cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systemic mastocytosis in adults: 2012 Update on diagnosis, risk stratification, and management.

Disease Overview: Systemic mastocytosis (SM) results from a clonal proliferation of abnormal mast cells (MC) in one or more extra-cutaneous organs. Diagnosis: The major criterion is presence of multifocal clusters of morphologically abnormal MC in the bone marrow. Minor diagnostic criteria include elevated serum tryptase level, abnormal MC expression of CD25 and/or CD2, and presence of KITD816V. Risk Stratification: The prognostic relevance of the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of SM has recently been confirmed. Classification of SM patients into indolent (SM), aggressive SM (ASM), SM associated with a clonal non-MC lineage disease (SM-AHNMD) and mast cell leukemia (MCL) subgroups is a useful first step in establishing prognosis. Management: SM treatment is generally palliative. ISM patients have a normal life expectancy and receive symptom-directed therapy; infrequently, cytoreductive therapy may be indicated for refractory symptoms. ASM patients have disease-related organ dysfunction; interferon-α (±corticosteroids) can control dermatological, hematological, gastrointestinal, skeletal, and mediator-release symptoms, but is hampered by poor tolerability. Similarly, cladribine has broad therapeutic activity, with particular utility when rapid MC debulking is indicated; the main toxicity is myelosuppression. Imatinib has a therapeutic role in the presence of an imatinib-sensitive KIT mutation or in KITD816-unmutated patients. Treatment of SM-AHNMD is governed primarily by the non-MC neoplasm; hydroxyurea has modest utility in this setting. Investigational Drugs: Dasatinib's in vitro anti-KITD816V activity has not translated into significant therapeutic activity in most SM patients. In contrast, preliminary data suggest that Midostaurin may produce significant decreases in MC burden in some patients. Am. J. Hematol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characterization of piezoelectric wafer active sensors

In the beginning, the classical one-dimensional analysis of piezoelectric active sensors is reviewed. The complete derivation for a free-free sensor is then extended to cover the cases of clamped and elastically constrained sensors. An analytical model based on structural vibration theory and theory of piezoelectricity was developed and used to predict the electromechanical (E/M) impedance response, as it would be measured at the piezoelectric active sensor’s terminals. The model considers one-dimensional structures and accounts for both axial and flexural vibrations. The numerical analysis was performed and supported by experimental results. Experiments were conducted on simple beam specimens to support the theoretical investigation, and on thin gauge aluminum plates to illustrate the method’s potential. It was shown that E/M impedance spectrum recorded by the piezoelectric active sensor accurately represents the mechanical response of a structure. It was further proved that the response of the structure...
Thermoelectric and morphological effects of Peltier pulsing on directional solidification of eutectic Bi-Mn

We have carried out extensivein situ thermal measurements during Peltier Interface Demarcation (PID) during directional solidification of eutectic Bi/MnBi. We have observed that significant thermal transients occur throughout the sample as a result of the Peltier pulsing. We have separated the contributions of the Peltier, Thomson, and Joule heats, and studied them as a function of pulse intensity and polarity. The Joule and the combined Peltier and Thomson thermal contributions were determined as a function of time during and after the current pulses, close to the solid/liquid interface. Variations of the Bi/MnBi particle morphology clearly reveal the interface shape, changes in interface velocity, meltback, and temporary loss of cooperative growth, as a result of the pulsing.
Directed evolution of mutator adenoviruses resistant to antibody neutralization

We incorporated a previously identified mutation that reduces the fidelity of the DNA polymerase into a human adenovirus vector. Using this mutator vector, we demonstrate rapid selection of resistance to a neutralizing anti-hexon monoclonal antibody due to a G434D mutation in hexon that precludes antibody binding. Since mutator adenoviruses can accumulate compound mutations that are unattainable using traditional random mutagenesis techniques, this approach will be valuable to the study of antivirals and host factor interactions.
Bounds in cohomology

We introduce a measure of complexity for affine algebras and their finitely generated modules, in terms of the degrees of the polynomials used in their description. We then study how various cohomological operations and numerical invariants are uniformly bounded with respect to these complexities. We apply this to give first order characterisations of certain algebraic-geometric properties. This enables us to apply the Lefschetz Principle to transfer properties between various characteristics. As an application, we obtain the following version of the Zariski-Lipman Conjecture in positive characteristic: letR be the local ring of a pointP on a hypersurface over an algebraically closed fieldK such that the module ofK-invariant derivations onR is free, thenP is a non-singular point, provided the characteristic is larger than some bound only depending on the degree of the hypersurface.
Using Cl/Br ratios and other indicators to assess potential impacts on groundwater quality from septic systems: A review and examples from principal aquifers in the United States

Summary A detailed review was made of chemical indicators used to identify impacts from septic tanks on groundwater quality. Potential impacts from septic tank leachate on groundwater quality were assessed using the mass ratio of chloride–bromide (Cl/Br), concentrations of selected chemical constituents, and ancillary information (land use, census data, well depth, soil characteristics) for wells in principal aquifers of the United States. Chemical data were evaluated from 1848 domestic wells in 19 aquifers, 121 public-supply wells in 6 aquifers, and associated monitoring wells in four aquifers and their overlying hydrogeologic units. Based on previously reported Cl/Br ratios, statistical comparisons between targeted wells (where Cl/Br ratios range from 400 to 1100 and Cl concentrations range from 20 to 100 mg/L) and non-targeted wells indicated that shallow targeted monitoring and domestic wells ( 0.5 mg/L) shallow groundwater from target domestic wells, relative to non-target wells (1.5 mg/L), corresponded to significantly higher potassium, boron, chloride, dissolved organic carbon, and sulfate concentrations, which may also indicate the influence of septic-tank effluent. Impacts on groundwater quality from septic systems were most evident for the Eastern Glacial Deposits aquifer and the Northern High Plains aquifer that were associated with the number of housing units using septic tanks, high permeability of overlying sediments, mostly oxic conditions, and shallow wells. Overall, little or no influence from septic systems were found for water samples from the deeper public-supply wells. The Cl/Br ratio is a useful first-level screening tool for assessing possible septic tank influence in water from shallow wells (
Remarks on Correlation Methods in Geophysics

From consideration of several studies of the sampling properties of the product-moment correlation coefficient r it is concluded first that undue concern has been expressed for the problem of non-normality in correlation studies in geophysics, and second, that use of geo-physically adequate significance tests and confidence limits for r can almost always be achieved through use of the simple standard error of r . A growing tendency in climatology and hydrology to employ unnecessarily elaborate methods appears to stem from unrealistic emphasis which mathematical statisticians frequently place upon theoretical refinements, emphasis that loses sight of the limits of accuracy inherent in the very type of data usually subjected to statistical analysis. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1960.tb01296.x
Resonant Enhancement of Quantum SFG

By resonating the sum frequency, the quantum term for sum frequency generation with incoming biphotons is enhanced by a factor of 12.
Effects of Simple Instructional Biases upon Performance in the Unusual Uses Test

(1968). Effects of Simple Instructional Biases upon Performance in the Unusual Uses Test. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 79, No. 1, pp. 25-33.
INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGES TO DEPLOYABILITY OF ADVANCED VEHICLE CONTROL AND SAFETY SYSTEMS

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has become increasingly interested in identifying what it can do to facilitate the rapid deployment of advanced vehicle control and safety systems (AVCSSs) under its new Intelligent Vehicle Initiative. The primary topic areas in which the current state of knowledge is inadequate to support the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of AVCSSs are identified. These topics (quantification of driving hazards, quantitative description of traffic behavior, identification of driver responses to stimuli, determination of the influences of AVCSSs on driver behavior, prediction of market response to availability of AVCSSs, and identification of the effects of AVCSSs on traffic flow) represent the kinds of cross-cutting precompetitive research subjects that could provide the principal focus for DOT contributions to facilitating the eventual deployment of AVCSSs. The state of knowledge in these areas needs to be improved substantially before it will be possible to ...
Power and energy transduction analysis of piezoelectric wafer-active sensors for structural health monitoring

This article presents a systematic investigation of power and energy transduction in piezoelectric wafer-active sensors (PWAS) for structural health monitoring (SHM). After a literature review of t...
Characterization of the urinary metabolites of 5-azacytidine in mice.

Abstract The metabolism of 5-azacytidine, radiolabeled in the 4- or 6-position with carbon-14, was studied in mice. High pressure liquid Chromatographic analysis of urine from mice given [4- 14 C]- or [6- 14 C]-5-azacytidine showed that six radioactive peaks were present and that peaks V and VI were the major peaks excreted. Similar analysis of urine from mice given the labeled compounds and tetrahydrouridine, a deaminase inhibitor, indicated that peaks I, II and V were deaminated metabolites. Peak V appeared to contain components with the 6-carbon absent, whereas peak VI contained components, in a 1:1 ratio, with the 6-carbon either present or absent. Co-chromatography of urine from treated mice with authentic standards indicated that peaks I, III, IV were 5-azauracil, 5-azacytosine and 5-azacytidine, respectively. These data, along with the characterization of peaks V and VI by gasliquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, indicated that the metabolism of 5-azacytidine in mice is similar to that proposed by other investigators.
Hypersensitive Carotid Sinus Syndrome Manifested as Cough Syncope

We describe a patient with cough syncope who was found to have carotid sinus hypersensitivity with mixed cardioinhibitory and vasodepressor responses. Symptoms were ameliorated by denervation of the more hypersensitive carotid sinus. Spontaneous atypical Wenckebach cycles in this patient were caused by the combined hypersensitive cardioinhibitory and vasodepressor responses. This report stresses the importance of checking blood pressure as well as heart rate in all patients in whom carotid sinus syndrome is suspected.
High-field superconducting transition induced by correlated disorder

The "glassy" superconducting transition at high magnetic fields can be induced by columnar disorder. A model is proposed in which the thermodynamics of Bose condensation of Cooper pairs into the lowest Landau-level eigenstate of the random potential can be solved exactly. The solution reflects a peculiar character of the high-field limit: for example, the effective dimensionality of the transition is shown to be a function of the magnetic field.
Dissociation of frontal and cerebellar activity in a cognitive task: Evidence for a distinction between selection and search

Human brain imaging studies have found that increases in functional activation in left-frontal cortex during cognitive tasks are often accompanied by similar increases in right-cerebellar regions. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the distinctive contributions of these regions using a word stem completion task. Stems with many possible completions (MANY condition) were alternately presented with stems that had few possible completions (FEW condition), and subjects were asked to covertly complete each stem with a word and press a response switch for each successful completion. Prominent increases in activation in the MANY, relative to the FEW, condition were observed in the left middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann areas 9/10) and left caudate nucleus. In contrast, portions of the right-cerebellar hemisphere (posterior quadrangular lobule and superior semilunar lobule) and cerebellar vermis exhibited increases in the FEW, relative to the MANY, condition. This double dissociation suggests that the frontal and cerebellar regions make distinctive contributions to cognitive performance, with left-frontal (and striatal) activations reflecting response selection, which increases in difficulty when there are many appropriate responses, and right-cerebellar activation reflecting the search for responses, which increases in difficulty when even a single appropriate response is hard to retrieve.
Some Estimates of the Reading Grade Level of College Textbooks in Meteorology

Abstract For many years, readability indices have been utilized to estimate the reading grade level (RGL) of textual material. They have been used chiefly for primary and secondary grade level material, but are applicable to collegiate texts as well. In this study, seven readability indices for 52 atmospheric science textbooks were obtained to estimate their RGL. Half of the texts chosen were of a general or introductory nature, while the other half were specialized or advanced texts. Because only a small sample of the entire text was utilized in their computation, any index may not be exactly representative of RGL of the text as a whole; however, they are likely to be useful in comparing one book to another. While the readability level of a text should not be the sole reason for adopting or rejecting a textbook, it should he a consideration.
Antityphoid vaccination in children.

The prophylactic use of antityphoid vaccine among children has, as yet, received scant attention in medical literature. The subject has been referred to incidentally in papers which I have read at various places during the past year, 1 but heretofore no statistics have been furnished. Whether the measure be regarded as necessary or merely desirable will depend, to a great extent, on local conditions, but for a large class of young people, it is now, in my opinion, highly desirable. This class includes all those, from 2 to 16 years of age, who leave home for summer vacations, schools and colleges. Osler says: Typhoid fever is a disease of youth and early adult life. Of the 1,500 cases treated in my wards in the Johns Hopkins Hospital, there were under 15 years of age, 231; between 15 and 20, 253; between 20 and 30, 680; between 30 and 40, 227;
Solar halos and sun dogs

The author discusses the beautiful displays of light in the air around us, particularly the elegant mechanisms that bring about the striking atmospheric effects associated with solar halos. Although people have been drawing and hypothesizing about solar halos and sun dogs for many years, the pioneer who developed a solid quantitative demonstration of their origins is Robert Greenler. The author considers the essence of Greenler's (1980) elegant approach. He shows how to generalize it to include full-color simulations, which involves bringing in some tools more familiar to computer graphicists.
A new role for an old antimicrobial: lysozyme c-1 can function to protect malaria parasites in Anopheles mosquitoes.

Background Plasmodium requires an obligatory life stage in its mosquito host. The parasites encounter a number of insults while journeying through this host and have developed mechanisms to avoid host defenses. Lysozymes are a family of important antimicrobial immune effectors produced by mosquitoes in response to microbial challenge. Methodology/Principal Findings A mosquito lysozyme was identified as a protective agonist for Plasmodium. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that Anopheles gambiae lysozyme c-1 binds to oocysts of Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium falciparum at 2 and 5 days after infection. Similar results were observed with Anopheles stephensi and P. falciparum, suggesting wide occurrence of this phenomenon across parasite and vector species. Lysozyme c-1 did not bind to cultured ookinetes nor did recombinant lysozyme c-1 affect ookinete viability. dsRNA-mediated silencing of LYSC-1 in Anopheles gambiae significantly reduced the intensity and the prevalence of Plasmodium berghei infection. We conclude that this host antibacterial protein directly interacts with and facilitates development of Plasmodium oocysts within the mosquito. Conclusions/Significance This work identifies mosquito lysozyme c-1 as a positive mediator of Plasmodium development as its reduction reduces parasite load in the mosquito host. These findings improve our understanding of parasite development and provide a novel target to interrupt parasite transmission to human hosts.
Design and analysis of 6 DOF handheld micromanipulator

This paper presents the design and analysis of a handheld manipulator for vitreoretinal microsurgery and other biomedical applications. The design involves a parallel micromanipulator utilizing six piezoelectric linear actuators, combining compactness with a large range of motion and relatively high stiffness. Given the available force of the actuators, the overall dimension of the micromanipulator was optimized considering realistic external loads on a remote center of motion representing the point of expected contact with the sclera of the eye during microsurgery. Based on optimization and workspace analysis, a benchtop version of the micromanipulator was built with a base diameter of 25 mm and a height of 50 mm. It provides a hemispherical workspace of 4.0 mm diameter at the tool tip. The manipulation performance of the constructed manipulator was measured under a lateral load applied at the remote center of motion. The micromanipulator tolerated side loads up to 200 mN.
Stress Placement as a Morphological and Semantic Marker in Israeli Hebrew

It is shown that in Israeli Hebrew, as well as in biblical Hebrew, the location of stress may have a "phonemic" function, in that it distinguishes between otherwise identical morpho-phonological patterns. Stress location can determine syntactic, temporal, and similar categorial differences as well as semantic nuances. This study presents a general description of 'mobile' versus 'fixed' stress in Israeli Hebrew followed by a brief discussion of stress as tense marker in biblical Hebrew, and by a more detailed examination of three instances in Israeli Hebrew in which stress has a phonemic function: the maCCuC pattern versus the identical native Hebrew pattern; the non-ultimately-stressed 'Yiddish/ English type' + er versus ultimately-stressed 'French type' + er / + (y)oner ; and + i versus related + ai among gentilic nouns and residents of geographical places.
Para-azidoclonidine: A novel photoaffinity ligand for the alpha2-receptor

Abstract Reversible and irreversible interactions of the photoreactive clonidine analogue p-azidoclonidine (PAZC) with brain alpha2-adrenergic receptors were examined. In the absence of light, PAZC displayed slective, high affinity, competitive interactions with sites labeled by the alpha2-agonist 3H-p-aminoclonidine (3H-PAC). Reversible binding characteristics resembled those of other alpha2-agonists. Preincubation of bovine frontal cortex membranes with 100 nM PAZC followed by ultraviolet irradiation and thorough washing decreased alpha2-receptor density 42% relative to controls receiving irradiation alone. The loss of receptors could be prevented by inclusion of 500 nM phentolamine in the preincubation medium. Alpha1 - and beta-adrenergic receptors were relatively unaffected. PAZC is a potential photoaffinity ligand for the alpha2-adrenergic receptor.
A Dynamic User Adaptable Menu System: Linking it all Together

Creation and traversal of links in a user adaptable menu was examined for syntagmatically and paradigmatically related targets. One group searched for paradigmatic related targets within the same intermediate category under different superordinate categories, while another searched for syntagmatic related targets belonging to different intermediate categories under the same superordinate. Users with syntagmatic targets created and traversed more superordinate category links, while users with paradigmatic targets traversed more intermediate category links. As predicted, more horizontal links at the same hierarchical level were created and traversed than diagonal links joining different levels. Overall, users tended to create links forming hierarchical networks.
The effect of ergocornine on melanophores of Ambystoma tigrinum: evidence for suppression of pituitary MSH release.

Injection of ergocornine into larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) placed on a black background prevented the increase in melanophore index observed in saline-injected controls. Larvae pre-adapted to a black background showed a significant drop in their melanophores indices which persisted for up to 11 days following a single injection of 25 μg ergocornine (2.5 μg/g body weight). Dark-adapted, ergocornine-treated larvae with melanin concentrated in the melanophores responded to a single injection of 20 μg mammalian ACTH with rapid and complete dispersion of melanin within the melanophores. The same larvae did not respond similarly to a single injection of 25 μg ovine prolactin. These results support the hypothesis that ergocornine blocked the secretion of pituitary MSH in Ambystoma tigrinum.
PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of SRV-2 from archived tumor tissues.

Abstract Fibroproliferative tumors, known as retroperitoneal fibromatosis (RF) are predominantly associated with type D simian retrovirus serotype 2 (SRV-2) infections in pigtailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina ) at the University of Washington Regional Primate Research Center (UWRPRC). In this report we examined genetic changes that occurred in SRV-2/Washington (SRV-2/WA) from archived RF tissues and from fresh tissue and lymphocytes. DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded RF tumor tissues and was used to amplify a portion of the SRV-2/WA genome encoding an open reading frame, 3′ orf . Since 3′ orf is encoded in an alternate reading frame within the outer membrane glycoprotein (gp70) env gene, sequences of 3′ orf also provide information on a portion of env gp70. To define the changes that have occurred in this portion of the viral genome, we compared the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences amplified from the various tumor tissues. The paraffin section PCR revealed that all samples containing amplifiable DNA harbored SRV-2/WA genomes. DNA sequence analysis showed that the 3′ orf /gp70 portion of the SRV-2/WA genome was nearly identical in all tissues but was distinguishable from the prototype SRV-2/OR isolate from Celebes black macaques ( M. nigra ). A T-cell activating domain (Env residues 233–249) was 100% conserved in the SRV-2/WA isolates.
Biochemical Aspects of Methane Formation in Methanobacterium Thermoautotrophicum

The biochemistry of methanogenesis is characterized by the involvement of unique coenzymes [1]. Consequently, investigation of the enzymology of the pathway by which carbon dioxide is reduced to methane has been severely constrained. Until recently, only a single substrate of the pathway was known, 2-(methylthio)ethanesulfonate (CH3-S-CoM).The methylreductase system which catalyzes the reduction of CH3-S-CoM to methane has been extensively studied, but here, too, lack of knowledge of the components involved has hampered progress. The enzyme system consists of at least four proteins and displays an absolute requirement for a heat-stable cofactor, component B [2]. We have recently established that component B is 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate (HS-HTP) [3]. This structure was proposed based on analysis of the authentic cofactor and was confirmed by its complete chemical synthesis
Analysis of structures in the cross sections for elastic scattering and spin exchange in low-energy H + + H collisions

Elastic scattering and spin exchange cross sections in ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}+\mathrm{H}$ collisions are computed using accurate adiabatic potential curves for the center-of-mass energy range ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}lEl100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$. Both cross sections show considerable structure which necessitates computation on a fine energy grid to resolve them. We analyze the structures using a comparison equation method to find the poles of the scattering matrix in the complex energy plane. We show that many features of the cross sections can be correlated with these poles and tabulate the positions of the most important poles. Finding stationary phases in the partial wave cross sections, we also explain in all details the glory oscillations of the elastic cross section that extends below $100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ down to the lowest energies.
Renal parameter estimates in unrestrained dogs.

A mathematical formulation has been developed to describe the haemodynamic parameters of a conceptualised kidney model. The model was developed by considering regional pressure drops and regional storage capacities within the renal vasculature. Estimation of renal artery compliance; pre- and postglomerular resistance and glomerular filtration pressure is feasible by considering mean levels and time derivatives of abdominal aortic pressure and renal artery flow. If the level of flow is not greatly altered during an experimental sequence, it may also be feasible to estimate changes in glomerular filtration rate. Changes in the smooth muscle tone of the renal vessels induced by exogenous angiotensin amide, acetylcholine and by the anaesthetic agent halothane were estimated by use of the model. By employing totally implanted telemetry, the technique was applied on unrestrained dogs to measure renal resistive and compliant parameters while the dogs were being subjected to obedience training, to avoidance reaction and to unrestrained caging. An increase in vasoconstrictor tone in the renal artery and in the afferent arterioles in response to an increasing level of stimulation was demonstrated using this model.
Experimental cloud immersion and foliar water uptake in saplings of Abies fraseri and Picea rubens

Frequent cloud immersion events result in direct uptake of cloud water and improve plant water potentials during daylight hours in saplings of two dominant cloud forest species. In ecosystems with frequent cloud immersion, the influence on plant water balance can be important. While cloud immersion can reduce plant water loss via transpiration, recent advances in methodology have suggested that many species also absorb water directly into leaves (foliar water uptake). The current study examines foliar water uptake and its influence on daily plant water balance in tree species of the endangered spruce–fir forest of the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. These mountain-top communities are considered relic, boreal forests that may have persisted because of the benefits of frequent cloud immersion. We examined changes in needle water content, xylem water potentials, and stable isotope values in saplings of the two dominant tree species, Abies fraseri and Picea rubens before and after a 24 h period of experimental cloud immersion. Both species exhibited foliar water uptake following immersion, evidenced by substantial changes in stable isotope values of extracted needle water that reflected the composition of the fog water. In addition, total needle water content improved 3.7–6.4 % following experimental submersion and xylem water potentials were significantly greater (up to 0.33 MPa) in cloud-immersed plants over control plants. These results indicate that foliar water uptake may be an adaptive strategy for utilizing cloud water and improving overall tree vigor in these most southerly distributed boreal species.
Independent contribution of individual white matter pathways to language function in pediatric epilepsy patients

Background and purpose Patients with epilepsy and malformations of cortical development (MCDs) are at high risk for language and other cognitive impairment. Specific impairments, however, are not well correlated with the extent and locale of dysplastic cortex; such findings highlight the relevance of aberrant cortico-cortical interactions, or connectivity, to the clinical phenotype. The goal of this study was to determine the independent contribution of well-described white matter pathways to language function in a cohort of pediatric patients with epilepsy.
Nonlinear Birth-Immigration-Death Models

Consider now adding immigration at rateIto the nonlinear birth-death model. This new model is more realistic biologically in many applications, including the AHB and muskrat problems, however it is largely ignored in the literature. Perhaps there are two reasons for this. One is that the deterministic models become more unwieldy whenIis included. The other reason is that inclusion of biologically reasonable levels ofIseldom have a large impact on the qualitativeshapeof the deterministic solution. Consequently, in practice a statistical analysis would often fail to show that the inclusion of the parameter leads to a substantial improvement in the goodness-of-fit of the model to the data. In short, though there are often compelling biological reasons to include immigration, it is usually excluded from the model because it complicates thedeterministicmodel and because its inclusion is typically not statistically “significant”.
Tom, Dick, and Mary discover the DFT

Discrete Fourier techniques are increasingly being taught as material detached from fundamental continuous-time Fourier analysis. The student is left with an unclear understanding, if any, of the very significant relationships between magnitude and phase spectra generated digitally, and the continuous-time signal which is being analyzed. The present article tells the story of three undergraduate students who discover the DFT, armed only with a knowledge of analog methods. >
Higher-order impact modeling of sandwich structures with flexible core

Abstract In this study, a higher-order impact model is presented to simulate the response of a soft-core sandwich beam subjected to a foreign object impact. A free vibration problem of sandwich beams is first solved, and the results are validated by comparing with numerical finite element modeling results of ABAQUS and the solution by Frostig and Baruch [Frostig, Y., Baruch, M., 1994. Free vibration of sandwich beams with a transversely flexible core: a high order approach. Journal of Sound and Vibration 176(2), 195–208]. Then a foreign object impact process is incorporated in the higher-order model, and the contact force and deflection history as well as the propagation of transverse normal, shear, and axial stresses during the impact are analyzed and discussed. The validity of the model in the impact response predictions is demonstrated by comparing with finite element solutions of LS-DYNA. The calculated stresses caused by a foreign object impact are then used to assess failure locations, failure time, and failure modes in sandwich beams, which are shown to compare well with the available experimental results. The effects of impact mass, initial velocity, core stiffness, and core height on the impact stresses generated in the beams are discussed. The influences of impact mass and initial velocity on the contact force history are close to those by the linearized impact solution, but the proposed higher-order impact model captures the non-linear impact process and different generated stresses. Compared to the fully backed sandwich case, the core height shows a great influence over the impact process of a simply supported sandwich system, in which the global behavior of the sandwich is dominant; while the core stiffness shows minor effect over the impact process. The higher-order impact model of sandwich beams developed in the study provides accurate predictions of the generated stresses and impact process and can be used effectively in design analysis of anti-impact structures made of sandwich materials.
Neuropathogenic Forms of Huntingtin and Androgen Receptor Inhibit Fast Axonal Transport

Huntington's and Kennedy's disease are autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases caused by pathogenic expansion of polyglutamine tracts. Expansion of glutamine repeats must in some way confer a gain of pathological function that disrupts an essential cellular process and leads to loss of affected neurons. Association of huntingtin with vesicular structures raised the possibility that axonal transport might be altered. Here we show that polypeptides containing expanded polyglutamine tracts, but not normal N-terminal huntingtin or androgen receptor, directly inhibit both fast axonal transport in isolated axoplasm and elongation of neuritic processes in intact cells. Effects were greater with truncated polypeptides and occurred without detectable morphological aggregates.
Zintl Polyanions as Metal Nano Particle Precursors

Bismuth nanoparticles have been produced by the oxidation of the Zintl polyanion Bi4 2− in ethylenediamine solutions. TEM images indicate that the crystalline nanoparticles produced in the presence of polyethylene glycol are in the size range of ∼20 nm. The oxidation of the polyanion by 2‐octanol produce larger nanoparticles of bismuth (∼50 nm).
Dissipation in oblique slow shocks

[1] Ion and electron dynamics and dissipation in collisionless slow mode shocks are examined using one-dimensional hybrid (kinetic ions, massless fluid electrons) and full particle (kinetic ions and electrons) simulations. In the hybrid code, two types of electron fluid models are used to determine the role of electrons: an adiabatic electron fluid model, which uses a scalar electron pressure, and the electron pressure tensor model, in which effects of the downstream electron temperature anisotropy with respect to the local magnetic field direction can be modeled. Comparing results from full particle and hybrid simulations that use an adiabatic electron fluid, the dynamics of slow shocks with the shock normal angle θBn ranging from moderate to very oblique (60°–84°) are explored for the upstream ion and electron β value of 0.1. At moderate θBn, the two types of simulations give comparable results, and the shock dissipation is provided primarily by the ions. However, as θBn increases, more significant differences are found between the two types of simulations, which indicates that the ion dissipation alone is inadequate to set up the shock and that additional electron physics is needed. At highly oblique θBn, the downstream electron temperature becomes anisotropic (T∥e > T⊥e) in full particle simulations, similar to that observed for the ion plasma in both type of simulations, while the electron inertial effects are negligible. The electron anisotropy results from both the large mirror effects and the electron acceleration/heating by the parallel electric field of very obliquely propagating kinetic Alfven waves excited by ion-ion streaming in the shock. The additional electron dynamics in the wave fields lead to spiky structures in the shock ramp in the density and the ion and electron parallel temperature/pressure. We present hybrid simulations of very oblique slow shocks (θBn = 84°) that retain the electron pressure tensor calculations. Results show that the inclusion of the downstream electron temperature anisotropy and of the resulting quasi-viscous effects in hybrid methods allows slow shocks to be set up at very oblique angles, as observed in the distant tail, when dissipation from ion-ion streaming becomes much weaker.
TU-G-217A-09: Feasibility of Bowel Tracking Using Onboard Cine MRI for Gated Radiotherapy

Purpose: Bowel toxicity can be difficult to manage in the treatment of abdominal cancers. The bowel experiences large motion during treatment, causing it to enter high‐dose regions. Real‐time MR imaging during radiotherapy allows for potential visualization and dosimetric avoidance of the bowel during treatment. To investigate the feasibility of real‐time ‘bowel‐gated’ treatment using onboard MRI, we assessed two bowel‐tracking algorithms on 32 cine imagesets acquired with the ViewRay hybrid MR‐ radiotherapy unit. Methods: The Viewray(TM) System, which is an integrated 0.35T MR‐Co‐60 system that is pending 510k approval, was used to acquire 32 cine image sets in 5 patients under an IRB‐approved trial. Each imageset was acquired in 2D (coronal or sagittal orientation) for an average duration of 0.5‐2.5 minutes at a frame rate of 4 frames/s. The initial position of the bowel was manually contoured on the first image frame. Two algorithms were evaluated in tracking bowel from its initial position throughout its motion for the duration of the cine set ‐ a normalized cross‐ correlation (NCC) algorithm, and a weighted NCC (WNCC) algorithm. To assess the tracking feasibility and accuracy of these two methods, the initial contour was virtually shifted with the tracked motion and displayed on tracked cine images. The agreement between the shifted contour and the border of the bowel was manually inspected and noted for each frame. Results: Both algorithms successfully tracked 31/32 cases in 100% of frames. The WNCC algorithm outperformed the NCC algorithm in speed, with a mean processing speed of .007s versus .013s, respectively, and captured a greater range of motion in all cases. Conclusions: The demonstrated feasibility of bowel tracking on cine MR imagesets indicates its potential successful use in real‐time bowel tracking and gated radiotherapy. While both algorithms performed well, the WNCC algorithm was superior in processing speed and sensitivity to bowel motion.
Insulin-like growth factor II in uterine smooth-muscle tumors: maintenance of genomic imprinting in leiomyomata and loss of imprinting in leiomyosarcomata.

Uterine leiomyosarcomata, malignant smooth-muscle tumors that may arise from existing leiomyomata or directly from the myometrium, have been shown to oversecrete insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II). It has been shown recently that the IGF-II gene (IGF2) is maternally imprinted in both mice and humans. Only the paternal allele of IGF2 is usually expressed, except in adult liver and in the central nervous system in which biallelic expression is seen. Recently, loss of IGF2 imprinting has been reported in Wilms' tumor and in several other malignancies, and it has been suggested that biallelic expression of the gene leads to overexpression of IGF-II peptide and increased mitogenic activity. Using the ApaI restriction enzyme polymorphism in exon 9 of IGF2, we examined the expression of IGF2 in five informative uterine leiomyosarcomata and found that IGF2 was expressed biallelically in two tumors. In contrast, five samples of normal myometrium and six informative benign uterine leiomyomata showed monoallelic...
Targeted manipulation of apoptosis in cancer treatment

Summary Apoptosis is a fundamental process in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms and its regulation is commonly disrupted in human cancers. In vitro and in vivo, effective treatment of cancer with radiotherapy or anticancer drugs (or both) is frequently associated with increased markers of apoptosis. However, clinical resistance to treatment is common in many tumours, particularly with increasing lines of therapy. Diminished ability to undergo apoptosis might cause extensive therapeutic cross-resistance in cancer cells. With increased understanding of the regulatory and effector molecules of apoptosis new drugs have been developed that might manipulate the apoptotic balance in cancer cells in favour of cell death. This Review summarises the rationale for direct manipulation of various elements of apoptosis and describes agents that are currently under investigation in early-phase clinical trials in many different cancer types.
Depersonalization in the Face of Life-Threatening Danger: An Interpretation

Depersonalization is a frequent reaction to life-threatening danger. As an adaptive pattern of the nervous system it alerts the organism to its threatening environment while holding potentially disorganizing emotion in check. As a psychological mechanism it defends the endangered personality against the threat of death and, at the same time, initiates an integration of that reality. And, as a meaningful experience, a mystical elaboration of the phenomenon may achieve spiritual significance. This type of encounter with death may be followed by a sense of rebirth.
Prescribed Fire Effects on Wintering, Bark-Foraging Birds in Northern Arizona

We examined effects of prescribed fire on 3 wintering, bark-foraging birds, hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus), pygmy nuthatches (Sitta pygmaea), and white-breasted nuthatches (S. carolinensis), in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of northern Arizona, USA. During winters of 2004–2006, we compared bird density, foraging behavior, and bark beetle activity among burned treatment and unburned control units. Hairy woodpecker density was 5 times greater in burn units, whereas white-breasted nuthatches and pygmy nuthatches had similar densities between treatments. Compared to available trees, trees used by foraging hairy woodpeckers had 9 times greater odds of having bark beetles in control units and 12 times greater odds in burn units. Tree diameter appeared to be the main factor bark-foraging birds used in selecting winter foraging trees. Our results suggest that forest managers can use prescribed fire treatments without detrimental effects to wintering nuthatches, while providing additional food to hairy woodpeckers.
AN EPIDEMIC MODEL STRUCTURED BY HOST IMMUNITY

In this paper we introduce a physiologically structured SIR epidemic model where the individuals are distributed according to their immune status. An individual immune status is assumed to increase during the infectious period and remain unchanged after the recovery. Recovered individuals can become reinfected at a rate which is a decreasing function of their immune status. We find that the possibility of reinfection of recovered individuals results in subthreshold endemic equilibria. The differential immunity of the infectious individuals leads to multiple nontrivial equilibria in the superthreshold case. We present an example that has exactly three nontrivial equilibria. We also analyze the local stability of equilibria.
The Effect of Writers' Personalities and Raters' Personalities on the Holistic Evaluation of Writing.

Abstract Recent work in reading and writing theory, research and pedagogy has raised questions about relationships between Fluent reading processes and holistic scoring of essays (e.g., Huot 1993). In holistic scoring settings, are the raters behaving as normal Fluent readers (i.e., readers interacting critically and personally with the text) or, are they somehow disconnected From their normal reader responses because they are using reliable scoring guides? Related questions concern the behavior of such holistic raters when they are teachers (e.g., Barritt, Stock, & Clark, 1986), and when those teachers respond to student writing (Connors & Lunsford, 1993). How are teachers/raters behaving, and what are they responding to in judging the writing? Previous research has suggested a role for personality type in the study of the process of writing evaluation (Jensen & DiTiberio, 1984, 1989). Thus, it seems reasonable to ask what role personality types play in the holistic evaluation of writing. This empirical study addressed the general question: What role, if any, do personality types of writers and of raters play in the holistic rating of writing? Moreover, is there a relationship between writers' personalities and raters' personalities? Writers were native English-speaking university freshman composition students; raters were native English-speaking university freshman composition instructors. Results indicate that the personality types of writers affect the ratings their essays receive, and the personality types of raters affect the ratings they give to essays. However, there is no significant relationship between writers' styles and raters' styles. Implications for future research, as well as classroom implications of these results are discussed.
A revisionist replicon model for higher eukaryotic genomes

The replicon model devised to explain replication control in bacteria has served as the guiding paradigm in the search for origins of replication in the more complex genomes of eukaryotes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this model has proved to be extremely useful, leading to the identification of specific genetic elements (replicators) and the interacting initiator proteins that activate them. However, replication control in organisms ranging from Schizosaccharomyces pombe to mammals is far more fluid: only a small number of origins seem to represent classic replicators, while the majority correspond to zones of inefficient, closely spaced start sites none of which are indispensable for origin activity. In addition, it is apparent that the epigenetic state of a given sequence largely determines its ability to be used as a replication initiation site. These conclusions were arrived at over a period of three decades, and required the development of several novel replicon mapping techniques, as well as new ways of examining the chromatin architecture of any sequence of interest. Recently, methods have been elaborated for isolating all of the active origins in the genomes of higher eukaryotes en masse. Microarray analyses and more recent high-throughput sequencing technology will allow all the origins to be mapped onto the chromosomes of any organism whose genome has been sequenced. With the advent of whole-genome studies on gene expression and chromatin composition, the field is now positioned to define both the genetic and epigenetic rules that govern origin activity.
High HDL-C prevalence is common in type 1 diabetes and increases with age but is lower in Hispanic individuals

High HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) based on the 85th percentile of the 2009-2010 National Health and Education Survey (NHANES) was present in more than a third of 194 unselected subjects with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Age was associated with an increase and Hispanic ethnicity with a decrease in the prevalence of high HDL-C.
Effect of sodium chloride and food target properties on nonelectrostatic and electrostatic coating

Abstract Salts were coated on a variety of thick food targets. The best transfer efficiency, adhesion (>70%), and percent side coverage (100%) were obtained when small ( 1.20) salt was used with electrostatic coating on targets with high a w (>0.7), low resistivity ( 8 Ωm), and short charge decay time (
LOCALIZATION AT WEAK DISORDER: SOME ELEMENTARY BOUNDS

An elementary proof is given of localization for linear operators H = Ho + λV, with Ho translation invariant, or periodic, and V (·) a random potential, in energy regimes which for weak disorder (λ → 0) are close to the unperturbed spectrum σ (Ho). The analysis is within the approach introduced in the recent study of localization at high disorder by Aizenman and Molchanov [4]; the localization regimes discussed in the two works being supplementary. Included also are some general auxiliary results enhancing the method, which now yields uniform exponential decay for the matrix elements of the spectrally filtered unitary time evolution operators, with [a, b] in the relevant range.