cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive IIR Filtering and Output Error Identification: Robustness Analysis

Recently, global convergence and parameter consistency of a certain parallel model adaptation algorithm in the presence of additive colored noise was established in [1]. In this paper, we examine the robustness of this algorithm, whose design is based on stochastic considerations, to bounded disturbances and unmodeled dynamics. We show that this algorithm is robust with respect to bounded disturbances and unmodeled dynamics whenever the denominator polynomial of the nominal model satisfies a strictly positive real (SPR) condition. We also show that the admissible class of unmodeled dynamics allows the true system to violate such an SPR condition. Similar robustness results are also proved for a non-vanishing gain update law.
Serum hepatitis B surface antigen correlates with tissue covalently closed circular DNA in patients with hepatitis B‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Quantitation of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) remains to be clearly defined. This study aims to determine the association of HBsAg quantity with intrahepatic HBV viral load and activity in both tumor and non-neoplastic liver of HBV-HCC patients. Data were obtained from 89 prospectively enrolled patients treated with primary liver resection for HBV-HCC at a single Western institution (2008-2013). Circulating HBsAg was quantitated using ELISA. HBV DNA, covalently closed circular (cccDNA) and precore-pregenomic RNA (preC-pgRNA) in both tumor and non-neoplastic liver were quantitated by real-time PCR from fresh liver resection specimens. Circulating HBsAg was detectable in all 89 patients. HBsAg negatively correlated with age, and positively correlated with pre-operative serum AFP and ALT levels. HBsAg correlated with HBV cccDNA copy number in tumor or non-neoplastic liver tissue. It also correlated with preC-pgRNA copy number in non-neoplastic liver tissue. HBsAg did not correlate with serum HBV DNA, total intrahepatic HBV DNA, viral replicative activity or transcriptional activity. In HBV-HCC patients, HBsAg levels correlated with cccDNA copy number in tumor or non-neoplastic liver tissue, suggesting that a greater pool of cccDNA is associated with a higher rate of HBsAg production.
Design and Implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program — A United States Example

In the 1980s it was determined that existing ambient and compliance-monitoring data could not satisfactorily evaluate the results of hundreds of billions of dollars spent for water-pollution abatement in the United States. At the request of the US Congress, a new programme, the National Water-Quality Assessment, was designed and implemented by government agency, the US Geological Survey (USGS). The Assessment has reported status and trends in surface- and ground-water quality at national, regional, and local scales since 1991. The legislative basis for US monitoring and data-sharing policies are identified as well as the successive phases of the design and implementation of the USGS Assessment. Application to the Danube Basin is suggested. Much of the water-quality monitoring conducted in the United States is designed to comply with Federal and State laws mandated primarily by the Clean Water Act of 1987 and the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1986.
Improved force control through visual servoing

Force controlled manipulation is a common technique for compliantly contacting and manipulating uncertain environments. Visual servoing is effective for reducing alignment uncertainties between objects using imprecisely calibrated camera-lens-manipulator systems. These two types of manipulator feedback, force and vision, represent complementary sensing modalities; visual feedback provides information over a relatively large area of the workspace without requiring contact with the environment, and force feedback provides highly localized and precise information upon contact. This paper presents three different strategies which combine force and vision within the feedback loop of a manipulator, traded control, hybrid control, and shared control. A discussion of the types of tasks that benefit from the strategies is included, as well as experimental results which show that the use of visual servoing to stably guide a manipulator simplifies the force control problem by allowing the effective use of low gain force control with relatively large stability margins.
A new paradigm and computational framework to estimate stop-signal reaction time distributions from the inhibition of complex motor sequences

Inhibitory control is an important component of executive function that allows organisms to abort emerging behavioral plans or ongoing actions on the fly as new sensory information becomes available. Current models treat inhibitory control as a race between a Go- and a Stop process that may be mediated by partially distinct neural substrates, i.e., the direct and the hyper-direct pathway of the basal ganglia. The fact that finishing times of the Stop process (Stop-Signal Reaction Time, SSRT) cannot be observed directly has precluded a precise comparison of the functional properties that govern the initiation (GoRT) and inhibition (SSRT) of a motor response. To solve this problem, we modified an existing inhibitory paradigm and developed a non-parametric framework to measure the trial-by-trial variability of SSRT. A series of simulations verified that the non-parametric approach is on par with a parametric approach and yields accurate estimates of the entire SSRT distribution from as few as ~750 trials. Our results show that in identical settings, the distribution of SSRT is very similar to the distribution of GoRT albeit somewhat shorter, wider and significantly less right-skewed. The ability to measure the precise shapes of SSRT distributions opens new avenues for research into the functional properties of the hyper-direct pathway that is believed to mediate inhibitory control.
A Study of Time-Dependent and Anisotropic Effects on the Deformation Response of Two Flywheel Designs

The influence of material time dependency and anisotropy in the context of two specific flywheel designs-preload and multi-directional composite (MDC)--is investigated. In particular, we focus on the following aspects: 1) geometric constraints, 2) material constraints, 3) loading type, and 4) the fundamental character of the time-dependent response, i.e., reversible or irreversible. The bulk of the results presented were obtained using a composite (PMC IM7/8552 at 135 C) material system. The material was characterized using a general multimechanism hereditary (viscoelastoplastic) model. As a general conclusion, the results have clearly shown that both the preload and the MDC rotor designs are significantly affected by time-dependent material behavior, which may impact the state of rotor balance and potentially reduce its operating life. In view of the results of the parametric studies and predictions made in the present study, the need for actual experimentation focusing on the time-dependent behavior of full-scale flywheel rotors is self-evident.
PRIVACY AND SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS

Comments of Adam D. Thierer (Mercatus Center at George Mason University) to the Federal Trade Commission in its proceeding on “the consumer privacy and security issues" associated with the “Internet of Things.” The filing argues that the Internet of Things -- like the Internet itself -- should not be subjected to a precautionary principle, which would impose preemptive, prophylactic restrictions on this rapidly evolving sector to guard against every theoretical harm that could develop. Preemptive restrictions on the development of the Internet of Things could retard technological innovation and limit the benefits that flow to consumers.Instead of basing policy on hypothetical fears, policymakers should address harms that develop -- if they do at all -- after careful benefit-cost analysis of various remedies. Many federal and state laws already exist that could address perceived harms associated with these technologies. Moreover, social norms and etiquette will likely evolve to "regulate" these new technologies in other ways.
Polarized intrinsic neural reflexes in response to colonic elongation.

Propulsion in both small and large intestine is largely mediated by the peristaltic reflex; despite this, transit through the shorter colon is at least 10 times slower. Recently we demonstrated that elongating a segment of colon releases nitric oxide (NO) to inhibit peristalsis. The aims of this study were to determine if colonic elongation was physiologically significant, and whether elongation activated polarized intrinsic neural reflexes. Video imaging monitored fecal pellet evacuation from isolated guinea-pig colons full of pellets. Recordings were made from the circular muscle (CM) and longitudinal muscle (LM) in flat sheet preparations using either intracellular microelectrode or Ca2+ imaging techniques. Full colons were 158.1 ± 6.1% longer than empty colons. As each pellet was expelled, the colon shortened and pellet velocity increased exponentially (full 0.34, empty 1.01 mm s−1). In flat sheet preparations, maintained circumferential stretch generated ongoing peristaltic activity (oral excitatory and anal inhibitory junction potentials) and Ca2+ waves in LM and CM. Colonic elongation (140% of its empty slack length) applied oral to the recording site abolished these activities, whereas anal elongation significantly increased the frequency and amplitude of ongoing peristaltic activity. Oral elongation inhibited the excitation produced by anal elongation; this inhibitory effect was reversed by blocking NO synthesis. Pelvic nerve stimulation elicited polarized responses that were also suppressed by NO released during colonic elongation. In conclusion, longitudinal stretch excites specific mechosensitive ascending and descending interneurons, leading to activation of polarized reflexes. The dominance of the descending inhibitory reflex leads to slowed emptying of pellets in a naturally elongated colon.
Congenital prostatic abnormalities

Congenital prostatic abnormalities are not commonly encountered in clinical practice but can provide insight into normal prostatic development. Furthermore, understanding normal prostate embryology and molecular signaling may provide novel approaches to the treatment of prostatic neoplasia. This review examines normal fetal development and congenital pathology of the prostate, including 5-α-reductase deficiency, prostatic ectopia, the prostate in the female pseudohermaphrodite, the prostate in prune belly syndrome, prostatic utricle, and trisomy syndromes.
Immunoediting and Antigen Loss: Overcoming the Achilles Heel of Immunotherapy with Antigen Non-Specific Therapies

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a mainstream therapy option in the battle against cancer. Pre-clinical data demonstrates the ability of immunotherapy to harness the immune system to fight disseminated malignancy. Clinical translation has failed to recapitulate the promising results of pre-clinical studies although there have been some successes. In this review we explore some of the short-comings of cancer immunotherapy that have limited successful clinical translation. We will give special consideration to what we consider the most formidable hurdle to successful cancer immunotherapy: tumor-induced immune suppression and immune escape. We will discuss the need for antigen-specific immune responses for successful immunotherapy but also consider the need for antigen specificity as an Achilles heel of immunotherapy given tumor heterogeneity, immune editing, and antigen loss. Finally, we will discuss how combinatorial strategies may overcome some of the pitfalls of antigen specificity and highlight recent studies from our lab which suggest that the induction of antigen non-specific immune responses may also produce robust anti-tumor effects and bypass the need for antigen specificity.
Multispecies transport of metal-EDTA complexes and chromate through undisturbed columns of weathered fractured saprolite.

Abstract Laboratory-scale tracer experiments were conducted to investigate the geochemical and hydrological processes that govern the fate and transport of organically chelated radionuclides and toxic metals in undisturbed saturated columns of weathered, fractured shale saprolite. Three long-term, reactive contaminant injections were pulsed onto three separate soil columns, with the following influent mixtures: (1) 109CdEDTA2−, (2) 109CdEDTA2− and 57,58Co(II)EDTA2−, and (3) 109CdEDTA2−, 57Co(III)EDTA−, and H51CrO4−. Both single and multiple species experiments were conducted to determine the importance of interaction between the contaminants and competition for surface sites. Flow interruption was used to identify physical and chemical non-equilibrium (PNE and CNE) which were caused by multiple pore-region flow and rate-limited chemical reactions, respectively. Reactive contaminant transport through the fractured, weathered shale was affected by sorption, redox, and dissociation reactions, which were mediated by soil organic matter and surficial oxides of Fe, Mn, and Al. The transport of CdEDTA2− was significantly influenced by ligand-promoted dissolution of subsurface Fe and Al sources, resulting in the liberation of Cd2+, Al(III)EDTA− and Fe(III)EDTA−. Flow interruption confirmed that the surface-mediated dissociation reaction was time-dependent, with the stability of the CdEDTA2− complex dependent on its residence time within the soil. The migration of Co(II)EDTA2− was dominated by oxidization to the highly stable Co(III)EDTA− species, and elevated effluent Mn2+ suggested that surficial Mn(IV) oxides likely catalyzed the redox reaction, though Fe-oxides may have also contributed to the reaction. Dissociation (12%) of the Co(II)EDTA2− complex was first observed during flow interruption, indicating that rate-limited dissociation of the complex by Fe-oxides may be significant under equilibrium conditions. The transport of HCrO4− was significantly altered by the reduction of mobile Cr(VI) to irreversibly bound Cr(III). The reduction reaction was catalyzed by surface-bound natural organic matter and flow interruption confirmed that the reaction was time-dependent. There was little evidence of competitive effects between the various contaminants in the multispecies experiments, since each was influenced by a different geochemical process during transport through the soil. The results of this study further support research findings that suggest anionic toxic metals and radionuclide–organic complexes can be significantly influenced by soil geochemical processes that can both enhance and impede the subsurface migration of these contaminants.
Regulation of Distinct Muscle Behaviors Controls the C. elegans Male's Copulatory Spicules during Mating

We demonstrate through cell ablation, molecular genetic, and pharmacological approaches that during C. elegans male mating behavior, the male inserts his copulatory spicules into the hermaphrodite by regulating periodic and prolonged spicule muscle contractions. Distinct cholinergic neurons use different ACh receptors and calcium channels in the spicule muscles to mediate these contractile behaviors. The PCB and PCC sensory neurons facilitate periodic contraction through muscle-encoded UNC-68 ryanodine receptor calcium channels. The SPC motor neurons trigger prolonged contraction through EGL-19 L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. The male gonad then lengthens the duration of EGL-19-mediated prolonged muscle contraction. This regulation of muscle contraction provides a paradigm to explain how animals initiate, monitor, and maintain a behavioral motor program.
Mass communication and journalism faculty and their electronic communication with college students: A nationwide examination

Nearly 700 U.S. journalism and mass communication faculty reported their perceptions of student e-mail use via a Web-based survey. This nationwide study focused on content of e-mail received by faculty and made comparisons based on faculty gender. Nearly half of the respondents reported that they occasionally receive e-mails from students before a test or assignment is due claiming illness or some other emergency. Approximately 42% of the respondents receive e-mails from students that complain about grades. Additional results indicated significant differences based on instructor gender. Findings suggest the need for journalism and mass communication faculty to take a more active role in teaching students proper e-mail etiquette so students can overcome perceived gender stereotyping and communicate effectively in the workplace.
Enhancing effects of phenobarbitone and butylated hydroxytoluene on 2-acetylaminofluorene-induced hepatic tumorigenesis in the rat.

Abstract A comparison has been made between the enhancing effects of 0.05% dietary phenobarbitone and of 05% dietary butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on hepatic tumorigenesis in rats previously fed 2-acetylaminofluorene for a brief period. Prolonged feeding of the BHT diet produced a significant degree of enhancement which, however, was both lower in magnitude and delayed, in comparison with the enhancement produced by the phenobarbitone diet. Daily phenobarbitone injections stimulated persistent liver enlargement and a transient fourfold increase in DNA synthesis over a 5-day period. Similar treatment with BHT produced less pronounced liver enlargement after a delay of 1 day and did not stimulate DNA synthesis as did phenobarbitone. The results suggest that the dissimilar tumorigenic-enhancing abilities of BHT and phenobarbitone may result from differences in the effects of these agents on biochemical processes related to liver growth.
Separate domains of sendai virus P protein are required for binding to viral nucleocapsids

Abstract The role of Sendai virus P protein in viral RNA synthesis involves association with the nucleocapsid template. There is evidence that the carboxyl-terminal region of P protein is responsible for this association ( K. W. Ryan and D. W. Kingsbury, 1988 , Virology 167, 106–112). To define the P protein sequences involved more precisely, deletions were generated in a cDNA clone of the P gene. Proteins synthesized in vitro from these altered P genes were mixed with extracts from infected cells to determine if they could attach to nucleocapsids. Under conditions where full-size P protein was able to bind, a protein comprising the 95 carboxyl-terminal residues of P protein (Sendai virus X protein) did not bind. This indicated that other P protein residues were required, in addition to the 95 residues at the carboxyl-terminal end. To locate these other residues, P genes were constructed with overlapping deletions of sequences encoding the carboxyl-terminal 40% of the protein. Analysis of these deleted proteins revealed that the necessary residues were in two separate binding domains, amino acids 345 to 412 and 479 to 568 (the carboxyl-terminus). Deletion of the 66 residues between these regions did not affect attachment. Therefore, the formation of a functional binding site requires residues within two separate regions of P protein.
Biochemical variations in three species of prairie dogs (Cynomys)

Abstract 1. 1. Blood proteins were studied by polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis in three species of prairie dogs, Cynomys gunnisoni, C. leucurus, and C. ludovicianus. 2. 2. The sera were separated into 13–15 fractions and the three species could be distinguished by both qualitative and quantitative differences in their serum patterns. 3. 3. Qualitatively, variations in the occurrence and number of slow albumin fractions are diagnostic at the species leel. 4. 4. Quantitative differences were most apparent in variation in the mobility of the major albumin fraction and the transferrin fraction.
Sa1547 The Efficacy of Cryospray Ablation Therapy in Eradicating Dysplastic Barrett's Esophagus

The Efficacy of Cryospray Ablation Therapy in Eradicating Dysplastic Barrett’s Esophagus Jayaprakash Sreenarasimhaiah, Deepak Agrawal, Luis F. Lara Medicine/Gastroenterology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX Background: Dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus has historically been treated by surgery. However, endoscopic therapy has recently become well-established as a minimally-invasive alternative. One of the newest modalities available is cryospray ablation therapy. Aims: To determine if cryospray ablation therapy is a safe and effective means for ablation of dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus. Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent cryospray ablation therapy for dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus over a 24-month period were included. Patients were treated with liquid nitrogen (CSA Medical) for high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or persistent low-grade dysplasia (LGD, noted on two endoscopies at 6-month intervals). Nodules were treated with a combination of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and cryospray ablation therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound was used to confirm that disease was confined to the esophageal mucosa in high-grade dysplastic or nodular carcinoma cases. Results: The study group included 26 patients (mean age 67.1 years; 19 male and 7 female) who underwent a total of 57 sessions of cryospray ablation therapy. The mean number of sessions was 2.2 per patient with a mean length of 5.7cm. HGD was seen in 14 patients; intramucosal cancer was noted in 3 patients; persistent LGD was present in 9 patients. Three patients were lost to follow-up due to insurance or co-morbid illness. Of 23 patients who completed therapy, 20 (87%) had no visible Barrett’s mucosa. In 3 /23 (13%), histologic features of Barrett’s mucosa was noted without dysplasia. In all 3 patients with intramucosal nodular carcinoma, endoscopic therapy was successful with no findings at 6 months cryospray alone (1), EMR prior to cryotherapy (1), and EMR following cryotherapy (1). No patients required narcotics or hospitalization following the procedure. In 57 sessions of cryotherapy, 3 (5%) strictures developed which were treated successfully with endoscopic balloon dilation. Conclusions: Cryospray ablation therapy is effective in the complete eradication of Barrett’s with high-grade dysplasia, low-grade dysplasia, and intramucosal (T1) carcinoma. This therapy can be successfully combined with EMR therapy. The low stricture rate and lack of significant post-procedure pain demonstrate the safety and attractiveness of this modality.
Factorial analyses of photopolymerizable thermoresponsive composite hydrogels for protein delivery

Abstract A smart protein delivery system for wound healing applications was developed using composite nanoparticle hydrogels that can release protein in a temperature-responsive manner. This system can also be formed in situ in the presence of ultraviolet light and Irgacure 2959 photoinitiator. The system consists of temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) (PNIPAM-AAm) nanoparticles embedded in a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) matrix. A factorial analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of PEGDA concentration (10% and 15% w/v) and PEGDA molecular weight (MW; 3.4 kDa and 8 kDa), as well as PNIPAM-AAm nanoparticle concentration (2% and 4% w/v) and temperature (23°C and 40°C) on the protein release profiles and swelling ratios of the hydrogels. Results indicate that PNIPAM-AAm nanoparticle concentration and temperature were the most important factors affecting the protein release during the burst release phase. Additionally, PEGDA MW was the most important factor affecting the protein release in the plateau region. It was also important in controlling the hydrogel swelling ratio. A dual-layered hydrogel was further developed to produce a protein delivery system with a better sustained release. These findings have improved our understanding of the composite hydrogel systems and will help in tailoring future systems with desired release profiles. From the Clinical Editor A smart protein delivery system for wound healing applications using composite nanoparticle hydrogels that can release protein in a temperature-responsive manner is reported in this paper. Systems like this may aid in optimal would healing in the surgical and trauma-related settings.
Atomic layer-by-layer deposition of h-BN(0001) on cobalt: a building block for spintronics and graphene electronics

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Raman measurements demonstrate that macroscopically continuous hexagonal BN(0001) (h-BN) multilayer layer films can be grown by atomic layer deposition on Co(0001) substrates. The growth procedure involves alternating exposures of BCl3 and NH3 at 550 K, followed by annealing in ultrahigh vacuum above 700 K to induce long-range order. XPS data demonstrate that the films have a consistent B:N atomic ratio of 1:1. LEED data show that the BN layers are azimuthally in registry, with an estimated domain size of ~170 A. The films are continuous over a macroscopic (1 cm × 1 cm) area as demonstrated by the fact that exposure of a h-BN(0001) bi-layer film to ambient at room temperature yields no observable Co oxidation, although some N oxidation is observed, and long range order is lost. The ability to grow large area, continuous multilayer BN films on Co, with atomic level control of film thickness, makes possible an array of magnetic tunnel junction and spin filter applications.
TokenRNA: a new type of sequence-specific, label-free fluorescent biosensor for folded RNA molecules.

aptamers; biosensors; fluorescence; paranemic; RNA recognition; tokenRNAFluorescent reporters are highly sensitive, nonperturbing, and convenient probes for biologicalstudies. Current techniques for recognition of specific nucleic acid sequences usually requirecomplementary hybridization to chemically modified probes.[1] Optimal fluorescentbiosensors should rapidly signal the presence of a specific analyte with high selectivity andhigh contrast. Recently, a number of label-free, fluorescent bio-indicators have been reportedincluding aptamer-based riboswitches as sensors for cofactors,[2] aptamer-based proteinsensors,[3] and chimeric aptamers, in which the recognition domain binding the target wascoupled to an aptamer that binds a fluorophore in such a way that the presence of the targetincreases the affinity of the bioindicator for the fluorophore.[ 4,5] When the emission yields ofthe fluorophore in its bound and free states differ, this provides a binary sensor withnonperturbing optical recognition.It is desirable to detect macromolecular analytes (for example, structured RNA molecules) intheir native environment without having to denature or unfold them. In this work, wedemonstrate a technique for sensitive, label-free, real-time sequence-specific recognition ofprefolded RNA sequences. We use RNA constructs designed to form an aptameric pocket forthe fluorophore upon programmable paranemic binding to a specific prefolded analyte RNAsequence. We call these constructs paranemic “token RNAs”.We chose the triphenylmethane dye, Malachite Green (MG), as the fluorescent reporter becausein its unbound state in water solution it exhibits extremely low fluorescence quantum yieldfrom the S1 excited state because of efficient internal conversion.[ 6,7] The emission of the dyeincreases substantially when the nonradiative relaxation channels from S1 are shut down.Whereas the detailed underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon are still being debated,[7–9] related studies show that “rigidifying” the dye by placing it in a highly viscous environmentor in a binding cage increases its emission dramatically.[ 7] For instance, it was reported recentlythat the emission of MG increases by several orders of magnitude upon binding to an RNAaptamer obtained by in vitro selection (SELEX).[8,10] This aptamer has also been used as areporter for ATP recognition[4] and to perform real-time fluorescent monitoring of single-stranded DNA molecules.[11] The DNA detection was based on the separation of the MGaptamer into two strands, each of which is linked to a nucleic acid arm complementary to one
A longitudinal analysis of T-cell epitope-coding regions of hepatitis C virus after liver transplantation.

Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver failure is the single leading indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) worldwide. The mechanisms that underlie the observed differences in natural history of HCV recurrence remain poorly understood. We have previously demonstrated that differential T-cell responses correlate with histologic severity after OLT. We hypothesized that amino acid substitutions within critical T-cell epitopes could lead to increased severity of HCV disease. Methods We determined the peptide sequences from sequential serum-derived viral RNA by reverse transcription and direct polymerase chain reaction sequence analysis from 32 HCV genotype 1-infected patients with well-characterized outcomes after liver transplantation. Serum samples were analyzed for HCV sequence the day of OLT and at least one time point post-OLT. To construct evolutionary relationships among the different patient samples, phylogenetic analyses of core and NS3 sequences were performed using a matrix fed into a neighbor-joining tree algorithm. Results The phylogenetic analyses revealed remarkable conservation within a given individual and no significant differences when comparing patients with severe versus mild recurrence. Accordingly, the synonymous mutation rate was consistently greater than the nonsynonymous substitution rate. The nine epitopic regions analyzed were also preserved so that, with the exception of one patient with mild recurrence, none of the patients demonstrated a shift in viral peptide sequence. Conclusions HCV core and NS3 viral peptide sequences are identical before and after OLT in most patients, suggesting that the prevalent sequence is preserved in most cases, and viral variants are competent to establish infection after OLT. Although these results do not support viral mutation as a dominant pathogenic mechanism after OLT, other viral regions need to be analyzed.
Resonant excitations of high energy nuclei in aligned crystal targets

Abstract Resonant transitions to excited nuclear states are predicted when relativistic nuclei are directed along a crystal axis. The periodic field of the crystal can be treated as a flux of photons; therefore, this process is analogous to photo-excitation. Resonance occurs when the velocity of the nucleus and the periodicity of the lattice lead to a field at the nucleus whose frequency corresponds to a nuclear excitation frequency. Calculations predict a resonant excitation rate which, although not large, may be observable.
Explaining associations between cannabis use disorders in adolescence and later major depression: a test of the psychosocial failure model.

Aims Cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in adolescence are associated with increased risk for later major depressive disorder (MDD). The goal of this study was to examine the “psychosocial failure” explanation for this association: the possibility that psychosocial consequences of CUDs in adolescence account for the increased risk for later MDD.
Building dynamic thermal profiles of energy consumption for individuals and neighborhoods

As a way to match peaks in demand to available supply in real-time on the power grid, energy utility companies employ Demand-Response (DR) strategies. With the recent deployment of advanced metering infrastructure collecting highly granular (sub-hourly) data on consumption from millions of users system operators may now understand how demand arises down to the individual level. In this paper we present an application of a dynamic model that describes residential users' thermally-sensitive consumption using hourly electricity and weather readings. We build rich profiles at individual and group levels that may be used to inform DR programs that focus on temperature-dependent consumption such as heating and cooling. We learn individual thermal profiles for a large user sample, and describe the seasonal and time-of-day distribution of thermal regimes. Finally, we build aggregate thermal profiles for geographically-homogeneous groups of different size. We argue that aggregation leads to regularity in temperature response of energy consumption, and characterize empirically the critical size of groups needed to achieve limiting regularity.
Planning Theory and the City

The distinction between urban theory and planning theory is not intellectually viable. Reasons include (1) the historical roots and justification for planning, which depends on a vision of the city...
Late-Life Onset of Psychotic Symptoms

The authors retrospectively evaluated the etiology and clinical findings of patients with first manifestations of psychotic symptoms after the age of 65. Nearly 10% of over 1,700 consecutive geriatric patients admitted to an acute inpatient psychogeriatric unit had late-life onset psychotic symptoms. About three-fourths of these were women, usually in their seventies. Dementia of the Alzheimer's type was the most common cause of psychosis arising in late life, followed by major depression, medical/toxic causes, delirium, bipolar disorder, delusional disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Clinical manifestations consisted mostly of delusions and hallucinations.
The Cipro patent and bioterrorism.

1. the medication plays a key role in the government’s response to a bona ade national medical emergency; 2. there are no alternative remedies; 3. negotiations made in good faith to obtain the medication or a license to produce the medication have failed; 4. the government compensates the company nonetheless; and 5. the action is limited in time or has a sunset clause. Resnik and De Ville speciacally refer to bioterrorism and the decision to not override the patent on ciproooxacin when individuals became infected with anthrax after contact with contaminated letters. As physicians specializing in infectious diseases, our comments will be restricted to the arst two conditions, which require medical judgments. We agree with the other three conditions but will not discuss them, because they are business issues. The arst condition is that ciproooxacin would play a key role in the government’s response to a bona ade national medical emergency. This is a compound statement and must be broken down to:
Surface chemistry of the monoglyceride-bile salt system: Its relationship to the function of bile salts in fat absorption

Abstract Ingested triglyceride is hydrolyzed by pancreatic lipase to yield monoglycerides and fatty acids, which are dispersed by bile salts into aggregates of micellar size. To determine the molecular arrangement of these aggregates, the surface interaction of appropriate fatty acids, glycerides, and their analogs with synthetically prepared, pure bile salts varying in conjugation, number, and position of hydroxyl groups and type of A/B ring juncture has been characterized. Monoolein was readily penetrated by bile salts. The degree of penetration was proportional to the intrinsic surface activity of the bile salt, and this correlated with the number and position of hydroxyl substituents: taurocholate π A and Δ V A indicated that at high areas the bile salt nucleus lies parallel to the interface; as the area was reduced, the nucleus became perpendicular and the ionic head of the bile salt was forced into the aqueous phase. With further compression, dihydroxy and trihydroxy bile salts separated from the monolayer and passed into the bulk phase; monohydroxy bile salts remained associated with the film, reflecting their greater surface activity. Penetration of monoglycerides, monoglyceride analogs, diglycerides, and triglycerides of oleyl and stearyl homologs indicated that the interaction of bile salts with monoglycerides was much stronger than that with higher glycerides, fatty acids, or propylene glycol monoesters. At 25°C, penetration did not occur unless spacing between the polar heads of monoglycerides was present. The mechanism of penetration was considered to be hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups of the bile salt nucleus and those of the glycerol moiety of the monoglyceride. Monoglycerides form a mesomophic phase in water. Bile salts adsorb to the presumably lamellar or cylindrical arrays and round them off into smaller aggregates; a spherical model of the bile salt-monoglyceride-fatty acid aggregate is proposed. In this model, bile salts function as wetting agents, rather than as detergents, since they adsorb to the interface and do not penetrate the hydrocarbon chains. The ability of bile salts to penetrate films of monoglycerides plus the existence of a mesomorphic phase in the water-poor region of the ternary composition phase diagram of the bile salt-water monoglyceride system suggests that a mesomorphic phase of bile salt-water-monoglyceride and fatty acid may occur during pancreatic lipolysis at the oil/water interface. Thus the mechanism proposed by Lawrence for spontaneous detergence may well occur in biological systems.
“Old Indian Ways” of Predicting the Weather: Senator Robert S. Kerr and the Winter Predictions of 1950–51 and 1951–52

Abstract In September 1950, U.S. Senator Robert S. Kerr (D-Oklahoma) wrote to Indian leaders across the United States in order to “make some determination with regard to whether or not we are going to have an early winter and whether or not we may expect a hard winter.” Even though he had access to U.S. Weather Bureau predictions and other scientific data, Kerr and his administrative assistant, Ben Dwight, a member of the Choctaw Nation and its onetime Principal Chief, wrote that they “would like to know what some of the Indians in the various sections of the nation think about our coming winter probabilities.” Kerr and Dwight indicated they had a “high regard for the old Indian ways of determining such things—because they are practical and have always been able to make some very accurate predictions.” From 33 letters sent to tribes in 1950 (including 9 to tribes in Oklahoma) 3 responses were known to have been received; a follow-up letter-writing campaign in October 1951 was more fruitful, producing 8 kn...
Adsorption of some substituted phenols onto hydrous ZnS(s)

Monosubstituted phenols show a constant adsorption density when pH values are smaller than the pHiw oftiydrous ZnS(s). No adsorption of the deprotonated phenolate species was observed. It is concluded that the adsorption is controlled by the solubility of the monosubstituted phenols. The nonspecific, hydrophobic interaction is proposed to be the determining driving force for the adsorption, with the exception of catechol, which is specifically adsorbe& Compared with the oxides, hydrous zinc sulfide demonstrates a stronger atfinity toward monosubstituted phenols. © 1992 Academic Press, Inc.
Robust distributed detection using low power acoustic sensors

This paper describes a robust detection algorithm implemented on a network of acoustic sensors. The sensors are severely constrained in both power and computational performance. A variety of techniques are employed to extract maximum detection range while minimizing false alarm rates under these constraints. These include automatic gain control, background estimation and adaptive thresholding, and collaboration among distributed sensors for false alarm mitigation. The resulting algorithm is both robust and sufficiently general to be applied in a variety of sensor domains. The algorithm was implemented and deployed on prototype hardware and operated in real time under realistic operational conditions.
SIGACT news complexity theory column 52

For those who are big fans of the fantastic complexity textbook by Daniel Bovet and Pierluigi Crescenzi [BC93] (and I myself certainly am), there is great news. The authors have made their book available online, free of charge for noncommercial use. It can be found at via Pilu's web site (start at http://www.algoritmica.org/piluc, then click on the "Books" section, and then click on "Introduction to the Theory of Complexity").
Origin of brines, salts and carbonate from shales of the Marcellus Formation: Evidence from geochemical and Sr isotope study of sequentially extracted fluids

Fluids co-produced with methane from hydraulically fractured organic-rich shales of the Marcellus Formation (USA) are characterized by high total dissolved solids (TDS), including elevated levels of Ba, Sr and Br. To investigate the source and geologic history of these high-TDS fluids and their dissolved constituents, we carried out a series of sequential extraction experiments on dry-drilled cuttings extracted within, below and above the Marcellus Shale from a well in Tioga County, New York State. The experiments were designed to extract (1) water soluble components, (2) exchangeable cations, (3) carbonate minerals, and (4) hydrochloric acid-soluble constituents. The geochemistry of the resultant leachates highlights the different geochemical reservoirs for extractable elements within the shale; notably, Na and Br were largely water-soluble, while Ba was extracted primarily from exchangeable sites, and Ca and Sr were found both in exchangeable sites and carbonate. Strontium isotope ratios measured on the leachates indicate that each of the element reservoirs has a distinct value. Measured 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the water soluble component are similar to those of Marcellus produced water, while the ion exchange reservoir yields lower ratios, and carbonate Sr is lower still, approaching Devonian-Silurian seawater values. Despite the isotopic similarity of water leachates and produced water, the total water chemistry argues against generation of produced water by interaction of hydraulic fracturing fluid with “dry” shale. The high-TDS produced water is most likely trapped formation water (within and/or adjacent to the shale) that is released by hydraulic fracturing. The formation water was affected by multiple processes, possibly including basin scale, tectonically-driven fluid flow. Significant chemical and isotopic differences between Marcellus Shale produced water and overlying Upper Devonian/Lower Mississippian produced waters suggests a hydrologic barrier has been maintained in parts of the Appalachian Basin since the late Paleozoic.
Computer system models: An introduction

A system model is a tool used to predict system performance under changing conditions. There are two widely used modeling techniques: one based on discrete event simulation and one based on queuing theory models. Because queueing theory models are so much cheaper to implement and use, as compared to simulation models, there is growing interest in them. Users are developing and using queuing theory models to project system performance, project capacity, analyze bottlenecks and configure systems.This talk uses an operational analysis approach to develop system models. This approach, as presented in Denning and Buzen [1], provides an intuitive basis for analyzing system performance and constructing system models. Very simple calculations lead to estimates of bounds on performance - maximum job throughput rates and minimum message response times. The emphasis is on gaining an understanding of system models which reenforces intuition, not on mathematical formulae.Several examples are included. References to other works and publications are provided. Application areas and limitations of modeling techniques are discussed.
The effects of race and age on axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer patients at a Midwestern safety-net hospital

Abstract Background Black and premenopausal patients have been shown to have poorer stage for stage survival than the overall population. The purpose of this study was to define the effects of age and race on axillary lymph node involvement at a Midwestern safety-net hospital. The hypothesis was that black patients under the age of 50 would be found to have increased rates of axillary involvement in breast cancer. Methods A retrospective case review was performed of 184 breast cancer patients from 2000 to 2005. Statistical analysis was performed by race and age. Patients under 50 years of age were defined as premenopausal. Results The overall rate of axillary involvement was 47.8%. Black patients had an overall rate of axillary involvement of 52.9%. However, premenopausal black patients had a 70.8% rate of axillary involvement ( P Conclusion In our study, premenopausal black patients had a much higher rate of axillary lymph node involvement than any other group. This finding was consistent even when tumor size was taken into account. More research needs to be done to better define this difference and to detect this disease at an earlier stage.
Numerical methods for evaluating integrals over first brillouin zones of cubic lattices

Abstract A new method is developed for evaluating the integral over the first Brillouin Zone of a face-centered cubic lattice. In this method the density of the points at which the value of the integrand is sampled increases towards the center of the zone, which makes the method particularly useful for the prediction of low-temperature thermodynamic properties. We use the new method and two other integration methods to evaluate the Debye specific heat formula, and compare the results to determine the relative usefulness of the different methods. We also discuss the application of the new method to the first Brillouin zone of the simple cubic lattice.
A metric measure for weight matrices of variable lengths—with applications to clustering and classification of hidden Markov models

Abstract We construct a metric measure among weight matrices that are commonly used in non-interacting statistical physics systems, computational biology problems, as well as in general applications such as hidden Markov models. The metric distance between two weight matrices is obtained via aligning the matrices and thus can be evaluated by dynamic programming. Capable of allowing reverse complements in distance evaluation, this metric accommodates both gapless and gapped alignments between two weight matrices. The distance statistics among random motifs is also studied. We find that the average square distance and its standard error grow with different powers of motif length, and the normalized square distance follows a Gaussian distribution for large motif lengths.
Pedal-Powered Avant-Gardes: Cycling Paintings in 1912–13

This essay examines three paintings of sporting cyclists completed within 18 months of one another: the German Expressionist Lyonel Feininger's The Bicycle Race; the French Cubist Jean Metzinger's At the Cycle-Race Track; and the Italian Futurist Umberto Boccioni's Dynamism of a Cyclist. Although near-contemporaneous, the works are notable for their spread across Europe. Professional cycling developed as a distinct facet of modernity. Races were supported by the emerging sporting press in tandem with cycle manufacturers; they were a form of exhibition as much as a contest. But although the subject matter is identical, the paintings are not reducible to one another. Feininger focuses on the uniformity of a group of cyclists. Metzinger's work is linked to French nationalism. Boccioni painted as a response to rival efforts to depict movement as well as the adoption of sporting themes by Salon Cubism, which threatened Italian Futurism's identity as a separate movement.
Childhood Obesity: Prevention and Treatment (CRC Series in Modern Nutrition)

Childhood Obesity: Prevention and Treatment is a compendium of knowledge about idiopathic obesity in the context of growth. Jana Pařizkova and Andrew Hills, both important researchers in the field ...