cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Rocky Marriage of Risk and Return

This chapter introduces a topic that is perhaps most valuable in the investments arena. However, this text has made a conscious effort to point out that financial assets must be viewed from multiple angles. Also, keep in mind that an investment can be any number of things, particularly in corporate finance. So, although we will focus on financial investments to illustrate the points of interest throughout the chapter, keep in mind the materials will readily apply to physical investments as well. Thus, it is of particular interest to understand how this material fits into the overall context of capital structure and capital budgeting. This chapter will be roughly divided into two concepts, both with the same end objective. The first examines a data-driven method of determining the relationship between risk and return. The second concept examines the risk/return relationship on a more theoretical basis.
Risk, Uncertainty, Fear, and Gambling

We all aspire to “invest” our hard earned savings into financial markets that offer a return in excess of the small but risk-free return on Treasury bonds. With a typical inflation rate of 3%, bonds earning less than 3% do not even keep pace with inflation. They certainly do not build the nest egg we all require for a comfortable and, hopefully, extended retirement. What portion of our savings is truly invested, though, and what is merely rolling the dice?
Spectral Gap Properties of the Unitary Groups: Around Rider’s Results on Non-commutative Sidon Sets

We present a proof of Rider’s unpublished result that the union of two Sidon sets in the dual of a non-commutative compact group is Sidon, and that randomly Sidon sets are Sidon. Most likely this proof is essentially the one announced by Rider and communicated in a letter to the author around 1979 (lost by him since then). The key fact is a spectral gap property with respect to certain representations of the unitary groups U(n) that holds uniformly over n. The proof crucially uses Weyl’s character formulae. We survey the results that we obtained 30 years ago using Rider’s unpublished results. Using a recent different approach valid for certain orthonormal systems of matrix-valued functions, we give a new proof of the spectral gap property that is required to show that the union of two Sidon sets is Sidon. The latter proof yields a rather good quantitative estimate. Several related results are discussed with possible applications to random matrix theory.
P values: from suggestion to superstition.

A threshold probability value of ‘p≤0.05’ is commonly used in clinical investigations to indicate statistical significance. To allow clinicians to better understand evidence generated by research studies, this review defines the p value, summarizes the historical origins of the p value approach to hypothesis testing, describes various applications of p≤0.05 in the context of clinical research and discusses the emergence of p≤5×10−8 and other values as thresholds for genomic statistical analyses. Corresponding issues include a conceptual approach of evaluating whether data do not conform to a null hypothesis (ie, no exposure–outcome association). Importantly, and in the historical context of when p≤0.05 was first proposed, the 1-in-20 chance of a false-positive inference (ie, falsely concluding the existence of an exposure–outcome association) was offered only as a suggestion. In current usage, however, p≤0.05 is often misunderstood as a rigid threshold, sometimes with a misguided ‘win’ (p≤0.05) or ‘lose’ (p>0.05) approach. Also, in contemporary genomic studies, a threshold of p≤10−8 has been endorsed as a boundary for statistical significance when analyzing numerous genetic comparisons for each participant. A value of p≤0.05, or other thresholds, should not be employed reflexively to determine whether a clinical research investigation is trustworthy from a scientific perspective. Rather, and in parallel with conceptual issues of validity and generalizability, quantitative results should be interpreted using a combined assessment of strength of association, p values, CIs, and sample size.
Growth and Aflatoxin Production by Aspergillus parasiticus in the Presence of Sodium Chloride.

Twenty-five milliliters of glucose-yeast-salt medium containing 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10% NaCl was inoculated to contain, approximately 105 or 107 conidia of Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 2999 and then incubated at 13 or 28°C. Amounts of aflatoxin produced were determined using Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Increasing the concentration of NaCl reduced accumulation of aflatoxin and also induced a lag in growth of the culture. At 13°C, the mold produced small amounts of aflatoxin after an extended lag phase, and NaCl was markedly more inhibitory at 13 than at 28°C.
Sub-Exponentially Many 3-Colorings of Triangle-Free Planar Graphs

Abstract Thomassen conjectured that every triangle-free planar graph has exponentially many 3-colorings. He proved that it has at least 2 n 1 / 12 / 20000 distinct 3-colorings where n is the number of vertices. We show that it has at least 2 n / 432 3-colorings.
Increased Age Associated with Reduced Likelihood of Recurrence After Coiling of Ruptured Aneurysms.

Objective The effect of patient age on the likelihood of recurrence of ruptured aneurysms after endovascular coil embolization is not well understood. Our aim was to compare the incidence of aneurysmal recurrence after coiling between young and old patients. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study on patients presenting to our institution with a ruptured intracranial aneurysm treated with endovascular coiling. Aneurysm recurrence was defined as a Modified Raymond Roy Classification (MRRC) grade of 3A or 3B performed on first follow-up angiography. Patients were dichotomized into young and old patient groups, with patients 65 years and older categorized as older adults. The relationship between patient age and the likelihood of aneurysm recurrence was then investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results There were 156 patients who met our inclusion criteria for analysis, 37 (23.7%) of whom were greater than or equal to 65 years of age. Elderly patients were less likely to experience aneurysm recurrence (27.0% vs. 42.9%, respectively; P = 0.085) or to undergo aneurysm retreatment (18.9% vs. 37.0%, respectively; P = 0.041). On multivariate analysis, after adjusting for smoking status, aneurysmal size, coil-embolization ratio, and MRRC grade at time of treatment, elderly age was independently associated with a reduced risk of aneurysm recurrence (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.11–0.92; P = 0.034). Conclusions Our results suggest that elderly age may confer a reduced risk of aneurysmal recurrence after endovascular coiling, providing further evidence that coiling should be considered a first-line therapy in elderly patients with a ruptured aneurysm.
Learning from the Young: Therapeutic Implications of Emerging Sexual Knowledge in Working with Families

ABSTRACTThe lack of formal sex education and informal family communication about sex affects youth, families, educators, and clinicians. This lack limits young people in learning about accurate and developmentally appropriate sexuality in safe and supportive contexts, and inhibits clinicians in helping families provide information and support for youth to develop agentic sexuality. Although parents are expected to be their children’s primary sex educators, peers and media are now likely to assume that role. Guided by a feminist perspective, narratives written by 644 students from an undergraduate course, who reflected on viewing a sexual image for the first time, were examined. Implications for therapists in gaining and sharing sexual knowledge in their work with youth and families are addressed.
Pyramiding resistance-conferring gene sequences in crops.

Plant viruses can cause devastating diseases in many crops around the world. Genetic resistance and the adoption of resistant crop cultivars is the most desirable strategy to manage viruses. Single or multiple sources of resistance derived from host and/or virus gene sequences are used to develop resistant crop plants. Pyramiding sources of resistance is essential for achieving broad-spectrum and durable resistance and for protecting crops from commonly occurring mixed virus infections. Stacking resistance-conferring gene sequences into single crop cultivars is achieved by first, conventional breeding and the use of dominant and recessive host genes; second, genetic engineering and the deployment of virus-derived gene sequences or modified small plant RNAs for antiviral RNA interference defense, or of programmable nucleases to target viral gene sequences or to alter host factors that are critical to complete the virus infection cycle; and third, a combination of conventional breeding and genetic engineering. These strategies are successfully used to mitigate the effect of viruses. It is anticipated that the development of virus resistant crops carrying multiple resistance-conferring gene sequences will be further facilitated by progress at unraveling underpinnings of virus–host interactions, and at determining the sequence of more crop genomes.
Interplay Between Membrane Composition and Structural Stability of Membrane-Bound hIAPP

Amyloid aggregates are characteristic of many serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and type 2 diabetes and commonly involve intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), those that populate an ensemble of conformations rather than a single folded structure. Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP or amylin) is an amyloidogenic IDP implicated in pancreatic β-cell death during the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. The target of amylin’s toxic activity is thought to be the cell’s lipid membrane, which may also act as a catalyst for aggregation. Since amylin is intrinsically disordered, differing environments can have a large impact on its equilibrium conformational ensemble. We apply atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on multiple systems containing a full-length amylin monomer and a lipid bilayer to study the changes induced by the membrane. We observe stabilized helical conformations structurally similar to those determined by NMR experiments conducted in similar environments. We also ...
Empirically Corrected Rescaled Statistics for SEM with Small N and Large p

ABSTRACTSurvey data often contain many variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is commonly used in analyzing such data. With typical nonnormally distributed data in practice, a rescaled statistic Trml proposed by Satorra and Bentler was recommended in the literature of SEM. However, Trml has been shown to be problematic when the sample size N is small and/or the number of variables p is large. There does not exist a reliable test statistic for SEM with small N or large p, especially with nonnormally distributed data. Following the principle of Bartlett correction, this article develops empirical corrections to Trml so that the mean of the empirically corrected statistics approximately equals the degrees of freedom of the nominal chi-square distribution. Results show that empirically corrected statistics control type I errors reasonably well even when N is smaller than 2p, where Trml may reject the correct model 100% even for normally distributed data. The application of the empirically corrected sta...
Persistent impairment in working memory following severe hyperglycemia in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Acute hyperglycemia has been shown to cause cognitive impairments in animal models. There is growing appreciation of the numerous effects of hyperglycemia on neuronal function as well as blood-brain barrier function. In humans, hypoglycemia is well known to cause cognitive deficits acutely, but hyperglycemia has been less well studied. We present a case of selective neurocognitive deficits in the setting of acute hyperglycemia. A 60-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for an episode of acute hyperglycemia in the setting of newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus precipitated by steroid use. He was managed with insulin therapy and discharged home, and later, presented with complaints of memory impairment. Deficits included impairment in his declarative and working memory, to the point of significant impairment in his overall functioning. The patient had no structural lesions on MRI imaging of the brain or other systemic illnesses to explain his specific deficits. We suggest that his acute hyperglycemia may have caused neurological injury, and may be responsible for our patient's memory complaints. Learning points Acute hyperglycemia has been associated with poor outcomes in several different central nervous system injuries including cerebrovascular accident and hypoxic injury.Hyperglycemia is responsible for accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the brain, resulting in advanced glycosylated end products and a proinflammatory response that may lead to cellular injury.Further research is needed to define the impact of both acute and chronic hyperglycemia on cognitive impairment and memory.
Pain-Free Outcomes and Durability of Surgical Intervention for Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Comparison of Gamma Knife and Microvascular Decompression.

Objective Treatment options for trigeminal neuralgia include microvascular decompression (MVD) and Gamma Knife surgery (GKS). There is no consensus which option is more effective at providing immediate and long-lasting pain relief. This study evaluated the differences between these 2 options in terms of rates of complete pain relief and pain-free recurrence. Methods A systematic review was conducted of published studies of MVD and GKS for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia from 2004 to 2014. Studies were selected using a MEDLINE/PubMed search and from subsequent inspection of references from articles found in the initial search. Common outcome measures reported in the studies were used for meta-analysis to make conclusions based on current available data. Results The MVD group included 18 articles with 2650 patients, and the GKS group included 25 articles with 2846 patients. MVD was found to have a significantly higher rate of initial pain-free outcomes (Barrow Neurological Institute grade I) compared with GKS (92.22% vs. 61.46%, P Conclusions MVD may be a more effective intervention than GKS owing to higher rates of initial pain-free outcomes and long-term pain-free outcomes. There is a need for more consistent data reporting of outcomes for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
Security and QoS guarantee-based resource allocation within cloud computing environment

Data and services in a Cloud Computing are not limited to a single organization's perimeter and span multiple trusted or untrusted domains. In addition, data security and privacy are the most challenging barriers to generalized cloud adoption. In this paper, we propose two architectures (inter-cloud Broker and Federation) enabling best cloud resources selection based on optimal cost, Quality of Service (QoS) and security guarantee for Network as a Service (NaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) services in a Cloud Computing environment. We simulate our proposed framework to evaluate the best cloud resources selection and the impact of security on QoS guarantee. The obtained results show this impact and that the Broker architecture is the most economical while ensuring QoS and security requirements.
PERTURBATION AND BIFURCATION IN A DISCONTINUOUS NONLINEAR EIGENVALUE PROBLEM

Publisher Summary This chapter describes perturbation and bifurcation in a discontinuous nonlinear eigenvalue problem. In 1976, a perturbation method was described for approximating solutions of an elliptic free boundary problem in the plane. The perturbation method described was straightforward and easy to use, but it was a formal calculation. The chapter presents a rigorous justification for this perturbation procedure. It presents the results and the method of proof. The chapter discusses the perturbation of the reduced problem. An integral equation for the free boundary is presented. It also presents the solution of the nonlinear integral equation.
Relative Comprehensibility of Pictorial Information and Printed Words in Proceduralized Instructions

A study was conducted to compare the relative comprehensibility of pictorial information and printed words in instructions. Six picture-word formats were examined using 24 procedural problems on th...
The Metasystem Paradigm: Metasystem Design

This chapter introduces Part III. It includes a recapitulation of material previously covered in Part I and, at the same time, announces some of the themes to be covered in Part IV.
The microbiomes of deep-sea hydrothermal vents: distributed globally, shaped locally.

The discovery of chemosynthetic ecosystems at deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 changed our view of biology. Chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea form the foundation of vent ecosystems by exploiting the chemical disequilibrium between reducing hydrothermal fluids and oxidizing seawater, harnessing this energy to fix inorganic carbon into biomass. Recent research has uncovered fundamental aspects of these microbial communities, including their relationships with underlying geology and hydrothermal geochemistry, interactions with animals via symbiosis and distribution both locally in various habitats within vent fields and globally across hydrothermal systems in diverse settings. Although ‘black smokers’ and symbioses between microorganisms and macrofauna attract much attention owing to their novelty and the insights they provide into life under extreme conditions, habitats such as regions of diffuse flow, subseafloor aquifers and hydrothermal plumes have important roles in the global cycling of elements through hydrothermal systems. Owing to sharp contrasts in physical and chemical conditions between these various habitats and their dynamic, extreme and geographically isolated nature, hydrothermal vents provide a valuable window into the environmental and ecological forces that shape microbial communities and insights into the limits, origins and evolution of microbial life. Hydrothermal vents are unique habitats for chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea and the animals that live in symbiosis with them. In this Review, Dick explores the challenges and opportunities that vent ecosystems provide for microbial life and their relationship to biogeography.
The adaptive potential of plant populations in response to extreme climate events.

The frequency and magnitude of extreme climate events are increasing with global change, yet we lack predictions and empirical evidence for the ability of wild populations to persist and adapt in response to these events. Here, we used Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection to evaluate the adaptive potential of Lasthenia fremontii, a herbaceous winter annual that is endemic to seasonally flooded wetlands in California, to alternative flooding regimes that occur during El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The results indicate that populations may exhibit greater adaptive potential in response to dry years than wet years, and that the relative performance of populations will change across climate scenarios. More generally, our findings show that extreme climate events can substantially change the potential for populations to adapt to climate change by modulating the expression of standing genetic variation and mean fitness.
Recovery of cognitive function after sedation with propofol for outpatient gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Background/Aim: Most endoscopies performed in the United States utilize sedation. Anesthesia provides patient comfort and improved procedural quality but adds to the complexity of scheduling routine outpatient procedures. We aimed to assess the return of cognitive function after propofol administration in patients undergoing outpatient endoscopies. Patients and Methods: Cognitive recovery for patients undergoing endoscopy under monitored anesthesia care was evaluated using EncephalApp. Patients were tested before and after procedure and healthy controls were tested twice, 30 min apart. Results were tabulated in on state (on time) and off state (off time) and total time (on time + off time). The time difference between pre- and post-tests, “delta,” was calculated for on, off, and total times. Wilcoxon rank test was used to check the difference in mean delta of all three test times between cases and controls and to check for statistical significance. Results: The difference in mean time between cases and controls was significant for off (P Conclusion: Cognitive flexibility returns to baseline within 30–45 min after propofol sedation despite delayed return of psychomotor speed and reaction time.
A note on negligible functions.

In theoretical cryptography, one formalizes the notion of an adversary’s success probability being “too small to matter” by asking that it be a negligible function of the security parameter. We argue that the issue that really arises is what it might mean for a collection of functions to be “negligible.” We consider (and define) two such notions, and prove them equivalent. Roughly, this enables us to say that any cryptographic primitive has a specific associated “security level.” In particular we say this for any one-way function. We also reconcile different definitions of negligible error arguments and computational proofs of knowledge that have appeared in the literature. Although the motivation is cryptographic, the main result is purely about negligible functions. ∗Supported in part by NSF Grant CCR-0098123, a Packard Foundation Fellowship in Science and Engineering, and an IBM Faculty Partnership Development Award.
Smoothelin as a marker of muscularis propria in biopsies of colorectal carcinomas.

e14076 Background: Preoperative staging is of eminent importance for the treatment of colorectal carcinomas (CRCs). Especially the distinction of carcinoma in situ (not permigrating the muscularis ...
A Single-Phase Electromagnetic Transformer with an Adjustable Output Voltage

This paper presents a new signal-phase electromagnetic transformer with an adjustable output voltage. The transformer uses a magnetic flux valve (MFV) to control the magnetic flux through the secondary winding. In this way, the amplitude of the output voltage induced across the secondary winding of the transformer can be adjusted continuously and quickly when the turn ratio and input voltage amplitude of the transformer are fixed. The configuration and working principle of the transformer are presented. A prototype of the proposed transformer was designed and constructed. Experimental results on the prototype were provided to validate the proposed transformer concept.
Differential alphavirus defective RNA diversity between intracellular and encapsidated compartments is driven by subgenomic recombination events

ABSTRACT Alphaviruses are positive-sense RNA arboviruses that can cause either a chronic arthritis or a potentially lethal encephalitis. Like other RNA viruses, alphaviruses produce truncated, defective genomes featuring large deletions during replication. Defective RNAs (D-RNAs) have primarily been isolated from virions after high-multiplicity of infection passaging. Here, we aimed to characterize both intracellular and packaged viral D-RNA populations during early passage infections under the hypothesis that D-RNAs arise de novo intracellularly that may not be packaged and thus have remained undetected. To this end, we generated NGS libraries using RNA derived from passage 1 (P1) stock chikungunya virus (CHIKV) 181/clone 25, intracellular virus, and encapsidated P2 virus and analyzed samples for D-RNA expression, followed by diversity and differential expression analyses. We found that the diversity of D-RNA species is significantly higher for intracellular D-RNA populations than encapsidated and specific populations of D-RNAs are differentially expressed between intracellular and encapsidated compartments. Importantly, these trends were likewise observed in a murine model of CHIKV 15561 infection, as well as in vitro studies using related Mayaro, Sindbis, and Aura viruses. Additionally, we identified a novel subtype of subgenomic D-RNA that are conserved across arthritogenic alphaviruses. D-RNAs specific to intracellular populations were defined by recombination events specifically in the subgenomic region, which was confirmed by direct RNA nanopore sequencing of intracellular CHIKV RNAs. Together, these studies show that only a portion of D-RNAs generated intracellularly are packaged and D-RNAs readily arise de novo in the absence of transmitted template. IMPORTANCE Our understanding of viral defective RNAs (D-RNAs), or truncated viral genomes, comes largely from passaging studies in tissue culture under artificial conditions and/or packaged viral RNAs. Here, we show that specific populations of alphavirus D-RNAs arise de novo and that they are not packaged into virions, thus imposing a transmission bottleneck and impeding their prior detection. This raises important questions about the roles of D-RNAs, both in nature and in tissue culture, during viral infection and whether their influence is constrained by packaging requirements. Further, during the course of these studies, we found a novel type of alphavirus D-RNA that is enriched intracellularly; dubbed subgenomic D-RNAs (sgD-RNAs), they are defined by deletion boundaries between capsid/E3 and E1/3’UTR regions and are common to chikungunya, Mayaro, Sindbis, and Aura viruses. These sgD-RNAs are enriched intracellularly and do not appear to be selectively packaged, and additionally may exist as subgenome-derived transcripts.
Development of pediatric surgical decision-making guidelines for COVID-19 in a New York City children's hospital.

Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, experience-based guidelines are needed in the pediatric population in order to deliver high quality care in a new way that keeps patients and healthcare workers safe and maximizes hospital resource utilization. Background The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented strain on national health care resources, particularly in New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. Prudent allocation of surgical resources during the pandemic quickly became essential, and there is an unprecedented need to weigh the risks of operating versus delaying intervention in our pediatric patients. Methods Here we describe our experience in surgical decision-making in the pediatric surgical population at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian (MSCHONY), which has served as a major urban catchment area for COVID-19 positive pediatric patients. We describe how we have adjusted our current treatment of multiple facets of pediatric surgery including oncology, trauma, minimally invasive procedures, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Conclusions Our pediatric surgery department had to creatively and expeditiously adjust our protocols, guidelines, and workforce to not only serve our pediatric population but merge ourselves with our adult hospital system during the COVID pandemic. Type of study Clinical research paper LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.
Sex Differences in Longitudinal Determinants of Carotid Intima Medial Thickening With Aging in a Community-Dwelling Population: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Background Common carotid intima medial thickness (IMT) increases with aging. However, the longitudinal association between IMT and other age‐associated hemodynamic alterations in men and in women ...
Ensuring that Science Has a Seat at the Table

With crises including devastating weather and climate disasters, scientists have an important role to play in decision-making. Shown here is a tree ridge during the 2018 Woolsey Fire in California, which burned nearly 97,000 acres and killed 3 people. Photograph: Courtesy of Peter Buschmann, US Forest Service. With the world still gripped by the coronavirus, with devastating weather and climate disasters, and with attacks on science being spread through disinformation campaigns, there has never been a greater need for scientific engagement with public policy. Leaders in the scientific community are calling for better ways to incorporate science into decision-making during periods of crisis and beyond. Despite the challenges, these leaders are cautiously optimistic that science can have a meaningful seat at the table and that it can play an integral and balanced role in decision-making for government leaders and in informing the general public. Some of the optimism stems from the promises of the Biden administration to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. His early appointments on climate change, energy, and environmental policy have been encouraging.
Discrete event models+temporal logic=supervisory controller: automatic synthesis of locomotion controllers

We address the problem of the synthesis of controller programs for a variety of robotics and manufacturing tasks. The problem we choose for the test and illustrative purposes is the standard "walking machine problem", a representative instance of a real hybrid problem with both logical/discrete and continuous properties and strong mutual influence without any reasonable separation. We aim to produce a "compiler technology" for this class of problems in a manner analogous to the development of the so-called "silicon compilers" for the VLSI technology. To cope with the difficulties inherent to the problem, we resort to a novel approach that combines many key ideas from a variety of disciplines, namely discrete event supervisory systems, Petri nets approaches and temporal logic.
The glycoprotein of VSV accumulates in a distal Golgi compartment in the presence of CCCP

The post-translational modifications of the G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus, described in the preceding paper, indicate that its transport is arrested by carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) in or near the trans-Golgi. Immunofluorescence microscopy of BHK-21 cells infected with vesicular stomatitis virus and treated with CCCP shows an accumulation of G protein in the Golgi area. In the same cells, the morphology of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-staining structures in the perinuclear region is aberrant. Using anti-BiP antibody, there is no obvious change in the structure of the endoplasmic reticulum. Electron microscopy reveals that the aberrant structures in the perinuclear region result from dilation of Golgi cisternae and accumulation of large vacuoles near the Golgi stack. The appearance of these aberrant structures is dose-dependent and they disappear after the protonophore is removed. The vast majority of the vacuoles accumulate on the trans side of the Golgi stack. A small fraction of them contain the marker enzyme thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase). By immunoelectron microscopy, most of the vacuoles contain G protein. We conclude that most of the Golgi-associated vacuoles are derived from a distal Golgi transport compartment, possibly the trans-Golgi reticulum, and that CCCP reversibly inhibits the transport of newly synthesized G protein through this distal compartment.
Emotional expressions of old faces are perceived as more positive and less negative than young faces in young adults.

Interpreting the emotions of others through their facial expressions can provide important social information, yet the way in which we judge an emotion is subject to psychosocial factors. We hypothesized that the age of a face would bias how the emotional expressions are judged, with older faces generally more likely to be viewed as having more positive and less negative expressions than younger faces. Using two-alternative forced-choice perceptual decision tasks, participants sorted young and old faces of which emotional expressions were gradually morphed into one of two categories—“neutral vs. happy” and “neutral vs. angry.” The results indicated that old faces were more frequently perceived as having a happy expression at the lower emotional intensity levels, and less frequently perceived as having an angry expression at the higher emotional intensity levels than younger faces in young adults. Critically, the perceptual decision threshold at which old faces were judged as happy was lower than for young faces, and higher for angry old faces compared to young faces. These findings suggest that the age of the face influences how its emotional expression is interpreted in social interactions.
Preparation and partial characterization of two forms of bovine thrombin.

Abstract A chromatographic procedure has been developed for the separation and purification of bovine α- and β-thrombin. α-Thrombin has a specific activity of 2400–3000 NIH U/mg while β-thrombin has only approximately 100 NIH U/mg. When assayed with an ester substrate, the two forms have equivalent activity while β-thrombin has only 30% of the activity of α-thrombin toward an anilide substrate. Previous studies have suggested that the degradation of α-thrombin produces a species in which a peptide fragment containing a disulfide bridge is lost. The amino acid composition determined in the present study indicates that the content of cysteine is identical in the two forms of the enzyme thus permitting the proposal of a structure for β-thrombin which differs from that currently in the literature. It is suggested that changes in the environment of the active site histidine residue in the two species is largely responsible for the observed changes in the catalytic activity.
Lasalocid-Sulfur Amino Acid Interrelationship in the Chick

Abstract Several experiments were conducted with young healthy chicks to investigate the relationship between lasalocid and sulfur-containing amino acids (SAA). Chicks were housed in heated starter batteries in all experiments and were fed, in all but one trial, a completely purified crystalline amino acid diet. As previously determined in our laboratory with monensin, the quantitative requirement for SAA, expressed as a percent of the diet, was neither increased nor decreased by 125 mg/kg dietary lasalocid. Unlike that observed with monensin, a consistent and striking SAA × lasalocid interaction was apparent. Hence, lasalocid elicited a marked gain and gain/feed response when added to diets severely deficient in SAA, but it resulted in a marked depression in chick performance when added to diets adequate in SAA. At moderate levels of SAA deficiency, such as those existing in practical corn-soybean meal broiler diets, 125 mg/kg lasalocid neither increased nor decreased rate and efficiency of weight gain. Indeed, no evidence of the SAA × lasalocid interaction was seen when lasalocid was provided in a typical corn-soybean meal chick starter diet.
Study of interfaces of high‐performance glass fibers and DGEBA‐based epoxy resins using single‐fiber‐composite test

The single-fiber-composite (SFC) technique was used to study the interfacial behavior between two flexible blends of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)-based epoxy and polyglycol epoxide and three glass fibers. Dog-bone-shaped SFC specimens were made and strained to obtain a distribution of fragment lengths. The fibers were tension-tested at two different gauge lengths. The fragment length distributions, the fiber strength data, and a Monte Carlo simulation of a Poisson/Weibull model for fiber strength and flaws were used to obtain the effective interfacial shear strength values. The results show that the interface does not fail. Instead, penny-shaped transverse cracks appear at every fiber break and grow as the specimen is strained. The interfacial shear strength values are many times higher than the yield shear strength values of bulk epoxy obtained from the tension test.
DETERMINATION OF THE LOWEST COEFFICIENT FOR A ONE-DIMENSIONAL PARABOLIC EQUATION IN A DOMAIN WITH FREE BOUNDARY

We establish conditions for the unique solvability of the inverse problem of finding the lower coefficient with two unknown time-dependent parameters in a one-dimensional parabolic equation with integral overdetermination conditions in a domain with free boundary.
The effect of ascorbic acid on nitrite-induced methemoglobin formation in rats, sheep, and normal human erythrocytes.

Abstract Interspecies differences were demonstrated with respect to the occurrence of sodium nitrite-induced methemoglobin (METHB) in the erythrocytes of rats, dorset sheep, and normal humans, with the rats displaying approximately 25–33% of the sensitivity of sheep and human erythrocytes. Ascorbic acid incubation along with the nitrite was able to significantly reduce METHB formation in a dose-dependent manner in both rats and humans but not in sheep.
Preservation microbiology and safety: Evidence that stress enhances virulence and triggers adaptive mutations

Abstract Bacteria present in food systems are frequently subjected to stresses that are purposefully placed in the food systems as barriers to their growth. Studies using modern genetic tools are pointing to the fact that while such barriers play a vital role in preventing the outgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, in certain cases, the virulence of the stressed pathogens may increase. In short, the bacterium's environment may ‘arm’ that bacterium to survive similar stresses encountered in the human host. In this Viewpoint article, I wish to focus on the ability of environmental stress to modulate bacterial virulence, and also to act as a potential driving force promoting adaptive mutations that may serve to select strains that are even more virulent.
Platelet-derived growth factor induces rapid but transient expression of the c-fos gene and protein

Exposure of quiescent mouse fibroblasts to platelet-derived growth factor induces mRNA from the c-fos proto-oncogene within 10 min followed by synthesis of nuclear c-fos proteins. These are amongst the earliest described nuclear events that follow a mitogenic stimulus.
A dual watermark-fingerprint system

This article proposes a multimedia content protection system in which all copies of a protected object are identically watermarked, but each user has a distinct secret detection key that differs from the secret embedding key. An attacker with access to one detection key can fool the corresponding watermark detector but not other watermark detectors. Surprisingly, analogous to a criminal action, during this attack the attacker necessarily inserts his or her fingerprint into the modified content. Even a collusion clique of relatively large size cannot entirely remove the secret marks from the protected content by colluding their detection keys. More importantly, if the clique is not large enough, traces of the detection keys of all colluders can be detected with relatively high accuracy in the attacked clip. Our proposed watermark-fingerprint system achieves a minimum collusion size K that grows linearly with the size N of the marked object. In addition, we can augment our watermark-fingerprint system with a segmentation layer. The media content is partitioned into 5 segments, in which media players as well as forensic analyzers can reliably detect a watermark or fingerprint. Only detection keys that belong to the same segment can participate in the collusion clique. With segmentation, the minimum collusion size K grows as 0(N log N). Therefore, with or without segmentation, our watermark-fingerprint system significantly improves on the best-known asymptotic resistance to (fingerprint) collusion attacks of about O(N/sup 1/4/). Because we use a new protection protocol, comparing our system to classic fingerprint systems might seem unfair. However, such a comparison is important because the two technologies share a common goal: multimedia copyright enforcement. Our aim in this article is to characterize the collusion attacks against this system under the assumption that watermark detection is robust against signal-processing attacks on the protected object.
Solutions to the Periodic Eshelby Inclusion Problem in Two Dimensions

We solve the homogeneous Eshelby inclusion problem on a finite unit cell with periodic bound- ary conditions. The main result is a representation formula of the strain field which is reminiscent of the familiar Green's representation formula. The formula is valid for any smooth inclusion and divergence-free eigenstress. More, it is shown that a Vigdergauz structure does not have the Eshelby uniformity property for symmetric non-dilatational eigenstress unless it degenerates to a laminate.
A comparative study of high-speed machining of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718-part II: Effect of dynamic tool edge wear on cutting vibrations.

Part II of the present study is a comparative study of high-speed machining of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718, focusing on a comparison between the effects of dynamic tool edge wear on cutting vibrations. This paper describes in detail how cutting vibrations were measured and how vibration signals were processed using a wavelet packet transform technique. A total of 60 high-speed machining experiments were performed, covering a range of cutting speed and feed rate conditions. The experimental results show that tool edge wear has a complex effect on the cutting vibrations. The vibration amplitudes in high-speed machining of Ti-6Al-4V can be higher or lower than those in high-speed machining of Inconel 718, depending on the particular cutting speed and feed rate employed. Analysis of variance reveals that both the cutting speed and the feed rate always play a statistically significant role in affecting the vibration amplitudes in all three directions, i.e., the cutting speed direction, the feed rate direction, and the depth of cut direction. It is also revealed that in high-speed machining of Ti-6Al-4V, four significant wavelet packets (W30, W32, W33, and W36) exist, depending on the particular cutting conditions employed. In high-speed machining of Inconel 718, two significant wavelet packets (W32 and W33) exist, regardless of the cutting conditions employed. The significant wavelet packets identified in part II of the present study can be used as features to detect and monitor tool edge wear in high-speed machining.
Seizure disorders and pregnancy.

THE objectives of treatment of the pregnant woman with epilepsy are to maintain the patient in a seizure-free state while minimizing when possible the adverse effects of the seizure disorder on the...
Contrasting effect of substance P on renal function and dopamine excretion in hydropaenic and volume expanded dogs

1. Substance P (SP) and dopaminergic nerves have been described in the kidney. In the brain, SP increases dopamine production. In the kidney, SP increases sodium excretion. 2. Intrarenal dopamine acts as an endogenous natriuretic hormone. It is possible that dopamine could mediate the natriuretic effect of SP. 3. We therefore studied the effect of the intrarenal arterial infusion of SP (0.1, 1.0, 10 ng kg body wt-1 min-1) on mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal blood flow (RBF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urine flow rate (V), absolute (UNaV) and fractional (FENa) sodium excretion as well as dopamine and noradrenaline excretion in dogs. Since dopamine is not natriuretic in hydropaenic states, studies were performed during hydropaenic and saline loaded states. 4. During hydropaenia, SP increased RBF, GFR, and V in a dose-related fashion but did not alter UNaV or FENa. Urinary noradrenaline was not affected but urinary dopamine decreased with increasing doses of SP. MAP was not affected. 5. During saline loading, SP increased RBF, GFR, V, UNaV, and FENa in a dose-related fashion. Both urinary noradrenaline and urinary dopamine increased. The fractional excretion of sodium correlated with dopamine but not noradrenaline excretion. MAP was not affected. 6. The renal haemodynamic and functional effects of SP may be mediated by SP-associated increases in urinary dopamine.
Computed tomography evaluations of brain-behavior relationships in senile d dementia of the Alzheimer's type

Abstract Neuropathological investigations have demonstrated brain-behavior relationships in senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT), but CT studies have not produced consistent findings. We hypothesized that these discouraging results were in part due to limitations in the methods of CT scan evaluations, and to non-homogeneity of patient populations. The present study examined 43 out-patients with the presumptive diagnosis of SDAT using 37 cognitive test measures and 3 independent CT evaluation strategies. The CT methods included a new rank ordering procedure and two previously used techniques, physical measurement and 4-point rating. Highly significant (p≤0.01) brain-behavior correlations were attained using the ranking and rating procedures for evaluation of ventricular and cortical pathology. It was found that rank ordering has high interrater reliability and is superior to the other methods for the evaluation of the ventricular system. The physical measurement of the third ventricle is the single most powerful linear correlate of cognitive impairment. Measurement of cortical sulci are of no correlational significance. Multiple regression analyses indicated that global assessments are the best cognitive predictors of both ventricular and cortical pathology. Thus the present study has demonstrated brain-behavior relationships in vivo in SDAT.
Emergency room technetium-99m sestamibi imaging to rule out acute myocardial ischemic events in patients with nondiagnostic electrocardiograms

Abstract Objectives . The goal of this study was to determine the role of nuclear imaging in patients with chest pain. Background . The diagnosis of myocardial ischemic events in patients with chest pain and a nondiagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG) is problematic. Methods . Rest tomographic technetium-99m sestamibi imaging (740 MBq intravenously) was performed in 64 pitients presenting to the emergency room with chest pain of suspected cardiac origin and a nondiagnostic ECG. Patients were admitted to the coronary care unit on the basis of clinical criteria only and were strictly monitored. Results . Thirty patients showed a perfusion defect on admission. Of these, 13 developed myocardial infraction within 12 h. Coronary artery disease was diagnosed in 14 patients and the remaining 3 patients were classified as having false positive findings. Normal perfusion scans were seen in 34 patients, none of whom were ultimately diagnosed as having coronary artery disease. A 100% sensitivity was demonstrated versus the final diagnosis of acute cardiac ischemia kappa 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.8 to 1.0). A follow-up period of up to 18 months (mean 11 ± 3) was also carried out for major cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting). Six events (two coronary bypass procedures, three angioplasty procedures and one death) were observed at follow-up in the group of patients with a technetium-99m sestamibi perfusion defect. Patients with normal perfusion scans on admission had no major cardiac events at follow-up study. Conclusions . Technetium-99m sestamibi perfusion imaging is a promising technique for ruling out acute myocardial ischemia in the emergency room. More efficient utilization of intensive therapy beds may be expected with this approach.