cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combining independent component analysis and correlation analysis to probe interregional connectivity in fMRI task activation datasets

Abstract A new approach in studying interregional functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is presented. Functional connectivity may be detected by means of cross correlating time course data from functionally related brain regions. These data exhibit high temporal coherence of low frequency fluctuations due to synchronized blood flow changes. In the past, this fMRI technique for studying functional connectivity has been applied to subjects that performed no prescribed task (“resting” state). This paper presents the results of applying the same method to task-related activation datasets. Functional connectivity analysis is first performed in areas not involved with the task. Then a method is devised to remove the effects of activation from the data using independent component analysis (ICA) and functional connectivity analysis is repeated. Functional connectivity, which is demonstrated in the “resting brain,” is not affected by tasks which activate unrelated brain regions. In addition, ICA effectively removes activation from the data and may allow us to study functional connectivity even in the activated regions.
An algorithm for visualizing and detecting edges in RGB color images using logarithmic ratio approach

In this paper, we present an algorithm for visualizing edges in RGB colored images as well as edge detection using logarithmic ratio approach. The developed visualization algorithm has a superior performance in highlighting more unforeseen color edges than the standard RGB-grayscale conversion method can present. Also, by integrating the proposed algorithm with a logarithmic-ratio based edge detector operator, the developed algorithm outperforms the standard edge detection operators in gradient colored images where color boundaries transitions are hard to detect.
Integration of bioinformatics into an undergraduate biology curriculum and the impact on development of mathematical skills

The development of fields such as bioinformatics and genomics has created new challenges and opportunities for undergraduate biology curricula. Students preparing for careers in science, technology, and medicine need more intensive study of bioinformatics and more sophisticated training in the mathematics on which this field is based. In this study, we deliberately integrated bioinformatics instruction at multiple course levels into an existing biology curriculum. Students in an introductory biology course, intermediate lab courses, and advanced project-oriented courses all participated in new course components designed to sequentially introduce bioinformatics skills and knowledge, as well as computational approaches that are common to many bioinformatics applications. In each course, bioinformatics learning was embedded in an existing disciplinary instructional sequence, as opposed to having a single course where all bioinformatics learning occurs. We designed direct and indirect assessment tools to follow student progress through the course sequence. Our data show significant gains in both student confidence and ability in bioinformatics during individual courses and as course level increases. Despite evidence of substantial student learning in both bioinformatics and mathematics, students were skeptical about the link between learning bioinformatics and learning mathematics. While our approach resulted in substantial learning gains, student "buy-in" and engagement might be better in longer project-based activities that demand application of skills to research problems. Nevertheless, in situations where a concentrated focus on project-oriented bioinformatics is not possible or desirable, our approach of integrating multiple smaller components into an existing curriculum provides an alternative.
Aluminum Phthalocyanine Tetrasulfonate in MCF-10F, Human Breast Epithelial Cells: A Hole Burning Study

Laser-induced holes are burned in the absorption spectrum of aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (APT) in MCF-10F, human breast epithelial cells. The hole burning mechanism is shown to be nonphotochemical. The fluorescence excitation spectra and hole spectra are compared with those of APT in hyperquenched glassy films of water, ethanol, and methanol. The results show that the APT is in an acidic, aqueous environment with a hydrogen-bonded network similar to that of glassy water, but showing the influence of other cellular components. Pressure shifts of holes allow the local compressibility about the APT to be determined.
Hazardous waste incineration: The in-situ capture of lead by sorbents in a laboratory down-flow combustor

Experiments on a 17 KW downflow combustor determined how sorbent injection into the post flame influenced the particle size distribution of a lead aerosol formed from a surrogate lead containing waste. In the absence of chlorine, the lead aerosol size distribution evolved within the combustor to lie predominantly between 0.02 and 0.2 microns by the time it was sampled, at the combustor exit. When a commercial kaolinite sorbent was added, the lead sampled in that particle size range was reduced by 99%, and there is clear evidence that the heavy metal was reactively scavenged in the combustor by the larger sorbent particles. Chlorine kept the lead in the vapor form, until it was sampled, at which point it formed a fume in the probe. At large Cl/Pb ratios (greater than 10), the addition of sorbent was not effective in scavenging the lead vapor, although capture was again apparent as Cl/Pb ratios were reduced to 2. Data from experimental runs with a large excess of chlorine present, but not those where Cl/Pb ratio was equal to 2, are in sharp contrast to literature data from bench scale reactor studies.
Estimate of Coherent Tune Shifts for PEP

Transverse and longitudinal instabilities for a bunched PEP beam with a Gaussian distribution are treated using the standard technique in which instability problems are solved by looking for eigenvalues of the linearized Vlasov equation. The eigen solutions are conveniently expanded in terms of the Laquerre polynomials, and the eigenvalues are given by a symmetric matrix whose elements can be expressed in infinite series. The well-known formalism is used to obtain the matrix formula, and then applied numerically to the PEP ring to estimate the transverse coherent tune shifts. The impedance used is that estimated for the PEP RF cavities. The agreement with experimental data seems reasonable.
One-way characteristic performance of rats under two-way signaled avoidance conditions

Abstract In Experiment 1, the conflict in a two-way active avoidance was reduced by allowing rats to avoid one of two levels of shock by running onto a safe platform which covered one half of the grid floor. Performance characteristics of one-way avoidance were obtained regardless of the shock intensity. Groups with no platform showed poor performance. Experiment 2 suggested that the facilitatory effect of the platforms was not due to the cue associated with platform removal. These results suggest that (a) rats can quickly learn to enter a spatially aversive location, (b) fast avoidance learning may be obtained in a two-way setting, and (c) rats seem capable of selective association of environmental and aversive stimuli.
Making leaps in amphibian ecotoxicology: translating individual-level effects of contaminants to population viability

Concern that environmental contaminants contribute to global amphibian population declines has prompted extensive experimental investigation, but individual-level experimental results have seldom been translated to population-level processes. We used our research on the effects of mercury (Hg) on American toads (Bufo americanus) as a model for bridging the gap between individual-level contaminant effects and amphibian population viability. We synthesized the results of previous field and laboratory studies examining effects of Hg throughout the life cycle of B. americanus and constructed a comprehensive demographic population model to evaluate the consequences of Hg exposure on population dynamics. Our model explicitly considered density-dependent larval survival, which is known to be an important driver of amphibian population dynamics, and incorporated two important factors that have seldom been considered in previous amphibian modeling studies: environmental stochasticity and sublethal effects. We demonstrated that decreases in embryonic survival and sublethal effects (e.g., reduced body size) that delay maturation have minor effects on population dynamics, whereas contaminant effects that reduce late-larval or post-metamorphic survival have important population-level consequences. We found that excessive Hg exposure through maternal transfer or larval diet, alone, had minor effects on B. americanus populations. Simultaneous maternal and dietary exposure resulted in reduced population size and a dramatic increase in extinction probability, but explicit prediction of population-level effects was dependent on the strength of larval density dependence. Our results suggest that environmental contaminants can influence amphibian population viability, but that highly integrative approaches are needed to translate individual-level effects to populations.
Active, inactive and in vitro synthesized forms of polyphenoloxidase during leaf development

Polyphenoloxidase (PPO; EC 1.14.18.1) activity decreased 8-fold from young to mature Vicia faba L. Moensch (cv. Long pod) leaves. The Km for catechol remained relatively constant from young to mature leaves. Electrophoretic separation and analysis showed that only one active form was present in extracts from various leaf sizes. The amount of this form appeared to decrease with leaf size/age. In extracts which had not tanned, electroblotting and immunostaining indicated that one enzyme form was present with a molecular mass of 45 kDa. Two leaf categories contained greater amounts of this immunological cross-reacting PPO than other leaf categories. When extracts were allowed to darken, immunoblotting detected three enzyme forms with molecular masses of 45, 59 and 63 kDa. The latter two immunological crossracting species had no detectable enzyme activity. Poly-A+ mRNA was isolated from six leaf sizes and translated in vitro. A product corresponding to PPO was present in all leaf categories. Greater amounts of this translation product were observed in medium-sized leaves than in very young or mature leaves. These results suggest that: (1) enzymatic assays for PPO are not reliable indicators of the total amount of PPO protein present in developing leaves, (2) immunoblotting can detect inactive enzyme forms, (3) only one active form of the enzyme is present at all developmental stages, and (4) mRNA corresponding to PPO is present at all developmental stages but appears to be more abundant in certain leaf sizes/ages.
What Postformal Thought Is, and Why It Matters

The four stages of postformal thought are Systematic, Metasystematic, Paradigmatic, and Cross-Paradigmatic. Each successive stage is more hierarchically complex than the one that precedes it. Each stage uses the elements formed at the previous stage to construct more hierarchically complex elements (e.g., metasystems, paradigms). An actual instrument constructed using the Model of Hierarchical Complexity illustrates the progression in hierarchical complexity. Another example illustrates the nonlinear nature of hierarchical complexity. The distinct tasks of the four stages are described. Postformal thought benefits interpersonal, societal, and academic endeavors by virtue of the kinds of tasks performed at each stage.
A field method for assessing borehole friction for directional well casing

Abstract A field procedure to evaluate the borehole friction factor between a pipe string and a borehole was developed. The primary concern of this research was to investigate and mathematically describe the drag associated with casing runs in directional wells through the use of the two-dimensional approach. The borehole friction factor was found, through an iterative procedure, by matching the calculated hook load to the measured one at the surface. The borehole friction factor was calculated as the unique value for the match. This study shows the necessary precision requirements for the hook load measurement instrumentation and presents three different types of equipment that meet accuracy demands. The significance of the mechanical friction effect on hook load was also addressed, by introducing the drag-weight ratio concept. It was found out that to assure accuracy of the method, the minimum required value of the drag-weight ratio should be 25%. The statistical analysis revealed that one single value of the borehole friction factor can represent the well. It was concluded in the study that the model can be used for prediction of tensional load of a casing string in a directional well.
Comparison of the Dynamics of the Primary Events of Bacteriorhodopsin in Its Trimeric and Monomeric States

In this paper, femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy in the visible region of the spectrum has been used to examine the ultrafast dynamics of the retinal excited state in both the native trimeric state and the monomeric state of bacteriorhodopsin (bR). It is found that the excited state lifetime (probed at 490 nm) increases only slightly upon the monomerization of bR. No significant kinetic difference is observed in the recovery process of the bR ground state probed at 570 nm nor in the fluorescent state observed at 850 nm. However, an increase in the relative amplitude of the slow component of bR excited state decay is observed in the monomer, which is due to the increase in the concentration of the 13-cis retinal isomer in the ground state of the light-adapted bR monomer. Our data indicate that when the protein packing around the retinal is changed upon bR monomerization, there is only a subtle change in the retinal potential surface, which is dependent on the charge distribution and the dipoles within the retinal-binding cavity. In addition, our results show that 40% of the excited state bR molecules return to the ground state on three different time scales: one-half-picosecond component during the relaxation of the excited state and the formation of the J intermediate, a 3-ps component as the J changes to the K intermediate where retinal photoisomerization occurs, and a subnanosecond component during the photocycle.
A new Gamma Knife radiosurgery paradigm: tomosurgery.

This study proposes and simulates an inverse treatment planning and a continuous dose delivery approach for the Leksell Gamma Knife registered (LGK, Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) which we refer to as 'Tomosurgery'. Tomosurgery uses an isocenter that moves within the irradiation field to continuously deliver the prescribed radiation dose in a raster-scanning format, slice by slice, within an intracranial lesion. Our Tomosurgery automated (inverse) treatment planning algorithm utilizes a two-stage optimization strategy. The first stage reduces the current three-dimensional (3D) treatment planning problem to a series of more easily solved 2D treatment planning subproblems. In the second stage, those 2D treatment plans are assembled to obtain a final 3D treatment plan for the entire lesion. We created Tomosurgery treatment plans for 11 patients who had already received manually-generated LGK treatment plans to treat brain tumors. For the seven cases without critical structures (CS), the Tomosurgery treatment plans showed borderline to significant improvement in within-tumor dose standard deviation (STD) (p =}20% or {>=}30% of the maximum dose) showed no significant improvement in the Tomosurgery treatment plans (p<0.345 and p<0.423, respectively). However, the overall CS dose volume histograms were improved in the Tomosurgery treatment plans. In addition, the LGK Tomosurgery inverse treatment planning required less time than standard of care, forward (manual) LGK treatment planning (i.e., 5-35 min vs 1-3 h) for all 11 cases. We expect that LGK Tomosurgery will speed treatment planning and improve treatment quality, especially for large and/or geometrically complex lesions. However, using only 4 mm collimators could greatly increase treatment plan delivery time for a large brain lesion. This issue is subject to further investigation.« less
Estimation and Testing of Forecast Rationality under Flexible Loss

In situations where a sequence of forecasts is observed, a common strategy is to examine “rationality” conditional on a given loss function. We examine this from a different perspective— supposing that we have a family of loss functions indexed by unknown shape parameters, then given the forecasts can we back out the loss function parameters consistent with the forecasts being rational even when we do not observe the underlying forecasting model? We establish identification of the parameters of a general class of loss functions that nest popular loss functions as special cases and provide estimation methods and asymptotic distributional results for these parameters. This allows us to construct new tests of forecast rationality that allow for asymmetric loss. The methods are applied in an empirical analysis of IMF and OECD forecasts of budget deficits for the G7 countries. We find that allowing for asymmetric loss can significantly change the outcome of empirical tests of forecast rationality.
Relationships Among Retardation, Expansion, Microstructure, and Phase Composition For a Salt-Saturated Expansive Grout

A salt-saturated and sulfate-expansive grout was formulated with four levels of sodium citrate to determine effects on workability and setting time. Linear expansion of restrained grout prisms increased with amount of citrate used, apparently a function of extent of retardation of the grouts. This relationship was observed both for grouts cured for at least 53 days, and for a concrete formulated from the same cementitious materials cured for at least 180 days age. The microstructures of the grouts at 28 days age showed notable increases in extent of reaction of the sulfate phases and in formation of ettringite with increasing citrate content, and thus with increasing retardation of set. XRD also revealed an increase in well-crystallized ettringite and decrease in gypsum with greater retardation. These observations provide a microstructural and compositional link between retardation and expansion of cementitious materials formulated to be expansive.
The General Factor of Personality and Evaluation

According to the proposal of the general factor of personality (GFP), socially desirable personality traits have been selected for throughout evolution because they increase fitness. However, it re...
On optimization algorithms for the reservoir oil well placement problem

Determining optimal locations and operation parameters for wells in oil and gas reservoirs has a potentially high economic impact. Finding these op- tima depends on a complex combination of geological, petrophysical, flow regimen, and economical parame- ters that are hard to grasp intuitively. On the other hand, automatic approaches have in the past been hampered by the overwhelming computational cost of running thousands of potential cases using reservoir simulators, given that each of these runs can take on
Alterations in TGF-β1 expression in lambs with increased pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary hypertension

The mechanisms responsible for pulmonary vascular remodeling in congenital heart disease with increased pulmonary blood flow remain unclear. We developed a lamb model of congenital heart disease an...
Diisopropyl (Dichloromethyl)boronate

[63360-99-5] C7H15BCl2O2 (MW 212.91) InChI = 1S/C7H15BCl2O2/c1-5(2)11-8(7(9)10)12-6(3)4/h5-7H,1-4H3 InChIKey = XHOSKSMGPJTTSE-UHFFFAOYSA-N (reacts with RLi to form α-chloroalkyl boronic esters;2 chiral 1,2-diol ester derivatives react highly stereoselectively with RLi to form chiral α-chloroalkyl boronic esters1) Physical Data: bp 65 °C/10 mmHg,2 50–52 °C/5 mmHg;3 nD25 1.4208.2 Form Supplied in: commercially available as pure liquid. Preparative Method: addition of LDA to CH2Cl2 and triisopropyl borate in THF at −78 °C, then anhydrous HCl, filtration, and fractional distillation.3 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: is hydrolyzed to (dichloromethyl)boronic acid on contact with atmospheric moisture, and should be stored well sealed under nitrogen. It can be transferred and weighed in air without difficulty. The toxicity is unknown, but it should be regarded as a typical reactive alkyl halide.
Phase equilibria in the Nb-Ga-As system below 1000 °C

The Nb-Ga-As solid state equilibrium phase diagram was determined at 600 °C with the use of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). No ternary Nb-Ga-As phases were found, and limited solid solubilities were measured in the constituent binary Nb-Ga and Nb-As compounds. The phases GaAs, NbGa3, and NbAs coexist with each other to form a three-phase equilibrium that dominates the GaAs side of the phase diagram. The phase diagram is in agreement with interfacial reaction studies, which have shown that NbGas and NbAs are the stable phases when Nb thin films are reacted to completion on GaAs.
Evolution of the lymphoid system II. Evidence for immunoglobulin determinants on all rainbow trout lymphocytes and demonstration of mixed leukocyte reaction

Indirect fluorescent antibody analyses utilizing antiserum specific for rainbow trout serum immunoglobulin (Ig) demonstrated that essentially all rainbow trout lymphocytes from thymus, spleen, anterior kidney and peripheral blood possess either Ig determinants or structures which cross-react with those determinants found on serum Ig. Peripheral blood leukocytes from rainbow trout were found to be caple of participating in a mixed leukocyte reaction. This observation is discussed in terms of the evolution of T cell function.
Unscrambling for fast DFT algorithms

Several methods are reviewed for removing the unscrambler in the prime factor algorithms (PFA) and the types of unscrambler necessary for the Cooley-Tukey FFT (fast Fourier transform) are discussed. It is shown that a radix-4, radix-8, radix-16, or any radix-2/sup m/ FFT can be written to give the output in the same bit-reversed order as the radix-2 FFT. This applies to programs which mix radix-8, radix-4, and radix-2 stages to have the high efficiency of radix-8 and radix-4 and the variety of lengths of radix-2. In a more general form, the method will allow a radix-16 to give its output in the same order as as radix-4 FFT. The method can be used with radix-2/sup m/ Harley, cosine, sine, number-theoretic, and special real-data transforms. This result has practical importance because it allows a single software or hardware bit-reverse counter to unscramble the more efficient radix-4, radix-8, and mixed-radix FFTs. >
Longitudinal study of a building-scale RFID ecosystem

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) deployments are becoming increasingly popular in both industrial and consumer-oriented settings. To effectively exploit and operate such deployments, important challenges must be addressed, from managing RFID data streams to handling limitations in reader accuracy and coverage. Furthermore, deployments that support pervasive computing raise additional issues related to user acceptance and system utility. To better understand these challenges, we conducted a four-week study of a building-scale EPC Class-1 Generation-2 RFID deployment, the "RFID Ecosystem", with 47 readers (160 antennas) installed throughout an 8,000 square meter building. During the study, 67 participants having over 300 tags accessed the collected RFID data through applications including an object finder and a friend tracker and several tools for managing personal data. We found that our RFID deployment produces a very manageable amount of data overall, but with orders of magnitude difference among various participants and objects. We also find that the tag detection rates tend to be low with high variance across the type of tag, participant and object. Users need expert guidance to effectively mount their tags and are encouraged by compelling applications to wear tags more frequently. Finally, probabilistic modeling and inference techniques promise to enable more complex applications by smoothing over gaps and errors in the data, but must be applied with care as they add significant computational and storage overhead.
Maturational differences in chlorpyrifos‐oxonase activity may contribute to age‐related sensitivity to chlorpyrifos

Chlorpyrifos (CPF), a commonly used cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticide, is lethal at much lower doses to young animals than adults. To explain this higher sensitivity in younger animals, we hypothesized that young rats have less chlorpyrifos-oxonase (CPFOase) activity than adults. To test this hypothesis, CPFOase activity was measured in the brain, plasma, and liver of male, postnatal day 4 (PND4) and adult (PND90) Long-Evans rats. CPFOase is biochemically defined as a Ca2+-dependent A-esterase that hydrolyzes chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPFO), the active metabolite of CPF. No brain CPFOase activity was detected at either age. Plasma and liver CPFOase activities were markedly lower at PND4 compared to adult: PND4 plasma and liver CPFOase activities were 1/11 and 1/2 the adult plasma and liver activities, respectively. Because the Km of CPFOase activity was high (i.e., 210–380 μM), it was important to determine if this CPFOase activity could hydrolyze physiologically relevant concentrations (i.e., nM to low μM) of CPFO. This was accomplished by comparing the shifts in the tissue acetylcholinesterase (AChE) IC50 for CPFO in the presence or absence of CPFOase activity. One would expect an increase in the “apparent” IC50 if CPFOase hydrolyzes substantial amounts of CPFO during the 30 minutes the tissue is preincubated with the CPFO. In the adult, both plasma and liver AChE apparent IC50 values were higher in the presence of CPFOase activity, suggesting that the CPFOase in those tissues was capable of hydrolyzing physiologically relevant concentrations of CPFO within 30 minutes. In young animals, however, there was less of a shift in the IC50 curves compared to the adult, confirming that the young animal has less capacity than the adult to detoxify physiologically relevant concentrations of CPFO via CPFOase. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biochem Toxicol 11: 279–287, 1997.
Income Effectively Connected with U.S. Trade or Business: A Survey and Appraisal

The United States imposes two income taxes on foreign persons: a withholding tax on dividends, royalties, and other fixed or determinable annual or periodical income and an effectively connected income tax. The latter tax only applies to foreign persons that carry on trades or businesses in the United States and, for these persons, it is imposed, at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. persons, on net income effectively connected with U.S. trades or businesses. This paper is about the effectively connected income tax. It surveys current law on the subject and offers several suggestions for legislative changes that would make the effectively connected income tax more transparent and less confusing to taxpayers, tax practitioners, and students.
Finite-Dimensional PT-Symmetric Hamiltonians

This paper investigates finite-dimensional PT-symmetric Hamiltonians. It is shown here that there are two ways to extend real symmetric Hamiltonians into the complex domain: (i) The usual approach is to generalize such Hamiltonians to include complex Hermitian Hamiltonians. (ii) Alternatively, one can generalize real symmetric Hamiltonians to include complex PT-symmetric Hamiltonians. In the first approach the spectrum remains real, while in the second approach the spectrum remains real if the PT symmetry is not broken. Both generalizations give a consistent theory of quantum mechanics, but if D>2, a D-dimensional Hermitian matrix Hamiltonian has more arbitrary parameters than a D-dimensional PT-symmetric matrix Hamiltonian.
Spectral Transmission of Volume Bragg Gratings: Influence of Uncompensated Fresnel Reflections

Spectral profile of reflective Volume Bragg Gratings is studied with account of interference effects of Fresnel boundaries, partially or completely uncoated. Small boundary contributions diminish considerably transmissivity in the region designated for 100% transmission.
Perceptual Anchors and the Dispersion of Nasality Ratings

Objective: This investigation studied the effects of perceptual anchors on the dispersion and reliability of listener ratings of nasality. Design: Listeners (N = 129) were assigned to one of six listening groups. Each group rated nasality independently for 100 speech samples on a seven-point scale that ranged from 1 = normal nasality to 7 = severe hypernasality. The anchors used were examples of a 1, 3, 4, 5, and/or 7 on the rating scale. These anchors were played selectively to group 2 (4), group 3 (1 and 7), group 4 (3 and 5), group 5 (1, 4, 7), and group 6 (7). Group 1 had no anchor. Participants: Of the speakers, 95 were children followed by a craniofacial team and five were children without histories of speech disorders. Main Outcome Measures: The outcome measures were 12,900 ratings of nasality on a seven-point scale. Results: Q values showed that group 5, which was the only group to receive three anchors, had the lowest, or best, Q value (0.78), and group 1 (no anchor) had the highest, or wors...
Stratigraphy and evolution of the buried CO2 deposit in the Martian south polar cap

Observations by the Shallow Radar instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal several deposits of buried CO2 ice within the south polar layered deposits. Here we present mapping that demonstrates this unit is 18% larger than previously estimated, containing enough mass to double the atmospheric pressure on Mars if sublimated. We find three distinct subunits of CO2 ice, each capped by a thin (10–60 m) bounding layer (BL). Multiple lines of evidence suggest that each BL is dominated by water ice. We model the history of CO2 accumulation at the poles based on obliquity and insolation variability during the last 1 Myr assuming a total mass budget consisting of the current atmosphere and the sequestered ice. Our model predicts that CO2 ice has accumulated over large areas several times during that period, in agreement with the radar findings of multiple periods of accumulation.
Closed head injuries in athletes

Closed head injuries account for a significant number of catastrophic sports-related injuries. These injuries may result from virtually any contact, competitive, or individual sports activity. Brain lesions ranging in severity from simple concussions to life-threatening intracranial hematomas are all too common. A number of measures are discussed to effect a reduction in the frequency and severity of such injuries.
What Did We Learn from the Animal Studies of Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training and Where Do We Go from Here?

Abstract Body weight–supported treadmill training (BWSTT) developed from animal studies of spinal cord injury (SCI). Evidence that spinal cats (i.e., cats that have a complete surgical transection of the cord) could regain the ability to step on a moving treadmill indicated a vast potential for spinal circuits to generate walking without the brain. BWSTT represented a means to unlock that potential. As the technique was adapted as a rehabilitation intervention for humans with SCI, shortcomings in the translation to walking in the real world were exposed. Evidence that BWSTT has not been as successful for humans with SCI leads us to revisit key animal studies. In this short review, we describe the task-specific nature of BWSTT and discuss how this specificity may pose limits on the recovery of overground walking. Also discussed are more recent studies that have introduced new strategies and tools that adapt BWSTT ideas to more functionally-relevant tasks. We introduce a new device for weight-supported over...
NLRX1 attenuates damage following traumatic brain injury through negatively regulating NF-κB signaling

Mechanical trauma to the CNS results in the disruption of the cellular microenvironment leading to massive necrotic and apoptotic loss of neuronal and glia populations. The progressive cascade of secondary events, including ischemia, inflammation, excitotoxicity and free radial release contribute to neural tissue damage. Members of the NLR family of pattern recognition receptors are essential mediators of the host immune response. Recently, our lab and others identified a novel sub-group of NLRs that function as negative regulators of inflammation. One of the members of this sub-group, NLRX1, is a potent regulator of interferon, NF-κB, ROS production and autophagy. Thus, we hypothesized that NLRX1 attenuates Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) through the negative regulation of overzealous innate immune system signaling. To evaluate this hypothesis, we utilized Nlrx1 −/− mice in a controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model. The Nlrx1 −/− mice exhibited significantly larger brain lesions and increased motor deficits following CCI injury. We also observed significant proliferation of microglia within the Nlrx1 −/− lesions compared to wild type animals. Mechanistically, our data indicates that NLRX1 attenuates TBI progression through the microglia compartment via negative regulation of NF-κB signaling and IL-6 production. Together, our data extends the function of NLRX1 beyond its currently characterized role in host-pathogen defense and identifies this highly novel NLR as a significant modulator of TBI progression.
Mathematical spacer grid models for single phase flow

Abstract The fuel rods in pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) cores are supported by spacer grids. Even though spacer grids add to pressure loss in the reactor core, spacer grids have several benefits in light water reactors (LWRs). Some of these benefits are: (i) increasing turbulence at the bottom of the reactor core for better heat transfer in single phase region of LWRs, (ii) improving departure nucleate boiling ratio results for PWRs, and (iii) improving critical power ratio (CPR) values by increasing the thickness of film in annular flow regime in the top section of the reactor core of BWRs. Several mathematical models have been developed for single and two phase pressure loss across the grid spacer. Almost all of them significantly depend on Reynolds Number. Spacer designs have evolved (incorporating mixing vanes, springs, dimples, etc), resulting in complexity of the analysis across the grid. The models have been compared not only theoretically but also quantitatively. For the quantitative comparisons, this work compares results of mathematical spacer models with experimental data of BWR Full Size Fine Mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT). The experimental data of BFBT provides very detailed experimental results for pressure drop by using several different boundary condition and detailed pressure drop measurements. Two bundle types of BFBT, the current 8 × 8 type and the high burn-up 8 × 8 type, were simulated. There are two also types of spacers in the BFBT program – ferrule type and grid type. Therefore, the experimental data of BFBT used a wide range of boundary conditions of BWRs. This paper analyzes mathematical models of spacer grids for a portion of available data. It was observed and discussed that pressure drop values due to spacer models can be significantly different for single phase flow.
A cloud feedback emulator (CFE, version 1.0) for an intermediate complexity model

Abstract. The dominant source of inter-model differences in comprehensive global climate models (GCMs) are cloud radiative effects on Earth's energy budget. Intermediate complexity models, while able to run more efficiently, often lack cloud feedbacks. Here, we describe and evaluate a method for applying GCM-derived shortwave and longwave cloud feedbacks from 4 × CO2 and Last Glacial Maximum experiments to the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model. The method generally captures the spread in top-of-the-atmosphere radiative feedbacks between the original GCMs, which impacts the magnitude and spatial distribution of surface temperature changes and climate sensitivity. These results suggest that the method is suitable to incorporate multi-model cloud feedback uncertainties in ensemble simulations with a single intermediate complexity model.
Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate: Patient Selection and Outcomes

Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is a proven technique to alleviate bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Herein, we review factors relevant to selecting patients who will benefit from this procedure and expected outcomes. New randomized trials have validated the excellent outcomes achieved by HoLEP in the management of BOO from BPH. Its success has been reproduced in a diverse array of patients including those on anticoagulation, with detrusor underactivity/acontractility, prostate cancer, and in the retreatment setting. HoLEP can be applied to the majority of patients with BOO from BPH regardless of prostate size, previous operations, or the condition of the detrusor. HoLEP can also be carefully considered in patients requiring anticoagulation or who are undergoing active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer. Immediate complication rate is low and incontinence is rare. Retrograde ejaculation occurs in approximately 75% patients. Furthermore, the retreatment rate for HoLEP is lower than reported for other endoscopic BPH procedures demonstrating its durability.
Accuracy of appraisers and appraisal methods of closely held companies

Valuation experts often use different methodologies when estimating the value of a closely held company. This paper analyzes the general valuation methodologies and the specific factors used by app...
Social Media Use as a Tool to Facilitate or Reduce Cyberbullying Perpetration: A Review Focusing on Anonymous and Nonanonymous Social Media Platforms

Abstract In today's technologically savvy culture, social media has emerged as a primary method of communicating with others all over the world. Although social media use has many positive benefits, some individuals may use social media to harm others, termed cyberbullying. In this review, we discuss how social media can aid in the facilitation of anonymity perceptions to increase the likelihood of cyberbullying perpetration. We note the theoretical underpinnings relating anonymity perceptions to cyberbullying perpetration and delve into how certain social media platforms that are more or less anonymous (from the user's perspective) can influence cyberbullying. We conclude with discussing how social media can be a tool to help reduce cyberbullying perpetration through decreasing anonymity perceptions of users. Our overall objective is to highlight the aspects of social media use that apply to theoretical postulates to predict cyberbullying to better understand the situations under which individuals use so...
Deep Disagreement and the Problem of the Criterion

My objective in this paper is to compare two philosophical problems, the problem of the criterion and the problem of deep disagreement, and note a core similarity which explains why many proposed solutions to these problems seem to fail along similar lines. From this observation, I propose a kind of skeptical solution to the problem of deep disagreement, and this skeptical program has consequences for the problem as it manifests in political epistemology and metaphilosophy.
Cataract and the acceleration of calpain-induced beta-crystallin insolubilization occurring during normal maturation of rat lens.

PURPOSE To determine if limited proteolysis of beta-crystallins is associated with insolubilization of proteins in rats lens during maturation and to test if the protease, calpain II, is involved. METHODS Soluble and insoluble lens proteins from 4-day-old to 4-month-old rat lens cortexes and nuclei were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. The insoluble proteins from 4-month-old nuclei were electroblotted and the NH2 termini of proteins sequenced. Cleavage sites appearing at 4 months of age were compared to cleavage sites produced by purified calpain II and to cleavage sites appearing in cataracts induced by selenite in vivo or in lenses cultured with calcium ionophore A23187 or diamide. RESULTS In solubilization of more than 50% of proteins occurred in the nucleus of the transparent rat lens by 4 months of age. The insoluble protein that formed contained an abundance of partially degraded beta-crystallin polypeptides missing portions of their NH2 terminal extensions. In contrast, these truncated beta-crystallins were largely absent from both the cortex and soluble fraction of the nucleus. The cleavage sites in the insoluble beta-crystallins appearing during maturation in the lens nucleus were similar to cleavage sites produced by purified calpain II and also similar to cleavage sites appearing in the insoluble protein of cataractous lenses. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that proteolysis of beta-crystallins by the protease calpain II contributes to protein insolubilization during lens maturation and that acceleration of this insolubilization process is associated with cataract formation in rodent lenses.
Models of Connective Tissue Disease

The pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases remains an enigma. Errors of immunologic regulatory mechanisms seem to be involved.1 However, even when an inducer of disease, such as the Streptococcus in acute rheumatic fever or Shigella, Salmonella, or Yersinia in spondyloarthritis, has finally been identified, the effector or suppressor mechanisms that lead to or prevent the subsequent development of the disease or which cause it to remit remain obscure. Genetic, infectious, and immunologic factors can usually all be implicated. The relationships between these various influences on the pathogenesis of a disease are extremely complex. Animals provide useful models for studying these interactions (Table 9.1).
World Trade Systems of the East and West. Nagasaki and the Asian Bullion Trade Networks

Business people in the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries wrote about the crucial role of monetary metals – copper, gold and silver – in world markets and Adam Smith singled out the crucial impo...
The 1-2-3s of Pediatric Sleep Disorders

Abstract Sleep is essential in all ages. Studies have shown that sleep abnormalities in children can lead to cognitive, behavioral, and social impairments. They are often underestimated and underreported by caregivers. Although some pediatric sleep disorders may overlap with adult sleep disorders, many pediatric sleep disorders are age dependent and can present a wide spectrum of symptoms. The purpose of this chapter is to increase awareness about pediatric sleep disorders to general pediatricians in effort to incorporate sleep medicine into their every day practice. Topics include behavioral insomnia of childhood, parasomnias, rhythmic movement disorders, sleep disordered breathing, and hypersomnia.
Neonatal outcomes after percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling

Objectives: While percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling (PUBS) and intrauterine transfusion (IUT) are the standards of care for the management of significant fetal anemia, the neonatal complic...
Transduction of Craniofacial Motoneurons Following Intramuscular Injections of Canine Adenovirus Type-2 (CAV-2) in Rhesus Macaques

Reliable viral vector-mediated transgene expression in primate motoneurons would improve our ability to anatomically and physiologically interrogate motor systems. We therefore investigated the efficacy of replication defective, early region 1-deleted canine adenovirus type-2 (CAV-2) vectors for mediating transgene expression of fluorescent proteins into brainstem motoneurons following craniofacial intramuscular injections in four rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Vector injections were placed into surgically identified and isolated craniofacial muscles. After a 1- to 2-month survival time, animals were sacrificed and transgene expression was assessed with immunohistochemistry in the corresponding motoneuronal populations. We found that injections of CAV-2 into individual craniofacial muscles at doses in the range of ∼1010 to 1011 physical particles/muscle resulted in robust motoneuronal transduction and expression of immunohistochemically identified fluorescent proteins across multiple animals. By using different titers in separate muscles, with the resulting transduction patterns tracked via fluorophore expression and labeled motoneuron location, we established qualitative dose-response relationships in two animals. In one animal that received an atypically high titer (5.7 × 1011 total CAV-2 physical particles) distributed across numerous injection sites, no transduction was detected, likely due to a retaliatory immune response. We conclude that CAV-2 vectors show promise for genetic modification of primate motoneurons following craniofacial intramuscular injections. Our findings warrant focused attention toward the use of CAV-2 vectors to deliver opsins, DREADDs, and other molecular probes to improve genetics-based methods for primate research. Further work is required to optimize CAV-2 transduction parameters. CAV-2 vectors encoding proteins could provide a new, reliable route for modifying activity in targeted neuronal populations of the primate central nervous system.
Books in Motion: How a Community Literacy Project Impacts Its Participants.

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact that a community literacy project had on the reading habits of young children and their families. This year-long study focuses on a public library-run program titled Books in Motion, in which community members read children’s chapter book and meet monthly to watch the book’s film translation. Using a case study approach in which I followed six groups of participants over several months, data sources included small-group structured interviews, individual open-ended interviews, written surveys, and field notes and a reflective journal from monthly film nights. The constant comparative model yielded three major themes, including the following (1) Books in Motion impacted community literacy interactions, (2) the program motivated participants in innovative ways, and (3) the program offered participants new literacy resources. Thus, children’s reading continues in engaging and creative formats through programs like Books in Motion. As public libraries seek to influence children’s reading today, Books in Motion exemplifies how diverse community members can benefit from a low-cost community literacy program.
Brain, Culture, Society

‘Context and Situation’ and ‘Mother Nature, Father Nurture’ are the first theoretical investigations of Chap. 4. By definition, this is the ‘transdisciplinary chapter’ of the book, with a broad investigation of Brain, Culture, Society in connection to the nature vs. nurture debate. An in-depth analysis of culture investigates human beings’ ways of relating to one another as sensing and neurally understanding subjects, also comparing and juxtaposing a multitude of frameworks, rituals, attitudes, worldviews and many other aspects which ultimately determine our sense of self. The author discusses how human sense of self is deeply connected with human identity, thereby providing new ways to look at the thinking brain, anthropological and political at the same time.
MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE INDUCED CARDIOMYOPATHY

Non-ischemic cardiomyopathies (NICM) has been described as early as 1957.(1.2) History, physical exam, echocardiogram and Coronary angiography play an essential role to determine the cause of a new heart failure (HF). Nearly one third of HF patients will have non-ischemic causes. A 67-year-old male