cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of circulating transcriptomic profiles with mortality in sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) complications are associated with increased morbidity and risk of mortality. We sought to identify a circulating transcriptomic profile predictive of these poor outcomes in SCD. Training and testing cohorts consisting of adult patients with SCD were recruited and prospectively followed. A pathway-based signature derived from grouping peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptomes distinguished 2 patient clusters with differences in survival in the training cohort. These findings were validated in a testing cohort in which the association between cluster 1 molecular profiling and mortality remained significant in a fully adjusted model. In a third cohort of West African children with SCD, cluster 1 differentiated SCD severity using a published scoring index. Finally, a risk score composed of assigning weights to cluster 1 profiling, along with established clinical risk factors using tricuspid regurgitation velocity, white blood cell count, history of acute chest syndrome, and hemoglobin levels, demonstrated a higher hazard ratio for mortality in both the training and testing cohorts compared with clinical risk factors or cluster 1 data alone. Circulating transcriptomic profiles are a powerful method to risk-stratify severity of disease and poor outcomes in both children and adults, respectively, with SCD and highlight potential associated molecular pathways.
Microbial community sequencing analysis of the calf eye microbiota and relationship to infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) is an important production limiting disease in cattle. Moraxella bovis has historically been considered the primary causal agent; however, vaccines have not been consistently shown as effective in controlling disease incidence. The purpose of this study was to examine the bacterial community of calf eyes prior to disease onset using high-throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA and determine if it was associated with IBK occurrence. The study was designed as a case-control nested within a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Eye swabs were collected from all spring-born calves without clinical signs of IBK (t0 swabs) on a research farm with a previous history of IBK disease outbreaks. At follow-up or weaning, calves were diagnosed as IBK positive or negative. The lag time between enrollment swabs (t0) and IBK diagnosis ranged from approximately one to three months. Cases were randomly selected from IBK positive calves and controls were selected from IBK negative calves (i.e. calves that did not exhibit clinical signs of IBK throughout the course of the RCT). Analysis of the fold-change differences between cases and controls did not reveal large-scale distinctions in bacterial composition. However, principal component analysis suggested bacterial composition differences between calf management groups, which were based on dam parity. Moraxella was found to be among the top ten most abundant genera in our population; however, the difference in abundance was not significant between the cases and controls. No large-scale differences in the bacterial communities of calves that did or did not develop IBK were observed in our population. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the "natural" bacterial population of the calf might ultimately impact disease status. Further study is warranted to examine bacterial taxa that were observed to be significantly more abundant in the cases or controls as potential vaccines/therapeutic targets.
Die Beziehung blutgruppenaktiver Substanzen zu Bakterien, höheren Pflanzen und Viren

Der Vortrag von Herrn Morgan hat Ihnen die biochemische Genetik der menschlichen Blutgruppensubstanzen A, B, 0 und Lewis und ihre strukturelle Basis in ubersichthcher Weise geschildert. Die Funktion der Blutgruppensubstanzen, von denen wir heute beim Menschen 14 Systeme mit weit uber 60 Faktoren kennen, ist aber noch weitgehend ungeklart. Wir wollen hier auch nicht deren wichtige Rolle bei Mutter-Foetus-Inkompatibilita-1,2,3 als Bifidusfaktor4, die Beziehung zum Intrinsicfaktor5 oder zu den Virusreceptoren6,7,8 besprechen.
Measurement of Radionuclide Diffusion in Ocean Floor Sediment and Clay

The mobility of cationic neptunium, plutonium, americium, and sodium, and of the anionic species pertechnetate, TcO4−, has been determined in samples of various sediments from the ocean floor, and ...
Reviews of Recent Antitrust and Related Books (2013-2014)

This paper is a compilation of short book reviews we have prepared over the past two years for the World Competition Law & Economics Review or the website for the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Review of notable antitrust books from past years can be found on our authors’ pages on ssrn.com.Each of the current reviews highlights works that address different needs of the academic and practicing bar. This is not intended as a comprehensive list of publications in the competition law field, but rather those works that crossed our desks and were sufficiently appealing to review. The reviews are arranged by the date of publication of the review and include: 1) Private Enforcement of Antitrust Laws in the United States: A Handbook (Albert A. Foer and Randy M. Stutz eds. Edward Elgar 2012); 2) Michael J. Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2012); 3) Joseph E. Stiglitz, The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future (W.W.Norton 2012); 4) The Regulatory Revolution at the FTC: A Thirty Year Perspective on Competition and Consumer Protection (James Campbell Cooper ed. Oxford University Press 2013); 5) Susan Crawford, Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age (Yale University Press 2013); 6) American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, Business Torts and Unfair Competition Handbook (3d ed. 2014); 7) Daryl Lim, Patent Misuse and Antitrust Law: Empirical, Doctrinal and Policy Perspectives (Edward Elgar 2013); 8) The Antitrust Revolution: Economics, Competition, and Policy (John E. Kowka, Jr. & Lawrence White eds. 6th ed. 2014 Oxford University Press); and 9) Steven Cernak, Antitrust Simulations (West Academic Publishing 2014).Reviews prepared by Maurice Stucke are marked MES at the end of the review, and reviews by Spencer Waller are marked SWW.
Evaluation Criteria for Self-Management in DBMSs

As computing systems continue to grow in size and complexity, the need for self-management is becoming more prevalent. The difficulty and cost associated with the maintenance of large scale systems means that there needs to be a paradigm shift towards systems that manage themselves according to high-level policies. Furthermore, these complex large-scale systems typically require intensive data management and this has led to database management systems that incorporate features such as self-configuration, self-optimization, selfprotection, and self-healing. This paper proposes criteria for evaluating self-management features in database management systems and uses those criteria to evaluate the self-management features in popular databases such as DB2, SQL Server, Oracle 10g, Teradata and Sybase ASE.
Dynamics of geologic CO2 storage and plume motion revealed by seismic coda waves

Quantifying the dynamics of sequestered CO2 plumes is critical for safe long-term storage, providing guidance on plume extent, and detecting stratigraphic seal failure. However, existing seismic monitoring methods based on wave reflection or transmission probe a limited rock volume and their sensitivity decreases as CO2 saturation increases, decreasing their utility in quantitative plume mass estimation. Here we show that seismic scattering coda waves, acquired during continuous borehole monitoring, are able to illuminate details of the CO2 plume during a 74-h CO2 injection experiment at the Frio-II well Dayton, TX. Our study reveals a continuous velocity reduction during the dynamic injection of CO2, a result that augments and dramatically improves upon prior analyses based on P-wave arrival times. We show that velocity reduction is nonlinearly correlated with the injected cumulative CO2 mass and attribute this correlation to the fact that coda waves repeatedly sample the heterogeneous distribution of cumulative CO2 in the reservoir zone. Lastly, because our approach does not depend on P-wave arrival times or require well-constrained wave reflections it can be used with many source-receiver geometries including those external to the reservoir, which reduces the risk introduced by in-reservoir monitoring wells. Our results provide an approach for quantitative CO2 monitoring and plume evolution that increases safety and long-term planning for CO2 injection and storage.
Data-Driven, Automated Healthcare

The future of data-driven, automated healthcare holds both a lot of promise and uncertainty. It is promising because of its ability to make precision medicine and practice-based medicine truly a reality. It is uncertain because the regulatory playing field for this emerging industry has yet to pan out. To date, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still considers health information technology (HIT) software as a medical device. So far the FDA does not subject HIT software to as much regulatory scrutiny as traditional medical devices undergo, but has been criticized for using an outdated regulatory framework to govern modern health technologies. As such technologies become increasingly more prevalent and its capabilities much more salient, potentially affecting the lives of hundreds of millions, will the FDA be able to 1) handle the onslaught of new companies and regulatory burden 2) mitigate risks to public health while promoting innovation? This paper will first discuss the potential of data-driven, automated healthcare and examples of what it currently is and may become (Section I), followed by an explanation of current regulations and why it has its limitations (Section II), exploration of newly proposed legislations (Section III), and finally recommendations to implementing a smarter regulatory environment for AI-driven healthcare in the future (Section IV).
Raising Intelligence Levels of the Mentally Retarded: An Overlooked Educo-Legal Implication.

Studies by investigators at the University of Iowa Child Welfare Station before World War II demonstrated that the intelligence levels of the mentally retarded could be raised, often up to and beyo...
Comparative validation of an epigenetic mortality risk score with three aging biomarkers for predicting mortality risks among older adult males

Background A 'mortality risk score' (MS) based on ten prominent mortality-related cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites was previously associated with all-cause mortality, but has not been verified externally. We aimed to validate the association of MS with mortality and to compare MS with three aging biomarkers: telomere length (TL), DNA methylation age (DNAmAge) and phenotypic age (DNAmPhenoAge) to explore whether MS can serve as a reliable measure of biological aging and mortality. Methods Among 534 males aged 55-85 years from the US Normative Aging Study, the MS, DNAmAge and DNAmPhenoAge were derived from blood DNA methylation profiles from the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip, and TL was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results A total of 147 participants died during a median follow-up of 9.4 years. The MS showed strong associations with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality. After controlling for all potential covariates, participants with high MS (>5 CpG sites with aberrant methylation) had almost 4-fold all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 3.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.92-7.67) compared with participants with a low MS (0-1 CpG site with aberrant methylation). Similar patterns were observed with respect to CVD and cancer mortality. MS was associated with TL and DNAmPhenoAge acceleration but not with DNAmAge acceleration. Although the MS and DNAmPhenoAge acceleration were independently associated with all-cause mortality, the former exhibited a higher predictive accuracy of mortality than the latter. Conclusions MS has the potential to be a prominent predictor of mortality that could enhance survival prediction in clinical settings.
Comparison of lower limb muscle architecture and geometry in distance runners with rearfoot and forefoot strike pattern.

We examined the association between footfall pattern and characteristics of lower limb muscle function and compared lower limb muscle function between forefoot and rearfoot runners. Fifteen rearfoo...
“Our Bodies Are Not Terra Nullius”: Building a Decolonial Feminist Resistance to Gendered Violence

Gendered violence is historically and presently a colonial tool that wields power over and against Indigenous peoples, attempting to destroy or erase their sovereignty and lives. Decolonization is ...
A multicultural examination of experiential avoidance: AAQ – II measurement comparisons across Asian American, Black, Latinx, Middle Eastern, and White college students

Abstract Experiential avoidance is a common psychological process, a core component of third-wave behavioral therapies, and a robust predictor of general psychopathology. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ version II [AAQ – II]; Bond et al. 2011) is a popular and widely used measure of experiential avoidance. However, studies examining the measurement and function of the AAQ-II across cultures are largely relegated to translational investigations across different languages, thus providing little information about measurement equivalence among English speaking populations from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. The present study examined data from the 2016–2017 National Healthy Minds Study (HMS; N = 24,439) and tested the measurement invariance of the AAQ – II across White, Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Middle Eastern college students. We then examined how racial/ethnic group moderated experiential avoidance as a concurrent predictor of anxiety and depression. Multigroup structural equation modeling indicated support for configural but not metric measurement invariance across all groups. The effect size of the non-invariance was small in magnitude. The AAQ – II functioned as a strong positive correlate of anxiety and depression measures across racial/ethnic groups. Moderation analyses further indicated that the AAQ-II was a significantly stronger predictor of anxiety and depression for White participants (β′s = .717, .738 respectively) compared to Asian American participants (β′s = 0.671, 0.665 respectively) and was a significantly stronger predictor of anxiety for White participants compared to Latinx respondents (β = 0.662). Implications for research, theory, and clinical practice are discussed, with specific recommendations for culturally informed adaptations to the AAQ – II.
Genetic manipulation of immortalized normal human bronchial epithelial cells

3896 Purpose: To evaluate the oncogenic impact of p53 knockdown, mutant K-RASV12, mutant EGFR alone and their combination on tumorigenicity of a newly developed immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell line. Background: Molecular analysis of lung cancer has revealed several genetic and epigenetic alterations in the multistep pathogenesis of lung cancer. However, little is known about the relative importance of each individual alteration on the tumorigenic process. One approach is to use a model system in which the contribution of each genetic alteration to lung tumorigenesis can be assessed individually and combinatorially. We have developed an in vitro model system using normal human bronchial epithelial cells that overexpress Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and human telomerase. Ectopic expression of these two genes enables the cells to bypass the growth inhibitory signals of the p16/Rb pathway and also replicative senescence induced by shortened telomeres. We manipulated this cell line (HBEC3), by stably knocking down p53 using RNA interference, by introducing a mutant form of K-RASV12, and by introducing a mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), alone and in combination. Methods: pSuper.retro vector was used for p53 knockdown and a mutant K-RASV12 and mutant EGFRs (EGFRdel746-750 and EGFRL858R) were introduced using viral expression vectors. To test the genetically manipulated lines for changes in their malignant potential, growth in liquid culture, colony formation ability, growth factor dependence, and growth as xenografts in immuno-compromised mice were performed. To determine the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (gefitinib and erlotinib) on manipulated HBEC3 cells and to assess their potential as chemopreventive agents, the cells were evaluated both in the presence or absence of these drugs for colony forming ability. Results: Stable knockdown of p53 and overexpression of mutant EGFR were confirmed by immunoblotting in manipulated cells. K-RASV12 expression was confirmed by RFLP analysis. p53 knockdown and K-RASV12 alone caused cells to be less sensitive to contact inhibition and to be capable of partial anchorage-independent growth. The combination of p53 knockdown and K-RASV12 further enhanced the tumorigenic phenotype by growth in soft agar but failed to cause cells to form tumors in nude mice. In addition, the ability of both anchorage-dependent and-independent cell growth of HBEC3 cells was highly dependent on epidermal growth factor (EGF) and this ability was completely inhibited with TKIs. Both types of mutant EGFRs enhanced the tumorigenic phenotype by growth in soft agar. Importantly, introduction of mutant EGFRL858R into the HBEC3-p53 knockdown cells abrogated EGF dependence as measured by anchorage-independent colony formation ability. These results demonstrate that this isogenic in vitro model system is a powerful approach for studying lung cancer development.
Teenaged, married, and out of school: Effects of early marriage and childbirth on school exit in Eastern Africa

This article investigates the relationship of early marriage to school participation and whether other factors, including individual or family characteristics and childbirth, moderate the relationship. It uses national household survey data for Eastern Africa, pooled at the regional level. Overall, findings confirm that marriage and schooling appear largely incompatible across the Eastern Africa region at present. The results of the main analysis indicate that married girls are roughly 31 percentage points less likely to be attending school than their unmarried peers. The effect of marriage on school participation trumps other observed factors, including childbirth. Based on an extended analysis using the timing of marriage and two consecutive years of education data in Malawi and Kenya, the article concludes that marriage is a predictor of subsequent school exit.
Malrotation and Midgut Volvulus

Disorders of intestinal rotation arise during gestation and represent the failure of normal 270-degree counterclockwise rotation of the intestines around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Malrotation is associated with a narrow mesenteric base and intestines what are not fixed to the abdominal sidewall or retroperitoneum. This anatomy predisposes the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to volvulus, in which the bowel twists around the SMA, forming a closed loop obstruction of the entire small bowel with interruption of arterial inflow and venous drainage. Bilious emesis in an infant is the clinical finding that signals this life-threatening complication, and must be addressed with expedient operative exploration if the patient is in extremis versus rapid upper GI contrast study. The definitive surgical management of malrotation with midgut volvulus is Ladd’s procedure, which includes reduction of volvulus, lysis of adhesive bands, and placement of the small bowel in the right abdomen and large bowel in the left abdomen. This chapter discusses the embryology, presenting features, acute clinical management, and the role of laparoscopy and prophylactic Ladd’s procedure for children with malrotation.
Molecular layer deposition of Li-ion conducting “Lithicone” solid electrolytes

We demonstrate the fabrication of Li-containing ("lithicone") thin films prepared via molecular layer deposition (MLD) using lithium tert-butoxide and ethylene glycol. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the stoichiometry of the lithicone is Li1.5C2O1.8 (H omitted), with C-O-Li moieties present in the film. The bonding environment of lithicone is distinct from that of lithium carbonate or MLD alucone films. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements show that annealed lithicone films exhibit room temperature ionic conductivity of 3.6-5 × 10-8 S cm-1 with an activation energy of ∼0.6 eV. The lithicone MLD process provides a pathway to further develop hybrid inorganic-organic Li-ion conducting materials for future battery applications.
Black Women in Post-revolutionary Cuban Theatre

In this chapter, several plays from post-revolutionary Cuban theatre are examined, focusing on the strategies of representation of black women characters. Through the analysis of four plays—two from the 1960s and two from the twenty-first century—Lugo Herrera compares the strategies of representation in each period and demonstrates the persistence of racism in contemporary Cuban society. One finding is the need to create new forms of affiliation, opportunity, and recognition for black women. Plays by Maite Vera, Jose Milian, Eugenio Hernandez Espinosa, Rogelio Orizondo, Georgina Herrera, and Fatima Patterson offer us new ways to consider the sexualization of black female bodies, and the ways in which racism affects family, economic survival, and the professionalization of black women in the Cuban Revolution.
Determinants of Bone Mineral Density in Transgender Youth

Purpose: We aimed to study determinants of bone health in transgender youth in anticipation of or shortly after initiating puberty suppression and/or gender-affirming hormone therapy. Methods: This...
AAA Algorithm for Rational Transfer Function Approximation With Stable Poles

Signal and power integrity analysis in time-domain requires suitable models for interconnects and power distribution networks, which are often available only in terms of their frequency responses from electromagnetic simulations or measured data. A rational transfer function approximation of such data allows its integration in circuit simulators. Recently the AAA (adaptive Antoulas-Anderson) algorithm has been introduced for rational function approximation. This letter introduces a modification of that algorithm for fitting in terms of the squared variable ( $s^{2}$ ), called AAA2 algorithm, for generating rational transfer functions with stable poles from frequency response available from simulated or measured data.
High-temperature absorption line shape parameters for CO2 in the 6800–7000 cm-1 region from dual frequency comb measurements up to 1000 K

Abstract We present the first systematic study of self-broadened CO2 line shape parameters in the 00031 ← 00001 and 01131 ← 01101 bands at high temperature. We report temperature-dependent broadening coefficients and pressure shift coefficients for more than 40 transitions in the 00031 ← 00001 band, and 75 transitions in the 01131 ← 01101 hot band. The majority of these parameters have never been measured at high temperature. The new parameters are determined from 12 spectra measured with a broadband, high-resolution dual frequency comb absorption spectrometer in a high-temperature gas cell from room temperature to 980 K. We fit the measured spectra using a multispectrum fitting approach to derive line shape parameters with both a Voigt and speed-dependent Voigt profile. We compare the measured parameters to calculated line shape parameters as well as to the new parameter set developed for the HITRAN2020 database. The new measurements demonstrate strong agreement with HITRAN2020 (within 1% in some cases), and provide new measurements of the temperature dependence of the broadening and pressure shift coefficient that will improve the accuracy of the database at high temperature. We extend our results to high |m| transitions using a set of empirical models for the broadening and pressure shift coefficients, which we fit to our data and validate for high-temperature transitions up to |m| = 98. We use these models to construct a set of database files that can be used to supplement the HITRAN database for self-broadened CO2 in the 6800 – 7000 cm-1 region. These new parameters significantly improve the accuracy of absorption models for high-temperature CO2 in this frequency range, and also provide useful data to test and improve methods used to calculate CO2 line shape parameters.
Nonparametric Interrogation of Transcriptional Regulation in Single-Cell RNA and Chromatin Accessibility Multiomic Data

Epigenetic control of gene expression is highly cell-type- and context-specific. Yet, despite its complexity, gene regulatory logic can be broken down into modular components consisting of a transcription factor (TF) activating or repressing the expression of a target gene through its binding to a cis-regulatory region. Recent advances in joint profiling of transcription and chromatin accessibility with single-cell resolution offer unprecedented opportunities to interrogate such regulatory logic. Here, we propose a nonparametric approach, TRIPOD, to detect and characterize three-way relationships between a TF, its target gene, and the accessibility of the TF9s binding site, using single-cell RNA and ATAC multiomic data. We apply TRIPOD to interrogate cell-type-specific regulatory logic in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and contrast our results to detections from enhancer databases, cis-eQTL studies, ChIP-seq experiments, and TF knockdown/knockout studies. We then apply TRIPOD to mouse embryonic brain data during neurogenesis and gliogenesis and identified known and novel putative regulatory relationships, validated by ChIP-seq and PLAC-seq. Finally, we demonstrate TRIPOD on SHARE-seq data of differentiating mouse hair follicle cells and identify lineage-specific regulation supported by histone marks for gene activation and super-enhancer annotations.
Laparoscopic gastrostomy in a patient with asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy

Abstract Introduction Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (ATD), also known as Jeune syndrome, is an autosomal recessive disease which causes thoracic insufficiency. Complications and life expectancy vary based on specific mutations. Infants with this condition may require operative feeding access in addition to surgery for other associated anomalies. No prior cases of laparoscopic surgery in ATD have been recorded in the literature. This case demonstrates that with proper technique, laparoscopic surgery can be accomplished safely. Case presentation Newborn diagnosed with ATD prenatally with anatomical 20-week ultrasound who required long term enteral feeding access due to inability to tolerate oral feeds secondary to tachypnea. Management and outcome Patient underwent laparoscopic gastrostomy tube placement at 2 weeks of age. This was well tolerated, and no complications arose from insufflation pressure despite small thoracic volumes. Pressure control ventilation was used along with frequent desufflation breaks. Patient tolerated tube feeds at goal until expiration at 8 weeks of age. Discussion Laparoscopic surgery can be safely performed in patients with ATD with appropriate monitoring and ventilatory support. Although ATD is commonly fatal, this type of palliative surgery can improve patients’ quality of life and allow them to discharge home safely so they can spend more time with family.
Water emergence from the land region and water–sidewall interactions in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell gas channels with microgrooves

Abstract Liquid water produced in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) can adversely affect the fuel cell performance in two ways: (a) reduction in surface area available for reactant transport at the channel–gas diffusion layer (GDL) interface, and (b) increase in two-phase pressure drop in channels leading to flow maldistribution and increased pumping power. Further, the channels blocked by water reduce reactant availability at reaction sites. Most of the earlier water transport studies were focused on water droplet formation on the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in the channel and its removal from the gas flow without considering the sidewall interactions. In an actual fuel cell, water under the land emerges in the channel and fills the corner, drawing in additional water from the GDL surface. The present work explores water droplet–sidewall interactions and the transport of water from the corner region. Transverse micro-grooves are introduced on the sidewalls and their effect on water removal from the corner region, flow patterns, area coverage ratio and pressure drop are investigated. The micro-grooves are also seen to introduce a wetting regime that facilitates removal of water at the channel exit without causing blockage at the manifold region.
Comparative molecular genetic analysis of simian and human HIV-1 integrase interactor INI1/SMARCB1/SNF5

Human integrase interactor 1 (INI1/SMARCB1/SNF5) is a chromatin-remodeling molecule that binds to HIV-1 integrase and enhances proviral DNA integration. INI1 is also known as a tumor suppressor gene and has been found to be mutated in several aggressive tumors such as rhabdoid and lymphoid tumors. To study the function of simian INI1, we screened and cloned simian INI1 cDNA from B lymphoma cells of rhesus monkeys using RT-PCR. Sequence analysis showed 23 single nucleotide differences compared to the human ortholog, which, however, did not result in amino acid changes, and the amino acid sequence is therefore 100 % conserved between human and simian INI1. Two alternatively spliced isoforms, INI1a and INI1b, were also found in simian INI1. These two isoforms did not show any functional difference in HIV-1 proviral DNA integration and nuclear localization, suggesting that the specificity of simian INI1 would not be a factor preventing HIV-1 infection of a simian host. Nevertheless, INI1b is expressed only in established cancer cell lines such as Jurkat and COS-7 cells, and not in primary cells, suggesting that INIlb could be an indicator of cell transformation.
Rationality Assumptions and Optimality of Co-learning

This paper investigates the effect of different rationality assumptions on the performance of co-learning by multiple agents in extensive games. Extensive games involve sequences of steps and close interactions between agents, and are thus more difficult than more commonly investigated (one-step) strategic games. Rationality assumptions may thus have more complicated influences on learning, e.g., improving performance sometimes while hurting performance some other times. In testing different levels of rationality assumptions, a "double estimation" method for reinforcement learning suitable for extensive games is developed, whereby an agent learns not only its own value function but also those of other agents. Experiments based on such a reinforcement learning method are carried out using several typical examples of games. Our results indeed showed a complex pattern of effects resulting from (different levels of) rationality assumptions.
Traditional Brands vs. On-Line Brands: A Comparative Assessment

In this paper we compare and contrast the branding strategies of traditional and on-line companies. To illustrate the similarities and differences between the two, we examine four well-established traditional brands and four successful on-line brands. We then offer recommendations for successful branding in the ever-evolving business and technological environment of the future.
Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Aeromonas jandaei, A. schubertii, A. trota, and A. veronii biotype veronii

Fifty-six isolates of four Aeromonas species, which have been documented as causative agents of human infections or isolated from human clinical specimens, were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using a MicroScan WalkAway conventional (overnight incubation) gram-negative panel. The four species tested and the number of isolates of each were as follows: Aeromonas jandaei, 17; A. schubertii, 12; A. trota, 15; and A. veronii biotype veronii, 12. All isolates of A. trota were susceptible to all antimicrobial agents tested, except cefazolin (20% of isolates were resistant) and cefoxitin (13% of isolates were resistant). All isolates of A. schubertii and A. veronii biotype veronii, as well as 88% of A. jandaei isolates, were resistant to ampicillin. Resistance to ampicillin-sulbactam ranged from 25% of A. schubertii strains to 100% of A. veronii biotype veronii strains. Cefazolin resistance ranged from 17% of A. veronii biotype veronii isolates to 59% of A. jandaei isolates. Imipenem resistance was detected in 65% of A. jandaei strains and 67% of A. veronii biotype veronii strains. A. jandaei displayed resistance to piperacillin and ticarcillin in 53 and 71% of the isolates, respectively. A. veronii biotype veronii strains were 100% susceptible to piperacillin and 100% resistant to ticarcillin. These antibiogram data may be useful in establishing the identification of these four species when members of the genus Aeromonas are isolated from human clinical sources.
Recovery of body weight from below set point in mature female rats

In this study we determined the time course of changes in body composition and of serum concentrations of some hormones in mature rats returning to "set point" following weight loss. Groups of six female rats were fed ad libitum for 10 days. Carcass composition of one group was determined. A control group continued to eat ad libitum. The others were restricted to 5 g per rat per day for 22 days. Carcass composition of groups of rats was determined after 0, 2, 6, 13 and 20 days of refeeding. Of 60 g of body weight lost during restriction, 21 g were fat and 12 g were protein. The fat was replaced by the sixth day of refeeding. Protein and body weight were recovered by the thirteenth day. Calculated efficiency of energy retention was increased until body fat was replete. This was not due to a decrease in metabolism of brown fat, measured in vitro. Serum thyroxine (T4), L-3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3), insulin, corticosterone and free fatty acids did not change with body composition. T3 (L-3,3',5-triiodothyronine) decreased in restricted rats and returned to control levels when body weight, protein and food intake had been restored. These results do not support the concept that body weight is controlled by regulating body fat content.
Evaluation of a clinically intuitive quality assurance method

There is a pressing need for clinically intuitive quality assurance methods that report metrics of relevance to the likely impact on tumor control of normal tissue injury. This paper presents a preliminary investigation into the accuracy of a novel "transform method" which enables a clinically relevant analysis through dose-volume-histograms (DVHs) and dose overlays on the patient's CT data. The transform method was tested by inducing a series of known mechanical and delivery errors onto simulated 3D dosimetry measurements of six different head-and-neck IMRT treatment plans. Accuracy was then examined through the comparison of the transformed patient dose distributions and the known actual patient dose distributions through dose-volume histograms and normalized dose difference analysis. Through these metrics, the transform method was found to be highly accurate in predicting measured patient dose distributions for these types of errors.
Metrical perception of trisyllabic speech rhythms

The perception of duration-based syllabic rhythm was examined within a metrical framework. Participants assessed the duration patterns of four-syllable phrases set within the stress structure XxxX (an Abercrombian trisyllabic foot). Using on-screen sliders, participants created percussive sequences that imitated speech rhythms and analogous non-speech monotone rhythms. There was a tendency to equalize the interval durations for speech stimuli but not for non-speech. Despite the perceptual regularization of syllable durations, different speech phrases were conceived in various rhythmic configurations, pointing to a diversity of perceived meters in speech. In addition, imitations of speech stimuli showed more variability than those of non-speech. Rhythmically skilled listeners exhibited lower variability and were more consistent with vowel-centric estimates when assessing speech stimuli. These findings enable new connections between meter- and duration-based models of speech rhythm perception.
Sudden Death in Familial Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia Associated With Calcium Release Channel (Ryanodine Receptor) Leak

Background— Familial polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (FPVT) is characterized by exercise-induced arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death due to missense mutations in the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2), an intracellular Ca2+ release channel required for excitation-contraction coupling in the heart. Methods and Results— Three RyR2 missense mutations, P2328S, Q4201R, and V4653F, which occur in Finnish families, result in similar mortality rates of ≈33% by age 35 years and a threshold heart rate of 130 bpm, above which exercise induces ventricular arrhythmias. Exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing cardiac performance as part of the fight-or-flight stress response. We simulated the effects of exercise on mutant RyR2 channels using protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation. All 3 RyR2 mutations exhibited decreased binding of calstabin2 (FKBP12.6), a subunit that stabilizes the closed state of the channel. After PKA phosphorylation, FPVT-mutant RyR2 channels showed a significant gain-of-...
Animating fire with sound

We propose a practical method for synthesizing plausible fire sounds that are synchronized with physically based fire animations. To enable synthesis of combustion sounds without incurring the cost of time-stepping fluid simulations at audio rates, we decompose our synthesis procedure into two components. First, a low-frequency flame sound is synthesized using a physically based combustion sound model driven with data from a visual flame simulation run at a relatively low temporal sampling rate. Second, we propose two bandwidth extension methods for synthesizing additional high-frequency flame sound content: (1) spectral bandwidth extension which synthesizes higher-frequency noise matching combustion sound spectra from theory and experiment; and (2) data-driven texture synthesis to synthesize high-frequency content based on input flame sound recordings. Various examples and comparisons are presented demonstrating plausible flame sounds, from small candle flames to large flame jets.
Algernon Sidney and the restoration crisis, 1677–1683

(1993). Algernon Sidney and the restoration crisis, 1677–1683. History of European Ideas: Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 125-126.
Effect of reaction conditions on the basal resistivity of graphite-acceptor intercalation compounds☆

Abstract In this paper we explore the effect of variations in reaction conditions on the basal resistivity ϱ a of graphite intercalated with HNO 3 and AsF 5 . In the former case, the reaction rate is varied over a wide range by diluting the reactant vapor with inert gas. In the latter case, several variations which might be expected to alter the fractional ionization are explored. None of these treatments produces a significant effect, from which we conclude that intrinsic values of ϱ a are being obtained with these compounds. Further improvements in ϱ a will therefore rely on development of new materials.
Piston Secondary Dynamics Considering Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication and Skirt Friction

An analytical method is presented for simulating piston secondary dynamics and piston-bore contact for an asymmetric half piston model including EHD lubrication at the bore-skirt interface. The Reynolds equation is solved using finite differences and a successive over-relaxation algorithm. The analysis accounts for bore distortion effects due to mechanical and thermal deformation, inertia loading and piston barrelity and ovality. A Newmark-Beta time integration scheme is used combined with a Newton-Raphson linearization. The EHD behavior is coupled with a piston-bore contact algorithm and the piston secondary dynamics. Results demonstrate the importance of coupling among skirt friction, lubrication and secondary motion.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Optimal Replacement Rules when Changes of State are Semi-Markovian

This paper investigates the use of a discrete-time semi-Markov process to model a system that deteriorates in usage. Replacement rules that are 1 state-dependent, 2 state-age-dependent, and 3 age-dependent are proposed. The system operating costs and replacement costs are functions of the underlying states. The optimization criterion is the expected average cost per unit time. Under the first two replacement rules, the paper generates semi-Markov decision processes so that optimal policies can be obtained by the policy-iteration method. Sufficient conditions for the existence of an optimal control-limit state-dependent replacement rule are derived. For the age-dependent policy, the objective function is obtained so that the minimization can be carried out over the integers. An illustrative example is given at the end.
Marginal Stability in ℒ1-Adaptive Control of Manipulators

This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the robustness of a recently-proposed adaptive controller for robot manipulators based on the ℒ1 control paradigm. Here, the use of a low-pass filter in the control input decouples the estimation loop from the control loop, thereby facilitating an arbitrary increase of estimation rates (limited only by hardware) without sacrificing robustness. Tuning of the filter also allows for shaping the nominal response and enhancing the system’s robustness. The paper further demonstrates improvements in the critical time delay associated with a static reference input achieved through the introduction of time delay in the state-predictor formulation. Guided by results from the theory of single-input-single-output ℒ1 control systems, a linear, time-invariant system is proposed in order to derive a conservative lower bound on the system’s actuator critical time delay for static reference input in the limit of large estimation gains, as an indicator of robustness. Finally, a numerical method is proposed for quantifying the robustness against time delay of the system’s response to a given static reference input based on techniques of parameter continuation. This method computes the critical time delay at which local stability is lost in a Hopf bifurcation. The dependence of this critical time delay on control parameters, such as adaptive gains and filter bandwidth, is here obtained using advanced algorithms for computing approximate covers of implicitly defined manifolds.© 2013 ASME
Welcome from the General Co-Chairs

The following topics are dealt with: collaborative and learning applications of grid technology; cluster security; semantic infrastructure for grid computing applications; theory and experience of desktop grids and P2P systems; grid performability; agent-based grid economics; federal clusters; resource management; advanced networks; bio-medical computations on the grid (BioGrid); and economic models.
A Stream Function Method for Gradient Coil Design

A new design approach for the construction of gradient coils for magnetic resonance imaging is presented. The theoretical formulation involves a constraint cost function between the desired field in a particular region of interest in space and an almost arbitrarily defined surface that carries the current configuration based on Biot-Savart's integral equation. An appropriate weight function in conjunction with linear approximation functions permits the transformation of the problem formulation into a linear matrix equation whose solution yields discrete current elements in terms of magnitude and direction within a specified coil surface. Numerical predictions and comparisons with practical measurements for the Gx ,G y ,G z gradient coils underscore the success of this approach in terms of achieving highly linear fields while maintaining low parasitic fields and low inductances. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Can History Be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the Past

History is a deeply individualistic craft. The singly authored work is the standard for the profession; only about 6 percent of the more than 32,000 scholarly works indexed since 2000 in this journal’s comprehensive bibliographic guide, “Recent Scholarship,” have more than one author. Works with several authors—common in the sciences—are even harder to find. Fewer than 500 (less than 2 percent) have three or more authors.1 Historical scholarship is also characterized by possessive individualism. Good professional practice (and avoiding charges of plagiarism) requires us to attribute ideas and words to specific historians—we are taught to speak of “Richard Hofstadter’s status anxiety interpretation of Progressivism.”2 And if we use more than a limited number of words from Hofstadter, we need to send a check to his estate. To mingle Hofstadter’s prose with your own and publish it would violate both copyright and professional norms. A historical work without owners and with multiple, anonymous authors is thus almost unimaginable in our professional culture. Yet, quite remarkably, that describes the online encyclopedia known as Wikipedia, which contains 3 million articles (1 million of them in English). History is probably the category encompassing the largest number of articles. Wikipedia is entirely free. And that freedom includes not just the ability of anyone to read it (a freedom denied by the scholarly journals in, say, jstor, which requires an expensive institutional subscription) but also—more remarkably—their freedom to use it. You can take Wikipedia’s entry on Franklin D. Roosevelt and put it on your own Web site, you can hand out copies to your students, and you can publish it in a book—all with only one restriction: You may not impose any more restrictions on subsequent readers and users than have been imposed on you. And it has no authors in any conventional sense. Tens of thousands of people—who have not gotten even the glory of affixing their names to it—have written it collaboratively. The Roosevelt entry, for example, emerged over four years as five hundred authors made about one thousand edits. This extraordinary freedom and cooperation make Wikipedia the most important application of the
Modulatory mechanisms in Pavlovian conditioning

Pavlovian conditioning has traditionally been thought to involve the acquisition of excitatory and inhibitory associations between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US). Recent research, however, has encouraged the view that Pavlovian learning may also encompass a higher order modulatory mechanism, in which animals use information about another stimulus to control responding to the CS. Positive modulators signal a positive relationship between the CS and the US, whereas negative modulators signal that the CS-US relationship is not in force. In both cases, the modulatory control appears to be orthogonal to the modulator’s direct associations with the US. This article reviews and evaluates the literature on this Pavlovian modulatory mechanism.