cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isokinetic relationships for the effect of inorganic phosphate adn protons on the deoxygenation rate of human hemoglobin

The rate of hemoglobin deoxygenation is measured as a function of inorganic phosphate concentration, pH, and temperature. Isokinetic relationships (enthalpy-entropy compensation) are searched for by applying the method of O. Exner and, for comparative purposes, the conventional method of plotting the energy of activation (E*) versus the natural log of the pre-exponentional factor of the Arrhenious equation (In A). Both plots indicate compensation between the activation parameters. However, unlike the conventional plot, the Exner treatment is able to distinguish between two types of compensation. Furthermore, when extrapolated rate constants based on all the data in an Exner plot are transposed into E* vs. In A plots, so-called “turn-around” behavior is predicted for the effect of increasing phosphate concentration at constant pH. Such “turn-around” behavior in E* vs. In A plots has been observed experimentally by Beetlestone and co-workers for anion binding to human hemoglobin as a functin of pH. Lastly, the compensation temperatures obtained from these data all fall within the Vaslow-Doherty compensation range (250–350°K) which is thought to indicate that the solvent, water, is involved in the reaction mechanism. Thus, Exner plots appear to further resolve isokinetic temperatures of the Vaslow-Doherty type. Differences in the electrostriction of solvent in the activated state is suggested as one possible physical source for the Vaslow-Doherty type compensation observed in this work.
Environmental Perturbations that Cause Structural Changes in the SNARE Protein SNAP-25

The SNARE protein SNAP-25 plays a critical role in neuronal exocytosis by providing 2 of the 4 helical regions (SNARE domains) that form a coiled-coil quaternary structure. SNAP-25B contains four cysteines, one tryptophan and one tyrosine all in the linker region. Previously using molecular dynamics simulations, we showed that cysteine oxidation (disulfide bond formation) de-stabilizes the SNARE complex (Bock et al., 2010. Biophysical. J. 99:1221-1230). To test this prediction in vitro, we used Circular Dichroism and Fluorescence Spectroscopy to measure structural changes in SNAP-25B as a function of pH.Using Circular Dichroism to measure the melting of SNARE domains, we show that oxidation destabilizes both the SNARE complex and SNAP-25B. A similar loss in helical structure is observed with an increase in pH. Using the fluorescent signal from tryptophan and tyrosine, an increase in pH changes the peak emission with a pK of ∼8.5, similar to the expected pKa for the sulfhydryl of cysteine. Replacing all cysteines with serines prevents this shift. These data support the hypothesis that cysteine modification significantly alters SNAP-25 structure, possibly affecting exocytosis.In vivo, cysteines are the sites of various posttranslational modifications, such as palmitoylation and oxidation. Palmitoylation anchors SNAP-25 to the membrane (and determines its distribution within the cell), while the level of oxidation may regulate neurotransmitter release.Using an in vitro assay developed in our lab, we have measured the extent of non-enzymatic palmitoylation of SNAP-25B. Only 3 of the 4 cysteines are palmitoylated; the process is cooperative with a Hill Coefficient >2. However, all four cysteines are easily oxidized with a lower Hill coefficient. Through additional experimentation we hope to determine how oxidation and palmitoylation alter SNARE complex formation to modulate neurotransmitter release.
${\rm In}_{0.53}{\rm Ga}_{0.47}{\rm As}/{\rm GaAs}_{0.5}{\rm Sb}_{0.5}$ Quantum-Well Tunnel-FETs With Tunable Backward Diode Characteristics

Vertical quantum-well (QW) tunnel-FETs are fabricated based on an ultrathin In0.53Ga0.47As/GaAs0.5Sb0.5 staggered gap (type-II) heterostructure lattice matched to InP. Area-dependent QW-to-QW tunneling current is demonstrated. Devices with HfO2 high- k gate dielectric (EOT ~ 1.3 nm) exhibit minimum subthreshold swings of 140 mV/decade at 300 K, with an ON-current density of 0.5 μA/μm2 at VDD=0.5 V. Sharp negative differential resistance is observed in the output characteristics. For the first time, gate-tunable backward diode characteristics are demonstrated in this material system, with peak curvature coefficient of 30 V-1 near VDS=0 V. These results show the potential of vertical TFETs in hybrid IC applications.
Making a land/go-around decision with runway incursions in near zero-zero weather

Preventing runway incursions is considered a top safety priority for the National Transportation Safety Board and is a growing problem among commercial air traffic at controlled airfields. This problem only increases in difficulty when the weather and airfield conditions become severely degraded. Such is the case in this Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) work, which focused on the decision making process of aircrew landing under near zero-zero weather at an unimproved airfield. This research is a part of a larger demonstration effort using sensor technology to land in near zero-zero weather at airfields that offer no or unreliable approach guidance. Using various head-up (HUD) and head-down (HDD) display combinations that included the sensor technology, pilot participants worked through the decision of whether the airfield was safe to land on or required a go-around. The runway was considered unsafe only if the boundary of the runway was broken by an obstacle causing an incursion. A correct decision is one that allowed the aircrew to land on a safe runway and to go-around when an incursion was present. While going around is usually considered a safe decision, in this case a false positive could have a negative mission impact by preventing subsequent landing attempts. In this study we found a combination of display formats that provided the greatest performance without making significant changes to an existing avionics suite.
Lower limit to the thermal conductivity of disordered crystals

Measurements of the thermal conductivity above 30 K of mixed crystals with controlled disorder, (KBr${)}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$(KCN${)}_{\mathit{x}}$, (NaCl${)}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$, (NaCn${)}_{\mathit{x}}$ ${\mathrm{Zr}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Y}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{O}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}/2}$, and ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{La}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{F}}_{2+\mathit{x}}$, support the idea of a lower limit to the thermal conductivity of disordered solids. In each case, as x is increased, the data approach the calculated minimum conductivity based on a model originally due to Einstein. These measurements support the claim that the lattice vibrations of these disordered crystals are essentially the same as those of an amorphous solid.
Minimizing Total Cost for Urban Freeway Reconstruction with Integrated Construction/Traffic Analysis

This paper introduces an innovative approach to development of construction and traffic management plans for the I-15 Devore project, a fast-track urban freeway reconstruction project with high traffic volume in Southern California. The goal of this approach is to determine the most economical reconstruction closure scenario by integrating construction schedule, traffic delay, and agency cost. Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS) software was used for scheduling analysis. The demand-capacity model based on the Highway Capacity Manual, and macroscopic and microscopic traffic simulation models were utilized for traffic delay analysis. Based on these analyses, the California Department of Transportation decided to implement eight 72 h weekday closures with round-the-clock operations for this reconstruction project. This was found to be more beneficial for both the agency and the traveling public than the alternative of: (1) 55 h weekend, (2) 10 h nighttime, or (3) one-time co...
Getting Physical: The Rise of Fitness Culture in America Shelly McKenzie. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2013.

Getting Physical: The Rise of Fitness Culture in America Shelly McKenzie. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2013.In Getting Physical, Shelly McKenzie guides the reader on a historical jaunt to examine fitness culture from the mid-1950s through the late 1980s, situating the concepts of fitness, exercise, and health historically and arguing how they have impacted contemporary American culture. It is a lot to cover in a short cultural history, but, like the joggers she studies, McKenzie moves quickly and purposefully through five chapters focused in theme and historical period: children's fitness in the 1950s; women's appearance-based fitness in the 1960s; men's cardiac crisis in the 1950s and 1960s; jogging in the 1970s; and health clubs and their importance for 1980s fitness. Each chapter can stand alone but, as the organization suggests, each ties thoughtfully into the others.McKenzie locates her work in contemporary discourses of health, fitness, and exercise, establishing a clear distinction between thoughts about exercise and fitness in 1958, when fitness included massages, bowling, and freedom from Russian influence but not much strenuous activity, and today, when the First Lady promotes a government program to improve children's fitness by doing pushups on live television. There are clear stakes to McKenzie's work, and she convincingly argues for the need to look back at the history of fitness in order to see how it has shaped contemporary ideas about health and the social problems that have resulted. The book's five chapters are only the start of a much larger endeavor, but they are a solid start as McKenzie situates her work differently from scholarship focused on other aspects of active bodies, such as body studies and sports histories.While focusing on middle-class Americans during the Cold War, McKenzie finds some surprisingly under-examined niches and makes excellent use of them to offer a historical trajectory with special case studies. She highlights two important moments in fitness and exercise, governmental support for children's fitness and the rise of jogging culture, in the first and fourth chapters, arguing for earlier beginnings than others cite. The two chapters in between are less interested in chronology and more in the long-term implications of women's and men's health promotion, pointing to the impression they made on contemporary expectations about women's appearance and men's disinterest in their medical health. …
Dynamic Repertoire of Intrinsic Brain States Is Reduced in Propofol-Induced Unconsciousness

Abstract The richness of conscious experience is thought to scale with the size of the repertoire of causal brain states, and it may be diminished in anesthesia. We estimated the state repertoire from dynamic analysis of intrinsic functional brain networks in conscious sedated and unconscious anesthetized rats. Functional resonance images were obtained from 30-min whole-brain resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals at propofol infusion rates of 20 and 40 mg/kg/h, intravenously. Dynamic brain networks were defined at the voxel level by sliding window analysis of regional homogeneity (ReHo) or coincident threshold crossings (CTC) of the BOLD signal acquired in nine sagittal slices. The state repertoire was characterized by the temporal variance of the number of voxels with significant ReHo or positive CTC. From low to high propofol dose, the temporal variances of ReHo and CTC were reduced by 78%±20% and 76%±20%, respectively. Both baseline and propofol-induced reduction of CTC temporal var...
Profound Context-Dependent Plasticity of Mitral Cell Responses in Olfactory Bulb

On the basis of its primary circuit it has been postulated that the olfactory bulb (OB) is analogous to the retina in mammals. In retina, repeated exposure to the same visual stimulus results in a neural representation that remains relatively stable over time, even as the meaning of that stimulus to the animal changes. Stability of stimulus representation at early stages of processing allows for unbiased interpretation of incoming stimuli by higher order cortical centers. The alternative is that early stimulus representation is shaped by previously derived meaning, which could allow more efficient sampling of odor space providing a simplified yet biased interpretation of incoming stimuli. This study helps place the olfactory system on this continuum of subjective versus objective early sensory representation. Here we show that odor responses of the output cells of the OB, mitral cells, change transiently during a go–no-go odor discrimination task. The response changes occur in a manner that increases the ability of the circuit to convey information necessary to discriminate among closely related odors. Remarkably, a switch between which of the two odors is rewarded causes mitral cells to switch the polarity of their divergent responses. Taken together these results redefine the function of the OB as a transiently modifiable (active) filter, shaping early odor representations in behaviorally meaningful ways.
Rich interaction in the digital library

Effective information access involves rich interactions between users and information residing in diverse locations. Users seek and retrieve information from the sources—for example, file serves, databases, and digital libraries—and use various tools to browse, manipulate, reuse, and generally process the information. We have developed a number of techniques that support various aspects of the process of user/information interaction. These techniques can be considered attempts to increase the bandwidth and quality of the interactions between users and information in an information workspace—an environment designed to support information work (see Figure 1).
Thermal history and evolution of Mars

A thermal history of Mars is developed on the basis of available geophysical and geological data, including information obtained by the Viking missions. Specification of initial temperatures, composition and heat sources takes into account conduction and subsolidus mantle convection. Four phases in the Martian thermal history are distinguished. Core formation and crust differentiation occur during the first billion years. Partial melting, differentiation and outgassing of the mantle have taken place by the end of 3 billion years. In the 3- to 4-billion year epoch, the lithosphere thickens and the partial melt zone becomes deeper. By 4.6 billion years after commencement of evolution, volcanic activity has subsided, while the partial melt zone continues to shrink.
Ribosomal DNA variation in finger millet and wild species of Eleusine (Poaceae)

Finger millet is an important cereal crop in the semi-arid regions of Africa and India. The crop belongs to the grass genus Eleusine, which includes nine annual and perennial species native to Africa except for the New World species E. tristachya. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) variation in finger millet and related wild species was used to provide information on the origin of the genomes of this tetraploid crop and point out genetic relationships of the crop to other species in the genus. The restriction endonucleases used revealed a lack of variability in the rDNA spacer region in domesticated finger millet. All the rDNA variants of the crop were found in the proposed direct tetraploid ancestor, E. coracana subsp. africana. Wild and domesticated finger millet displayed the phenotypes found in diploid E. indica. Diploid Eleusine tristachya showed some similarity to the crop in some restriction sites. The remaining species were quite distinct in rDNA fragment patterns. The study supports the direct origin of finger millet from subspecies africana shows E. indica to be one of the genome donors of the crop, and demonstrates that none of the other species examined could have donated the second genome of the crop. The rDNA data raise the possibility that wild and domesticated finger millet could have originated as infraspecific polyploid hybrids from different varieties of E. indica.
Image Algebra: A Unified Approach To Image Processing

Current image processing algorithm development is not based on an efficient mathematical structure that is specifically designed for image manipulation, feature extraction and analysis. Vast increases in image processing activities in such areas as robotics, medicine, and expert computer vision systems have resulted in an immense proliferation of different operations and architectures that all too often perform similar or identical tasks. Due to this ever-increasing diversity of image processing architectures and languages, several attempts have been made to develop a unified algebraic approach to image processing. However, these attempts have been only partially successful. In this paper, we define a heterogeneous algebra (in the sense of G. Birkhoff) which is capable of expressing all image-to-image transformations that can be defined in terms of finite algorithmic procedures. Conversely, for any image-to-image transformation defined as a finite sequence of terms in the image algebra, there is a structured program scheme that computes the transformation. Consequently, this algebra provides a common mathematical environment for image processing algorithm development, comparison, performance characterization, and optimization.
Nonunion after functional brace treatment of diaphyseal humerus fractures.

Objective:To assess which fractures of the humeral diaphysis are prone to nonunion after functional bracing by analyzing patients that present for treatment of nonunion after brace treatment.Methods:Thirty-two patients treated operatively for a nonunion of the diaphyseal humerus after functional bra
Arthritis and psychiatric disorders: disentangling the relationship.

Various studies have demonstrated a link between having arthritis, particularly rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), and psychiatric disorders. More than two decades ago, Wells et al. [16] published data from the NIMH catchment area study in the United States showing that persons with arthritis had a lifetime prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders of 63.6 percent and a 6-month prevalence rate of 42.8 percent. These rates were alarming in as much as they exceeded those found in persons with potentially life-threatening illnesses such as COPD, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. While the authors found that having any chronic illness increased the risk of psychiatric disorder, these cross-sectional, epidemiological data did not address the important questions of whether arthritis preceded or followed the development of psychiatric disorders, or why these associations were found in the first place. Subsequently, corroborating evidence has been found in studies reporting rates of mood disturbance ranging from 15 percent to as high as 45 percent in persons with such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and fibromyalgia [1,5,13]. Evidence also is accumulating that anxiety disorders are prevalent in persons with arthritis [9]. Understanding the factors associated with the heightened psychiatric co-morbidity in such studies represents an important challenge for behavioral medicine researchers and arthritis health professionals who serve these populations. Accordingly, the major purpose of the Land et al. [11] study was to clarify the direction of the relationship between arthritis and psychiatric disorders by examining whether arthritis increased the risk for developing psychiatric disorders, or whether having psychiatric disorders increased the risk for developing arthritis. Using an epidemiological approach in which participants were interviewed in their homes and followed longitudinally across 90 municipalities in the Netherlands, the researchers found that persons with arthritis had significantly higher concurrent risk for mood and anxiety disorders than those without arthritis and conclusive evidence that arthritis contributed to the development of mood disorders over time. Conversely, having a psychiatric disorder did not increase the risk of developing arthritis. Methodological advantages of this research, including a sophisticated, population-based sampling approach, a two-year follow up, and the adoption of an objective measure of psychiatric disorders designed for epidemiological research, add weight to these findings and represent a significant improvement over previous studies in this area.
Existence of bound states for layers built over hypersurfaces in R n+1

The existence of discrete spectrum below the essential spectrum is deduced for the Dirichlet Laplacian on tubular neighborhoods (or layers) about hypersurfaces in Rn+1, with various geometric conditions imposed. This is a generalization of the results of Duclos, Exner, and Krejciřik (2001) in the case of a surface in R3. The key to the generalization is the notion of parabolic manifolds. An interesting case in R3—that of the layer over a convex surface—is also investigated.
Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Activity in Colorado Dryland Cropping Systems

Abstract We determined active ground beetle species in 2002 and 2003 in experimental dryland cropping systems near Akron, Briggsdale, and Lamar, CO. The experiment compared five crops; wheat, sunflower, sorghum, millet, and corn in fallow, two- and three-year cropping systems. Comparisons were made between all crops and fallow within locations. Pitfall traps were used to collect active ground beetles in plots for seven, seven-day sampling periods in both 2002 and 2003. A total of 3,929 carabids was collected; 1,684 and 2,245 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. A total of 59 species was collected, 51 and 49 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. In 2002, the five most active species (in decreasing order) were Pasimachus californicus Chaudoir, Amara carinatus LeConte, Harpalus pensylvanicus DeGeer, Harpalus desertus LeConte, and Pasimachus elongates LeConte. The five most active species (in decreasing order) in 2003 were H. pensylvanicus, Harpalus caliginosus Fabricius, H. desertus, Cratacanthus dubius Beavois, and Ha...
Stabilization Through Gyration: A Wave Variable Approach to High Frequency Force Feedback in Telerobotics

High frequency force feedback to a user is commonly recognized as vital to achieving a realistic telerobotic experience. However, the feedback of measured forces can trigger contact instabilities when interacting with stiff environments. We present a novel feedback approach based on wave variable design, taking advantage of two wave features. First, stability is independent of lag or filtering. Secondly, wave signals inherently describe power flow, thus connecting stability to signal conditioning. The resulting force feedback architecture combines the best of the traditional position-position and position-force methods with an additional element typically not seen in telerobotic controllers – a gyrator. It is stable regardless of the environment stiffness, transmits high frequency forces without roll-off, and is even tolerant to delay. We verify this performance with simple experimental tests, investigate the effects of the gyrator, and show that it plays a critical role in maintaining such robust stability.
Common data link (CDL) interference model

The increasing use of airwaves for military communication and surveillance and commercial applications places burdens on spectrum use. This crowding of the spectrum presents two broad problem categories. The first is "co-site interference" where numerous transmitters and receivers are physically located in a small area and share a given portion of the spectrum. Under these conditions, a receiver can be "victim" to a co-located transmitter. The second category involves numerous transmitters (typically airborne) well separated from each other but communicating to receivers placed in a relatively small area. The Common Data Link (CDL) refers to a standard protocol for military data delivery and communication. Surveillance platforms such as Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (TUAV), JSTARS, U2's, Global Hawks will stream high rate surveillance data (radar, visual and/or infrared imagery, etc.) down to ground terminals. As such, bandwidths are wide (100's MHz) and the potential exists for ground receivers to be victim to signals from airborne transmitters other than its desired source. MITRE has developed a CDL Interference Model to assess potential problems in realistic tactical surveillance scenarios. This paper documents the physical basis of the CDL Interference Model as well as the visualization software architecture that integrates the model with ModSAF/OneSAF.
Trace analysis for magnetic domain images of L10 polytwinned structures

The polytwinned structure in L10 FePd alloy is studied by using both conventional TEM and Lorentz microscopy methods.Herein we develop a trace analysis method to determine the surface orientation of a magnetic domain image without the use of electron diffraction patterns.This allows us to analyze magnetization directions. 2002 Acta Materialia Inc.Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.All rights reserved.
Central nervous system control of hyperphagia in hypothalamic obesity: dependence on adrenal glucocorticoids.

Gold thioglucose (GTG)-treated hyperphagic obese mice exhibit a pronounced anorexia upon adrenalectomy which is reversed by the systemic administration of adrenal glucocorticoids. To determine whether the return of hyperphagia was mediated by an action of the hormones on the central nervous system, food intake and body weight were monitored in anorexic GTG-treated obese adrenalectomized mice which received a single intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of very small amounts of adrenal glucocorticoids, including cortisone, corticosterone, and dexamethasone. The responses of untreated controls and adrenalectomized control mice were also studied. To rule out possible systemic effects of icv injections of adrenal glucocorticoids, food intake and body weight were also monitored in similar mice given a single ip injection of the hormones. We found that hyperphagia was restored and weight loss abolished in anorexic GTG-treated obese adrenalectomized mice after a single icv injection of adrenal glucocorticoids;...
Gravitational Collapse of a Dust Cloud and the Cosmic Censorship Conjecture

O. Tolman found in 1934 a class of solutions of Einstein’s equations which represent inhomogeneous spherically symmetric dust clouds (Tolman, 1934). In 1939 Oppenheimer and Snyder studied, as an idealized model of gravitational collapse (Oppenheimer and Snyder, 1939), the special case of Tolman’s class of solutions which corresponds to a homogeneous spherical dust cloud. They analyzed the behaviour of the outgoing light rays and were thus led to the black hole concept. The Oppenheimer-Snyder study, although treating only a very special case, was highly important for providing the intuition which guided the approach to more general problems; the concept of a trapped surface plays a central role in the Penrose-Hawking singularity theorems (Hawking and Ellis, 1973). Then, a conjecture was introduced, derived again from the Oppenheimer-Snyder example, namely that no singularities which are visible from infinity can develop from regular initial data (Hawking and Ellis, 1973). This is the weaker form of what is now called “the cosmic censorship conjecture”. There is a number of important results, among them the area theorem of black holes (Hawking and Ellis, 1973), which assume the truth of this conjecture. Finally, Penrose (1979) introduced a stronger form of the cosmic censorship conjecture which states that any singularities that arise from regular initial data are not even locally visible. This stronger conjecture is verified in the Oppenheimer-Snyder example.
Effects of petroleum resins on asphaltene aggregation and water-in-oil emulsion formation

Abstract Asphaltenes from four crude oils were fractionated by precipitation in mixtures of heptane and toluene. Solubility profiles generated in the presence of resins (1:1 mass ratio) indicated the onset of asphaltene precipitation occurred at lower toluene volume fractions (0.1–0.2) than without resins. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was performed on solutions of asphaltene fractions in mixtures of heptane and toluene with added resins to determine aggregate sizes. Water-in-oil emulsions of asphaltene–resin solutions were prepared and separated by a centrifuge method to determine the vol.% water resolved. In general, the addition of resins to asphaltenes reduced the aggregate size by disrupting the π–π and polar bonding interactions between asphaltene monomers. Interaction of resins with asphaltenic aggregates rendered the aggregates less interfacially active and thus reduced emulsion stability. The smallest aggregate sizes observed and the weakest emulsion stability at high resin to asphaltene (R/A) ratios presumably corresponded to asphaltenic monomers or small oligomers strongly interacting with resin molecules. It was often observed that, in the absence of resins, the more polar or higher molecular weight asphaltenes were insoluble in solutions of heptane and toluene. The addition of resins dissolved these insolubles and aggregate size by SANS increased until the solubility limit was reached. This corresponded approximately to the point of maximum emulsion stability. Asphaltene chemistry plays a vital role in dictating emulsion stability. The most polar species typically required significantly higher resin concentrations to disrupt asphaltene interactions and completely destabilize emulsions. Aggregation and film formation are likely driven by polar heteroatom interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, which allow asphaltenes to absorb, consolidate, and form cohesive films at the oil–water interface.
Long-term clinical efficacy and risk of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in the elderly.

Introduction: The number of elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing rapidly, and the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation in this demographic group has not been established. Methods: Over a 7-year period we studied 1,165 consecutive patients undergoing 1,506 AF ablation procedures using a consistent ablation protocol that included proximal ostial pulmonary vein (PV) isolation and focal ablation of non-PV AF triggers. Outcome was analyzed for three distinct age groups: <65 years (group 1; n = 948 patients), 65–74 years (group 2; n = 185 patients), and ≥75 years (group 3; n = 32 patients) based on the age at the initial procedure. Results: There was no significant difference in AF control (89% in group 1, 84% in group 2, and 86% in group 3, P = NS) during a mean follow-up of 27 months. Major complication rates were also comparable (1.6% in group 1, 1.7% in group 2, 2.9% in group 3, P = NS) between the three groups. There was no difference in the left atrial size, percentage with left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, or percentage with paroxysmal versus more persistent forms of atrial fibrillation. However, older patients were more likely to be women (20% in group 1, 34% in group 2, and 56% in group 3, P < 0.001) and have hypertension and/or structural heart disease (56% in group 1 vs 68% in group 2 vs 88% in group 3; P < 0.001). There was a strong trend demonstrating that older patients were less likely to undergo repeat ablation (26% vs 27% vs 9%) to achieve AF control and more likely to remain on antiarrhythmic drugs (20% vs 29% vs 37%; P < 0.05). Conclusions: Elderly patients with AF undergoing catheter ablation therapy are represented by a higher proportion of women and have a higher incidence of hypertension/structural heart disease. To achieve a similar level of AF control, there appears to be no increased risk from the ablation procedure, but elderly patients are more likely to remain on antiarrhythmic drugs.
Modeling Cumulative Effects of Wildfire Hazard Policy and Exurban Household Location Choices: An Application of Agent-based Simulations

The flow of amenity-based migrants to fire-prone areas of the US Rocky Mountain West has brought increasing attention to wildfire hazard mitigation management. This paper attempts to build agent-based models which link natural amenity driven exurban growth to wildfire mitigation regimes to provide a framework for assessing cumulative effects of hazard mitigation policy under alternative policy structures. Three simulations were built to demonstrate how agent-based models (ABM) can be used to examine and compare people's choices of residential location in response to natural amenities and wildfire policies. This paper investigates the ways in which policy effects are incorporated dynamically into the land development decision-making process at an individual level in a case study area. Our results show that individual location choices with respect to wildfire risk are sensitive to wildfire mitigation policies.
Parameters influencing high-efficiency transfection of bacterial artificial chromosomes into cultured mammalian cells

Although bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) provide a well-characterized resource for the analysis of large chromosomal domains, low transfection rates have proven a significant limitation for their use in cell culture models. Using TP53 BAC clones that contain expression cassettes for enhanced green fluorescent protein or red fluorescent protein, we have examined conditions that promote BAC transfection in hamster, human, and mouse cell lines. Atomic force microscopy shows that BAC transfection efficiency correlates with the generation of small, highly condensed but dispersed lipid: BAC DNA transfection complexes. BAC DNA purity and concentration are critical for good transfection; debris from purification columns induces the formation of large aggregates that do not gain entry into the cell, and DNA concentrations must be optimized to promote intramolecular condensation rather than intermolecular linking, which also causes aggregation and diminished transfection efficiency. The expression of both markers and genes within BACs initially occurs at lower levels than observed with plasmids, requiring 3-5 days to evaluate the transfection results. We also show that BACs can be co-transfected with other BACs, which provides for increased experimental flexibility.
Inverse dynamics approach to trajectory optimization for an aerospace plane

An inverse dynamics approach for trajectory optimization is proposed. This technique can be useful in many difficult trajectory optimization and control problems. The application of the approach is exemplified by ascent trajectory optimization for an aerospace plane. Both minimum-fuel and minimax types of performance indices are considered. When rocket augmentation is available for ascent, it is shown that accurate orbital insertion can be achieved through the inverse control of the rocket in the presence of disturbances.
A nonsmooth approach to nonexpected utility theory under risk

Abstract We consider concave and Lipschitz continuous preference functionals over monetary lotteries. We show that they possess an envelope representation, as the minimum of a bounded family of continuous vN-M preference functionals. This allows us to use an envelope theorem to show that results from local utility analysis still hold in our setting, without any further differentiability assumptions on the preference functionals. Finally, we provide an axiomatisation of a class of concave preference functionals that are Lipschitz.
Jitter considerations in the design of a 10-Gb/s automatic gain control amplifier

The effects of noise on random jitter in multistage broad-band amplifiers are analyzed. Limiting amplifiers are compared to automatic gain control (AGC) amplifiers with different gain profiles. Results are presented for a 10-Gb/s AGC amplifier implemented in an SiGe process with fT of 45 GHz. Active peaking techniques were used to achieve a maximum gain of 48 dB with 7.8 GHz of bandwidth. The amplifier demonstrates low jitter and less than 0.5 dB of peak-to-peak output amplitude variation over a 50-dB input amplitude range. It consumes 30 mW of power from a 3.3-V supply. The amplifier core occupies 0.1 mm2 and requires no external components
PBExplore: A Framework for Compiler-in-the-Loop Exploration of Partial Bypassing in Embedded Processors

Varying partial bypassing in pipelined processors is an effective way to make performance, area and energy trade-offs in embedded processors. However, performance evaluation of partial bypassing in processors has been inaccurate, largely due to the absence of bypass-sensitive retargetable compilation techniques. Furthermore no existing partial bypass exploration framework estimates the power and cost overhead of partial bypassing. In this paper we present PBExplore: A framework for Compiler-in-the-Loop exploration of partial bypassing in processors. PBExplore accurately evaluates the performance of a partially by-passed processor using a generic bypass-sensitive compilation technique. It synthesizes the bypass control logic and estimates the area and energy overhead of each bypass configuration. PBExplore is thus able to effectively perform multi-dimensional exploration of the partial bypass design space. We present experimental results on the Intel XScale architecture on MiBench benchmarks and demonstrate the need, utility and exploration capabilities of PBExplore.
Hyaluronic Acid Gel Distribution Pattern in Periocular Area With High-Resolution Ultrasound Imaging

Background: High-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) is a useful tool in defining anatomic and dynamic soft tissue relationships in the periocular area. It also allows visualization of hyaluronic acid (HA) gel within the soft tissue. Objectives: The authors investigate the difference in the distribution pattern between 2 HA fillers in the periocular tissue using HRUS. Methods: The charts of 10 patients who underwent periocular injection using HA gel filler and were subsequently examined with HRUS were reviewed. Half of the patients (n = 5) were treated with Restylane-L (Medicis Aesthetics, Inc, Scottsdale, Arizona) and the remaining 5 with Belotero Balance (Merz Aesthetics, Inc, San Mateo, California). Ultrasonographic evaluation (Logiq p6; GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Washington) was performed before and immediately after HA filler injection. Results: The HA appears as a hypoechoic image within the soft tissue plane on HRUS. Restylane-L filler formed a localized hypoechoic image within the tissue, with some spread into bubbles or pearl-like configuration. Belotero Balance spread more widely into the tissue plane and diffused into an elongated or spindle-shaped hypoechoic image. Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that HA gel fillers with differing production technologies show distinct spread and distribution patterns in the periocular tissues on HRUS examination.
Publication prejudices: An experimental study of confirmatory bias in the peer review system

Confirmatory bias is the tendency to emphasize and believe experiences which support one's views and to ignore or discredit those which do not. The effects of this tendency have been repeatedly documented in clinical research. However, its ramifications for the behavior of scientists have yet to be adequately explored. For example, although publication is a critical element in determining the contribution and impact of scientific findings, little research attention has been devoted to the variables operative in journal review policies. In the present study, 75 journal reviewers were asked to referee manuscripts which described identical experimental procedures but which reported positive, negative, mixed, or no results. In addition to showing poor interrater agreement, reviewers were strongly biased against manuscripts which reported results contrary to their theoretical perspective. The implications of these findings for epistemology and the peer review system are briefly addressed.
Kalat: the political economy of a tribal chiefdom

This article reconstructs the precolonial history of the Kalat Khanate, a Baluchistan chiefdom peripheral to the empires of Safavid Persia and Mughul India. Imperial politics gave rise to large-scale migrations to Baluchistan, fostering uneven tribal development, aggressive leadership, and tributary domination. The martial origin of Kalat produced a paramount ruler and a tribal order with powerful chiefs. I argue that Kalat was shaped by the interplay of class and descent processes: descent group alliances produced a tribal order both resistant and accommodating to the forces of political centralization and class formation, forces growing out of a system of tributary domination. Encounters with regional polities also played an important role in the development of Kalat. [Pakistan, political economy, tribal organization, class formation]
Microfluidic Western blotting: Cationic surfactant based protein sizing integrated with electrostatic immobilization

We report on fully-functional Western blotting demonstrated in an automated microfluidic format. The novel microfluidic device incorporates contiguous polyacrylamide (PA) gel regions tailored for different biochemical/physical functionality in a microchamber. Our photopatterned polymer design strategy enables assay performance not possible with traditional bench-top Western blotting: rapid completion of multiple Western-blotting steps (∼2 hours), minute sample consumption (&#60; 10 ng), and no manual intervention. Using this format, three key Western blotting steps are seamlessly integrated in a single microfluidic device: (1) accurate protein sizing and separation via cationic detergent based polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Cat-PAGE), (2) immobilization of proteins after separation using electrostatic interaction with PA gel matrix, and (3) antibody-based detection and quantitation of immobilized protein targets. As a means to characterize system performance, a protein ladder consisting of protein G, ovalbumin (OVA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and α-actinin is separated and then immobilized with mobility information preserved. Subsequent immunoblotting is also demonstrated. We see this format as forming the basis for unmatched protein blotting as is relevant to basic life sciences research.
Effect of a Combination of Mild-Temperature Hyperthermia and Nicotinamide on the Radiation Response of Experimental Tumors

Abstract Ogawa, A., Griffin, R. J. and Song, C. W. Effect of a Combination of Mild-Temperature Hyperthermia and Nicotinamide on the Radiation Response of Experimental Tumors. The effect of mild-temperature hyperthermia and nicotinamide individually or combined on tumor radiosensitivity was investigated with SCK tumors grown s.c. in the right hind limbs of A/J mice. An i.p. injection of nicotinamide at 50–250 mg/kg slightly enhanced the cell killing caused by 10–20 Gy of ionizing radiation as determined by the in vivo/in vitro tumor excision assay. Treatment of tumors with mild-temperature hyperthermia at 41.5°C for 60 min prior to tumor irradiation was significantly more effective than nicotinamide and the combination of nicotinamide and hyperthermia was far more effective than nicotinamide or hyperthermia alone in enhancing radiation-induced cell killing. Radiation-induced tumor growth delay was enhanced by a factor of 1.2 by 50 mg/kg nicotinamide, 2.1 by hyperthermia, and 3.6 by the combination of nicot...
Prostate Cancer Risk Reduction by Chemoprevention

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality with significant treatment associated complications. Chemoprevention could potentially decrease the morbidity and mortality from the disease. Prostate cancer has been an attractive target for chemoprevention. Research has primarily focused on 5 alpha reductase inhibitors and nutrients including three large randomized placebo controlled trials published between 2003 and 2010 with a total of 61,144 patients. The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial examined the utility of finasteride in low risk men with no prior prostate biopsy. They reported a 24.4 % reduction in overall prostate cancer risk (18.4 % vs. 24.4 %), but an increased risk for high grade tumors. Subsequent analysis has demonstrated this increased risk for high grade disease is likely an artifact. The Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events trial of dutasteride in a higher risk group of men with a negative baseline biopsy found a 22.8 % relative risk reduction in prostate cancer (19.9 % vs. 25.1 %) with no increase in high grade prostate cancer. With respect to nutrient use, the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial found no favorable effect of selenium or vitamin E on prostate cancer prevention. In summary, the data are strongest for the use of 5 alpha reductase inhibitor dutasteride in prostate cancer chemoprevention of high risk patients. Conclusive evidence for the benefit of nutrients or vitamins is lacking.
Bon Appétit for Apps: Young American Consumers' Acceptance of Mobile Applications

The study integrated the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Technology Acceptance Model, and the Uses and Gratification Theory to predict young American consumers' mobile apps attitudes, intent and use. The model was tested by a web survey of 555 American college students in winter, 2011. SEM results show that young American consumers' attitudes and intent predict their use of mobile applications. Perceived enjoyment, usefulness, ease of use and subjective norm emerge as significant predictors of their mobile apps attitudes. Perceived behavioral control, usefulness, and mobile Internet use predict their intent to use mobile applications. Their use of mobile applications is determined by perceived usefulness, intent to use, mobile Internet use, income and gender. Implications for academia and industry are discussed.
Stroke is ascendant: is it time for TICI to be more than just a score?

The neurointerventional (NI) endeavor is a field of marked contrasts. Complex intracranial aneurysms, disabling strokes, and a variety of other neurovascular diseases are successfully treated through minimally invasive means. The technical and geographic growth of the field has seen a similar maturation in academic support and its resultant data. In that vein, over these past few decades single-center case series have been replaced by larger multicenter observational cohorts and ultimately by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). One of the more marked and important contrasts in the NI field exists within these RCTs—not, as many might assume, conflicting results but, instead, the quality of the underlying studies. The pages of JNIS have chronicled these studies and we will not review the particulars of them again here. However, as with other spaces in the medical field, we have our share of both high-quality1–3 and low-quality4 studies. Some trials that the NI community collectively viewed as subpar were able to secure publication in lead journals, speaking to great variability of not just studies but review and publication. Indeed, JNIS has featured an article on some of the challenges of peer review.5 Sheth and colleagues published a recent comment called ‘Watching but not waiting: vascular neurology perspective on the disparate regulatory pathway for stroke’ in JNIS .6 They made a number of important points that should prompt conversation in our circles. The paper started with a discussion of how vascular neurologists were paying close attention to the completion of the regulatory pathway of the Watchman device for non-valvular atrial fibrillation as a cause of ischemic stroke.7 The authors lament the lack of involvement of vascular neurologists in the design of the Watchman trial and its subsequent approval pathway. We support this perspective from our neurology colleagues. Sheth et al go …