cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chemical and Mutagenic Investigations of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase: Evidence for a Family of Serine Hydrolases with Distinct Catalytic Properties†

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a membrane-bound enzyme responsible for the catabolism of neuromodulatory fatty acid amides, including anandamide and oleamide. FAAH's primary structure identifies this enzyme as a member of a diverse group of alkyl amidases, known collectively as the "amidase signature family". At present, this enzyme family's catalytic mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the catalytic features of FAAH through mutagenesis, affinity labeling, and steady-state kinetic methods. In particular, we focused on the respective roles of three serine residues that are conserved in all amidase signature enzymes (S217, S218, and S241 in FAAH). Mutation of each of these serines to alanine resulted in a FAAH enzyme bearing significant catalytic defects, with the S217A and S218A mutants showing 2300- and 95-fold reductions in k(cat), respectively, and the S241A mutant exhibiting no detectable catalytic activity. The double S217A:S218A FAAH mutant displayed a 230 000-fold decrease in k(cat), supporting independent catalytic functions for these serine residues. Affinity labeling of FAAH with a specific nucleophile reactive inhibitor, ethoxy oleoyl fluorophosphonate, identified S241 as the enzyme's catalytic nucleophile. The pH dependence of FAAH's k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) implicated a base involved in catalysis with a pK(a) of 7.9. Interestingly, mutation of each of FAAH's conserved histidines (H184, H358, and H449) generated active enzymes, indicating that FAAH does not contain a Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad commonly found in other mammalian serine hydrolytic enzymes. The unusual properties of FAAH identified here suggest that this enzyme, and possibly the amidase signature family as a whole, may hydrolyze amides by a novel catalytic mechanism.
Some future directions for repetitive pulsed power

Repetitive pulsed power has been pursued at a moderate level for decades, yet in a sense it is still a young and growing discipline. This implies that it is still on the fast portion of its growth curve. The 1990s were a relatively quiet decade, but customer interest is growing again, and with it comes new demands on the technology. Orders of magnitude advances will be needed over the next ten years. Fortunately, there is the potential for improvements of that order because of the relative immaturity of the technology. This paper discusses some of that potential. It does not attempt to provide a complete overview of the possibilities. Rather it attempts to identify a few areas where large growth seems likely over the next decade and to highlight the drivers for substantial breakthroughs.
Leon Foucault: His Life, Times and Achievements.

Leon Foucault’s dramatic demonstration of the rotation of the Earth using a freely-rotating pendulum in 1850 shocked the world of science. Scientists were stunned that such a simple proof of our planet’s rotation had to wait so long to be developed. Foucault’s public demonstration, which was repeated at many locations around the world, put an end to centuries of doubt about the Earth’s rotation — skepticism that had been bolstered since antiquity by Aristotelian philosophy and scripture. This paper puts Foucault’s pendulum experiments in context, surveying the life and work of this extraordinary physicist, a man who achieved much — including work on measuring the speed of light, microscopy, astronomy, and photography — without formal training in the sciences.
Spike frequency adaptation affects the synchronization properties of networks of cortical oscillators

Oscillations in many regions of the cortex have common temporal characteristics with dominant frequencies centered around the 40 Hz (gamma) frequency range and the 5–10 Hz (theta) frequency range. Experimental results also reveal spatially synchronous oscillations, which are stimulus dependent (GraySGray, Konig, Engel, & Singer, 1989; Engel, Konig, Kreiter, Schillen, & Singer, 1992). This rhythmic activity suggests that the coherence of neural populations is a crucial feature of cortical dynamics (Gray, 1994). Using both simulations and a theoretical coupled oscillator approach, we demonstrate that the spike frequency adaptation seen in many pyramidal cells plays a subtle but important role in the dynamics of cortical networks. Without adaptation, excitatory connections among model pyramidal cells are desynchronizing. However, the slow processes associated with adaptation encourage stable synchronous behavior.
Automatic identification of tissue interfaces

A method for automatic identification of tissue interfaces from medical images has been developed and tested. The spatial gradient vector is constructed and expressed as a function G( nu ) of tissue density. The relative maxima of G identify ranges of gray levels corresponding to tissue interfaces. These density ranges are then assigned full opacity and shaded. Examples of CT (computed tomography) and MR (magnetic resonance) scans demonstrate that the resulting visualization maintains all the advantages of the volume-rendering technique while eliminating the task of tissue classification. >
Countering security information overload through alert and packet visualization

This article presents a framework for designing network security visualization systems as well as results from the end-to-end design and implementation of two highly interactive systems. In this article, we provide multiple contributions: we present the results of our survey of security professionals, the design framework, and lessons learned from the design of our systems as well as an evaluation of their effectiveness. Our results indicate that both systems effectively present significantly more information when compared to traditional textual approaches. We believe that the interactive, graphical techniques that we present will have broad applications in other domains seeking to deal with information overload.
Short-range dislocation interactions using molecular dynamics: Annihilation of screw dislocations

We present results of a large-scale atomistic study of the annihilation of oppositely signed screw dislocations in an fcc metal using molecular dynamics (MD) and an Embedded-Atom-Method (EAM) potential for Cu. The mechanisms of the annihilation process are studied in detail. From the simulation results, we determined the interaction energy between the dislocations as a function of separation. These results are compared with predictions from linear elasticity to examine the onset of non-linear-elastic interactions. The applicability of heuristic models for annihilation of dislocations in large-scale dislocation dynamics simulations is discussed in the light of these results.
GTP Promotes the Formation of Early-Import Intermediates But Is Not Required during the Translocation Step of Protein Import into Chloroplasts

Protein import into chloroplasts is an energy-requiring process mediated by a proteinaceous import apparatus. Although previous work has shown that low levels of ATP or GTP can support precursor binding, the role of GTP during the import process remains unclear. Specifically, it is unknown whether GTP plays a separate role from ATP during the early stages of protein import and whether GTP has any role in the later stages of transport. We investigated the role of GTP during the various stages of protein import into chloroplasts by using purified GTP analogs and an in vitro import assay. GTP, GDP, the nonhydrolyzable analog GMP-PNP, and the slowly hydrolyzable analogs guanosine 5′-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) and guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) were used in this study. Chromatographically purified 5′-guanylyl-imido-diphosphate and guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) were found to inhibit the formation of early-import intermediates, even in the presence of ATP. We also observed that GTP does not play a role during the translocation of precursors from the intermediate state. We conclude that GTP hydrolysis influences events leading to the formation of early-import intermediates, but not subsequent steps such as precursor translocation.
Using vibrational analysis to investigate the batted-ball performance of baseball bats

Hollow nonwood baseball bats have performance advantages over wooden bats. The hollow barrel bats act as a spring or trampoline during the bat-ball collision. The trampoline effect can occur at different natural frequencies known as hoop modes. To examine the effect of the hoop mode on the bat-ball collision, modal analysis and performance measurements were performed on a sample of hollow nonwood baseball bats. A nonlinear mass spring model was created to show the effect of hoop frequency has on performance. It has been shown that by decreasing the hoop frequency of the baseball bat from that of the new bat the performance of the baseball bat increases.
Sampling random transfer functions

Recently, considerable attention has been paid to the use of probabilistic algorithms for analysis and design of robust control systems. However, since these algorithms require the generation of random samples of the uncertain parameters, their application has been mostly limited to the case of parametric uncertainty. Notable exceptions to this limitation are the algorithm for generating FIR transfer functions in Lagoa et al. and the algorithm for generating random fixed order state space representations in Calafiore et al. In this paper, we provide the means for further extending the use of probabilistic algorithms for the case of dynamic causal uncertain parameters. More precisely, we exploit both time and frequency domain characterizations to develop efficient algorithms for generation of random samples of causal, linear time-invariant uncertain transfer functions. The usefulness of these tools are illustrated by developing an algorithm for solving some multi-disk problems arising in the context of synthesizing robust controllers for systems subject to structured dynamic uncertainty.
Herpes simplex virus evades natural killer T cell recognition by suppressing CD1d recycling

Natural killer T cells, which are stimulated by lipids presented by CD1d molecules, are crucial in antiviral host defense. How viruses evade natural killer T cell recognition remains unclear. Here we show that infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) reduced CD1d surface expression on antigen-presenting cells. HSV-1 did not inhibit CD1d protein synthesis or enhance constitutive CD1d endocytosis. Instead, HSV-1 prevented the reappearance of endocytosed CD1d on the cell surface by redistributing endocytosed CD1d to the lysosome limiting membrane. HSV-1 might also inhibit the transport of newly synthesized CD1d to the cell surface. Such inhibition of CD1d surface expression impaired antigen-presenting cell–mediated stimulation of natural killer T cells, supporting the idea that this mechanism may be an important HSV-1 immune evasion strategy.
Design of microstrip antenna/ferrite circulator systems

Circulators are commonly used in antenna systems to route microwave signals in a convenient manner. This paper presents a methodology wherein both the antenna impedance and the circulator scattering parameters are considered together in the system design. Two integrated antenna/circulator systems are presented to validate the approach. The planar antenna considered for this study is a modified version of the Yagi-Uda antenna presented by Kaneda et. al. (2002). Kaneda's antenna provides a narrow beamwidth in the E-plane but, due to the planar structure, it presents a very wide beamwidth in the H-plane. It was shown in this work that the antenna geometry of Kaneda et. al. can be extended to provide a narrower beamwidth in the H-plane and corresponding improvements in antenna gain. When used in communication or radar systems, this additional gain can be used to offset the insertion losses associated with the circulator in the integrated system.
Microelectronics - Quo Vadis

The need for better performance, safety, and comfort with reduced pollution of the environment is the driving force for the remarkable growth in automotive electronics. This growth has been and will continue to be directly related to improvements in the performance, cost, and reliability of microelectronics. This paper reviews the improvements that have been made in microelectronics since the invention of the integrated circuit in the late 1950s, delineates why the techniques that produced these improvements will have reached their limits in the near future, and proposes new technologies that will continue to increase microelectronic functionality per unit size and cost into the next century. Considered are the limits of scaling, three-dimensional circuits, artificial intelligence, design automation for circuit synthesis and first pass reliability, CMOS, bipolar, BiCMOS, gallium arsenide, gallium arsenide on silicon, biochips, quantum coupled devices, and cellular automata. Candidate markets that will be spawned by these technologies are discussed.
The freezing point depression of mammalian tissues after sudden heating in boiling distilled water.

The calculated freezing point depression of freshly excised boiled mammalian tissue is approximately the same as that of plasma. The boiling procedure was chosen to eliminate the influence of metabolism on the level of the freezing point depression. Problems created by the boiling, such as equilibrium between tissue and diluent, change in activity coefficient by dilution, and loss of CO~ content, are discussed. A frozen crushed tissue homogenate is hypertonic to plasma. Boiling and dilution of such hypertonic homogenate exposed to room temperature for 5 to 15 minutes did not produce significant or unexplicable decreases in its osmotic activity. Moreover, freezing and crushing of a boiled diluted tissue did not produce any increase of the isoosmotic level of freezing point depression. It is possible to explain these data either with the hypothesis of hypertonic cell fluid or with that of isotonic cell fluid. In the case of an assumed isotonic cell fluid, data can be explained with one assumption, experimentally backed. In the case of an assumed hypertonic theory data can be explained only with the help of at least three ad hoe postulates. The data support the validity of the classical concept which holds that cell fluid is isotonic to extracellular fluid.
Transcriptional regulation of cytoskeletal functions and segmentation by a novel maternal pair-rule gene, lilliputian

Transcriptional control during early Drosophila development is governed by maternal and zygotic factors. We have identified a novel maternal transcriptional regulator gene, lilliputian (lilli), which contains an HMG1 (AT-hook) motif and a domain with similarity to the human fragile X mental retardation FMR2 protein and the AF4 proto-oncoprotein. Embryos lacking maternal lilli expression show specific defects in the establishment of a functional cytoskeleton during cellularization, and exhibit a pair-rule segmentation phenotype. These mutant phenotypes correlate with markedly reduced expression of the early zygotic genes serendipity alpha, fushi tarazu and huckebein, which are essential for cellularization and embryonic patterning. In addition, loss of lilli in adult photoreceptor and bristle cells results in a significant decrease in cell size. Our results indicate that lilli represents a novel pair-rule gene that acts in cytoskeleton regulation, segmentation and morphogenesis.
On lp-stabilization of strictly unstable discrete-time linear systems with saturating actuators

For a continuous-time linear system with saturating actuators, it is known that, irrespective of the locations of the open-loop poles, both global and semi-global finite gain Lp-stabilization are achievable, by nonlinear and linear feedback, respectively, and the Lp gain can also be made arbitrarily small. In this paper we show that, these results do not hold for discrete-time systems. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factors that Restrict Exports of Small and Medium-sized Firms: The role of Export Financing

The purpose of this study, based on a survey of 354 Florida companies, was to assess factors that limit exports, with particular focus on the different types of export financing that were the most difficult to obtain and the most used . Statistical analysis was used to determine the significance of responses given by different sized firms. Four of the top five factors that limited the ability to export were related either to the lack of available information on export opportunities or the unavailability of export financing . Foreign buyer credit and various unsecured loans were the most difficult to obtain , while commercial letters of credit were the most used . Public and private sector policymakers need to reevaluate their own export promotion programs and make the changes necessary to eliminate the various obstacles to exporting .
Reachable Sets of Linear Time-Invariant Systems: From Convex Sets to the Bang-Bang Theorem

As a precursor to the proof of the maximum principle for a general nonlinear system, in this chapter we develop the classical results about the structure of the reachable set for linear time-invariant systems with bounded control sets and prove Theorem 2.5.3 of Chap. 2.
Changes in the receptor-G protein-adenylyl cyclase system in heart failure from various types of heart muscle disease

The abnormalities of the receptor-G protein-adenylyl cyclase (RCG) system in failing human myocardium as the result of 1) idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC), 2) ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (ISCDC), and 3) primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) were investigated. Depending on the etiology of heart failure, abnormalities of the RCG system result from a reduced number of β 1 receptors, uncoupling of β 1 or β 2 receptors, alteration of G protein function, or decreased catalytic subunit activity of adenylyl cyclase. Compared to IDC, receptor down-regulation is less pronounced in ISCDC, and slightly more pronounced in PPH. Preliminary data suggest that β 1 receptor down-regulation results from alteration in steady-state receptor mRNA levels. Increased functional activity of Gi protein, which seems to result from posttranslational modification, is observed in IDC and ISCDC. Altered Gi protein function may be the basis for β-receptor uncoupling in IDC and ISCDC, whereas in PPH, this phenomenon may result from altered adenylyl cyclase function. Catalytic subunit activity of adenylyl cyclase is decreased in order of increasing pulmonary hypertension in right-ventricular preparations from PPH > IDC > ISCDC. However, catalytic subunit activity is similar in LV preparations from all three groups. The decrease in adenylyl cyclase catalytic subunit activity may be the result of the marked cellular injury produced by pressure overload.
Biochemical and Genetic Approaches to Elucidating the Mechanism of Respiration and Energy Transduction in Paracoccus Denitrificans

Paracoccus denitrificans is a gram negative bacterium which grows in soil. When provided with a nitrogen source under anaerobic conditions, such as when the soil substratum is not aerated by plowing, Paracoccus carries out denitrification. In this manner Paracoccus and similar denitrifying bacteria convert nitrogen containing nutrients in fertilizer to nitrogen gas, causing the loss of millions of dollars from the agricultural economy.
In vivo transfer of a thrombopoietic factor.

SummaryInjection of plasma from rabbit donors made thrombocytopenic by Myleran or anti-platelet serum into 15 unstressed rabbit recipients raised platelet counts to 166% of control levels 4 days following transfer. These results are highly significant (p<0.001) when compared to the mild thrombocytopenia produced in 15 rabbits receiving plasma from normal donors or when compared to the daily variations in platelet levels of 9 uninjected rabbits. The response of normal and splenectomized recipients was similar. These results suggest that plasma contains stimulatory and inhibitory factors which regulate platelet levels.
Effect of Alkyl-Dimethyl-Benzyl-Ammonium Chlorides (Zephiran) Upon Tetanus Toxin

Summary(1) Alkyl-dimethyl-benzylammonium chlorides (Zephiran chloride) in a concentration of 1 : 2,000 inactivates tetanus toxin. This effect takes place almost immediately. Zephiran chloride in a dilution of 1:20,000 fails to do so. (2) Human serum mixed with Zephiran chloride prior to the addition of tetanus toxin markedly interferes with the inactivation of toxin by this compound. Addition of serum to a mixture of 2kphiran chloride and tetanus toxin does not reactivate the toxin.
Cooperative Communities (CoCo): Exploiting Social Networks for Large-scale Modeling of Human Behavior

Human behavior modeling at a large-scale and under real-world conditions is still an open problem. Existing classification models do not always perform well on a diverse population. Training personalized models that incorporate different contextual conditions and individual user characteristics are effective in addressing this challenge. However, this approach burdens the users with collecting and manually labeling their own training data which is not scalable. In this article, we propose CoCo (Cooperative Communities), a learning framework that leverages different types of everyday social connections between people to personalize classification models. CoCo exploits social networks to selectively combine small contributions of labeled data from people with shared context or user characteristics. Under CoCo a personalized classifier is trained for each individual user, but by exploiting social networks, the burden of providing training data can be spread over the entire community.
Biomarkers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract The complexity and heterogeneity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) make the diagnosis and management of this disease, as well as SLE research and clinical trials, challenging. An important unmet need is a repertoire of biomarkers that can accurately and reliably assist with prediction, diagnosis, monitoring, and management of patients with SLE. Biomarkers are currently being pursued through the examination of DNA, messenger RNA, microRNA, and antibody microarrays, as well as flow cytometry and proteomic markers. Expression of these biomarkers is being examined largely in the peripheral blood and urine, although the potential to examine other easily accessible tissues needs to be considered. While the growing number of candidate biomarkers in SLE is encouraging, few have been subjected to the necessary rigorous, multicenter validation studies.
Reproductive Endocrine Disruption by Environmental Xenobiotics that Modulate the Estrogen-Signaling Pathway, Particularly Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

Environmental pollutants are known to exert endocrine-disrupting effects on several hormonal axes of animals, including reproduction and development. Many of these xenobiotics modulate the estrogen-receptor signaling pathway(s) in agonistic or antagonistic ways. Some of the compounds are themselves estrogenic (so-called xenoestrogens, environmental estrogens, or ecoestrogens), and are classified as synthetic estrogens, phyto- or fungal estrogens, alkylphenol ethoxylates; certain non-coplanar polyclorinated biphenyls (PCBs), etc. Other molecules are anti-androgenic, e.g., p, p'-dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDE); while still others disrupt estrogen function in a manner that is dose, species and tissue specific, e.g., certain co-planar PCBs and dioxin-like molecules (e.g., tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin [TCDD]). Exposure to some compounds has been correlated with skewing of sex ratios in aquatic species, and feminization and demasculinization of male animals; declines in human sperm counts; and overall diminution in fertility of birds, fish, and mammals. This review will cover these various xenobiotics and evaluate them for their estrogen-modulating effects; and then further concentrate on TCDD specifically. Dioxins are produced as by-products of herbicide overuse, from paper bleaching, plastics manufacture, and waste incineration. TCDD has been correlated with altered fecundity and endometriosis in monkeys, and with certain cancers in experimental animals and humans. TCDD is also correlated with reproductive deficits in many laboratory species. In summary, we believe that some of the reproductive deficits from endocrine-disrupting xenobiotics may be attributable to the modulation of the estrogen-signaling pathway, in positive and negative manners, depending on dose, species, and tissue specificity.
Central auditory functions in children.

reaches the patient's ear. The low-pass filter permits the lower frequency elements of speech sound to be transmitted while partially cutting out the higher frequency elements. This high frequency cut attenuates certain high pitched consonants causing the speech to sound muffled and be difficult to perceive. Bocca tested patients wich temporal lobe tumors who had essentially normal hearing for pure tones and undistorted, ordinary speech. However, when the speech signal was distorted by the use of a low-pass filter, the discrimination scores were significantly poorer for the ear opposite the side of the pathologic temporal lobe. Matzker (1958, 1959) used band-pass filters and binaural hearing in an ingenious manner. He presented words binaurally, except that he used a low-pass filter in one ear and a high-pass filter in the other. Each ear, therefore, received a different part of the word sound spectrum. One ear received only certain low frequency elements and the other ear received only certain high frequencies. The words could not be distinguished when either ear heard its frequency element alone, bur when both ears were used, a binaural fusion effect normally occurred and Ss obtained a very high speech discrimination score. Matzker found that in patients with various types of brain pathology the binaural fusion process evidently fails, resulting in significantly poorer speech discrimination scores. In the Maczker experiment, the standard audiometric methods did not reveal any impairment of auditory functioning. Goetzinger, et al. (1960) used the Rush Hughes recording of the PB50 word lists and the Auditory Test W-22, to test neurologically involved patients with normal hearing for pure tones. He found significantly lower scores for the PB5Os than would ordinarily be expected of individuals wich normal pure cone hearing. He concluded that damage to the central nervous system may impair auditory perception while peripheral (cochlea) hearing acuity remains unaffected. A technique for the assessment of differential sensitivity to sound intensity
Seasonal distribution and abundance of Dacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Distribution of the melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett, was determined by trapping males at 100 sites throughout the island of Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Melon flies were most numerous along the south coastal trap sites. Flies caught in traps were significantly correlated to pupal yield from samples of infested fruits of Momordica charantia L. for two of three years. Rainfall was significantly correlated with trap catches for the two low rainfall years of 1984 and 1987, but not for the two high rainfall years of 1985 and 1986. The highest trap catch of 5.8 flies per trap per day in 1986 was 100 times less than the number of flies caught in an earlier study in 1961 when the peak was 614 flies per trap per day and precipitated eradication efforts in 1963.
Goal-Prioritization for Teachers, Coaches, and Students: A Developmental Model

The objective of this article is to provide background on types of goals, a system for writing goals, and a framework for goal-prioritization that can be implemented in classroom and/or sport settings. Goal-setting is the process of developing a desired outcome to serve as the purpose of one's actions.
Neuroleptic-induced Movement Disorders

The treatment of schizophrenic patients with neuroleptics has had a decisive impact on psychiatry, in that the number of patients hospitalized has decreased dramatically and the number treated on an outpatient basis has increased steadily. Despite awareness that neuroleptics could produce extrapyramidal side effects, these drugs remain the most effective means of treating schizophrenic patients. However, frequent reports on neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia with its potentially incapacitating sequelae, or occasional reports of neuroleptic malignant syndrome with its potentially fatal outcome, have begun to change attitudes and have raised serious questions about the risk-benefit ratio of neuroleptic treatments. In addition, these reports have augmented research efforts for novel drugs, which has eventually led to the introduction of ‘atypical neuroleptics’, proposed to cause lower incidence of extrapyramidal reactions. Moreover, the imperfect and incomplete theory on hyperactivity of dopaminergic neurons allegedly being involved in the aetiology of both schizophrenia as well as neuroleptic-induced dyskinesia has been reopened for examination.
The use of finger-stick blood to assess lactate in critically ill surgical patients.

Background Using finger-stick capillary blood to assess lactate from the microcirculation may have utility in treating critically ill patients. Our goals were to determine how finger-stick capillary lactate correlates with arterial lactate levels in patients from the surgical intensive care unit, and to compare how capillary and arterial lactate trend over time in patients undergoing resuscitation for shock.
Determination of VOC marker combinations for the classification of individuals by gender and race/ethnicity

Human scent has been demonstrated to allow for the differentiation of individuals. The extent of this differentiation may allow scent to be used as a characteristic, capable of revealing information on an individual's traits. The ability to use scent as a biometric human feature has enabled the use of scent as forensic evidence. However, its reliability, value, and admissibility in courts of law have sometimes been challenged as a result of limited scientific validation. Full acceptance of human scent evidence has been hindered by the limited availability of peer reviewed information that provides greater understanding of how human scent originates and how it may be used. The objective of this study is to report new data that further enhances our understanding of the value of human scent evidence and its acceptance in courts of law. In order to fulfill this objective, volatile organic compound combinations were identified as markers for race/ethnicity and gender from hand odor samples from 105 individuals. The accuracy of human classification by race/ethnicity and gender, on the basis of these markers, was determined and validated. Overall accuracies of 80% and 72% were obtained for the classification of subjects by gender and race/ethnicity, respectively. The results obtained demonstrate that the identified VOC marker combinations represent a viable resource for the classification and/or differentiation of persons of interest and, as such, may be considered a valuable forensic tool for subject identification.
Evaluation of Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Occult gastrointestinal bleeding is defined as gastrointestinal bleeding that is not visible to the patient or physician, resulting in either a positive fecal occult blood test, or iron deficiency anemia with or without a positive fecal occult blood test. A stepwise evaluation will identify the cause of bleeding in the majority of patients. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy will find the bleeding source in 48 to 71 percent of patients. In patients with recurrent bleeding, repeat EGD and colonoscopy may find missed lesions in 35 percent of those who had negative initial findings. If a cause is not found after EGD and colonoscopy have been performed, capsule endoscopy has a diagnostic yield of 61 to 74 percent. Deep enteroscopy reaches into the mid and distal small bowel to further investigate and treat lesions found during capsule endoscopy or computed tomographic enterography. Evaluation of a patient who has a positive fecal occult blood test without iron deficiency anemia should begin with colonoscopy; asymptomatic patients whose colonoscopic findings are negative do not require further study unless anemia develops. All men and postmenopausal women with iron deficiency anemia, and premenopausal women who have iron deficiency anemia that cannot be explained by heavy menses, should be evaluated for occult gastrointestinal bleeding. Physicians should not attribute a positive fecal occult blood test to low-dose aspirin or anticoagulant medications without further evaluation.
Self-Monitoring and Self-Management of Oral Anticoagulation.

In patients taking warfarin (Coumadin) for anticoagulation, there is moderate-quality evidence that both self-monitoring (number needed to treat [NNT] = 100) and self-management (NNT = 53) reduce thromboembolic events, and that self-management reduces all-cause mortality (NNT = 67).
Landscaping in times of climate change: considerations for water conservation

This work presents an overview of landscaping in times of climate change, proposing some considerations for water conservation. Our main objective is to increase awareness of how good design practices and the use of drought tolerant plants can contribute to a more sustainable and enjoyable environment. First we discuss the water conservation aspect of LEED certification followed by the most popular options for xeriscaping in the United States. Then, we present some basic plant stress physiology concepts such as flowering, photoperiodism and stress, that can aid on designing and maintenance of a more durable and low water input landscape.
Mediators of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mentored K Award Receipt Among U.S. Medical School Graduates

PURPOSE Mentored K (K01/K08/K23) career development awards are positively associated with physicians' success as independent investigators; however, individuals in some racial/ethnic groups are less likely to receive this federal funding. The authors sought to identify variables that explain (mediate) the association between race/ethnicity and mentored K award receipt among U.S. Liaison Committee for Medical Education-accredited medical school graduates who planned research-related careers. METHOD The authors analyzed deidentified data from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Institutes of Health Information for Management, Planning, Analysis, and Coordination II grants database for a national cohort of 28,690 graduates from 1997-2004 who planned research-related careers, followed through August 2014. The authors examined 10 potential mediators (4 research activities, 2 academic performance measures, medical school research intensity, degree program, debt, and specialty) of the association between race/ethnicity and mentored K award receipt in models comparing underrepresented minorities in medicine (URM) and non-URM graduates. RESULTS Among 27,521 graduates with complete data (95.9% of study-eligible graduates), 1,147 (4.2%) received mentored K awards (79/3,341 [2.4%] URM; 1,068/24,180 [4.4%] non-URM). All variables except debt were significant mediators; together they explained 96.2% (95%, CI 79.1%-100%) of the association between race/ethnicity and mentored K award. CONCLUSIONS Research-related activities during/after medical school and standardized academic measures largely explained the association between race/ethnicity and mentored K award in this national cohort. Interventions targeting these mediators could mitigate racial/ethnic disparities in the federally funded physician-scientist research workforce.
An optimized scheduling strategy for plugged-in electric vehicles integrated into a residential smart microgrid for both grid-tied and islanded modes

This paper presents an optimized scheduling method for Plugged-in Electric Vehicles (PEV) that are connected to a residential smart microgrid. Two modes of operation are studied: grid-tied and islanded mode. A Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based method is utilized to optimize an objective function, which includes the cost of energy production, and guarantees the best possible energy consumption profile. The profit of the PEV owners, which has been ignored in most of the existing strategies, is included in the proposed objective function. Furthermore, in order to make the study more realistic, the grid constraints are taken into consideration in the new strategy. Simulation results are used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A Model Collaborative Couple in Genetics: Anna Rachel Whiting and Phineas Westcott Whiting’s Study of Sex Determination in Habrobracon

Anna Rachel Young Whiting (1892–1981) and Phineas Westcott Whiting (1887–1978) formed a collaborative partnership built on the study of a single organism that was notable among early twentieth-century geneticists. They met and fell in love during the summer of 1915, when both were working at the Marine Biological Station at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. She was a third-year undergraduate student at Smith College studying botany and he was a graduate student in cytogenetics at the University of Pennsylvania. Sharing a passion for science and leftist politics (he was a self-proclaimed Bolshevik) they married in 1918 and 3 years later moved to Iowa City, where he took up a faculty position in eugenics at the Iowa Child Welfare Research Station and she did doctoral work in genetics at the University of Iowa, obtaining a Ph.D. in 1925. Until the end of their careers spanning over five decades, the two actively conducted research, both jointly and independently, on the parasitic wasp Habrobracon. While sharing work connected with the genetics and cytology of sex determination, they investigated specialized topics independently – Anna Rachel the impact of X-ray-induced mutation and Phineas the genetics behind the production of irregular sexual morphs. At a time when women (as well as committed socialists) found it difficult to secure steady academic employment in science, Anna Rachel and Phineas developed a mutually-supportive career strategy that enabled both of them to continue to pursue research, even when one of them was unemployed. Their marriage was thus as much a joint scientific enterprise as a companionable interpersonal relationship.
Suicide assessment and treatment: Gaps between theory, research, and practice

ABSTRACTA considerable body of literature focuses on suicide risk assessment, treatment, and prevention. However, incorporation of these research and theoretical advances in routine care by practitioners has been largely unexamined. We examine the challenges—lack of training, fear, complexities of decision-making, practical barriers, lack of usage of assessment tools, and violations of psychometric principles by assessment tools—that confront practitioners when utilizing advances in the field. Identifying and addressing these barriers has implications to help bridge the gaps between theory, research, and practice to improve quality of care. Clinical, training, policy implications, and future research directions are reviewed.
Electrophysiology and Pathology of Duane Retraction Syndrome

Duane's retraction syndrome is a congenital condition that is characterized clinically by abnormalities of abduction, adduction, or both. In the most common form of this condition, there is mild li...
Towards exascale computing

Due to hardware limitations, parallel computing became an integral part of our lives that it is hard to imagine a device that is not using multiprocessor power, including smartphones. What started as a hardware solution to physical limitation, prompted software engineers to adopt to parallelism. This in turn, compelled theoretical computer scientists to develop theoretical solutions to algorithms design and analysis to provide a solution that is parallel oriented rather than a serial oriented one, using divide-and-conquer algorithm design technique. Due to the exponential growth in high performance computing, the fastest computer in the world is projected to run at one Exaflop/s by 2020, or 1018 operation/second, ushering the era of exascale computing. As we move towards exascale computing and beyond, we need to keep in mind that the power of humanity is not in the powerful machines we develop, but remains in our intelligence and ability to develop solutions to problems at the basic level.
Gun violence, disability and recovery, Cate Buchanan : book review

The public health approach to the prevention of violence has been applied for almost the last 40 years. During this period, several studies have shown that in many countries where firearms are abundant and violence rates are high, the proportion of people dying because of firearms is high. Several studies have shown that the risk of suicide in the home due to firearms is increased when access to these devices is easy. The same occurs for homicide and for accidental deaths in the home. Whilst these studies show to a great extent the devastating effects of fatal gun injuries they do not sufficiently capture the human consequences of injuries occurring due to exposure to these devices.
The Social Contract Theory Revisited: Examining the Relationship Between Greed, Conflict, and the Evolution of Cooperation

This chapter will begin by discussing the basic philosophical concepts addressing human nature (i.e., greed, opportunistic behaviors, altruism, and prosocial behaviors) as described by the British empiricists Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Locke. The views of Locke and Rousseau are discussed in the social contract theory and are particularly relevant in examining the relationship between community growth and development, individual human rights, and the rationalization of human greed. We will also discuss how these principles may be applied to groups and communities involving human interaction (i.e., intergroup contact), superordinate goals, and interdependency as essential factors in the development of cooperative alliances and related benefits (i.e., reduced conflict and aggression). Finally, this chapter will explore the history and development of cooperative exchanges and how communities might facilitate the frequency of prosocial, altruistic, and opportunistic behaviors.
Signs and Ideas

Eighteenth-century considerations of language share a certain concept of the linguistic sign and its representative role in signification as well as a concept of the way in which this representative capacity of signs establishes speech and thought in their theoretical possibility and in their actual genesis. Yet this fact, fundamental though it may be, requires a certain amount of careful attention. For if the sign system is dominant its presence is also unobtrusive.1 Little consideration was given, for instance, to definitions of what was intended by a sign, something apparently not felt to be required as a point of departure when employing sign theory.2 D’Alembert’s article “Signe” in the Encyclopedie, which does provide a definition, simply pieces together two passages, one from the Logique de Port-Royal and the other from Condillac’s Essai sur I’origine des connaissances:
Psychologic correlates of compliance with continuous positive airway pressure.

Study Objectives: To explore the relationship between psychologic variables measured prior to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment and subsequent CPAP compliance. Design: Participants were assigned to a CPAP treatment group. Psychologic questionnaires administered prior to the start of treatment assessed depression, anxiety, stress, anger or hostility, social support, social desirability, and coping. Polysomnography was performed on admission (prior to start of treatment) and at the end of 1 week of treatment. Compliance was measured nightly by an internal clock counter in the CPAP unit and averaged over the 1-week treatment period. Setting: N/A Participants: Twenty-three CPAP-naive patients with obstructive sleep apnea were enrolled in a study of the effects of CPAP on sympathetic nervous system functioning, quality of life, and psychologic functioning. Interventions: N/A Measurements and Results: Objectively measured average daily compliance was significantly associated with a measure of coping strategies. Multiple regression analyses revealed that Active Ways of Coping accounted for a significant amount of variance in CPAP compliance, even after the respiratory disturbance index, daytime sleepiness, and Passive Ways of Coping were taken into account. No other psychologic variable assessed prior to CPAP treatment was associated with subsequent CPAP compliance. Conclusions: These results suggest that individuals who engage in active coping strategies with new and difficult situations used CPAP more. It may be that encouraging patients to use coping techniques, such as planful problem solving, will help to improve compliance with CPAP.
Disordered Ising Systems and Random Cluster Representations

We discuss the Fortuin-Kasteleyn (FK) random cluster representation for Ising models with no external field and with pair interactions which need not be ferromagnetic. In the ferromagnetic case, the close connections between FK percolation and Ising spontaneous magnetization and the availability of comparison inequalities to independent percolation have been applied to certain disordered systems, such as dilute Ising ferromagnets and quantum Ising models in random environments; we review some of these applications. For non-ferromagmetic disordered systems, such as spin glasses, the state of the art is much more primitive. We discuss some of the many open problems for spin glasses and show how the FK representation leads to one small result, that there is uniqueness of the spin glass Gibbs distribution above the critical temperature of the associated ferromagnet.
Getting Subjects Through the Door

Getting subjects through the door and into the research office is often facilitated by availability and accessibility of the research site. Subjects may first be met in the doctor’s office, the hospital, at a medical event, or maybe first by phone. Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff can radiate trust and be willing to listen to the subject’s questions and concerns. Being able to expound on the advantages and disadvantages of being in the research study is especially valuable for the research subject. Free parking, a stipend for each visit, and reimbursement for travel can also be helpful.
Long‐term persistence of freshwater mussel beds in labile river channels

Freshwater mussels are among the world’s most imperilled species, and much effort has been expended to understand their precipitous decline. The current paradigm is that relative river bed stability over decades is critical to maintaining mussel beds at a given river reach. Such information, however, is in stark contrast to the fundamental understanding of self‐formed rivers. Here, we examine the relationship between long‐term occurrence of aggregated freshwater mussel communities (mussel beds) and the dynamic rivers in which they live. We surveyed mussel assemblages in two streams with historical records to document their long‐term persistence, and we simulated bed mobility with a two‐dimensional flow and sediment transport model to estimate bedload transport during channel‐forming discharges. We found evidence of long‐term mussel bed persistence, in time and in kind, within these two streams and that significant bed mobility within mussel beds occurs every 1–2 years, as to be expected for self‐formed rivers with labile beds. Flow refugia, or bed immobility, thus cannot completely explain the persistence of these mussel beds. Our results suggest that mussels have adapted to proliferate in river channels that often experience significant bed mobility, but further studies are needed to understand the biophysical mechanisms enabling the long‐term persistence of mussel communities.
Conversion of nontumorigenic dormant MOLT3 by lactate into a glycolytic cancer via epigenetic changes and lymphangiognesis.

e23176Background: Lactate considered a "waste product" lactate is a multifunctional modulator. Processes modulated by lactate are: 1. initiation of the transformation of the microenvironment 2.prod...