cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stable dynamic pricing scheme independent of lane-choice models for high-occupancy-toll lanes

Abstract A stable dynamic pricing scheme is essential to guarantee the desired performance of high-occupancy-toll (HOT) lanes, where single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) can pay a price to use the HOT lanes. But existing methods apply to either only one type of lane-choice models with unknown parameters or different types of lane-choice models but with known parameters. In this study we present a new dynamic pricing scheme that is stable and applies to different types of lane-choice models with unknown parameters. There are two operational objectives for operating HOT lanes: (i) to maintain the free-flow condition to guarantee the travel time reliability; and (ii) to maximize the HOT lanes’ throughput to minimize the system’s total delay. The traffic dynamics on both HOT and general purpose (GP) lanes are described by point queue models, where the queueing times are determined by the demands and capacities. We consider three types of lane-choice models: the multinomial logit model when SOVs share the same value of time, the vehicle-based user equilibrium model when SOVs’ values of time are heterogeneous and follow a distribution, and a general lane-choice model. We demonstrate that the second objective is approximately equivalent to the social welfare optimization principle for the logit model. Observing that the dynamic price and the excess queueing time on the GP lanes are linearly correlated in all the lane-choice models, we propose a feedback control method to determine the dynamic prices based on two integral controllers. We further present a method to estimate the parameters of a lane-choice model once its type is known. Analytically we prove that the equilibrium state of the closed-loop system with constant demand patterns is ideal, since the two objectives are achieved in it, and that it is asymptotically stable. With numerical examples we verify the effectiveness of the solution method.
What’s in a word?: On integrating recent approaches to secondary associations, submorphemic units and morphological segmentation

Submorphemic units occupy a dubious position between the phoneme and the morpheme in traditional (structuralist-generative) analyses. The present study places submorphemic units within their proper...
Data Driven Online Multi-Robot Formation Planning

This work addresses planning for multi-robot formations online in cluttered environments via a data-driven search approach. The user-specified objective function governing formation shape and rotation is expressed in terms of offline demonstrations of robot motions (performed in an obstacle free environment). We leverage the offline demonstration to inform online planning for coordinated motions in the presence of obstacles. We formulate planning as a discrete search over demonstrated multi-robot actions, and select actions using a best-first approach to minimize edge expansions for fast online operation. Actions are selected using a heuristic based on their probability distribution exhibited in the demonstration, and we show that this approach is able to recreate coordinated motions exhibited in the demonstration when navigating in the obstructed conditions of the cluttered test environments. We demonstrate results in simulation over environments with increasing numbers of obstacles, and show that resulting plans are collision free and obey dynamic constraints.
Automated methods for efficient and accurate electroretinography

Electroretinography (ERG) is a foundational method for assessing visual system physiology, but accurate ERG can be time- and labor-intensive, often involving manual adjustment of the wavelength and intensity of light stimuli and real-time comparison of physiological responses to inform those adjustments. Furthermore, current approaches to ERG often require expertise beyond that necessary for the electrophysiological preparation itself. To improve both the efficiency and accessibility of ERG, we designed an automated system for stimulus presentation and data acquisition. Here, we test this novel system’s ability to accurately assess spectral sensitivity in the well-characterized visual system of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii using three approaches: the first, based on response magnitude, maximizes efficiency; the second is a well-established method we use to further validate our efficient approach’s accuracy. Third, we explore the potential benefits of extensible automation using a method assessing the interplay between temporal acuity and spectral sensitivity. Using our system, we are able to acquire accurate results in ERG experiments quickly (testing the entire visible spectrum in 8 min, 30 s using our response magnitude approach). Moreover, data collected via all three methods yielded results consistent with each other and previous work on P. clarkii.
Multiple eruptive milia in a 15-year-old boy

We present a 15-year-old boy with periorbital idiopathic multiple eruptive milia. He represents the youngest case to date of this unusual dermatosis.
Evidence for 1.6 mm Wavelength Parametric Amplification in a Josephson Junction Microwave Source

A Josephson junction 1.6 mm wavelength microwave source has been used to demonstrate the parametric amplification by reflection necessary to maintain parametric oscillations at 1.6 mm wavelength. A perturbation calculation based on the resistively and capacitively shunted Josephson junction model gives a negative effective microwave resistance for a junction biased at voltages higher than the voltage for a cavity induced step. The parametric oscillation was observed at voltages consistent with the region in which negative resistance was calculated.
Examining the effect of depressive symptoms on habit formation and habit-breaking.

Abstract Background and objectives Dysfunction in reward processing is a hallmark feature of depression. In the context of reinforcement learning, previous research has linked depression with reliance on simple habit-driven (‘model-free’) learning strategies over more complex, goal-directed (‘model-based’) strategies. However, the relationship between depression and habit-breaking remains an under-explored research area. The current study sought to bridge this gap by investigating the effect of depressive symptoms on habit formation and habit-breaking under monetary and social feedback conditions. Additionally, we examined whether spontaneous eyeblink rate (EBR), an indirect marker for striatal dopamine levels, would modulate such effects. Methods Depressive symptoms were operationalized using self-report measures. To examine differences in habit formation and habit breaking, undergraduate participants (N = 156) completed a two-stage reinforcement learning task with a devaluation procedure using either monetary or social feedback. Results Regression results showed that in the monetary feedback condition, spontaneous EBR moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and model-free strategies; individuals with more depressive symptomatology and high EBR (higher dopamine levels) exhibited increased reliance on model-free strategies. Depressive symptoms negatively predicted devaluation sensitivity, indicative of difficulty in habit-breaking, in both monetary and social feedback contexts. Limitations Social feedback relied on fixed feedback rather than real-time peer evaluations; depressive symptoms were measured using self-report rather than diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder; dopaminergic functioning was measured using EBR rather than PET imaging; potential confounds were not controlled for. Conclusions These findings have implications for identifying altered patterns of habit formation and deficits in habit-breaking among those experiencing depressive symptoms.
Kronoseismology V: A panoply of waves in Saturn’s C ring driven by high-order internal planetary oscillations

Abstract Saturn’s rings act as a system of innumerable test particles that are remarkably sensitive to periodic disturbances in the planet’s gravitational field. We identify 15 additional density and bending waves in Saturn’s C ring driven by the planet’s internal normal mode oscillations. The collective response of the rings to Saturn’s oscillations results in a host of inward-propagating density waves at outer Lindblad resonances (OLRs) and outward propagating bending waves at outer vertical resonances (OVRs). In the emerging field of Kronoseismology, nearly two-dozen OLRs and OVRs have previously been identified in high-resolution radial profiles of the rings obtained from Voyager and Cassini occultation observations (see Hedman et al. (2019) and references cited therein for a recent summary). Here we apply similar wavelet techniques to extract and co-add phase-corrected waveforms from multiple Cassini VIMS stellar occultations. Taking advantage of a highly accurate absolute radius scale for the rings (French et al., 2017), we are able to detect weak, high-wavenumber (up to m =14) waves with km-scale radial wavelengths. From a systematic scan of the entire C ring, we report the discovery and identification of 11 new OLRs, two counterpart inner Lindblad resonances (ILRs), and two new OVRs. The close agreement of the observed resonance locations and wave rotation rates with the predictions of models of Saturn’s interior (Mankovich et al., 2019) suggests that all of the new waves are driven by Saturnian f -mode oscillations. As classified by their spherical harmonic shapes, the modes in question range in azimuthal wavenumber from m = 8 to 14, with associated resonance orders l − m ranging from 0 to 8, where l is the overall angular wavenumber of the mode. Our suite of detections for l − m = 4 is now complete from m = 8 near the inner edge of the C ring to m = 14 near 81,300 km. Curiously, detections with l − m = 2 are less common. These newly-identified non-sectoral ( l > m ) waves sample latitudinal as well as radial structure within the planet and may thus provide valuable constraints on Saturn’s differential rotation. Allowing for the fact that the two ILR-type waves appear to be due to the same normal modes as two of the OLR-type waves, the 13 additional modes identified here bring the number of distinct f -modes suitable for constraining interior models to 34.
Association Between Disability and Suicide-Related Outcomes Among U.S. Adults

Introduction Although research has analyzed the sociodemographic and socioeconomic risks for suicide, only recently has suicide risk for people with disabilities been examined. This study investigates the associations between disability and distinct suicide-related outcomes, including suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempt. Methods This nationally representative, cross-sectional study comprised secondary analyses of the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2020 (N=198,640, representing 229,556,289 U.S. adults). Disability status comprised the presence of any disability; hearing, vision, mobility, cognitive, complex activity, or ≥2 limitations; and 1, 2, 3, 4, or ≥5 limitations. Suicide-related outcomes in the past year included none, suicidal ideation only, suicide planning, and suicide attempt. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to estimate the AORs. Results Overall, 19.8% reported any disability. Results showed that people with disabilities were significantly more likely than those without disabilities to report suicidal ideation (AOR=2.13, 95% CI=1.93, 2.36), suicide planning (AOR=2.66, 95% CI=2.27, 3.11), and suicide attempt (AOR=2.47, 95% CI=2.05, 2.98). Furthermore, individuals within each limitation count group were significantly more likely than people without disabilities to report suicide-related outcomes (p Conclusions People with various types of functional disabilities had an elevated risk for suicide-related outcomes, compared with people without disabilities. The more limitations a person had progressively increased their risk. These findings call for focused attention to the mental health of people with disabilities, including suicide prevention efforts that accommodate their needs.
Chronic Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a DNA virus (HBV) that causes an acute and chronic infection. The HBV is transmitted vertically from mother to child, from child to child, via sexual contacts, and through percutaneous exposure to blood or other infectious body fluids. Vaccination is fundamental in the prevention of HBV infection.
Reaction Time Analysis of Programed Control of Short, Rapid Aiming Movements

Abstract Reaction time, fractionated reaction time (premotor and motor time), and movement time were recorded during performance of a rapid aiming movement (11 mm in amplitude) to a circular target. Independent variables were target diameter (2 or 64 mm) and reaction time condition (simple or choice). Fifty-two subjects performed 16 practice and 24 performance trials under one of four possible experimental combinations (13 subjects per combination) in a 2 × 2 design. Reaction time correlated highly with premotor time (r = .99) but not with motor time (r = .31). Choice reaction time and its premotor time component were dependent upon target diameter, but simple reaction time and its premotor time component were not. However, choice and simple motor time were not differentially affected by target diameter. As expected, movement time was longer for the small target than for the large target. Taken together, the reaction time results were interpreted as support for Klapp's (1975) hypothesis that increases in ...
Research on matching characteristics between the vacuum circuit breaker and permanent magnet motor operating mechanism

To improve the interoperability and controllable of high voltage switch equipment, this paper puts forward the motor driver operating mechanism which applied to the circuit breaker. Developed prototype motor and drive control system, established the test system platform, selected the sensors, completed the dynamic characteristics testing. The experimental results show that the motor meet the requirements of circuit breaker in the closing and opening operation under the rated operating voltage. The voltage raises every 20V, so average closing speed 0.2m/s under the different operation voltage. The movement time of the motor drive mechanism is relatively stable under repetitive operation of the same condition. In addition, identify and extract the data that can effectively to motor design and dynamic calculation model for the calibration and verification, so as to improve the reliability and practicability for the motor design theory.
Influence of mean climate change on climate variability from a 155-year tropical Pacific coral record

Today, the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system is the primary driver of interannual variability in global climate, but its long-term behaviour is poorly understood. Instrumental observations reveal a shift in 1976 towards warmer and wetter conditions in the tropical Pacific, with widespread climatic and ecological consequences1,2,3. This shift, unique over the past century4, has prompted debate over the influence of increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases on ENSO variability5,6,7. Here we present a 155-year ENSO reconstruction from a central tropical Pacific coral that provides new evidence for long-term changes in the regional mean climate and its variability. A gradual transition in the early twentieth century and the abrupt change in 1976, both towards warmer and wetter conditions, co-occur with changes in variability. In the mid–late nineteenth century, cooler and drier background conditions coincided with prominent decadal variability; in the early twentieth century, shorter-period (∼2.9 years) variability intensified. After 1920, variability weakens and becomes focused at interannual timescales; with the shift in 1976, variability with a period of about 4 years becomes prominent. Our results suggest that variability in the tropical Pacific is linked to the region’s mean climate, and that changes in both have occurred during periods of natural as well as anthropogenic climate forcing.
Support for User-Centric Modular Real-Time Resource Management in the Rialto Operating System

This paper describes ongoing investigations into algorithms for user-centric modular distributed real-time resource management. These investigations are being conducted in the context of the Rialto operating system — an object-based real-time kernel and programming environment currently being developed within Microsoft Research.
Human Rights in Political Party and Government Programs: Inferences from the Case of Turkey

Political parties are essential to representative democracies and important in agenda setting and shaping the political discourse, even if they fall short of forming the government or acquiring seats in the parliament. Focusing on the case of Turkey, this paper assesses the extent to which human rights have been incorporated into the programs of political parties and governments, identifies the pattern of change in their discourse, and examines the relationship between the human rights approaches displayed in political party and government programs. The manifest and latent content analyses of 95 party programs and 60 government program, as well as the human rights content of constitutions, are conducted for the period of 1923-200. The longitudinal analysis of Turkey as a case study, which employs government as the unit of analysis and combines quantitative and qualitative methodologies, is used to develop an alternative to the theories (e.g., modernization theory; boomerang theory/spiral model) that are commonly employed to explain changes in a country’s human rights discourse and practices. Abstract will be provided by author.
Multiple target ambiguity resolution

The Chinese remainder theorem is usually used to resolve ambiguities for both high-PRF and medium-PRF pulse-Doppler waveforms. In a previous paper it was shown that superior results for a single target can be achieved by using a clustering algorithm. In this paper the problem of multiple targets is considered. A maximum likelihood technique which incorporates the clustered algorithm is developed for the multiple target problem. Simulation results are presented for a high-PRF waveform. >
A new look at old mutants of T4 DNA polymerase.

The DNA polymerase and nuclease activities of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase mutants are discussed in the context of the crystal structure of the closely related bacteriophage RB69 DNA polymerase.
Rats, robots, and rescue

In early May, media inquiries started arriving at my office at the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (www.crasar.org). Because I'm CRASAR's director, I thought the press was calling to follow up on the recent humanitarian award given to the center's founder, John Blitch, for successfully using small, backpackable robots at the World Trade Center disaster. Instead, I found they were asking me to comment on the "roborats" study in the 2 May 2002 Nature. In this study, rats with medial force brain implants underwent operant conditioning to force them into a form of guided behavior, one aspect of which was thought useful for search and rescue. The article's closing comment suggested that a guided rat could serve as both a mobile robot and a biological sensor. Although a roboticist by training, I'm committed to any technology that will help save lives while reducing the risk to rescuers. But rats?.
P03-540 - Medical comorbidity in inpatients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: prevalence and length of stay

Introduction Medical comorbidity in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is associated with poor psychiatric treatment outcome and,for inpatients, with increased length of stay (LOS) -either by increasing psychiatric symptomatology or by being the focus of medical attention. Objectives To assess the impact of medical comorbidity that receives medical attention (as opposed to lack of concurrent medical problems or to stable comorbidity) on clinical outcomes and LOS within two psychiatric populations. Aims To estimate the prevalence of comorbid medical conditions in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. To test for differences, primarily in LOS and psychiatric treatment outcome, between inpatients who received care for physical problems and those who did not need to. Methods This was a retrospective study of consecutive voluntary admissions of 106 patients suffering from schizophrenia and 110 patients suffering from bipolar disorder (type I or II). Our main independent variable was whether or not inpatients received treatment for a medical condition after referral from the attending psychiatrist. We used GAF and CIRS-SA assessments. Results Most reported problems for schizophrenia patients were cardiovascular/respiratory (notably hypertension) and for bipolar patients endocrine/metabolic. Patients who received medical treatment did not differ in LOS or psychiatric outcome from those who did not receive, in either diagnosis group. 84% of bipolar patients who reported a psychiatric comorbidity received treatment for a medical problem. Conclusions Medical care for comorbid physical problems does not impact on LOS, diagnosis being a better predictor of the latter. In bipolar disorder significant medical burden appears to be drug-induced.
A three-dimensional eigenfunction expansion approach for singular stress field near an adhesively-bonded scarf joint interface in a rigidly-encased plate

Abstract A three-dimensional eigenfunction expansion approach for determination of the singular stress field in the vicinity of an adhesively-bonded scarf joint interface in a plate, with its top and bottom surfaces being encased, fully or partially, between infinitely rigid blocks is presented. The plate is subjected to extension/bending (mode I) and in-plane shear/twisting (mode II) far-field loading. Both the adhesive layer and plate materials are assumed to be isotropic and elastic. The boundary conditions that are prescribed on the end-faces (free, fixed and lubricated) of the plate as well as those, prescribed at the bottom or top surface of the scarf-bonded plate on either side of the interface between the plate and adhesive layer materials (fixed-fixed, free-fixed and fixed-free), are exactly satisfied. Numerical results include the dependence of the lowest eigenvalue (or most severe stress singularity) on the wedge aperture angle of the plate material. Variation of the same with respect to the shear moduli ratio of the constituent plate and adhesive layer materials is also an important part of the present investigation. Hitherto unobserved interesting and physically meaningful conclusions in regards to the fixed edge singularity and delamination type flaw sensitivity of an adhesively bonded plate surface are also presented. Finally, hitherto unavailable results, pertaining to the through-width variations of stress intensity factors corresponding to symmetric and skew-symmetric sinusoidal loads that also satisfy the boundary conditions on the end-faces of the adhesively bonded plate, in the vicinity of the scarf joint interface, under investigation, bridge a longstanding gap in the bonded joint stress singularity/fracture mechanics literature.
The tmRNA database (tmRDB)

As of September, 1998, a total of 43 sequences are contained within the tmRNA database (tmRDB). The tmRNA sequences are arranged alphabetically and ordered phylogenetically. The alignment of the tmRNAs emphasizes the basepairs that are supported by comparative sequence analysis and establishes minimal secondary structures for the known tmRNAs. A corresponding alignment of the predicted tmRNAencoded tag peptides is presented. The tmRDB also offers a small number of RNA secondary structure diagrams and PDB-formatted three-dimensional models generated with the program ERNA-3D. The data are available freely at the URL http://psyche.uthct.edu/ dbs/tmRDB/tmRDB.html DESCRIPTION The goal of the curators of the tmRNA database (tmRDB) is to help researchers in the detailed understanding of tmRNA structure and function. The tmRDB catalogues, analyzes, and distributes tmRNA sequences from a wide variety of organisms, including information about phylogenetically supported secondary and three-dimensional structure features, as well as tmRNA sequence alignments, and alignments of the deduced tmRNAencoded tag peptides (1). The function of the tmRNA is in ‘trans-translation’ as it rescues ribosomes that remain stalled on
MIMO control of wind turbine using direct shooting method

Wind energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. With the use of variable speed operation, the wind turbine works more efficiently in the partial load region, where the objective is to maximize wind energy capture. This paper presents the application of a multi-input multi-output optimal control approach to a wind turbine system for maximizing the aerodynamic power coefficient, thus the wind energy capture. The proposed optimal control method is compared to the traditional single-input single-output feedback control with respect to energy capture. A dynamic wind turbine model is used and the performance of different control scenarios is compared through numerical simulation.
Spectral green's functions for a thin, circular, magnetic‐current loop for microstrip VIA hole analysis

The full-wave spectral Green's function for a thin, circular, magnetic-current loop radiating slightly above the shorted aperture of a microstrip via hole is given. The expression for the electric potential (in the spectral domain) due to the magnetic-current loop is then derived for both the full-wave and electrostatic cases.
Schooling: the contested bridge between individual and society

Cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT) provides a powerful explanation of how young people become functioning members of their local communities by participating in particular activities, in which they receive assistance in their zones of proximal development through guided participation or legitimate peripheral participation. However, it has been less successful in providing a theoretical account of the processes through which young people in the contemporary world appropriate the cultural resources that enable them to participate in and contribute to the larger society. What is missing is an adequate understanding of the ways in which becoming a member of society demands more than simply becoming a member of one's family and local community. And for this, an explanation of the role of formal education in providing the bridge between individual and society is required. In this paper, I contribute to such an explanation by exploring two issues: the organization of schooling, and the nature of the know...
Endocytosis of Albumin by Podocytes Elicits an Inflammatory Response and Induces Apoptotic Cell Death

The presence of albuminuria is strongly associated with progression of chronic kidney disease. While albuminuria has been shown to injure renal proximal tubular cells, the effects of albumin on podocytes have been less well studied. We have addressed the hypothesis that exposure of podocytes to albumin initiates an injury response. We studied transformed human-urine derived podocytes-like epithelial cells (HUPECS, or podocytes). Upon differentiation, these cells retain certain characteristics of differentiated podocytes, including expression of synaptopodin, CD2AP, and nestin. We exposed podocytes to recombinant human albumin, which lacks lipids and proteins that bind serum albumin; this reagent allowed a direct examination of the effects of albumin. Podocytes endocytosed fluoresceinated albumin and this process was inhibited at 4°C, suggesting an energy-dependent process. Exposure to albumin at concentrations of 5 and 10 mg/ml was associated with increased cell death in a dose-dependent manner. The mechanism of cell death may involve apoptosis, as caspase 3/7 were activated and the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD reduced cell death. Albumin exposure also increased nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation and increased transcription and release of interleukin (IL-) 1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and IL-6. We extended these findings to an in vivo model. Glomeruli isolated from mice with nephrotic syndrome also had increased expression of IL-1β and TNF RNA. These data suggest that while podocyte injury begets albuminuria, albumin in the glomerular ultrafiltrate may also beget podocyte injury. Thus, an additional mechanism by which anti-proteinuric therapies are beneficial in the treatment of glomerular diseases may be a reduction in injury to the podocyte by albumin.
COMPARING ALTERNATIVE KERNELS FOR THE KERNEL METHOD OF TEST EQUATING: GAUSSIAN, LOGISTIC, AND UNIFORM KERNELS

The kernel equating method (von Davier, Holland, & Thayer, 2004) is based on a flexible family of equipercentile-like equating functions that use a Gaussian kernel to continuize the discrete score distributions. While the classical equipercentile, or percentile-rank, equating method carries out the continuization step by linear interpolation, in principle the kernel equating methods could use various kernel smoothings to replace the discrete score distributions. This paper expands the work of von Davier et al. (2004) in investigating alternative kernels for equating practice. To examine the influence of different kernel functions on the equating results, this paper focuses on two types of kernel functions: the logistic kernel and the continuous uniform distribution (known to be the same as the linear interpolation). The Gaussian kernel is used for reference. By employing an equivalent-groups design, the results of the study indicate that the tail properties of kernel functions have great impact on the continuized score distributions. However, the equated scores based on different kernel functions do not vary much, except for extreme scores. The results presented in this paper not only support the previous findings on the efficiency and accuracy of the existing continuization methods, but also enrich the information on observed-score equating models.
The mechanistic role of the coordinated tyrosine in astacin

Crayfish astacin belongs to the only Zn protein family containing a coordinated Tyr ligand in the active site, and is a rare example of Zn enzymes whose activity can be significantly restored by Cu 2a . The highly active Co 2a and Cu 2a derivatives of astacin can serve as good models of the native enzyme for structural and mechanistic studies by means of optical and magnetic resonance techniques. Upon the introduction of the inhibitor Tyr-hydroxamate to these two metal derivatives of astacin, the coordinated Tyr in the active site is detached based on our optical and NMR studies in solution. The significance of the detachment of the coordinated Tyr in the action of astacin is fourfold: (1) to enhance the Lewis acidity of the active site metal, (2) to balance the negative charge of the transition state gem-diolate-enzyme complex, (3) to relieve the steric crowding upon substrate binding, and (4) to stabilize the enzyme-substrate complex by way of a H-bonding. ” 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Specific antioxidant selenoproteins are induced in the heart during hypertrophy

Selenium (Se) is thought to confer cardioprotective effects through the actions of antioxidant selenoprotein enzymes that directly limit levels of ROS such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or that reverse oxidative damage to lipids and proteins. To determine how the selenoproteome responds to myocardial hypertrophy, two mouse models were employed: triidothyronine (T3)- or isoproterenol (ISO)-treatment. After 7days of T3- and ISO-treatment, cardiac stress was demonstrated by increased H(2)O(2) and caspase-3 activity. Neither treatment produced significant increases in phospholipid peroxidation or TUNEL-positive cells, suggesting that antioxidant systems were protecting the cardiomyocytes from damage. Many selenoprotein mRNAs were induced by T3- and ISO-treatment, with levels of methionine sulfoxide reductase 1 (MsrB1, also called SelR) mRNA showing the largest increases. MsrB enzymatic activity was also elevated in both models of cardiac stress, while glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and thioredoxin reductase (Trxrd) activity were moderately and nonsignificantly increased, respectively. Western blot assays revealed a marked increase in MsrB1 and moderate increases in GPx3, GPx4, and Trxrd1, particularly in T3-treated hearts. Thus, the main response of the selenoproteome during hypertrophy does not involve increased GPx1, but increased GPx3 for reducing extracellular H(2)O(2) and increased GPx4, Trxrd1, and MsrB1 for minimizing intracellular oxidative damage.
On Time-Varying Control

This paper attempts to identify time-varying control as a viable and practical alternative to the "fixed versus adaptive control" dilemma. In the process, it provides for the first time: a. Doubly-coprime and inner-outer factorizations for linear time-varying (LTV) systems with finite-dimensional uniform realizations. b. Conditions under which linear and nonlinear time-varying (LTV, NTV) control laws achieve, in a sense, the same quality of control for LTV plants.
Drop impact and agglomeration under static powder bed conditions

The influence of impact conditions (reported in terms of Weber and Reynolds numbers) on nucleus formation was studied for single drops striking a static glass bead bed. Results from high speed images showed that the nucleation rate is not influenced by liquid physical properties (density, surface tension, viscosity) for drops that spread significantly (30 < We < 233). Results also showed that nucleus size is determined by how much liquid penetrates into the bed during drop spreading, so does depend on surface tension and liquid density. A corresponding analytical model, derived from first principles, predicts nucleus size to with 1.5% using only liquid physical and powder bed properties, plus the experimentally measured drop spreading behavior. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012
Factors associated with local recurrence after skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction for invasive breast cancer.

Skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) has been advocated as an oncologically safe approach for the management of patients with early-stage breast cancer. This operation also minimizes deformity and improves cosmesis through preservation of the skin envelope of the breast. 1–5 Chest wall skin is a common site of local failure after mastectomy, and the incidence of this event after SSM has been reported to be 0%5 to 7%. 6 Although the results of SSM have been analyzed in previous reports, many of these series included patients with invasive and noninvasive breast cancer with variable lengths of follow-up. The objective of this study was to examine survival rates, incidence of local recurrence (LR), and factors associated with it in a population of patients who underwent SSM and immediate breast reconstruction for invasive breast cancer at a single institution.
Osteoporosis and Bone Health in Patients with Lung Disease

Osteoporosis is a common systemic disease whose presentation crosses many specialties in medicine. Low bone mass, (osteopenia) and osteoporosis increases a patient's risk of suffering from a fracture, and fragility fractures are known to have a significant effect on morbidity and mortality, with up to a 1-year 20% mortality risk. Early detection of osteoporosis is essential to reduce a patient's risk of fracture. Several diseases are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis because of the medications used to treat these diseases, including but not limited to the prescribing of glucocorticoids. It is important to recognize which patients warrant therapy for bone health and to implement medical management as appropriate.
Development of an entangled polymer solution for improved resolution in DNA typing by CE.

A new sieving matrix consisting of a mixture of two commercial polymers with different chemical structures, PVP (Mw=1 000 000 g/mol) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC, Mw=250 000 g/mol), has been successfully used for single-stranded DNA separation. This sieving matrix was optimized with a Doehlert design, a second-order model statistical design. A total concentration of 3.5% of polymer, which contains 20.4% of PVP relative to HEC, combines the superior coating capability of the PVP with the high efficiency of the HEC. The use of this new sieving matrix gives highly resolved and reproducible separations of single-stranded DNA ranging from 50 to 500 bp. The separation of these DNA fragments is accomplished in less than 30 min under 319 V/cm with efficiencies up to 4 million plates per meter (measured at 350 bp). More than 90 successive analyses were achieved without any deterioration of the separation performance. Repeatability values of resolution (given as %RSD) for the analyzed DNA fragments are 2.2% (measured with the couple 139/150 bp) and 5.3% (measured with the couple 490/500 bp). Moreover, this mixture has a low viscosity (388 cP), which permits easy filling of fused-silica capillaries. This new sieving matrix, which exhibits high sieving performance, good dynamic coating ability, and low viscosity, can be a useful alternative to other less easily synthesized sieving matrices and eliminates the need for precoating the capillary to eliminate electroosmosis.
Cerebral Aneurysm with Bilateral Carotid Occlusion

Two cases with cerebral aneurysms and bilateral carotid occlusion are described. They had no cerebral ischemic attack prior to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage because of sufficient collateral blood flow from the posterior circulation. The cerebral aneurysms were both located in the posterior circulation where the hemodynamic stress might have occurred. Case 1. A 54-year-old hypertensive man was admitted with headache. Computerized tomography scan and cerebral angiography revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage, bilateral internal carotid occlusion, and two saccular aneurysms of the right posterior cerebral artery at the junction of the posterior communicating artery. The blood flow for both cerebral hemispheres was mainly supplied through the posterior circulation via the right posterior communicating artery. Physical examination on admission was unremarkable except for moderate nuchal rigidity and headache. He was discharged after clipping of the aneurysms. Case 2. A 81-year-old woman was admitted because of sudden loss of consciousness. She had an unremarkable an history except for a short term loss of consciousness three months prior. On admission she was in a semicomatose state, and showed no lateralizing signs. Computerized tomography scan revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage. On aortography, the innominate artery and the left common carotid artery were not opacified from their origin. The left vertebral artery, which was enlarged and elongated, supplied most of the cerebral hemispheres through both posterior communicating arteries. The saccular aneurysm was located at the lower part of the basilar artery where the hemodynamic stress might have occurred. She died without recovery. The present report indicates that the hemodynamic stress caused by bilateral carotid occlusion in combination with hypertension or aging may play an important role in aneurysmal formation in the posterior circulation.
For whom the Bell Curve Tolls: A Review of The Bell Curve

The Bell Curve has probably attracted more public attention than any other single psychological-scientific work in recent memory. Because one of the authors, Richard Herrnstein, was a psychologist, and because much, although certainly not all, of the content of the work is psychological, the book reflects, in the public eye, not only on the authors, but also on the field: It is one of the few highly visible exposures the public sees of psychology at work. The Bell Curve can be reviewed as a work of psychological science, as a popularization of psychological science, or even as a sociopolitical policy statement. The goal of this review is primarily to comment on the book as a work of psychological science, and secondarily to comment on it as a popularization. At the end, I briefly comment on the book as a sociopolitical policy statement. Because there seems to have been some confusion, in various public statements of the surviving author (Charles Murray) and of reviewers, as to exactly what the book does and does not claim, I frequently cite page numbers, which refer to the pages in the book where various claims are made.
Managing Innovation in Architecturally Hierarchical Systems: Three Switchback Mechanisms That Impact Practice

This paper uses a detailed empirical process study to explore the mechanisms that drive complex hierarchically integrated technologies to regress in apparent maturity (“switchback”) over the course of their innovation pathways. Three mechanisms are identified that explain the underlying behavior: switchbacks occur 1) as a natural discovery dynamic, the result of mid-pathway efforts to fill gaps revealed through systems integration; 2) as a strategic framing used by technologists to survive funding shortfalls; or 3) as a revisit of known problems in response to uncertainty in a discrete mission opportunity environment. Although switchbacks are traditionally thought of as deviant events that should be suppressed by managers, this study reveals that many “switchbacks” represent a natural, and necessary, part of the complex technology development process. The implications of these findings are demonstrated by analyzing one dominant funding decision heuristic in terms of the assumptions it embodies and its consistency with the above-described mechanisms. The analysis reveals that efforts to eliminate switchbacks may stifle important innovations without necessarily improving efficiency.
Measuring the Patient Health, Societal and Economic Benefits of US Pediatric Therapeutics Legislation

Through at least the mid-1990s, children were often referred to as ‘therapeutic orphans’ for whom many treatments were administered without the benefit of appropriate studies to guide drug labeling for dosing and other critical therapeutic decisions. At that time, there were no incentives for manufacturers to pursue such work, nor regulatory requirements to compel these studies. Congress addressed this by including an important provision titled the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) in the 1997 Food and Drug Administration Modernization and Accountability Act. This was complemented by another key piece of legislation, the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) in 2003. The former Act and its successors created an incentive for firms to study on-patent drugs in pediatric populations by extending the market exclusivity of a medicine by 6 months. The latter was a requirement that provided the US FDA with the authority to require studies of drugs in children if an adult indication also occurs in children. In the current paper, we consider the effects of both pieces of legislation in terms of the health, societal, and economic benefits they have likely imparted and will continue to provide in the future. We conclude that the gains have been substantial — both in terms of safer and more effective use of medicines in children and in terms of new research that has been incentivized by the BPCA exclusivity provision. We estimate the gross economic benefits from the latter alone to be approximately $US360 billion.
MO-E-17A-05: Individualized Patient Dosimetry in CT Using the Patient Dose (PATDOSE) Algorithm

Purpose: Radiation dose to the patient undergoing a CT examination has been the focus of many recent studies. While CTDIvol and SSDE-based methods are important tools for patient dose management, the CT image data provides important information with respect to CT dose and its distribution. Coupled with the known geometry and output factors (kV, mAs, pitch, etc.) of the CT scanner, the CT dataset can be used directly for computing absorbed dose. Methods: The HU numbers in a patient's CT data set can be converted to linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) with some assumptions. With this (PAT-DOSE) method, which is not Monte Carlo-based, the primary and scatter dose are computed separately. The primary dose is computed directly from the geometry of the scanner, x-ray spectrum, and the known patient LACs. Once the primary dose has been computed to all voxels in the patient, the scatter dose algorithm redistributes a fraction of the absorbed primary dose (based on the HU number of each source voxel), and the methods here invoke both tissue attenuation and absorption and solid angle geometry. The scatter dose algorithm can be run N times to include Nth-scatter redistribution. PAT-DOSE was deployed using simple PMMA phantoms, to validate its performance against Monte Carlo-derived dose distributions. Results: Comparison between PAT-DOSE and MCNPX primary dose distributions showed excellent agreement for several scan lengths. The 1st-scatter dose distributions showed relatively higher-amplitude, long-range scatter tails for the PAT-DOSE algorithm then for MCNPX simulations. Conclusion: The PAT-DOSE algorithm provides a fast, deterministic assessment of the 3-D dose distribution in CT, making use of scanner geometry and the patient image data set. The preliminary implementation of the algorithm produces accurate primary dose distributions however achieving scatter distribution agreement is more challenging. Addressing the polyenergetic x-ray spectrum and spatially dependent scatter fractions will improve algorithm accuracy. Funding Support: UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) Award; NIH IMSD Student Fellowship; Saxon Student Fellowship Disclosure: PATENT Royalties from Samsung for dosimetry algorithm
Tri-O-tolyl phosphate neurotoxicity: lack of evidence for autoimmunologic involvement.

Studies on the involvement of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of tri-o-tolyl phosphate (TOTP) induced neurotoxicity in chickens were conducted. Immunosuppressive therapy including γ-radiation and drug treatments was utilized to determine its effects on the neurotoxic syndrome. Whole-body γ-irradiation up to 1020 roentgens failed to show any consistent protection from the TOTP induced paralysis. Therapy involving prednisone alone or in combination with 6-mercaptopurine and antilymphocyte serum likewise indicated no protection. Stimulation of humoral and cellular immunity by TOTP was investigated. Complement fixation, precipitation tests, splenic migration inhibition, and skin tests did not indicate stimulation of autoimmunity toward nervous tissue or liver. The present investigation was unable to demonstrate primary involvement of an autoimmune nature in the neurotoxicity produced by TOTP in the chicken.
EFFECT OF OP'DDD ON SERUM ANDROGENS IN A GIRL WITH METASTATIC VIRILIZING ADRENAL CARCINOMA

In metastatic adrenal carcinoma, op'DDD has been reported to decrease urinary 17-KS without causing regression of the tumor. This dissociation between the oncolytic and hormonal effects may be explained by our steroidal data. In a 5 y/o girl with metastatic adrenal carcinoma, serum T, Δ4, DHEA, DS and urinary 17-KS were extremely elevated. With op'DDD treatment, the DS and 17-KS fell rapidly while there was a marked delay in the fall of free androgens. The persistence of free steroid secretion with decreased conjugate formation suggests that op'DDD specifically altered sulfatase activity before causing tumor necrosis and total decrease in steroidogenesis. A fall in urinary 17-KS may not indicate tumor regression and serum androgens seem to be a better indicator for the steroidogenic activity of a virilizing adrenal tumor. These data provide some new insight into a drug-steroid interaction.