cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in pharmacokinetics predict adverse drug reactions in women

Women experience adverse drug reactions, ADRs, nearly twice as often as men, yet the role of sex as a biological factor in the generation of ADRs is poorly understood. Most drugs currently in use were approved based on clinical trials conducted on men, so women may be overmedicated. We determined whether sex differences in drug pharmacokinetics, PKs, predict sex differences in ADRs. Searches of the ISI Web of Science and PubMed databases were conducted with combinations of the terms: drugs, sex or gender, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug safety, drug dose, and adverse drug reaction, which yielded over 5000 articles with considerable overlap. We obtained information from each relevant article on significant sex differences in PK measures, predominantly area under the curve, peak/maximum concentrations, and clearance/elimination rates. ADRs were identified from every relevant article and recorded categorically as female-biased, male-biased, or not sex-biased. For most of the FDA-approved drugs examined, elevated blood concentrations and longer elimination times were manifested by women, and these PKs were strongly linked to sex differences in ADRs. Of the 86 drugs evaluated, 76 had higher PK values in women; for 59 drugs with clinically identifiable ADRs, sex-biased PKs predicted the direction of sex-biased ADRs in 88% of cases. Ninety-six percent of drugs with female-biased PK values were associated with a higher incidence of ADRs in women than men, but only 29% of male-biased PKs predicted male-biased ADRs. Accessible PK information is available for only a small fraction of all drugs Sex differences in pharmacokinetics strongly predict sex-specific ADRs for women but not men. This sex difference was not explained by sex differences in body weight. The absence of sex-stratified PK information in public records for hundreds of drugs raises the concern that sex differences in PK values are widespread and of clinical significance. The common practice of prescribing equal drug doses to women and men neglects sex differences in pharmacokinetics and dimorphisms in body weight, risks overmedication of women, and contributes to female-biased adverse drug reactions. We recommend evidence-based dose reductions for women to counteract this sex bias.
Ray tracing tool for arbitrary gradient index optical components

Gradient Index (GRIN) Optics is a challenging frontier of lens design. We have developed a free, online toolbox for generating gradient optics dynamic linked library (GODLL) files representing an arbitrary, user-defined gradient index profile for use with Zemax OpticStudio. In order to show the accuracy, user-experience and the procedure for usage of GODLL, we have demonstrated the performance of our toolbox using several popular or extreme examples consisting of Maxwells Fisheye Lens, Luneberg Lens, and a typical SELFOC lens.
Characterization and Control of Spatial Quantum Correlations in Entangled Light Generated via Four-wave Mixing

We show the presence of EPR spatial quantum correlations in macroscopic quantum light generated via four-wave mixing. Furthermore, we show that it is possible to gain control over the distribution of these correlations.
Women, opioid use and addiction

In the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic, the United States continues to struggle with an ongoing opioid epidemic, initially fueled by widespread prescribing of opioid medications during the 1990s. The primary reason for prescribing opioids is to treat pain. Women have more acute and chronic pain and have been prescribed these drugs in significantly greater numbers than men. Comparison of women and men with chronic pain also shows that women receive the majority of prescription opioids, and the use of these prescribed medications became the major pathway to misuse and addiction for women. Yet, recognition of the extent of women's exposure to opioids and the attendant consequences has been limited. Attempts to stem the overall tide of the epidemic focused on reducing the availability of prescription opioids. However, as these medications became more difficult to obtain and treatment opportunities were limited, many turned to other synthetic opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl. Thus, the public health crisis of opioid addiction has endured. This paper highlights the importance of understanding differences among women and men in opioid use and its biological and psychosocial effects to advance the gender-based treatment approaches and effective public health policy.
Change in the Spatial Clustering of Poor Neighborhoods within U.S. Counties and Its Impact on Homicide: An Analysis of Metropolitan Counties, 1980-2010

Recent scholarship has examined changes in the geographic distribution of poor persons in America, but it remains unclear whether high- and low- poverty neighborhoods have become more, or less, spa...
Principal component analysis of synaptic density measured with [11C]UCB-J PET in Alzheimer's disease

Introduction Synaptic loss has been cited as an early pathological event and major structural correlate of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, this observation is based on limited neuropathological studies. Here, we examined the in vivo relationship between synaptic density and cognitive performance in early AD using [11C]UCB-J PET and an extensive neuropsychological battery. We used principal components analysis (PCA) to identify regional patterns of variance in synaptic density and then assessed the association between principle components (PC) scores with cognitive performance in AD. Methods [11C]UCB-J binding was measured in 45 amyloid+ participants with AD (17 amnestic MCI and 28 mild dementia) and 19 amyloid– cognitively normal participants aged 50-85. Synaptic density was calculated as the distribution volume ratio (DVR) in a composite of AD-affected regions, using the whole cerebellum as reference region. A validated neuropsychological battery assessed performance across five cognitive domains, and an estimate of global cognition was made by averaging z-scores from each of these domains. PCA was applied to the pooled population (n=64) using DVR values centered and standardized by region from each of 42 bilateral cortical and subcortical regions of interest (ROI). Pearson's correlations were used to determine relationships between principle component subject scores and measures of cognitive functioning. Results After application of PCA, parallel analysis determined three significant PCs explaining 75.2% of the total variance (PC1=58.1%, PC2=11.4%, PC3=5.7%). PC1 was characterized by only positive loadings of equally low contributions across the majority of ROIs (Figure 1A, Figure 2AB Table 1) with the exception of verbal memory (Pearson r=0.24, P=0.11), as well as with a measure of global synaptic density (Pearson r=0.97, P Conclusions We present the first in vivo evidence confirming previous neuropathologic studies, demonstrating a significant association between synaptic density and cognitive performance. Our findings reinforce synaptic density as a robust biomarker of disease severity and suggest this correlation extends to the early stages of AD. Without the use of diagnostic identifiers, a data-driven approach defined specific spatial patterns of synaptic density, which were in turn correlated with unique participant characteristics within the AD group. Funding P50-AG047270 (CHvD), P30-AG066508 [CHvD], K23-AG057794 (APM), R01-AG052560 (REC, CHV), R01-AG062276 (CHvD), Dana Foundation (MKC), T32-MH019961 (RSO), and Thomas P. Detre Fellowship (RSO).
Improving Clearance for Renal Replacement Therapy

Abstract The adequacy of hemodialysis is now assessed by measuring the removal of a single solute, urea. The urea clearance provided by current dialysis methods is a large fraction of the blood flow through the dialyzer, and, therefore, cannot be increased much further. However, other solutes, which are less effectively cleared than urea, may contribute more to the residual uremic illness suffered by patients on hemodialysis. Here, we review a variety of methods that could be used to increase the clearance of such nonurea solutes. New clinical studies will be required to test the extent to which increasing solute clearances improves patients’ health.
K-SVD based Periodicity Dictionary Learning

It has recently been shown that periodicity in discrete-time data can be analyzed using Ramanujan sums and associated dictionaries. This paper explores the role of dictionary learning methods in the context of period estimation and periodic signal representation using dictionaries. It is shown that a well-known dictionary learning algorithm, namely K-SVD, is able to learn Ramanujan and Farey periodicity dictionaries from the noisy, sparse coefficient data generated from them without imposing any periodicity structure in the learning stage. This similarity between the learned dictionary and the underlying original periodicity dictionary reaffirms the power of the K-SVD in predicting the right dictionary from data without explicit application-specific constraints. The paper also examines how the choice of different parameter values affect the similarity of the learned dictionary to the underlying dictionary. Two versions of K-SVD along with different initializations are analyzed for their effect on representation and denoising error for the data.
Generalized Power Method for Generalized Orthogonal Procrustes Problem: Global Convergence and Optimization Landscape Analysis.

Given a set of multiple point clouds, how to find the rigid transformations (rotation, reflection, and shifting) such that these point clouds are well aligned? This problem, known as the generalized orthogonal Procrustes problem (GOPP), plays a fundamental role in several scientific disciplines including statistics, imaging science and computer vision. Despite its tremendous practical importance, it is still a challenging computational problem due to the inherent nonconvexity. In this paper, we study the semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation of the generalized orthogonal Procrustes problems and prove that the tightness of the SDP relaxation holds, i.e., the SDP estimator exactly equals the least squares estimator, if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is relatively large. We also prove that an efficient generalized power method with a proper initialization enjoys global linear convergence to the least squares estimator. In addition, we analyze the Burer-Monteiro factorization and show the corresponding optimization landscape is free of spurious local optima if the SNR is large. This explains why first-order Riemannian gradient methods with random initializations usually produce a satisfactory solution despite the nonconvexity. One highlight of our work is that the theoretical guarantees are purely algebraic and do not require any assumptions on the statistical property of the noise. Our results partially resolve one open problem posed in [Bandeira, Khoo, Singer, 2014] on the tightness of the SDP relaxation in solving the generalized orthogonal Procrustes problem. Numerical simulations are provided to complement our theoretical analysis.
Developing the Informed Learning Scale: Measuring Information Literacy in Higher Education

Academic libraries continue to face challenges communicating their value. One dimension of this challenge is in demonstrating how information literacy relates to important measures of student learning, like course grades and motivation. This study documents the development and exploratory pilot testing of the Informed Learning scale—which is intended to produce data for institutional reporting purposes at scale in alignment with contemporary IL theory, specifically Informed Learning. Preliminary findings include small correlations between the Informed Learning scale and course grades and moderate correlations between the scale and student perceptions of their learning climate and self-determined motivation.
KnowEnG: a knowledge engine for genomics

We describe here the vision, motivations, and research plans of the National Institutes of Health Center for Excellence in Big Data Computing at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The Center is organized around the construction of “Knowledge Engine for Genomics” (KnowEnG), an E-science framework for genomics where biomedical scientists will have access to powerful methods of data mining, network mining, and machine learning to extract knowledge out of genomics data. The scientist will come to KnowEnG with their own data sets in the form of spreadsheets and ask KnowEnG to analyze those data sets in the light of a massive knowledge base of community data sets called the “Knowledge Network” that will be at the heart of the system. The Center is undertaking discovery projects aimed at testing the utility of KnowEnG for transforming big data to knowledge. These projects span a broad range of biological enquiry, from pharmacogenomics (in collaboration with Mayo Clinic) to transcriptomics of human behavior.
Latent profiles of executive functioning in healthy young adults: Evidence of individual differences in hemispheric asymmetry.

Two competing theoretical models of individual differences in executive functioning (EF) were examined: the Prefrontal Convexity Model and the Hemispheric Asymmetry Model. Neurologically healthy individuals (N = 315; mean age 20.8) completed a modified switching task (MST) and the Attention Network Test (ANT) in a single testing session. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. In the first phase (model identification), latent profile analysis was applied to MST variables measuring the abilities to form, switch, and maintain mental sets under conditions designed to tax left or right hemisphere resources. In the second phase (model validation), participant clusters obtained from the first phase were compared on the ANT. The Model Identification phase yielded a 3-profile solution consistent with the Hemispheric Asymmetry Model. Profile 1 (N = 203) was characterized by average EF performances. Profile 2 (N = 43) revealed a set maintenance weakness under non-verbal conditions. Profile 3 (N = 38) demonstrated weaknesses in cognitive flexibility combined with poor executive performances under verbal conditions. The Model Validation phase confirmed group differences. Profile 1 demonstrated average EF performances. Profile 2 demonstrated distractibility and decreased alertness, consistent with a right hemisphere weakness. Profile 3 demonstrated cognitive rigidity in the absence of external cues, consistent with a left hemisphere weakness. Individual differences in EF appear to follow a Hemispheric Asymmetry Model of EF among neurologically healthy adults. Investigating the relationship between hemispherically mediated executive functions and other individual difference factors known to confer health risk or resilience could inform numerous disciplines within the field of psychology.
Primordial Nucleosynthesis and Light Element Abundances

Primordial nucleosynthesis has established itself as one of the three pillars of Big Bang cosmology. This symposium summarized the current observational and theoretical situation with regard to Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. In particular, it is shown that the Pop II 6Li results strongly support the argument that the Spite Plateau lithium is a good estimate of the primordial value. The 6Li is consistent with the Be and B found in Pop II stars, assuming those elements are cosmic ray produced. The HST 2D value tightens the 2D arguments. The recent reports of extragalactic D/H at redshift Z ∼ 3 are discussed. The new low metalicity 4He determinations appear to raise slightly the best primordial 4He number and thus make a better fit and avoid a potential problem. The new 3He measurements in planetary nebulae strongly support the basic concept that 3He is produced in low mass stars as well as the Big Bang. However, the variation of 3He/H inversely with H-II region mass argues that destruction in massive stars is probably occurring. In general, it was shown that abundance determinations are dominated by systematic rather than statistical errors, and work on bounding systematics is crucial. The quark-hadron inspired inhomogeneous calculations now unanimously agree that only relatively small variations in Ω B are possible vis-a-vis the homogeneous model; hence, the robustness of Ω b ∼ 0.05 is now apparent. This argues that the bulk of the baryons in the universe are not producing visible light. A comparison with the ROSAT cluster data is also shown to be consistent with the standard BBN model. Ω b ∼ 1 seems to be definitely excluded, so, if Ω = 1, as some recent observations may hint, then non-baryonic dark matter is required. The implications of the recently reported halo microlensing events are discussed. If real, they indicate the location of the baryons in compact halo objects.
Buying Scenery: Land Acquisitions for the National Park Service

The National Parks are enclaves of preservation adrift in a sea of development. Inevitably conflicts arise, for even the most conventional private land uses are frequently incompatible with the historic, archeological, and ecological preservation mandates under which the park system operates.' Where a conflict results from activity on other federal lands, such as the National Forests, its resolution is in theory (though rarely in practice) simple enough. The government need only decide which of its own competing policies to prefer in a given situation.2 But when private land uses intrude upon park protection, a much more delicate problem arises. Congress is understandably reluctant to compel communities and property owners to arrange their affairs simply to accommodate the
The Calcium-Sensitive Epitope of Pemphigus Foliaceus Antigen Is Present on a Murine Tryptic Fragment and Constitutes a Major Antigenic Region for Human Autoantibodies

Recent findings indicate that the pemphigus foliaceus (PF) antigen is involved in epidermal cell adhesion and that characteristic PP lesions result from loss of this function as a consequence of autoantibody binding. In the present communication we present data on the epitopes involved in the human autoantibody binding to an immunologically reactive murine tryptic fragment of the PF antigen (tf-PF). Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that 39 PF sera, obtained from North American, Colombian, and Brazilian patients recognized only calcium-sensitive epitope(s) on the tf-PF. Immunofluorescence blocking experiments showed that preincubation with tf-PF completely blocked the immunofluorescence of 80% of the sera when tested on human skin substrate, and 86% of the sera when tested on murine skin substrate. These results show that the calcium-sensitive epi- tope(s) originally recognized on human PF complex, is (are) present on the murine tf-PP and constitute(s) a major antigenic region for the human PF autoantibodies. They also implicate this region of the PF antigen in the pathogenesis of PF as well as in epidermal cell adhesion.
Spectroscopic study of impurity behaviour in neutral beam heated and ohmically heated TFTR discharges

Quantitative spectroscopic measurements of Zeff, impurity densities and radiated power losses have been made for ohmically heated and neutral beam heated TFTR discharges at a plasma current of 2.2 MA and a toroidal field of 4.7 T. Variations in these quantities with line average plasma density (e) and beam power up to 5.6 MW are presented for discharges on a movable graphite limiter. A detailed discussion of the use of an impurity transport model to infer absolute impurity densities and radiative losses from line intensity and visible continuum measurements is given. These discharges were dominated by low-Z impurities, with carbon having a considerably higher density than oxygen, except in high e Ohmic discharges where the densities of carbon and oxygen were comparable. Metallic impurity concentrations and radiative losses were small, resulting in hollow radiated power profiles and fractions of the input power radiated being 30–50% for Ohmic heating and 30% or less for beam heating. Spectroscopic estimates of the radiated power were in good agreement with bolometrically measured values. Because of an increase in the carbon density, Zeff rose from 2.0 to 2.8 as the beam power increased from 0 to 5.6 MW, pointing to a potentially serious dilution of the neutron producing plasma ions with increasing beam power. Both the low-Z and the metallic impurity concentrations were approximately constant with minor radius, indicating no central impurity accumulation in these discharges.
On the local distinguishing numbers of cycles

Abstract Consider the induced subgraph of a labeled graph G rooted at vertex v, denoted by Nvi, where V(Nvi) = {u: 0 ⩽ d(u,v) ⩽ i}. A labeling of the vertices of G, Φ : V(G) → {1,…, r} is said to be i-local distinguishing if ∀u, v ϵ V(G), u ≠ v, Nvi is not isomorphic to Nui under Φ. The ith local distinguishing number of G, LDi(G) is the minimum r such that G has an i-local distinguishing labeling that uses r colors. LDi(G) is a generalization of the distinguishing number D(G) as defined in Albertson and Collins (1996). An exact value for LD1(Cn) is computed for each n. It is shown that LD i (C n ) = Ω(n 1 (2i+1) ) . In addition, LD i (C n ) ⩽ 24(2i + 1)n 1 (2i+1) ( log n) 2i (2i+1) for constant i was proven using probabilistic methods. Finally, it is noted that for almost all graphs G, LD1(G) = O(log n).
Who is better for handling domestic violence? A comparison between Taiwanese female and male Officers ☆

Abstract This study examined Taiwanese female and male police officers’ perceptions of handling domestic violence. Specifically, it assessed officers’ attitudes toward whether female officers, male officers, or a combination of female and male officers are more suited for handling cases of battered women, offenders, and domestic violence overall. Survey data were collected from 96 female and 156 male officers from two police departments in Taiwan. Frequency distributions showed that a combination of male and female officers were most preferred by officers for handling abused women, offenders, and domestic violence overall. Regression analysis found that female officers were significantly more likely than male officers to favor a combination of male and female officers over female officers alone for handling battered women. Female officers were found to be more likely than male officers to favor male over female officers and a combination of male and female officers for handling offenders. Police supervisors’ attitudes toward domestic violence also influenced officers’ attitudes toward who is more suited for handling offenders. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.
Ab initio estimate of temperature dependence of electrical conductivity in a model amorphous material: Hydrogenated amorphous silicon

We present an ab initio calculation of the dc conductivity of amorphous silicon and hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The Kubo-Greenwood formula is used to obtain the dc conductivity, by thermal averaging over extended dynamical simulation. Its application to disordered solids is discussed. The conductivity is computed for a wide range of temperatures and doping is explored in a naive way by shifting the Fermi level. We observed the Meyer-Neldel rule for the electrical conductivity with ${E}_{\mathrm{MNR}}=0.06\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ and a temperature coefficient of resistance close to experiment for $a\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Si}:\mathrm{H}$. In general, experimental trends are reproduced by these calculations, and this suggests the possible utility of the approach for modeling carrier transport in other disordered systems.
Msham - A Multi-Hit Sample and Hold Multiplexer

The MSHAM is a single-width CAMAC module intended to be used for dE/dx or Z-position measurements, with a density of 16 analog channels. It is designed to record up to four hits/event per channel but the design can be easily adapted to eight hits. The charge collection time interval allowed per hit is externally controlled in the range of 50-500 ns, according to the requirements of the experiment. Besides the electrical performance of the MSHAM, i.e., linearity, noise, crosstalk, etc., the goal was to design multi-function circuits and high density packaging in order to achieve low cost per channel.
Modification of the cortical click-evoked response during eye movement in cats

Cortical auditory-evoked response during eye movement in cats, discussing relation to central mechanism
Valproic acid in epilepsy: clinical and pharmacological effects.

The antiepileptic drug valproic acid was studied in an open clinical trial as adjunct medication for 23 patients with uncontrolled seizures of a generalized or partial type. Two-thirds of the patients experienced reduction in seizure frequency ranging from 25 to 100%. Extensive testing revealed no evidence of serious systemic toxicity due to the drug. Minor side effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting, or sedation) were usually transient. Sodium valproate syrup and valproic acid in capsules gave equivalent mean low (23.3 microgram/ml) and maximum (42.5 microgram/ml) serum concentrations. The drug had a relatively short half-life of 8.7 hours, necessitating administration in divided daily doses. During initiation of valproate therapy there was evidence of a decline in total serum phenytoin concentration (16.5 to 10.2 microgram/ml; p less than 0.001) while the percentage of free phenytoin increased (10.9 to 20%). The quantity of unbound phenytoin was relatively stable throughout. This observation was interpreted as a drug interaction: valproic acid competed with phenytoin for access to plasma protein binding sites.
Alternative treatment of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction

Abstract Posterior tibial tendon insufficiency is a well-recognized entity. Treatment of this condition, however, is controversial.The process has been categorized into three surgical stages. Stage I disease is usually treated with tenosynovectomy and release of the sheath and retinaculum after failure of conservative methods. Stage II disease is treated with various tendon transfers with or without calcaneal osteotomy, and Stage III disease is most often treated with arthrodesis. This article presents a review of the various historical, physical and radiographic findings associated with this condition. In addition, an alternative approach to the surgical treatment of stage I or II posterior tibial insufficiency is presented. The procedure involves tenosynovectomy, tendon repair, deepening of the tendon groove, and pulley reconstruction. The procedure is simple, requires minimal postoperative immobilization, and by 6 weeks, patients have regained full motion and are able to ambulate with full weight bearing.
Age, reproductive history, seasonality, and maternal body composition during pregnancy for nomadic Turkana of Kenya

To evaluate the potential differences in maternal nutritional investment in pregnancy, data collected from nomadic Ngisonyoka Turkana women during a July 1993-July 1994 field season were utilized. The roles maternal age, parity, duration of the previous nonpregnant interval, overlap between pregnancy and lactation on trimester changes in weight and summed skinfolds during pregnancy were examined. Because seasonality is an important aspect of the Turkana environment, the effects of seasonality were also assessed. First trimester weight gain is positively associated with overlap in pregnancy and lactation. Second trimester maternal weight gain is negatively influenced by higher parity and by overlap between lactation and early pregnancy. Third trimester weight gain is influenced only by seasonally induced morbidity. First trimester changes in maternal skinfolds are negatively influenced by older maternal age and parity, and positively influenced by a longer nonpregnant interval, and overlap between pregnancy and lactation. Second and third trimester skinfolds are significantly associated only with overlap between lactation and pregnancy (negatively in the second, positively in the third). Seasonality does not influence maternal skinfolds. Differences in age- and parity-related patterns of maternal nutritional investment in pregnancy are not supported by the data. The possibility that Turkana cultural beliefs may influence nutritional status during pregnancy is discussed. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:658-672, 1999. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Chemical identification of iron reductants exuded by plant roots

Abstract Different varieties of plants exhibit varying abilities to mobilize iron from the soil and to some extent this is dependent upon the reduction of the iron from the ferric form to the ferrous form. Tomato, barley, soybean, and sunflower were studied to identify the iron reductants exuded by roots during periods of iron stress. The tomato reductants were fractionated into one major and at least three minor components. The major component has been identified as chlorogenic acid and considerable data has been collected on the other components. The reductant extract from sunflower has chlorogenic acid as a primary component. The reductant fractions from soybean and barley are similar but different from those of tomato and sunflower. The barley reductants contain glucose and the soybean reductants contain glucose and galactose as well as a ultraviolet light absorbing aglycone.
On the Equivalence Between Dissipativity and Optimality of Discontinuous Nonlinear Regulators for Filippov Dynamical Systems

In this paper, we derive guaranteed gain, sector, and disk margins for nonlinear optimal and inverse optimal discontinuous feedback regulators that minimize a nonlinear-nonquadratic performance functional for Filippov dynamical systems. Specifically, we consider dynamical systems with Lebesgue measurable and locally essentially bounded vector fields characterized by differential inclusions involving Filippov set-valued maps. In addition, we extend classical dissipativity theory to address the problem of dissipative discontinuous dynamical systems. These results are then used to derive extended Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov conditions for characterizing necessary and sufficient conditions for dissipativity of discontinuous systems using Clarke gradients and locally Lipschitz continuous storage functions. Furthermore, using the newly developed dissipativity notions we develop a return difference inequality to provide connections between dissipativity and optimality of nonlinear discontinuous controllers for Filippov dynamical systems. Specifically, using the extended Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov conditions we show that our discontinuous feedback control law satisfies a return difference inequality if and only if the controller is dissipative with respect to a quadratic supply rate.
Relativistic-intermediate-coupling calculations of angular distributions in resonant Auger decay.

The angular-distribution parameters of the resonant Auger transitions induced by photoexcitation have been calculated for the [ital L][sub 23-][ital M23][ital M23], [ital M][sub 45-][ital N23][ital N23] and [ital N][sub 45-][ital O23][ital O23] transitions in Ar, Kr, and Xe, respectively. The calculations are carried out using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method in intermediate coupling with configuration interaction. A two-step model is employed to describe the resonant Auger process. As in the case of normal Auger decay, inclusion of the effect of intermediate coupling removes the major discrepancy between theory based on the spectator model and experiment.
Calibration Of A 1 Meter Diameter Normal Incidence Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope/Spectrometer

A 1-meter normal incidence telescope, with a normal incidence concave diffraction grating spectrometer at its focus, has been developed. The instrument's spectral coverage is 350 to 1150A with a spectral resolution of 5A and a peak effective area of 6 sq cm at 500A. The instrument was launched on an Aries sounding rocket on November 27, 1983 in an effort to determine the hydrogen and helium abundance in the local interstellar medium. A description of this instrument, with the primary emphasis on the methods used to calibrate it, is presented.
Sonographic optic nerve sheath diameter as an estimate of intracranial pressure in adult trauma.

Background Intracranial pressure (ICP) is currently measured with invasive monitoring. Sonographic optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) may provide a noninvasive estimate of ICP. Our hypothesis was that bedside ONSD accurately estimates ICP in acutely injured patients. The specific aims were (1) to determine the accuracy of ONSD in estimating elevated ICP, (2) to correlate ONSD and ICP in unilateral and bilateral head injuries, and (3) to determine the effect of ICP monitor placement on ONSD measurements. Materials and Methods A blinded prospective study of adult trauma patients requiring ICP monitoring was performed at a University-based urban trauma center. The ONSD was measured by ultrasound pre- and post-placement of an ICP monitor (Camino Bolt or Ventriculostomy). Results One-hundred fourteen measurements were obtained in 10 trauma patients requiring ICP monitoring. Pre- and post-ONSD were compared with side of injury in the presence of an ICP monitor. ROC analysis demonstrated ONSD poorly estimates elevated ICP (AUC = 0.36). Overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy for estimating ICP with ONSD were 36%, 38%, 40%, 16%, and 37%. Poor correlation of ONSD to ICP was observed with unilateral (R 2 = 0.45, P 2 = 0.21, P = 0.01) injuries. ICP monitor placement did not affect ONSD measurements on the right ( P = 0.5), left ( P = 0.4), or right and left sides combined ( P = 0.3). Conclusions Sonographic ONSD as a surrogate for elevated ICP in lieu of invasive monitoring is not reliable due to poor accuracy and correlation.
Discrepancies in aortic growth explain aortic arch gradients during exercise

Abstract Objectives. This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence and etiology of hypertension and aortic arch gradients during exercise in patients who have apparent good coarctation repair assessed at rest. Background. The reported incidence of recurrent aortic arch obstruction (rest gradient >20 mm Hg) after previous successful surgical repair varies from 0% to 60% and usually is associated with recurrent stenosis at the site of surgical repair. Methods. Maximal treadmill exercise with Doppler echocardiographic gradient estimation was performed in 28 patients with a good coarctation repair at rest (normal blood pressure and arch gradient Results. Eight (29%) developed systolic hypertension for age and a mean Doppler gradient of 45 ± 13 mm Hg. At cardiac catheterization, the rest peak to peak systolic gradient (6 ± 6 to 28 ± 7 mm Hg, p Conclusions. Exercise testing detects hypertension and arch gradients in patients with a good coarctation repair as assessed at rest. The hypertension and arch “obstruction” appear to be related to discrepancies in the growth of the transverse aortic arch proximal to the repair site, rather than a “recoarctation” of the aorta.
Percutaneous inoculation of lymph nodes

Injections into rat lymph nodes are easily performed percutaneously, without the need for a skin incision, if the nodes are enlarged in advance. The requisite enlargement of the popliteal lymph node can be obtained in 2 or 3 weeks by a single injection of tin powder or other particulate material into the foot. This method may be especially useful when multiple intranodal inoculations are contemplated.
Thyrocalcitonin preparations: characterization of the depressor contaminant.

Abstract Previous work from this laboratory has demonstrated that certain preparations of the thyroid hormone, thyrocalcitonin, contain a potent depressor agent. It was also shown that the depressor activity was not associated with the hypocalcemic hormone. The object of this study was to characterize further the nature of the depressor contaminant. It was found that the response of the dog mean arterial blood pressure to intravenous administration of the vasoactive thyrocalcitonin preparations was only partially blocked by the antihistamine, diphenhydramine. The thyrocalcitonin preparations caused a contraction of the guinea pig ileum; this response was effectively blocked by diphenhydramine. It is concluded that histamine or a histamine-like agent is an importan contaminant of certain thyrocalcitonin preparations; the bioassay data indicated a histamine concentration of around 3 μg/ml. However, the fact that diphenhydramine only partially blocked the depressor response does not permit the conclusion that all of the depressor activity is due to a histamine-like agent.
Analysis of Trip Faults and Protection Measures on 10kV and 20kV Distribution Lines

Based on the trip faults data of 10kV and 20kV distribution lines which come from actually power grid in China, this paper has done a large number of statistical analyses and investigations. Trip faults are classified and analyzed by fault positions, monthly changes, fault causes and so on. Preliminary analysis suggests that main factors which lead to trip faults are outer forces, meteorological conditions, improper operation and maintenance, quality of equipment and design processes. Rains, strong winds and lightnings have the worst impact on distribution lines in a period from June to August. External forces caused the most faults on conductors, towers and stay wires. According to different failure reasons, countermeasures are put forward pointedly,so can provide references for improving power supply reliability in distribution network.
Computer Simulation Predicts Unfavorable Mud Rate and Optimum Air Injection Rate for Aerated Mud Drilling

In certain areas, the use of aerated mud as a circulating medium for drilling oil and gas wells is becoming an attractive practice. This is because aerated drilling has many advantages over conventional mud drilling, such as a higher penetration rate, less formation damage, minimized lost circulation, and lower drilling cost. The importance of maintaining adequate air and mud flow rates is generally recognized in aerated drilling operations. However, it remains unclear to drilling operators as to what constitutes an adequate flow rate. On the basis of computer simulation, this paper discusses carrying capacity of an aerated mud and the optimum air-injection rate that ensures a maximum penetration rate. it is found in this study that the carrying capacity of an aerated mud is very different from that of both the conventional mud and pure air. There is an unfavorable range of mud flow rate that provides lower carrying capacity of the aerated fluid for a given air injection rate. As a unique characteristic of multiphase flow, there exists an air injection rate that gives the lowest flowing annulus pressure for a given well geometry and a mud rate. By considering both the carrying capacity and flowing annulus pressure, anmore » optimum combination of mud and air rates can be determined. This optimum combination of flow rates should ensure a maximum penetration rate for a given well geometry. This paper provides drilling operators with a means of optimizing aerated mud drilling.« less
Material removal in magnetorheological finishing of optics

A concept of material removal based on the principle of conservation of particles momentum in a binary suspension is applied to analyze material removal in magnetorheological finishing and magnetorheological jet processes widely used in precision optics fabrication. According to this concept, a load for surface indentation by abrasive particles is provided at their interaction near the wall with heavier basic (magnetic) particles, which fluctuate (due to collision) in the shear flow of concentrated suspension. The model is in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experimental results.
Microarray Data Mining: A New Algorithm for Gene Selection Using Lorenz Curves & Gini Ratios

Gene selection is a challenging task in microarray data mining because a typical microarray dataset has only a small number of records while having thousands of attributes. This kind of dataset creates a high likelihood of finding false predictions that are due to chance. Finding the most relevant genes is often the key phase in building an accurate classification model. Irrelevant and redundant attributes have negative impacts on the accuracy of classification algorithms. In this paper, we present a new method for gene selection utilizing techniques from economics. We modify the Lorenz curves and the Gini coefficients by taking into account the order of classes and the order of gene's discretized values and use them for selecting relevant genes. We believe that our method is the first one for attribute selection that considers the order of classes and the order of the attribute's discretized values. We implemented this new method and compare our method with SAM, one of the most popular gene selection methods. Experimental results with many different classification algorithms for the task of classifying lung adenocarcinomas from gene expression show that (a) Our new method is different with SAM in the sense that it finds very different sets of significant genes. (b) Our method selects genes for more accurate classification.
EPA-0096 – Psychiatry in films: stigmatising or educating?

Why films? Films are powerful medium, art, entertainment, an industry and an instrument of social change, it is also a ruthless commercial enterprise, driven by populism and low cunning:’follow the money’ is the first rule of movie psychiatry. Over the years the image of psychiatry in films has struggled and, from an early start, the role of psychiatry was unfortunately often used for shock value. The incorrect portrayal of patients as either incurable or violent has been a recurrent theme, and psychiatrists have been depicted as incompetent, controlling or downright nasty. No wonder psychiatry is still affected by stigma! However, some authors have advocated that films can actually be useful learning tools for medical students and psychiatric trainees to teach them about certain aspects of psychiatry: watching a film is useful when learning about mental state examination, how to reach a diagnosis, doctor-patient interactions and personality disorder. Films can be used in teaching different subjects, including psychology (Fleming et al, 1990), developmental psychopathology (Nissim-Sabat, 1979), and individual and couple therapy (Hesley & Hesley, 2001). Fritz (1979) has argued that films, through their visual imagery, are closely related to dreams and therefore more likely to attune with the viewers’ unconscious and primary process thinking. A disadvantage of using films can be the distortion and stigmatising portrayal of mental illness (Levine, 2000).
The computer-assisted parenting program (capp): the use of a computerized behavioral parent training program as an educational tool

ABSTRACT In Study 1, the Computer-Assisted Parenting Program (CAPP) was evaluated using 24 undergraduate students. There was a significant increase in knowledge of behavioral parenting concepts following completion of the program plus high consumer satisfaction. In Study 2, parents of 46, 3–5 year-old children without behavior problems were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: computer treatment, booklet treatment, or control group. Computer group parents reported increased limit setting over the eight weeks of the study, whereas parents in the other groups reported decreased limit setting. Similarly, computer group parents maintained high baseline levels of involvement, whereas control and booklet group parents reported decreased involvement. There were no treatment effects involving changes in parenting knowledge, child behavior problems, or parenting stress. These latter findings may be, in part, due to the fact that the parents who volunteered for the study are of middle to upper SES and had ...
Regulation of β-endorphin and acth in brain by estradiol☆

Abstract The effect of estradiol on the brain concentration of immunoreactive β-endorphin (β-EP) and C-terminal ACTH (CLIP) was studied in ovariectomized rats. Dopamine, a known inhibitor of pituitary intermediate lobe pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), was examined as a possible mediator of the estradiol induced changes in brain POMC. Animals were treated for 1 or 3 weeks with either 1) saline; 2) silastic estradiol implants; or 3) estradiol implants plus haloperidol 1 mg/kg/day. After one week of treatment no significant change in hypothalamic β-EP content was noted in any group compared to the control level of 4.13 ± .33 (SEM) pmoles although in the neurointermediate lobe β-EP increased from 566 ± 72 to 942 ± 73 pomles after haloperidol (p
Ab Initio Computational Study of the Allenyl Cope Rearrangement of syn-7-Allenylnorbornene

Results of (8,8)CASPT2/6-31G*//(8,8)CASSCF/6-31G* level calculations on the potential surface for the conformationally restricted allenyl Cope rearrangement of syn-7-allenylnorbornene (10) to trien...
Back-end algorithms that enhance the functionality of a biomimetic acoustic gunfire direction finding system

Increasing battlefield awareness can improve both the effectiveness and timeliness of response in hostile military situations. A system that processes acoustic data is proposed to handle a variety of possible applications. The front-end of the existing biomimetic acoustic direction finding system, a mammalian peripheral auditory system model, provides the back-end system with what amounts to spike trains. The back-end system consists of individual algorithms tailored to extract specific information. The back-end algorithms are transportable to FPGA platforms and other general-purpose computers. The algorithms can be modified for use with both fixed and mobile, existing sensor platforms. Currently, gunfire classification and localization algorithms based on both neural networks and pitch are being developed and tested. The neural network model is trained under supervised learning to differentiate and trace various gunfire acoustic signatures and reduce the effect of different frequency responses of microphones on different hardware platforms. The model is being tested against impact and launch acoustic signals of various mortars, supersonic and muzzle-blast of rifle shots, and other weapons. It outperforms the cross-correlation algorithm with regard to computational efficiency, memory requirements, and noise robustness. The spike-based pitch model uses the times between successive spike events to calculate the periodicity of the signal. Differences in the periodicity signatures and comparisons of the overall spike activity are used to classify mortar size and event type. The localization of the gunfire acoustic signals is further computed based on the classification result and the location of microphones and other parameters of the existing hardware platform implementation.