cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in ischaemic stroke: potential cellular mechanisms

Stroke remains a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. More women than men have strokes each year, in part because women live longer. Women have poorer functional outcomes, are more likely to need nursing home care and have higher rates of recurrent stroke compared with men. Despite continued advancements in primary prevention, innovative acute therapies and ongoing developments in neurorehabilitation, stroke incidence and mortality continue to increase due to the aging of the U.S. population. Sex chromosomes (XX compared with XY), sex hormones (oestrogen and androgen), epigenetic regulation and environmental factors all contribute to sex differences. Ischaemic sensitivity varies over the lifespan, with females having an “ischaemia resistant” phenotype that wanes after menopause, which has recently been modelled in the laboratory. Pharmacological therapies for acute ischaemic stroke are limited. The only pharmacological treatment for stroke approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which must be used within hours of stroke onset and has a number of contraindications. Pre-clinical studies have identified a number of potentially efficacious neuroprotective agents; however, nothing has been effectively translated into therapy in clinical practice. This may be due, in part, to the overwhelming use of young male rodents in pre-clinical research, as well as lack of sex-specific design and analysis in clinical trials. The review will summarize the current clinical evidence for sex differences in ischaemic stroke, and will discuss sex differences in the cellular mechanisms of acute ischaemic injury, highlighting cell death and immune/inflammatory pathways that may contribute to these clinical differences.
Sleep Disturbance and Short Sleep as Risk Factors for Depression and Perceived Medical Errors in First-Year Residents.

Study Objectives While short and poor quality sleep among training physicians has long been recognized as problematic, the longitudinal relationships among sleep, work hours, mood, and work performance are not well understood. Here, we prospectively characterize the risk of depression and medical errors based on preinternship sleep disturbance, internship-related sleep duration, and duty hours. Methods Survey data from 1215 nondepressed interns were collected at preinternship baseline, then 3 and 6 months into internship. We examined how preinternship sleep quality and internship sleep and work hours affected risk of depression at 3 months, per the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. We then examined the impact of sleep loss and work hours on depression persistence from 3 to 6 months. Finally, we compared self-reported errors among interns based on nightly sleep duration (≤6 hr vs. >6 hr), weekly work hours (<70 hr vs. ≥70 hr), and depression (non- vs. acutely vs. chronically depressed). Results Poorly sleeping trainees obtained less sleep and were at elevated risk of depression in the first months of internship. Short sleep (≤6 hr nightly) during internship mediated the relationship between sleep disturbance and depression risk, and sleep loss led to a chronic course for depression. Depression rates were highest among interns with both sleep disturbance and short sleep. Elevated medical error rates were reported by physicians sleeping ≤6 hr per night, working ≥ 70 weekly hours, and who were acutely or chronically depressed. Conclusions Sleep disturbance and internship-enforced short sleep increase risk of depression development and chronicity and medical errors. Interventions targeting sleep problems prior to and during residency hold promise for curbing depression rates and improving patient care.
Beyond a Gasotransmitter: Hydrogen Sulfide and Polysulfide in Cardiovascular Health and Immune Response.

Abstract Significance: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) metabolism leads to the formation of oxidized sulfide species, including polysulfide, persulfide, and others. Evidence is emerging that many biological effects of H2S may indeed be due to polysulfide and persulfide activation of signaling pathways and reactivity with discrete small molecules. Recent Advances: Exogenous oxidized sulfide species, including polysulfides, are more reactive than H2S with a wide range of molecules. Importantly, endogenous polysulfide and persulfide formation has been reported to occur via transsulfuration enzymes, cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) and cystathionine β-synthase (CBS). Critical Issues: In light of the recent understanding of oxidized sulfide metabolite formation and reactivity, comparatively few studies have been reported comparing cellular biological and in vivo effects of H2S donors versus polysulfide and persulfide donors. Likewise, it is equally unclear when, how, and to what extent persulfide and polysulfide formation o...
Robust Hybrid Control System Design

Abstract Hybrid control systems use a discrete event system to supervise the behaviour of a continuous state plant. Such supervisory control can be accomplished by switching between different continuous state controllers. This paper presents a method for synthesizing these individual controllers such that the switched system's behaviour satisfies certain safety and optimality properties.
Pulmonary Dosimetry of Nitrogen Dioxide in Animals and Man

ABSTRACT Using a general mathematical model formulation for the transport of gases in the lungs, we studied the regional pulmonary deposition of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in man, rabbits, guinea pigs, and rats. The model formulation utilizes lung morphometric data and includes parameters reflecting physicochemical properties of NO 2 , ventilatory patterns, and chemical reactions of NO 2 with components of tne protective layer linings of the lungs. Sensitivity of model predicted doses to changes in some of the above parameters are discussed as well as qualitative comparisons between animals and man in the shape of the dose curves.
Subspace partitions of Fqn containing direct sums

Abstract Let q be a prime power and n be a positive integer. A subspace partition of V = F q n , the vector space of dimension n over F q , is a collection Π of subspaces of V such that each nonzero vector of V is contained in exactly one subspace in Π ; the multiset of dimensions of subspaces in Π is then called a Gaussian partition of V . We say that Π contains a direct sum if there exist subspaces W 1 , … , W k ∈ Π such that W 1 ⊕ ⋯ ⊕ W k = V . In this paper, we study the problem of classifying the subspace partitions that contain a direct sum. In particular, given integers a 1 and a 2 with n > a 1 > a 2 ≥ 1 , our main theorem shows that if Π is a subspace partition of F q n with m i subspaces of dimension a i for i = 1 , 2 , then Π contains a direct sum when a 1 x 1 + a 2 x 2 = n has a solution ( x 1 , x 2 ) for some integers x 1 , x 2 ≥ 0 and m 2 belongs to the union I of two natural intervals. The lower bound of I captures all subspace partitions with dimensions in { a 1 , a 2 } that are currently known to exist. Moreover, we show the existence of infinite classes of subspace partitions without a direct sum when m 2 ∉ I or when the condition on the existence of a nonnegative integral solution ( x 1 , x 2 ) is not satisfied. We further conjecture that this theorem can be extended to any number of distinct dimensions, where the number of subspaces in each dimension has appropriate bounds. These results offer further evidence of the natural combinatorial relationship between Gaussian and integer partitions (when q → 1 ) as well as subspace and set partitions.
LRRK2 and mitochondria: Recent advances and current views

Mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene account for most common causes of familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) and are one of the strongest genetic risk factors in sporadic PD. Pathways implicated in LRRK2-dependent neurodegeneration include cytoskeletal dynamics, vesicular trafficking, autophagy, mitochondria, and calcium homeostasis. However, the exact molecular mechanisms still need to be elucidated. Both genetic and environmental causes of PD have highlighted the importance of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of PD. Mitochondrial impairment has been observed in fibroblasts and iPSC-derived neural cells from PD patients with LRRK2 mutations, and LRRK2 has been shown to localize to mitochondria and to regulate its function. In this review we discuss recent discoveries relating to LRRK2 mutations and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Stabilization of Oxygen-Sensitive Formulations via a Secondary Oxygen Scavenger

The ability to stabilize dopamine hydrochloride formulations via the utilization of a secondary bag containing an antioxidant has been established. By physically separating the drug formulation from the stabilization solution, the chemistry of both solutions can be optimized independently so as to ensure product efficacy. Factors controlling the effectiveness of the proposed stabilization strategy are discussed in the context of actual experimental results. Such a strategy is effective in terms of protecting the formulation during processing/storage only if the product is stored in an oxygen barrier overpouch.
Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Microemulsions: A Comparison of Surfactant Association Structures

The aqueous microemulsion systems are by now fairly well described[1.2]: they have attracted a considerable attention due to the wave of interest in the tertiary oil recovery[3–5]. The phase behavior of the microemulsion systems have been related to the phases found in the well known Ekwall systems of water, surfactant and amphiphile[6] an approach that gave simple rules for the preparation of microemulsions[7.8]. A later systematics developed by the French school[9] made possible a treatment of multi-component systems using a less number of variables.
Chapter 2 - A Brief History of Atmospheric General Circulation Modeling

This chapter discusses the preliminary results of an attempt to trace the history of atmospheric general circulation modeling, focusing on the period through 1985. By the 1980s, computer models of atmosphere and ocean general circulation had become the primary tool in climate studies. This marked a major historical transformation from a previous era, in which virtually the only tool for climate studies was the statistical record. The most important aspect of this shift is the ability to perform model-based experiments to project possible causes of climatic change. Another major aspect of the shift to numerical models was the development of vast global data networks from many different instrument modalities. These were built to supply the information necessary to predict weather, but the data record is now nearly sufficient in length and global coverage to allow accurate studies of climate as well. Without the availability of computer models, these data networks would probably not have been constructed, as they could not have been processed or understood in any other way.
Biopsy Strategies to Detect Small Prostate Cancers

Early detection of prostate cancer with PSA screening and transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy has led to stage migration and decreased prostate cancer-related death. Early experience with laterally directed sextant prostate biopsy demonstrated good yield for early prostate cancer detection, but at a cost of missing some smaller cancers. Extended (12–14 cores) prostate biopsies enhanced this yield, and with the development of effective local prostatic nerve block techniques, office-based saturation biopsy techniques with 20 or more cores have become the gold standard for prostate cancer detection in patients with high risk features, although intriguing data on transperineal template-guided mapping biopsy are emerging. Improved detection of small cancers assists the patient and clinician in making treatment decisions, including the decision to embark on active surveillance of a small low grade prostate cancer. In the setting of detecting a small high grade cancer, early detection can potentially improve overall survival rates.
Civilization and Disease

First published in 1943, the classic and oft-cited historical work, Civilization and Disease, by Henry E. Sigerist, has been reprinted this year as a paperback by its original publisher, Cornell University Press. The contents remain unchanged from the original with the exception of a foreword added by Elizabeth Fee, “The Life and Work of Henry E. Sigerist.”
Fianna Fáil’s Agrarian Man and the Economics of National Salvation

This chapter examines the triangular relationship between masculine revival, economic revival, and national revival in the Irish Free State of the 1920s and 1930s. As Fianna Fail rose in power at the end of the 1920s, so too did their representation of Irish rural masculinity as the national ideal; the sturdy self-sufficient farmer became a national treasure. Building on the popularity of this imagery, and the long-standing emotional and economic power of the Irish landscape dating back to the land reforms of the 1880s, Fianna Fail positioned itself as the only Irish political party that could and would achieve the social and economic advancement of the ‘small man’.
Indirect Regulation of Hedge Funds

This book chapter examines theoretical approaches for hedge fund regulation and emphasizes indirect regulatory means for the industry. The chapter shows that indirect regulation of the hedge fund industry attains most regulatory objectives while providing the industry with sufficient leeway.
Familial “Diplegic” Migraine – Description of a Family With a Novel CACNA1A Mutation

Objective To characterize phenotypes of a novel CACNA1A mutation causing familial hemiplegic migraine type 1. Background Familial hemiplegic migraine is a rare monogenic form of migraine associated with attacks of fully reversible unilateral motor weakness. We now report a novel CACNA1A gene mutation associated with fully reversible bilateral motor weakness (diplegia). Methods The proband underwent genotyping which identified a novel CACNA1A missense mutation (c.622 [isoform 1] G > A [p.Gly208Arg]). To characterize phenotypes associated with this novel mutation, the proband and 8 of her similarly affected family members underwent a semi-structured interview. Results All 9 subjects who were interviewed met ICHD-3 phenotypic diagnostic criteria for FHM, including reporting attacks with reversible unilateral motor weakness. Additionally, 7 of 9 subjects reported attacks including reversible motor weakness affecting both sides of the body simultaneously. Conclusions We describe a novel CACNA1A mutation associated with migraine attacks including reversible diplegia.
Is youth football safe? An analysis of youth football head impact data

Background The issue of whether sports-related head trauma at the youth level can result in long-term sequelae that may negatively impact the participant has been widely debated. Objective To investigate head impacts in the Summit Youth Football League equipped with helmets using the Riddell InSite impact monitoring system. The monitoring system allowed for analysis of the number of impacts and severity of impacts by player. Methods Data were obtained for all 20 members of the youth football team. Impacts were recorded as "low," "medium," and "high" intensity. Results All 20 players participated in all practices and games throughout the season. No player suffered a concussion throughout the entire season. There were 817 recorded impacts throughout the season. This was an average of 41 impacts per player over the course of the season and fewer than 4 impacts per player per week. Only one impact registered as "high." Conclusion We demonstrate that there are few head impacts over the course of an entire season at the middle school level. Guardian Caps, safe tackling techniques, and the age of participants may have contributed to the very low number of impacts recorded and the complete lack of injuries. This study only provides data demonstrating that youth football, when Guardian Caps and safe tackling techniques are enforced, does not appear to result in significant head impacts causing immediate head injuries. This study cannot comment on the safety of playing football at the collegiate or professional level.
Warranting theory, stereotypes, and intercultural communication: U.S. Americans’ perceptions of a target Chinese on Facebook

Abstract Extending prior literature on stereotypes about ethnic groups and warranting theory, this experimental study examined the effects of exposure to a target Chinese international student’s Facebook page with self-generated (stereotypically positive or negative) and/or other-generated wall posts (stereotypically positive or negative) on U.S. participants’ (N = 550, Mage = 21.38, SD = 3.82) perceptions of task attractiveness and behavioral tendencies (i.e., willingness to communicate/ cooperate) toward the target. Supporting warranting theory, results demonstrated that when other-generated posts were present and disconfirmed the Facebook page owner’s self-generated posts, other-generated posts mitigated the effects of self-generated posts in most cases. However, when other-generated and self-generated wall posts were consistent, other-generated posts produced an averaging effect. In addition, the type of dependent measure, and the dynamic interplay between stereotype content and the valence of self-generated posts also mitigated the warranting effect of other-generated posts.
Con-vergence: Bringing Libraries and Popular Culture Conventions Together

Popular culture conventions (cons) can be powerful opportunities for library outreach, but they are underutilized or ignored as possibilities for many libraries. This article summarizes the results of a survey of libraries concerning their own con attendance/non-attendance as well as perceived benefits and actual barriers to attending. We also discuss our own experiences attending cons, including lessons learned and benefits gained by our own institution.
The Story of South Korea’s Contending Past Abuses

South Korea’s transitional justice policies focused more on truth-seeking and reparations programs than on accountability mechanisms. This chapter’s analysis, thus, focuses on two of the most recent truth-commissions, which critically assessed the state violence that occurred in Korea: The Jeju 4.3 Commission (2000) and the South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRCK) (2005). The chapter demonstrates that positive advances to compliance had more to do with the role of domestic advocacy than international networks, that helped maintain some level of norm compliance from the state. And yet, as noted in previous chapters, despite their efforts, when advocacy faced political interests that clashed against its ideas, the likelihood of their successes decreased.
A docked mutation phenocopies dumpy oblique alleles via altered vesicle trafficking.

The Drosophila extracellular matrix protein Dumpy (Dpy) is one of the largest proteins encoded by any animal. One class of dpy mutations produces a characteristic shortening of the wing blade known as oblique (dpyo ), due to altered tension in the developing wing. We describe here the characterization of docked (doc), a gene originally named because of an allele producing a truncated wing. We show that doc corresponds to the gene model CG5484, which encodes a homolog of the yeast protein Yif1 and plays a key role in ER to Golgi vesicle transport. Genetic analysis is consistent with a similar role for Doc in vesicle trafficking: docked alleles interact not only with genes encoding the COPII core proteins sec23 and sec13, but also with the SNARE proteins synaptobrevin and syntaxin. Further, we demonstrate that the strong similarity between the doc1 and dpyo wing phenotypes reflects a functional connection between the two genes; we found that various dpy alleles are sensitive to changes in dosage of genes encoding other vesicle transport components such as sec13 and sar1. Doc's effects on trafficking are not limited to Dpy; for example, reduced doc dosage disturbed Notch pathway signaling during wing blade and vein development. These results suggest a model in which the oblique wing phenotype in doc1 results from reduced transport of wild-type Dumpy protein; by extension, an additional implication is that the dpyo alleles can themselves be explained as hypomorphs.
Conditioning generative adversarial networks on nonlinear data for subsurface flow model calibration and uncertainty quantification

Conditioning complex subsurface flow models on nonlinear data is complicated by the need to preserve the expected geological connectivity patterns to maintain solution plausibility. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have recently been proposed as a promising approach for low-dimensional representation of complex high-dimensional images. The method has also been adopted for low-rank parameterization of complex geologic models to facilitate uncertainty quantification workflows. A difficulty in adopting these methods for subsurface flow modeling is the complexity associated with nonlinear flow data conditioning. While conditional GAN (CGAN) can condition simulated images on labels, application to subsurface problems requires efficient conditioning workflows for nonlinear data, which is far more complex. We present two approaches for generating flow-conditioned models with complex spatial patterns using GAN. The first method is through conditional GAN, whereby a production response label is used as an auxiliary input during the training stage of GAN. The production label is derived from clustering of the flow responses of the prior model realizations (i.e., training data). The underlying assumption of this approach is that GAN can learn the association between the spatial features corresponding to the production responses within each cluster. An alternative method is to use a subset of samples from the training data that are within a certain distance from the observed flow responses and use them as training data within GAN to generate new model realizations. In this case, GAN is not required to learn the nonlinear relation between production responses and spatial patterns. Instead, it is tasked to learn the patterns in the selected realizations that provide a close match to the observed data. The conditional low-dimensional parameterization for complex geologic models with diverse spatial features (i.e., when multiple geologic scenarios are plausible) performed by GAN allows for exploring the spatial variability in the conditional realizations, which can be critical for decision-making. We present and discuss the important properties of GAN for data conditioning using several examples with increasing complexity.
Association Between Insurance Type and Outcomes of Reconstructive Head and Neck Cancer Surgery.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Although the benefits of expanding health insurance coverage are clear, there are limited studies comparing the different types of insurance. This study aims to determine the association between insurance type and outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing reconstructive surgery in the United States. METHODS Population-based cross-sectional study of the 2012-2014 National Inpatient Sample. We identified 1,314 patients with head and neck cancers undergoing tumor ablative surgery followed by pedicled or free flap reconstruction of oncologic defects. Insurance type was classified as private, Medicare, Medicaid, self-pay, or other. The primary outcome was extended length of stay (LOS), defined as greater than 14 days, which represented the 75th percentile of the study sample. Secondary outcomes included acute medical complications, surgical complications, morbidities, and costs. Analyses were adjusted for gender, geographic location, and various medical comorbidities. RESULTS In univariate analysis, insurance type was associated with extended LOS (P = .001), medical complications (P = <.001), and mortalities (P = .020). After controlling for other covariates in the multivariate analysis, compared to private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid were both associated with significantly higher odds of extended LOS (adjusted odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.73 [1.09-2.76] and 2.22 [1.38-3.58], respectively). Medicare was associated with significantly higher odds of medical complications, but Medicaid was not (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 1.53 [1.02-2.31] and 1.64 [0.97-2.78], respectively). CONCLUSIONS Medicaid and Medicare were independently associated with extended LOS after reconstructive head and neck cancer surgery. Medicare was associated with higher rates of medical complications. Efforts to address LOS should target care planning and coordination. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, 2021.
A matrix approach to community resilience assessment: an illustrative case at Rockaway Peninsula

Existing community resilience assessment methods lack explicit reference to temporality of disruptive events and often use standard metrics that may not be universally appropriate. Linkov et al.’s (Environ Sci Technol 47(18):10108–10110, 2013a; Environ Syst Decis 33(4):471–476, 2013b) Resilience Matrix (RM) framework utilizes local stakeholder-informed metrics aligned with the temporal stages of the National Academy of Science definition of disaster resilience. Here we demonstrate the application of the RM to coastal community resilience at Rockaway Peninsula, New York. We present the flexibility of the RM methodology by using both qualitative and quantitative metrics drawn from post-Hurricane Sandy reports. The presentation of the case study results reveals opportunities to prioritize investments and collaborate among responsible parties.
The Therapeutic Potential of Abcirximab (c7E3 Fab) in Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

Abcirximab (c7E3 Fab) is a chimaeric mouse/human antibody fragment that binds specifically to the platelet receptor for fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor, preventing platelet aggregation. It is potentially useful for the treatment of thrombotic arterial diseases and for the prevention of thrombotic complications of coronary artery disease or its therapy. The EPIC (Evaluation of platelet IIb/IIIa antibody for Preventing Ischaemic Complications of high-risk angioplasty) trial was designed to test the efficacy of abcirximab in preventing ischaemic complications of high-risk angioplasty procedures. Investigators found that the incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction and the need for emergency repeat percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft was reduced by 35%. This benefit was achieved at the cost of a 14% incidence of major bleeding complications (twice that seen in control patients) and rare temporary thrombocytopenia which was unrelated to the dose of abcirximab administered. The results of the EPIC trial establish the usefulness of abcirximab as an adjunct to current therapies for avoiding ischaemic complications of angioplasty in patients with recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina or high-risk lesion morphology. Its utility in routine angioplasty procedures may be limited by the frequency of bleeding complications. The effects of its use on the development of restenosis after angioplasty, and on arterial patency after thrombolysis, remain to be tested.
An Innovative Network to Improve Sea Ice Prediction in a Changing Arctic

Abstract : The overarching goal of this project is to understand sea ice predictability and improve sea ice predictions system by defining key observations, improve technical approaches for prediction, and refine communication of predictions.
Investigating Elementary Mathematics Curricula: Focus on Students With Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate three elementary mathematics curricula to examine the accessibility for students with learning disabilities (LD) with regards to challenges associated with working memory. We chose to focus on students' experiences when finding the area of composite shapes due to the multiple steps involved for solving these problems and the potential for these problems to tax working memory. We conducted a qualitative analysis of how each curriculum provided opportunities for students with LD to engage with these problems. During our analysis, we focused on instruction that emphasized visual representations (e.g., manipulatives, drawings, and diagrams), facilitated mathematical conversations, and developed cognitive and metacognitive skills. Our findings indicated a need for practitioners to consider how each curriculum provides instruction for storage and organization of information as well as how each curriculum develops students' thinking processes and conceptual understanding of mathematics. We concluded that all three curricula provide potentially effective strategies for teaching students with LD to solve multi-step problems, such as area of composite shapes problems, but teachers using any of these curricula will likely need to supplement the curriculum to meet the needs of students with LD.
Big Data Analytics Framework for System Health Monitoring

In this paper, we present our Machine Learning (ML) based big data analytics framework that we tested to improve the quality and performance of Auxiliary Power Units (APU) health monitoring services. We are motivated to develop and apply practical and useful big data analytics technologies for industrial applications in aerospace and aviation. Key contributions of our work include the development and use of our ML algorithms that have been tested and used to analyze multiple data sources and to provide useful insights and increase the ability to predict (1) APU wear from 39%to 56% and (2) APU shutdown events from 19% to 60%. Such system health monitoring can be integrated with the widely used condition based maintenance (CBM) services. Users can use this cloud based analytic toolset and access the big data through any devices (PCs, Tablets, smart phones) anytime and anywhere.
Client-driven pointer analysis

This paper presents a new client-driven pointer analysis algorithm that automatically adjusts its precision in response to the needs of client analyses. We evaluate our algorithm on 18 real C programs, using five significant error detection problems as clients. We compare the accuracy and performance of our algorithm against several commonly-used fixed-precision algorithms. We find that the client-driven approach effectively balances cost and precision, often producing results as accurate as fixed-precision algorithms that are many times more costly. Our algorithm works because many client problems only need a small amount of extra precision applied to the right places in each input program.
Absorption Cross Section of Graphite

A direct measurement of the graphite absorption cross section has been made in the Physical Constants Testing Reactor (PCTR). The sample tested was reactor grade (GBF) graphite, and had a 2200 m/se...
Differences in DNA methylation between human neuronal and glial cells are concentrated in enhancers and non-CpG sites

We applied Illumina Human Methylation450K array to perform a genomic-scale single-site resolution DNA methylation analysis in neuronal and nonneuronal (primarily glial) nuclei separated from the orbitofrontal cortex of postmortem human brain. The findings were validated using enhanced reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. We identified thousands of sites differentially methylated (DM) between neuronal and nonneuronal cells. The DM sites were depleted within CpG-island-containing promoters but enriched in predicted enhancers. Classification of the DM sites into those undermethylated in neurons (neuronal type) and those undermethylated in nonneuronal cells (glial type), combined with findings of others that methylation within control elements typically negatively correlates with gene expression, yielded large sets of predicted neuron-specific and non-neuron-specific genes. These sets of predicted genes were in excellent agreement with the available direct measurements of gene expression in human and mouse. We also found a distinct set of DNA methylation patterns that were unique for neuronal cells. In particular, neuronal-type differential methylation was overrepresented in CpG island shores, enriched within gene bodies but not in intergenic regions, and preferentially harbored binding motifs for a distinct set of transcription factors, including neuron-specific activity-dependent factors. Finally, non-CpG methylation was substantially more prevalent in neurons than in nonneuronal cells.
Contagion in the stock markets: The Asian financial crisis revisited

Abstract This paper presents empirical evidence of herding contagion in the stock markets during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, above and beyond macroeconomic fundamental driven co-movements. We analyze the cross-country time-varying correlation coefficients among the stock prices for the countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines, between crisis and tranquil periods. Macromodels are constructed and implemented to capture the pure contagion effects on the markets. After controlling for the economic fundamentals for the five countries, the paper finds strong evidence of herding contagion.
Neurological outcome is diminished in survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Abstract In a series of 61 infants who had congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) treated at our center from 1978 through 1996, 37 of 59 (61%) survived the perioperative period with two infants lost to follow-up. Nine (47%) of 19 infants survived before the introduction of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) into our region in 1986. Since 1986, 28 (70%) of 40 infants survived. Eighteen infants required ECMO, and 12 (75%) survived. A chart review was performed to determine whether infants surviving CDH are suffering from delays in neurological development, and, if so, whether this is attributable to ECMO. Of 12 ECMO survivors, 8 (67%) exhibited functional or anatomic evidence for neurological delay. Of 21 non-ECMO survivors, where adequate follow-up was available to make an assessment of neurological development, five (24%) exhibited evidence for delay. This difference was significant ( P P P P = .05, Fisher's Exact test). There were trends toward higher 1 and 5 minute APGAR scores and initial and best preoperative P O 2 in the non-ECMO survivors. A comparison between ECMO survivors who exhibited evidence of neurological delay with those who did not showed no differences in duration of ECMO, incidence of intracranial complications during ECMO, need for gastrostomy tube feeding or Nissen fundoplication, or incidence of carotid artery repair between the two groups. Infants surviving CDH who require ECMO have a greater incidence of neurological delay than those who do not. This is likely because of severity of the presenting illness as reflected by a greater need for diaphragmatic and abdominal patches during diaphragmatic repair, the need for Nissen fundoplication and gastrostomy tube feeding, and a trend toward poor APGAR scores and best preoperative P O 2 levels in these patients. However, there may be characteristics of ECMO, as yet unidentified, that may contribute to this outcome.
A High Resolution Approach to Estimating Time-Frequency Spectra and Their Amplitudes

A high resolution approach to estimating time-frequency spectra (TFS) and associated amplitudes via the use of variable frequency complex demodulation (VFCDM) is presented. This is a two-step procedure in which the previously developed time-varying optimal parameter search (TVOPS) technique is used to obtain TFS, followed by using the VFCDM to obtain even greater TFS resolution and instantaneous amplitudes associated with only the specific frequencies of interest. This combinational use of the TVOPS and the VFCDM is termed the TVOPS-VFCDM. Simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the performance of the TVOPS-VFCDM for high resolution TFS as well as instantaneous amplitude estimation. The simulation results show that the TVOPS-VFCDM approach provides the highest resolution and most accurate amplitude estimates when compared to the smoothed pseudo Wigner–Ville, continuous wavelet transform and Hilbert–Huang transform methods. Application of the TVOPS-VFCDM to renal blood flow data indicates some promise of a quantitative approach to understanding the dynamics of renal autoregulatory mechanisms as well as a possible approach to quantitatively discriminating between different strains of rats.
Colorimetric Method for the Determination of 1,3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea

The ready liberation of nitrous acid by 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea in hydrochloric acid solution has been utilized successfully in the development of a sensitive colorimetric method for its quantitative estimation in biological fluids.
A 5-GHz 11.6-mW CMOS receiver for IEEE 802.11a applications

A direct-conversion receiver employs a 1-to-6 transformer as a low-noise amplifier along with passive mixers and non-invasive baseband filters. Realized in 65-nm CMOS technology, the receiver provides an average noise figure of 5.3 dB and a sensitivity of -70 dBm at a data rate of 54 Mb/s. The prototype draws 11.6 mW from a 1-V supply and occupies an active area of 0.18 mm2.
Analysis of birefringent image in the retinal nerve fiber layer by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Phase retardation per unit depth (PR/UD) is a physiologically significant parameter which correlates with the orderly arrangement of neurons and neurofibrils within the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and can vary in glaucoma. The objective of this study is to use Polarization Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PSOCT), to detect both RNFL thickness and depth-resolved birefringence and produce thickness and PR/UD maps of the primate RNFL. RNFL thickness is obtained from the PSOCT intensity image with boundary detection using imaging processing methods. Analysis of PR/UD begins with calculating the Stokes parameters from the horizontal magnitude, vertical magnitude and relative phase difference in the interference fringes of light back scattered from the retina. Computed Stokes parameters are used to determine the fast axis in the RNFL and local phase retardation. PR/UD is calculated by dividing local birefringence by the corresponding RNFL thickness. A three-dimensional map of PR/UD and RNFL thickness is constructed by combining registered B-scans. Three-dimensional maps of thickness and PR/UD from the primate RNFL show that PSOCT is can be used for detecting thickness and PR/UD of the peripapillary RNFL and a very effective modality to diagnose glaucoma.
Pair breaking in semiclassical singlet small-bipolaron hopping

The Holstein-Hubbard model is used to study high-temperature (T\ensuremath{\gtrsim}${\mathit{T}}_{\mathrm{phonon}}$/3) hopping transport when it is energetically favorable for carriers to pair as singlet small bipolarons. The semiclassical rates for one-electron transfers involving small polarons are found to be much greater than those that only involve small bipolarons. In particular, the most rapid one-electron-transfer processes have a small-polaron hopping to a vacant site and one of a small bipolaron's two carriers jumping onto the site of an adjacent small polaron. As a result, even when most carriers form small bipolarons rather than small polarons, one-electron transfers involving small polarons always dominate the dc conductivity. The energy to thermally generate small polarons from small bipolarons thus contributes to the conductivity's activation energy. This pair-breaking energy also manifests itself in a thermally activated contribution to the system's paramagnetic susceptibility. In addition, the carriers' Seebeck coefficient garners a contribution with a temperature dependence that is characterized by the pair-breaking energy. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Empty Waves in Bohmian Quantum Mechanics

There is a recurring line of argument in the literature to the effect that Bohm’s theory fails to solve the measurement problem. I show that this argument fails in all its variants. Hence Bohm’s theory, whatever its drawbacks, at least succeeds in solving the measurement problem. I briefly discuss a similar argument that has been raised against the GRW theory
BAC-MP4 predictions of thermochemistry for gas-phase indium compounds in the In-H-C-O-Cl system.

In this work, the BAC-MP4 method is extended for the first time to compounds in the fourth row of the periodic table, resulting in a self-consistent set of thermochemical data for 56 tin-containing molecules in the Sn-H-C-Cl system. The BAC-MP4 method combines ab initio electronic structure calculations with empirical corrections to obtain accurate heats of formation. To obtain electronic energies for tin-containing species, the standard 6-31G(d,p) basis set used in BAC-MP4 calculations is augmented with a relativistic effective core potential to describe the electronic structure of the tin atom. Both stable compounds and radical species are included in this study. Trends within homologous series and calculated bond dissociation energies are consistent with previous BAC-MP4 predictions for group 14 compounds and the limited data available from the literature, indicating that the method is performing well for these compounds.
Wavelet coefficients clustering using morphological operations and pruned quadtrees

Abstract Transform coding has been extensively applied in image compression. The wavelet transform possesses the characteristic of providing spatial and frequency domain information. This characteristic plays an important role in image compression so that identification and selection of the significant coefficients in the wavelet transform become easier. The result has the advantages of better compression ratio and better image quality. The paper presents a new approach to create an efficient clustering of the significant coefficients in the wavelet transform based on morphological operations and pruned quadtrees. In this way, only the significant coefficients and their map will be encoded and transmitted. The decoder process will use the map to place the significant coefficients in the correct locations and then apply the inverse wavelet transform to reconstruct the original image. Experimental results show that the combination of morphological operations and pruned quadtrees outperforms the conventional quadtrees by a compression ratio of 2 to 1 with the similar image quality.
Distinct Patterns of Cytokine Regulation of APOBEC3G Expression and Activity in Primary Lymphocytes, Macrophages, and Dendritic Cells

Human APOBEC3G (A3G), a deoxycytidine deaminase, is a broadly acting antiretroviral factor expressed in a variety of cells. Mitogen activation of CD4 T cells enhances A3G expression and leads to recruitment of low molecular mass (LMM) A3G, which functions as a post-entry human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) restriction factor, into enzymatically inactive, high molecular mass (HMM) RNA-protein complexes that include Staufen RNA-transporting granules. We now report that interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-15 and, to a lesser extent, IL-7 enhance the expression of A3G in peripheral blood lymphocytes and that this effect is blocked by inhibitors of the JAK and MAPK signaling pathways. In mixed cultures of CD4+ T cells containing either HMM or LMM A3G, HIV preferentially infected cells containing HMM A3G. A3G shifted into a HMM complex when IL-2, -7, or -15 was added to resting T cells, likely explaining how cytokine treatment renders resting CD4+ T cells permissive to HIV infection. Similarly, poly(I:C)/tumor necrosis factor-α-induced maturation of dendritic cells was associated with a sharp increase in A3G expression; however, this induction led to the accumulation of LMM A3G. Together, these results highlight the distinct inductive effects of select cytokines on A3G gene expression and A3G complex assembly that occur in natural cellular targets of HIV infection.
Effects of Smallpox Vaccination (Vaccinia) on Serologic Tests for Syphilis.

SummaryEvidence is presented in confirmation of the work of others that smallpox (vaccinia) vaccination gives rise to false positive reactions for syphilis. The incidence of positive reactions by the use of the Kolmer, Kahn and Mazzini tests was 11.8%. The false positive reactions are transitory but may persist for 2 months or more.
Proposal for Advanced Life Support Algorithm in Unresponsive Hospitalized LVAD Patients

Purpose Current ACLS guidelines do not include any specific recommendation for pts on CF- LVAD support. Inability to assess blood pressure with routine sphygmomanometer and possible LVAD damage by CPR, make emergent medical assessment and management particularly challenging in this patient population. We propose an algorithm for Advanced Life Support in hospitalized unresponsive LVAD patients. Methods and Materials Key elements of this algorithm are: i) an “LVAD code” which is different from a regular emergency response system by not only alerting the code team, but also LVAD NP/RN, cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac fellows to arrive promptly on the scene; ii) emergent echocardiography; iii) prompt assessment of LVAD function; ii) early consideration for stroke as cause of unresponsiveness due to the high incidence of thromboembolism in this patient population; iv) importance of assessing blood flow using Doppler technique in carotid and femoral artery; v) recommendation for CPR only in the absence of blood flow; vi) consideration for bedside VA-ECMO if no response to resuscitation measures. [ figure 1 ] Results Figure Conclusions We propose a new algorithm for emergent care of unresponsive hospitalized LVAD patients.
Asymptotic expansions for modified maximum likelihood estimators with percentile truncated data

Let be independent, identically distributed random variables with common distribution known except for the value of θ. Let be the order statistics, and assume that only the percentiles are observed where are given. Also, except for the assumption that N is also unknown. If N were known, this would represent type II censoring combined with a percentile equivalent of grouping. Estimators f o r both θ and N are found based on maximizing the weighted likelihood function (maximum likelihood being a special case ) . Asymptotic stochastic expansions for are developed for the case that (sampling is not truncated ) , and these are used to find expansions for when N is not known. Expansions for are developed from those for .The expansions include the second terms which lead t o the usual asymptotic normality results plus a third term which gives a second order bias correction.
On mutant sets

This paper sketches the outline of a new, general mathematical theory concerning the nature of a relative anti-closure property for subsets of general algebraic systems. It thus quite naturally fits into any exhaustive theory of relations and, in particular, into a theory of relations for abstract mathematical molecular biology. In addition, the theory possesses certain intuitive, but naive relationships to basic analytical studies of biological mating and mutation. At the purely mathematical level one can produce an abundance of theorems from the theory with interpretations in the context of the frequently appearing mathematical structures of groups and rings, among other algebraic structures.