cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genotoxic Response of Unionid Mussel Hemolymph to Hydrogen Peroxide and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The single cell gel electrophoresis or comet assay is widely used to detect DNA damage in isolated cells following exposure to genotoxic compounds. This assay, although commonly used with marine bivalve tissue and circulatory fluid, has received little use or demonstration in freshwater mussels of the order Unionida. Because such a large proportion (>70%) of this faunal group is globally imperiled and is being adversely impacted by environmental contaminants, including many genotoxicants, the aim of this study was to assess the applicability of the comet assay in unionid mussel hemolymph sampled non-lethally with a reference genotoxicant, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of common environmental pollutants of genotoxic action. DNA damage was evaluated in samples of hemolymph from Elliptio complanata in both in vitro and in vivo exposures and quantified using the endpoints % tail DNA, or the percentage of DNA in the comet tail and OTM or olive tail moment, the product of the fraction of DNA in the tail and tail length. Hemocytes were isolated and the comet assay was performed on control, 160 µM H2O2, and PAH treated cells. From the in vitro exposures, 160 µM H2O2, as well as the 50 and 100 µg/L total PAH treatments yielded statistically significant (p < 0.05) levels of DNA damage, with the H2O2 yielding an average of 39.7 % tail DNA and 13.3 OTM and the two PAH treatments yielding 40.7 % and 38.6 % tail DNA, and 12.4 and 11.0 OTM, respectively. An in vivo PAH exposure with adult E. complanata did not detect a similar genotoxic response to that detected with in vitro exposure, indicating that additional research and evaluation may be necessary before implementing the widespread use of a non-lethal, unionid mussel hemolymph based genotoxicity screening tool for environmental biomonitoring.
Synaptotagmin-11 mediates a vesicle trafficking pathway that is essential for development and synaptic plasticity

Synaptotagmin-11 (Syt11) is a Synaptotagmin isoform that lacks an apparent ability to bind calcium, phospholipids, or SNARE proteins. While human genetic studies have linked mutations in the Syt11 gene to schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease, the localization or physiological role of Syt11 remain unclear. We found that in neurons, Syt11 resides on abundant vesicles that differ from synaptic vesicles and resemble trafficking endosomes. These vesicles recycle via the plasma membrane in an activity-dependent manner, but their exocytosis is slow and desynchronized. Constitutive knockout mice lacking Syt11 died shortly after birth, suggesting Syt11-mediated membrane transport is required for survival. In contrast, selective ablation of Syt11 in excitatory forebrain neurons using a conditional knockout did not affect life span but impaired synaptic plasticity and memory. Syt11-deficient neurons displayed normal secretion of fast neurotransmitters and peptides but exhibited a reduction of long-term synaptic potentiation. Hence, Syt11 is an essential component of a neuronal vesicular trafficking pathway that differs from the well-characterized synaptic vesicle trafficking pathway but is also essential for life.
Wave damping by flexible vegetation: Connecting individual blade dynamics to the meadow scale

Abstract Aquatic vegetation provides ecosystem services of great value, including the damping of waves, which protects shorelines and reduces resuspension. This study proposes a physically-based model to predict the wave decay associated with a submerged meadow as a function of plant morphology, flexibility, and shoot density. In particular, the study considers both the rigid (sheath) and flexible (blade) segments of the plant. Flexible plants reconfigure in response to wave orbital velocity, which diminishes wave decay relative to a rigid plant of the same morphology. The impact of reconfiguration on wave decay can be characterized using an effective blade length, l e , which represents the length of a rigid blade that generates the same drag as the flexible blade of length l . The effective blade length depends on the Cauchy number, which defines the ratio of hydrodynamic drag to blade stiffness, and the ratio of blade length to wave orbital excursion. This laboratory study considered how the scaling laws determined for individual blades can be used to predict the wave decay over a meadow of multiple plants, each consisting of multiple blades attached at a rigid stem (sheath). First, the drag force on and motion of individual model blades (made of low-density polyethylene) was studied for a range of wave conditions to provide empirical coefficients for the theoretically determined scaling laws for effective blade length, l e . Second, the effective blade length predicted for individual blades was incorporated into a meadow-scale model to predict wave decay over a meadow. The meadow-scale model accounts for both the rigid and flexible parts of individual plants. Finally, wave decay was measured over meadows of different plant density (shoots per bed area), and the measured decay was used to validate the wave-decay model. Wave decay was shown to be similar over meadows with regular and random arrangements of plants.
Promoting water-splitting in Janus bipolar ion-exchange resin wafers for electrodeionization

Electrochemical separation processes are undergoing a renaissance as the range of applications continues to expand because they offer opportunities for increased energy efficiency and sustainability in comparison to conventional separation technologies. Existing platforms such as electrodialysis and electrodeionization (EDI) are seeing significant improvement and are currently being deployed for treating a diverse set of liquid streams (e.g., water and wastewater treatment, organic acid separation, etc.). In addition, the relatively low inherent electricity requirement for electrochemical separations could potentially be satisfied through integration with sustainable sources of renewable energy. In order to achieve a truly sustainable electrochemical separations process, it is paramount to improve the energy efficiency of electrochemical separations by minimizing all sources of resistances within these units. This work reports of a new class of symmetric and asymmetric Janus bipolar resin wafers (RWs) that augment the spacer channel ionic conductivity in EDI while having the additional functionality of splitting water into protons and hydroxide ions. The latter attribute is important in niche applications that require pH modulation such as silica and organic acid removal from liquid streams. The Janus bipolar RWs were devised from single ion-conducting RWs that were interfaced together to create an intimate polycation–polyanion junction. Interestingly, the conductivity of the single ion-conducting RWs at low salt concentrations was observed to be dependent on the ionic mobilities of the counterions that the RW was transferring. Using single ion-conducting RWs to construct Janus bipolar RWs enabled the incorporation of a water-splitting catalyst (aluminum hydroxide nanoparticles) into the porous ion-exchange resin bed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a water dissociation catalyst has been implemented in the ion-exchange resin bed for EDI. The water dissociation catalyst in bipolar junctions pre-polarizes water making it easier to split into hydronium and hydroxide ion charge carriers under applied electric fields via the second Wien effect. The new molecularly layered Janus RWs demonstrate both satisfactory water-splitting and salt removal in bench scale EDI setups and these materials may improve, or even supplant, existing bipolar membrane electrodialysis units that currently necessitate large electrolyte feed concentrations.
Exploring Key Physiological System Profiles at Rest and the Association with Depressive Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Depression is often associated with dysfunction in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience physiological dysregulation and psychological comorbidities; however, the extent to which the interactions between these systems predict internalizing symptoms in ASD has not been investigated. The study examined interactions with the HPA axis and ANS in 10–13-year-old children with ASD (n = 41) and typical development (TD; n = 46). The interrelated systems uniquely contributed to depressive symptoms in ASD above and beyond any system in isolation. A reciprocal, parasympathetic-dominant ANS was related to fewer affective symptoms in ASD. Findings highlight the importance of examining arousal across multiple systems to more precisely identify profiles associated with maladaptive psychiatric outcomes in ASD.
DNA-based nanofabrication for low-cost, high-resolution patterning

This paper summarizes our work on DNA-based nanofabrication. In the past decade, our group has developed several strategies to employ unmodified DNA nanostructures as templates for high-resolution patterning. We showed that DNA nanostructures can locally modulate vapor phase etching and deposition reactions. As a result, both negative-tone and positive-tone pattern transfers were achieved within one reaction system by adjusting reaction conditions. We also showed that DNA nanostructures can be directly imprinted onto a variety of substrates, including soft polymers and selfassembled monolayer molecules. In these cases, various surface patterns were obtained with the size ranging from micrometer to sub-10 nm. These DNA-patterned substrates have interesting interfacial properties, such as site-specific reactivity and antifouling. Overall, our work highlighted the potentials of DNA-based nanofabrication for high-resolution patterning in electronic and surface engineering applications.
Trophic responses of juvenile Pacific salmon to warm and cool periods within inside marine waters of Southeast Alaska

Abstract Marine growth and survival of juvenile Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) have been linked to marine temperatures and feeding conditions during their first few months at sea. Therefore, understanding what salmon consume under varying environmental conditions is important to understanding how their growth and survival are affected by climate change. Here, we examined how warm/cool-phase variation in water temperature, salinity, wind speed, and pycnocline depth influenced the diet composition and quality of four species of juvenile Pacific salmon in Icy Strait (Southeast Alaska) from 2013 to 2017. During the five-year period, water temperatures shifted from a cool phase in 2013 to warm in 2014–2016, then back to cool in 2017. Overall, the diet composition and prey diversity varied among zooplanktivorous species (pink salmon O. gorbuscha, chum salmon O. keta, and sockeye salmon O. nerka) and piscivorous (coho salmon O. kisutch) species, with the exception of 2015, when euphausiids were the dominant prey for all four species. The summer of 2015 was notable for its deep pycnocline although it was not the warmest year in the study. Zooplankton nutritional quality was below average in 2015, but lipid intake by juvenile salmon appeared to be supplemented by the availability of larger euphausiid prey. Across years for all species, diet composition was weakly correlated with a combination of water temperature, salinity, and wind (Pearson correlation = 0.216). We conclude that while the marine heat wave altered the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem, within the range of variability observed during the study period, juvenile salmon were able to meet their energetic demands by switching to alternative prey.
Structured Review of the Value Added by the Registered Dietitian to the Care of Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients.

Background Malnutrition is common among patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer and contributes to their morbidity and mortality. Nutrition interventions provided by a registered dietitian (RD) or dietitian may improve nutrition status and patient outcomes; however, there are few studies that attempt to define the contribution of the dietitian to these outcomes. Objective Our objective was to identify the value added by the dietitian to the care of patients with GI malignancies. Methods A structured review was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Medline, and ClinicalKey (all dates up to December 2019). Patients included those with GI malignancies undergoing cancer treatment and receiving intervention provided by an dietitian. Intervention included provision of medical nutrition therapy by an dietitian in the form of counseling, diet advice, oral nutritional supplementation, and enteral and/or parenteral nutrition-directed recommendations. Results Ten relevant studies were identified and included for analysis. Studies suggest that nutrition counseling by a dietitian during cancer treatment results in improved weight maintenance and energy intake. Preoperative nutrition counseling and inpatient dietitian intervention seem to decrease length of stay after major surgery. Conclusions We conclude that the dietitian, especially when providing nutrition counseling, improves the nutrition-related outcomes of patients with GI malignancies. The small number of existent studies highlights the need for further research to define the impact of dietitian interventions and to determine which particular interventions best improve patient outcomes.
Craig's Contradictory Kalam: Trouble at the Moment of Creation

William Lane Craig’s much-discussed kalam cosmological argument for God’s existence is intended to provide support for a particular theistic explanation of the origin of the universe. I argue here that Craig’s theistic account of the origin of the universe entails two contradictions and hence should be rejected. The main contribution of the paper is the identification of some relatively straightforward but previously unrecognized problems in Craig’s hypothesis that the beginning of the universe was a temporal effect of a timeless personal cause.
Comparing Means and Proportions in Two Samples to Test Hypotheses About Population Parameters

In this chapter, we focus on the application of parametric tests of statistical significance to comparisons between samples. Let’s say, for example, that you are interested in whether there is a difference in the mean salaries of male and female police officers or in the proportions of African Americans and others arrested last year. Your question in either of these cases is not whether the individual population parameters have particular values, but whether the difference between the two parameters of interest is different from zero. The two-sample t-test is a parametric test of statistical significance that may be used to test for equality of two population means, and a two-sample z-test for proportions is used for the equality of two population proportions. When the two samples examined are not independent, the t-test for dependent samples should be used. When distribution problems make the assumption of a normal distribution in the population untenable (such as extreme outliers), nonparametric alternatives to the t-test can be used. The Mann-Whitney U test compares the distributions for two independent samples, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test examines the distribution of ranked differences in paired data, similar to a dependent t-test. We also examine Cohen's d in this chapter which is a standardized measure of effect size that is often used along with the t-test.
Associations between sleep and academic performance in US adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to investigate the relationship between sleep and academic performance in students enrolled in secondary education programs in the United States. The study team conducted a literature search of 4 databases—PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and ERIC—on September 19 and repeated December 17, 2020. Studies were included if they were observational, published in a peer-reviewed, non-predatory journal, available in full-text, written in English, included adolescents enrolled in an organized academic program, took place in the US, and evaluated the effect of sleep duration and/or sleep quality on academic performance. After excluding reviews, editorials, interventions, and those targeting diagnostic groups, 14 studies met inclusion criteria. Risk of bias was assessed using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies; 12 studies were found to be good or high quality, 2 were adequate/fair or poor quality. A meta-analysis of 11 of the included studies revealed that sleep duration (r = 0.03; 95%CI −0.027, 0.087; p = 0.087) and sleep quality (r = 0.089; 95%CI 0.027, 0.151; p = 0.005) had negligible correlations with academic performance (non-significant and significant, respectively). Inconsistencies in definitions, methods, and measures utilized to assess sleep duration, sleep quality, and academic performance constructs may offer insight into seemingly conflicting findings. Given the pivotal role sleep plays in development, future investigations utilizing validated and objective sleep and academic performance measures are needed in adolescents.
The effects of a mobile-based vocational skill building coaching technology intervention for people with cognitive disabilities: A pilot feasibility study:

We designed a feasibility study to evaluate a mobile-based vocational skill building coaching technology (aka Mobile Coach) intervention by using an ecological design approach. We compared the Mobi...
Kidney Tissue Biopsy

Abstract Kidney tissue biopsy is a commonly performed procedure which is valuable in the work-up for patients with medical renal disease and renal transplant. This article will review indications, contraindications, technique and potential complications of kidney biopsy.
Proton Transfer from a Photoacid to Water: First Principles Simulations and Fast Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Proton transfer reactions are ubiquitous in chemistry, especially in aqueous solutions. We investigate photo-induced proton transfer between the photoacid 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6- trisulfonate (HPTS) and water using fast fluorescence spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Photo-excitation causes rapid proton release from the HPTS hydroxyl. Previous experiments on HPTS/water described the progress from photoexcitation to proton diffusion using kinetic equations with two time constants. The shortest time constant has been interpreted as protonated and photoexcited HPTS evolving into an “associated” state, where the proton is “shared” between the HPTS hydroxyl and an originally hydrogen bonded water. The longer time constant has been interpreted as indicating evolution to a “solvent separated” state where the shared proton undergoes long distance diffusion. In this work, we refine the previous experimental results using very pure HPTS. We then use excited state ab initio molecular dynamics to elucidate the detailed molecular mechanism of aqueous excited state proton transfer in HPTS. We find that the initial excitation results in rapid rearrangement of water, forming a strong hydrogen bonded network (a “water wire”) around HPTS. HPTS then deprotonates in ≤3 ps, resulting in a proton that migrates back and forth along the wire before localizing on a single water molecule. We find a near linear relationship between emission wavelength and proton-HPTS distance over the simulated time scale, suggesting that emission wavelength can be used as a ruler for proton distance. Our simulations reveal that the “associated” state corresponds to a water wire with a mobile proton and that the diffusion of the proton away from this water wire (to a generalized “solvent-separated” state) corresponds to the longest experimental time constant.
Nutrition and cutaneous wound healing

Abstract Wound healing is a complex and energy-demanding process. The relationship between nutrition and wound healing has been recognized for many centuries. Several studies have indicated that nutritional deficiencies are more prevalent among patients with chronic wounds. Malnutrition may alter the inflammatory response, collagen synthesis, and wound tensile strength, all of which are crucial for wound healing. Although the specific role of nutrition and supplementation in wound care remains uncertain, it is necessary to identify and correct nutritional imbalances to avoid any potential deterioration of the healing process. It is also important to recognize the differences in pathophysiology between acute and chronic wounds. A burn, surgical, or a traumatic wound is different from a diabetic foot ulcer, which is different from a pressure ulcer. Chronic wounds are more prevalent in the aging population, and patients often have underlying comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, connective tissue disease, or other systemic illnesses that may alter energy metabolism and contribute to impaired healing. Management approaches to acute wound care may not apply universally to chronic wounds. In this review, we discuss the available data and possible roles for nutrition in wound healing.
Analogues of the Shannon Capacity of a Graph

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a discussion on analogues of the Shannon capacity of a graph. This study was stimulated by analogies between two graph-theoretic notions, which arise from apparently unrelated applied problems in information theory and operations research. The graph theoretic concepts are the capacity of a graph and the ultimate chromatic number. There are similarities between the concepts of capacity and ultimate chromatic number. They are related explicitly as a part of a general framework and several scattered results and methods are summarized and extended. The chapter introduces and discusses, in brief, a notion of degree of perfectness of a graph. The chapter also discusses the following: (1) product numbers, (2) ultimate and fractional numbers, (3) degrees of perfectness, (4) relations among the numbers, and (5) odd cycles. The vertex-set of a graph G is denoted by V ( G ), the edge-set by E ( G ). The independence number α ( G ) is the largest number of vertices in an independent set of G ; the clique number ω( G ) is the largest number of vertices in a clique (maximal complete subgraph) of G ; the chromatic number χ( G ) is the smallest number of independent sets of G whose union is V ( G ); the clique covering number θ ( G ) is the smallest number of cliques of G whose union is V ( G ).
A Theory of Primary and Secondary Familial Mental Retardation

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a theory of primary and secondary familial mental retardation. Two broad categories of mental retardation are now generally recognized. The first category is diagnostically the most obvious; it is the variety of severe mental defects, resulting in intelligence quotients (IQs) for the most part below 50 and accompanied by physical abnormalities or clear signs of neurological damage. This category of mental deficiency forms a distribution of ability that, in a sense, stands apart from the normal distribution of mental abilities in the general population. In the IQ range from 50 to 70, on the other hand, at least 75% of the individuals included therein appear clinically normal, evincing no signs of neurological damage, sensory defects, or physical stigmata. This chapter explains the hypothesis of a hierarchy of mental abilities and some of the relevant experimental evidence. The implications of the hypothesis for the education of the retarded are indicated. The chapter discusses the concepts related to the diagnosis and taxonomy of mental retardation. A discussion is presented on the theory of primary and secondary retardation. Evidence for the level I–level II hypothesis is also discussed in the chapter.
A behavioral model of Web traffic

The growing importance of Web traffic on the Internet makes it important that we have accurate traffic models in order to plan and provision. In this paper we present a Web traffic model designed to assist in the evaluation and engineering of shared communication networks. Because the model is behavioral we can extrapolate the model to assess the effect of changes in protocols, the network or user behavior. The increasing complexity of Web traffic has required that we base our model on the notion of a Web-request, rather a Web page. A Web-request results in the retrieval of information that might consist of one or more Web pages. The parameters of our model are derived from an extensive trace of Web traffic. Web-requests are identified by analyzing not just the TCP header in the trace but also the HTTP headers. The effect of Web caching is incorporated into the model. The model is evaluated by comparing independent statistics from the model and from the trace. The reasons for differences between the model and the traces are given.
The metabolic syndrome: are rural residents at increased risk?

Purpose The purpose of this study was to estimate the differences in prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components across rural-urban populations, as well as to determine the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome and examine how they contribute toward rural-urban disparity. Methods Data came from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, restricting to 6,896 participants aged 20 years or more with complete information. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Residence was measured at the census tract level using the Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes. We estimated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components by residence. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine urban-rural differences after adjusting for sociodemographic, health, dietary, and lifestyle factors. Results The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher in rural than urban residents (39.9% vs 32.8%), among both men (39.7% vs 33.3%) and women (40.2% vs 32.3%, respectively). The age and sex adjusted OR for metabolic syndrome in rural as compared to urban residents was 1.23 (95% CI, 1.02-1.49), which was attenuated to 1.06 (95% CI, 0.90-1.25) after adjusting for covariates. Older age, lower physical activity, higher screen time, higher meat intake, and skipping breakfast were associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome. Conclusion Rural dwelling was associated with higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adults in the Unites States, which can be attributed to the differences in demographic composition and obesity-related behavioral factors between urban and rural residents.
Using artificial neural networks to identify headings in newspaper documents

Several features for Neural Network based document region identification are tested. Specifically, this paper examines features for headline and subheadline region identification. The Neural Network based region identification algorithm is a key component of a document recognition system that segments a document into regions, classifies them into text, graphic, photo, and other region types, and then uses this classification to guide the processing and analysis of the image. The input data are unusually challenging: low quality images of newspaper documents obtained from microfilmed archives. Experiments on several newspaper documents show that the features used are capable of robust and accurate headline identification.
The effects of three jump landing tasks on kinetic and kinematic measures: implications for ACL injury research.

This study compared the biomechanics of jump landing tasks used in ACL research. Twenty-seven female subjects performed a drop landing (DL), a drop landing with a vertical jump (DVJ), and a forward jump landing with a vertical jump (FVJ). We hypothesized that as one progressed from the drop landing through the forward-vertical jump that the kinematic and kinetic demands would increase, with progressively increasing knee and hip forces, moments, and angles on landing. Separate repeated-measures ANOVAs were performed. The FVJ had the highest peak anterior tibial shear force (p < 0.001), hip flexion angle (p < 0.001), knee flexion moment (p < 0.001), and knee valgus moment (p < 0.001). The DL had the smallest knee flexion angle (p = 0.001) and hip flexion angle (p < 0.001), while the DVJ had the lowest knee valgus moment (p < 0.001). These results indicate that seemingly minor variations between jump landing tasks may influence landing biomechanics. Caution should be used when comparing studies using differe...
Revisió crítica i requisits dels mètodes de producció experimental del dolor

Pain can be produced experimentally, and the question is tofind the adequate method to measure it objectively. Thus, some authors have suggested a series of requirements in order to produce a useful method of pain measure.Many stimuli have been used to produce pain, including chemical, mechanical, electrical, thermal and ischemic. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages which have to be analysed, knowing that, perhaps, the biggest difficulties are conceptual and methodological.
Na sombra do Vietnã: o nacionalismo liberal e o problema da guerra

This essay discusses how a group of post-Vietnam filmmakers and historians, in an attempt to reinvigorate liberal nationalism, began to celebrate the figure of the citizen soldier in America's past. These efforts were popular and acclaimed but failed to generate a critique of America's post-Vietnam professionalized military and the adventurist foreign policy that this military has helped to make possible.
A Quantum-Theoretic Analog for a Pair of Noncommuting Observables of the Semiclassical Brillouin Function

We study, with the use of numerical integration, a noncommutative extension of a quantum-theoretic model (an alternative to the semiclassical Brillouin function), recently presented by Brody and Hughston and, independently, Slater, for the thermodynamic behavior of a spin-1/2 particle. Differences between the (broadly similar) predictions yielded by this extended model and those obtained from its conventional (semiclassical/Jaynesian) entropy-maximization counterpart are examined.
Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution – By Mark Puls

The author of this book fills a significant void in the historiography of the American Revolution and the early national period with this biography of Henry Knox, the first full treatment of Washin...
Is the Subjectively Experienced Quality of Sleep Related to Objective Sleep Parameters

The relationship between the subjectively experienced quality of sleep and awakenings and certain objective neurophysiological parameters, including the quantitatively analyzed awake evening EEG, all-night sleep EEG, computer classified sleep stages, REM activity and awake morning EEG, were investigated in a group of 35 normal healthy male volunteers. Low voltage fast activity in the awake evening EEG was found to be linked to a delayed sleep onset, light sleep, restlessness, frequent awakenings and augmented dreams during the night. In terms of the computer classified sleep, stages wake (W) and movement time (MT) were associated with increased difficulty in falling asleep, decreased sleep comfort and sleep depth, restlessness, frequent awakenings and bad dreams. Augmented movement time resulted also in more drowsiness in the morning. The more REM activity, the less “light” the subjects rated their sleep, the less difficulty they had in getting back to sleep after night-time awakenings and the more unpleasant was the process of getting up in the morning. On the other hand, a high amount of stage 2 sleep seems to be indicative of a shortened sleep latency, a restful and uninterrupted sleep process and a refreshed feeling in the morning. The positive relationship between stage 4 and “light sleep” again raises a question concerning the dubious connection between the sleep stage nomenclature and “sleep depth.” Finally, it was observed that the less alpha activity and the more beta waves in the quantitatively analyzed all-night sleep EEG and awake morning EEG, the worse the quality of sleep and the more unpleasant the awakening in the morning.
Detailed analysis of estrous-related changes in wheel running and self-stimulation

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that a number of behaviors change their probability of occurrence during the estrous cycle. Wheel running is known to show estrous-related changes while reports upon intracranial reinforcement (self-stimulation, ICS) have been equivocal. The present studies examined both behvaiors to further resolve the underlying behavioral determinants of these estrous effects. Data for wheel running and intracranial self-stimulation behaviors of adult female Holtzman rats were collected nightly on a minute by minute basis across the estrous cycle. It was found that: (a) both behaviors showed significant estrous-related changes in frequency; (b) the two behaviors occurred in discontinuous episodes (bursts) during the dark phase of the diurnal cycle; and (c) of three burst parameters (number/session, average length, rate of response), number proved the best predictor of estrous-related behavioral change. Burst number may reflect an important motivational parameter underlying estrous-related changes in behavior.
Detection of Conductive Thick Plate Based On Finite-element Method And Neural Networks

Detection of the embedded dike with conductivity contrast is an important task for applied geophysics. The estimation of the length in depth of an elongated massive ore body is particularly difficult for the surface resistivity methods because the detected anomaly is weak. In this research, the finite element modeling and the neural network method are combined to study the problem of the embedded plate. Half-space with a buried thick plate is considered. A pair of line current electrodes are fixed on the surface to generate a 2-D electrical field. The apparent resistivity curves for dipole-dipole array are calculated by finite element method for the cases of (i) the plate with a fixed dimension, but resistivities, (ii) a fixed conductive plate with various lengths in depth. The overburden effects are also A three layer backpropagation neural network is developed to inverse the geometry and physical parameters of the plate. The average accuracy in length estimation is 2.1%; while in resistivity evaluation, 5.0% for conductive plate and 2.8% for resistive plate, respectively.
Adjunctive thrombolytic therapy for angioplasty in ischemic rest angina: results of a double-blind randomized pilot study.

Abstract Objectives. A multicenter pilot study was instituted to assess the role of intracoronary thromholytic therapy during angioplasty for ischemic ress angina. Background. Acute thrombotic coronary occlusion is increased during angioplasty for unstable angina, and intracoronary thrombolytic agents have been used to maintain patency. Prophylactic use of intracoronary thrombolytic agents has been advocated in certain high risk subgroups, although no studies have randomized therapy. Methods. Ninety-three patients with either unstable angina and pain at rest (trial A, 66 patients) or postinfarction pain at rest (trial B, 27 patients) were randomized in double-blind fashion to administration of either intracoronary urokinase, 150,000 U, or saline solution placebo given immediately before angioplasty. Cineangiograms of the culprit lesion were recorded and analyzed in blinded fashion by a core laboratory for definite or possible (haziness) filling defects 15 min after angioplasty or after acute closure. Results. Urokinase decreased filling defects at 15 min after angioplasty in comparison, with placebo (14% vs. 29%, respectively, p = 0.08). Four patients in each treatment group developed acute vessel closure. However, although urokinase significantly reduced the incidence of filling defects in trial A (3% vs. 23%, p = 0.03), the drug had no effect at the selected dose in trial B (42% vs. 43%, respectively). Acute vessel closure occurrred significantly more frequently in trial B than in trial A, and urokinase at the selected dose also had no effect. Ischemic events after angioplasty appeared to be related more to dissection than to thrombosis, although redilation, which was more frequent after placebo administration, may have reduced their incidence as well as that of acute closure. Conclusions. These data suggest a possible role for intracoronary urokinase during angioplasty for unstable angina. The lack of effect after infarction may represent a greater thrombus burden or degree of plaque disruption. A trial utilizing higher doses of urokinase in a larger patient group is in progress.
Removal of trace metals by coprecipitation with Fe, Al and Mn from natural waters contaminated with acid mine drainage in the Ducktown Mining District, Tennessee

Abstract This study examined the sorption of trace metals to precipitates formed by neutralization of 3 natural waters contaminated with acid mine drainage (AMD) in the former Ducktown Mining District, Tennessee. The 3 water samples were strongly acidic (pH 2.2 to 3.4) but had distinctively different chemical signatures based on the mole fractions of dissolved Fe, Al and Mn. One sample was Fe-rich (Fe=87.5%, Al=11.3%, and Mn=1.3%), another was Al-rich (Al=79.4%, Mn=18.0%, and Fe=2.5%), and the other was Mn-rich (Mn=51.4%, Al=25.7%, and Fe=22.9%). In addition, these waters had high concentrations of trace metals including Zn (37,700 to 17,400 μg/l), Cu (13,000 to 270 μg/l), Co (1,500 to 520 μg/l), Ni (360 to 75 μg/l), Pb (30 to 8 μg/l), and Cd (30 to 6 μg/l). Neutralization of the AMD-contaminated waters in the laboratory caused the formation of either schwertmannite at pH 4. Both phases were identified by XRD analyses of precipitates from the most Fe-rich water. At higher pH values (∼5) Al-rich precipitates were formed. Manganese compounds were precipitated at pH∼8. The removal of trace metals depended on the precipitation of these compounds, which acted as sorbents. Accordingly, the pH for 50% sorption (pH50) ranged from 5.6 to 7.5 for Zn, 4.6 to 6.1 for Cu, 5.4 to 7.7 for Ni, 5.9 to 7.9 for Co, 3.1 to 4.3 for Pb, and 5.5 to 7.7 for Cd. The pH dependence of sorption arose not only because of changes in the sorption coefficients of the trace metals but also because the formation and composition of the sorbent was controlled by the pH, the chemical composition of the water, and the solubilities of the oxyhydroxide-sulfate complexes of Fe, Al, and Mn.
Computed tomography and angiography of left ventricular diverticulum.

![Figure][1] A 68-year-old man underwent percutaneous coronary intervention of an 80% circumflex stenosis. Ventriculography was normal, except for a basal anteroseptal protrusion (A, C, and E) . Cardiac computed tomography revealed a small diverticulum with myocardial thinning (B, D, F, G,
Space-time resolved quantum field theory

Using space-time resolved solutions in relativistic quantum field theory we analyze the electron-positron pair creation rocess from vacuum and resolve the Klein-paradox. We show that there are in principle no limitations to the localization length of an electron and demonstrate that its spatial probability density can be much narrower than the Compton wavelength. We also argue that quantum field theory prohibits the occurrence of Zitterbewegung for an electron in contrast to claims found in textbooks.
Reconfigurable Foldable Spatial Mechanisms and Robotic Forms Inspired by Kinetogami

In recent times, Origami has received an increasing research interest because of its capability to produce foldable tessellations and structures. This paper describes a new modular tetrahedral representation called “Kinetogami”. We embed the cuts and joining patterns into the crease pattern and create folded hinges across basic structural units (BSU), typically not done in Origami. We demonstrate sets of explicit 2D fabrication lay-outs and construction rules in order to fold reconfigurable structures and mechanisms in 3D by using a single flat paper sheet. The structural and combinatorial characteristics of Kinetogamic derivatives are further explored in a hierarchical manner. Inspired by Kinetogami, we design a family of multi-limbed tetrahedral robotic form that reconfigures and adapts. The kinematic properties of individual limbs are investigated and multiple gaits involving flipping, squatting/rising, squirming and slithering are synthesized for a representative hexapod robot. Our newly developed folding design paradigm provides affordances for a novel generation of robotic motion actuation and transformable reconfiguration.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Where are the Cyborgs in Cybernetics

Cyborgs — cybernetic organisms, hybrids of humans and machines — have pervaded everyday life, the military, popular culture, and the academic world since the advent of cyborg studies in the mid 1980s. They have been a recurrent theme in STS in recent decades, but there are surprisingly few cyborgs referred to in the early history of cybernetics in the USA and Britain. In this paper, I analyze the work of the early cyberneticians who researched and built cyborgs. I then use that history of cyborgs as a basis for reinterpreting the history of cybernetics by critiquing cyborg studies that give a teleological account of cybernetics, and histories of cybernetics that view it as a unitary discipline. I argue that cyborgs were a minor research area in cybernetics, usually classified under the heading of `medical cybernetics', in the USA and Britain from the publication of Wiener's Cybernetics in 1948 to the decline of cybernetics among mainstream scientists in the 1960s. During that period, cyberneticians held m...
Advanced calibration, adjustment, and operation of a density and sound speed analyzer

Abstract Benchtop measurement systems have emerged as powerful tools in the ongoing quest for thermophysical property data. We demonstrate that these instruments can yield results of high quality if operated in an informed manner. The importance of sample purity, reproducibility over repeatability, expanded calibration and adjustment protocols, and rigorous uncertainty estimates are emphasized. We report measurement results at ambient atmospheric pressure and temperatures from 343 K to 278 K, including expanded uncertainty estimates, for the density and speed of sound of isooctane and for the speed of sound of toluene. These data are useful for validating the performance of such instruments.
Molecular-genetic mechanisms for the functionally determined isogene selections in muscle

In embryonic development, differentiation consists in the modification of a fraction of the genes into a form irreversibly blocked from expression. In fetal development, there are further differentiation phenomena, often representing the selective expression of isogenes or members of a gene family. These subdifferentiations are reversibly determined by functional influences exerted by the nervous system and by hormones. The myosin heavy-chain (MHC) isogene family is a favorable case for such studies. In skeletal muscle, the MHC type is regulated by the innervation determining the myonal types slow (S) and fast (F). In the heart, the isoforms MHC α and β are regulated by thyroid hormone (TH). The details depend on the species. While TH always promotes α, the euthyroid state can be either α or β, the latter being the rule. In skeletal S and F types, the reversibility of regulation is demonstrated by the nerve-crossing experiment, which causes a reciprocal SF and FS reprogramming; this requires months, even years to be completed. Such reprogrammings are pleiotropic, affecting a number of type characteristics, which eventually reach a new functional harmony. Ongoing work is described on the question of whether the nerve communicates its influence by impulse patterns or by determinant substances.
Is there a risk–return trade‐off? Evidence from high‐frequency data

This paper examines the intertemporal relation between risk and return for the aggregate stock market using high-frequency data. We use daily realized, GARCH, implied, and range-based volatility estimators to determine the existence and significance of a risk–return trade-off for several stock market indices. We find a positive and statistically significant relation between the conditional mean and conditional volatility of market returns at the daily level. This result is robust to alternative specifications of the volatility process, across different measures of market return and sample periods, and after controlling for macro-economic variables associated with business cycle fluctuations. We also analyze the risk–return relationship over time using rolling regressions, and find that the strong positive relation persists throughout our sample period. The market risk measures adopted in the paper add power to the analysis by incorporating valuable information, either by taking advantage of high-frequency intraday data (in the case of realized, GARCH, and range volatility) or by utilizing the market's expectation of future volatility (in the case of implied volatility index). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship between nutrient concentration, phytoplankton density, and zooplankton density in nutrient enriched experimental ponds

The effects of different levels of nutrient input on the plankton community was investigated in a two-year controlled fertilization study of eight experimental ponds. There were four treatments, each replicated: a control, to which no fertilizer was added, and three levels of nutrient addition. Limnological parameters including phytoplankton and zooplankton densities were measured frequently during both summers and less frequently during the rest of the year. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the treated ponds increased. Phytoplankton and zooplankton density increased with treatment level but was variable. There was a limited relationship between the average chlorophyll a concentration per summer and the average cladoceran dry weight per summer. Above chlorophyll a concentrations greater than 60–70 mg/m3 other factors such as a pH zooplankton mortality effect, prevailed.
Lusternik-Schnirelman theory on Banach manifolds

SEVERAL years ago the author, and independently Smale, generalized the Morse theory of critical points to cover certain functions on hilbert manifolds [5,6 and 91. Shortly thereafter J. Schwartz showed how the same techniques allowed one also to extend the LusternikSchnirelman theory of critical points to functions on hilbert manifolds [7]. Now while Morse theory, by its nature, is more or less naturally restricted to hilbert manifolds, the natural context for Lusternik-Schnirelman theory is a smooth real valued function on a Banach manifold. In this paper we shall extend Schwartz’s results to cover this more general situation. It is not however simply a desire for generality in an abstract theorem that prompted the present work. The motivation for considering critical point theory in the context of infinite dimensional manifolds comes from the immediate applicability of results to proving existence theorems in the Calculus of Variations. As long as the integrands one considers are of a basically quadratic nature, hilbert manifolds of maps belonging to some Sobolev space Lf are the natural manifolds in which to formulate the problems. However for more general integrands it becomes necessary to use Banach manifolds, for example manifolds of maps belonging to one of the more general Sobolev spaces Lkp. Applications in this direction will be found in a forthcoming paper of Browder [2].