cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imaging Characteristics and Diagnostic Performance of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-Glucose PET/CT for Melanoma Patients Who Demonstrate Hyperprogressive Disease When Treated with Immunotherapy

We investigated the ability of baseline 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose PET/CT parameters, acquired before the start of immunotherapy, to predict development of hyperprogressive disease (HPD) in melanoma patients. We also evaluated the diagnostic performances of ratios of baseline and first restaging PET/CT parameters to diagnose HPD without information of the tumor growth kinetic ratio (TGKR) that requires pre-baseline imaging before baseline imaging (3 timepoint imaging). Seventy-six patients who underwent PET/CT before and approximately 3 months following initiation of immunotherapy were included. PET/CT parameters, including metabolic tumor volume (MTV) for all melanoma lesions and total measured tumor burden (TMTB) based on irRECIST, were measured from baseline PET/CT (MTVbase and TMTBbase) and first restaging PET/CT (MTVpost and TMTBpost). The ratios of MTV (MTVpost/MTVbase, MTVr) and TMTB (TMTBpost/TMTBbase, TMTBr) were calculated. MTVbase of HPD patients (n = 9, TGKR ≥ 2) was larger than that of non-HPD (n = 67, TGKR < 2) patients (P < 0.05), and HPD patients demonstrated shorter median overall survival (7 vs. more than 60 months, P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of MTVbase (≥ 155.5 ml) to predict the risk of HPD was 0.703, with a sensitivity of 66.7 % and specificity of 81.2 %. The AUCs of MTVr (≥ 1.25) and TMTBr (≥ 1.27) to diagnose HPD without information of TGKR were 0.875 and 0.977 with both sensitivities of 100 %, and specificities of 79 % and 83.9 %, respectively. Patients at high risk of developing HPD could not be accurately identified based on baseline PET/CT parameters. The ratios of baseline and first restaging PET/CT parameters may be helpful to diagnose HPD, when patients do not undergo pre-baseline imaging.
Critical Review of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Properties, Improvements, and Numerical Models

AbstractA literature review of the latest advancements in recycled aggregate concretes with regards to identifying properties, improving performance, and numerical modeling is presented in this pap...
Relapsing Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) in a Patient Treated with Infliximab for Chronic Uveitis.

To report a case of relapsing thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in a patient treated with infliximab for chronic uveitis. A 57-year-old African American woman with chronic anterior and inte...
IoT Framework for 3D Body Posture Visualization

Visual feedback is a powerful tool that can assist in both the training and recovery processes. During training, athletes may correct poor posture or identify potentially hazardous movements. Likewise, physicians may be able to identify postures that would lead to further injury. Additionally, such a system could also be beneficial during fall detection to provide greater insight into the patient's position and status. Current models for providing feedback to the user rely on full-body sensor sets or video representations, which may cause discomfort or may not fully capture the user's motion. We propose a new system architecture that we will define as a 3D-BPV (Body Posture Visualization) system. This paper seeks to design a less intrusive sensor system, based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology, which visualizes patient movement in a 3D model. A Kalman Filter will also be used to eliminate sensor drift during operation. The system should minimize the size and number of sensors attached to a patient while providing sufficient data for generating such a model. To demonstrate such a design, a system using accelerometers has been constructed with the 3D model generation accomplished using a Biovision Hierarchy Animation (BHV) file.
Computational Model to Quantify the Growth of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Wastewater

Abstract Although wastewater and sewage systems are known to be significant reservoirs of antibiotic resistant bacterial populations and periodic outbreaks of drug resistant infection, there is little quantitative understanding of the drivers behind resistant population growth in these settings. In order to fill this gap in quantitative understanding of the development of antibiotic resistant infections in wastewater, we have developed a mathematical model synthesizing many known drivers of antibiotic resistance in these settings to help predict the growth of resistant populations in different environmental scenarios. A number of these drivers of drug resistant infection outbreak including antibiotic residue concentration, antibiotic interaction, chromosomal mutation and horizontal gene transfer, have not previously been integrated into a single computational model. We validated the outputs of the model with quantitative studies conducted on the eVOLVER continuous culture platform. Our integrated model shows that low levels of antibiotic residues present in wastewater can lead to increased development of resistant populations, and the dominant mechanism of resistance acquisition in these populations is horizontal gene transfer rather than acquisition of chromosomal mutations. Additionally, we found that synergistic antibiotic interactions lead to increased resistant population growth. These findings, consistent with recent experimental and field studies, provide new quantitative knowledge on the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacterial reservoirs, and the model developed herein can be adapted for use as a prediction tool in public health policy making, particularly in low income settings where water sanitation issues remain widespread and disease outbreaks continue to undermine public health efforts. Importance The rate at which antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has developed and spread throughout the world has increased in recent years, and according to the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2014 it is suggested that the current rate will lead several million people AMR-related deaths by 205025. One major reservoir of resistant bacterial populations that has been linked to outbreaks of drug resistant bacterial infections, but is not well understood, is in wastewater settings, where antibiotic pollution is often present. Using ordinary differential equations incorporating several known drivers of resistance in wastewater, we find that interactions between antibiotic residues and horizontal gene transfer significantly affect the growth of resistant bacterial reservoirs.
Optogenetically controlled cargo shows full length human myosin VI integrates activation signals in vivo and in vitro

Myosins are force-producing motor proteins that play countless critical roles in the cell, each requiring it to be activated at a specific location and time. To control myosin VI with this specificity, we created a novel optogenetic tool for activating myosin VI by fusing the light-sensitive Avena sativa phototropin1 LOV2 domain to a peptide from Dab2 (LOVDab), a myosin VI cargo protein. Our approach harnesses the native activation mechanism of myosin VI, allowing direct inferences on myosin VI function. LOVDab robustly recruits human full length myosin VI to various organelles in vivo and hinders peroxisome motion in a light-controllable manner. LOVDab activates myosin VI in an in vitro gliding filament assay, where lipid cargo sensitizes myosin VI to activation by LOVDab. Our results support a new model of myosin VI regulation whereby myosin VI integrates Ca2+, lipid, and protein cargo signals in the cell to deploy in a site-specific manner.
Linking gene regions jointly with environment and depression

Abstract Depression results from the interaction between genetic risk and exposure to environmental stressors. Efforts to study the joint effects of genes and environments on depression have largely focused on candidate gene approaches that rely on single genetic variants to characterize global gene function. Gene-region analyses, by contrast, evaluate the aggregate association between a set of genetic variants and a phenotype, and can be applied to gene x environment interaction models of depression. This chapter describes the utility and implementation of gene-region analyses, provides empirical examples of how these approaches have been used to study how genes increase risk for depression, and highlights several future directions for gene-region research that will enrich our understanding of the etiology of depression.
Contagion and the feminist transnational re-turn

The Covid-19 pandemic has upended life globally and turned the spotlight on the inadequacies of political systems and their infrastructural capacities to deal with the social fallout. Flaunting bor...
Neural Coding of Food Is a Multisensory, Sensorimotor Function

This review is a curated discussion of the relationship between the gustatory system and the perception of food beginning at the earliest stage of neural processing. A brief description of the idea of taste qualities and mammalian anatomy of the taste system is presented first, followed by an overview of theories of taste coding. The case is made that food is encoded by the several senses that it stimulates beginning in the brainstem and extending throughout the entire gustatory neuraxis. In addition, the feedback from food-related movements is seamlessly melded with sensory input to create the representation of food objects in the brain.
Improving Accuracy of Permutation DAG Search using Best Order Score Search.

The Sparsest Permutation (SP) algorithm is accurate but limited to about 9 variables in practice; the Greedy Sparest Permutation (GSP) algorithm is faster but less weak theoretically. A compromise can be given, the Best Order Score Search, which gives results as accurate as SP but for much larger and denser graphs. BOSS (Best Order Score Search) is more accurate for two reason: (a) It assumes the "brute faithfuness" assumption, which is weaker than faithfulness, and (b) it uses a different traversal of permutations than the depth first traversal used by GSP, obtained by taking each variable in turn and moving it to the position in the permutation that optimizes the model score. Results are given comparing BOSS to several related papers in the literature in terms of performance, for linear, Gaussian data. In all cases, with the proper parameter settings, accuracy of BOSS is lifted considerably with respect to competing approaches. In configurations tested, models with 60 variables are feasible with large samples out to about an average degree of 12 in reasonable time, with near-perfect accuracy, and sparse models with an average degree of 4 are feasible out to about 300 variables on a laptop, again with near-perfect accuracy. Mixed continuous discrete and all-discrete datasets were also tested. The mixed data analysis showed advantage for BOSS over GES more apparent at higher depths with the same score; the discrete data analysis showed a very small advantage for BOSS over GES with the same score, perhaps not enough to prefer it.
Custom Neurocontroller for a Time Delay Process

We propose a new neurocontrol architecture for time delay processes. The controller is based on a variable dimension adaptive model which is identified online, in closed loop. A nonlinear maximization procedure guarantees the minimal order of the employed model. A variety of control laws may be utilized in this new architecture. Simulations demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed controller.
A New Approach to the Identification Problem

The Identification problem concerns the assessment of direct causal effects from a combination of: (i) non-experimental data, and (ii) qualitative domain knowledge. Domain knowledge is encoded in the form of a directed acyclic graph (DAG), in which all interactions are assumed linear, and some variables are presumed to be unobserved. Traditional approaches to this problem are based on algebraic manipulations of the equations defining the model. In this paper, we propose a new approach to the problem which takes advantage of the graphical representation of the model.
Loss estimation for spherically symmetric distributions

In this paper we consider the problem of estimating the quadratic loss of point estimators of a location parameter for a family of spherically symmetric distributions. We compare the unbiased loss estimator of the minimax estimator with a new shrinkage type loss estimator. Conditions on the distributions for the domination of competing estimators are given. It is shown that, in addition to the class of scale mixtures of normal distributions, there exists a more general family for which the domination results hold.
System architectures for support of nonlinear finite element analysis

Abstract A number of new systems technologies have been released over the last year which significantly affects the possibilities for designing finite element analysis facilities. Examples include workstations which have nearly the power of Cray 1 computers, virtual file systems which provide the equivalent of gigabytes of disc storage, high performance color hard copy capability, and advances in the software interoperability layers, such as X-Windows, postscript, and NFS, which provide the opportunity for increased integration of these systems opportunities. The result is the opportunity to design finite element facilities which are dramatically different than facilities of even five years ago, and which offer the potential of significant improvement in analyst productivity. These technologies will be discussed, and the results of the internal testing of these technologies at Texas Instruments will be described. A reference facility with migration opportunities to the new technology will be detailed. Finally, thoughts on future systems technologies, and their impact on finite element facilities, will be discussed.
Separation and quantitative analysis of rat testis histones by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Abstract A procedure is presented for direct separation and quantitative analysis of histones of rat testis by use of one-dimensional cylindrical gel electrophoresis in acid/urea/polyacrylamide gels at two concentrations of urea. After separation and staining with amido black the histone fractions are determined by extraction of bound dye and spectrophotometric analysis. This method provides a rapid and accurate procedure for determination of microgram amounts of the histone subfractions which are unique to the testis as well as those which are found in somatic cells, and it is particularly useful for determination of molar proportions of the histones.
A viable Arabidopsis pex13 missense allele confers severe peroxisomal defects and decreases PEX5 association with peroxisomes

Peroxisomes are organelles that catabolize fatty acids and compartmentalize other oxidative metabolic processes in eukaryotes. Using a forward-genetic screen designed to recover severe peroxisome-defective mutants, we isolated a viable allele of the peroxisome biogenesis gene PEX13 with striking peroxisomal defects. The pex13-4 mutant requires an exogenous source of fixed carbon for pre-photosynthetic development and is resistant to the protoauxin indole-3-butyric acid. Delivery of peroxisome-targeted matrix proteins depends on the PEX5 receptor docking with PEX13 at the peroxisomal membrane, and we found severely reduced import of matrix proteins and less organelle-associated PEX5 in pex13-4 seedlings. Moreover, pex13-4 physiological and molecular defects were partially ameliorated when PEX5 was overexpressed, suggesting that PEX5 docking is partially compromised in this mutant and can be improved by increasing PEX5 levels. Because previously described Arabidopsis pex13 alleles either are lethal or confer only subtle defects, the pex13-4 mutant provides valuable insight into plant peroxisome receptor docking and matrix protein import.
Middle and long latency auditory evoked potentials in cat. II. Component distributions and dependence on stimulus factors

The middle (10-50 ms) and long (50-600 ms) latency periods of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) were investigated in muscle-paralyzed, artificially respired cats with respect to two issues: (1) the distribution of components across the skull, and (2) the effects of changing stimulus intensity on component latencies and amplitudes. The distributional data were gathered during a behavioral study in which four behavioral tasks related to classical pupillary conditioning were used to vary attentional and arousal processes. The distributions across the skull surface (averaged across tasks) of 12 peaks and troughs (P10, N13, P17, N22, P31, N41, P55, N70, N100, N140, P260 and N520) and seven principal components derived from the set of waveforms collected during this experiment are reported. Both peak amplitudes and principal component scores were distributed differentially across the skull surface. In the second experiment, acoustic stimulus intensity was varied, and AEPs collected from a vertex and temporal electrode site. In general, increasing stimulus intensity had a stronger influence on the earlier portions of the AEP, where increased amplitude and decreased latency was the rule, than on later ones. The relationships between cat and human AEP components were discussed based on both the data presented in this paper and in previous papers.
A simplified intravenous glucose loading protocol for fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose cardiac single-photon emission tomography.

The myocardial uptake of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has emerged as the most sensitive and specific technique for the assessment of myocardial viability. With the development of FDG single-photon emission tomography (SPET) and dual head coincidence imaging, a hindrance to the widespread clinical use of FDG cardiac imaging is the complexity of the preinjection glucose loading necessary for obtaining interpretable myocardial FDG scans. In a population of 209 patients undergoing dual-isotope single acquisition (DISA) FDG/sestamibi (MIBI) SPET, we describe the improvements in both image quality and time efficiency using a new short, simple glucose/insulin/potassium (GIK) infusion protocol prior to FDG injection as compared to a conventional oral glucose loading protocol. DISA FDG/MIBI SPET scans were performed in 111 nondiabetic patients after oral loading with 50 g of glucose (group 1). Ninety-eight consecutive nondiabetic patients were subsequently scanned following preparation with a fixed-concentration GIK infusion administered at a standardized rate (group 2). A three-point grading scale was used to assess image quality. The time to FDG injection following glucose administration was significantly shorter for the group 2 patients (39.9±15.6 min; range 20–105 min) than for the group 1 patients (99.5±30.3 min; range 56–270 min) (P<0.0001), representing a 1-h decrease in patient preparation time. More of the group 1 patients (n=30; 27%) required supplemental intravenous boluses of regular insulin than did the group 2 patients (n=13; 13%) (P<0.02). There were more excellent and good quality graded images using the GIK method (group 2) than the more traditional oral loading protocol (group 1) (P<0.02). Nine of 111 scans (8%) in group 1 were uninterpretable, whereas only one of 98 scans (1%) in group 2 was uninterpretable. Standardized infusion of a fixed concentration of GIK prior to FDG administration and continued during myocardial FDG uptake is an effective yet simple method of obtaining consistently good to excellent quality FDG SPET cardiac scans. It is preferable to conventional oral glucose loading due to decreased patient preparation time and improved image quality. The technique is safe and should improve both the clinical use and the cost-effectiveness of FDG SPET imaging for the identification of injured but viable myocardium.
Decay of Sr89

Abstract The decay of Sr89 was re-investigated in an effort to find a ≈ 10 d isomeric state previously reported. No appreciable production of such an isomer by means of neutron capture has been observed. In addition a 0.913 MeV gamma ray activity with a measured half-life of 50.1±3.4 d, attributed by some investigators to the decay of Sr89 was confirmed by half-life experiments. The half-life of Sr89 was determined to be 53.6±0.4. The nucleus Sr89 decays to Y89m to the extent of ≈ 0.01 %.
A 90nm Quadrature Generator with Frequency Extension up to 4GHz

A 90nm CMOS design generates differential quadrature signals (I, In, Q, Qn) from 500MHz to 4GHz dissipating 26mW. A differential half wavelength DLL is used that reduces power dissipation, sideband noise and random unit delay error accumulation by a factor of 2 compared to full wavelength DLL designs. A custom combinatorial logic circuit extends the input frequency 500MHz to 1GHz up to 4GHz. Programmable charge pump current and series delay were added to compensate the differential quadrature duty cycle and quadrature accuracy at a transceiver measurement level.
Accommodation of COTS LCDs in military displays

Commercial off the shelf (COTS) liquid crystal displays are attractive as an alternative to LCDs that are custom designed and manufactured for the military environment. Commercial displays require significant modification to accommodate their use. This paper describes specific modifications that create a thermal cocoon around a nominal 3.6 X 4.6-inch commercial industrial/automotive display. The thermal design techniques allow the display to function in the particularly challenging F-16 thermal environment without exceeding the display's operating specification. The work is extended to examine what additional design extensions are required for still larger displays.
Research and Commentaries on Richard von Krafft-Ebing nand Karl Heinrich Ulrichs

Abstract STEPCHILDREN OF NATURE: KRAFFT-EBING, PSYCHIATRY, AND THE MAKING OF SEXUAL IDENTITY. Harry Oosterhuis. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. x + 321 pp. KARL HEINRICH ULRICHS: DER ERSTE SCHWULE DER WELT-GESCHICHTE [Karl Heinrich Ulrichs: The First Gay Man in World History]. Volkmar Sigusch. Berlin: Verlag rosa Winkel, 2000. 127 pp. KARL HEINRICH ULRICHS ZU EHREN: MATERIALIEN ZU LEBEN UND WERK [In Honor of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs: Documents on His Life and Work]. Edited by Wolfram Setz. Berlin: Verlag rosa Winkel, 2000. 166 pp. DIE GESCHICHTE DER HOMOSEXUALITATEN UND DIE SCHWULE IDENTITAT AN DER JAHRTAUSENDWENDE: EINE VORTRAGS-REIHE AUS ANLASS DES 175. GEBURTSTAGS VON KARL HEINRICH ULRICHS [The History of Homosexualities and the Gay Identity at the Turn of the Millennium: A Lecture Series on the Occasion of the 175th Birthday of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs]. Edited by Wolfram Setz. Berlin: Verlag rosa Winkel, 2000. 198 pp. Reviewed by Hubert Kennedy.
Statistical Properties of Wideband MIMO Mobile-to-Mobile Channels (Special Paper)

A three-dimensional (3-D) theoretical model for wideband multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) mobile-to- mobile (M-to-M) channels is presented. Based on this model, the statistical properties of wideband MIMO M-to-M channels are derived. In particular, the space-time-frequency correlation function, the power space-delay spectral density, and the envelope level crossing rate are derived for a 3-D non-isotropic scattering environment. Finally, to validate the theoretical derivations, some simulation results are presented and compared with measured data.
Positive charge transfer in the UV photolysis and ß radiolysis of trans-decalin solutions

Abstract Dilute solutions of benzene, fluorobenzene, o-difluorobenzene, m-difluorobenzene, p-difluorobenzene, and toluene in trans -decalin have been irradiated with UV light and with beta radiation. Fluorescence measurements on the additive aromatic species permit a determination of the efficiency of energy transfer from the lowest excited singlet state of trans -decalin, and above the ionization onset, of charge transfer from the trans -decalin radical cation. The aromatic ions generated in the charge transfer process undergo reconbination with electrons, resulting in excited species which fluoresce; this recombination fluorescence is shown to give an indication of the relative importance of the charge transfer reaction. Although the factors which influence the efficiencies of the observed charge transfer processes are not completely understood, a general trend is observed of increasing efficiency of charge transfer as the reaction is increasingly exothermic.
Sensory nerves and airway inflammation: role of Aδ and C-fibres

It is generally accepted that stimulation of primary afferent sensory neurons, that innervate the airways, by chemical and mechanical stimuli leads to a range of homeostatic and defensive reflexes such as cough. However, there is still much debate regarding the exact type of sensory fibre involved in evoking these reflex events. The current dogma suggests that the major fibre types implicated in participating in reflex events of a protective nature are the A delta fibres and those stimulated in response to inflammation by noxious stimuli and mediators associated with tissue damage are the unmyelinated C-fibres. Furthermore, the C-fibre afferents are also believed to be responsible for mediating local axon reflexes, the release of neuropeptides and neurogenic inflammation. This review will concentrate on describing the characteristics of these sensory fibres and their proposed role in airway defensive reflexes and their possible exaggerated function in response to the inflammatory process.
On slowly-varying Stokes waves

A WKB-perturbation technique is applied to study the slow modulation of a Stokes wave train on the surface of water. It is found that new terms directly representing modulation rates must be included to extend the scope of validity of Whitham's theory based on an averaged Lagrangian. Two examples are discussed. In the first, a monochromatic wave normally incident on a mild beach is studied and the local rate of depth variation is found to affect the wave phase. In the second, the ‘side-band instability’ problem of Benjamin & Feir is discussed from both linear and non-linear points of view.
Origin of the low-energy tail in the Al L 2 , 3 VV Auger spectrum studied with Auger-photoelectron coincidence spectroscopy

Al {ital L}{sub 2,3}{ital VV} auger-photoelectron coincidence (APEC) data are presented and discussed. The well-known ability of APEC to suppress inelastic-scattering contributions to Auger and photoelectron spectra is used to demonstrate that much of the large low-energy tail common to core-valence-valence Auger spectra from many wide-band solids is not due to secondary-electron scattering, but, rather, is an intrinsic part of the core-hole-decay process.
Snow Data Assimilation via an Ensemble Kalman Filter

Abstract A snow data assimilation study was undertaken in which real data were used to update a conceptual model, SNOW-17. The aim of this study is to improve the model’s estimate of snow water equivalent (SWE) by merging the uncertainties associated with meteorological forcing data and SWE observations within the model. This is done with a view to aiding the estimation of snowpack initial conditions for the ultimate objective of streamflow forecasting via a distributed hydrologic model. To provide a test of this methodology, the authors performed experiments at 53 stations in Colorado. In each case the situation of an unobserved location is mimicked, using the data at any given station only for validation; essentially, these are withholding experiments. Both ensembles of model forcing data and assimilated data were derived via interpolation and stochastic modeling of data from surrounding sources. Through a process of cross validation the error for the ensemble of model forcing data and assimilated obser...
Annealing temperature dependence of the efficiency and vertical phase segregation of polymer/polymer bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells

We report observation of annealing temperature-induced simultaneous vertical phase segregation and large enhancement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) of all-polymer bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells composed of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) donor and a naphthalene diimide-selenolo[3,2-b]selenophene copolymer (PNDISS) acceptor. The PCE of P3HT:PNDISS BHJ devices increased over 50-fold from 0.04% to 2.03% when the annealing temperature was increased from 50 to 150 °C. Absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence quenching experiments provide evidence of increasing phase segregation of the polymer/polymer blend films with increasing annealing temperature. Field-effect charge transport, contact angle, surface energy, and variable angle ellipsometry measurements on the P3HT:PNDISS blend films showed that thermal annealing induced vertical phase segregation, whereby the low surface energy polymer (P3HT) migrated to the bulk, while the high surface energy polymer (PNDISS) enriches at the substrate/blend interface.
Orientation dependence of the Cu-Ni and Cu-Fe reactions using Cu(100) and (111)

Abstract Epitaxially deposited Cu(100) films on Si(100) substrates have been used to grow a number of metals with the same orientation, including Ni, Co, Ir, Rh, and Pd, achieving metal-metal epitaxy on silicon (MMES) near room temperature. Other metals, which do not grow epitaxially on Cu, show an epitaxial growth when another metal epitaxially deposited on Cu is used as seed. Fe, a body-centered cubic metal, shows only the (110) orientation when deposited directly on both Cu(100) and (111). The Cu-Ni and Cu-Fe reactions, however, show the same dependence on the Cu orientation. Both the Ni(100)/Cu(100)/Si(100) and Fe(110)/Cu(100)/Si(100) structures show a less outdiffusion of Cu through the Ni and Fe films than the respective Ni(111)/Cu(111)/Si(111) and Fe(110)/Cu(111)/Si(111) structures. The orientation dependence is similar to that of the outdiffusion of Cu through gold using oriented Cu, with Au in an (111) orientation on both Cu(100) and (111). The orientation dependence of the Cu-Ni and Cu-Fe reactions is explained using the interface bonding models, where the face-centered cubic structure of Cu is shown to favor the reaction for the (111) orientation over that for the (100) one.
Testosterone therapy in hypogonadal men and potential prostate cancer risk: a systematic review

This paper provides a systematic review of the literature about prostate cancer risk associated with testosterone therapy for hypogonadism. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and other resources was conducted to identify articles that highlight occurrences of prostate cancer in men receiving testosterone therapy for hypogonadism treatment. Articles that met study inclusion criteria were assessed for causality between testosterone treatment and prostate cancer, increased prostate-specific antigen or abnormal digital rectal examination findings. Of 197 articles relating to testosterone therapy, 44 met inclusion criteria: 11 placebo-controlled, randomized studies; 29 non-placebo-controlled studies of men with no prostate cancer history; and 4 studies of hypogonadal men with history of prostate cancer. Of studies that met inclusion criteria, none demonstrated that testosterone therapy for hypogonadism increased prostate cancer risk or increased Gleason grade of cancer detected in treated vs untreated men. Testosterone therapy did not have a consistent effect on prostate-specific antigen levels.
Sixteen-Month Evaluation of Depressive Symptomatology in Older Adults

We examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms over time in a sample of community-residing older adults at baseline, 2 months, 6 months, and 14 months. The nonprobability sample (N = 222) was 90% female, 87% Caucasian, 15% Hispanic, and 12% African American with an average age of 75 years. If depressive symptoms had been measured at only one time, 19% of the sample would have scored above the cutoff versus 39% scoring above the cutoff when measured at all 4 periods. The findings provide evidence that depressive symptoms in older adults are variable and fluctuate over time. The significance of this research was the longitudinal evaluation of depressive symptoms in community-residing elders.
Probing water distribution in compressed fuel-cell gas-diffusion layers using X-ray computed tomography

Abstract X-ray computed tomography was used to investigate geometrical land and channel effects on spatial liquid-water distribution in gas-diffusion layers (GDLs) of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells under different levels of compression. At low compression, a uniform liquid-water front was observed due to water redistribution and uniform porosity; however, at high compression, the water predominantly advanced at locations under the channel for higher liquid pressures. At low compression, no apparent correlation between the spatial liquid water and porosity distributions was observed, whereas at high compression, a strong correlation was shown, indicating a potential for smart GDL architecture design with modulated porosity.
Intrahippocampal Norleucine1-Angiotensin IV mitigates scopolamine-induced spatial working memory deficits

Depletion of cholinergic neurons in the hippocampus has been implicated in memory impairment and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The brain angiotensin AT₄ receptor is co-localized with cholinergic neurons, and the AT₄ receptor has also been implicated in cognitive processing. The current investigation used the spatial win-shift version of the radial arm maze to determine the involvement of AT₄ receptors in spatial working memory formation. We initially established that intrahippocampal scopolamine significantly impaired the spatial working memory performance of Sprague-Dawley rats in the radial arm maze. We also demonstrated that subsequent intrahippocampal infusions of Norleucine¹-Angiotensin IV (Nle¹-AngIV) significantly prevented the scopolamine-induced deficit. Consistent with previously published data on long-term spatial memory, our findings suggest that activation of AT₄ receptors can compensate for impaired spatial working memory resulting from compromised muscarinic acetylcholine receptor function. We further demonstrate that the hippocampus is a site of action for Nle¹-AngIV-mediated cognitive improvement.
The influence of oxygen on the selectivity of alcohol conversion on the Pd(111) surface

Abstract The reactions of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and 2-propanol were examined on a Pd(111) surface containing one-quarter monolayer of adsorbed oxygen atoms. The presence of surface oxygen led to the oxidation of the primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehyde and carboxylate species, with carboxylate production the major reaction pathway. Methanol was oxidized on the oxygen-dosed Pd(111) surface to formaldehyde and surface formate species. Formaldehyde desorbed at 240 K and adsorbed formate species decomposed at 280 K to produce CO 2 , HCOOH, and surface hydrogen. The adsorption of ethanol on the oxygen-dosed Pd(111) surface resulted in the desorption of acetaldehyde at 220 K and the formation of surface acetate species. Adsorbed acetate species reacted via either decomposition at 410 K or hydrogenation to acetic acid at 280 K. The relative importance of the two acetate reaction channels was found to depend on the availability of surface hydrogen. Similarly, the adsorption of 1-propanol on O/Pd(111) produced both propanal and adsorbed propanoate species. The propanoate species were removed from the surface by either decomposition at 360 K or hydrogenation at 280 K. In contrast, oxidation of the secondary alcohol 2-propanol resulted mainly in the production of acetone, with acetate formation a relatively minor reaction pathway. The roles of oxygen adatoms in these reactions include(1) direct reaction as Bronsted bases with proton donors; (2) stabilization of surface alkoxide species; (3) alteration of the interaction of carbonyl compounds with the surface; (4) nucleophilic oxidation of adsorbed aldehydes to carboxylates; and (5) scavenging of surface hydrogen which would otherwise be available for hydrogenation reactions.
Fully Model-Based Approaches for Spatially Misaligned Data

Abstract We consider inference using multivariate data that are spatially misaligned; that is, involving variables (typically counts or rates) that are aggregated over differing sets of regional boundaries. Geographic information systems enable the simultaneous display of such datasets, but their current capabilities are essentially only descriptive, not inferential. We describe a hierarchical modeling approach that provides a natural solution to this problem through its ability to sensibly combine information from several sources of data and available prior information. Illustrating in the context of counts, allocation under nonnested regional grids is handled using conditionally independent Poisson-mullinomial models. Explanatory covariales and multilevel responses are also easily accommodated, with spatial correlation modeled using a conditionally autoregressive prior structure. Methods for dealing with missing values in spatial “edge zones” are also discussed. Like many recent hierarchical Bayesian ap...
Forest Remnants Along Urban-Rural Gradients: Examining Their Potential for Global Change Research

Over the next century, ecosystems throughout the world will be responding to rapid changes in climate and rising levels of carbon dioxide, inorganic N and ozone. Because people depend on biological systems for water, food and other ecosystem services, predicting the range of responses to global change for various ecosystem types in different geographic locations is a high priority. Modeling exercises and manipulative experimentation have been the principle approaches used to place upper and lower bounds on community and ecosystem responses. However, each of these approaches has recognized limitations. Manipulative experiments cannot vary all the relevant factors and are often performed at small spatio-temporal scales. Modeling is limited by data availability and by our knowledge of how current observations translate into future conditions. These weaknesses would improve if we could observe ecosystems that have already responded to global change factors and thus presage shifts in ecosystem structure and function. Here we consider whether urban forest remnants might offer this ability. As urban forests have been exposed to elevated temperature, carbon dioxide, nitrogen deposition and ozone for many decades, they may be ahead of the global change “response curve” for forests in their region. Therefore, not only might forests along urbanization gradients provide us with natural experiments for studying current responses to global change factors, but their legacy of response to past urbanization may also constitute space-for-time substitution experiments for predicting likely regional forest responses to continued environmental change. For this approach to be successful, appropriate criteria must be developed for selecting forest remnants and plots that would optimize our ability to detect incipient forest responses to spatial variation in global change factors along urbanization gradients, while minimizing artifacts associated with remnant size and factors other than those that simulate global change. Studying forests that meet such criteria along urban-to-rural gradients could become an informative part of a mixed strategy of approaches for improving forecasts of forest ecosystem change at the regional scale.
Role of heterotrimeric G-proteins in lysophosphatidic acid-mediated neurite retraction by RhoA-dependent and -independent mechanisms in N1E-115 cells

Abstract In neuronal cells, current evidence suggests that G13α and RhoA play significant roles in LPA-mediated neurite retraction; however, the contribution of other G-proteins to this process is less well-understood. We provide evidence that LPA activation of G13, Gq and Gi occurs rapidly in neuroblastoma cells, but that stimulation of RhoA is transient whereas the activation of Gq- and Gi-mediated pathways is sustained. In addition to G13α, we demonstrate that Gqα is capable of promoting neurite retraction. Gq-mediated retraction is RhoA-independent and is likely mediated via a mechanism involving protein kinase C and calcium flux. Additionally, we provide evidence that activation of adenylyl cyclase via Gs inhibits RhoA-mediated neurite retraction via protein kinase A-mediated inhibition of RhoA action. Taken together, we hypothesize that LPA promotes neurite retraction via RhoA-dependent and -independent pathways involving G13 and Gq, respectively, and that agonists that activate Gs inhibit the RhoA-dependent pathway.
Covalent cross-linking effects on thermo-rheological profiles of fish protein gels

The extent of covalent cross-linking in surimi sols by transglutaminase was modified by addition of either EDTA (inhibition by calcium sequestering), variation of preincubation time at 25°C to allow action of endogenous transglutaminase, or by addition of a microbial transglutaminase. Gels were cooked following preincubation to fix the effects of the cross-linking reaction. Torsion, dynamic (small strain) test and stress relaxation measurements were made on the gels over a range of temperatures. Gels preincubated with EDTA had similar rheological response to temperature as gels cooked without preincubation. The stress relaxation and thermo-rheological profiles of gels with increased covalent cross-linking (induced by added or endogenous transglutaminase) were increasingly rubber elastic in their behavior.
Selective Effects of Cholera Toxin on the Adrenaline Responsive Component of Hepatic Adenyl Cyclase

THE role of adenyl cyclase in cholera enteropathy has been extensively documented1. We describe here experiments with mouse liver adenyl cyclase which suggest a possible mechanism for the stimulatory effects of cholera toxin.
Monoclonal antibodies as probes for processing of the mosquito yolk protein; a high-resolution immunolocalization of secretory and accumulative pathways.

Abstract A library of monoclonal antibodies (mAB) directed against yolk polypeptides of the mosquito Aedes aegypti was utilized to visualize the secretory pathway of these polypeptides in the fat body and their accumulative pathway in developing oocytes. Single and double immunolabelling using mABs and colloidal gold of different sizes confirmed biochemical observation that 200 ± 5 and 65 ± 3 kDa polypeptides represent subunits of the yolk protein. This immunocytochemical analysis showed that, in trophocytes of the fat body, both the subunits of the yolk protein were routed simultaneously through the Golgi complex into secretory granules and were subsequently secreted. The yolk protein subunits were also directed together through all the steps of the accumulative pathway in the oocyte. Double immunogold labelling revealed that the subunits were present together during their binding to the oocyte membrane, transportation into and accumulation in the transitional yolk body, and, finally, crystallization in the mature yolk body. Electron microscopical immunocytochemistry also confirmed immunofluorescent data and showed that mABs directed against different steps in the biosynthetic processing of the yolk protein in the fat body, as well as in its accumulative pathway in oocytes.
Cooperative effect of certain anaesthetics on the lobster giant axon.

ANAESTHETICS which reversibly block electrical activity in nerves can be used as chemical probes to provide information about the dynamic processes which occur during the nerve impulse. Interpretation of this information requires an understanding of the relevant physical interactions responsible for the action of these substances on the cell membrane. It has frequently been suggested1,2 that the classical, ionizable, local anaesthetics, such as procaine, act on the excitable membrane by a different set of rules than do the non-ionizable anaesthetics such as the alcohols. This hypothesis resulted from arguments3–5 that the cationic forms of the local anaesthetics are directly responsible for blockage of electrical activity. These arguments contrast with earlier conclusions6 and have recently been questioned by Strobel and Bianchi7. Observations of interactions between phospholipids, calcium ions and the classical local anaesthetics8,9, and the effect of raised calcium concentration on procaine block10, have been used to support the hypothesis that competitive interaction of local anaesthetics for calcium binding sites is responsible for block of excitability8–10—a hypothesis which also requires that non-ionizable alcohols play a different part.
Time-optimal feedrates along curved paths for Cartesian CNC machines with prescribed bounds on axis velocities and accelerations

The authors consider the problem of specifying the feedrate variation along a curved path, that yields the minimum traversal time for a multi-axis CNC machine subject to given bounds on the feasible velocity and acceleration along each axis. The torque-speed characteristics of the axis drive motors are first discussed, and are used to determine constraints on the velocity and acceleration for each axis. For a path specified by a polynomial parametric curve r(ξ), it is shown that (the square of) the time-optimal feedrate can be determined as a piecewise-rational function of the curve parameter ξ, with break-points that correspond to the roots of certain polynomials. In general, each feedrate segment is characterized by the saturation of either velocity or acceleration on one machine axis at each instant throughout the motion. The feedrate function admits a real-time interpolator algorithm that can drive the machine from the analytic curve description, eliminating the need for piecewise-linear/circular G code approximations. The theoretical and computational aspects of such time-optimal feedrates are presented, along with experimental results from implementation on a three-axis CNC mill driven by an open-architecture software controller. Compared to prior time-optimal feedrate algorithms (based on acceleration bounds only), the new algorithms give physically valid feedrates at high speeds, where the motor voltage ratings become a limiting factor.
The role of primary reinforcement and overt movements in autoshaping in the pigeon

Following sessions of free grain delivery, a transparent shield was placed over the magazine, which made food unavailable. Different groups of pigeons then “observed” positive, zero, or negative correlations between the keylight and inaccessible grain. Keypecks were rare in all groups. Next, the shield was removed, and a transfer-test was given in which all subjects were exposed to keylight presentations followed by available grain. The previously positive group pecked sooner and more frequently than the others. A second experiment, which yielded similar results, excluded the possibility that approaches to the keylight during the observation phase had mediated learning in the first experiment. These findings were discussed in relationship to operant and Pavlovian analyses of autoshaping.
Neoplasia and acquired renal cysticdisease in patients undergoing chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Acquired renal cystic disease (ARCD) was initially reported to occur exclusively with patients on chronic hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease. To date, no cases of ARCD have been well documented in patients with end-stage renal disease treated solely by peritoneal dialysis. We report the occurrence of ARCD with renal cell carcinoma and hemorrhagic cyst formation in 2 patients with end-stage renal disease treated only with chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for three and one-half and three years, respectively, since the onset of their renal failure. Both patients were found to have ARCD and complex masses on follow-up ultrasound examination after previous normal examinations. The findings were confirmed by computerized tomography (CT) scan and both patients underwent radical nephrectomy.