cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Supervised Classification of EEG Signals with Score Threshold Regulation for Pseudo-Online Asynchronous Detection of Gait Intention

In neurorehabilitation systems, early detection of gait intention with a lower false-positive rate and higher sensitivity is a critical factor which dictates the successful operation of the exoskeleton or assistive system. Traditional supervised learning algorithms often fail to reach these goals due to the lack of ability to adapt to the diverse interaction between the external environment and the human user. A threshold regulation approach might be a simple yet significant addition to increasing the adaptability of the intention detection system. In this paper, the performance of a pseudo-online BCI system in asynchronous detection of human gait intention from movement-related Electroencephalography signals is investigated. Seven healthy individuals participated in the study who performed self-paced cycles of gait initiation and termination in multiple trials. A custom-made eight-channel EEG system was used to capture the movement-related neural signals while a pair of in-sole pressure sensors and an Electromyography (EMG) sensor were used for time locking the actual moments of movement onset and termination. A wavelet transform based method along with Hjorth parameters, was employed to extract informative features which were then used to train an SVM-RBF classifier with threshold regulation for asynchronous detection of gait intention. A high true positive rate, low false-positive rate, and very low latency were achieved by the proposed methodology. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework in building a human-in-the-loop neurorehabilitation system.
Thymic rejuvenation via induced thymic epithelial cells (iTECs) from FOXN1-overexpressing fibroblasts to counteract inflammaging

Age-associated systemic, chronic, sterile inflammatory condition (inflammaging) is partially attributed to increased self (auto)-reactivity, resulting from disruption of central tolerance in the aged, involuted thymus. Age-related thymic involution causally results from gradually declined expression of the transcription factor forkhead box N1 (FOXN1) in thymic epithelial cells (TECs), while exogenous FOXN1 in TECs can significantly rescue age-related thymic involution. Given the findings that induced TECs (iTECs) from FOXN1-overexpressing embryonic fibroblasts can generate an ectopic de novo thymus under the kidney capsule and intra-thymically injected natural young TECs can lead to middle-aged thymus regrowth, we sought to expand upon these two findings by applying them as a novel thymic rejuvenation strategy with two types of promoter-driven (Rosa26CreERT and FoxN1Cre) Cre-mediated iTECs. We engrafted iTECs, rather than natural young TECs, directly into the aged thymus and/or peri-thymus and found a significantly rejuvenated architecture and function in the native aged murine thymus. The engrafted iTECs drove regrowth of the aged thymus in both male and female mice, showing not only increased thymopoiesis, but also reinforcement of thymocyte negative selection, thereby, reducing senescent T cells and auto-reactive T cell-mediated inflammaging phenotypes in old mice. Therefore, this is a promising thymic rejuvenation strategy with preclinical significance, which can potentially rescue declined thymopoiesis and impaired negative selection to significantly, albeit partially, restore the defective central tolerance and reduce subclinical chronic inflammatory symptoms in the elderly. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=165 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/995357v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (39K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@7f8cfborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d1c4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cbc905org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1fa9e8d_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG A novel rejuvenation strategy via the FOXN1-TEC axis using induced two types of FOXN1-overexpressing embryonic fibroblasts (termed iTECs) by intrathymic injection is able to counteract age-related thymic involution, which rescued negative selection, thereby, reducing peripheral T cell-associated inflammaging conditions.
Maternal cannabis vapor exposure causes long-term alterations in emotional reactivity, social behavior, and behavioral flexibility in offspring

The use of cannabis during pregnancy is a growing public health concern. As more states implement legislation permitting recreational cannabis use, there is an urgent need to better understand its impact on fetal neurodevelopment and its long-term effects in exposed offspring. Studies examining effects of prenatal cannabis exposure typically employ injections of synthetic cannabinoids or isolated cannabis constituents that may not accurately model cannabis use in human populations. To address this limitation, we have developed a novel e-cigarette technology-based system to deliver vaporized cannabis extracts to pregnant Long Evans rats. We used this model to determine effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on emotional, social, and cognitive endpoints of male and female offspring during early development and into adulthood. Dams were exposed to cannabis vapor (CANTHC: 400 mg/ml), vehicle vapor (VEH), or no vapor (AIR) twice daily during mating and gestation. Offspring exposed to CANTHC and VEH showed reduced weight gain relative to AIR offspring prior to weaning. CANTHC offspring made more isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) on postnatal day 6 (P6) relative to VEH-exposed offspring, which is indicative of increased emotional reactivity. Male CANTHC offspring engaged in fewer social investigation behaviors than VEH-exposed male offspring during a social play test on P26. In adulthood, CANTHC-exposed offspring spent less time exploring the open arms of the elevated plus maze and exhibited dose-dependent deficits in behavioral flexibility in an attentional set-shifting task relative to AIR controls. These data collectively indicate that prenatal cannabis exposure causes enduring effects on the behavioral profile of offspring.
SARS-CoV-2 highly conserved s2m element dimerizes via a kissing complex and interacts with host miRNA-1307-3p

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights the necessity for a more fundamental understanding of the coronavirus life cycle. The causative agent of the disease, SARS-CoV-2, is being studied extensively from a structural standpoint in order to gain insight into key molecular mechanisms required for its survival. Contained within the untranslated regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome are various conserved stem-loop elements that are believed to function in RNA replication, viral protein translation, and discontinuous transcription. While the majority of these regions are variable in sequence, a 41-nucleotide s2m element within the 3 UTR is highly conserved among coronaviruses and three other viral families. In this study, we demonstrate that the s2m element of SARS-CoV-2 dimerizes by forming an intermediate homodimeric kissing complex structure that is subsequently converted to a thermodynamically stable duplex conformation. This process is aided by the viral nucleocapsid protein, potentially indicating a role in mediating genome dimerization. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the s2m element interacts with multiple copies of host cellular miRNA-1307-3p. Taken together, our results highlight the potential significance of the dimer structures formed by the s2m element in key biological processes and implicate the motif as a possible therapeutic drug target for COVID-19 and other coronavirus-related diseases.
Thinking Counterfactually Supports Children's Evidence Evaluation in Causal Learning.

Often, the evidence we observe is consistent with more than one explanation. How do learners discriminate among candidate causes? The current studies examine whether counterfactuals help 5-year olds (N = 120) select between competing hypotheses and compares the effectiveness of these prompts to a related scaffold. In Experiment 1, counterfactuals support evidence evaluation, leading children to privilege and extend the cause that accounted for more data. In Experiment 2, the hypothesis that accounted for the most evidence was pitted against children's prior beliefs. Children who considered alternative outcomes privileged the hypothesis that accounted for more observations, whereas those who explained relied on prior beliefs. Findings demonstrate that counterfactuals recruit attention to disambiguating evidence and outperform explanation when data contrast with existing beliefs.
ACCOMMODATING COMMUNICATION WITH CONVERSATIONAL AGENTS: EXAMINING THE PERCEPTIONS AND BEHAVIORS OF OLDER ADULTS WHEN USING VOICE ASSISTANT TECHNOLOGY

The purpose of this study is to examine the communicative relationship between older adults and conversational agents (CA), such as a Google Home Mini, to understand if and how interaction with AI-based voice technology affects perceptions, technological adoption, and, ultimately, human-machine communicative behaviors. Using the Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) framework (Gallois & Giles, 2015), and the categorical schema as outlined in the Unified Theory of Adoption and Utilization of Technology (UTAUT) model (Venkatesh et al., 2003) of technology acceptance, we qualitatively assess the relationship between expectations for use and ongoing / post-interaction user attitudes. CAT focuses on the adjustments we make in our perceptions of and engagement in communicative behaviors. In other words, we enter into communicative situations with intentions and motivations derived from antecedent socio-historical context in mind. This squares with what the UTAUT model details as influencers of technological adoption and use: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions (Venkatesh et al., 2003). We use these constructs as a coding guideline to index data scraped from the Mini, and collected from surveys, interview transcripts, user journals, and field notes throughout a 10-week study. Historically, CAT is applied to human-human communication exchanges. As the theory posits that interpersonal relationships can and will influence motivations or intentions for dyadic communication, this makes sense. However, we argue that as AI-based voice technologies become more sophisticated as voice assistants enter our intimate spaces, the application of CAT to the human-machine communicative relationship is warranted.
Why Do Cooperators Cooperate?: Efficacy as a Moderator of Social Motive Effects

Two alternative explanations for the effect of social motives on cooperation in social dilemmas were identified. One explanation (a transformation explanation) suggests that those with more cooperative social motives attach greater weight to others’ outcomes. The other explanation (a moral explanation) suggests that those with more cooperative social motives are generally more concerned with acting in a morally-prescribed fashion. The transformation explanation predicts that social motive effects should be moderated by the efficacy of cooperation; the moral explanation predicts no such moderating effect. An experiment that tested these competing predictions is reported. Its results supported a dual-process model—the transformation explanation holds under conditions where it is unclear whether or not cooperation is morally prescribed (e.g., when there had been no prior discussion of the dilemma), whereas the moral explanation holds under conditions where it is clearer that to cooperate is to ‘do the right thing’ (e.g. following group discussion of the dilemma).
Chapter 27 The prefrontal area and psychosurgery

Publisher Summary This chapter briefly discusses the history of psychosurgery, mainly focusing on the prefrontal area of the brain. The prefrontal area is selected as the brain target for psychosurgery. The procedures used and the brain targets selected are almost identical to what they were at the end of the 1970s. The most common rationale offered to justify psychosurgery is a general statement implying that the brain targets are at critical crossroads in neural circuit regulating emotions. The basal ganglia structures, particularly the striatum, the lentiform nucleus, and their connections, are involved in some emotional disorders. The basal ganglia are now implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders. It is speculated that prefrontal–striatal connections plays a critical role in the attention disorder seen in schizophrenia. The basal ganglia circuitry is likely to be increasingly included in any theoretical model of the way psychosurgery might work. The psychosurgical procedures currently in use disrupt fronto–striatal pathways that traverse through the anterior limb of the internal capsule.
Permissive Parenting and Mental Health in College Students: Mediating Effects of Academic Entitlement

ABSTRACT Objective: Student mental health may suffer due to unreasonable expectations associated with academic entitlement; permissive parenting may be one source of these expectations. The authors examined the role of academic entitlement as a mediator of the relationship between permissive parenting and psychological functioning. Participants: Participants were 524 undergraduate students at a single institution (52% female; age range = 18–22). Data collection was completed in May 2011. Methods: Cross-sectional design. Participants completed online self-report measures of parenting styles, academic entitlement, stress, depressive symptoms, and well-being. Results: Permissive parenting was associated with greater academic entitlement and, in turn, to more perceived stress and poorer mental health. Mother/father differences were found in some cases. Conclusions: Academic entitlement may partially explain why permissive parenting is detrimentally related to mental health for college students. Implications f...
Algebraic Operational Semantics and Modula-2

We start with several arguments in favor of operational semantics for imperative programming languages. One important purpose of formal semantics is to help a programmer understand a given language (as opposed to particular programs written in that language). We would claim that, when conceiving a program expressed in an imperative language, a journeyman programmer has in mind an ideal machine that executes the language's commands. That is to say, our fundamental understanding of an imperative programming language is behavioral (or operational).
Epigenetic modulation of brain gene networks for cocaine and alcohol abuse

Cocaine and alcohol are two substances of abuse that prominently affect the central nervous system (CNS). Repeated exposure to cocaine and alcohol leads to longstanding changes in gene expression, and subsequent functional CNS plasticity, throughout multiple brain regions. Epigenetic modifications of histones are one proposed mechanism guiding these enduring changes to the transcriptome. Characterizing the large number of available biological relationships as network models can reveal unexpected biochemical relationships. Clustering analysis of variation from whole-genome sequencing of gene expression (RNA-Seq) and histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) events (ChIP-Seq) revealed the underlying structure of the transcriptional and epigenomic landscape within hippocampal postmortem brain tissue of drug abusers and control cases. Distinct sets of interrelated networks for cocaine and alcohol abuse were determined for each abusive substance. The network approach identified subsets of functionally related genes that are regulated in agreement with H3K4me3 changes, suggesting cause and effect relationships between this epigenetic mark and gene expression. Gene expression networks consisted of recognized substrates for addiction, such as the dopamine- and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein PPP1R1B / DARPP-32 and the vesicular glutamate transporter SLC17A7 / VGLUT1 as well as potentially novel molecular targets for substance abuse. Through a systems biology based approach our results illustrate the utility of integrating epigenetic and transcript expression to establish relevant biological networks in the human brain for addiction. Future work with laboratory models may clarify the functional relevance of these gene networks for cocaine and alcohol, and provide a framework for the development of medications for the treatment of addiction.
Effectual versus predictive logics in entrepreneurial decision making: Differences between experts and novices: Does experience in starting new ventures change the way entrepreneurs think? Perhaps, but for now, “Caution” is essential

Abstract The preceding paper by Wiltbank et al. reports that highly successful and experienced entrepreneurs rely, to a greater degree than novices (MBA students), on effectual logic. This finding raises a key question: Why do these two groups differ? The authors imply that this difference is the result of entrepreneurs' experience in starting new ventures. This is a reasonable suggestion but unfortunately, there are important reasons for viewing it with caution. The most crucial of these involve serious threats to internal validity arising from the use of a post-test only design with nonequivalent groups [see Cook, T.D., Campbell, D.T. (1979). Quasi-experimentation design and analysis issues for field settings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin]. Such designs are helpful, but do not allow for firm conclusions regarding causal relationships between variables. This is an important point for entrepreneurship researchers who, because of practical constraints, must often adopt such designs. Additional difficulties with respect to interpreting the obtained results derive from the fact that although the study is cast as being closely related to research on expert performance, several key links to that extensive literature remain unclear. Overall, however, it is a creative contribution, and paves the way for additional informative research.
Pixon-Based Image Reconstruction

This paper presents the theory of the pixon, the fundamental unit of picture information, and its application to Bayesian image reconstruction. This naturally leads to a discussion of picture information content and the degrees of freedom necessary to describe the underlying image (i.e. the noise-free, undistorted image) within the accuracy of the data. The implications of these concepts for the formulation of appropriate Goodness-of-Fit criteria (i.e. Maximum Likelihood) are discussed. Finally, examples of the applications of these methods to artificial and real data are presented. These examples demonstrate that pixon-based methods produce results superior to both pure Goodness-of-Fit methods and the best examples of Maximum Entropy methods.
Determination of neomycin in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. Application to a preliminary pharmacokinetic study.

Abstract A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the determination of neomycin in plasma and urine. The plasma was deproteinated with trichloroacetic acid and centrifuged. The supernatant was mixed with ion-pair concentrate and centrifuged again. The resultant supernatant was analyzed by HPLC. Urine was centrifuged to remove debris, if any, mixed with ion-pair concentrate and analyzed directly by HPLC. The HPLC conditions consisted of an ion-pairing mobile phase, a reversed-phase column, post-column derivatization with o -phthalaldehyde (OPA) reagent and fluorescence detection. The overall average recovery of neomycin was 97 and 113% from plasma spiked at 0.25–1.0 μg/ml, using standard curves prepared in plasma extract and in water, respectively, and 94% for urine spiked at 1–10 μg/ml using a standard curve prepared in water. The method was used to detect neomycin in plasma and urine obtained from animals injected intramuscularly with neomycin. Various pharmacokinetic parameters of neomycin were also determined from its profile of plasma concentration versus time.
Measurement of the W Mass from LEP2

In 1997 each LEP experiment collected approximately $55 {pb}^{-1}$ of data at a center-of-mass energy of 183 GeV. These data yield a sample of candidate $e^+e^- \to W^+W^-$ events from which the mass of the W boson, M_W, is measured. The preliminary LEP combined result, including data taken at $\roots = 161$ and 172 GeV and assuming the Standard Model relation between the W decay width and mass, is $M_W = 80.38 \pm 0.07 (exp) \pm 0.03 (CR/BE) \pm 0.02 (E_{bm})$ GeV, where the uncertainties correspond to experimental, colour-reconnection/Bose-Einstein, and LEP beam energy respectively.
High precision iron isotope measurements of terrestrial and lunar materials

We present the analytical methods that have been developed for the first high-precision Fe isotope analyses that clearly identify naturally-occurring, mass-dependent isotope fractionation. A double-spike approach is used, which allows rigorous correction of instrumental mass fractionation. Based on 21 analyses of an ultra pure Fe standard, the external precision (1-SD) for measuring the isotopic composition of Fe is ±0.14 ‰/mass; for demonstrated reproducibility on samples, this precision exceeds by at least an order of magnitude that of previous attempts to empirically control instrumentally-produced mass fractionation (Dixon et al., 1993). Using the double-spike method, 15 terrestrial igneous rocks that range in composition from peridotite to rhyolite, 5 high-Ti lunar basalts, 5 Fe-Mn nodules, and a banded iron formation have been analyzed for their iron isotopic composition. The terrestrial and lunar igneous rocks have the same isotopic compositions as the ultra pure Fe standard, providing a reference Fe isotope composition for the Earth and Moon. In contrast, Fe-Mn nodules and a sample of a banded iron formation have iron isotope compositions that vary over a relatively wide range, from δ56Fe = +0.9 to −1.2 ‰; this range is 15 times the analytical errors of our technique. These natural isotopic fractionations are interpreted to reflect biological (“vital”) effects, and illustrate the great potential Fe isotope studies have for studying modern and ancient biological processes.
Aquaporin null phenotypes: The importance of classical physiology

The paper by Schnermann and colleagues (1) in this issue of the Proceedings is an excellent example of how the application of classical physiological measurements to tissues from transgenic mice successfully answered an important biological question: how is water reabsorbed by renal proximal tubules? The human kidney plays an important role in waste removal by filtering approximately 200 liters of plasma per day from which essential solutes are reabsorbed along with most of the water. Renal proximal tubules and descending thin limbs of Henle’s loop are the sites where approximately 80% of this fluid is reabsorbed. The vectorial distribution of salt and sugar transporters at the apical membranes (facing the urinary lumen) or basolateral membranes (facing the interstitium) together create a small-standing osmotic gradient across the tubular epithelium. Thus, the interstitium is slightly hyperosmolar with respect to …
Odorant receptor modulation: Ternary paradigm for mode of action of insect repellents

The modulation of insect behavior for the purpose of controlling the spread of infectious diseases has been the task of a few insect repellents for which the mechanistic modes of action on odorant receptors (ORs) are unclear. Here, we study the effects of the repellents DEET and IR3535, and a novel OR co-receptor (Orco) agonist on odorant-evoked currents in Xenopus oocytes expressing two subtypes of Aedes aegypti ORs (AaORs). We show that DEET and IR3535 behave as insurmountable antagonists of ORs, and that modulation of OR activity is not restricted to antagonism and agonism, but also includes synergism. This knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying OR blockade, activation and hyperactivation will be fundamental to the development of novel strategies for the control of mosquito behavior.
Daily polyethylene glycol over 6 months was effective for chronic constipation.

Source Citation DiPalma JA, Cleveland MV, McGowan J, Herrera JL. A randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial of polyethylene glycol laxative for chronic treatment of chronic constipation. A...
From Irony to Affiliation in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

Abstract Since its publication in the mid-l980s, some readers have objected to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale on political grounds. One version of this objection asserts that the novel is not simply dystopian but antiutopian in that the novel's ironized ending, the “Historical Notes,” shortcircuits any hope for political effectiveness that Offred's open-ended conclusion might hold out.
Accuracy of Conventional Oximetry for Flow Estimation in Patients With Superior Cavopulmonary Connection A Comparison With Phase-Contrast Cardiac MRI

Background— Cardiac catheterization is routinely used as a diagnostic tool in single ventricle patients with superior cavopulmonary connection. This physiology presents inherent challenges in applying the Fick principle to estimate flow. We sought to quantitatively define the error in oximetry-derived flow parameters using phase-contrast cardiac MRI (CMR) as a reference. Methods and Results— Thirty patients with superior cavopulmonary connection who underwent combined CMR and catheterization between July 2008 and June 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Estimates of flow and resistance calculated using the Fick equation were compared with CMR measurements. Oximetry underestimated CMR-measured pulmonary blood flow ( Q p) by an average of 1.1 L/min per m2 or 32% of the CMR value ( P <0.0001). Oximetry overestimated systemic blood flow ( Q s) by an average of 0.5 L/min per m2 or 15% of the CMR value ( P =0.009). There was no correlation between the Q p: Q s ratio derived by Fick and that measured by CMR ( ρ c=0.01). The error in the Fick Q p correlated moderately with the measured systemic-to-pulmonary arterial collateral flow ( r =0.39). The median total oxygen consumption calculated using combined CMR and oximetry data was 173 mL/min per m2, higher than the assumed values used to calculate flows by the Fick equation. The upper body circulation received on average 51% of systemic blood flow while conducting only 39% of total body metabolism. Conclusions— Fick-derived estimates of flow are inherently unreliable in patients with superior cavopulmonary connections. Integrating flows measured by CMR and pressures measured by catheter will provide the best characterization of superior cavopulmonary connection physiology.
The first three words.

The regularly reported influence on stuttering of early sentence position, particularly the first three words, evidently is confounded with the influence of grammatical class, another variable cons...
Advanced RMG module to improve AC/DC performance for 14nm FinFETs and beyond

An advanced Replacement Metal Gate (RMG) module was developed for 14nm node FinFETs and beyond. STI oxide extra recess increases on-current without any dedicated Source and Drain (SD) optimization. Tungsten (W) selective etch recesses work function metal (WFM), which reduces gate-contact capacitance, and improves AC performance and yields by increasing gate-contact space. Combination of work function (WF) adjust treatment and WFM optimization was applied to achieve wide range of threshold voltage (Vt) control for multiple Vt (multi-Vt) devices without any performance penalty.
Effect of Pt doping on nucleation and crystallization in Li2O · 2SiO2 glass: experimental measurements and computer modeling

Heterogeneous nucleation and its effects on the crystallization of lithium disilicate glass containing small amounts of Pt are investigated. Measurements of the nucleation frequencies and induction times with and without Pt are shown to be consistent with predictions based on the classical nucleation theory. A realistic computer model for the transformation is presented. Computed differential thermal analysis data (such as crystallization rates as a function of time and temperature) are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results. This modeling provides a new, more quantitative method for analyzing calorimetric data.
The number of finite relational structures

Abstract An elementary proof is presented of an asymptotic estimate for the number (up to isomorphism) of finite relational structures, under a quite general definition of “relational structure”.
The effect of Na benzoate on serum bilirubin of the Gunn rat

The administration of Na benzoate to grown and suckling Gunn rats in single doses of 7 and 35 mg/kg failed tosignificantly alter serum bilirubin concentrations. These doses are comparable to quantities of Na benzoate contained in injectable diazepam used therapeutically for newborn infants. Repeated doses of 7 mg/kg in the grown rat showed no effect, as well. A single dose of 100 or 200 mg/kg of Na benzoate and repeated doses of 35 mg/kg resulted in depressed serum bilirubin concentrations. The higher concentrations of Na benzoate, however, greatly exceed amounts contained in doses of diazepam recommended for clinical use in the human neonate. The data suggest that the use of injectable diazepam, in appropriate quantities, poses no hazard to the newborn infant in terms of bilirubin toxicity. The greater affinity for bilirubin of human albumin, than that of rat albumin, may further minimize the risk.
Surface electromagnetic radiation from a spatially modulated oscillating dipole layer

We present the calculation of surface electromagnetic radiation to all orders from a spatially modulated, oscillating dipole layer sandwiched between two dielectric media. The results properly include the macroscopic local field factors. In specular reflection direction, we show that the total radiation is partitioned into a term which is the zeroth-order counterpart to the higher-order diffraction and a term related only to the properties of two adjoining bulk media. The results unify the calculations by Shen and Heinz and McIntyre [1, 6, 7]
Cautions over the current epidemic of primary aldosteronism

Such percentages, ranging from 2·7% to 32%, are all based on the finding of raised plasma aldosterone to plasma renin activity ratios (ARR). The previous lower estimates and the more recent higher ones were largely derived from selected populations, so the frequency of primary aldosteronism in the overall hypertensive population remains uncertain. F R Buhler and colleagues first used the ARR in 1973 4 to identify people with low renin hypertension. P J Dunn and E A Espiner first applied the test to the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism in 1976. 5 However, clinical use of the test began after the 1981 publication by K Hiramatsu and colleagues 6 of ARR data from 348 people with untreated hypertension. The investigators reported that nine people had a high ratio and all had an aldosterone-producing adenoma. Gordon and his colleagues 7 in Brisbane, Australia recommended the ARR as a valid screening test. They reported that recognition of primary aldosteronism in their clinic abruptly increased from two to five cases per year before routine use of the ARR, to over 50 per year after its use. Soon thereafter, the deluge of reports and abstracts began, almost all stating that a high ARR proved primary aldosteronism. Moreover, in all these publications, most patients with raised ARR and the presumptive diagnosis of primary aldosteronism had been normokalaemic, which could confirm J W Conn’s claims in 1965 that normokalaemic primary aldosteronism is present in 20% or more of all patients with hypertension 8
Conductance of a single-atom carbon chain with graphene leads

We study the conductance of an interconnect between two graphene leads formed by a single-atom carbon chain. Its dependence on the chemical potential and the number of atoms in the chain is qualitatively different from that in the case of normal-metal leads. Electron transport proceeds via narrow resonant states in the wire. The latter arise due to strong reflection at the junctions between the chain and the leads, which is caused by the small density of states in the leads at low energy. The energy dependence of the transmission coefficient near resonance is asymmetric and acquires a universal form at small energies. We find that in the case of leads with the zigzag edges the dispersion of the edge states has a significant effect on the device conductance.
Osmotic stress, endogenous abscisic acid and the control of leaf morphology in Hippuris vulgaris L

Previous reports indicate that heterophyllous aquatic plants can be induced to form aerial-type leaves on submerged shoots when they are grown in exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). This study reports on the relationship between osmotic stress (e.g. the situation encountered by a shoot tip when it grows above the water surface), endogenous ABA (as measured by gas chromatography-electron capture detector) and leaf morphology in the heterophyllous aquatic plant, Hippuris vulgaris. Free ABA could not be detected in submerged shoots of H. vulgaris but in aerial shoots ABA occurred at ca. 40 ng (g fr wt)-1. When submerged shoots were osmotically stressed ABA appeared at levels of 26 to 40 ng (g fr wt)-1. These and other data support two main conclusions: (1) Osmotically stressing a submerged shoot causes the appearance of detectable levels of ABA. (2) The rise of ABA in osmotically stressed submerged shoots in turn induces a change in leaf morphology from the submerged to the aerial form. This corroborates the hypothesis that, in the natural environment, ABA levels rise in response to the osmotic stress encountered when a submerged shoot grows up through the water/air interface and that the increased ABA leads to the production of aerial-type leaves.
High level synthesis: Where are we? A case study on matrix multiplication

One of the pitfalls of FPGA design is the relatively long implementation time when compared to alternative architectures, such as CPU, GPU or DSP. This time can be greatly reduced however by using tools that can generate hardware systems in the form of a hardware description language (HDL) from high-level languages such as C, C++, or Python. Such implementations can be optimized by applying special directives that focus the high-level synthesis (HLS) effort on particular objectives, such as performance, area, throughput, or power consumption. In this paper we examine the benefits of this approach by comparing the performance and design times of HLS generated systems versus custom systems for matrix multiplication. We investigate matrix multiplication using a standard algorithm, Strassen algorithm, and a sparse algorithm to provide a comprehensive analysis of the capabilities and usability of the Xilinx Vivado HLS tool. In our experience, a hardware-oriented electrical engineering student can achieve up to 61% of the performance of custom designs with 1/3 the effort, thus enabling faster hardware acceleration of many compute-bound algorithms.
International Law in Antiquity

Acknowledgments List of abbreviations Maps 1. A methodological introduction: this study and its limitations 2. State relations in ancient civilizations 3. Religion and the sources of a law of nations in antiquity 4. Making friends: diplomats and foreign visitors in ancient times 5. Making faith: treaty practices amongst ancient peoples 6. Making war: the commencement and conduct of hostilities in ancient times 7. Civilization and community in the ancient mind Topical bibliography Index.
The Sobolev inequality and the Tsallis entropic uncertainty relation

Abstract The Heisenberg uncertainty relation is expressed in terms of the Tsallis entropies associated with the conjugate coordinate and momentum probability densities. By rewriting this in terms of a positive joint probability distribution suggested by Cohen and coworkers, a different insight into the statistical dependence of the quantum variables is obtained. A discussion of how this improves the previous results on this subject is given.
Prediction of Response to Cancer Chemotherapy

Cytotoxic chemotherapy plays a key role in the treatment of carcinoma for thousands of patients annually who either present with metastatic disease or relapse after surgical excision of apparently localised disease. Unfortunately, there is such a wide range of responsiveness to drug therapy within individual tumour types that response of an individual patient’ tumour to cytotoxic therapy cannot be accurately predicted. Intensive efforts to increase the accuracy of selection of effective chemotherapy have recently culminated in an in vitro system which employs soft agar and standard laboratory tissue culture techniques to predict drug sensitivity and resistance for an individual patient’s tumour with reasonable accuracy. Research in this system is being actively pursued at several centres and further modifications and refinements may well make cancer chemotherapy more precise than previously possible. This review surveys methods of studying in vitro drug sensitivity which have been tested and for which clinical correlations are available. The technique and results of the more recently developed human tumour stem cell assay and the potential applications of this system are also discussed.
Global Daily Reference Evapotranspiration Modeling and Evaluation1

Abstract: Accurate and reliable evapotranspiration (ET) datasets are crucial in regional water and energy balance studies. Due to the complex instrumentation requirements, actual ET values are generally estimated from reference ET values by adjustment factors using coefficients for water stress and vegetation conditions, commonly referred to as crop coefficients. Until recently, the modeling of reference ET has been solely based on important weather variables collected from weather stations that are generally located in selected agro-climatic locations. Since 2001, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) has been producing six-hourly climate parameter datasets that are used to calculate daily reference ET for the whole globe at 1-degree spatial resolution. The U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science has been producing daily reference ET (ETo) since 2001, and it has been used on a variety of operational hydrological models for drought and streamflow monitoring all over the world. With the increasing availability of local station-based reference ET estimates, we evaluated the GDAS-based reference ET estimates using data from the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS). Daily CIMIS reference ET estimates from 85 stations were compared with GDAS-based reference ET at different spatial and temporal scales using five-year daily data from 2002 through 2006. Despite the large difference in spatial scale (point vs. ∼100 km grid cell) between the two datasets, the correlations between station-based ET and GDAS-ET were very high, exceeding 0.97 on a daily basis to more than 0.99 on time scales of more than 10 days. Both the temporal and spatial correspondences in trend/pattern and magnitudes between the two datasets were satisfactory, suggesting the reliability of using GDAS parameter-based reference ET for regional water and energy balance studies in many parts of the world. While the study revealed the potential of GDAS ETo for large-scale hydrological applications, site-specific use of GDAS ETo in complex hydro-climatic regions such as coastal areas and rugged terrain may require the application of bias correction and/or disaggregation of the GDAS ETo using downscaling techniques.
Blood Flow in the Optic Nerve Head and Factors that may Influence it

In the recent past there has been great interest in the blood supply of the optic nerve head (ONH), how to evaluate ONH blood flow, and what factors influence it, in health and disease. This is because evidence has progressively accumulated that there is vascular insufficiency in the ONH in both anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) and glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON)-two major causes of blindness or of seriously impaired vision in man. For the management and prevention of visual loss in these two disorders, a proper understanding of the factors that influence the blood flow in the ONH is essential. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to review and discuss all these factors. The various factors that influence the vascular resistance, mean blood pressure and intraocular pressure are discussed, to create a better basic understanding of the ONH blood flow, which may help us toward a logical strategy for prevention and management of ischemic disorders of the ONH.
Do small heat shock proteins protect skeletal muscle from injury

Prior exercise training protects skeletal muscle from contraction-induced injury. However, the mechanisms of protection are unknown. In this paper, the hypothesis is developed that exercise-induced increases in small heat shock protein activity may protect muscle cells via interactions with cytoskeletal elements and/or the glutathione system.
3D Finite Element Analysis of Nutrient Distributions and Cell Viability in the Intervertebral Disc: Effects of Deformation and Degeneration

The intervertebral disc (IVD) receives important nutrients, such as glucose, from surrounding blood vessels. Poor nutritional supply is believed to play a key role in disc degeneration. Several investigators have presented finite element models of the IVD to investigate disc nutrition; however, none has predicted nutrient levels and cell viability in the disc with a realistic 3D geometry and tissue properties coupled to mechanical deformation. Understanding how degeneration and loading affect nutrition and cell viability is necessary for elucidating the mechanisms of disc degeneration and low back pain. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of disc degeneration and static deformation on glucose distributions and cell viability in the IVD using finite element analysis. A realistic 3D finite element model of the IVD was developed based on mechano-electrochemical mixture theory. In the model, the cellular metabolic activities and viability were related to nutrient concentrations, and transport properties of nutrients were dependent on tissue deformation. The effects of disc degeneration and mechanical compression on glucose concentrations and cell density distributions in the IVD were investigated. To examine effects of disc degeneration, tissue properties were altered to reflect those of degenerated tissue, including reduced water content, fixed charge density, height, and endplate permeability. Two mechanical loading conditions were also investigated: a reference (undeformed) case and a 10% static deformation case. In general, nutrient levels decreased moving away from the nutritional supply at the disc periphery. Minimum glucose levels were at the interface between the nucleus and annulus regions of the disc. Deformation caused a 6.2% decrease in the minimum glucose concentration in the normal IVD, while degeneration resulted in an 80% decrease. Although cell density was not affected in the undeformed normal disc, there was a decrease in cell viability in the degenerated case, in which averaged cell density fell 11% compared with the normal case. This effect was further exacerbated by deformation of the degenerated IVD. Both deformation and disc degeneration altered the glucose distribution in the IVD. For the degenerated case, glucose levels fell below levels necessary for maintaining cell viability, and cell density decreased. This study provides important insight into nutrition-related mechanisms of disc degeneration. Moreover, our model may serve as a powerful tool in the development of new treatments for low back pain.
Histidine phosphorylation of the potassium channel KCa3.1 by nucleoside diphosphate kinase B is required for activation of KCa3.1 and CD4 T cells

The Ca2+ -activated K+ channel KCa3.1 is required for Ca2+ influx and the subsequent activation of B and T cells. Inhibitors of KCa3.1 are in development to treat autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection, underscoring the importance in understanding how these channels are regulated. We show that nucleoside diphosphate kinase B (NDPK-B), a mammalian histidine kinase, functions downstream of PI(3)P to activate KCa3.1. NDPK-B directly binds and activates KCa3.1 by phosphorylating histidine 358 in the carboxyl terminus of KCa3.1. Endogenous NDPK-B is also critical for KCa3.1 channel activity and the subsequent activation of CD4 T cells. These findings provide one of the best examples whereby histidine phosphorylation regulates a biological process in mammals, and provide an example whereby a channel is regulated by histidine phosphorylation. The critical role for NDPK-B in the reactivation of CD4 T cells indicates that understanding NDPK-B regulation should uncover novel pathways required for T cell activation.
Virtual Libraries: Service Realities.

ABSTRACTFrom the global environment to the local, information and communication technologies are changing our lives and changing the way libraries do business. No longer are libraries an arcane world of their own. Every major trend impacting on today's society is also impacting on libraries. Today's environment is one of paradox: there is decentralisation within globalism, fragmentation within mass culture, and customisation within mass manufacturing. Boundaries are breaking down: between disciplines, among industries, and between suppliers and customers. Dominant functions and processes in the information age are increasingly organised around networks, and this enables virtual services to come together in partnerships and alliances. Process has become as important as product as the knowledge era increases emphasis on abstraction; it is an age dominated by ideas, concepts, and experience—and services are a form of process.All of these factors combine to create a new market for library services with a new ...
Serum Anticholinergic Activity Changes With Acute Illness in Elderly Medical Patients

Background. Elevated serum anticholinergic activity levels have been associated with delirium in cross-sectional studies of ill older persons. This study used serial measures of serum anticholinergic activity levels to determine whether these levels change following illness resolution, and if such changes are specific to those with delirium. Methods. Twenty-two nursing home residents with a febrile illness had serum specimens drawn and were evaluated for the presence of delirium during the acute illness and at l-month follow-up. Delirium was diagnosed using the Con­ fusion Assessment Method. Serum anticholinergic activity was determined using a previously described radionuclide competitive-binding assay. Results. Delirium was present during illness in 8 of 22 subjects (36%), and had resolved by l-month follow-up in all but one resident. Serum anticholinergic activity levels were significantly higher during illness than at l-rnonth fol­ low-up in both the delirious (0.69 ± 0.85 nM atropine equivalents/200 ul, sample versus 0.10 ± 0.16; p =.06) and non­ delirious (0.65 ± 0.51 nM atropine equivalents1200 J.lL sample versus 0.08 ± 0.12 ; p < .001) groups. Medication changes did not seem to be related to changes in serum anticholinergic activity. Conclusions. In older nursing home residents with a fever, serum anticholinergic activity appears to be elevated during illness, and declines following recovery from illness. This effect does not seem to be specific to those residents with delirium, nor does it seem related to medication changes.