cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knockout Mice Challenge our Concepts of Glucose Homeostasis and the Pathogenesis of Diabetes

A central component of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome is insulin resistance. Insulin exerts a multifaceted and highly integrated series of actions via its intracellular signaling systems. Generation of mice carrying null mutations of the genes encoding proteins in the insulin signaling pathway provides a unique approach to determining the role of individual proteins in the molecular mechanism of insulin action and the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and diabetes. The role of the four major insulin receptor substrates (IRS1-4) in insulin and IGF-1 signaling have been examined by creating mice with targeted gene knockouts. Each produces a unique phenotype, indicating the complementary role of these signaling components. Combined heterozygous defects often produce synergistic or epistatic effects, although the final severity of the phenotype depends on the genetic background of the mice. Conditional knockouts of the insulin receptor have also been created using the Cre-lox system. These tissue specific knockouts have provide unique insights into the control of glucose homeostasis and the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, and have led to development of new hypotheses about the nature of the insulin action and development of diabetes.
Editorial comment training stress: A need for more research

(1990). Editorial comment training stress: A need for more research. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-4.
Capturing, analyzing, and representing requirements for large-scale command, control, and intelligence (C/sup 2/I) information systems using electronic multimedia

A method is presented for capturing, analyzing and representing functional requirements that is focused toward the production of a specification which is more user accessible, through use of electronic multimedia documentation. This documentation style is capable of showing users representation of requirements and requirements data that is more representative of their real-world problem space than traditional requirements specifications. Using these techniques, multimedia exhibits, notably the results of throwaway rapid prototyping activities and animated simulation, can be incorporated into an electronic multimedia requirements specification. Multimedia requirements exhibits are added by way of hypermedia links, which stakeholders may easily access to obtain clarification or assistance regarding a particular system requirement. This paper is an extension of the author's research demonstrating that the representation methodology, which was used to construct a multimedia specification, was effective in increasing the perceived understandability of the specification over that obtained from the text specification alone for subjects typical of the population of Army C/sup 2/I field users.
Molecular Determination of Mycobacterium leprae Viability by Use of Real-Time PCR

Mycobacterium leprae, the etiological agent of leprosy, is noncultivable on axenic media. Therefore, the viability of M. leprae for clinical or experimental applications is often unknown. To provide new tools for M. leprae viability determination, two quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assays were developed and characterized. M. leprae sodA mRNA and 16S rRNA were used as RNA targets, and M. leprae repetitive element (RLEP) DNA was used to determine relative bacterial numbers in the same purified bacterial preparations or from crude biological specimens. Results demonstrated that both assays were good predictors of M. leprae viability during short-term experiments (48 h) involving rifampin (rifampicin) treatment in axenic medium, within rifampin-treated murine macrophages (MΦ), or within immune-activated MΦ. Moreover, these results strongly correlated those of other M. leprae viability assays, including radiorespirometry-based and Live/Dead BacLight viability assays. The 16S rRNA/RLEP assay consistently identified the presence of M. leprae in eight multibacillary leprosy patient biopsy specimens prior to multidrug therapy (MDT) and demonstrated a decline in viability during the course of MDT. In contrast, the sodA/RLEP assay was able to detect the presence of M. leprae in only 25% of pretreatment biopsy specimens. In conclusion, new tools for M. leprae viability determination were developed. The 16S rRNA/RLEP RT-PCR M. leprae viability assay should be useful both for short-term experimental purposes and for predicting M. leprae viability in biopsy specimens to monitor treatment efficacy, whereas the sodA/RLEP RT-PCR M. leprae viability assay should be limited to short-term experimental research purposes.
Surveillance renal transplant biopsies and subclinical rejection at three months post-transplant in pediatric recipients.

UNLABELLED Subclinical acute rejection (SCR) has been increasingly recognized in adult renal transplant recipients with the advent of surveillance biopsies. However, in children, surveillance biopsies are not routinely performed at most centers. Therefore, the incidence, predisposing factors, treatment, and clinical outcomes of SCR remain unclear in children. From August 2004 to December 2005, we performed 36 protocol biopsies at three months post-transplantation. All patients had received induction therapy with basiliximab and were maintained on prednisone, MMF, and tacrolimus. Sixteen cases of SCR were detected by biopsy (44%). Age, gender, race, donor source, or serum creatinine did not discriminate between children with SCR and those with normal biopsies. All cases of SCR were treated with high doses of methylprednisolone. At one yr post-transplant, renal function was similar in children with SCR to those with normal surveillance biopsies (p = 0.62). Because of the high incidence of SCR, the maintenance dose of MMF was increased by 50% in 20 children transplanted after December 2005. This resulted in a significant decline in the incidence of SCR from 44 to 15% (p < 0.05). However, the incidence of polyomavirus (BK) viremia also increased significantly in these children (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION A high incidence of SCR was found on surveillance biopsies at three months post-transplant and could not be predicted by age, gender, race, donor source, or serum creatinine. The occurrence of SCR declined significantly by increasing the dose of MMF, but resulted in an increase in BK viremia. We conclude that surveillance biopsies provide valuable information in the management of pediatric renal transplant recipients. Increasing immunosuppression to avoid SCR should be weighed against the risk for infection.
Subacute Infection with Temperature-Sensitive Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Mutant G41 in the Central Nervous System of Mice. II. Immunofluorescent, Morphologic, and Immunologic Studies

Inoculation of three- to four-week-old BALB/c mice with temperature-sensitive (ts) vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) mutant G41 produced a subacute neurological disease mainly localized in the spinal cord. Meningitis and diffuse microglial infiltration of the anterior horns of the spinal cord were seen starting six days after infection when neuronal degenerative changes could be seen. Infection of neurons was demonstrated by immunofluorescence microscopy five days after infection. Two to three weeks after infection, loosening of the neuropil was evident due to neuronal dropout, and the mononuclear infiltration had become perivascularly distributed and had changed in character because of a striking increase in plasma cells. These cells together with Russell bodies became the main inflammatory cellular component about four to five weeks after viral inoculation. Starting eight days after infection, several foci of primary demyelination could be found in the anterior columns of the spinal cord. Immunological responses appeared within four days after infection when both neutralizing antibody and stimulation of specific spleen lymphocytes could be demonstrated. Serum antibody responses peaked at 21-28 days but remained elevated for up to 153 days. Stimulation of spleen lymphocyte cells peaked at 10-21 days and also remained elevated for as long as 116 days. The presence of both inflammatory changes and immunological responses to VSV mutant ts-G41 for prolonged periods is characteristic of persistent viral infections. Infection of BALB/c mice with ts-G41 thus represents the first in vivo example of persistent viral infection utilizing ts mutants of VSV.
New Agents for Treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis

this disease. This approach has left unanswered major questions regarding the efficacy of new agents, including lipid formulations of AmB, especially with regard to their use as primary therapy for this often lethal disease. Given this background, it is easy to see that Bowden et al. [5] should be congratulated on the completion of a randomized trial in which a lipid formulation of AmB (amphotericin B colloidal dispersion [ABCD]; Amphotec) was compared with AmB for use as primary therapy for invasive aspergillosis. The primary end point of efficacy in the study was assessed by use of an evaluable patient population who met the following criteria: diagnosis of proved or probable invasive aspergillosis and receipt of therapy for 17 days. In addition, successful responses to therapy were classified as complete response, partial response, or stable disease. By use of these parameters, successful responses occurred in 26 (52%) of 50 patients who received ABCD, 6 mg/kg/day, compared with 27 (51%) of 53 patients who received AmB. In addition, toxicity rates that required study drug discontinuation were similar in the 2 treatment groups (22% for the ABCD group vs. 24% for the AmB group). Of note, less nephrotoxicity was seen with the use of the lipid formulation, although greater infusional toxicities also
Arabidopsis Myosin XI: A Motor Rules the Tracks

Plant cell expansion relies on intracellular trafficking of vesicles and macromolecules, which requires myosin motors and a dynamic actin network. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) myosin XI powers the motility of diverse cellular organelles, including endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, endomembrane vesicles, peroxisomes, and mitochondria. Several recent studies show that there are changes in actin organization and dynamics in myosin xi mutants, indicating that motors influence the molecular tracks they use for transport. However, the mechanism by which actin organization and dynamics are regulated by myosin XI awaits further detailed investigation. Here, using high spatiotemporal imaging of living cells, we quantitatively assessed the architecture and dynamic behavior of cortical actin arrays in a mutant with three Myosin XI (XI-1, XI-2, and XI-K) genes knocked out (xi3KO). In addition to apparent reduction of organ and cell size, the mutant showed less dense and more bundled actin filament arrays in epidermal cells. Furthermore, the overall actin dynamicity was significantly inhibited in the xi3KO mutant. Because cytoskeletal remodeling is contributed mainly by filament assembly/disassembly and translocation/buckling, we also examined the dynamic behavior of individual actin filaments. We found that the xi3KO mutant had significantly decreased actin turnover, with a 2-fold reduction in filament severing frequency. Moreover, quantitative analysis of filament shape change over time revealed that myosin XI generates the force for buckling and straightening of both single actin filaments and actin bundles. Thus, our data provide genetic evidence that three Arabidopsis class XI myosins contribute to actin remodeling by stimulating turnover and generating the force for filament shape change.
The computed tomography appearance of recurrent and chronic appendicitis

The objective of this study was to determine computed tomography (CT) appearance of recurrent and chronic appendicitis. In 100 consecutive appendiceal CT examinations of proven appendicitis, 18 patients met criteria for recurrent (multiple discrete episodes) or chronic (continuous symptoms >3 weeks, pathological findings) appendicitis. CT findings were reviewed. Ten patients had recurrent appendicitis, 3 had chronic appendicitis, 3 had both, and 2 had pathological chronic appendicitis. CT findings in 18 recurrent/chronic cases were identical to 82 acute appendicitis cases, including pericecal stranding (both 100%), dilated (>6 mm) appendix (88.9% versus 93.9%), apical thickening (66.7% versus 69.5%), adenopathy (66.7% versus 61.0%), appendolith(s) (50% versus 42.7%), arrowhead (27.8% versus 22.0%), abscess (11.1% versus 11.0%), phlegmon (11.1% versus 6.1%), and fluid (5.6% versus 19.5%). CT findings in recurrent and chronic appendicitis are the same as those in acute appendicitis. Appendiceal CT can be beneficial for evaluating patients with suspected recurrent or chronic appendicitis.
A role for the yeast SWI/SNF complex in DNA replication.

The yeast SWI/SNF complex is required for expression of many genes and for the full functioning of several transcriptional activators. Genetic and biochemical studies indicate that SWI/SNF uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to antagonize chromatin-mediated transcriptional repression. We have tested the possibility that SWI/SNF might also play a role in DNA replication. A mitotic minichromosome stability assay was used to investigate the replication efficiency of a variety of autonomous replication sequences (ARSs) in the presence and absence of SWI/SNF. The stability of minichromosomes that contain ARS1, ARS309 or ARS307 is not altered by lack of SWI/SNF, whereas the functioning of ARS121 is crippled when SWI/SNF is inactivated. The SWI/SNF dependence of ARS121 does not require the replication enhancer factor, ABF1, and thus, it appears to be a property of a minimal ARS121 origin. Likewise, a minimal derivative of ARS1 that lacks the ABF1 replication enhancer acquires SWI/SNF dependence. Replacing the ABF1 binding site at ARS1 with a binding site for the LexA‐GAL4 chimeric activator also creates a SWI/SNF-dependent ARS. Our studies suggest that the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex can play a role in both replication and transcription and, furthermore, that SWI/SNF dependence of ARS elements is a property of both an ARS-specific replication enhancer and the overall organization of ARS sequence elements.
Developing a General Outcome Measure of Growth in Movement for Infants and Toddlers

Proficiency in movement, an important outcome in early childhood, is necessary for physical, cognitive, and social—emotional development. The development of an experimental measure for assessing growth in movement in children ages birth to 3 years is described. Based on general outcome measurement (GOM) procedures (e.g., Deno, 1997), the measure was intended for the identification of children having difficulty acquiring movement skills and the evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions for these children. Results from its use with a sample of 29 infants and toddlers demonstrated the feasibility of the measure. The 6-minute GOM was found to be reliable in terms of interobserver agreement and odd—even and alternate forms indices. Adequate criterion validity was demonstrated through use of a standardized measure of motor abilities and caregiver ratings of children's movement skills. The GOM was sensitive to changes in key skill elements and growth in total movement rate with age. This Movement GOM hold...
Time, transients and elasticity

How does life history affects the short-term elasticities of population growth rate? We decompose short-term elasticity as a sum of (i) the effect of the perturbation in rates on the unperturbed population structure and (ii) the effect of the original vital rates on the difference in structure between the original and the perturbed population. We provide exact analytical formulas for these components. In a population at its stable stage distribution (SSD), short-term elasticity is determined mainly by the SSD and reproductive value. In a non-stable population, short-term elasticity depends also on the projection of initial structure on the SSD, equal to population momentum. Non-stable stage structures matter most to elasticity if stages are missing that take time to fill in. We show how the demographic damping rate of the original population determines the rate at which short-term elasticity converges to its limiting values.
Pneumococcal Type 22F Polysaccharide Absorption Improves the Specificity of a Pneumococcal-Polysaccharide Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

The specificity of the immune response to the 23-valent pneumococcal-polysaccharide (PS) vaccine in healthy adults and to a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in infants was examined by measuring immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the opsonophagocytosis assay. ELISA measures total antipneumococcal IgG titers including the titers of functional and nonfunctional antibodies, while the opsonophagocytosis assay measures only functional-antibody titers. Twenty-four pairs of pre- and post-pneumococcal vaccination sera from adults were evaluated (ELISA) for levels of IgG antibodies against serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F. Twelve of the pairs were also examined (opsonophagocytosis assay) for their functional activities. The correlation coefficients between assay results for most types ranged from 0.75 to 0.90, but the correlation coefficient was only about 0.6 for serotypes 4 and 19F. The specificities of these antibodies were further examined by the use of competitive ELISA inhibition. A number of heterologous polysaccharides (types 11A, 12F, 15B, 22F, and 33A) were used as inhibitors. Most of the sera tested showed cross-reacting antibodies, in addition to those removed by pneumococcal C PS absorption. Our data suggest the presence of a common epitope that is found on most pneumococcal PS but that is not absorbed by purified C PS. Use of a heterologous pneumococcal PS (22F) to adsorb the antibodies to the common epitope increased the correlation between the IgG ELISA results and the opsonophagocytosis assay results. The correlation coefficient improve from 0.66 to 0.92 for type 4 and from 0.63 to 0.80 for type 19F. These common-epitope antibodies were largely absent in infants at 7 months of age, suggesting the carbohydrate nature of the epitope.
Thermonuclear-flash models for X-ray burst sources

Theoretical models for X-ray burst sources that invoke thermonuclear flashes in the surface layers of an accreting neutron star are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the studies by Joss (1978) and Joss and Li (1979) on the evolution of the helium-burning shell. Numerical calculations with regard to the mass accretion rate, core temperature of the neutron star and the sensitivity of the flash properties to the assumed mass and radius of the neutron star are considered. Attention is also given to the behavior of the surface luminosity following a thermonuclear flash, the decline from maximum X-ray luminosity, structure of the surface layers prior to and during the first helium-burning flash and the temporal evolution of the first X-ray burst.
Increased Sensitivity to Local Anesthetic Drugs Bedside to Bench

See related article, pages 396–404 This issue of Circulation Research contains the surprising report of a middle-aged African American with Brugada syndrome associated with 2 widely separated missense mutations in the Na channel gene and with dramatically increased lidocaine sensitivity.1 Following a seizure in the emergency room, the patient developed an episode of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia terminated by electric shock. After IV lidocaine was started, the patient quickly developed the ECG characteristics of Brugada phenomenon. Although local anesthetics (LAs) with slow off rates typically induce such ECG changes, this has not been reported for lidocaine. After identifying the 2 mutations in the Na channel α subunit gene of this individual, Barajas-Martinez et al1 exposed the mutated channel to lidocaine and found markedly increased sensitivity to block. The finding of 2 unrelated mutations in the same Na channel gene is unusual. Ackerman et al2 reported that 1 of these mutations, L1308F, is a rare polymorphism (seen once in 319) in an African-American population but not in white, Asian, or Hispanic populations. Barajas-Martinez et al1 indicated that they have seen this polymorphism in 1% of their white population. No previous studies of lidocaine sensitivity have been reported for this polymorphism, but it now seems possible that individuals with the L1308F polymorphism are at risk of local anesthetic toxicity. This question deserves follow-up. Why should we care much about rare syndromes such as Brugada when they are a mere drop in the bucket of total cardiac arrhythmic death? They are a window into mechanisms of lethal arrhythmia and their study can lead to preventive or corrective therapy. Although these monogenetic diseases are rare, the conditions can be reproduced in the laboratory, an invaluable tool that is very difficult to achieve with multifactorial diseases such as regional ischemia. Indeed, …
OMAR: Utilizing Multiuser Diversity in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

One of the most promising approaches to improving communication efficiency in wireless communication systems is the use of multiuser diversity. Although it has been widely investigated and shown feasible and efficient in cellular networks, there is little work for the ad hoc networks, especially in real protocol and algorithm design. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme, namely, the opportunistic medium access and auto rate (OMAR), to efficiently utilize the shared medium in IEEE 802.11-based ad hoc networks by taking advantage of diversity, distributed scheduling, and adaptivity. In an ad hoc network, especially in a heterogeneous ad hoc network or a mesh network, some nodes may need to communicate with multiple one-hop nodes. We allow such a node with a certain number of links to function as a clusterhead to locally coordinate multiuser communications. We introduce a CDF-based (cumulative distribution function) K-ary opportunistic splitting algorithm and a distributed stochastic scheduling algorithm to resolve intra and intercluster collisions, respectively. Fairness is formulated and solved in terms of social optimality within and across clusters. Analytical and simulation results show that our scheme can significantly improve communication efficiency while providing social fairness
Contribution of ATP to oxidative stress-induced changes in action potential of isolated cardiac myocytes

The role of ATP in oxidative stress-mediated changes in the cardiac action potential was investigated in isolated adult rat cardiac myocytes. Superfusion with H2O2 led to a decrease in the energy charge and depletion of nonprotein thiols and elicited hypercontracture of the myocytes. Treatment with 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), an inhibitor of protein ribosylation, increased the lifetime of H2O2-exposed myocytes and attenuated depletion of ATP and nonprotein thiols. H2O2-mediated DNA strand breaks were increased in the presence of 3-AB. On exposure to H2O2, myocytes patch clamped with 1 mM ATP in the pipette initially displayed prolonged action potential durations (APD), which were later markedly abbreviated and accompanied by the activation of ATP-sensitive K+ currents (I(K,ATP)). The late decrease in APD was inhibited by glibenclamide (which inhibits I(K,ATP)), but the initial prolongation of the action potential was exacerbated. Treatment with 3-AB or recordings with 10 mM ATP in the patch pipette caused an initial delay in the expression of H2O2-induced changes, but later caused a more pronounced and sustained increase in APD. These interventions delayed the activation of I(K,ATP). Thus enhanced ribosylation (presumably due to activation of DNA repair) appears to be a significant source of ATP depletion under oxidative stress that, via activation of I(K,ATP), mediates oxidative modifications in the action potential.
The Determinants of Inflation in Post-War Britain

The paper examines what determined inflation in Britain in the post-WWII era. Several determinants are on hand as regards the inflation, depending on the examined period. For instance, wages and budget deficits are accentuated as main determinants in the 1950's and 1960's. However, growing inflation in the 1970's made Ms. Thatcher engage in severe antiinflation policy which reduced the inflation in the 1980's. Inflation targeting regime imposed in the 1990's contributed towards achieved macro-stability and maintained it until today.
Global transcriptional response of Dickeya dadantii to environmental stimuli relevant to the plant infection

Dickeya species are soft rot disease-causing bacterial plant pathogens and an emerging agricultural threat in Europe. Environmental modulation of gene expression is critical for Dickeya dadantii pathogenesis. While the bacterium uses various environmental cues to distinguish between its habitats, an intricate transcriptional control system coordinating the expression of virulence genes ensures efficient infection. Understanding of this behaviour requires a detailed knowledge of expression patterns under a wide range of environmental conditions, which is currently lacking. To obtain a comprehensive picture of this adaptive response, we devised a strategy to examine the D. dadantii transcriptome in a series of 32 infection-relevant conditions encountered in the hosts. We propose a temporal map of the bacterial response to various stress conditions and show that D. dadantii elicits complex genetic behaviour combining common stress-response genes with distinct sets of genes specifically induced under each particular stress. Comparison of our dataset with an in planta expression profile reveals the combined impact of stress factors and enables us to predict the major stress confronting D. dadantii at a particular stage of infection. We provide a comprehensive catalog of D. dadantii genomic responses to environmentally relevant stimuli, thus facilitating future studies of this important plant pathogen.
Evaluation of performance metrics for histopathological image classifier optimization

Clinical decision support systems use image processing and machine learning methods to objectively predict cancer in histopathological images. Integral to the development of machine learning classifiers is the ability to generalize from training data to unseen future data. A classification model's ability to accurately predict class label for new unseen data is measured by performance metrics, which also informs the classifier model selection process. Based on our research, commonly used metrics in literature (such as accuracy, ROC curve) do not accurately reflect the trained model's robustness. To the best of our knowledge, no research has been conducted to quantitatively compare performance metrics in the context of cancer prediction in histopathological images. In this paper, we evaluate various performance metrics and show that the Lift metric has the highest correlation between internal and external validation sets of a nested cross validation pipeline (R(2) = 0.57). Thus, we demonstrate that the Lift metric best generalizes classifier performance among the 23 metrics that were evaluated. Using the lift metric, we develop a classifier with a misclassification rate of 0.25 (4-class classifier) for data that the model was not trained on (external validation).
The Female and Host of Triozocera mexicana (Strepsiptera: Mengeidae)

Triozocera mexicana Pierce was found to be parasitic on Pangaeus bilincatus (Say) (Hemiptera: Cydnidae). First descriptions and illustrations of adult female T. mexicana are given, along with new distribution records.
Text Entry Via Palm™ Handheld in an Immersive Virtual Environment

There is a need for text entry capability in immersive virtual reality environments such as the CAVE®. Existing text entry devices distract users from the immersive experience at best, and remove them from it at worst. An implementation of a text entry method using a handheld personal digital assistant (PDA) to communicate with a CAVE® application is described. To reduce the complexity of navigating with one device and entering text with another, several navigation methods using a Palm™ handheld have been devised. Their merits are discussed. One of these, a point-and-stroke navigation method, is simple, effective, and well suited to any application using a handheld computer for navigation inside a mappable environment.
Simulation of Diffusion in FCC NiFe Binary Alloys Using Kinetic Monte Carlo Method

The use of the atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo method was explored to examine the vacancy-mediated diffusion in fcc NiFe binary alloy. Relevant energetic and kinetic parameters were calculated from density functional theory, and these were used to parametrize a pair interaction model for determination of environment-dependent diffusion barriers. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations were performed to compute the tracer diffusivities as functions of composition and temperature. Calculations for pure Ni and for Ni with dilute amount of Fe yielded results that compare well with experiments. With increasing amount of Fe, the model predicts a slight reduction in the diffusivity of Fe. This trend was examined on the basis of the neighbor pair interactions between atoms.
An analytical and experimental investigation of the natural frequencies and mode shapes of buckled beams

The linear modes of vibration of buckled beams are investigated analytically and experimentally. An exact solution is obtained for the linear modes and associated frequencies of initially buckled beams with fixed-fixed, fixed-hinged, and hinged-hinged boundary conditions. The analytical solution is validated experimentally for the fixed-fixed case. The analytically obtained natural frequencies are in excellent agreement with those obtained experimentally. These exact linear modes provide a basis from which to study the nonlinear vibrations of buckled beams.
Tomographic Full Waveform Inversion: Practical and Computationally Feasible Approach

Tomographic Full waveform inversion (TFWI) provides a framework to invert the seismic data that is immune to cycleskipping problems. This is achieved by extending the wave equation and adding an offset axis to the velocity model. However, this extension makes the propagation considerably more expensive because each multiplication by velocity becomes a convolution. We provide an alternative formulation which computes the backscattering and the forward scattering components of the gradient separately. To maintain high resolution results of TFWI, the two components of the gradient are first mixed and then separated based on a Fourier domain scale separation. This formulation is based on the born approximation where the medium parameters are broken into a long wavelength and short wavelength components. This approximation has an underlying assumption that the data contain primaries only without multiples. After deriving the equations, we test the theory with synthetic examples. The results of the Marmousi model show that convergence is possible even with large errors in the initial model that would have prevented convergence to conventional FWI.
Seizing Control: From Current Treatments to Optogenetic Interventions in Epilepsy

The unpredictability and severity of seizures contribute to the debilitating nature of epilepsy. These factors also render the condition particularly challenging to treat, as an ideal treatment would need to detect and halt the pathological bursts of hyperactivity without disrupting normal brain activity. Optogenetic techniques offer promising tools to study and perhaps eventually treat this episodic disorder by controlling specific brain circuits in epileptic animals with great temporal precision. Here, we briefly review the current treatment options for patients with epilepsy. We then describe the many ways optogenetics has allowed us to untangle the microcircuits involved in seizure activity, and how it has, in some cases, changed our perception of previous theories of seizure generation. Control of seizures with light is no longer a dream, and has been achieved in numerous different animal models of epilepsy. Beyond its application as a seizure suppressor, we highlight another facet of optogenetics in...
THE MECHANICAL ANALYSIS ON PREVENTING MILLED SLEEVE FROM STICKING IN REPAERING WELL

The well repairing by drawing casing and changing is a new technology for restoring a well of casing failure and is very effective.During the well repairing,the diameter of the milled sleeve is large and the clearance is small,so that the sticking of the milled sleeve becomes very serious.It often increases the repairing period and repairing cost. In this paper, the theoretical model of preventing milled sleeve from sticking is established by a mechanical analysis. It takes account of both pressure difference and sticking effect on the milled sleeve. On the basis of the model, the longest time for the milled sleeve stopped in the well is calculated, so that it can be prevented from sticking. The main factors of sticking milled sleeve are analyzed.
Comparing genomic selection and marker-assisted selection for Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Genomic selection (GS) and marker-assisted selection (MAS) rely on marker–trait associations and are both routinely used for breeding purposes. Although similar, these two approaches differ in their applications and how markers are used to estimate breeding values. In this study, GS and MAS were compared in their ability to predict six traits associated with resistance to a destructive wheat disease, Fusarium head blight (FHB). A panel consisting in 273 soft red winter wheat lines from the US Midwestern and Eastern regions was used in this study. The statistical models for MAS were built using Fhb-1, the best-studied quantitative trait loci (QTL) for FHB resistance, and two sets of QTL: one independently identified by other groups and a newer set identified “in house”. In contrast, genomic selection models relied on 19,992 SNPs distributed throughout the genome. For the MAS and GS models, marker effects were estimated with ordinary least square and ridge regression best unbiased linear prediction, respectively. Intermediate to high values of prediction accuracy (0.4–0.9) were observed for most GS models, with lower values (<0.3) found for MAS models. Treating QTL as fixed effects in GS models resulted in higher prediction accuracy when compared with a GS model with only random effects, but overestimated accuracies were obtained with in house QTL. For the same selection intensity, GS resulted in higher selection differentials than MAS for all traits. Our results indicate that GS is a more appropriate strategy than MAS for FHB resistance.
Analysing individual recession events: sensitivity of parameter determination to the calculation procedure

ABSTRACTThis study assesses the sensitivity to model fitting methods and segment selection of the estimated parameters A and B of the model dQ/dt = −AQB for individual events. We investigated about 750 recession events observed at 25 US Geological Survey gauges in the Iowa and Cedar river basins in the United States, with drainage areas ranging from 7 to 17 000 km2. The parameters of these recession events were estimated using three commonly adopted methods and recession segments with different extraction criteria. The results showed that the variations of the parameter estimates for the same recession event were comparable to the variations of parameters between different events due to using different model fitting methods and recession segments. This raises cautions for comparative analysis of individual recessions. The result also implies that the nonlinear direct fitting method is the most robust among the three model fitting methods compared.EDITOR Z.W. Kundzewicz ASSOCIATE EDITOR T. Okruszko
Understanding eating interventions through an evolutionary lens

Health psychologists aim to improve eating behaviour to achieve health. Yet the effectiveness of healthy eating interventions is often minimal. This ineffectiveness may be in part because many healthy eating interventions are in a battle against evolved mechanisms (e.g., hedonic and related systems) that promote the consumption of energy-dense foods. Such foods, once rare, are now abundant in our obesogenic society, and consequently the evolved desire for energy-dense foods can now easily lead to the overconsumption of sugary, processed, and unhealthy foods. However, humans have other evolved mechanisms that also impact eating behaviour. In this article, therefore, we review eating interventions through an evolutionary lens, and describe evolved mechanisms that are relevant to eating behaviour. We discuss how using this lens could help health psychologists design more effective eating interventions and policies. By learning to work with human nature, eating interventions can more effectively promote healthier eating and healthier lives.
Trauma care in a multiethnic population: effects of being undocumented

Abstract Background Epidemiologic studies have shown that undocumented immigrants (UIs) display characteristics of having a low socioeconomic status and are primarily of ethnic minorities. These social determinants of health are known to be associated with diminished health care access and poor clinical outcomes. We therefore investigated the impact of documentation status on the clinical outcomes of patients with traumatic injuries. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective review of the trauma registry at our safety net institution for all adult patients who were admitted from 2010 to 2014. UIs were identified by the absence of a valid social security number within their medical records. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the impact of documentation status on in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and the odds of rehab placement. Results 4924 trauma patients met the study criteria, of which 1050 (21.3%) were UIs. There was no significant difference in mortality rates between the two populations. Multivariate regression analyses revealed a longer average LOS and a decreased likelihood for placement in an in-patient rehabilitation facility following hospitalization for UIs, even after accounting for insurance, age, injury severity, and other possible confounders known to affect these outcomes. Conclusions There was no association between in-hospital mortality and documentation status; however, UIs had a longer average LOS and were less likely to be placed into rehab following their hospitalization. A longer LOS and a decreased likelihood for rehabilitation placement suggest that disparities in trauma care exist for UIs, putting them at risk for worse clinical and functional outcomes.
Unilateral facial nerve palsy as an early presenting symptom of relapse in a paediatric patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Idiopathic unilateral facial nerve paralysis (Bell palsy) rarely occurs as a presenting symptom of childhood leukaemia, and published reports of Bell palsy as a symptom of leukaemic relapse are even fewer.1–3 These images show the MRI findings in this case of peripheral facial nerve palsy as an early presenting symptom of central nervous system (CNS) relapse. This patient was diagnosed at 12 years of age with T-cell acute lymphoblastic …
The Human Side of Disaster

The book represents a need to address gaps in knowledge of human reactions in a time of disaster. With the creation of homeland security and many new emergency management programs the author adopte...
Land surface albedo bias in climate models and its association with tropical rainfall

The influence of surface albedo on tropical precipitation is widely appreciated, but albedo bias over snow-free areas in climate models has been studied little. Here, historical CMIP5 simulations are shown to exhibit large multi-model mean bias and intermodel variability in boreal summer mean surface broadband shortwave albedo. Intermodel variability in this albedo is globally coherent over vegetated regions, and correlates with intermodel tropical precipitation variability. Evidence supports the hypothesis that these spatially coherent albedo variations cause precipitation variations. Specifically, the spatial structure of albedo and precipitation variations are distinct, suggesting the latter do not cause the former by darkening soil. Furthermore, simulated interannual albedo variance is small compared to intermodel albedo variance, while the ratio of interannual to intermodel precipitation variance is much larger. Finally, imposing the dominant pattern of intermodel albedo variability in one climate model causes a precipitation change with structure similar to that of the intermodel variability.
Adaptive Thermal Management for 3D ICs with Stacked DRAM Caches

We describe an adaptive thermal management system for 3D-ICs with stacked DRAM cache memories. We present a detailed analysis of the impact of 3D-IC hotspot aggregation on the refresh behavior of the stacked DRAM-based L3 cache. We also present the consequence of the refresh variation on the overall system performance and cache energy consumption. Our analysis demonstrates that memory intensive applications are influenced more strongly by the DRAM refresh variation. We show that there is an optimal operating point where, with a reduced clock frequency, processor cores would actually recover any performance loss induced by DRAM refresh and at the same time the cache energy consumption could be optimized. We propose a low overhead run-time method that can identify the best CPU frequency modulation factor to cool the system to minimize accelerated refresh rates in the DRAM caches. Our system can provide a customizable trade-off between performance of the processor and energy savings of the memory.
Rescuing Memristor-based Neuromorphic Design with High Defects

Memristor-based synaptic network has been widely investigated and applied to neuromorphic computing systems for the fast computation and low design cost. As memristors continue to mature and achieve higher density, bit failures within crossbar arrays can become a critical issue. These can degrade the computation accuracy significantly. In this work, we propose a defect rescuing design to restore the computation accuracy. In our proposed design, significant weights in a specified network are first identified and retraining and remapping algorithms are described. For a two layer neural network with 92.64% classification accuracy on MNIST digit recognition, our evaluation based on real device testing shows that our design can recover almost its full performance when 20% random defects are present.
Laws, talk, and human rights: The impact of treaty ratification, UN criticism, and democratic change on torture

ABSTRACTTreaty ratification and human rights criticism, along with democratic change, are key underpinnings of international human rights in practice. Using a treaty-specific human rights indicator in a dynamic panel data framework, I estimate how states' human rights behavior changes in response to ratification of the Convention against Torture (CAT) and criticism launched through United Nations (UN) procedures from 1985 to 2005, and whether response differs by a government's democratic status. Prior CAT ratifiers generally respond more positively to country-specific UN human rights criticism than do nonratifiers. When criticized, the difference between ratifiers and nonratifiers is greater with higher democratic governance ratings; however, ratification combined with criticism is likely to stabilize or improve human rights levels even in countries scoring poorly on democratic indicators.
Robust quantum network architectures and topologies for entanglement distribution

Entanglement distribution is a prerequisite for several important quantum information processing and computing tasks, such as quantum teleportation, quantum key distribution, and distributed quantum computing. In this work, we focus on two-dimensional quantum networks based on optical quantum technologies using dual-rail photonic qubits for the building of a fail-safe quantum internet. We lay out a quantum network architecture for entanglement distribution between distant parties using a Bravais lattice topology, with the technological constraint that quantum repeaters equipped with quantum memories are not easily accessible. We provide a robust protocol for simultaneous entanglement distribution between two distant groups of parties on this network. We also discuss a memory-based quantum network architecture that can be implemented on networks with an arbitrary topology. We examine networks with bow-tie lattice and Archimedean lattice topologies and use percolation theory to quantify the robustness of the networks. In particular, we provide figures of merit on the loss parameter of the optical medium that depend only on the topology of the network and quantify the robustness of the network against intermittent photon loss and intermittent failure of nodes. These figures of merit can be used to compare the robustness of different network topologies in order to determine the best topology in a given real-world scenario, which is critical in the realization of the quantum internet.
Dietary and Endogenous Sphingolipid Metabolism in Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in many major metabolic diseases afflicting Western societies. Sphingolipid metabolism is pivotal in the regulation of inflammatory signaling pathways. The regulation of sphingolipid metabolism is in turn influenced by inflammatory pathways. In this review, we provide an overview of sphingolipid metabolism in mammalian cells, including a description of sphingolipid structure, biosynthesis, turnover, and role in inflammatory signaling. Sphingolipid metabolites play distinct and complex roles in inflammatory signaling and will be discussed. We also review studies examining dietary sphingolipids and inflammation, derived from in vitro and rodent models, as well as human clinical trials. Dietary sphingolipids appear to influence inflammation-related chronic diseases through inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption, altering gut microbiota, activation of anti-inflammatory nuclear receptors, and neutralizing responses to inflammatory stimuli. The anti-inflammatory effects observed with consuming dietary sphingolipids are in contrast to the observation that most cellular sphingolipids play roles in augmenting inflammatory signaling. The relationship between dietary sphingolipids and low-grade chronic inflammation in metabolic disorders is complex and appears to depend on sphingolipid structure, digestion, and metabolic state of the organism. Further research is necessary to confirm the reported anti-inflammatory effects of dietary sphingolipids and delineate their impacts on endogenous sphingolipid metabolism.
How to implement a value-based spine program: Perspectives from hospital for special surgery

Abstract Spine disorders are common, cause significant pain and functional limitation, and are costly. Variation in the utilization of services and outcomes of spine care have raised questions among payers about the value of the spine care they are buying. Value for spine care can be achieved through a focus on delivering the highest quality and most appropriate care consistent with patient preferences. A coordinated, multidisciplinary approach is needed to achieve high-value care. Routine measurement of outcomes is needed to prove it.