cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Familial Report of Duplication 9p Syndrome

Duplication 9p syndrome is a clinically well described syndrome characterized by growth retardation, developmental delay, skeletal malformations and craniofacial anomalies. We report a family starting with a male infant born by c-section at 39 weeks gestation to a 38 yo G6 P 4-0-1-4. The pregnancy was remarkable for an abnormal MSAFP placing the pregnancy at a 1:17 risk for Down Syndrome. The parents refused amniocentesis after receiving genetic counseling. At 35 weeks gestation a fetal ultrasound demonstrated mild polyhydraminos, borderline hydrocephalus, and a unilateral right pyelectasis along with a proximal hydroureter. The patient had an unremarkable delivery at an outside institution with Apgars of 9 and 10. Birth weight was 4790g (>95%). Ten hours post delivery the patient began to develop significant lymphedema of the right lower extremity which is what brought him to our attention. On presentation the patient appeared with bitemporal narrowing, short palpebral fissures, and small deep set eyes. The right extremity showed significant edema involving the foot extending to the distal portion of the thigh. An x-ray of the extremity showed no fracture. A cat scan of the head demonstrated diffuse cerebral volume loss with a slightly promineni left ventricle when compared to the right. A small left subdural hygroma was also noted A cardiac echocardiogram and a renal ultrasound were both normal. Cytogenetic study on peripheral blood lymphocytes revealed additional material on 9p. A FISH paint for chromosome 9 indicated that the extra material was duplication of 9. The G-banding pattern suggested duplication of 9p13p22. Peripheral blood was obtained from both parents and an identical karyotype was found in the mother. The mother was noted to have similar phenotvpic features to the proband, namely short palpebral fissures and small deep set eyes. The mother reported having a learning disability as a child completing only a 9th grade education. Further family history showed the mother to have three other children all with another partner ages 11, 16, and 19 years of age. All 3 half siblings to the proband are reported as “slow”. These siblings are currently being worked up cytogenetically. Since first described m 1970. more than 100 cases have been reported with a duplication involving various size segments of the 9p chromosome. Familial cases have been reported with much less frequency. The clinical features and cytogenetic findings as compared to previous reported cases will be presented.
Simultaneous Multispectral Imaging in the Visible and Near-Infrared Region: Applications in Document Authentication and Determination of Chemical Inhomogeneity of Copolymers

A new multispectral imaging spectrometer capable of simultaneously recording spectral images in the visible and near-infrared has been developed. In this instrument, an acoustooptic tunable filter is used to diffract an unpolarized incident light into two diffracted beams with orthogonal polarization; one of them is detected by a silicon camera for the visible region while the other beam is detected in the near-infrared region (from 1 to 1.7 μm) with a NIR camera. The imaging spectrometer is sensitive, inexpensive, and field deployable because it is based on the recently available InGaAs focal plane arrays camera, which is low cost and can be sensitively operated at room temperature. Preliminary applications of the imaging spectrometer include measurements of the visible and NIR absorption spectra of ink used to print U.S. currency. Such results may help to characterize samples as well as to control and to ensure the quality of the samples during the production processes. More important are the results ob...
A model stress analysis of swelling in SiC/SiC composites as a function of fiber type and carbon interphase structure

A continuous fiber composite was simulated by four concentric cylinders (consisting of fiber, fiber/matrix interphase coating, matrix, and surrounding composite) to explore composite stresses when irradiation swelling of the various components is included to study radial debonding at the fiber-coating interface as a function of neutron dose. SiC Type-S and Hi-Nicalon fibers, and three types of transversely isotropic carbons for the fiber coating were considered.
Comparative pharmacology of calcium antagonists: Nifedipine, verapamil and diltiazem

Calcium antagonists (slow channel blocking agents) are a very heterogeneous group of agents with dissimilar structural, electrophysiologic and pharmacologic properties. Nifedipine is a potent, long-acting vasodilator that has proved highly efficacious in relieving anginal symptoms caused by coronary vasospasm. In vivo, it exerts no myocardial depressant effects and has no antiarrhythmic properties. Treatment with nifedipine can safely be combined with administration of a beta receptor blocking agent. VErapamil prolongs atrioventricular (A-V) conduction (A-H interval) in a dose-dependent manner. It is the drug of choice for the treatment of reentrant supraventricular arrhythmias, irrespective of whether reentry occurs within the A-V node or through an accessory pathway (the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome). Verapamil is only moderately effective as an antianginal agent. Diltiazem is efficacious for the treatment of angiospastic angina, but its value as an antiarrhythmic agent remains to be delineated.
American Genomics in Barbados: Race, Illness, and Pleasure in the Science of Personalized Medicine

Barbados is a center of international genetic research premised on race. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork following Johns Hopkins studies carried out in Barbados, this article explores this travel for research. This biomedical science relies on a conflicting significance of Barbados: as a site of suffering, due to the disparities of disease, and, conversely, a site of ease, playing on desires and pleasures of escaping too much asceticism in biomedicine. For the American researchers, Barbados becomes a locus of desire to ethically address the African diaspora without the quandaries of accusations and recriminations experienced in carrying out such work in urban America. The concept of cathartic science is used to describe an endeavor that creates a controlled space to know and act on some perceived sufferer without risk of being complicit in the suffering. These medical migrations of researchers to Barbados are paralleled by Bajan families participating in the American studies as a kind of proxy medical m...
Role of Egr-2 in up-regulation of Fas ligand in normal T cells and aberrant double-negative lpr and gld T cells.

We previously identified a Fas ligand regulatory element (FLRE) in the Fas ligand (fasL) promoter that binds Egr family proteins and demonstrated that Egr-3 (PILOT) but not Egr-1 (NGFI-A, Krox-24, Tis-8, and Zif-268) induces transcription offasL. The aberrant CD4−CD8− T cells from lpr/lpr and gld/gld mice, which have mutations in the genes encoding Fas and FasL, respectively, have an activated phenotype and constitutively express high levels offasL mRNA, prompting us to ask what role if any the FLRE and Egr family proteins have in this aberrant expression offasL. Unstimulated MRL-lpr/lpr and C3H-gld/gld CD4−CD8− T cells constitutively contained high levels of two proteins that bound to the FLRE. Supershift analysis revealed these proteins to be Egr-1 and Egr-2 (Krox-20); Egr-3 was not detected. Activation of normal lymph node cells resulted in increased expression of Egr-1, -2, and -3. As withegr-3, expression of egr-2 was blocked by cyclosporin A. Although overexpressed Egr-1 was ineffective, overexpressed Egr-2 was as potent as Egr-3 in inducing fasLpromoter-dependent reporter constructs in T cell hybridomas and HeLa cells, and both up-regulated endogenous fasLmRNA in HeLa cells. FasL-dependent reporter constructs in MRL-lpr/lpr and C3H-gld/gldCD4−CD8− T cells were constitutively active, and this activity was largely prevented by mutation of the critical Egr family binding element. Thus, Egr-2, in addition to Egr-3, regulates FasL expression in activated normal T cells, and Egr-2 is likely to play a direct role in aberrant fasL up-regulation inlpr/lpr and gld/gldCD4−CD8− T cells.
How Should Patients Requiring Dual Antiplatelet Therapy be Managed When Undergoing Elective Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Procedures

The following are general guidelines for the management of patients on dual antiplatelet therapy as they undergo gastrointestinal procedures with potential for bleeding complications: Avoid cessation of all antiplatelet therapies after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent placement when possible. Avoid cessation of clopidogrel (even when aspirin is continued) within the first 30 days after PCI and either drug-eluting stent (DES) or bare metal stent placement. Defer elective endoscopic procedures, possibly up to 12 months, if clinically acceptable from the time of PCI and DES placement. Perform endoscopic procedures, particularly those associated with bleeding risk, 5 to 7 days after thienopyridine drug cessation. Aspirin should be continued when possible. Resume thienopyridine and aspirin drug therapy after the procedure once hemostasis is achieved. A loading dose of the former should be considered among patients at risk for thrombosis. Continue platelet-directed therapy in patients undergoing elective endoscopy procedures associated with a low risk for bleeding.
Development and validation of a new experimental method to identify damping matrices of a dynamic system

A new procedure is developed to identify damping in a dynamic system as damping matrices in the equation of motion from the dynamic stiffness matrix, which is obtained by inverting the measured frequency response function matrix. It is shown that the method provides the most direct and shortest path to finding dampened matrices. The procedure is applied to a theoretical example and two real structures for its validation, which also reveals unique measurement and signal processing issues related to the technique. Potential applications and possible improvement of the identification method are discussed.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Determination of D0o(BaI) from the chemiluminescent reaction Ba + I2

Abstract A study is made of the visible chemiluminescence resulting from the reaction of an atomic beam of barium with IZ under single-collision conditions (∼ 10−4 torr). The resulting spectrum consists of the BaI C2Π → X2Σ emission on top of an underlying “continuum”. The variation of the BaI emission intensity with Ba and I2 flux is investigated, and it is concluded that the reaction is bimolecular. The total phenomenological cross section for barium atom removal is determined to be 86 A2, which agrees well with the total reactive cross section calculated assuming an electron jump mechanism. The short wavelength cutoff is identified as the transition from the υ′ = 41 level of the BaI C2Π 3 2 state to the υ′ = 41 level of the BaI X2Σ state. A strict lower bound Do0(BaI) ⩾ 102 ± 0.7 kcal/mole for the ground state dissociation energy of BaI is obtained from this short wavelength cutoff. The value Do0(BaI) = 102 ± 1 kcal/mole is recommended, where the error estimate includes the possible contribution from the final relative translational energy of the products.
Assessing nursing student intent for PHD study

Summary Background Nursing faculty shortages threaten a country's ability to produce the amount of nurses necessary to sustain the delivery of healthcare services. Programs that “fast track” graduate education options for registered nurses are one solution to the problem. Objectives To 1) evaluate admission criteria into PhD programs for direct entry from a bachelor's degree; 2) ascertain bachelors and masters degree nursing students' perspectives on pursuing a BSN to PhD course of study; 3) clarify factors that influence students' decision-making processes behind pursuing a PhD and identify characteristics of those who would be likely recruits for PhD study; 4) to test the survey questions to develop an instrument for future use. Design A cross-sectional pilot study. Setting A nursing program at a large urban university in the United States of America with an enrollment of over 1400 students. Participants Currently enrolled bachelor's, master's, and doctor of nursing practice students. Methods Students were sampled via a 10-question (including one open-ended question) electronic mail survey that included 1385 eligible subjects. Results Among the 606 respondents (57% response rate), 63% were between ages 18 and 30 and 87% indicated that full tuition funding with a living stipend would make them more interested in pursuing a PhD. Current program track was a significant predictor of course of study and area of interest (p = .029). Analysis of the 427 respondents to the open-ended question revealed themes around “time” and “money” as the main barriers to study. The desire to gain clinical experience prior to PhD study was the third theme and an unanticipated finding. Conclusions The questionnaire offered some predictive ability for gauging intent to study for a PhD among bachelor's and graduate degree prepared nurses. The results do offer some suggestions for nursing workforce development to help address faculty shortages.
Opal web services for biomedical applications

Biomedical applications have become increasingly complex, and they often require large-scale high-performance computing resources with a large number of processors and memory. The complexity of application deployment and the advances in cluster, grid and cloud computing require new modes of support for biomedical research. Scientific Software as a Service (sSaaS) enables scalable and transparent access to biomedical applications through simple standards-based Web interfaces. Towards this end, we built a production web server (http://ws.nbcr.net) in August 2007 to support the bioinformatics application called MEME. The server has grown since to include docking analysis with AutoDock and AutoDock Vina, electrostatic calculations using PDB2PQR and APBS, and off-target analysis using SMAP. All the applications on the servers are powered by Opal, a toolkit that allows users to wrap scientific applications easily as web services without any modification to the scientific codes, by writing simple XML configuration files. Opal allows both web forms-based access and programmatic access of all our applications. The Opal toolkit currently supports SOAP-based Web service access to a number of popular applications from the National Biomedical Computation Resource (NBCR) and affiliated collaborative and service projects. In addition, Opal’s programmatic access capability allows our applications to be accessed through many workflow tools, including Vision, Kepler, Nimrod/K and VisTrails. From mid-August 2007 to the end of 2009, we have successfully executed 239 814 jobs. The number of successfully executed jobs more than doubled from 205 to 411 per day between 2008 and 2009. The Opal-enabled service model is useful for a wide range of applications. It provides for interoperation with other applications with Web Service interfaces, and allows application developers to focus on the scientific tool and workflow development. Web server availability: http://ws.nbcr.net.
A Newly Discovered Translation of Louisa May Alcott's “The Brothers” in a German American Newspaper

Shortly being published in an 1863 Atlantic Monthly in November 1863, Louisa May Alcott's short story “The Brothers” appeared in a Washington, D.C., German American weekly. The essay examines how, through changes in register and tone, excisions, and other modifications, the translation adapted the story for its audience while preserving the story's translinguistic appeal and abolitionist message.
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy as tool for high-content-screening in yeast (HCS-FCS)

To measure protein interactions, diffusion properties, and local concentrations in single cells, Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) is a well-established and widely accepted method. However, measurements can take a long time and are laborious. Therefore investigations are typically limited to tens or a few hundred cells. We developed an automated system to overcome these limitations and make FCS available for High Content Screening (HCS). We acquired data in an auto-correlation screen of more than 4000 of the 6000 proteins of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, tagged with eGFP and expanded the HCS to use cross-correlation between eGFP and mCherry tagged proteins to screen for molecular interactions. We performed all high-content FCS screens (HCS-FCS) in a 96 well plate format. The system is based on an extended Carl Zeiss fluorescence correlation spectrometer ConfoCor 3 attached to a confocal microscope LSM 510. We developed image-processing software to control these hardware components. The confocal microscope obtained overview images and we developed an algorithm to search for and detect single cells. At each cell, we positioned a laser beam at a well-defined point and recorded the fluctuation signal. We used automatic scoring of the signal for quality control. All data was stored and organized in a database based on the open source Open Microscopy Environment (OME) platform. To analyze the data we used the image processing language IDL and the open source statistical software package R.
Maximal strategy sets for continuous-time game theory☆

Abstract A logically coherent general framework for continuous-time games must restrict the allowable set of strategies. If not, then it will be impossible to sensibly assign outcomes to choices of “strategies” by the agents. To avoid artificially determining the equilibrium set, the restrictions on the set of strategies should be the minimum required to make the framework logically coherent. This paper defines such a maximal set of strategies for continuous-time games. It is characterized by two conditions: a strategy must identify an agent's next move and move time, and agents only initiate finitely many at one point in time.
Lattice strain in oxidized Si nanostructure arrays from X-ray measurements

Although lattice strains in oxidized wafers can be detected by optical and X-ray methods the measurement of strains in non-planar structures such as occur in Si devices is more difficult. We describe a novel technique for measuring such strains and report results for oxidized Si. In our work we have fabricated regular arrays of Si pillars on a Si(001) surface and measured the strain in the individual pillars induced by oxidation. The pillars have diameters of the order 100 nm and spacing of ∼300 nm. With high resolution X-ray techniques this spacing is sufficiently small to allow the 'superlattice' diffracted beams from the fabricated structure to be well resolved. We measure the strain from the displacement of this superlattice diffraction pattern relative to the normal allowed bulk reflections. We report results for different combinations of Si pillar diameter and oxide thickness. Differential thermal contraction also contributes to the strain. The measured strains are of the order of 10 -4 . Our results are in good agreement with simulations based on current models of Si oxidation.
Nanoscale chemical sensors based on conjugated polymer transistors

Nanoscale thin film transistors with conjugated polymers as the active layer were fabricated to investigate their chemical sensing properties. Guarding electrodes as close as 20 nm to the two sides of the channel were employed to eliminate undesirable spreading currents and ensure that the sensor active area is truly nanoscale. The response of drain current exhibited opposite directions in nanoscale sensors compared to large scale devices, for the same analyte-semiconductor combination. The transition in response behavior was observed occurring in a certain interval of channel length. The chemical sensing mechanisms in both microscale and nanoscale transistors are briefly discussed.
Petrology and geochemistry of basaltic rocks of the Lau Basin

The Lau Basin is a marginal sea, located between the Tonga and Lau Ridges, in the southwestern Pacific. The basin is on the “inner” or concave side of the Tonga Trench-Arc system and is situated above the deep seismic zone dipping westward from the Tonga Trench. The Tonga Trench-Arc system is undoubtedly located above a zone of crustal shortening as evidenced by the deep seismicity and vulcanism. However, the geological and geophysical data give strong support to the contention that the Lau Basin has formed by crustal dilation. Rocks dredged from ridges and seamounts in the basin are sub-alkaline basalt. The average major element composition of least altered samples is: SiO2 48.8%, TiO2 1.2%, K2O 0.18%, P2O5 0.08%, H2O+ 0.30%, FeIII/FeII = 0.26,CaO/Al2O3 = 0.77. The data for Lau Basin basalt (LBB) show close similarity to data of typical oceanic ridge basalt (ORB). Trace element abundances (ppm): Ni 160, Cr 390, Sr 100, Ba < 31, Rb < 1 also resemble ORB values. K/Rb in a least altered and unfractionated sample is 860, Ba/Sr is 0.1, Ba/Rb is 8. Strontium isotope data show the only marked variance from ORB chemistry with LBB values ranging from 87Sr/86Sr=0.7020 to 0.7051. The low Sr abundances in the samples suggest the possibility of crustal Sr contamination to explain the radiogenic Sr enrichment. An alternate possibility is that the mantle source rocks were enriched in 87Sr. Variation within dredge hauls and between dredge sites may be explained by low-pressure fractional crystallization of magmas separated from the mantle at about 50 km depth. The basin probably began to open in middle to late Miocene time either by the disruption of a single andesitic island arc by splitting along its axis or by dilation of the area between two closely spaced concentric arcs. Mantle counterflow in the asthenosphere above the downgoing oceanic lithosphere slab is the probable driving force for dilation and has provided a continuous supply of parent material for the basalt of the basin floor.
Acute and chronic canine ex vivo blood interactions with NHLBI-DTB Primary Reference Materials

Abstract Thrombus deposition was measured on NHLBI-DTB Primary Beference Material polyethylene (PRM-PE) and polydimethylsiloxane (PRM-SR) and their commercially available counterparts, surgical grade Intramedic polyethylene Tm and Dow Corning Silastic Tm . Canine blood-contacting experiments evaluating short-term (up to 60 min) and longer-term (up to 24 h) thrombus deposition were used to quantitate adherent platelets on the lumenal surface of test materials ex vivo . A similar pattern of thrombus deposition and detachment was observed for all materials in both acute and chronic blood contact. Although differences in the wall shear rates affected the absolute numbers of adherent platelets, the relative levels of thrombus deposition showed similarities between the two experiments, with the polyethylene materials as a group showing slightly less deposition than the silicone rubber materials. The PBM-PE showed the least thrombus deposition at extended exposure to blood. The PBM-SB showed the most thrombus deposition in the acute term. The overall similarity in blood compatibility and surface properties indicates the need for the inclusion of less thromboresistant and more polar reference materials.
Immunoenzyme Assay for Human Prostatic Acid Phosphatase

SummaryHuman sera or plasma containing acid phosphatases were mixed with rabbit antiserum specific for prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and the resulting primary immune complexes were precipitated by ammonium sulfate. The amount of specifically precipitated PAP was estimated directly by its enzyme activity. Using this assay, as little as 10 ng/ml of the PAP could be determined. Excellent correlation of this assay method with other immunoassays of PAP was demonstrated.This work was supported in part by PHS Research Grant CA 18748 and CA 16426 from the National Cancer Institute.
Automated data quality assurance for marine observations

The ocean monitoring community requires high quality data that is Data Management and Communications (DMAC)-compliant for both near real time and climate data records. The authors describe a flexible and cost effective automated data quality assurance (ADQA) system that can be used to assess the quality of marine observations and provide quality controlled data to a wide variety of end users. For example, if a researcher needs data sets from different sources for a modeling project, ADQA provides a means of characterizing the relative quality of these input sets. The ADQA system has been implemented by integrating a set of data quality algorithms based upon National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Technical Document 03-02 "Handbook of Automated Data Quality Control Checks and Procedures of the National Data Buoy Center" into a processing system that was created using the CALIPSO science data processing framework. The CALIPSO framework is actually a library of reusable components that provide the core non-science functionality of any science data processing system. This design separates the science processing components from the basic, reusable system infrastructure and allows for the addition or removal of algorithms with relative ease. The generic infrastructure of the framework includes substantial core functionality that is common to many science data management applications and is easily configurable to work with a wide variety of marine instruments and science data sets. The basic architecture includes the following subsystems: Input, Control, Data Store and Output. The system is a modular design that simplifies the integration of additional data quality assurance (DQA) processing components.
Use of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Regions to Examine Symbiont Divergence and as a Diagnostic Tool for Sodalis-Related Bacteria.

Bacteria excel in most ecological niches, including insect symbioses. A cluster of bacterial symbionts, established within a broad range of insects, share high 16S rRNA similarities with the secondary symbiont of the tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae), Sodalis glossinidius. Although 16S rRNA has proven informative towards characterization of this clade, the gene is insufficient for examining recent divergence due to selective constraints. Here, we assess the application of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, specifically the ITSglu and ITSala,ile, used in conjunction with 16S rRNA to enhance the phylogenetic resolution of Sodalis-allied bacteria. The 16S rRNA + ITS regions of Sodalis and allied bacteria demonstrated significant divergence and were robust towards phylogenetic resolution. A monophyletic clade of Sodalis isolates from tsetse species, distinct from other Enterobacteriaceae, was consistently observed suggesting diversification due to host adaptation. In contrast, the phylogenetic distribution of symbionts isolated from hippoboscid flies and various Hemiptera and Coleoptera were intertwined suggesting either horizontal transfer or a recent establishment from an environmental source. Lineage splitting of Sodalis-allied bacteria into symbiotic and free-living sister groups was also observed. Additionally, we propose an ITS region as a diagnostic marker for the identification of additional Sodalis-allied symbionts in the field. These results expand our knowledge of informative genome regions to assess genetic divergence since splitting from the last common ancestor, of this versatile insect symbiont clade that have become increasingly recognized as valuable towards our understanding of the evolution of symbiosis. These facultative and recently associated symbionts may provide a novel source of traits adaptable to the dynamic ecologies encountered by diverse host backgrounds.
Usability Engineering: Domain Analysis Activities for Augmented Reality Systems

This paper discusses our usability engineering process for the Battlefield Augmented Reality System (BARS). Usability engineering is a structured, iterative, stepwise development process. Like the related disciplines of software and systems engineering, usability engineering is a combination of management principals and techniques, formal and semiformal evaluation techniques, and computerized tools. BARS is an outdoor augmented reality system that displays heads-up battlefield intelligence information to a dismounted warrior. The paper discusses our general usability engineering process. We originally developed the process in the context of virtual reality applications, but in this work we are adapting the procedures to an augmented reality system. The focus of this paper is our work is on domain analysis, the first activity of the usability engineering process. We describe our plans for and our progress to date on our domain analysis for BARS. We give results in terms of a specific urban battlefield use case we have designed.
Quantum speedup of classical mixing processes

Most approximation algorithms for #$\mathit{P}$-complete problems (e.g., evaluating the partition function of a monomer-dimer or ferromagnetic Ising system) work by reduction to the problem of approximate sampling from a distribution $\ensuremath{\pi}$ over a large set $\mathcal{S}$. This problem is solved using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method: a sparse, reversible Markov chain $P$ on $\mathcal{S}$ with stationary distribution $\ensuremath{\pi}$ is run to near equilibrium. The running time of this random walk algorithm, the so-called mixing time of $P$, is $O({\ensuremath{\delta}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\text{ }\text{log}\text{ }1∕{\ensuremath{\pi}}_{\ensuremath{\ast}})$ as shown by Aldous, where $\ensuremath{\delta}$ is the spectral gap of $P$ and ${\ensuremath{\pi}}_{\ensuremath{\ast}}$ is the minimum value of $\ensuremath{\pi}$. A natural question is whether a speedup of this classical method to $O(\sqrt{{\ensuremath{\delta}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}}\text{ }\text{log}\text{ }1∕{\ensuremath{\pi}}_{\ensuremath{\ast}})$ is possible using quantum walks. We provide evidence for this possibility using quantum walks that decohere under repeated randomized measurements. We show that (i) decoherent quantum walks always mix, just like their classical counterparts, (ii) the mixing time is a robust quantity, essentially invariant under any smooth form of decoherence, and (iii) the mixing time of the decoherent quantum walk on a periodic lattice ${\mathbb{Z}}_{n}^{d}$ is $O(nd\text{ }\text{log}\text{ }d)$, which is indeed $O(\sqrt{{\ensuremath{\delta}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}}\text{ }\text{log}\text{ }1∕{\ensuremath{\pi}}_{\ensuremath{\ast}})$ and is asymptotically no worse than the diameter of ${\mathbb{Z}}_{n}^{d}$ (the obvious lower bound) up to at most a logarithmic factor.
Biosynthesis of the Polysaccharide of Micrococcus lysodeikticus Cell Walls II. IDENTIFICATION OF URIDINE DIPHOSPHO-N-ACETYL-d-MANNOSAMINURONIC ACID AS A REQUIRED SUBSTRATE

Abstract Uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-mannosaminuronic acid and uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminuronic acid were prepared chemically by the platinum-oxygen oxidation of uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-mannosamine and uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, respectively. In vitro incorporation of d-[14C]glucose from uridine diphospho-d-[14C]glucose into cell wall polysaccharide by the particulate enzyme fraction from Micrococcus lysodeikticus was dependent upon uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-mannosaminuronic acid. No polysaccharide was formed when uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminuronic acid was supplied to the incorporation system in place of uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-mannosaminuronic acid. The particulate enzyme fraction also synthesized polysaccharide when supplied with the uridine diphospho-N-acetylhexosaminuronic acid preparation isolated from M. lysodeikticus cells. The isolated uridine diphospho-N-acetylhexosaminuronic acid preparations have been shown to be a mixture of two compounds, probably uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-mannosaaminuronic acid and uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminuronic acid.
Optimized Iterative OFDM ARQ Receivers with Imbedded Pilots

In this paper, we propose an optimized ARQ iterative receiver for OFDM transmission, suitable for application in rapidly varying multipath channels. The receiver is an optimized MAP Turbo processor that exploits information from all available transmissions in an optimized way, using only the minimum required number of pilots for initial channel estimation. Our model does not account for CFO or transmitter non-linearities. The system uses an imbedded pilot structure in the frequency domain to initially estimate the channel. Further improvement of these estimates takes place based on the EM algorithm and the available received vectors, including all antennas and transmissions of the OFDM word. We show that this configuration achieves high gains compared to a standard ARQ system with packet combining and soft decision decoding of a higher constraint length, nu = 7 convolutional code. Finally, the potential of the approach in more realistic models (e.g. with CFO or nonlinear transmission) is established due to the minimum number of pilots employed herein.
Molecular Pathways: Adipose Inflammation as a Mediator of Obesity-Associated Cancer

The increasing rate of obesity worldwide is predicted to be associated with a surge in diseases. Notably, obesity has been linked to approximately 20% of cancer cases in the United States; obesity is associated with both increased risk and worse outcomes after diagnosis. Altered levels of circulating factors are strongly implicated, including insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, leptin, adiponectin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In addition, increasing attention has focused on the consequences of local adipose inflammation. Inflammatory foci characterized by crown-like structures consisting of dead adipocytes encircled by macrophages occur in white adipose depots, including the breast tissue, of most overweight and obese women. Saturated fatty acids, released as a consequence of obesity-associated lipolysis, induce macrophage activation via Toll-like receptor 4, thereby stimulating NF-κB signaling. This, in turn, activates transcription of proinflammatory genes including COX-2, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNFα. Elevated levels of proinflammatory mediators cause both local and systemic effects. Of particular relevance with regard to breast cancer is increased transcription of the CYP19 gene encoding aromatase, the rate-limiting enzyme for estrogen synthesis. Notably, this obesity-inflammation-aromatase axis provides a plausible explanation for increased rates of postmenopausal, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer associated with obesity and hence may offer targets for interventions to attenuate risk or improve prognosis. Potential approaches include weight reduction, exercise, and suppression of obesity-driven signaling pathways using pharmaceutical or dietary agents. A key future goal is to identify biomarkers that accurately report adipose inflammation, both for identification of at-risk individuals and to assess the efficacy of interventions. Clin Cancer Res; 19(22); 6074-83. ©2013 AACR.
Robotic system for tumor manipulation and ultrasound image guidance during breast biopsy

Tumor mobility poses significant difficulty in obtaining tissue samples during ultrasound guided breast biopsy. In this work, we present a new concept for coordinated real-time tumor manipulation and ultrasound imaging using a hybrid control architecture. The idea here is to demonstrate that it is possible to (1) manipulate a tumor in real-time by applying controlled external force, (2) control the position of the ultrasound probe for tracking out-of-plane target movement, and (3) coordinate the above systems in an automated way such that the tumor does not deviate from the path of the needle. Experiments are performed on breast tissue mimicking phantoms to demonstrate the efficacy of this technique. The success of this approach has the potential to reduce the number of attempts a surgeon makes to capture the desired tissue specimen, minimize tissue damage, improve speed of biopsy, and reduce patient discomfort.
Application of expectation-maximizing algorithm to the detection of direct-sequence signal in pulsed noise jamming

The detection of a direct-sequence spread-spectrum signal received in a pulsed noise jamming environment is considered. The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is used to estimate the unknown jammer parameters and hence obtain a decision on the binary signal based on the estimated likelihood functions. The probability of error performance of the algorithm is simulated for a repeat code and a
The obesity paradox in the US population

Background: Recently a number of studies have found a lower risk of dying for obese individuals than for normal-weight individuals. The explanation for these paradoxical findings has not yet been identified. Objective: The objective was to assess whether this paradoxical pattern exists in the US population and whether it can be explained by reverse causation. Design: Survival analyses were used to calculate the RR of all-cause mortality for obesity by using data from 35,673 participants in NHANES I (1971‐1975), NHANES II (1976‐1980), and NHANES III (1988‐1994), which reported 7087 deaths during 3 different 15-y follow-up periods. Results: With normal weight as a referent, a lower relative mortality risk of obesity was found only in NHANES III and only among men with a wide variety of preexisting serious illnesses. For this subgroup, the relative mortality risks in NHANES I, II, and III were 2.22 (95% CI: 1.45, 3.40), 0.89 (95% CI: 0.70, 1.15), and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.91), respectively. Whereas the mortality rate among seriously ill normal-weight men did not change significantly between NHANES I and III, it did decrease significantly among seriously ill obese men, suggesting that reverse causation was not responsible for the lower relative mortality risk among seriously ill obese men in NHANES III. Conclusions: Only obese NHANES male participants with a wide variety of serious illnesses experienced lower mortality risk than their normal-weight counterparts and only in NHANES III. Reverse causation seems unlikely to have played a role. These conclusions require confirmation. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;97:1195‐200.
Relationship between exposure to community violence and psychological distress: linear or curvilinear?

This paper presents data testing the hypothesis that the relationship between exposure to recurring community violence during high school years and later experiencing of psychological distress symptoms is a quadratic curvilinear one. Data were collected between 1994—1996 by self-administered questionnaires using multi-item scales; the sample (N = 452) comprises older urban adolescents. Although exposure to community violence was positively and linearly related to psychological distress, no statistically significant quadratic curvilinear relationship was found between community violence and psychological distress.
Design and Implementation of Monitoring Studies to Evaluate the Success of Ecological Restoration on Wildlife

Restoration projects are often developed with little consideration for understanding their effects on wildlife. We contend, however, that monitoring treatment effects on wildlife should be an integral component of the design and execution of any management activity, including restoration. Thus, we provide a conceptual framework for the design and implementation of monitoring studies to understand the effects of restoration on wildlife. Our underlying premise is that effective monitoring hinges on an appropriate study design for unbiased and precise estimates of the response variables. We advocate using measures of population dynamics for response variables given that they provide the most direct measures of wildlife status and trends. The species to be monitored should be those constituting an assemblage of umbrella species that represent the range of spatial and functional requirements of wildlife in a restored ecological system. Selection of umbrella species should be based on strong empirical evidence that justifies their usage. We also advocate that monitoring be designed as true experiments or quasi-experiments rather than as observational studies to allow for stronger inferences regarding the effects of restoration on wildlife. Our primary message is that if monitoring is to be done, it must be scientifically based.
Automated identification of vessel contours in coronary arteriograms by an adaptive tracking algorithm

A tracking algorithm for identification of vessel contours in digital coronary arteriograms was developed and validated. Given an initial start-of-search point, the tracking process was fully automated by utilizing the spatial continuity of the vessel's centerline, orientation, diameter, and density. The incremental sections along a major vessel were sequentially identified, based on the assumptions of geometric similarity and continuation between adjacent incremental sections. The algorithm consisted of an extrapolation-update process which was guided by a matched filter. The filter parameters were adapted to the measured lumen width. The tracking process was robust and extremely efficient as indicated by test results on synthetic images, digital subtraction angiograms, and cineangiograms. The algorithm provided accurate measurement of lumen width and percent stenosis that was relatively invariant to the vessel's orientation, dynamic range, background variation, and degree of blurring. >
Queueing system topologies with limited flexibility

We study a multi-server model with n flexible servers and rn queues, connected through a fixed bipartite graph, where the level of flexibility is captured by the average degree, d(n), of the queues. Applications in content replication in data centers, skill-based routing in call centers, and flexible supply chains are among our main motivations. We focus on the scaling regime where the system size n tends to infinity, while the overall traffic intensity stays fixed. We show that a large capacity region (robustness) and diminishing queueing delay (performance) are jointly achievable even under very limited flexibility (d(n) l n). In particular, when d(n) gg ln n , a family of random-graph-based interconnection topologies is (with high probability) capable of stabilizing all admissible arrival rate vectors (under a bounded support assumption), while simultaneously ensuring a diminishing queueing delay, of order ln n/ d(n), as n-> ∞. Our analysis is centered around a new class of virtual-queue-based scheduling policies that rely on dynamically constructed partial matchings on the connectivity graph.
On polylogarithmic decoding complexity for reed-muller codes

For Reed-Muller (RM) codes of length n and distance d, a recursive decoding algorithm is designed that has complexity of order nlogn for any fixed rate R, and corrects most error patterns of weight up to (dlnd)/2 on the binary symmetric channels (BSC) and up to (2dlnd)/pi on the AWGN channels. For long RM codes of fixed order r, a vanishing decoding error probability and polylogarithmic decoding complexity of order (logn)r+1 are obtained on the BSC given any transition probability p that is bounded away from 1/2
Imp3 unfolds stem structures in pre-rRNA and U3 snoRNA to form a duplex essential for small subunit processing

Eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis requires rapid hybridization between the U3 snoRNA and the pre-rRNA to direct cleavages at the A0, A1, and A2 sites in pre-rRNA that liberate the small subunit precursor. The bases involved in hybridization of one of the three duplexes that U3 makes with pre-rRNA, designated the U3-18S duplex, are buried in conserved structures: box A/A′ stem–loop in U3 snoRNA and helix 1 (H1) in the 18S region of the pre-rRNA. These conserved structures must be unfolded to permit the necessary hybridization. Previously, we reported that Imp3 and Imp4 promote U3-18S hybridization in vitro, but the mechanism by which these proteins facilitate U3-18S duplex formation remained unclear. Here, we directly addressed this question by probing base accessibility with chemical modification and backbone accessibility with ribonuclease activity of U3 and pre-rRNA fragments that mimic the secondary structure observed in vivo. Our results demonstrate that U3-18S hybridization requires only Imp3. Binding to each RNA by Imp3 provides sufficient energy to unfold both the 18S H1 and the U3 box A/A′ stem structures. The Imp3 unfolding activity also increases accessibility at the U3-dependent A0 and A1 sites, perhaps signaling cleavage at these sites to generate the 5′ mature end of 18S. Imp4 destabilizes the U3-18S duplex to aid U3 release, thus differentiating the roles of these proteins. Protein-dependent unfolding of these structures may serve as a switch to block U3-pre-rRNA interactions until recruitment of Imp3, thereby preventing premature and inaccurate U3-dependent pre-rRNA cleavage and folding events in eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis.
Medical and Nonstroke Neurologic Causes of Acute, Continuous Vestibular Symptoms

Most patients with the acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) have vestibular neuritis or stroke or, in the setting of trauma, a posttraumatic vestibular cause. Some medical and nonstroke causes of the AVS must also be considered. Multiple sclerosis is the most common diagnosis in this group. Other less common causes include cerebellar masses, inflammation and infection, mal de debarquement, various toxins, Wernicke disease, celiac-related dizziness, and bilateral vestibulopathy. Finally, there may be unmasking of prior posterior circulation events by various physiologic alterations such as alterations of temperature, blood pressure, electrolytes, or various medications, especially sedating agents.
Fast Optimization of Electromagnetic Design Problems Using the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolutionary Strategy

A new method of optimization recently made popular in the evolutionary computation (EC) community is introduced and applied to several electromagnetics design problems. First, a functional overview of the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy (CMA-ES) is provided. Then, CMA-ES is critiqued alongside a conventional particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm via the design of a wideband stacked-patch antenna. Finally, the two algorithms are employed for the design of small to moderate size aperiodic ultrawideband antenna array layouts (up to 100 elements). The results of the two electromagnetics design problems illustrate the ability of CMA-ES to provide a robust, fast and user-friendly alternative to more conventional optimization strategies such as PSO. Moreover, the ultrawideband array designs that were created using CMA-ES are seen to exhibit performances surpassing the best examples that have been reported in recent literature.
Spin transport of indirect excitons in GaAs/AlGaAs coupled quantum wells

Spin transport of indirect excitons in GaAs/AlGaAs CQW was observed by measuring the spatially resolved circular polarization of exciton emission. This originates from the long spin relaxation time and long lifetime of indirect excitons.
Preparation and hard magnetic properties of Co-Zn-P films for high-density recording

The digital recording density of magnetic media can be improved by the development of thin ferromagnetic coatings having a high coercive force. An experimental study of the influence of zinc on the coercive force of chemically reduced cobalt-phosphorus films is presented. Incorporation of zinc increases the coercive force of cobalt-phosphorus films on Mylar substrates by a factor of 2 to 60. Cobalt-zinc-phosphorus films exhibited coercivities ranging from 300 to 1200 Oe, depending on the preparation conditions. The influence of substrate and solution parameters, such as hypophosphite ion concentration, zinc concentration, and pH are discussed with respect to the hysteresis properties of the films. The influence of zinc on the coercivity is attributed to increased magnetic isolation of the cobalt particles and to a modification of particle size.