cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vector analysis of the electrocardiogram in hypertension before and immediately after bilateral lumbodorsal sympathectomy.

0 NE OF the interesting results of the surgical treatment of essential hypertension has been improvement in the electrocardiogram. The contention that these changes indicate improvement in the heart itself, while plausible, may not be entirely without sophistry. A study of the electrocardiogram by means of vector analysis in cases of arterial hypertension was undertaken, therefore, in the hope of clarifying the mechanism of the electrocardiographic abnormalities in this disease; and especially in the hope of contributing to an understanding of the changes which may follow extensive lumbodorsal sympathectomy.‘J The concept of semiquantitative analysis of the electrocardiogram by means of measurement of the area beneath the depolarization waves (QRS) and the electrical record of repolarization (ST-T) as a means of studying the time course of these events as they are projected on the frontal plane in standard limb leads has possible advantages over empirical interpretation. A larger experience and greater familiarity with the empirical method is its chief claim to superiority. The credibility of the concept of vector analysis and the ventricular gradient, first advanced by Wilson and co-workers3 is not subject, at the moment, to a great deal of controversy, but the available methods of measuring these vectors are not beyond criticism. The sources of error are manifold, but, crude as the methods may be, the semiquantitative analysis may give useful information.
Co-located Many-Player Gaming on Large High-Resolution Displays

Two primary types of multiplayer gaming have emerged over the years. The first type involves co-located players on a shared display, and typically caps at four players. The second type of gaming provides a single display for each player. This type scales well beyond four players, but places no requirement on co-location. This paper will attempt to combine the best of both worlds via co-located many-player gaming on large high-resolution displays.Results show that with more people, a greater amount of the time during a game was filled with vocal interactions between players. There were also more physical movements in the larger games. Over the course of this study, we learned that good high-resolution games will: provide a singular gameplay area, take advantage of the physical space in front of the display, provide feedback that is localized to each player, and use input devices appropriately.
The weak cat. Practical approach and common neurological differentials

Practical relevance Weakness is recognized somewhat infrequently in cats, but is an important manifestation of neurological disease. The clinician must perform a complete neurological examination to determine the neuroanatomic basis for the weakness. As for all species, the neuroanatomic diagnosis allows the clinician to generate an appropriate differential diagnosis, to design a diagnostic plan, to prognosticate, and ultimately to develop a treatment plan. Clinical challenges The cause(s) of neurological weakness in the cat may be difficult to determine without access to advanced imaging modalities, cerebrospinal fluid analysis or electrodiagnostics. However, an accurate neuroanatomic diagnosis allows the clinician to pursue preliminary anomalous (vertebral anomalies), metabolic (eg, diabetes mellitus, electrolyte abnormalities) and neoplastic differentials via blood work, vertebral column and thoracic radiography, and abdominal ultrasound. Subsequently, referral to a specialty veterinary hospital may be warranted to pursue advanced neurodiagnostics. Audience This review provides a framework for generating a neuroanatomic and differential diagnosis in the weak cat. It also discusses the pathogenesis and clinical signs associated with the most common neurological differentials for feline paresis. As such, it is aimed at both primary health care and specialty veterinarians. Patient group The neurological conditions discussed in this review cause weakness in cats of all age groups.
Inheritance of deep seed dormancy and stratification- mediated dormancy alleviation in Amaranthus tuberculatus

Amaranthus tuberculatus is a weed species that has shifted emergence patterns over the past few years, presumably due to changes in seed dormancy in response to selection in agricultural fields. Although it is recognized that the seed dormancy phenotype is greatly affected by the environment, it is also acknowledged that the genotype plays a significant role. However, the importance of the genotype in determining intra-population seed dormancy variability, and the effect on emergence patterns, is not well understood. The objective of the present study was to determine the importance of the genotype on deep dormancy and the stratification-mediated dormancy alleviation in A. tuberculatus. Wild populations differing in seed dormancy were crossed and F2 families were generated. These families were used to determine narrow sense heritability of dormancy and stratification-mediated dormancy alleviation at the individual ðh 2 Þ and family ðh 2 Þ levels. h 2 ranged from 0.13 to 0.4 and 0.04 to 0.06 for the dormancy and stratification response, respectively. In the case of h 2 ; the values ranged from 0.76 to 0.91 for deep dormancy and from 0.33 to 0.58 for the stratification response. The genetic correlation between these two traits was below 0.075, indicating that different genes control them. High temperature strengthened the dormancy of deeply dormant seeds, making them less sensitive to stratification. However, high temperature promoted the germination of non-deeply dormant seeds. It is proposed that delayed weed emergence can be generated by selecting genes that control stratification response, and not necessarily only the genes that are directly responsible for deep dormancy.
Practical Considerations for Thermal Stresses Induced by Surface Heating

Rapid surface heating can induce large stresses in solids. A relatively simple model, assuming full constraint in two dimensions and no constraint in the third dimension, can adequately model stresses in a wide variety of situations. This paper derives this simple model, and supports it with criteria for its validity. Phenomena that are considered include non-zero penetration depths for the heat deposition, spatial non-uniformity in the surface heating, and elastic waves. Models for each of these cases, using simplified geometries, are used to develop quantitative limits for their applicability.
The Relationship Between Lower Extremity Alignment Characteristics and Anterior Knee Joint Laxity

BACKGROUND: Lower extremity alignment may influence the load distribution at the knee, potentially predisposing the anterior cruciate ligament to greater stress. We examined whether lower extremity alignment predicted the magnitude of anterior knee laxity in men and women. HYPOTHESIS: Greater anterior pelvic angle, hip anteversion, tibiofemoral angle, genu recurvatum, and navicular drop will predict greater anterior knee laxity. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Women (n = 122) and men (n = 97) were measured for anterior knee laxity and 7 lower extremity alignment variables on their dominant stance leg. Linear regression determined the extent to which the alignment variables predicted anterior knee laxity for each sex. RESULTS: Lower anterior pelvic tilt and tibiofemoral angle, and greater genu recurvatum and navicular drop were related to greater anterior knee laxity in women, explaining 28.1% of the variance (P < .001). Lower anterior pelvic tilt and greater hip anteversion, genu recurvatum and navicular drop were predictors of greater anterior knee laxity in men, explaining 26.5% of the variance (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Lower anterior pelvic tilt, greater knee hyperextension, and foot pronation predicted greater anterior knee laxity in both men and women, with genu recurvatum and navicular drop having the greatest impact on anterior knee laxity. Greater hip anteversion was also a strong predictor in men, while a lower tibiofemoral angle was a significant predictor in women. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The associations between lower extremity alignment and anterior knee laxity suggest that alignment of the hip, knee, and ankle may be linked to or contribute to abnormal loading patterns at the knee, potentially stressing the capsuloligamentous structures and promoting greater joint laxity.
The Symbiosis of News Coverage and Aggregate Online Search Behavior: Obama, Rumors, and Presidential Politics

Using a relatively new approach, this study examines the agenda-setting effects of television and newspaper coverage of a prominent rumor from the 2008 presidential election: the rumor that Barack Obama was secretly Muslim. In doing so, we look at the relationship between online information-seeking behavior and mass media news coverage, expecting online behavior, such as search, to be a function of exposure to conventional news coverage rather than vice versa. Using Google search trends as a novel search behavior measure, we demonstrate that volume of news coverage positively predicts spikes in aggregate search.
ANDROGENIC NEUROSTEROIDS: ANTI-SEIZURE EFFECTS IN AN ANIMAL MODEL OF EPILEPSY

These studies investigate whether the neurosteroid and 5α-reduced metabolite of testosterone (T), 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (3α-Diol), has anti-seizure effects similar to its parent compound. In experiment 1, ovariectomized (ovx) Long-Evans rats (n=20) were subcutaneously (SC) administered 32 mg/kg kainic acid or saline vehicle 10 min following 0.0, 3.0, or 7.5 mg/kg 3α-Diol in 10% ethanol, propylene glycol vehicle (veh). During 2 h of observation of ictal activity, 3α-Diol (3.0 and 7.5 mg/kg) prior to kainic acid significantly decreased the number and duration of partial and full seizures compared to the 0.0 3α-Diol conditions and produced ictal activity that was comparable to 0.0 mg/kg 3α-Diol no kainic acid controls (procedure controls). Animals that received 7.5 mg/kg 3α-Diol prior to kainic acid had shorter latencies and distances to the hidden platform in a Morris Water Maze task than those that received 0.0 3α-Diol, 1 week following ictal activity. Administration of 3α-Diol (3.0 or 7.5 mg/kg) prior to kainic acid stimulation resulted in a greater number of identifiable neurons in the hilar region of the hippocampus, compared to 0.0 3α-Diol condition. Experiment 2 was conducted to ascertain whether 3α-Diol’s anti-seizure effects were comparable to T and possibly a result of metabolism from T. Ovx rats (n=36) were stereotaxically implanted with bipolar electrodes into the perforant pathway. One hour prior to perforant pathway stimulation, six rats were SC injected with either T (7.5 mg/kg), 3α-Diol (7.5 mg/kg), 7.5 mg/kg T+4MA (a 5α-reductase inhibitor, 17β-N,N-diethylcarbamoyl-4-methyl-4aza,5α-androstan-3-one), 4MA alone, 10% propylene glycol vehicle (veh) with perforant pathway stimulation, or veh without perforant pathway stimulation. 3α-Diol and T produced similar seizure activity, water maze performance, and neuronal integrity in the hilar region of the hippocampus that were comparable to unstimulated controls. Because the T and 3α-Diol groups were not different from T+4MA but tended to be different from 4MA alone on these measures, this suggests that 3α-Diol and T can have similar anti-seizure effects which may be due to actions of neurosteroids. © Published by 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Saturation of atomic transitions using subwavelength diameter tapered optical fibers in rubidium vapor

We experimentally investigate ultralow-power saturation of the rubidium D2 transitions using a tapered optical fiber (TOF) suspended in a warm Rb vapor. A direct comparison of power-dependent absorption measurements for the TOF system with those obtained in a standard free-space vapor cell system highlights the differences in saturation behavior for the two systems. The effects of hyperfine pumping in the TOF system are found to be minimized due to the short atomic transit times through the highly confined evanescent optical mode guided by the TOF. The TOF system data are well-fit by a relatively simple empirical absorption model that indicates nanoWatt-level saturation powers.
A simple theory of traffic and resource allocation in ATM

The authors propose a simple framework to study the tradeoffs between bandwidth and buffer in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network. Traffic is modeled as a deterministic fluid. The key concept is the burstiness curve b( mu ) which gives, for a connection, the maximum number b( mu ) of cells that must be buffered if the connection is served at a fixed rate of mu cells per second. Two popular service disciplines, the fixed rate discipline and the leaky bucket discipline, are shown to be burst reducing. The characterization of a class of practical service disciplines that are burst reducing is obtained. The tradeoffs between buffer and bandwidth along a connection and the options for resource allocation among simultaneous connections are considered. >
A Cheap, Adjustable Fish Grader

(1935). A Cheap, Adjustable Fish Grader. The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 2, No. 11, pp. 21-22.
Transcriptional heat shock response in the smallest known self-replicating cell, Mycoplasma genitalium.

Mycoplasma genitalium is a human bacterial pathogen linked to urethritis and other sexually transmitted diseases as well as respiratory and joint pathologies. Though its complete genome sequence is available, little is understood about the regulation of gene expression in this smallest known, self-replicating cell, as its genome lacks orthologues for most of the conventional bacterial regulators. Still, the transcriptional repressor HrcA (heat regulation at CIRCE [controlling inverted repeat of chaperone expression]) is predicted in the M. genitalium genome as well as three copies of its corresponding regulatory sequence CIRCE. We investigated the transcriptional response of M. genitalium to elevated temperatures and detected the differential induction of four hsp genes. Three of the up-regulated genes, which encode DnaK, ClpB, and Lon, possess CIRCE within their promoter regions, suggesting that the HrcA-CIRCE regulatory mechanism is functional. Additionally, one of three DnaJ-encoding genes was up-regulated, even though no known regulatory sequences were found in the promoter region. Transcript levels returned to control values after 1 h of incubation at 37°C, reinforcing the transient nature of the heat shock transcriptional response. Interestingly, neither of the groESL operon genes, which encode the GroEL chaperone and its cochaperone GroES, responded to heat shock. These data suggest that M. genitalium selectively regulates a limited number of genes in response to heat shock.
Haplotypes in the lipoprotein lipase gene influence fasting insulin and discovery of a new risk haplotype.

Context: Prior studies of Mexican Americans described association of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene haplotypes with insulin sensitivity/resistance and atherosclerosis. The most common haplotype (haplotype 1) was protective, whereas the fourth most common haplotype (haplotype 4) conferred risk for insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Objective: In this study of Hispanics in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study Family Study, we sought to replicate LPL haplotype association with insulin sensitivity/resistance. Design: LPL haplotypes based on 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed for association with indexes of insulin sensitivity and other metabolic and adiposity measures. Setting: This study was conducted in the general community of San Antonio, Texas, and San Luis Valley, Colorado. Participants: Participants in this study were 978 members of 86 Hispanic families. Main Outcome Measures: LPL haplogenotype, metabolic phenotypes, and adiposity were measured in this study. Results: The hapl...
Purine and phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthesis in differentiating murine virus-induced erythroleukemic cells in vitro.

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase activity was determined in Friend virus-inducted erythroleukemic cells in culture, stimulated to differentiate in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide. The activity of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase did not decrease in cells which had acquired the specialized function of hemoglobin synthesis, nor was the phosphoribosylpyrophosphate content of untreated erythroleukemic cells significantly different from that of cultures exposed to dimethylsulfoxide for 96 hours. However, the rate of the early steps of de novo purine biosynthesis as measured by the incorporation of [1-14C] glycine and [1-14C] formate into formyglycinamide ribonucleotide, was significantly lower in differentiating cell cultures. The addition of glutamine or ammonia increased glycine incorporation of control cultures, but failed to do so in treated cultures. In the course of the normal development of erythrocytes in vivo, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase activity is preserved, while the capacity to synthesize purines de novo is lost, as is the activity of the phosphoribosyl-l-amine synthesizing enzymes. Our present study suggests that the rate of de novo purine biosynthesis in this erythroleukemic cell line is not limited by the availability of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, but rather by a decrease in the phosphoribosyl-l-amine synthesizing enzymes. These findings provide further evidence that during dimethyl-sulfoxide-stimulated erythroid maturation, the same regulatory mechanisms are operative as in normal cellular development, and that ammonia-dependent purine biosynthesis is subject to the same regulatory mechanisms as is glutamine-dependent biosynthesis.
Chymotrypsin C (caldecrin) promotes degradation of human cationic trypsin: Identity with Rinderknecht's enzyme Y

Digestive trypsins undergo proteolytic breakdown during their transit in the human alimentary tract, which has been assumed to occur through trypsin-mediated cleavages, termed autolysis. Autolysis was also postulated to play a protective role against pancreatitis by eliminating prematurely activated intrapancreatic trypsin. However, autolysis of human cationic trypsin is very slow in vitro, which is inconsistent with the documented intestinal trypsin degradation or a putative protective role. Here we report that degradation of human cationic trypsin is triggered by chymotrypsin C, which selectively cleaves the Leu81-Glu82 peptide bond within the Ca2+ binding loop. Further degradation and inactivation of cationic trypsin is then achieved through tryptic cleavage of the Arg122-Val123 peptide bond. Consequently, mutation of either Leu81 or Arg122 blocks chymotrypsin C-mediated trypsin degradation. Calcium affords protection against chymotrypsin C-mediated cleavage, with complete stabilization observed at 1 mM concentration. Chymotrypsin C is highly specific in promoting trypsin degradation, because chymotrypsin B1, chymotrypsin B2, elastase 2A, elastase 3A, or elastase 3B are ineffective. Chymotrypsin C also rapidly degrades all three human trypsinogen isoforms and appears identical to enzyme Y, the enigmatic trypsinogen-degrading activity described by Heinrich Rinderknecht in 1988. Taken together with previous observations, the results identify chymotrypsin C as a key regulator of activation and degradation of cationic trypsin. Thus, in the high Ca2+ environment of the duodenum, chymotrypsin C facilitates trypsinogen activation, whereas in the lower intestines, chymotrypsin C promotes trypsin degradation as a function of decreasing luminal Ca2+ concentrations.
A Case Study of Nocturnal Rain Showers over the Windward Coastal Region of the Island of Hawaii

Abstract Nocturnal rain showers over the windward side of the island of Hawaii were investigated from the late afternoon of 2 August to the early morning of 3 August 1990 during the Hawaiian Rainband Project (HaRP). Three types of rainbands produce rainfall peaks over the lowland/coastal region during the evening, after midnight, and along the coast in the early morning. In the early evening, an inland rainband develops over the lower slopes as a result of orographic lifting and low-level forcing along the drainage front. As the drainage front progresses toward the coast, new rain cells continue to develop along the drainage front. These cells move westward with the trade winds aloft and dissipate. After the drainage front moves to the Hilo coast, new cell generation along the drainage front ceases. It appears that in the absence of orographic lifting, the shallow (∼0.2 km) katabatic flow offshore is not deep enough to lift the low-level air to saturation. Thus, the rainband weakens and dissipates. It las...
Biharmonic Friction with a Smagorinsky-Like Viscosity for Use in Large-Scale Eddy-Permitting Ocean Models

This paper discusses a numerical closure, motivated from the ideas of Smagorinsky, for use with a biharmonic operator. The result is a highly scale-selective, state-dependent friction operator for use in eddy-permitting geophysical fluid models. This friction should prove most useful for large-scale ocean models in which there are multiple regimes of geostrophic turbulence. Examples are provided from primitive equation geopotential and isopycnal-coordinate ocean models.
E-Employment? College Grad Career Building in a Changing and Electronic Age.

The unusual nature of the current economic environment combined with changing labor market demographics heightens the importance to those engaged in employment activity of utilizing methods that fulfill their needs. But electronic technology is transforming available employment methods. How can career building and recruiting best be sustained in today’s continually changing and ever-more electronic age? This paper identifies current practices employers, prospective employees, and career service providers seeking to optimize contemporary employment methods can consider.
Race and Religion in American Buddhism: White Supremacy and Immigrant Adaptation. By Joseph Cheah.

(2012). Race And Religion In American Buddhism: White Supremacy And Immigrant Adaptation. By Joseph Cheah. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 38, Open Issue, pp. 164-168.
Age, Growth, and Size of Lake Superior Pygmy Whitefish Prosopium coulterii

Abstract Pygmy Whitefish (Prosopium coulterii) are a small, glacial relict species with a disjunct distribution in North America and Siberia. In 2013 we collected Pygmy Whitefish at 28 stations from throughout Lake Superior. Total length was recorded for all fish and weight and sex were recorded and scales and otoliths were collected from a subsample. We compared the precision of estimated ages between readers and between scales and otoliths, estimated von Bertalanffy growth parameters for male and female Pygmy Whitefish, and reported the first weight-length relationship for Pygmy Whitefish. Age estimates between scales and otoliths differed significantly with otolith ages significantly greater for most ages after age-3. Maximum otolith age was nine for females and seven for males, which is older than previously reported for Pygmy Whitefish from Lake Superior. Growth was initially fast but slowed considerably after age-3 for males and age-4 for females, falling to 3–4 mm per year at maximum estimated ages...
Effect of exercise training on intracellular free Ca2+ transients in ventricular myocytes of rats.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that exercise training induces enhanced intracellular free Ca2+ (Cai) availability to the contractile elements of cardiac cells. Cai transients were directly measured in single isolated contracting ventricular myocytes from exercise-trained (EX) and sedentary control (SED) rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 16 wk of progressive treadmill exercise (32 m/min, 8% grade, 1.5 h/day) (EX) or were cage confined (SED). EX rats had lower resting heart rate and elevated skeletal muscle oxidative capacity. Cai was measured with the fluorescent Cai indicator fura-2. Simultaneous video monitoring indicated that myocytes suspended in physiological salt solution were quiescent until stimulated electrically at a frequency of 0.2 Hz (12–36 V, 2-ms duration). Stimulated Cai transients, measured from changes in fura-2 fluorescence, were similar in cells from EX and SED groups. Peak shortening, time to peak shortening, velocity of shortening, contraction duration, and time to half-relaxation were also similar in cells from EX and SED rats. Ryanodine (10 microM) was applied to eliminate the contribution of Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum to the Cai transient. Verapamil was applied to eliminate the contribution of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels to Cai transients. Cai transients were also similar in cells from EX and SED groups after these pharmacological interventions. These results suggest that treadmill training of rats does not alter Cai availability to the contractile elements in isolated ventricular myocytes.
Supplier wholesale pricing for a retail chain: Implications of centralized vs. decentralized retailing and procurement under quantity competition

Abstract We consider pricing decisions for a supplier who sells a product via a retail chain with localized retail stores throughout a region. The retail chain can influence the competition for channel profit between its retail stores and the supplier via its procurement strategy. Retail store orders may be horizontally decentralized or centrally managed by the retail chain, depending on the chain׳s ordering strategy. In the case of decentralization at the retail stage, the chain may prefer to coordinate procurement from the supplier to achieve better pricing terms. We model this problem as a Stackelberg game between the supplier and the retail chain and its stores, under joint ownership of the retail chain. When the retail stores are horizontally decentralized, they engage in quantity competition in the regional market. Given the supplier׳s pricing decisions, we analyze the retail chain׳s procurement strategy and store order quantity decisions. Then, the store order quantities are used to solve the supplier׳s wholesale price setting problem. These analyses then determine the equilibria of the Stackelberg game between the supplier and the retail chain under the leadership of either party. Our results indicate that the retail chain will have a first mover advantage, while the supplier might in certain cases gain a first mover disadvantage. Furthermore, the profit-maximizing strategy for the channel may in some cases require the supplier׳s leadership, while in other cases, the retail chain׳s leadership maximizes channel profit.
A Capacitor-Less LDO With High-Frequency PSR Suitable for a Wide Range of On-Chip Capacitive Loads

This paper presents an on-chip, low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulator with improved power-supply rejection (PSR) able to drive large capacitive loads. The LDO compensation is achieved via a custom, wide bandwidth capacitance multiplier (c-multiplier) that emulates a nanofarad-range capacitance at the LDO output node. The LDO frequency response resembles that of externally compensated LDOs, leading to a wide PSR frequency range without using an off-chip capacitor. To drive large capacitive loads without stability concerns, the supply-line capacitance of the load circuit is incorporated to the design of the LDO compensation scheme. The power-stability-performance tradeoffs involved in the design are discussed in detail. The LDO and the c-multiplier are implemented in 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology and target applications with load currents in the 10-mA range. Experimental results show that the LDO achieves a PSR better than −39 dB up to 20 MHz at 1.2 V output voltage, while maintaining a 97.4% current efficiency.
Research advances in pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

In recent years, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased because of the growing prevalence of obesity and overweight in the pediatric population. It has become the most common form of chronic liver diseases in children and the related research on NAFLD is expanded. The "two-hit" and "multiple hit" hypothesis have been widely accepted, and some research has shown that genetic, diet structure and environmental factors appear to play a crucial role in the development of pediatric NAFLD. Though it is expected by researchers, there is not an available satisfactory noninvasive marker for the diagnosis of this disease. Fortunately, some new non-invasive prediction scores for pediatric NAFLD have been developed. There is currently no established special therapy, and lifestyle intervention should be adequate for most cases of NAFLD in children. This article reviews the advances in the current knowledge and ideas concerning pediatric NAFLD, and discusses the diagnosis, perspective therapies and scoring methods for this disease.
Stepwise explicit solution for the joint distribution of queue length of a MAP single-server service queueing system with splitting and varying batch size delayed-feedback

Applying truncation, augmentation and tridiagonalisation on infinite block matrices with infinite block matrix elements and duality properties of G/M/1 and M/G/1, and considering two Poisson arrivals as a MAP queueing network, we develop a stepwise algorithm to explicitly compute the joint distribution of the number of tasks in a system (queue length). We believe it is the first time such a development is offered in the literature. The system consists of an infinite-buffer single-server service-station, a splitter and an infinite-buffer single-mover delay-station. Tasks arrive from two sources: singly from outside and by batch from inside, the delay-station to the service-station. Both types of tasks arrive according to a Poisson process with two different parameters. Batch sizes vary between a minimum and a maximum number. A numerical example that demonstrates when the algorithm works and how the parameters must be chosen to reduce the approximation error together with an error analysis is included.
A numerical investigation of stripe chopping in thin films with perpendicular anisotropy

The effect of bias field on stripe chopping margins in thin films with anisotropy perpendicular to the plane of the material has been investigated by numerical integration of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The chopping margin increases with increasing bias field (corresponding to reduced initial wall-wall separation) when a uniform external field is applied. Horizontal Bloch line (HBL) formation is suppressed at large bias fields, and this suppression is responsible for the large margin that is seen. When an external field typical of a conductor loop above the sample is used, the margins are significantly reduced. In this case, the structure of the wall is significantly more complex and multiple HBLs are frequently seen in the wall. >
Abstract 133: Integrated molecular characterization of uterine carcinosarcoma in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA We used array- and sequencing-based technologies to perform an integrated genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic characterization of the rare tumor type uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) within the context of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project using 57 cases that had stringent histopathologic review. Cohort samples had extensive copy number alterations and highly recurrent somatic mutations. Nearly all (91%) cases had TP53 mutations, similar to ovarian and serous uterine carcinomas, and frequent mutations were also found in PTEN, PIK3CA, PPP2R1A, FBXW7, and KRAS, similar to endometrioid and serous uterine carcinomas. Transcriptome sequencing identified a strong EMT gene signature in a subset of 17 (30%) cases, and cases with EMT signatures had decreased expression of mir-200 family members that was attributable to epigenetic alterations at miRNA promoters. The range of EMT signatures scores in UCS was the largest among all the TCGA tumor types studied. UCS shared proteomic features with both gynecologic carcinomas and non-gynecologic mesenchymal-like tumors. Our results indicate that UCS tumors share many features with serous-like endometrial carcinomas, including frequent TP53 mutations and extensive somatic copy number alterations, though with greater EMT features. Multiple somatic mutations and copy number alterations in genes that are therapeutic targets were identified. There was a high degree of mutational clonality, consistent with tumors being derived from a single cell of origin. Taken together, these data suggest that while some UCS tumors develop from an endometrioid lineage, the majority likely de-differentiate from a serous precursor, potentially accounting for their clinical aggressiveness and poor response to treatment. Citation Format: Rehan Akbani, The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, Douglas A. Levine. Integrated molecular characterization of uterine carcinosarcoma in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 133.
Need for Drama: Scale Development

Drama, which is defined as a situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results, contributes to and is reflected in the development of products and services. Products and services “perform” for consumers (Deighton 1992). Marketers use drama in advertisements, product placements, and retail events in an effort to develop affective bonds with consumers since these “stories” are processed less evaluatively than arguments (where the marketer’s persuasive intent is clear) (Deighton et al. 1989). Drama is also important because it can appeal to consumers in a way that affects consumption behavior. For example, in July 2010, NASCAR considered changes to the race format to make it more dramatic because it thought doing so would entice lost NASCAR viewers to return (Long 2010).
Associations Between Serum Inflammatory Markers and Hippocampal Volume in a Community Sample.

Objectives To quantify associations between inflammatory biomarkers and hippocampal volume (HV) and to examine effect modification according to sex, race, and age. Design Cross-sectional analyses using generalized estimating equations to account for familial clustering; standardized β-coefficients adjusted for age, sex, race, and education. Setting Community cohorts in Jackson, Mississippi and Rochester, Minnesota. Participants The Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy study. Measurements C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 (sTNFR-1) and 2 (sTNFR-2) from peripheral blood were measured in a sample of 773 non-Hispanic whites (61% women, aged 60.2 ± 9.8) and 514 African Americans (70% women, aged 63.9 ± 8.1) who also underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. Biomarkers were standardized and compared according to sex, race and age with HV. Results In the full sample, higher sTNFR-1 and sTNFR-2 were associated with smaller HV. Each standard deviation (SD) increase in sTNFR-1 was associated with 59.1 mm3 (95% confidence interval (CI) = −101.4 to −16.7 mm3) smaller HV and each SD increase in sTNFR-2 associated with 48.8 mm3 (95% CI = −92.2 to −5.3 mm3) smaller HV. Relationships were stronger for sTNFR-2 in men (HV = −116.6 mm3 for each SD increase, 95% CI = −201.0 to −32.1) than women (HV = −26.0 per SD increase, 95% CI = −72.4–20.5) and sTNFR-1 in non-Hispanic whites (HV = −84.7 mm3 per SD increase, 95% CI = −142.2 to −27.1) than African Americans (HV = −14.1 mm3 per SD increase, 95% CI = −78.3–50.1). Associations between IL-6 or CRP and HV were not supported. Conclusion Higher levels of sTNFRs were associated cross-sectionally with smaller hippocampi. Longitudinal data are needed to determine whether these biomarkers may help to identify risk of late-life cognitive impairment.
Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Characteristics of Fundulus jenkinsi (Evermann) (Saltmarsh Topminnow) in Coastal Mississippi Watersheds, with Comments on Range-Wide Occurrences Based on Non-Vouchered and Museum Records

Abstract Fundulus jenkinsi (Saltmarsh Topminnow) is listed as “at risk” by the USFWS and as a Tier 2 conservation priority in Mississippi, in part, because of marsh-habitat loss due to storms, urbanization, and its specialized habitat requirements and limited geographic distribution. To provide additional quantitative data for conservation planning, our objectives were to (1) determine the distribution and abundance of Saltmarsh Topminnow within coastal Mississippi, (2) characterize its habitat requirements, and (3) organize and present all Saltmarsh Topminnow data records (non-vouchered and museum records and those from this study) for use in the development of management/conservation plans. We collected 497 fish and associated habitat data from 27 February to 1 August 2009. PCA produced 3 meaningful components: (1) a landscape-position axis (32.40% of the total variance), (2) a seasonal/spatial axis of species occurrence (18.99%), and (3) a geomorphic bank-slope axis (18.78%). Ninety-six percent of all ...
The interlaced carry-arrest adder

The interlaced carry-arrest adder (ICA) is introduced as a new, fast multioperand adder to compute the sum of four or more numbers. To avoid the need to propagate the carry all the way to the most significant bits, periodic gaps of zeros are created in each of the summands by moving certain pattern of their bits into auxiliary arrays. The pattern of the moved bits is staggered, such that the auxiliary arrays are filled without overlaps and with a periodic pattern of gaps left unfilled such that the resulting auxiliary numbers also have the same staggered zero patterns as the summands. These gaps convert a sum of numbers with arbitrarily large number of bits to independent parallel additions of short pairs of numbers. This is so since any carry bits resulting from the addition of pairs of short numbers are trapped in the gaps. This allows for fast parallel addition that is truly independent of the number of bits of the summands, and depend only on the number of bits in the short numbers added in parallel, and logarithmically on the number of numbers to be added.
A matrix-focused structure-activity and binding site flexibility study of quinolinol inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A.

Abstract Our initial discovery of 8-hydroxyquinoline inhibitors of BoNT/A and separation/testing of enantiomers of one of the more active leads indicated considerable flexibility in the binding site. We designed a limited study to investigate this flexibility and probe structure-activity relationships; utilizing the Betti reaction, a 36 compound matrix of quinolinol BoNT/A LC inhibitors was developed using three 8-hydroxyquinolines, three heteroaromatic amines, and four substituted benzaldehydes. This study has revealed some of the most effective quinolinol-based BoNT/A inhibitors to date, with 7 compounds displaying IC 50 values ⩽1 μM and 11 effective at ⩽2 μM in an ex vivo assay.
Ruptured Mycotic Aneurysm and Cerebral Vasospasm in the Setting of Endocarditis and Heart Failure Requiring Cardiothoracic Surgery: Case Report and Literature Review

Background Ruptured mycotic aneurysm in the setting of cardiac failure and cerebral vasospasm presents unique management challenges. Case Description A patient with a ruptured mycotic aneurysm with subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral vasospasm, and endocarditis with heart failure successfully underwent craniotomy, neuroendovascular treatment, and cardiopulmonary bypass for mitral valve replacement while in cerebral vasospasm. This case highlights clinical management strategies for a patient with a ruptured mycotic aneurysm, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral vasospasm, endocarditis, and heart failure. CONCLUSIONS Open craniotomy, neuroendovascular treatment, and cardiac surgery strategies can be used when treating patients with ruptured mycotic aneurysms and cardiac failure. When the patient also has cerebral vasospasm, maintenance of mean arterial pressure is paramount.
The Influence of Hydrogen-Permeable Membranes and Pressure on Methane Dehydroaromatization in Packed-Bed Catalytic Reactors

Computational simulations are developed and applied to study the coupling of packed-bed methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) reactors with hydrogen-selective membranes, for the production of value-added fuels, particularly benzene. Detailed chemical kinetics for reforming over bifunctional Mo/H-ZSM-5 catalysts are validated against published literature, and simulations explore the effect of hydrogen removal and operating conditions. Although results reveal that membrane integration significantly increases conversion, the desired benzene selectivity decreases, due to the increased yield of undesired byproducts such as naphthalene. The benzene-to-naphthalene ratio depends strongly on hydrogen removal, and simulations demonstrate that hydrogen membranes are most beneficial at relatively high GHSV and relatively low catalyst temperature. Increasing pressure decreases conversion and benzene selectivity, but increases benzene production rates and does not affect naphthalene selectivity. Single-pass benzene yield ...
High-Efficiency “–1” and “–2” Ribosomal Frameshiftings Revealed by Force Spectroscopy

Ribosomal frameshifting is a rare but ubiquitous process that is being studied extensively. Meanwhile, frameshifting motifs without any secondary mRNA structures were identified but rarely studied experimentally. We report unambiguous observation of highly efficient “–1” and “–2” frameshiftings on a GA7G slippery mRNA without the downstream secondary structure, using force-induced remnant magnetization spectroscopy combined with unique probing schemes. The result represents the first experimental evidence of multiple frameshifting steps. It is also one of the rare reports of the “–2” frameshifting. Our assay removed the ambiguity of transcriptional slippage involvement in other frameshifting assays. Two significant insights for the frameshifting mechanism were revealed. First, EF-G·GTP is indispensable to frameshifting. Although EFG·GDPCP has been shown to prompt translocation before, we found that it could not induce frameshifting. This implies that the GTP hydrolysis is responsible for the codon–anticod...
PET measurements of myocardial blood flow post myocardial infarction: Relationship to invasive and cardiac magnetic resonance studies and potential clinical applications

This review focuses on clinical studies concerning assessment of coronary microvascular and conduit vessel function primarily in the context of acute and sub acute myocardial infarction (MI). The ability of quantitative PET measurements of myocardial blood flow (MBF) to delineate underlying pathophysiology and assist in clinical decision making in this setting is discussed. Likewise, considered are physiological metrics fractional flow reserve, coronary flow reserve, index of microvascular resistance (FFR, CFR, IMR) obtained from invasive studies performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, typically at the time of PCI for MI. The role both of invasive studies and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in assessing microvascular function, a key determinant of prognosis, is reviewed. The interface between quantitative PET MBF measurements and underlying pathophysiology, as demonstrated both by invasive and CMR methodology, is discussed in the context of optimal interpretation of the quantitative PET MBF exam and its potential clinical applications.
Tough, Shape-Changing Materials: Crystallized Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Approaches for the synthesis and processing of responsive materials that combine robust mechanical properties and the ability to undergo shape change in response to a stimulus are of intense interest. Here, we report an approach to integrate these properties by synthesizing liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) that can be aligned and subsequently crystallized. We polymerize LCEs in the isotropic and nematic states and characterize the resulting actuation and mechanical properties. After polymerization, each of these materials can be reversibly crystallized. By crystallizing LCEs, we demonstrate stiffer and tougher shape changing materials. Notably, crystallized samples exhibit moduli 2 orders of magnitude higher and toughness 5 times higher than nematic elastomers. Heating melts the crystallinity and then induces shape change via melting of the liquid crystalline phase. These LCEs are capable of high load bearing during actuation, up to 1.3 MPa, and high work capacity, up to 730 kJ/m3. These aligned and cryst...
Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts

Abstract The solubility of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate was determined as a function of nitric acid concentration and temperature, and the crystallization yield was calculated. Results showed an increase in crystal formation at lower initial nitric acid concentrations upon cooling a saturated solution of U(VI) from 50 °C to 2 °C, with over 70% recovery of U(VI) mass at all nitric acid concentrations and nearly quantitative recovery starting at 4 M HNO3. A direct correlation between the change in mother liquor volume percent and U mass removal percent was observed. By reducing the cooling rate from roughly 4.0 °C/min to 0.22 °C/min, the separation factor was increased from 3.88 to 15.7 to greater than 81 for the separation of U(VI) from Sr, Cs, and Nd. At the slower cooling rate, the separation factors were measured as a function of acidity for 2.0–4.3 M HNO3, showing a decrease in selectivity with a decrease in the acidity. There was also no indication that tetravalent metal double-salt precipitation occurred with either Zr4+ or Ce4+. These results indicate that a high-yield, high purity hexavalent actinide crystallization scheme may offer attractive benefits for nuclear-fuel recycle in that only a single very simple and well-understood technology is employed, and the use of organic compounds and solvents is avoided.