cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of δ‐aminolevulinic acid dehydratase silencing on the primary and secondary metabolisms of citrus

δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) is an important enzyme in tetrapyrrole synthesis. ALAD combines two δ-aminolevulinic acid (δ-ALA) molecules to form the pyrrole molecule, porphobilinogen, an important precursor for plant pigments involved in photosynthesis, respiration, and nutrient uptake. In this study, we investigated the effects of silencing of ALAD gene on citrus leaf pigments and metabolites. The ALAD enzyme was inhibited using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology using citrus tristeza virus (CTV). δ-ALA accumulated in citrus plants inoculated with the recombinant virus (CTV-tALAD) to silence ALAD and resulted in discrete yellow spots (yellow islands) and necrosis in leaves and stems. The levels of chlorophylls, starch, sucrose, trans- and cis-violaxanthin, and α- and β-cryptoxanthin were reduced in CTV-tALAD plants, whereas zeaxanthin was increased. The increase in zeaxanthin and the decrease in its precursors indicated that the reduction in chlorophylls resulted in light damage. Salicylic acid and jasmonic acid levels, as well as emission of (E)-α-bergamotene and (E)-β-farnesene, increased in CTV-tALAD plants indicating these plants were under stress. Our results showed that silencing of ALAD induces stress in plants and that VIGS using mild CTV strains is a promising technique to study biological function of citrus genes.
Prospective validation of gene expression profiling in primary cutaneous melanoma.

9565Background: Gene expression profiling (GEP) is becoming an integral part of treatment decision making in cancer. A GEP test (DecisionDx-Melanoma) has been in commercial use based on data from m...
Gas-Atomized Al 6061 Powder: Phase Identification and Evolution During Thermal Treatment

Metal additive manufacturing processes often use gas-atomized powder as feedstock, but these processes use different methods for consolidation. Depending on the consolidation temperature, secondary phases may be retained during processing, making it important to understand powder microstructure prior to consolidation. Commercial alloy compositions are typically used for these powders because they have been widely studied and qualified; however, the microstructure of the powder form of these compositions has not been studied. This paper aims to understand the commercial Al 6061 powder: how the internal microstructure of the powder differs from wrought both in the as-manufactured and thermally-treated conditions. A specific focus is put on the Mg-rich phases and their morphologies. This was accomplished through transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Both the size and morphology of the phases in the powder differ greatly from those in the wrought form.
Spectacle Adherence Among Four-Year-Old Children in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study.

Purpose To evaluate spectacle adherence with impact-resistant lenses among 4-year-old children after unilateral cataract surgery in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study. Design Retrospective cohort analysis of randomized clinical trial data. Methods Setting : Multicenter. Patients : One hundred and fourteen children randomized to contact lens correction or intraocular lens implantation following unilateral cataract surgery during infancy. Intervention : One-week diaries completed annually and retrospective telephone interviews conducted every 3 months to age 5 years to assess spectacle adherence with impact-resistant lenses. Visual acuity was assessed by a traveling examiner at age 4.5 years. Main Outcome Measures : Spectacle adherence between ages 4 and 5 years. Results Children with 20/40 or better vision in their treated eye were more likely to wear spectacles ≥80% of their waking hours than children with vision worse than 20/40 (66% vs 42%, P = .034). Reported adherence to spectacle wear correlated with reported patching (r = 0.30, P = .002). Spectacle adherence did not correlate with sex, type of healthcare insurance, or the refractive error in the treated or fellow eye. Seven patients with reduced vision in their treated eye reported Conclusions These results confirm that it is possible to achieve high levels of spectacle adherence among 4-year-old children after unilateral cataract surgery during infancy. However, children with vision worse than 20/40 in their worse eye, who needed eye protection the most, had the worst adherence.
Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia is a distinct cause of chronic colon ischaemia

AIM Colon ischaemia (CI) is most commonly an acute and reversible manifestation of a transient, non-occlusive decrease of blood flow in the colonic microvasculature. Irreversible complications are uncommon and the progression to chronic CI remains controversial. Our objective was to identify cases of chronic CI and assess for distinct clinicopathological features. METHOD A retrospective review was performed of CI patients having symptom chronicity of ≥ 1 month and ischaemic histology at our institution from 1994 to 2015. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic, radiological, pathological and outcome variables were abstracted. Histological evaluation was performed by two gastrointestinal pathologists. RESULTS Fifteen patients (n = 9; 67% men) with a median age of 65 years (range 22-88) were identified. The most common presenting symptoms were diarrhoea and abdominal pain (n = 6, 86%; n = 5, 71%, respectively). The typical endoscopic appearance was segmental ulceration of the sigmoid colon (n = 6, 75%). Vascular imaging showed patent mesenteric vessels in all patients. Histopathological evaluation revealed venous intimal hyperplasia consistent with idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins (IMHMV) in eight patients; the remainder showed non-specific ulceration and fibrosis. Surgical resection was performed in seven IMHMV patients, resulting in symptom resolution. On re-review of pre-resection biopsies, all IMHMV patients had characteristic changes of hyperplastic, thick-walled, hyalinized vessels in the lamina propria. CONCLUSIONS IMHMV is a unique histopathological entity causing chronic CI. The small vessel histological changes in IMHMV are distinctive in colonic resections and undetectable by routine vascular imaging. Preoperative diagnosis of IMHMV is possible with endoscopic biopsy and segmental colon resection is curative.
Neighborhood crime risk and resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia in middle childhood: evidence of gender differences

Although there is a robust link between resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a biological marker of emotion regulation, and risk for psychopathology, the factors that may be associated with aberrant RSA development remain unclear. The goal of the current study was to examine the relation between children's resting levels of RSA and neighborhood crime, a macro-level environmental stressor associated with increased risk for multiple forms of psychopathology in youth. The levels of neighborhood crime were obtained using a geocoded neighborhood crime exposure database, allowing for the objective assessment of the likelihood of crime occurring in the child's community. The results indicated that the relation between neighborhood crime and resting RSA differed for girls and boys such that living in a neighborhood with higher risk of exposure to violent crimes was associated with lower RSA for girls, but not boys. These results suggest that living in a higher crime neighborhood is associated with an objective, biologically-based marker of emotion regulation and highlight how neighborhood crime may be specifically associated with risk for girls.
Breast MRI radiomics for the pretreatment prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in node-positive breast cancer patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate breast MRI radiomics in predicting, prior to any treatment, the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with invasive lymph node (LN)-positive breast cancer for two tasks: (1) prediction of pathologic complete response and (2) prediction of post-NAC LN status. Our study included 158 patients, with 19 showing post-NAC complete pathologic response (pathologic TNM stage T0,N0,MX) and 139 showing incomplete response. Forty-two patients were post-NAC LN-negative, and 116 were post-NAC LN-positive. We further analyzed prediction of response by hormone receptor subtype of the primary cancer (77 hormone receptor-positive, 39 HER2-enriched, 38 triple negative, and 4 cancers with unknown receptor status). Only pre-NAC MRIs underwent computer analysis, initialized by an expert breast radiologist indicating index cancers and metastatic axillary sentinel LNs on DCE-MRI images. Forty-nine computer-extracted radiomics features were obtained, both for the primary cancers and for the metastatic sentinel LNs. Since the dataset contained MRIs acquired at 1.5 T and at 3.0 T, we eliminated features affected by magnet strength using the Mann–Whitney U-test with the null-hypothesis that 1.5 T and 3.0 T samples were selected from populations having the same distribution. Bootstrapping and ROC analysis were used to assess performance of individual features in the two classification tasks. Eighteen features appeared unaffected by magnet strength. Pre-NAC tumor features generally appeared uninformative in predicting response to therapy. In contrast, some pre-NAC LN features were able to predict response: two pre-NAC LN features were able to predict pathologic complete response (area under the ROC curve (AUC) up to 0.82 [0.70; 0.88]), and another two were able to predict post-NAC LN-status (AUC up to 0.72 [0.62; 0.77]), respectively. In the analysis by a hormone receptor subtype, several potentially useful features were identified for predicting response to therapy in the hormone receptor-positive and HER2-enriched cancers.
EPICE cohort: 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes after very preterm birth.

Draper and colleagues present the results of their international, multicentre outcomes study of very preterm (VPT) infants.1 The study was performed in 11 of 19 centres participating in the Effective Perinatal Intensive Care in Europe (EPICE) collaboration. Study participants include infants born between 22 0/7 and 31 6/7 weeks in 2011 and 2012. The primary outcome measure was rate of moderate or severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) using a parent report tool at 2 years of age. There was a high overall rate of moderate or severe NDI and a high degree of variability in rates of NDI between countries, even after adjusting for maternal and infant factors. Understanding and identifying sources of variability in the outcomes of VPT infants are important for guiding neonatal care and decision-making. The authors are to be commended for their international and interinstitutional approach to understanding outcomes and their predictors. Harmonising outcomes measures across centres and countries is no easy feat. This paper highlights an important and understudied problem in maternal and child health: regional variation in outcomes and the role of geography in determining health status. Much has been written about health disparities between rich and poor countries, with differences in disease prevalence and outcomes attributed to lack of medical services, poor sanitation and hygiene, and the scourge of poverty itself.2 But what about differences between middle-income and …
Moduli of $J$-holomorphic curves with Lagrangian boundary conditions and open Gromov-Witten invariants for an $S^1$-equivariant pair

Let $(X,omega)$ be a symplectic manifold‎, ‎$J$ be an $omega$-tame‎ ‎almost complex structure‎, ‎and $L$ be a Lagrangian submanifold‎. ‎The stable compactification of the moduli space of parametrized $J$-holomorphic‎ ‎curves in $X$ with boundary in $L$ (with prescribed topological data)‎ is compact and Hausdorff in Gromov's $C^infty$-topology‎. ‎We construct a Kuranishi structure with corners in the sense of Fukaya and‎ ‎Ono‎. ‎This Kuranishi structure is orientable if $L$ is spin‎. ‎In the special case where the expected dimension of the moduli space‎ ‎is zero‎, ‎and there is an $S^1$-action on the pair $(X,L)$ which‎ ‎preserves $J$ and has no fixed points on $L$‎, ‎we define the ‎Euler number for this $S^1$-equivariant pair and the prescribed‎ ‎topological data‎. ‎We conjecture that this rational number is‎ ‎the one computed by localization techniques using the given $S^1$-action‎.
Filling of Polyglycolic Acid Sheets for Closure of Gastrointestinal Fistulas With an Easily Deliverable Technique Using a Guidewire

Background This retrospective study aimed to investigate the suitable indications, methodology and long-term effect of the closure of gastrointestinal (GI) fistulas using polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets and fibrin glue (FG) and to evaluate the usefulness of a delivery technique using a guidewire. Methods It involved 10 applications in six patients (median age 73 (range 53 - 78) years old, three men) with GI fistulas. A guidewire was introduced endoscopically or percutaneously into the fistula beyond the opposite orifice of the fistula with radiologic control. A tapered catheter was inserted over the guidewire, and the fistula was cleaned with an adequate quantity of saline. Subsequently, a small piece of PGA sheet was skewered onto the guidewire at the center and then pushed using the tapered catheter over the guidewire and delivered into the fistula. In cases of endoscopic procedure, the mucosa around the fistula was ablated, and the orifice of the fistula along with the surrounding mucosa was shielded with a piece of PGA sheet fixed with hemoclips and FG. Results Technical success of fistula closure was achieved in all applications, and no complications were observed after the procedure. The long-term occlusion of the fistula was ultimately achieved in four of six patients at 202 - 654 days (median duration, 244 days) after the last procedure with one or two applications. Conclusions The closure of GI fistulas using PGA sheets and FG demonstrated long-term efficacy for upper GI fistula of a certain length, and the filling technique using a guidewire ensured a safe smooth procedure.
Contemporary and Future Concepts on Hypertension in African Americans: COVID-19 and Beyond.

Background Cardiovascular disease related mortality is the leading cause of death in the United States, with hypertension being the most prevalent and potent risk factor. For decades hypertension has disproportionately affected African Americans, who also have a higher burden of associated comorbidities including diabetes and heart failure. Methods Current literature including guideline reports and newer studies on hypertension in African Americans in PubMed were reviewed. We also reviewed newer publications on the relationship between COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease. Findings While APOL1 has been theorized in the epidemiology of hypertension, the increased prevalence and associated risks are primarily due to environmental and lifestyle factors. These factors include poor diet, adverse lifestyle, and social determinants. Hypertension control can be achieved by lifestyle modifications such as low sodium diet, weight loss, and adequate physical activity. When lifestyle modifications alone do not adequately control hypertension, a common occurrence among African Americans who suffer with greater prevalence of resistant hypertension, pharmacological intervention is indicated. The efficacy of renal denervation, and the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 and aminopeptidase A inhibitors, have been studied for treatment of resistant hypertension. Furthermore, the recent COVID-19 crisis has been particularly devastating among African Americans who demonstrate increased incidence and poorer health outcomes related to the disease. Conclusion The disparities in outcomes, which are largely attributable to a greater prevalence of comorbidities such as hypertension and obesity, in addition to adverse environmental and socioeconomic factors, highlight the necessity of specialized clinical approaches and programs for African Americans to address longstanding barriers to equitable care.
Development and internal validation of a predictive model of cognitive decline 36 months following elective surgery.

Introduction Our goal was to determine if features of surgical patients, easily obtained from the medical chart or brief interview, could be used to predict those likely to experience more rapid cognitive decline following surgery. Methods We analyzed data from an observational study of 560 older adults (≥70 years) without dementia undergoing major elective non-cardiac surgery. Cognitive decline was measured using change in a global composite over 2 to 36 months following surgery. Predictive features were identified as variables readily obtained from chart review or a brief patient assessment. We developed predictive models for cognitive decline (slope) and predicting dichotomized cognitive decline at a clinically determined cut. Results In a hold-out testing set, the regularized regression predictive model achieved a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.146 and a model r-square (R2 ) of .31. Prediction of "rapid" decliners as a group achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of .75. Conclusion Some of our models could predict persons with increased risk for accelerated cognitive decline with greater accuracy than relying upon chance, and this result might be useful for stratification of surgical patients for inclusion in future clinical trials.
Do Credit Booms Predict U.S. Recessions

This paper investigates the role of bank credit in predicting U.S. recessions since the 1960s in the context of a bivariate probit model. A set of results emerge. First, credit booms are shown to have strong positive effects in predicting declines in the business cycle at horizons ranging from six to nine months. Second, I propose to isolate the effect of credit booms by identifying the contribution of excess bank liquidity alongside a housing factor in the downturn of each cycle. Third, the out-of-sample performance of the model is tested on the most recent credit-driven recession, the Great Recession of 2008. The model performs better than a more parsimonious version where we restrict the effect of credit booms on the business cycle in the system to be zero.
Attention in Reasoning: Dataset, Analysis, and Modeling.

While attention has been an increasingly popular component in deep neural networks to both interpret and boost the performance of models, little work has examined how attention progresses to accomplish a task and whether it is reasonable. In this work, we propose an Attention with Reasoning capability (AiR) framework that uses attention to understand and improve the process leading to task outcomes. We first define an evaluation metric based on a sequence of atomic reasoning operations, enabling a quantitative measurement of attention that considers the reasoning process. We then collect human eye-tracking and answer correctness data, and analyze various machine and human attention mechanisms on their reasoning capability and how they impact task performance. To improve the attention and reasoning ability of visual question answering models, we propose to supervise the learning of attention progressively along the reasoning process and to differentiate the correct and incorrect attention patterns. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in analyzing and modeling attention with better reasoning capability and task performance. The code and data are available at \url{https://github.com/szzexpoi/AiR}.
Meningovascular Neurosyphilis Presenting as Ischemic Stroke in an HIV Positive Patient (P2.297)

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the presentation of meningovascular neurosyphilis (MVNS) as an acute ischemic stroke (AIS). BACKGROUND: Neurosyphilis has a broad range of symptoms. Some clinical presentations MVNS may resemble AIS secondary to atherosclerosis. MVNS also often mimics the appearance of atherosclerosis on routine non-invasive cerebral vessel imaging modalities. DESIGN/METHODS: A 27-year-old male without known past medical history presented with right-sided hemiparesis and dysarthria. MR imaging revealed left thalamocapsular AIS, basilar artery (BA) occlusion, and absence of the left posterior communicating artery (PComm). Cerebral angiogram confirmed BA occlusion of the proximal one-third segment with the distal BA supplied by the right PComm. The BA lumen was irregular, suggestive of stenosis rather than thrombus. RESULTS: Repeat imaging confirmed previous findings plus new findings of a flow gap and severe narrowing of the right ICA terminus (ICA-T), M1, A1 segment origins; mild irregularity and narrowing of the left ICA-T, M1, A1 segment origins; flow gap of the left PCA P1 segment, respectively. Contrast images revealed vessel wall enhancement of both vertebral arteries suggestive of vasculitis. On clinical examination, anal condylomas were noted. RPR was positive, CSF VDRL was reactive, and HIV positive status was confirmed. The patient was treated with IV penicillin for neurosyphilis, which resulted in symptomatic improvement. Repeat post-contrast images revealed significant resolution of the newly discovered vessel abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: MVNS should be considered in AIS patients without known risk factors, especially in patients who are HIV positive. Prompt treatment can halt progression of and possibly improve symptomatology. Diagnosis and improvement can be monitored with intracranial arterial wall imaging using contrast-enhanced MRI. Disclosure: Dr. Tipirneni has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gordon-Perue has nothing to disclose. Dr. DeSousa has nothing to disclose. Dr. Koch has nothing to disclose. Dr. Romano has received personal compensation for activities with NovaVision. Dr. Malik has nothing to disclose.
Saline volume expansion and cardiovascular physiology: novel observations, old explanations, and new questions

In a clinical investigation, Kumar and coworkers reported the hemodynamic events that accompany plasma volume expansion over 3 hours in healthy adult volunteers, and found that increases in stroke volume (SV) may be related to increases in left ventricular (LV)/right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic volume, as they expected, but also to decreases in LV/RV end-systolic volume. The latter finding suggests increased contractility and/or decreased afterload, which do not fit with their perception that clinicians ascribe increases in SV to increases in end-diastolic volume based on Starling's work. Increased ejection fraction and decreased vascular resistances were also observed. The same authors recently reported novel data suggesting that reduced blood viscosity may account for the observed reduction in vascular resistances with saline volume expansion. However, the variances in preload and afterload, along with uncertainty in estimates of contractility, substantially limit their ability to define a primary mechanism to explain decreases in LV end-systolic volume. A focus on using ejection fraction to evaluate the integrated performance of the cardiovascular system is provided to broaden this analytic perspective. Sagawa and colleagues described an approach to estimate the relationship, under clinical conditions, between ventricular and arterial bed elastances (i.e. maximal ventricular systolic elastance [Emax] and maximal arterial systolic elastance [Ea]), reflecting ventricular–arterial coupling. I used the mean data provided in one of the reports from Kumar and coworkers to calculate that LV Emax decreased from 1.09 to 0.96 mmHg/ml with saline volume expansion, while Ea decreased from 1.1 to 0.97 mmHg/ml and the SV increased (i.e. the increase in mean SV was associated with a decrease in mean afterload while the mean contractility decreased). The results reported by Kumar and coworkers invite further studies in normal and critically ill patients during acute saline-induced plasma volume expansion and hemodilution. If reduced viscosity decreases afterload, then this raises the questions by what mechanism, and what is the balance of benefit and harm associated with reduced blood viscosity affecting oxygen delivery? Why the mean Emax might decrease must be evaluated with respect to benefit in reducing ventricular work or a negative inotropic effect of saline.
Deciphering Structural Fingerprints for Metalloproteins with Quantum Chemical Calculations

Abstract Computational investigations of spectroscopic observables can help many experimental studies and provide an important venue for the structural investigations of proteins. Here we report the first detailed quantum chemical investigation of the hydrogen-bonding effect on Mossbauer spectroscopic properties of metalloproteins, using various active site models of oxymyoglobin. The hydrogen bond between O2 and the distal His residue was found to strengthen the binding of oxygen, highlighting the role of protein environment on its biological function. The hydrogen bonding also entails more FeIII– O 2 − character. These structural effects result in clear differences in the predicted Mossbauer properties, with those of the lowest energy, hydrogen-bonded, Weiss-type, open-shell singlet state, in best agreement with the experiment. These results suggest that the use of quantum chemical calculations of Mossbauer properties can help identify and assess the effect of hydrogen bonding in the protein active site.
Don't Fear the Regress: Epistemic Infinitism and Cognitive Value

This essay is an introductory overview of the considerations in favor of epistemic infinitism, the view that the demands of justification are that one must have non-terminating series of reasons for one's beliefs if they are to be knowledge.
Does Excess Body Fat Maintained After the Seventh Decade Decrease Life Expectancy

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the attenuation in risk of death due to excess body fat seen in most studies of older adults may be due to confounding, the relationship between adiposity and mortality was examined in adults who never smoked, were free of major chronic diseases, and maintained stable weight over long periods. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The Adventist Health Study and Adventist Mortality Study in California. PARTICIPANTS: Six thousand thirty adults aged 25 to 82 who had never smoked and had no history of coronary heart disease, cancer, or stroke. MEASUREMENTS: During 29 years of follow-up, anthropometric data were collected at baseline and 17 years later, and mortality surveillance continued for 12 years thereafter. Data were analyzed using survival analysis with attained age as the time variable. RESULTS: Instantaneous hazard plots indicated that men with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 22.3 kg/m2 and women with a BMI greater than 27.4 kg/m2 had a greater mortality risk through the ninth decade than those with lower BMI. For men aged 75 to 99 who maintained stable body weight, a BMI greater than 22.3 kg/m2 was associated with a 3.7-year (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.1-6.3) shorter life expectancy and significantly greater mortality (hazard ratio (HR)=1.88, 95% CI=1.16-3.04, for BMI=22.3-27.3 kg/m2; HR=2.00, 95% CI=1.01-3.97 for BMI>27.3 kg/m2; reference, BMI 27.4 kg/m2; reference, BMI 20.6-27.4 kg/m2). CONCLUSION: Excess body fat maintained after the seventh decade decreases life expectancy but appears to be less lethal in women.
Gene inactivation of Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 attenuates apoptosis and mitochondrial damage following transient focal cerebral ischemia

We investigated mechanisms underlying the Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1)-mediated neuronal damage in transient focal ischemia. Physiological parameters, body and tympanic temperatures, and regional cerebral blood flow during 30 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion were similar in wild-type NHE1 (NHE1+/+) and NHE1 heterozygous (NHE1+/-) mice. NHE1+/+ mice developed infarct volume of 57.3 +/- 8.8 mm(3) at 24 h reperfusion (Rp), which progressed to 86.1 +/- 10.0 mm(3) at 72 h Rp. This delayed cell death was preceded by release of mitochondrial cytochrome c (Cyt. C), nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), activation of caspase-3, and TUNEL-positive staining and chromatin condensation in the ipsilateral hemispheres of NHE1+/+ brains. In contrast, NHE1+/- mice had a significantly smaller infarct volume and improved neurological function. A similar neuroprotection was obtained with NHE1 inhibitor HOE 642. The number of apoptotic cells, release of AIF and Cyt. C or levels of active caspase-3 was significantly reduced in NHE1+/- brains. These data imply that NHE1 activity may contribute to ischemic apoptosis. Ischemic brains did not exhibit changes of NHE1 protein expression. In contrast, up-regulation of NHE1 expression was found in NHE1+/+ neurons after in vitro ischemia. These data suggest that NHE1 activation following cerebral ischemia contributes to mitochondrial damage and ischemic apoptosis.
Optimum domain partitioning to increase functional verification coverage

Constrained Random Verification (CRV) is becoming the mainstream methodology for the functional verification of complex System on Chip (SoC) designs. In CRV, constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) solvers are used to generate the input stimulus required for verification. In order to achieve the verification closure, CRV tools have to produce multiple different solutions, distributed uniformly in the search space. One way to achieve even distribution of solutions is to divide the search space into several clusters and generate solutions from each cluster. Present day partitioning techniques treat the number of cluster as an input which must be given in advance. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating this parameter. The experimental results show that the proposed method helps to find the number of cluster accurately in a very short time.
Trichinella spiralis: Skeletal muscle membrane potentials in infected and uninfected mice

Male albino mice were infected orally with 400 ± 10 excysted Trichinella spiralis larvae. Skeletal muscle resting membrane potentials were recorded from the tibialis anterior muscles of infected and uninfected mice on the following days postinfection (PI): 1–15, 18, 20, 24, 28, 30–60 (at 5-day intervals), 90, 120, 150, and 180. The membrane potentials were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in infected muscle (82 vs 85 mV) on Day 30 PI. On Days 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 PI the mean membrane potential in infected muscle (62 mV) was about 23 mV lower than the mean for uninfected muscle (85 mV) and this difference was highly significant (P < 0.001). These findings are discussed in relationship to other physiological alterations known to occur in skeletal muscles infected with T. spiralis larvae.
On the Mechanism of Serotonin-Induced Dipsogenesis in the Rat

Subcutaneous administration of 1-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), the precursor of serotonin, to female rats induces copious drinking accompanied by activation of the renin-angiotensin system. Neither a reduction in blood pressure nor body temperature accompanied administration of 5-HTP. The objective of the present study was to determine whether serotonin-induced dipsogenesis, like that of 5-HTP, is mediated via the renin-angiotensin system. Serotonin (2 mg/kg, SC)-induced drinking was inhibited by the dopaminergic antagonist, haloperidol (150 /micro g/kg, IP), which also inhibits angiotensin II-induced drinking, Both captopril (35 mg/kg, IP), an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, and propranolol (6 micro g/kg, IP), a beta-adrenergic antagonist, blocked serotonin-induced dipsogenesis. The alpha(sub a),-adrenergic agonist, clonidine (6.25 micro g/kg, SC), which suppresses renin release from the kidney, attenuated serotonin-induced water intake. The dipsogenic responses to submaximal concentrations of both serotonin (1 mg/kg, SC) and isoproterenol (8 micro g/kg, SC) were additive rather than interactive suggesting that similar pathways mediate both responses. The serotonergic receptor antagonist, methysergide (3 mg/kg, IP), inhibited serotonin-induced drinking but had no effect on isoproterenol (25micro g/kg, SC)-induced dipsogenesis. However, neither serotonin (2 mg/kg, SC) nor isoproterenol (25 micro g/kg, SC)-induced drinking was inhibited by cinansefin (25 micro g/kg, IP). These data indicate that serotonin induces drinking in rats via the renin-angiotensin system. However, the results of the studies using methysergide suggest that scrotonin appears to act at a point prior to activation of beta-adrenoceptors in the pathway leading to release of renin from the kidneys.
Liposome Damage and Modeling of Fragments of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (IAPP) Support a Two-Step Model of Membrane Destruction

A key factor in the development of Type II diabetes is the loss of insulin-producing beta-cells. Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is believed to play a crucial role in this process by forming small aggregates that disrupt the cellular membrane. During Type II diabetes mellitus, human IAPP (hIAPP) fibrillizes to form amyloid deposits. However, the role of various regions of the 37 amino acid peptide in the process of membrane disruption has yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, several fragments (10–19, 20–29, 10–29, 1–19) of hIAPP were synthesized and compared to full length hIAPP for their effects on model PC/PS bilayers. These fragments were also modeled using density functional methods and analyzed by circular dichroism, to determine possible correlations between activity and available conformations and charge distribution. Results from dye leakage and Thioflavin T fluorescence assays confirmed that the hIAPP fragments disrupt the lipid bilayer to varying extents, despite their inability to form amyloid fibrils. The longer and more positively charged fragments were most active in the assay (1–19 > 10–29 > 10–19 > 20–29), though none rivaled the activity of the native full length peptide. This may reflect their relative abilities to interact with the negatively charged membrane. Data support a two-step model for membrane disruption: insertion by the N-terminus followed by fibrillization mediated by the middle to C-terminal region.
MacMahon's Master Theorem, Double Tableau Polynomials, and Representations of Groups

It is shown that MacMahon's master theorem gives the diagonal elements of a class of irreducible representations of the general linear group,Gl(n,C), and hence the trace of these representations, or the group characters. These representations are unitary under restriction to the unitary subgroup and constitute the so-called totally symmetric representations. A generalization of MacMahon's master theorem that generates the elements of the representation matrix themselves is given. These relations for groups are, in fact, more general in that they apply to arbitrary matrices of indeterminates. These results are proved by using the properties of a class of Young?Weyl tableau polynomials defined overn2indeterminates. Forn=2, two sets of basic polynomials are defined in terms of Young?Weyl tableaux. The first set corresponds to the unitary irreducible representations of U(2), as defined in the physics literature and whose properties comprise a substantive part of what is known as the quantum theory of angular momentum; the second set is Rota's double standard tableau polynomials. These two sets of polynomials span the same space, and a comprehensive set of relations between them is given. A further generalization of MacMahon's master theorem pertaining to the general polynomial representations ofGL(n,C), as enumerated by partitions, is conjectured and is shown to contain the classical Schur function generating function as a special case.
Transverse solidification textures in hexagonal close-packed alloys

Abstract Previous studies on directionally solidified hexagonal close-packed (hcp) sea ice have found that the c-axis orient parallel to a shear fluid flow that is driven external to the solute boundary layer, and perpendicular to a flow that is driven from within the mushy zone as a result of the solidification itself. The origin of these transverse solidification textures is thought to arise from the interaction of these flows with the platelet-like dendrites. However, transverse textures have not been previously studied in hcp phase-rich metallic alloys, which also exhibit platelets. Unlike in a control on a Zn–3 wt% Sn alloy solidified vertically at 0.3°C/min and in an experiment on the same alloy solidified horizontally at the same rate, we found that a Zn–19 wt% Sn alloy solidified horizontally at 0.1°C/min exhibits some preferred orientation of the c-axis in the direction perpendicular to the flow, presumably due to the efficacy of convection over diffusion in removing solute from within the mushy zone. This suggests that transverse texturing is a general phenomenon of directionally solidified hcp alloys in the presence of fluid flow, as a result of the platelet nature of hcp dendrites.
High Pressure Polymorphism in Cesium

A new polymorph of cesium, existing over the narrow pressure range from about 42.2 to 42.7 kilobars at room temperature, has been discovered. Its crystal structure is face-centered-cubic with a = 5.800 +/- 0.007 A at 42.5 kb and 27 degrees C. Cesium-II, which exists over the pressure range 23.7 to 42.2 kb, is also face-centered-cubic with a = 5.984 +/- 0.011 A at 41 kb and 27 degrees C. An improved resistance-pressure curve and x-ray compressibility measurements for Cs are also given.
Rybp interacts with Hippi and enhances Hippi-mediated apoptosis.

Rybp (DEDAF) has been shown to interact with DED-containing proteins and to encode pro-apoptotic functions. Here we characterize a novel interaction between Rybp and Hippi, a protein implicated in neuronal apoptosis as well as in the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease. Rybp can synergize with Hippi to enhance Caspase 8-mediated apoptosis and also appears to be essential for Hippi-mediated apoptosis. Moreover, Rybp may mediate or regulate the interaction between Hippi and Caspase 8. Finally, Rybp and Hippi co-localize in a subset of neurons in the developing mouse brain. Together, these findings suggest that Rybp and Hippi may functionally interact in the apoptotic processes that accompany normal murine neural development.
PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION

(1982). Psychology and education. British Journal of Educational Studies: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 43-56.
Proton lifetime and baryon number violating signatures at the CERN LHC in gauge extended models

There exist a number of models in the literature in which the weak interactions are derived from a chiral gauge theory based on a larger group than $SU(2{)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1{)}_{Y}$. Such theories can be constructed so as to be anomaly free and consistent with precision electroweak measurements, and may be interpreted as a deconstruction of an extra dimension. They also provide interesting insights into the issues of flavor and dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, and can help to raise the mass of the Higgs boson in supersymmetric theories. In this work we show that these theories can also give rise to baryon and lepton number violating processes, such as nucleon decay and spectacular multijet events at colliders, via the instanton transitions associated with the extended gauge group. For a particular model based on $SU(2{)}_{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2{)}_{2}$, we find that the $B+L$ violating scattering cross sections are too small to be observed at the LHC, but that the lower limit on the lifetime of the proton implies an upper bound on the gauge couplings.
Exercise Training and Quality of Life in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE To establish whether exercise improves quality of living (QOL) in individuals with type 2 diabetes and which exercise modalities are involved. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Health benefits of aerobic and resistance training in individuals with type 2 diabetes (HART-D; n = 262) was a 9-month exercise study comparing the effects of aerobic training, resistance training, or a combination of resistance and aerobic training versus a nonexercise control group on hemoglobin A1C (HbA 1C ) in sedentary individuals with type 2 diabetes. This study is an ancillary analysis that examined changes in QOL after exercise training using the Short Form-36 Health Survey questionnaire compared across treatment groups and with U.S. national norms. RESULTS The ancillary sample ( n = 173) had high baseline QOL compared with U.S. national norms. The QOL physical component subscale (PCS) and the general health (GH) subscale were improved by all three exercise training conditions compared with the control group condition (resistance: PCS, P = 0.005; GH, P = 0.003; aerobic: PCS, P = 0.001; GH, P = 0.024; combined: PCS, P = 0.015; GH, P = 0.024). The resistance training group had the most beneficial changes in bodily pain ( P = 0.026), whereas physical functioning was most improved in the aerobic and combined condition groups ( P = 0.025 and P = 0.03, respectively). The changes in the mental component score did not differ between the control group and any of the exercise groups (all P >0.05). The combined training condition group had greater gains than the aerobic training condition group in the mental component score ( P = 0.004), vitality ( P = 0.031), and mental health ( P = 0.008), and greater gains in vitality compared with the control group ( P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS Exercise improves QOL in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Combined aerobic/resistance exercise produces greater benefit in some QOL domains.
Cloud Condensation Nuclei

Abstract The state of knowledge of the particles upon which liquid droplets condense to form atmospheric water clouds is presented. The realization of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) as a distinct aerosol subset originated with the cloud microphysical measurements and theoretical insights of Patrick Squires 40 years ago. He helped originate and continue the development of CCN counters and made significant CCN measurements for more than 25 years. Recognition of the importance of CCN has expanded from warm-rain efficiency to aerosol scavenging, cloud radiative properties and other topics. In spite of a promising beginning and much encouragement over the years, CCN knowledge has increased minimally. Significant uncertainties about global climate change cannot be reduced without expansion of the knowledge base of CCN.
Isolation and characterization of poly(adenylic acid)-containing messenger ribonucleic acid from rat liver polysomes

Abstract Undegraded rat liver polysomes were obtained after homogenizing the tissue in a medium containing NH 4 Cl, heparine, and yeast tRNA. Purification of poly(A)-containing RNA from polysomal RNA was accomplished by affinity chromatography on oligo(dT)-cellulose columns. Poly(A)-containing RNA molecules were monitored by the formation of ribonuclease-resistant hybrids with [ 3 H]poly(U). To improve the separation of messenger RNA and ribosomal RNA by oligo(dT)-cellulose it was found essential to dissociate the aggregates formed between both molecular species by heat treatment in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide (Me 2 SO) prior to chromatography. Sucrose gradient analysis under denaturing conditions showed that the preparations obtained were virtually free of ribosomal RNA. Poly(A)-containing RNA constituted approx. 2.2% of the total polysomal RNA and the number average size was 1500–1800 nucleotides, as judged by sedimentation analysis on sucrose density gradients containing Me 2 SO. Approximately 8.2% of the purified preparation obtained was able to anneal with [ 3 H]poly(U); the number average nucleotide length of the poly(A) segment of the RNA population was calculated to be 133 adenylate residues. Based on these values, our preparations appear to be greater than 90% pure. The RNA fractions obtained after oligo(dT)-cellulose chromatography were used to direct the synthesis of liver polypeptides in a heterologous cell-free system derived from wheat-germ. The system was optimized with respect to monovalent and divalent cations, and presence of polyamines (spermine). More than 65% of the translational activity present in the unfractionated polysomal RNA was recovered in the final poly(A)-containing RNA fraction. However, about 25% of the activity was found to be associated with the unbound fraction which was essentially free of poly(A)-containing RNA. Immunoprecipitation analysis with a specific antiserum to rat serum albumin demonstrated that about 6–8% of the labeled synthetic products translated from the poly(A)-containing RNA sample corresponded to serum albumin. Analysis of the translation products by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a heterogeneous distribution of molecular sizes ranging from 15 000 to greater than 70 000 daltons. Spermine not only increased the overall yield and extent of protein synthesis, but also resulted in higher yields of large protein products. Under optimal translation conditions a discrete peak representing about 7% of the total radioactivity was observed to migrate with rat serum albumin.
A further investigation of the response of Leuconostoc to nicotinic acid and related compounds.

This report is an extension of an earlier study which dealt with certain unusual aspects of the growth response of Leuconostoc to nicotinic acid and related compounds. It was first reported by Johnson1 that Leuconostoc mesenteroides 9135, though requiring nicotinic acid, did not respond to ordinary amounts of nicotinamide or nicotinuric acid. It was found by the writers2 that of 6 Leuconostoc cultures which needed nicotinic acid for prompt growth in a casein digest medium, two of them failed to grow in the presence of nicotinamide, diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPN), or triphosphopyridine nucleotide (TPN), while a third culture failed to grow in nicotinamide but grew promptly when DPN or TPN was supplied. Also, these 3 cultures did not respond to ordinary amounts of nicotinuric acid and methyl nicotinate, compounds which usually are utilized readily by other nicotinic acid requiring bacteria. The present work deals with certain aspects of the behavior of Leuconostoc not covered in our earlier report and includes also some tests with Streptococcus salivarius. The series of Leuconostoc cultures was extended to include additional representatives of the genus. A synthetic medium of amino acids and other definite compounds was used for this larger series of cultures in place of
Understanding A Snail's Eye at a Snail's Pace

This paper is cast in the form of answers to pertinent (sometimes impertinent) questions which a reader might ask of persons devoting the better part of a scientific career to studying the eye of a snail. Two structures in the eye of Helix aspersa are emphasized: the microvilli and microvesicles of type I photosensory cells. Evidence is presented to support the conclusions that the microvilli are the light-sensitive organelles and that the microvesicles, termed photic vesicles, bring to the microvilli substances needed in photoreception, such as photopigment and perhaps calcium. The evidence consists of: uptake of radioactive vitamin A by the villi and vesicles, formation of a black precipitate by both structures upon prolonged staining with osmium tetroxide, the effects of light and dark upon the microvilli and photic vesicles, a comparison between the photic vesicles of a light-tolerant slug and those of a nocturnal slug, and a preliminary finding of a high concentration of calcium in the somatic layer of the retina. The movement of the photic vesicles from the Golgi centers, where they are formed, to the microvilli is attributed to rhythmic, light-dependent pulsations of the eye caused by contractions of smooth muscle cells embedded in the optic capsule.
Hydrocephalus and Chiari type I malformation

Intoduction Hydrocephalus has been related to Chiari type I malformation (CIM) for a long time. The pathogenesis of this association is complex and still debated.