cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sequence Analysis of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Gene in Pediatric Patients with Autoimmunity

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) is a multifunctional protein hormone that contributes to host defense and perinatal immunologic development. Dysregulated TNF production, however, occurs during the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and may be inherent to their development. In animal models of autoimmunity, dysregulated TNF synthesis has resulted from mutations in TNF gene regulatory sequences, specifically those sequences involved in translational control of TNF gene expression. In this study, we have determined whether mutations in the TNF translational control sequences are present in pediatric patients with type I diabetes mellitus and connective tissue diseases. Blood samples were collected from 48 patients with connective tissue diseases, 32 patients with diabetes, and 29 controls. A 250-bp fragment of the translational control sequences present in the TNF 3′-untranslated region was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, sequenced, and analyzed relative to the published TNF sequence. In this study, all patients and controls exhibited the normal sequence, with no insertions or deletions in the translational control motifs. We conclude that polymorphisms in the TNF 3′-untranslated region occur infrequently, if at all, in patients with diseases examined here.
Algorithms for the Clinical Analysis of Nystagmus Eye Movements

Two algorithms used in the clinical analysis of nystagmus are described. Their development was necessitated by the greater complexity of the nystagmus waveforms in response to system identification types of vestibular and optokinetic stimuli as compued to the less complex response to a step input. Practical considerations for clinical application also influenced their development. The first algorithm converts nystagmus data into a regulary sampled estimate of slow phase velocity (SPV), an important feature of the signal. It uses a new set of fast phase detection conditions which allow for automatic processing of reversals in nystagmus direction and for wide variability for clinical data. The second algorithm detects noise induced spikes in this SPV estimate using an adaptive criterion based upon a measure of the overall "noisiness" of the data compared to the stimulus.
Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Generation Systems and Their Performance Indicators

As an important clean and renewable energy, tidal energy is attracting more and more attention, and various plan and projects are being made worldwide to generate power. First, this paper discusses the current status of tidal power generation, and then describes Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) energy turbines and related facilities. Then, the paper proposes performance indicators of the power generation systems in aspects of their power output estimate and reliability.
Dimensional measurement and defect detection using spatial filtering

A new method is described that utilizes coherent bandpass spatial filtering and subsequent superposition to form filtered images in which small differences in size and geometry of the original object are readily detected. The theoretical basis is discussed and experiments described in which signal ratios of about 10:1 are obtained for a diameter change of 2.5 percent of a clear circular disc. The method is used to process in parallel a 57-mm evaporation mask containing 12 000 holes, each being 0.1 mm in diameter. The size of each hole is accurately gauged and small imperfections are indicated in the filtered image.
Supplemental Security Income recipients affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: an analysis of two years of administrative data

Approximately 350,000 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients—elderly and disabled individuals with low incomes and assets—lived in the areas directly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August 2005. We show that recipients from affected areas were more likely to leave the program, have more volatile participation patterns, and leave the area in the 2 years following the hurricanes than were recipients from unaffected areas. Among recipients from more severely affected areas relative to those from unaffected states, the odds of dying were 40% greater and the odds of leaving SSI for other reasons were 23% greater. Additionally, 31% of recipients from more severely affected areas had experienced a non-payment month, with 46% subsequently returning to the rolls (compared with 23% and 41% of recipients from unaffected states). Nearly 60% of SSI recipients from more severely affected areas lived in a different county or parish 2 years after the hurricanes, compared with about 12% from unaffected areas. In all, our findings demonstrate that natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita can have large and persistent impacts on SSI recipients, including effects on program status, mortality, and geographic location.
A Computer System for Radionuclide Analysis

An interactive computer system for the acquisition and reduction of data for activation analysis studies has been developed. It is automatic, but achieves considerable flexibility by allowing the researcher, who need not be familiar with computers, to direct the progress of the analysis. Hardware and software form an integrated system which allows the construction and maintenance of a library of standards, acquires and manipulates data under user control, and performs the calculations for quantitative analysis of trace element concentrations.
The Freshman 15: is it real?

Objective: The belief that college students gain 15 Ibs during freshman year is widespread, yet the evidence for this is limited. The authors aimed to determine whether college students gain weight during freshman year. Participants: The authors studied unmarried freshmen living on-campus at a private university in the northeastern United States. Methods: The authors used an online survey to collect information about social behaviors and weight. Results: The authors observed an average weight gain of 2.7 Ibs. About half of the students gained weight, and 15% lost weight. Men gained more weight than did women. Conclusions: Freshman weight gain was 5.5 times greater than that experienced by the general population.
Development of Zn–Ni–Cd coatings by pulse electrodeposition process

Abstract A pulse electrodeposition process was developed for the synthesis of Zn–Ni–Cd alloys with cadmium contents between 2 and 7 wt.%. The alloy was deposited from an alkaline bath (pH = 9.3). The results indicated that the average current density and pulse current on time ( T on ) control the corrosion potential and the composition of the resultant alloys. An increase in average current density resulted in a decrease in both nickel and cadmium content in the alloy. At lower T on time (0.5 ms), higher percentages of zinc and cadmium were deposited. The barrier properties of Zn–Ni–Cd alloys plated using different average current densities were evaluated by using mechanical, electrochemical and ASTM B117 salt spray tests and compared with commercial Zn–Ni and Cd deposits. The results indicated that Zn–Ni–Cd alloys exhibit superior barrier properties when compared to Cd or Zn–Ni coatings.
Inupiat Health and Proposed Alaskan Oil Development: Results of the First Integrated Health Impact Assessment/Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Oil Development on Alaska’s North Slope

We report on the first Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for proposed oil and gas development in Alaska’s North Slope region. Public health is not generally analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process in the U.S. We conducted an HIA for proposed oil development within the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska in response to growing concerns among North Slope Inupiat communities regarding the potential impacts of regional industrial expansion on their health and culture. We employed a qualitative HIA methodology, involving a combination of stakeholder input, literature review, and qualitative analysis, through which we identified potential health effects. The possible health outcomes identified include increases in diabetes and related metabolic conditions as a result of dietary change; rising rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and suicide; increased injury rates; more frequent asthma exacerbations; and increased exposure to organic pollutant, including carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. There are also potential benefits, including funding for infrastructure and health care; increased employment and income; and continued funding of existing infrastructure. Based on these findings, we recommend a series of public health mitigation measures. This project represents the first formal effort to include a systematic assessment of public health within the U.S. EIS process. The inclusion of public health concerns within an EIS may offer an important and underutilized avenue through which to argue for environmental management strategies that focus on public health, and may offer communities a stronger voice in the EIS process.
A study of cumulant approximations to n -electron valence multireference perturbation theory

We investigate the possibility of reducing the complexity of multireference perturbation theory through cumulant based approximations to the high-order density matrices that appear in such theories. Our test cases show that while the cumulant approximated forms are degraded in accuracy relative to the parent theory and exhibit intruder state problems that must be carefully handled, they may provide a route to a simple estimation of dynamic correlation when the parent perturbation theory is infeasible. Nonetheless, further work is clearly needed on better approximations to the denominators in the perturbation theory.
A Review of “Planet of Cities”

Shlomo Angel has distilled a career in urban development in the developing world, together with 10 years of painstaking empirical research, into a powerful and important message for policymakers an...
Studies of parity and time reversal symmetries in neutron scattering from165Ho

We describe searches for parity and time reversal violations in the scattering of polarized neutrons from polarized and aligned165Ho targets. We have completed a search with 7.1 and 11.0 MeV neutrons for PoddTodd terms in the elastic scattering forward amplitude of the form s. (I×K), wheres is the neutron spin,I is the target spin andk is the neutron momentum vector. The target was a single crystal of holmium, polarized horizontally along itsb axis by a 1 Tesla magnetic field. The neutrons were polarized vertically. Differences in the neutron transmission were measured for neutrons with spins parallel (antiparallel) toI×k. The P,T violating analyzing powers were found to be consistent with zero at the few 10−3 level: ρP,T(7.1 MeV)=−0.88 (±2.02) x 10−3, ρP,T(11.0 MeV)=−0.4 (±2.88) x 10−3. We have also attempted to find enhancements with MeV neutrons in P-violation due to the term s\k. We are preparing an aligned target cryostat for investigations of PevenTodd terms {bd(I\k)(I×k)\s} in neutron scattering. The target will be a single crystal cylinder of165Ho cooled to 100 mK in a bath of liquid helium and rotated by a shaft from a room temperature stepping motor. The cylinder will be oriented vertically and the alignment (c) axis oriented horizontally. Warming or rotation of the sample allows one to separate effects that mimic the sought-after time reversal violating term.
ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCTION : REDUCTION-DRIVEN HYDROPHOBIC FOLDING DEMONSTRATED IN A MODEL PROTEIN TO PERFORM MECHANICAL WORK

It has long been appreciated that hydrophobic folding is an important element of protein structure formation. Here it is demonstrated for the first time that the electrochemical or chemical reduction of a nicotinamide in a model protein, which increases hydrophobicity, can drive hydrophobic folding and assembly in such a way as to lift a weight or otherwise contract against a constant tensional force. The model protein, poly[0.73(GVGVP),0.27(GK(NMeN)GVP], can be gamma-irradiation cross-linked to form an elastic matrix which contracts on raising the temperature from below to above the transition range for hydrophobic folding and assembly. On reduction of the N-methyl nicotinamide, (NMeN), the transition temperature range is lowered from above to below 20 degrees C to drive contraction due to hydrophobic folding with the performance of mechanical work.
Cytochrome P-450 and Drug Metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi: Effects of Phenobarbital

The epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi hydroxylate drugs at substantial rates. The activity, which is of the mixed-function oxidase type, is increased by phenobarbital and is inhibited by CO, SKF 525-A, and metyrapone. The hydroxylation is paralleled by increases in free and membrane-bound ribosomes.
Estimating Slope Stability Reduction due to Rain Infiltration Mounding

Rainwater can infiltrate into slopes and earth dams. Given sufficient infiltrating rainfall intensity, frequency, and time, the phreatic line within the slope or dam will “mound” above its otherwise steady state position. Such a mound will increase downslope seepage and reduce downslope stability. This paper develops an approximate method for solving this transient seepage “mounding problem” and the resulting reduction in stability. It shows the following variables will reduce stability: increased rainfall intensity and duration, decreasing permeability—especially over the 10−2 – 10−4 mm∕s range—and its anisotropy, increasing the slope cotangent, decreasing the depth to an impermeable underlayer, or increasing the depth to a permeable underlayer. Increasing size and effective porosity has only a time effect. In special circumstances the mounding effect can reduce slope stability by 50% and the paper includes a slope case history example.
The determination of thermodynamic allosteric parameters of an enzyme undergoing steady-state turnover

The free energy description of protein-ligand and ligand-ligand interactions, originally proposed by Weber [Weber, G., Biochemistry 11, 864-878 (1972)] is applied to allosteric enzymes. The free energy of interaction between an allosteric ligand and the substrate can be obtained from the ratio of Michaelis constants at zero and saturating concentrations of allosteric ligand even if the "rapid equilibrium" assumption does not apply to the substrate. It is only necessary that the allosteric ligand achieve equilibrium with the various enzyme forms of the steady state. All allosteric mechanisms can be described by combination of three basic types of constants: dissociation (or Michaelis) constants of each ligand (or substrate) from free enzyme, fractional influence of each modifier on maximal velocity, and the free energy of interaction between various combinations of ligands simultaneously bound to the enzyme. A single free energy of interaction appears in the rate expression for a single substrate-single modifier system. Four parameters completely describe the interactions of a single substrate-double modifier system from which the free energy interaction between all possible combinations of ligands can be derived. Suggestions are made for the graphical estimation of these allosteric parameters. Application of this approach to more complex systems involving cooperativity or multiple allosteric interactions is discussed and compared to evaluating allosteric enzymes with more conventional "two-state" approaches.
Soy Isoflavones Do Not Affect Bone Resorption in Postmenopausal Women: A Dose-Response Study Using a Novel Approach with 41Ca

Introduction: The purpose of this 3-way crossover study was to identify the effective dose of soy protein isolate enriched with isoflavones for suppressing bone resorption in postmenopausal women using a novel, rapid assessment of antibone resorbing treatments. Methods: Thirteen postmenopausal women (≥6 yr since menopause) were predosed with 41Ca iv. After a 200-d baseline period, subjects were given 43 g soy protein/d that contained 0, 97.5, or 135.5 mg total isoflavones in randomized order. The soy protein isolate powder was incorporated into baked products and beverages. Each 50-d intervention phase was preceded by a 50-d pretreatment phase for comparison. Serum isoflavone levels and biochemical markers were measured at the end of each phase. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected approximately every 10 d during each phase for 41Ca/Ca analysis by accelerator mass spectrometry. Results: Serum isoflavone levels reflected the amount of isoflavones consumed in a dose-dependent manner. None of the is...
Active Patient Decision Making Regarding Nerve Sparing During Radical Prostatectomy: A Novel Approach

Purpose: The motivation to preserve sexual function can vary widely among patients before prostatectomy. Increasing patient involvement may allow a more personalized experience and may improve satisfaction. We assessed a strategy of surgeon deference to patient choice in regard to nerve sparing to determine to what degree patients are rational actors and capable of active decision making.Materials and Methods: A total of 150 patients treated with prostatectomy participated in a standardized preoperative discussion regarding the concept of nerve sparing, extracapsular extension and the potential need for adjuvant radiation in the event of local recurrence. Each patient was given his nomogram predicted risk of extracapsular extension and then elected nerve sparing or nonnerve sparing. The corresponding procedure was performed unless grossly invasive disease was encountered.Results: Of the 150 patients 109 chose nerve sparing (73%) and 41 chose nonnerve sparing (27%). In patients with a nomogram predicted ri...
Afferent Neurourology: An Epidemiological Perspective

Purpose: Multiple urological conditions are characterized by bothersome sensations such as pain or urinary urgency. There is significant confusion about the etiology and pattern of these symptoms.Materials and Methods: The term afferent neurourology is introduced to describe the study of sensory processing related to the genitourinary tract. Epidemiological studies related to afferent neurourology are reviewed and unique challenges to our understanding of these disorders are described.Results: Afferent urological disorders are characterized by urological pain or urinary urgency. Conceptually these afferent disorders can be differentiated from efferent urological disorders and structural urological abnormalities. Afferent urological disorders are common in men and women, although symptom severity is variable. Study of the entire disease spectrum may provide insight into pathogenesis and prevention. The natural history of these symptoms is poorly understood. Afferent urological disorders commonly co-occur w...
Multimodal optical imaging of microvessel network convective oxygen transport dynamics

Convective oxygen transport by microvessels depends on several parameters, including red blood cell flux and oxygen saturation. We demonstrate the use of intravital microscopy techniques to measure hemoglobin saturations, red blood cell fluxes and velocities, and microvessel cross-sectional areas in regions of microvascular networks containing multiple vessels. With these methods, data can be obtained at high spatial and temporal resolution and correlations between oxygen transport and hemodynamic parameters can be assessed. In vivo data are presented for a mouse mammary adenocarcinoma grown in a dorsal skinfold window chamber model.
The Multifaceted Aspects of Child Sexual Abuse Summary and Conclusions

This article surveys findings on the lasting effects of child sexual abuse on individuals and on the family, child care, education, social service, health care, and legal systems. Child sexual abuse clearly has immediate identifiable effects, consistent symptom patterns, and adverse long-term effects on both boys and girls. It is suspected as the underlying ideology of a number of mental health disorders that have been resistent to treatment, including borderline and multiple personalities. There are, however, difficulties in establishing a linear relationship between sexual abuse in childhood and a specific outcome in adulthood. More work is needed to develop one conceptual model adequate to describe sexual abuse. Since 1976, the incidents of reported child sexual abuse has risen an estimated 27%. The role of reconstituted families in the increased incidents, and the effect of increased awareness of sexual abuse on teachers and other child care providers are discussed. It is recommended that effort be di...
Forensic body fluid identification: The Raman spectroscopic signature of saliva

The potential use of Raman spectroscopy for nondestructive, confirmatory identification of body fluids at the crime scene has been reported recently (Virkler and Lednev, Forensic Sci.,Int., 2008, 181, e1–e5). However, those experiments were performed using only one sample of each body fluid and did not investigate the potential for spectral variations among different donors of the same fluid. This paper reports on the role of heterogeneity within a single human saliva sample as well as among samples from multiple donors. Near-infrared (NIR) Raman spectroscopy was used to measure spectra of pure dried human saliva samples from multiple donors in a controlled laboratory environment. Principal component analysis of spectra obtained from multiple spots on dry samples showed that dry saliva is heterogeneous and its Raman spectra could be presented as a linear combination of a fluorescent background and three spectral components. The major chemical components known to be present in saliva were used to tentatively identify the principal spectral components. The issue of potential spectral variations that could arise between different donors of saliva was also addressed. The relative contribution of each of the three components varies with donor, so no single spectrum could effectively represent an experimental Raman spectrum of dry saliva in a quantitative way. The combination of these three spectral components could be considered to be a spectroscopic signature for saliva. This proof of concept approach shows the potential for Raman spectroscopy to identify an unknown substance to be saliva during forensic analysis.
Response surface computation via simulation in the presence of convexity

We consider the problem of computing a response surface when the underlying function is known to be convex. We introduce a methodology that incorporates the convexity into the function estimator. The proposed response surface estimator is formulated as a finite dimensional quadratic program and exhibits convergence properties as a global approximation to the true function. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the convergence behavior of the proposed estimator and its potential application to simulation optimization.
Role of protein synthesis in the utilization of administered iodide by thyroid glands in rats.

In the present study we have made use of inhibitors of protein synthesis to obtain information on the relative importance of 2 classes of iodine acceptors in the thyroid: 1) prethyroglobulin, newly or recently synthesized and 2) pre-existing thyroglobulin (already iodinated). Puromycin and cycloheximide depressed iodine uptake in both iodine-sufficient and iodinedeficient rats, but the inhibitory effect was greater in iodine-deficient animals. The changes in thyroid iodine metabolism observed after administration of these drugs did not have the characteristics usually associated with perchlorate- like or thionamide-like antithyroid compounds or with iodide excess. We believe that the observed effects of puromycin and of cycloheximide may be explained in part in relation to their inhibitory action on prethyroglobulin synthesis. Our results suggest that in both iodine-deficient and iodine-sufficient rats newly or recently synthesized prethyroglobulin is more important than stores of pre-existing thyroglobul...
Continuous blood gas monitoring with an intraarterial optode during one-lung anesthesia

ECAUSE OF THE possibility of hypoxemia and hypoventilation during one-lung anesthesia, an accurate method of continuously monitoring both oxygenation and ventilation would be useful. Arterial blood gas (ABG) sampling is intermittent, expensive, and may result in delays in recognizing hypoxia, hypercarbia, and acidosis. Transcutaneous oxygen tension measurement and pulse oximetry have been recommended during one-lung ventilation (OLV), but both techniques have limitations and neither monitors ventilation.‘” The fiberoptic intraarterial optode makes use of the phenomenon of fluorescence quenching to determine blood gases and pH? The three-component optode (Cardiovascular Devices, Inc, Irvine, CA) is easily inserted through an 18-gauge radial artery catheter and allows continuous arterial pressure monitoring as well as access for blood sampling. The optode technology has also been applied to continuous blood gas monitoring in the extracorporeal circuit during cardiac surgery.6Z7 A case of OLV using continuous intraarterial optode measurement of pHa, PaOZ, and PaCO, is reported.
A microRNA embedded AAV alpha-synuclein gene silencing vector for dopaminergic neurons

Alpha-synuclein (SNCA), an abundantly expressed presynaptic protein, is implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD). Since over-expression of human SNCA (hSNCA) leads to death of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in human, rodent and fly brain, hSNCA gene silencing may reduce levels of toxic forms of SNCA and ameliorate degeneration of DA neurons in PD. To begin to develop a gene therapy for PD based on hSNCA gene silencing, two AAV gene silencing vectors were designed, and tested for efficiency and specificity of silencing, as well as toxicity in vitro. The same hSNCA silencing sequence (shRNA) was used in both vectors, but in one vector, the shRNA was embedded in a microRNA backbone and driven by a pol II promoter, and in the other the shRNA was not embedded in a microRNA and was driven by a pol III promoter. Both vectors silenced hSNCA to the same extent in 293T cells transfected with hSNCA. In DA PC12 cells, neither vector decreased expression of rat SNCA, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporter (DAT) or the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT). However, the mir30 embedded vector was significantly less toxic to both PC12 and SH-SY5Y cells. Our in vitro data suggest that this miRNA-embedded silencing vector may be ideal for chronic in vivo SNCA gene silencing in DA neurons.
Genetic Differences between the Determinants of Lipid Profile Phenotypes in African and European Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

Genome-wide association analysis in populations of European descent has recently found more than a hundred genetic variants affecting risk for common disease. An open question, however, is how relevant the variants discovered in Europeans are to other populations. To address this problem for cardiovascular phenotypes, we studied a cohort of 4,464 African Americans from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), in whom we genotyped both a panel of 12 recently discovered genetic variants known to predict lipid profile levels in Europeans and a panel of up to 1,447 ancestry informative markers allowing us to determine the African ancestry proportion of each individual at each position in the genome. Focusing on lipid profiles—HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)—we identified the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) locus as harboring variants that account for interethnic variation in HDL-C and TG. In particular, we identified a novel common variant within LPL that is strongly associated with TG (p=2.7610 26 ) and explains nearly 1% of the variability in this phenotype, the most of any variant in African Americans to date. Strikingly, the extensively studied ‘‘gain-of-function’’ S447X mutation at LPL, which has been hypothesized to be the major determinant of the LPL-TG genetic association and is in trials for human gene therapy, has a significantly diminished strength of biological effect when it is found on a background of African rather than European ancestry. These results suggest that there are other, yet undiscovered variants at the locus that are truly causal (and are in linkage disequilibrium with S447X) or that work synergistically with S447X to modulate TG levels. Finally, we find systematically lower effect sizes for the 12 risk variants discovered in European populations on the African local ancestry background in JHS, highlighting the need for caution in the use of genetic variants for risk assessment across different populations.
Reducing Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Is Associated With Reduced Blood Pressure A Prospective Study Among United States Adults

Background— Increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been associated with an elevated risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type II diabetes mellitus. However, the effects of SSB consumption on blood pressure (BP) are uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between changes in SSB consumption and changes in BP among adults. Methods and Results— This was a prospective analysis of 810 adults who participated in the PREMIER Study (an 18-month behavioral intervention trial). BP and dietary intake (by two 24-hour recalls) were measured at baseline and at 6 and 18 months. Mixed-effects models were applied to estimate the changes in BP in responding to changes in SSB consumption. At baseline, mean SSB intake was 0.9±1.0 servings per day (10.5±11.9 fl oz/d), and mean systolic BP/diastolic BP was 134.9±9.6/84.8±4.2 mm Hg. After potential confounders were controlled for, a reduction in SSB of 1 serving per day was associated with a 1.8-mm Hg (95% confidence in...
Global methylmercury exposure from seafood consumption and risk of developmental neurotoxicity: a systematic review.

Objective To examine biomarkers of methylmercury (MeHg) intake in women and infants from seafood-consuming populations globally and characterize the comparative risk of fetal developmental neurotoxicity. Methods A search was conducted of the published literature reporting total mercury (Hg) in hair and blood in women and infants. These biomarkers are validated proxy measures of MeHg, a neurotoxin found primarily in seafood. Average and high-end biomarkers were extracted, stratified by seafood consumption context, and pooled by category. Medians for average and high-end pooled distributions were compared with the reference level established by a joint expert committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Findings Selection criteria were met by 164 studies of women and infants from 43 countries. Pooled average biomarkers suggest an intake of MeHg several times over the FAO/WHO reference in fish-consuming riparians living near small-scale gold mining and well over the reference in consumers of marine mammals in Arctic regions. In coastal regions of south-eastern Asia, the western Pacific and the Mediterranean, average biomarkers approach the reference. Although the two former groups have a higher risk of neurotoxicity than the latter, coastal regions are home to the largest number at risk. High-end biomarkers across all categories indicate MeHg intake is in excess of the reference value. Conclusion There is a need for policies to reduce Hg exposure among women and infants and for surveillance in high-risk populations, the majority of which live in low-and middle-income countries.
Obesity, Inflammation, and Lung Injury (OILI): The Good

Obesity becomes pandemic, predisposing these individuals to great risk for lung injury. In this review, we focused on the anti-inflammatories and addressed the following aspects: adipocytokines and obesity, inflammation and other mechanisms, adipocytokines and lung injury in obesity bridged by inflammation, and potential therapeutic targets. To sum up, the majority of evidence supported that adiponectin, omentin, and secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5) were reduced significantly in obesity, which is associated with increased inflammation, indicated by increase of TNFα and IL-6, through activation of toll-like receptor (TLR4) and nuclear factor light chain κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Administration of these adipocytokines promotes weight loss and reduces inflammation. Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG), vaspin, IL-10, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β1), and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) are also regarded as anti-inflammatories. There were controversial reports. Furthermore, there is a huge lack of studies for obesity related lung injury. The effects of adiponectin on lung transplantation, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and pneumonia were anti-inflammatory and protective in lung injury. Administration of IL-10 agonist reduces mortality of acute lung injury in rabbits with acute necrotizing pancreatitis, possibly through inhibiting proinflammation and strengthening host immunity. Very limited information is available for other adipocytokines.
Living the Dream: Barack Obama and Blacks’ Changing Perceptions of the American Dream

Objective Our objective is to examine whether positive symbols of progress for the black community, such as Obama's election as president, increase black optimism in the American Dream. Method Logit regression and ordered logit regression with predicted probabilities and odds ratios. Results Using several surveys conducted between 1987 and 2010, we show that blacks are much more optimistic about the American Dream after Obama is elected to the White House, in spite of their worsening economic status. Conclusions Our findings suggest that positive symbols of progress are a better gauge of the American Dream for blacks than objective economic indicators. Moreover, previous racial gaps in beliefs in the American Dream may be attributed to lack of black representation at high levels of government, rather than solely based on differences in socioeconomic standing.
Sample-size requirements for confidence bounds of prescribed precision on multivariate normal quantiles

The problem of setting confidence bounds on a central multivariate normal quantile is considered. It is shown that for the setting of exact confidence bounds of specified closeness to the quantile,the required minimum size of a normal sample is large and rises rapidly with the number of variates considered.
Wear Properties of an In-Situ Processed TiC-Reinforced Bronze

In this work, an Al-bronze alloy is reinforced with TiC through reaction of the alloy melt with methane gas. The resultant alloy is then centrifugally cast in cylindrical molds. It is found that the surface at the inner diameter of the cast contained in-situ produced TiC as well as Fe-rich inclusions. Metallographic observations using optical and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of TiC particles (30 % volume), alpha and beta grains including iron precipitates. Cylindrical pins are machined from the inner surface and tested under various conditions in a three pin on disk Falex machine. Pins are tested under a constant load of 2.86 MPa and friction and wear rates are determined from measurements of weight losses versus wear lengths. It is found that under the applied load the reinforced material exhibits high friction and relatively low wear when compared with the unreinforced material. Apparently, under these conditions the TiC particles become abrasive particles thus contributing to wear of the steel counter-face through three body abrasive wear.
Automerizations in benzenoid hydrocarbons. New mechanistic insights from the thermal rearrangement of benz[a]anthracene-5-13C.

Abstract Scrambling of the carbon atoms in benz[a]anthracene between positions 5 and 6 has been shown to occur at high temperatures; a mechanism involving thermal generation of a carbene is proposed.
Bifunctional Role of Rev-erbα in Adipocyte Differentiation

The nuclear receptor Rev-erbalpha is a potent transcriptional repressor that regulates circadian rhythm and metabolism. Here we demonstrate a dissociation between Rev-erbalpha mRNA and protein levels that profoundly influences adipocyte differentiation. During adipogenesis, Rev-erbalpha gene expression initially declines and subsequently increases. Remarkably, Rev-erbalpha protein levels are nearly the opposite, increasing early in adipogenesis and then markedly decreasing in adipocytes. The Rev-erbalpha protein is necessary for the early mitotic events that are required for adipogenesis. The subsequent reduction in Rev-erbalpha protein, due to increased degradation via the 26S proteasome, is also required for adipocyte differentiation because Rev-erbalpha represses the expression of PPARgamma2, the master transcriptional regulator of adipogenesis. Thus, opposite to what might be predicted from Rev-erbalpha gene expression, Rev-erbalpha protein levels must rise and then fall for adipocyte differentiation to occur.
Sequencing newly replicated DNA reveals widespread plasticity in human replication timing

Faithful transmission of genetic material to daughter cells involves a characteristic temporal order of DNA replication, which may play a significant role in the inheritance of epigenetic states. We developed a genome-scale approach—Repli Seq—to map temporally ordered replicating DNA using massively parallel sequencing and applied it to study regional variation in human DNA replication time across multiple human cell types. The method requires as few as 8,000 cytometry-fractionated cells for a single analysis, and provides high-resolution DNA replication patterns with respect to both cell-cycle time and genomic position. We find that different cell types exhibit characteristic replication signatures that reveal striking plasticity in regional replication time patterns covering at least 50% of the human genome. We also identified autosomal regions with marked biphasic replication timing that include known regions of monoallelic expression as well as many previously uncharacterized domains. Comparison with high-resolution genome-wide profiles of DNaseI sensitivity revealed that DNA replication typically initiates within foci of accessible chromatin comprising clustered DNaseI hypersensitive sites, and that replication time is better correlated with chromatin accessibility than with gene expression. The data collectively provide a unique, genome-wide picture of the epigenetic compartmentalization of the human genome and suggest that cell-lineage specification involves extensive reprogramming of replication timing patterns.
Measurement, modeling, and analysis of a peer-to-peer file-sharing workload

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing accounts for an astonishing volume of current Internet traffic. This paper probes deeply into modern P2P file sharing systems and the forces that drive them. By doing so, we seek to increase our understanding of P2P file sharing workloads and their implications for future multimedia workloads. Our research uses a three-tiered approach. First, we analyze a 200-day trace of over 20 terabytes of Kazaa P2P traffic collected at the University of Washington. Second, we develop a model of multimedia workloads that lets us isolate, vary, and explore the impact of key system parameters. Our model, which we parameterize with statistics from our trace, lets us confirm various hypotheses about file-sharing behavior observed in the trace. Third, we explore the potential impact of locality-awareness in Kazaa.Our results reveal dramatic differences between P2P file sharing and Web traffic. For example, we show how the immutability of Kazaa's multimedia objects leads clients to fetch objects at most once; in contrast, a World-Wide Web client may fetch a popular page (e.g., CNN or Google) thousands of times. Moreover, we demonstrate that: (1) this "fetch-at-most-once" behavior causes the Kazaa popularity distribution to deviate substantially from Zipf curves we see for the Web, and (2) this deviation has significant implications for the performance of multimedia file-sharing systems. Unlike the Web, whose workload is driven by document change, we demonstrate that clients' fetch-at-most-once behavior, the creation of new objects, and the addition of new clients to the system are the primary forces that drive multimedia workloads such as Kazaa. We also show that there is substantial untapped locality in the Kazaa workload. Finally, we quantify the potential bandwidth savings that locality-aware P2P file-sharing architectures would achieve.
Configuration space representation in parallel coordinates

By means of a system of parallel coordinates, a nonprojective mapping from R/sup N/ to R/sup 2/ is obtained for any positive integer N. In this way multivariate data and relations can be represented in the Euclidean plane (embedded in the projective plane). Basically, R/sup 2/ with Cartesian coordinates is augmented by N parallel axes, one for each variable. The N joint variables of a robotic device can be represented graphically by using parallel coordinates. Two key reasons motivate this kind of approach: first, some properties of the relation are better perceived visually from the parallel coordinate representation; and secondly, new algorithms and data structures can be obtained from this representation. The main features of parallel coordinates are described, and an example is presented of their use for configuration space representation of a mechanical are. The purpose of the example is to show the potential of the representation for the cases where Cartesian coordinates cannot be used. >
Rational Design of Engineered Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Consisting Exclusively of Arginine and Tryptophan, and Their Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens underscores the need for new antimicrobial agents to overcome the resistance mechanisms of these organisms. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs) provide a potential source of new antimicrobial therapeutics. We previously characterized a lytic base unit (LBU) series of engineered CAPs (eCAPs) of 12 to 48 residues demonstrating maximum antibacterial selectivity at 24 residues. Further, Trp substitution in LBU sequences increased activity against both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus under challenging conditions (e.g., saline, divalent cations, and serum). Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the optimal length and, therefore, the cost for maximum eCAP activity under physiologically relevant conditions could be significantly reduced using only Arg and Trp arranged to form idealized amphipathic helices. Hence, we developed a novel peptide series, composed only of Arg and Trp, in a sequence predicted and verified by circular dichroism to fold into optimized amphipathic helices. The most effective antimicrobial activity was achieved at 12 residues in length (WR12) against a panel of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive clinical isolates, including extensively drug-resistant strains, in saline and broth culture and at various pH values. The results demonstrate that the rational design of CAPs can lead to a significant reduction in the length and the number of amino acids used in peptide design to achieve optimal potency and selectivity against specific pathogens.
A fluorometric sensing array for the detection of military explosives and IED materials

A fluorometric sensing array was developed to detect and discern common military explosives and materials used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Xanthene-based fluorophores were chosen as reporter molecules and were exposed to explosive analytes in DMF solution. Unique responses were observed for each analyte, with the strongest observed responses resulting from trinitrobenzene (TNB) or trinitrotoluene (TNT) addition. Evidence for substantial electron transfer (ET) between TNB and TNT products and fluorophores was observed. Computational results indicate that anionic trinitroaromatic products are likely donating electrons to cationic fluorophores, leading to an observed enhancement of their emission.
Knowledge representation in LILOG

This paper introduces the knowledge representation language L LILOG . The language is being developed in the framework of the LILOG project and serves for modelling the semantic background knowledge of the LILOG natural language understanding system. Moreover, it is also used as the target language for representing information extracted from German texts in a logical form. The aspects of L LILOG discussed here focus on the sort concept of L LILOG and its means for structuring knowledge bases. The sort concept of L LILOG integrates ideas from the KL-ONE family of languages and other feature term languages having their origin in the area of computational linguistics into the framework of an order-sorted predicate logic. The structuring concept introduced for L LILOG is a simple form of separating logical theories into modules.
Review of optical coherence tomography based angiography in neuroscience.

The brain is a complex ecosystem, consisting of multiple layers and tissue compartments. To facilitate the understanding of its function and its response to neurological insults, a fast in vivo imaging tool with a micron-level resolution, which can provide a field of view at a few millimeters, is desirable. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive method for imaging three-dimensional biological tissues with high resolution (∼10 μm) and without a need for contrast agents. Recent development of OCT-based angiography has started to shed some new light on cerebral hemodynamics in neuroscience. We give an overview of the recent developments of OCT-based imaging techniques for neuroscience applications in rodents. We summarize today’s technological alternatives for OCT-based angiography for neuroscience and provide a discussion of challenges and opportunities. Moreover, a summary of OCT angiography studies for stroke, traumatic brain injury, and subarachnoid hemorrhage cases on rodents is provided.
Fragments and Reflexes of Kingship Theory in Ælfric's Comments on Royal Authority

ABSTRACTFor some time now, scholars have mined the homiletic writings of AElfric of Eynsham in order to gain insight into late Anglo-Saxon notions of royal authority. While AElfric generally preferred to talk about kingship in moral terms, discussing what constitutes a good or bad king, some passages have been interpreted as reflecting the homilist's own views about royal legitimacy. The utility of these passages as providing honest glimpses into AElfric's theory of kingship have since been called into question based on the nature of the homilist's sources and our understanding of Anglo-Saxon political practices. On occasion, the relevant passages have also been read against each other as expressing potentially conflicting notions regarding royal authority. While acknowledging the difficulty of consulting passages that were originally applied in moral or theological contexts, this paper reassesses the usefulness of AElfric's comments on kingship in reconstructing the homilist's views on royal authority and de...
Discriminating styles (DS) and pollen-mediated pseudo-self-compatibility (PMPSC) in Nemesia strumosa Benth. : Part 1: Characteristics and inheritance of DS.

Nemesia strumosa plants were discovered which had styles capable of discriminating among incompatible pollen tubes from different pollinators, allowing growth of some but not others. All but 3 of 26 families tested had at least some members with discriminating styles (DS). Presence and level of DS was independent of S genotype. Plants with pseudo-self-compatiblity (PSC) levels greater than 10% had the trait, though many plants with strong DS had PSC levels less than 10%. Self pollination of highly DS plants produced mostly DS offspring, but of differing sensitivities. Some progenies from crosses between a family of highly DS plants and unrelated, probably low DS plants segregated half DS and half non-DS, while others consisted of mostly DS or mostly non-DS. The DS phenomenon is probably caused by PSC genes.