cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Disease: new mechanisms of antiarrhythmic actions

The underlying electrophysiological mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias remain unclear. Consequently, therapy is difficult, and for the worst arrhythmias is frequently ineffective. This review looks at the accumulating evidence for various emerging mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias, with focus on selected ionic currents, stretch-activated phenomena and connexins. Cardiac arrhythmias are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many developed countries. Despite intensive investigation, the cellular mechanisms for most cardiac arrhythmias have not been clearly established. As a consequence, drug therapy for most forms of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias remains largely empirical and ineffective, leading to the increased use of nonpharmacologic treatments. Clearly, new approaches to the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias are needed. Here we review the current experimental basis for several promising antiarrhythmic strategies, with a focus on those targeted against atrial and ventricular fibrillation. Although none of these strategies is yet ready for clinical application, they provide a basis for cautious optimism that effective pharmacologic therapy for fatal cardiac rhythm disturbances could be forthcoming.
African-American Men with Gleason Score 3+3=6 Prostate Cancer Produce Less Prostate Specific Antigen than Caucasian Men: A Potential Impact on Active Surveillance

Purpose: We assess the difference in prostate specific antigen production between African-American and Caucasian men with Gleason score 3+3=6 prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We measured tumor volume in 414 consecutive radical prostatectomies from men with National Comprehensive Cancer Network® low risk prostate cancer (348 Caucasian, 66 African-American) who had Gleason score 3+3=6 disease at radical prostatectomy. We then compared clinical presentation, pathological findings, prostate specific antigen, prostate specific antigen density and prostate specific antigen mass (an absolute amount of prostate specific antigen in patient’s circulation) between African-American and Caucasian men. The t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum were used for comparison of means.Results: African-American and Caucasian men had similar clinical findings based on age, body mass index and prostate specific antigen. There were no statistically significant differences between the dominant tumor nodule volume and total tumor volum...
Vulnerable Blood in High Risk Vascular Patients: Study Design and Methods

Abstract Background Basic research suggests that rapid increases in circulating inflammatory and hemostatic blood markers may trigger or indicate impending plaque rupture and coronary thrombosis, resulting in acute ischemic heart disease (IHD) events. However, these associations are not established in humans. Methods and results The Biomarker Risk Assessment in Vulnerable Outpatients (BRAVO) Study will determine whether levels of inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers rapidly increase during the weeks prior to an acute IHD event in people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). The BRAVO Study will determine whether biomarker levels measured immediately prior to an IHD event are higher than levels not preceding an IHD event; whether participants who experience an IHD event (cases) have higher biomarker levels immediately prior to the event and higher biomarker levels at each time point leading up to the IHD event than participants without an IHD event (controls); and whether case participants have greater increases in biomarkers during the months leading up to the event than controls. BRAVO enrolled 595 patients with PAD, a population at high risk for acute IHD events. After a baseline visit, participants returned every two months for blood collection, underwent an electrocardiogram to identify new silent myocardial infarctions, and were queried about new hospitalizations since their prior study visit. Mortality data were also collected. Participants were followed prospectively for up to three years. Conclusions BRAVO results will provide important information about the pathophysiology of IHD events and may lead to improved therapies for preventing IHD events in high-risk patients.
Asymmetrical Effect of Crossed and Uncrossed Disparity on Stereoscopic Capture

When a real or subjective contour is superimposed on a repetitive texture or 'wallpaper pattern', the apparent depth of the elements of the wallpaper pattern may be influenced by the contour. When the contour has crossed disparity, the elements inside the contour are seen floating in the plane of the contour. This is called 'stereoscopic capture'. On the other hand, when the contour has uncrossed disparity a different, somewhat unstable, percept is seen. The wallpaper elements are either seen to form a transparent surface floating in front of the contour, or all of the elements inside and outside of the contour are seen to lie in the uncrossed plane of the inducing contour. We suggest that the asymmetry between crossed and uncrossed stereo capture is a by-product of the different roles played by crossed and uncrossed disparity in stereoscopic surface construction: specifically, crossed and, perhaps, zero disparity spreads one-directionally into a figure from a contour whereas uncrossed disparity spreads out from a figure in all directions. These points are illustrated with a series of demonstrations.
Rugged Optics for Multispectral Imaging Systems

We have developed several rugged materials for multiband applications covering the UV, visible, Shortwave-IR (SWIR), Midwave-IR (MWIR) and Longwave-IR (LWIR) wavelength regions. These materials include MILTRAN™ and IR glass which transmit in the SWIR, MWIR and LWIR. MILTRAN™ is > 3 times harder and stronger than ZnS and can provide rugged window or dome materials for broadband sensors. IR glass can be easily made in complex shapes. A combination of MILTRAN™ and IR glass can be used to make achromats for multispectral imaging systems.
Wind tunnel simulation of time variations of turbulence and effects on pressure on surface-mounted prisms

Abstract Roughness elements are usually added in boundary layer wind tunnels to enhance the energy of certain turbulence scales and their range. In this work, flow characteristics in three different configurations of roughness elements are examined. Orthonormal wavelets are applied to velocity records in order to quantify the percentage of energy contribution of each scale to the total energy and the intermittency of high-energy events. The effects of such variations in turbulence scale characteristics on variations of peak and mean negative pressure coefficients at different locations on a 1 : 50 scale model of the Wind Engineering Research Field Laboratory (WERFL) of Texas Tech are also determined. The results show that enhancing the energy of the smaller turbulence scales relative to that of the larger scales and in particular the energy of the intermittent events have significant effects on mean and peak pressures observed on the top surface of a prism.
The distribution of the maximum of particular random fields

Abstract We obtain explicit expressions for the distribution of the maximum of particular two-parameter random fields related to the one-parameter Wiener and Slepian processes. The latter expression provides a lower bound to the probability that the maximum exceeds a level for the standard two-parameter Slepian field.
Preterm Birth Prevention: An Evaluation of Programs in the United States

: During the last decade several programs were established to prevent the onset of preterm labor and facilitate its early identification and treatment. Although these prevention programs shared a similar goal, they varied in their primary outcome focus, target populations, study designs, and specific intervention components. Their initial reports were promising; however, subsequent evaluations of efforts in the United States produced mixed results. The current literature is suggestive of the benefits of programs to prevent preterm labor and delivery, but methodologic differences among them and deficiencies in the reported evaluations have rendered a final verdict equivocal. Many studies using historical or geographic controls found positive results, whereas randomized, controlled trials did not find a significant impact. Positive results were found in studies using low-risk populations, but investigations of high-risk patients noted little effect. Together with continued research on the factors that underlie the onset of labor, additional assessment of these programs and their individual intervention components appears to be necessary.
Apodization and Interpolation in Fourier-Transform Spectroscopy*

An interpolation formula is derived which gives an apodized spectrum as the convolution of the unapodized spectrum (sampled at suitable points) with the apodized apparatus function. This allows many apodizations to be applied to a single interferogram with the performance of only a single Fourier transformation. A further saving in computation effort is possible if the apodized apparatus function decays rapidly away from its center. Examples of such cases are presented, where the interferogram is weighted by a function which is a cosine series of only a few terms.
A Comparison of DC and RF Pulse Susceptibilities of UHF Transistors

The electromagnetic susceptibility of 2N918 UHF transistors is investigated. A single RF pulse at 240 MHz was applied directly to the base terminal with the emitter terminal grounded. The incident RF pulse power required to cause a 50-percent failure rate is in the 28-38-W range for a 3-?s pulse duration and in the 130-140-W range for a 0.3-?s pulse duration. The data indicate that all three 2N918 versions tested are very similar to one 2N5179 version reported upon previously [1] . We observed that the RF microsecond pulse data fit a relationship EA = KAT 0.5 whete EA is the absorbed pulse energy required to cause transistor failure, T the pulse duration, K a constant, A an emitter area. For both 2N918 and 2N5 179 UHF transistors, the value for EA is 22 ,?J at T = 1 ?s and the value for K is 3.1 kJ/cm2-s0.5 for A = 7.0 × 10-6 cm2. A comparison of RF microsecond pulse and dc microsecond pulse susceptibility data for the 2N918 transistor inadicated that the susceptibility levels are within 4 dB and that dc microsecond pulse susceptibility data may be quite useful as a lower bound for RF microsecond pulse susceptibility data.
Alternate-Fueled Combustor-Sector Performance—Part A: Combustor Performance and Part B: Combustor Emissions

Alternate aviation fuels for military or commercial use are required to satisfy MIL-DTL-83133F or ASTM D 7566 standards, respectively, and are classified as “drop-in’’ fuel replacements. To satisfy legacy issues, blends to 50% alternate fuel with petroleum fuels are acceptable. Adherence to alternate fuels and fuel blends requires “smart fueling systems’’ or advanced fuel-flexible systems, including combustors and engines, without significant sacrifice in performance or emissions requirements. This paper provides preliminary performance and emissions and particulates combustor sector data. The data are for nominal inlet conditions at 225 psia and 800°F (1.551 MPa and 700 K), for synthetic-paraffinic-kerosene- (SPK-) type (Fisher-Tropsch (FT)) fuel and blends with JP-8
Treatment of Subcutaneous Tumor with Adoptively Transferred T Cells

Abstract Adoptive immunotherapy with T cells directed at tumor antigens has been demonstrated to result in the regression of malignant tumors in humans. These encouraging results have prompted the further exploration of parameters necessary to treat tumor in various locations in animal models. We have demonstrated that T cells that are sensitized to tumor antigens and thenex vivocultured are capable of eradicating pulmonary metastases. In this report, we demonstrate that these T cells are capable of eliminating subcutaneous tumor deposits. Critical to the successful treatment of subcutaneous tumor was treatment with a large number of adoptively transferred T cells and pretreatment of the mice with irradiation. The transfer of T cells from tumor-bearing mice into irradiated mice failed to inhibit the therapeutic effect ofex vivocultured T cells, suggesting that irradiation was not acting only as an immunosuppressant. Irradiation resulted in increased expression of the F4/80 and 33D1 epitopes on antigen-presenting cells within the tumor. The therapeutic effect of the adoptively transferred T cells was eliminated if either CD4 cells or CD8 cells were depleted. Naive T cells subjected to the same culture conditions were completely ineffective at eliminating tumor. These results demonstrate that adoptively transferred T cells derived from tumor-bearing hosts can treat subcutaneous tumor deposits, and they define the conditions necessary for the elimination of tumor in this location.
Phosphorylation of epigenetic "readers, writers and erasers": Implications for developmental reprogramming and the epigenetic basis for health and disease.

Epigenetic reprogramming that occurs during critical periods of development can increase the susceptibility to many diseases in adulthood. Programming of the epigenome during development occurs via the activity of a variety of epigenetic modifiers, including “readers, writers and erasers” of histone methyl marks. Posttranslational modification of these programmers can alter their activity, resulting in global or gene-specific changes in histone methylation and gene transcription. This review summarizes what is currently known about phosphorylation of histone methyltransferases (“writers”), demethylases (“erasers”) and effector proteins (“readers) that program the epigenome, and the impact of this posttranslational modification on their activity. Understanding how the activity of these epigenetic programmers is perturbed by environmental exposures via changes in phosphorylation is key to understanding mechanisms of developmental reprogramming and the epigenetic basis of health and disease.
Fine structure of the pars distalis and interrenals of Taricha torosa after administration of metopirone (SU-4885)

Abstract Three tinctorially different cell types have been observed in the pars distalis of the newt, Taricha torosa , by light microscopy, whereas five granulated cell types and one nongranulated stellate cell have been revealed in this gland by electron microscopy. The adrenalectomy cells of this species, observed after treatment with the adrenocortical inhibitor. Metopirone, contain secretory granules with maximum diameters of 200 mμ and appear to be derived from the type II cells. The release of secretory granules from the adrenalectomy cells is by exocytosis, a mechanism observed frequently in the pars distalis of higher vertebrates but not previously described in the amphibian pituitary. Fine structural alterations of the mitochondria and lipid droplets of the interrenal cells after Metopirone treatment are also discussed.
Low power analog circuit design for RFID sensing circuits

This paper presents low power circuit design for voltage regulator and resistor to digital converter that are used in a RFID-like sensing circuit for measuring the resistance of a sol-gel sensor. The regulator circuit has simple circuit structure and consumes zero DC current (except the current drained by its load). The resistor to digital converter consists of a cascoded current mirror, a reference resistor and a charge-redistribution (CR) ADC circuit. The proposed circuit techniques reduce the size of the ADC capacitor array by half compared to traditional CR ADCs with the same resolution. The proposed techniques also significantly reduce the circuit power consumption with enhanced measurement accuracy. The proposed circuits and a RFID energy harvesting circuit for powering the proposed circuits are implemented using a 0.13µ CMOS technology. Circuit simulations are presented to examine the performance of the proposed circuits.
Ultrastructural study on the release of neurosecretory material from the sinus gland of the land crab, Gecarcinus lateralis.

Sites of release of neurosecretory material were examined in a neurohemal organ of decapod crustaceans, the sinus gland of the land crab, Gecarcinus lateralis. Such discharge into the circulation seems to occur primarily at interfaces between the neurosecretory axons and the acellular stromal sheath which is interposed between parenchyma and hemolymph. The evidence obtained from electron micrographs of adult specimens indicates that more or less intact secretory granules are released into the extraaxonal space primarily by the process of exocytosis. Synaptic-type vesicles are clustered in parts of neurosecretory axons facing the stromal sheath. Such vesicles are thought to result from rearrangement of membranes temporarily fused at the release site and to a minor degree from fragmentation of neurosecretory vesicles within the axon. The presence of nonmarginal vesicles and the occasional appearance of “free” intraaxonal dense material are interpreted as indications of a second, probably less frequent, mode of release of neurosecretory material.
Two sets of unexplored metronome marks for Beethoven's piano sonatas

In December 1828 the Viennese publisher Tobias Haslinger announced his Sdimmtliche Werhe von Ludw. van Beethoven. Immediately following the composer's name, before the dedication, the reader is informed that the edition would be 'Mit Angabe der TempoBezeichnungen nach Mailzl's Metronom' ('With specification of the tempo indications according to Maelzel's metronome').1 There is little doubt that choice of tempo is a fundamental yet elusive aspect of performance practice: For Beethoven, tempo was an inherent part of the character of a composition. The difficulty in determining correct tempos for his works during his lifetime reflects the fact that tempo was becoming less tied to traditional criteria-a combination of meter, tempo categories and note values-and, at the same time, increasingly individualized. Beethoven tried to suggest appropriate tempos for his works with increasingly long strings of adjectives, such as Andante con moto assai vivace quasi Allegretto ma non troppo for the Kyrie of the Mass in C (1807), and later with German phrases for 'the spirit of the composition';2 but ultimately he endorsed first the chronom&tre and then its successor, the metronome. To the end of his life, letters,3 public notices,4 publication of his own metronome marks for some of his most important compositions,5 and efforts to keep his metronome in good repair,6 all demonstrate his continued support for the instrument.
Variation in crossing-over between two autosomal loci in males of Culex pipiens

Abstract To determine the cause of variation in frequency of crossing-over between two loci on chromosome II of Culex pipiens , males were allowed to inseminate several females. It was found that crossing-over was more common in some males than it was in others. There was also a good deal of variation in frequency of crossing-over among progenies sired by a single male, but it is not clear whether this variation is large enough to be significant.
Insulin induced alterations of acyl groups of the cerebroside fraction isolated from fat cell ghosts.

Rat epididymal fat cells were isolated and incubated with 25 μU insulin/ml for 15 minutes. Insulin induced a significant shift in the saturated/unsaturated fatty acid ratio of the cerebroside fraction isolated from fat cell ghosts. This change was due to a decrease of saturated fatty acids and an increase of unsaturated fatty acids which were hydrolyzed from the isolated lipids. There were no significant changes in the amount of phospholipids isolated from the fat cell ghosts after this period of incubation with insulin or of fatty acids associated with them. Isolated adipocytes were also incubated with 8×1O-8 M dexamethasone for 2 ½ hours. Insulin (25 μU/ml) was then added, and the incubation continued for 15 minutes. Dexamethasone treated cells did not show a statistically significant insulin stimulated decrease in the saturated/unsaturated fatty acid ratio. These studies demonstrate an insulin induced change in membrane lipids which appeared to be partially blocked by previous exposure to dexamethasone.
On the cramer-frechet-rao inequality for translation parameter in the case of finite support

In this paper we investigate the problem of deriving the C-F-R (CRAMER-FRECHET-RAO) bound for the variance of an unbiased estimator of the translation para¬meter for a class of distributions having as support an interval of fixed length. Starting with the general form of the O-F-R, inequality studied earlier by VINCZE (1979) for mixed densities, we prove some inequalities related to the information quantity occurring in the C-F-R bound. The case when the variance of the unbiased estimator does not depend upon the translation parameter is investigated. The case when the variance depends upon the translation parameter is also briefly discussed. Finally some remarks will be given concerning the attainability of the variance,bounds given in this paper
Monoclonal Antibodies to Porcine Thermal-Stable Muscle Protein for Detection of Pork in Raw and Cooked Meats

Four hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to porcine thermal-stable muscle proteins (TSMPs) were developed. The MAbs reacted with three protein bands (20.5, 22 and 24 kD) from raw pork extract; the protein band (24 kD) which was also present in cooked pork was identified as porcine-specific TSMP. Epitope analysis indicated four MAbs recognized same or closely located antigenic sites on the pork TSMP. The developed MAb-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) enabled the detection of pork in raw and cooked heterogeneous meat mixtures as low as 10 glkg. The curvilinear relations of second-degree polynomial (r 2 > 0.995) between pork concentrations and ELISA responses enabled quantifying degree of adulteration of pork in meat products.
A 1024-byte ECL random access memory using a complementary transistor switch (CTS) cell

This paper presents the design of a 1K-byte random access memory using a cross-coupled complementary transistor switch (CTS) cell. The memory operates with a 4.25-V power supply and achieves a 15-ns access time with a power dissipation of 1.8 W. This paper also demonstrates the advantages of using the CTS cell to achieve high circuit density and good performance of memory arrays. Array attributes, cell selection criteria, and cell operation (both ideal and in situ) as well as design considerations are covered. Hardware performance is also briefly summarized.
Effective dynamic detection of alias analysis errors

Alias analysis is perhaps one of the most crucial and widely used analyses, and has attracted tremendous research efforts over the years. Yet, advanced alias analyses are extremely difficult to get right, and the bugs in these analyses are one key reason that they have not been adopted to production compilers. This paper presents NeonGoby, a system for effectively detecting errors in alias analysis implementations, improving their correctness and hopefully widening their adoption. NeonGoby detects the worst type of bugs where the alias analysis claims that two pointers never alias, but they actually alias at runtime. NeonGoby works by dynamically observing pointer addresses during the execution of a test program and then checking these addresses against an alias analysis for errors. It is explicitly designed to (1) be agnostic to the alias analysis it checks for maximum applicability and ease of use and (2) detect alias analysis errors that manifest on real-world programs and workloads. It emits no false positives as long as test programs do not have undefined behavior per ANSI C specification or call external functions that interfere with our detection algorithm. It reduces performance overhead using a practical selection of techniques. Evaluation on three popular alias analyses and real-world programs Apache and MySQL shows that NeonGoby effectively finds 29 alias analysis bugs with zero false positives and reasonable overhead; the most serious four bugs have been patched by the developers. To enable alias analysis builders to start using NeonGoby today, we have released it open-source at https://github.com/columbia/neongoby, along with our error detection results and proposed patches.
Risk sensitivity in bargaining with more than two participants

Abstract In two-person bargaining over riskless outcomes where the outcome is chosen according to the Nash solution or the Kalai-Smorodinsky solution, an increase in a player's risk aversion is to the advantage of the opponent. It is shown in this note that for the n-person Nash solution, an increase in risk aversion is to the player's own disadvantage but needs not be advantageous to all the opponents. For the n-person Kalai-Smorodinsky solution, the increase is to the player's own disadvantage and to the advantage of all the opponents.
On the Analytical Properties of High-Dimensional Randomization

In this paper, we will provide the first comprehensive analysis of high-dimensional randomization. The goal is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of randomization and explore both the potential and the pitfalls of high-dimensional randomization. Our theoretical analysis results in a number of interesting and insightful conclusions. 1) The privacy effects of randomization reduce rapidly with increasing dimensionality. 2) The properties of the underlying data set can affect the anonymity level of the randomization method. For example, natural properties of real data sets such as clustering improve the effectiveness of randomization. On the other hand, variations in data density of nonempty data localities and outliers create privacy preservation challenges for the randomization method. 3) The use of a public information-sensitive attack method makes the choice of perturbing distribution more critical than previously thought. In particular, Gaussian perturbations are significantly more effective than uniformly distributed perturbations for the high dimensional case. These insights are very useful for future research and design of the randomization method. We use the insights gained from our analysis to discuss and suggest future research directions for improvements and extensions of the randomization method.
The detrimental effect of simmondsin on food intake and body weight of rats

Abstract Background: Simmondsin is a cyanomethylene glycoside, derived from the desert shrub, Simmondsia chinensis . Simmondsin has been reported to produce weight loss and to decrease food intake, an effect that can be blocked by treatment with an inhibitor of cholecystokinin. Study design: Six experiments were conducted on male Sprague–Dawley rats. Results: In two acute experiments where simmondsin was either added to the diet or injected, there was a dose-related reduction in food intake. The CCK A antagonist, lorglumide, did not block the acute inhibitory effects of simmondsin on food intake and simmondsin did not produce conditioned taste aversion. In two chronic feeding studies, the high dose of simmondsin (0.5%) in the diet produced profound weight loss and death in rats. At autopsy, the kidney, heart and liver of the treated animals were larger than the pair-fed animals and there was a marked suppression of the bone marrow elements with severe anemia. Conclusion: Simmondsin is toxic with profound effects on the hematopoietic system.
Training combination strategy of multi-stream fused hidden Markov model for audio-visual affect recognition

To simulate the human ability to assess affects, an automatic affect recognition system should make use of multi-sensor information. In the framework of multi-stream fused hidden Markov model (MFHMM), we present a training combination strategy towards audio-visual affect recognition. Different from the weighting combination scheme, our approach is able to use a variety of learning methods to obtain a robust multi-stream fusion result. We evaluate our approach in personal-independent recognition of 11 affective states from 20 subjects. The experimental results suggest that MFHMM outperforms IHMM which assumes the independence among streams, and the training combination strategy has the superiority over the weighting combination under clean and varying audio channel noise condition.
Protein consumption increases tyrosine concentration and in vivo tyrosine hydroxylation rate in the light-adapted rat retina

The ingestion of a single, 40% protein meal increased serum and retinal tyrosine levels and stimulated retinal tyrosine hydroxylation rate in light-adapted rats. Consumption of a similar, protein-free meal elicited none of these effects. The results thus indicate for retinal dopamine neurons that physiologically induced increases in tyrosine level can readily stimulate in vivo tyrosine hydroxylation rate.
The intrinsic value of sport: a reply to Culbertson

Leon Culbertson's recent contribution, ‘Does Sport Have Intrinsic Value?’ objects to the account of the value of sport as intrinsic value I had developed in my Sport, Rules and Values; in particular, as this occurs in my argument that the value of some sports resided in the possibility of their functioning as a moral laboratory. He identifies two accounts of intrinsic value; and shows that neither would fit my purposes seamlessly. He urges that my account of the place of normative reasons cannot generate intrinsic value: rather, the person whose reasons they are somehow imports that value. Yet he has misunderstood my particularist conception of values; and the place occupied by my contextualism – these, rather than a residual commitment to essentialism, are what generates an apparent inconsistency he identifies. But they also explain it away. As a result, much of his concern to find some exact account of the term ‘intrinsic’ is misplaced: we need to look contextually. Further, the project of my discussion...
Spin-Echo Behavior of Nonintegral-Spin Quadrupolar Nuclei in Inorganic Solids

Abstract The response to spin-echo radiofrequency pulse excitation of a variety of nonintegral-spin quadrupolar nuclei ( 23 Na, 27 Al, and 93 Nb) in inorganic solids (single-crystal ruby and sapphire, α-Al 2 O 3 , γ-Al 2 O 3 , AlN, NaNO 3, KNbO 3 , NaNbO 3 , LiNbO 3 , albite, and the zeolite Linde A), subject to strong quadrupolar interactions and dipolar interactions of varying strength, is reported. It is demonstrated that "soft" RF pulse excitation with a pair of selective π/2 and π pulses yields predictable spin-echo decay behavior as a function of dipolar interaction, the experimental results being in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.
Empirical modeling of bromate formation during ozonation of bromide-containing waters

Empirical bromate formation models were developed from observed batch ozonation data to simulate the effects of important water quality characteristics and treatment processes on bromate formation. Data generated from true batch ozonation studies with an orthogonal matrix design, served as the base for development of empirical models for bromate formation. The variables examined include pH, initial bromide concentration, alkalinity, ozone dose, ammonia and dissolved organic carbon level. This array of variables was selected to evaluate the effects of important water quality characteristics and treatment processes on the formation of bromate ion during water ozonation. Limited temperature variation data were also generated. Isolation and fractionation of natural organic matter (NOM) by ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membrane techniques allowed assessment of source water variations and the role of molecular size on bromate formation. Multiple linear regression of logarithmic transformations was used to generate the models. Results obtained from the empirical models indicate that bromate formation is favored at high pH, initial bromide concentration, alkalinity and high ozone dose. On the other hand, increasing DOC and ammonia concentration decreased bromate formation. The models also indicated that NOM isolated from different water sources have a strong influence on bromate formation upon ozonation of model solutions composed of different membrane isolates. Both internal and external validation of the models demonstrated that the bromate models predicted bromate formation well. Finally, the models indicated that acid addition (pH depression) strategies can be used to control bromate formation.
When will there be a cure for dementia

There are now more than 5 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) at an annual financial cost to the U.S. health care system of $200 billion a year but of course the real cost is the human tragedy that this disease causes as people lose their ability to function and as caregivers, often spouses and other family members, struggle to provide proper care for their loved ones. With the increasing baby boomer population, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s dementia could skyrocket to 15 million by 2050 at an annual cost of $1.2 trillion.1 The extent of this rapidly developing crisis has not escaped the government, academic research laboratories and the pharmaceutical industry which are pouring significant dollars into research to find a cure for this menace. In order for a safe and effective drug to be developed research scientists must first define a disease on a molecular level. That has not yet been accomplished for AD however the understanding of the pathogenesis of AD has increased greatly since the early 1990s resulting in increasing optimism that better treatments can be developed.2 AD is currently perceived as a protein aggregation disorder and researchers now know that a protein called amyloid-beta (Ab) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Aggregates of this protein are present in the extracellular plaques that are found in the brains of those with AD and it is now thought to be a toxin that leads to the dysfunction of neurons eventually leading to the extensive neurological damage that is the hallmark of this disease.2 Briefly, Ab is produced when beta amyloid precursor protein is improperly cleaved.3 It is an important step inwhat is referred to as the amyloid cascade hypothesis which researchers are targeting in order to prevent, or at least significantly delay, the ultimate damage
Acute effects of taurine and a taurine antagonist on ethanol-induced central nervous system depression

Sprague-Dawley rats received taurine intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) 30 min prior to ethanol (4 g/kg, i.p.). The duration of ethanol-induced sleep time was increased with taurine at doses of 7.5, 14.0 and 25.0 mumol/kg. In another experiment, TAG (a taurine antagonist, i.c.v.) was given 5 min prior to taurine (i.c.v.) and ethanol was administered 30 min later. TAG antagonized the effect of taurine to enhance ethanol-induced sleep time. These results suggest an interaction between taurine and the depressant effect of ethanol in the brain.
Segregation of the yeast plasmid: similarities and contrasts with bacterial plasmid partitioning

Abstract The high copy yeast plasmid 2 μm circle, like the well-studied low copy bacterial plasmids, utilizes two partitioning proteins and a cis-acting ‘centromere’-like sequence for its stable propagation. Functionally, though, the protein and DNA constituents of the two partitioning systems are quite distinct. Key events in the yeast and bacterial segregation pathways are plasmid organization, localization, replication, ‘counting’ of replicated molecules and their distribution to daughter cells. We suggest that the two systems facilitate these common logistical steps by adapting to the physical, biochemical, and mechanical contexts in which the host chromosomes segregate.
Retroactive inhibition of interitem associations for serial lists with constant or varied starting positions

The S s learned a serial list of high- or low-frequency words by either the typical serial method, in which there is a constant starting position (CSP) on each trial of learning, or the varied starting-position (VSP) method of learning, in which the starting cue is changed on successive trials. This was followed by either the interpolation of a paired-associate (PA) list of re-paired first-list words (experimental) or a nonlearning task (control). Finally, S s were asked to recall the serial order of the original serial list. The hypotheses that the recall of serial order would be disrupted by the learning of the PA list and that this disruption would be greater for the VSP condition were confirmed.
Evolutionary approaches to psychiatry and problems of method

Evolutionary hypotheses have been used widely to interpret enigmatic psychiatric phenomena. In applying evolutionary theory, three common methodological errors occur: imprecise and inappropriate use of evidence and theoretical concepts; incorrect assessment of the level at which evolutionary processes occur; and potential misinterpretation of observations due to a confusion of proximate and ultimate causation. Guidelines and criteria for developing meaningful evolutionary hypotheses and rigorous research strategies are described. It is hoped that these efforts will enhance the contribution evolutionary theory may have as it is applied to psychiatric observations in the future.
Second-order conditioning: The importance of stimulus overlap on second-order trials

Second-order conditioning was examined using the rabbit eyeblink paradigm and the gerbil CER paradigm. Pavlov’s hypothesis that stimulus overlap on second-order trials produces conditioned inhibition and that nonoverlap leads to second-order conditioning was not confirmed. Our results also revealed that the manner in which first-order and second-order trials are intermixed has an important influence on the properties of the second-order CS. A within-session mixture of first- and second-order trials tended to produce second-order conditioning, and a between-session mixture tended to produce conditioned inhibition. Second-order conditioning was more prominent with the gerbil fear response than with the rabbit eyelid response.
Pionics: the Emerging Science and Technology of Graphene-based Nanoelectronics

Extremely thin extend layers of graphene are readily grown epitaxially on single crystal silicon carbide surfaces. This material can be patterned using microelectronics lithography methods to produce all-graphene interconnected device structures. The current status of this new field of electronics is presented including the properties of several patterned devices like Hall bars and top and side gated FETs. The important role of pi electrons and their non-conventional properties of this electronic material warrants the designation of pionics for this new field of graphene-based electronics.
Rural environments reduce the genetic influence on adolescent substance use and rule-breaking behavior.

BackgroundThere is increasing evidence that certain environmental factors can modify genetic effects. This is an important area of investigation as such work will help to guide the development of new intervention programs. In this paper, we address whether rural environments moderate the genetic influence on adolescent substance use and rule-breaking behavior (i.e. externalizing psychopathology).MethodOver 1200 Minnesotan 17-year-old twins were classified as either urban or rural. Externalizing behavior was operationalized as the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs along with symptoms of conduct, oppositional defiant, and antisocial personality disorders. Biometric factor modeling estimated whether the relative contribution of genetic and shared environmental factors varied from urban to rural settings.ResultsResidency effects reached statistical significance in the male sample only. In urban environments, externalizing behavior was substantially influenced by genetic factors, but in rural environments, shared environmental factors became more influential. This was apparent at both the individual-variable and factor levels.ConclusionsThese findings suggest a gene–environment interaction in the development of male adolescents' problem behaviors, including substance use. The results fit within an expanding literature demonstrating both the contextual nature of the heritability statistic and how certain environments may constrain the expression of genetic tendencies.
Discriminant analysis based on multivariate response curves: A descriptive approach to dynamic allocation

We examine the problem of discriminating between two groups in the context of multivariate response curves observed over a specified time interval. We propose a descriptive solution for the case where one can determine the response curves by linear interpolation between successive observations. Unlike most previously reported methods that use only the current multivariate observation, our approach accounts for the history of the process. Moreover the method has the potential advantage of being applicable dynamically, as one observes the multivariate response curve. Finally, the method demonstrates simplicity and flexibility, two important features for successful, routine, clinical application.
Pre-cancerous breast lesions: Implications for breast cancer prevention trials

The relationship between benign breast disease and breast cancer has become the focus of increased clinical attention as breast cancer prevention becomes a clinical reality. In this setting an understanding of the magnitude of the increase in risk conferred by the various types of benign breast disease assumes increasing importance. When benign breast disease is considered as an aggregate, estimates of the relative risk of breast cancer development range from 0.8 to 4.5. This article describes the risk associated with proliferative and non-proliferative benign breast disease, as well as the rationale for considering lobular carcinoma in situ and ductal carcinoma in situ (in some cases) as risk factors for breast carcinoma rather than actual malignant lesions. Mathematical models can provide a more precise estimate of breast cancer risk, but these efforts may be confounded by the lack of uniformity in the pathologic definition of borderline benign breast lesions. The breast cancer prevention trials offer a unique opportunity to improve our database on the natural history of high risk benign breast lesions, while attempting to reduce the 44,000 deaths occurring annually from breast cancer.
Optimization of Gamma Knife treatment planning via guided evolutionary simulated annealing

We present a method for generating optimized Gamma Knife (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) radiosurgery treatment plans. This semiautomatic method produces a highly conformal shot packing plan for the irradiation of an intracranial tumor. We simulate optimal treatment planning criteria with a probability function that is linked to every voxel in a volumetric (MR or CT) region of interest. This sigmoidal P+ parameter models the requirement of conformality (i.e., tumor ablation and normal tissue sparing). After determination of initial radiosurgery treatment parameters, a guided evolutionary simulated annealing (GESA) algorithm is used to find the optimal size, position, and weight for each shot. The three-dimensional GESA algorithm searches the shot parameter space more thoroughly than is possible during manual shot packing and provides one plan that is suitable to the treatment criteria of the attending neurosurgeon and radiation oncologist. The result is a more conformal plan, which also reduces redundancy, and saves treatment administration time.
TBD: Trajectory-Based Data Forwarding for Light-Traffic Vehicular Networks

This paper proposes a Trajectory-Based Data Forwarding (TBD) scheme, tailored for the data forwarding in light- traffic vehicular ad-hoc networks. State-of-the-art schemes have demonstrated the effectiveness of their data forwarding strategies by exploiting known vehicular traffic statistics (e.g., densities and speeds) in these vehicular networks. These results are encouraging, however, further improvements can be made by taking advantage of the growing popularity of GPS-based navigation systems. This paper presents the first attempt to investigate how to effectively utilize vehicles" trajectory information in a privacy-preserving manner. In our design, the trajectory information is combined with the traffic statistics to improve the performance of data forwarding in road networks. Through theoretical analysis and extensive simulation, it is shown that our design outperforms the existing scheme.
Dynamic stability of variable stiffness running

Humans and animals adapt their leg impedance during running for both internal(e.g. loading) and external(e.g. surface) changes. In this paper we examine the relationship between leg stiffness and the speed and stability of dynamic legged locomotion. We utilize a torque-driven reduced-order model of running based on a successful family of running robots to show how optimal clock-driven controllers can interact with variably compliant limbs to adapt to changing operating conditions. We show that the leg stiffness adaptation gives, in general, better results than simply optimizing the gait controller and nearly as good as the co-optimization of controller and leg stiffness.
Mutation Pattern Variation Among Regions of the Primate Genome

We sequenced three argininosuccinate-synthetase-processed pseudogenes (PsiAS-A1, PsiAS-A3, PsiAS-3) and their noncoding flanking sequences in human, orangutan, baboon, and colobus. Our data showed that these pseudogenes were incorporated into the genome of the Old World monkeys after the divergence of the Old World and New World monkey lineages. These pseudogene flanking regions show variable mutation rates and patterns. The variation in the G/C to A/T mutation rate (u) can account for the unequal GC contents at equilibrium: 34.9, 36.9, and 41.7% in the pseudogene PsiAS-A1, PsiAS-A3, and PsiAS-3 flanking regions, respectively. The A/T to G/C mutation rate (v) seems stable and the u/v ratios equal 1.9, 1.7, and 1.4 in the flanking regions of PsiAS-A1, PsiAS-A3, and PsiAS-3, respectively. These "regional" variations of the mutation rate affect the evolution of the pseudogenes, too. The ratio u/v being greater than 1.0 in each case, the overall mutation rate in the GC-rich pseudogenes is, as expected, higher than in their GC-poor flanking regions. Moreover, a "sequence effect" has been found. In the three cases examined u and v are higher (at least 20%) in the pseudogene than in its flanking region-i.e., the pseudogene appears as mutation "hot" spots embedded in "cold" regions. This observation could be partly linked to the fact that the pseudogene flanking regions are long-standing unconstrained DNA sequences, whereas the pseudogenes were relieved of selection on their coding functions only around 30-40 million years ago. We suspect that relatively more mutable sites maintained unchanged during the evolution of the argininosuccinate gene are able to change in the pseudogenes, such sites being eliminated or rare in the flanking regions which have been void of strong selective constraints over a much longer period. Our results shed light on (1) the multiplicity of factors that tune the spontaneous mutation rate and (2) the impact of the genomic position of a sequence on its evolution.