming) cannot be directly applied to effectively address WBS-related problems. We describe two multigranular OXC architectures for WBS. By using the multilayer MG-OXC in conjunction with intelligent WBS algorithms for both static and dynamic traffic, we show that one can achieve considerable savings in the port count. We also present various WBS schemes and lightpath grouping strategies, and discuss issues related to waveband conversion and failure recovery in WBS networks.
Effectiveness of amitriptyline versus cough suppressants in the treatment of chronic cough resulting from postviral vagal neuropathy

Objective: The objective of this prospective, randomized, controlled study (N = 28) was to evaluate the effectiveness of amitriptyline versus cough suppressants in the treatment of chronic cough resulting from postviral vagal neuropathy. Methods: Patients were selected based on a clinical history consistent with postviral vagal neuropathy and a history of an antecedent upper respiratory tract infection. All patients had been tried on antireflux medication (proton pump inhibitors) and had a negative chest x-ray before presentation. All were nonsmokers without a history of asthma. Patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors were excluded from the study. All patients completed a pretreatment, validated cough-specific quality-of-life (QOL) survey. Patients were randomized by chart numbers to either 10 mg amitriptyline at bedtime or 10 to 100 mg/5 mL, 10 mL codeine/guaifenesin every 6 hours standing dose while awake. Both groups were instructed to complete 10 days of therapy and then asked to subjectively rate the reduction in the frequency and severity of their cough by 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, or 0% as well as completing the posttreatment cough QOL questionnaire. Those patients experiencing a 75% to 100% reduction were recorded as having a complete response, 25% to 50% a partial response, and 0% as having no response. Final results and the cough QOL survey were recorded and used for statistical analysis. Results: A majority of patients in the amitriptyline group achieved a complete response on the initial dose of 10 mg. None of the codeine/guaifenesin group achieved a complete response. The data were analyzed using a logistic regression model, and amitriptyline was found to be a highly significant predictor of a greater than 50% response when compared with codeine/guaifenesin (P = .0007). The same data were analyzed using a proportional odds model and similar results were noted. Conclusions: Chronic cough can have a profound impact on the psychosocial function of patients. The most common causes of a persisting cough in the absence of infection or chronic smoking are laryngopharyngeal reflux, asthma, particularly the cough variant, allergy, rhinosinusitis, bronchitis, and medications, in particular angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Currently, there are few effective treatments for cough with an acceptable therapeutic ratio and more selective drugs with a more favorable side effect profile are needed. This is this first prospective, randomized, controlled study comparing the effectiveness of amitriptyline versus codeine/guaifenesin for select cases of chronic cough resulting from suspected postviral vagal neuropathy.
Genetic Analysis of Olfactory Behavior in Drosophila: A New Screen Yields the Ota Mutants

A simple means of measuring Drosophila olfactory response is described, and the behavior which it measures is characterized. The assay was used to screen for X-linked mutants defective in olfactory function. Six ota mutants were isolated and characterized (ota = olfactory trap abnormal). Four of the mutants were found to be abnormal in another chemosensory behavior as well. Two of the mutant phenotypes extend to include another sensory system: they are defective in visual system physiology. All were normal, however, in a test of giant fiber system physiology. Two of the mutations are dominant, and the recessive mutations define two complementation groups. Mutations representing each complementation group, as well as one of the dominant mutations, were mapped. For the mutants with defective visual system physiology, the visual defects were shown to cosegregate with olfactory phenotypes.
An alternative framework for foreign exchange risk management of sovereign debt

This paper proposes a measure of synchronization in the movements of relevant domestic and foreign fundamentals for choosing suitable currency for denomination of foreign debt. The selection of explanatory variables for exchange rate volatility is motivated using a New Keynesian Policy model. The model predicts that not only traditional optimal currency area variables, but also variables considered by the literature on currency preferences, such as money velocity, should be relevant for explaining exchange rate volatility. The findings show that measures of inflation synchronization, money velocity synchronization, and interest rate synchronization can be useful indicators for decisions on the currency denomination of foreign debt.
A Geophysical Study of Lake Kivu, East Africa

Summary The geomagnetic field over Lake Kivu, an East African rift valley lake, is generally characterized by gentle gradients, and small, isolated anomalies of 50-100 gammas amplitude. Lineated anomalies do not occur except in association with Cenozoic volcanics. In the Northern Basin, which is probably Pliocene in age, the well-bedded sediments average about 300 m in thickness, exceeding 500 m in places. Elsewhere in the lake, the sediment thickness averages only about 100 m. Sonobuoy refraction studies show that the basement underlying the sedimentary column is composed of material having a compressional wave velocity of 5.3–5.4 km s−1, probably representative of sialic plutonic or metamorphic rock. Gravity measurements show that the western branch of the East African rift is approximately the surface trace of a transition in deep structure across Africa. Bouguer gravity anomalies in the immediate vicinity of Lake Kivu show a strong negative correlation with elevation. The Bouguer anomaly versus elevation relationship, however, is rather different from that for the Gregory Rift or from East Africa in general, thus implying differences in structure. The geophysical data in Lake Kivu is consistent with the idea that it is at a stage of volcanic and hydrothermal activity following graben formation. Evidence for sea-floor spreading is not observed, but this tectonic process may be in a nascent stage of development.
From Decision Support to Decision Automation: A 2020 Vision

The authors discuss the long-run future of decision support systems in marketing. They argue that a growing proportion of marketing decisions can not only be supported but may also be automated. From a standpoint of both efficiency (e.g., management productivity) and effectiveness (e.g., resource allocation decisions), such automation is highly desirable. The authors describe how model-based automated decision-making is likely to penetrate various marketing decision-making environments and how such models can incorporate competitive dynamics. For example, the authors foresee that close to full automation can ultimately take place for many decisions about existing products in stable markets. Partial automation could characterize decision making for new products in stable markets and existing products in unstable markets.
Infrasound: Connecting the Solid Earth, Oceans, and Atmosphere

The recently reinvigorated field of infrasonics is poised to provide insight into atmospheric structure and the physics of large atmospheric phenomena, just as seismology has shed considerable light on the workings and structure of Earth’s solid interior. Although a natural tool to monitor the atmosphere and shallow Earth for nuclear explosions, it is becoming increasingly apparent that infrasound also provides another means to monitor a suite of natural hazards. The frequent observation of geophysical sources—such as the unsteady sea surface, volcanoes, and earthquakes—that radiate energy both up into the atmosphere and down into the liquid or solid Earth and transmission of energy across Earth’s boundaries reminds us that Earth is an interconnected system. This review details the rich history of the unheard sound in the atmosphere and the role that infrasonics plays in helping us understand the Earth system.
Orf186 represents a new member of the nudix hydrolases, active on adenosine(5)triphospho(5)adenosine, ADP-ribose, and NADH

orf186, a new member of the Nudix hydrolase family of genes, has been cloned and expressed, and the protein has been purified and identified as an enzyme highly specific for compounds of ADP. Its three major substrates are adenosine(5')triphospho(5')adenosine, ADP-ribose, and NADH, all implicated in a variety of cellular regulatory processes, supporting the notion that the function of the Nudix hydrolases is to monitor the concentrations of reactive nucleoside diphosphate derivatives and to help modulate their accumulation during cellular metabolism.
Automatic performance modeling of multithreaded programs

Multithreaded programs express a complex non-linear dependency between their configuration and the performance. To better understand this dependency performance prediction models are used. However, building performance models manually is time-consuming and error-prone. We present a novel methodology for automatically building performance models of industrial multithreaded programs.
Pharmacologic management of pattern hair loss.

Pattern hair loss has gained an increasingly prominent place in the awareness of the medical community as new surgical and medical treatments have been developed. Many terms have been used to describe pattern hair loss in men and women. Although androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is an appropriate term for use in men, in whom sufficient data exist to identify the combined elements of androgens and genetic susceptibility to produce predictable patterns of hair loss [1,2], this term should no longer be used for women [3], in whom other pathways are likely to predominate. The nomenclature continues to evolve, and in this article the terms male pattern hair loss (MPHL) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL) will be used to represent the respective patterns of hair loss that occur in each sex that are not related to other causes of hair loss. Hair loss is a cause of great distress for men and women, producing significant psychosocial discomfort [4], and balding men are looked upon more negativelythannonbaldingmen[5,6].Camachofound that 55% of patients who had FPHL displayed depression, whereas in men who had MPHL 78% had anxiety and 22% demonstrated aggressiveness or hostility [7]. Notably, treatment produced improvement in 89% of womenand 76% of men [7]. Pattern hair loss is now also recognized in the adolescent population [8]. Advances in the understanding of pattern hair loss on a pathophysiologic level have permitted the development of novel and effective pharmacologic remedies, and advances in surgical hair restoration techniques have brought this disorder and its treatment into the forefront of public attention. Despite the availability of effective treatment options, individuals who have hair loss continue to spend billions of dollars on unproven and often worthless remedies. It is important for practitioners of diverse specialties to understand the causes and treatments of hair loss and subsequently educate the affected population regarding how to best decide on an appropriate treatment plan. Although similar in some respects, FPHL and MPHL differ sufficiently to warrant unique approaches to diagnosis and management [9].
cDNA cloning and immunological characterization of the rye grass allergen Lol p I.

Abstract The complete amino acid sequence of two "isoallergenic" forms of Lol p I, the major rye grass (Lolium perenne) pollen allergen, was deduced from cDNA sequence analysis. cDNA clones isolated from a Lolium perenne pollen library contained an open reading frame coding for a 240-amino acid protein. Comparison of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence of two of these clones revealed four changes at the amino acid level and numerous nucleotide differences. Both clones contained one possible asparagine-linked glycosylation site. Northern blot analysis shows one RNA species of 1.2 kilobases. Based on the complete amino acid sequence of Lol p I, overlapping peptides covering the entire molecule were synthesized. Utilizing these peptides we have identified a determinant within the Lol p I molecule that is recognized by human leukocyte antigen class II-restricted T cells obtained from persons allergic to rye grass pollen.
Phosphorylation of the GABAa/Benzodiazepine Receptor α Subunit by a Receptor-Associated Protein Kinase

Partially purified preparations of GABAa/benzodiazepine receptor from rat brain were found to contain high levels of a protein kinase activity that phosphorylated a small number of proteins in the receptor preparations, including a 50-kilodalton (kD) phosphoprotein that comigrated on two-dimensional electrophoresis with purified, immunolabeled, and photolabeled receptor alpha subunit. Further evidence that the comigrating 50-kD phosphoprotein was, in fact, the receptor alpha subunit was obtained by peptide mapping analysis: the 50-kD phosphoprotein yielded one-dimensional peptide maps identical to those obtained from iodinated, purified alpha subunit. Phosphoamino acid analysis revealed that the receptor alpha subunit is phosphorylated on serine residues by the protein kinase activity present in receptor preparations. Preliminary characterization of the receptor-associated protein kinase activity suggested that it may be a second messenger-independent protein kinase. Protein kinase activity was unaltered by cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, calcium plus calmodulin, calcium plus phosphatidylserine, and various inhibitors of these protein kinases. Examination of the substrate specificity of the receptor-associated protein kinase indicated that the enzyme preferred basic proteins as substrates. Endogenous phosphorylation experiments indicated that the receptor alpha subunit may also be phosphorylated in crude membranes by a protein kinase activity present in those membranes. As with phosphorylation of the receptor in purified preparations, its phosphorylation in crude membranes also appeared to be unaffected by activators and inhibitors of second messenger-dependent protein kinases. These findings raise the possibility that the phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of the GABAa/benzodiazepine receptor by a receptor-associated protein kinase plays a role in modulating the physiological activity of the receptor in vivo.
Numerical schemes for option pricing in regime-switching jump diffusion models

In this paper, we present algorithms to solve a complex system of partial integro-differential equations (PIDE's) of parabolic type. The system is motivated by applications in finance where the solution of the system gives the price of European options in a regime-switching jump diffusion model. The new algorithms are based on theoretical analysis in Florescu et al. (2012) where the proof of convergence of the algorithms is carried out. The problems are also solved using a more traditional approach, where the integral terms (but not the derivative terms) are treated explicitly. Another contribution of this work details a novel type of jump distribution. Empirical evidence suggests that this type of distribution may be more appropriate to model jumps as it makes them more clearly distinguishable from the signal variability.
Human Performance Evaluations Of Digital Image Quality

This paper reports some of the findings of a research program aimed at investigating the effects of digital image quality upon human performance. Two image quality dimensions, blur and noise, along with three display systems were studied by employing two human performance tasks. The results, in conjunction with the evaluation of enhancement/restoration techniques provide useful information for digital imaging system and subsystem designers.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Existence of solutions for the network/load equations in power systems

Virtually all power-system analysis algorithms require the solution of a network/load model. During a numerical simulation of medium and long term dynamic events, this model is solved at every timestep. In all cases it is important that there exists a solution to the model. In this paper we study the quasistatic network/load models for use in steady-state and dynamic power-system analyses and present a set of sufficient conditions which ensures that the network/load model is solvable for voltages and currents.
The Decay of Resonance Radiation by Spontaneous Emission

A critical examination of the theory of resonance radiation has been carried through, employing the mathematical technique of Laplace and Stieltjes transforms. Particular attention has been devoted to the question of the temporal behavior of the excited state. With no restrictions on the interaction between atom and radiation field other than that it be real, and that processes of sufficiently high frequency contribute only negligible effects, one can prove that the probability amplitude of the excited state cannot decay according to the general law ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\mu},\ensuremath{\nu}}{C}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}{t}^{{\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\beta}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}t},$ where the ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ are complex constants lying in the right half-plane and the ${C}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ are arbitrary complex coefficients. The deviation from the law just cited can be termed a straggling phenomenon since exact analysis shows that the probability amplitude, for sufficiently long times, is greater than that defined according to the radioactive decay law.Rigorous analysis of the source of this apparently anomalous behavior reveals the following explanation. Although the probability amplitude of the excited state is, strictly speaking, a functional of the interaction between the transition current in the atom and the photon states of the electromagnetic field, the essential features are determined principally by those states lying near the resonance frequency. Three elementary observations are immediately apparent. First, a particularly tractable analytical approximation for the interaction can be made such that the value of the actual interaction is reproduced at the resonance frequency and such that the behavior for high and low frequency photon states is at least qualitatively correct. Exact solutions in closed form can be obtained for this interaction. Second, in terms of the preceding representation it is possible to show that, associated with the transition between two atomic states, one is presented with a concomitant picture of a damped oscillation of charge describable in purely classical terms. Third, this classical motion can be interpreted as forming a source function for a continuous stochastic process in terms of which one finally derives the representation of the probability amplitude of the excited state. The straggling phenomenon previously cited is therefore that associated with all diffusion processes. The consideration of the exact interaction leads to more involved diffusion phenomena but does not in any case permit a radioactive decay law.
On the convergence and accuracy of the cardiovascular intrinsic frequency method

In this paper, we analyse the convergence, accuracy and stability of the intrinsic frequency (IF) method. The IF method is a descendant of the sparse time frequency representation methods. These methods are designed for analysing nonlinear and non-stationary signals. Specifically, the IF method is created to address the cardiovascular system that by nature is a nonlinear and non-stationary dynamical system. The IF method is capable of handling specific nonlinear and non-stationary signals with less mathematical regularity. In previous works, we showed the clinical importance of the IF method. There, we showed that the IF method can be used to evaluate cardiovascular performance. In this article, we will present further details of the mathematical background of the IF method by discussing the convergence and the accuracy of the method with and without noise. It will be shown that the waveform fit extracted from the signal is accurate even in the presence of noise.
View-dependent adaptive cloth simulation

This paper describes a method for view-dependent cloth simulation using dynamically adaptive mesh refinement and coarsening. Given a prescribed camera motion, the method adjusts the criteria controlling refinement to account for visibility and apparent size in the camera's view. Objectionable dynamic artifacts are avoided by anticipative refinement and smoothed coarsening. This approach preserves the appearance of detailed cloth throughout the animation while avoiding the wasted effort of simulating details that would not be discernible to the viewer. The computational savings realized by this method increase as scene complexity grows, producing a 2× speed-up for a single character and more than 4× for a small group.
Laparoscopic management for prenatally diagnosed choledochal cysts.

Purpose The aim of this study was to validate our laparoscopic management strategy for asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with prenatally diagnosed choledochal cysts (CCs).
Oxygen Atom Transfer to a Half-Sandwich Iridium Complex: Clean Oxidation Yielding a Molecular Product

The oxidation of [Ir(Cp*)(phpy)(NCArF)][B(ArF)4] (1; Cp* = η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, phpy = 2-phenylene-κC1′-pyridine-κN, NCArF = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzonitrile, B(ArF)4 = tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate) with the oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reagent 2-tert-butylsulfonyliodosobenzene (sPhIO) yielded a single, molecular product at −40 °C. New Ir(Cp*) complexes with bidentate ligands derived by oxidation of phpy were synthesized to model possible products resulting from oxygen atom insertion into the iridium–carbon and/or iridium–nitrogen bonds of phpy. These new ligands were either cleaved from iridium by water or formed unreactive, phenoxide-bridged iridium dimers. The reactivity of these molecules suggested possible decomposition pathways of Ir(Cp*)-based water oxidation catalysts with bidentate ligands that are susceptible to oxidation. Monitoring the [Ir(Cp*)(phpy)(NCArF)]+ oxidation reaction by low-temperature NMR techniques revealed that the reaction involved two separate OAT...
Short-term affective recovery from hip fracture prospectively predicts depression and physical functioning.

OBJECTIVE The goals of the current study were to determine the average affective experiences in the weeks and months after a hip fracture and assess how these experiences relate to physical and mental health functioning over time. METHOD Positive and negative affect were assessed over time in a sample of older adults recruited after surgery for hip fracture (n = 500) and a comparison sample of older adults without hip fracture (n = 102) for 1 year longitudinally. RESULTS For most of the individuals with a hip fracture, positive affect tended to increase over time and negative affect tended to decrease over time, suggesting that most people had at least some recovery of affect. In addition, individuals who showed a slower decrease in negative affect had higher levels of depression 1 year later, and individuals who showed a sharper increase in positive affect had superior physical function 1 year later. CONCLUSION The current study provides evidence that both positive and negative affect in the first 12 weeks of recovery from hip fracture are potential targets for intervention to maximize psychological and physical recovery in the ensuing year.
Homogenization of Laminated Materials

I have already shown at Lemma 4.1 a one-dimensional homogenization result observed with Francois MURAT around 1970, but we also noticed afterward a natural generalization (a little academic too), which is a step towards the N-dimensional case of laminated material, i.e., where the coefficients only depend upon x1, or more generally upon (x, e) for a unit vector e Є ℭ ℕ.
Dissonance, Divergence, and Democracy

In our previous collection of critical essays, Un-American Acts, we explored the notion of identity—identity as it situates the young as students and citizens in U.S. schooling and society. From the beginning our project was looked at from the lens of invisibility and cloaking (or masking). We felt that in order to best entertain an authentic investigation and respect new perspectives on identity and invisibility, masks and cloaks, we as editors and contributors had to approach the project organically.
APOEε4 impacts up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor after a six-month stretch and aerobic exercise intervention in mild cognitively impaired elderly African Americans: A pilot study.

Possession of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene e4 allele is the most prevalent genetic risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent evidence suggests that APOE genotype differentially affects the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Notably, aerobic exercise-induced upregulation of BDNF is well documented; and exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function. As BDNF is known for its role in neuroplasticity and survival, its upregulation is a proposed mechanism for the neuroprotective effects of physical exercise. In this pilot study designed to analyze exercise-induced BDNF upregulation in an understudied population, we examined the effects of APOEe4 (e4) carrier status on changes in BDNF expression after a standardized exercise program. African Americans, age 55years and older, diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment participated in a six-month, supervised program of either stretch (control treatment) or aerobic (experimental treatment) exercise. An exercise-induced increase in VO2Max was detected only in male participants. BDNF levels in serum were measured using ELISA. Age, screening MMSE scores and baseline measures of BMI, VO2Max, and BDNF did not differ between e4 carriers and non-e4 carriers. A significant association between e4 status and serum BDNF levels was detected. Non-e4 carriers showed a significant increase in BDNF levels at the 6month time point while e4 carriers did not. We believe we have identified a relationship between the e4 allele and BDNF response to physiologic adaptation which likely impacts the extent of neuroprotective benefit gained from engagement in physical exercise. Replication of our results with inclusion of diverse racial cohorts, and a no-exercise control group will be necessary to determine the scope of this association in the general population.
Volume rendering dark matter simulations using cell projection and order-independent transparency

Dark matter simulations, performed using N-body methods with a finite set of tracer particles to discretize the initially uniform distribution of mass, are an invaluable method for exploring the formation of the universe. Definining a tetrahedral mesh in phase space-with the tracer particles at initialization serving as vertices-yields a more accurate density field. At later timesteps, the mesh self-intersects to an enormous degree, making pre-sorting impossible. Kaehler et al [2012] visualize the mesh using cell projection, but their method requires order-independent compositing, which limits its flexibility. Our work renders the mesh using state of the art order-independent transparency (OIT) techniques to composite fragments in correct depth order. This also allows us to render variables other than density, such as velocity. We implement a number of OIT optimizations to handle the high depth complexity (on the order of 107 depth layers for 2x109 particles) of the data. Our performance measurements show near-interactive framerates for our hybrid renderer despite the large number of depth layers.
Thriving Latino Males in Selective Predominantly White Institutions.

Researchers focus disproportionately on the underperformance of Latino males in higher education. In response to this research gap, this study explores how Latino males conceptualized and embodied ...