cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genes, Race, and Causation: US Public Perspectives About Racial Difference

Concerns have been raised that the increase in popular interest in genetics may herald a new era within which racial inequities are seen as 'natural' or immutable. In the following study, we provide data from a nationally representative survey on how the US population perceives general ability, athleticism, and intellect being determined by race and/or genetics and whether they believe racial health inequities to be primarily the product of genetic or social factors. We find that self-described race is of primary importance in attributing general ability to race, increasing age is a significant factor in attributing athleticism and intellect to genes and race, and education is a significant factor in decreasing such racially and genetically deterministic views . Beliefs about the meaning of race are statistically significantly associated with respect to the perception of athletic abilities and marginally associated with the perception of racial health inequalities being either socially or genetically derived. Race, education, socioeconomic status, and concepts of race were frequently found to be multiplicative in their statistical effects. The persistent acceptance of a genetically and racially deterministic view of athleticism among the White and older population group is discussed in respect to its social impact, as is the high level of agreement that general abilities are determined by race among non-White respondents and those of lower socioeconomic status. We argue that these findings highlight that both biological and non-biological forms of understanding race continue to play a role into the politics of race and social difference within contemporary US society.
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer PET/MRI

In this chapter we will review indications for liver PET/MRI, including the evaluation of metastatic disease, characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma and staging of cholangiocarcinoma. We review the different pulse sequences used in liver imaging, and discuss how motion correction techniques can be used to improve image quality and overcome some of the limitations of the simultaneous acquisition. In particular we highlight the role of hepatobiliary agents in the setting of PET/MRI for both its high sensitivity of liver metastases as well as the ability to acquire navigated images during end expiration. We also cover the use of PET/MRI in pancreatic cancer.
Quality Assurance Review of ISOTOPE and ORIGEN Decay Masses for PWR Fuel (51 GWd/MTU)

This memorandum documents the comparison of ISOTOPE decay mass calculations for PWR 51GW fuel with analogous calculations in ORIGEN.
COMPARISON OF SALIVARY AMYLASES WITH OTHER MAMMALIAN AMYLASES.

Antisera to hog pancreatic amylase and human salivary amylase have been prepared by injection of the enzymes into the rabbit, rooster, rat and goat. These antisera will inhibit the enzymatic properties of the amylases used as antigens and show certain cross reactions with the amylases of other animals. Whereas in general both the salivary and pancreatic amylases of a given species are inhibited equally by a given antiserum, the liver amylase is not inhibited at all or to a much lesser degree. This indicates that the salivary and pancreatic amylases of a given animal may be identical but that the liver amylase is structurally different from the others. The inhibition of serum amylase was less than that of the corresponding salivary and pancreatic amylases.
Reckitt Benckiser: Fast and Focused Innovation

Since its 1999 merger Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a global consumer goods company, led by its CEO Bart Becht, RB developed a reputation for rapid product innovation and industry leading profit margins. RB's stated strategy was to focus on its Powerbrands and high growth categories and to nurture the Powerbrands with innovation and roll them out globally. The Powerbrands had steady double digit growth year over year, attracted a devoted customer base and typically grabbed high margins. This case examines the Powerbrands strategy, RB's devotion to fast and focused innovation and its execution of that strategy.Learning Objective: Examine a large consumer products goods company to understand levers for innovation, high performance culture, and high impact, grassroots product development.
Anti-IgE Therapy: Clinical Utility and Mechanistic Insights

As the major trigger of acute allergic reactions, IgE has long been considered an ideal target for anti-allergy treatments. Omalizumab, first approved by the USA in 2003 and now in use in many other countries is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds serum IgE. Anti-IgE therapy using omalizumab reduces circulating free IgE levels and blocks both early and late-phase reactions to allergen challenge. It has proven effective for allergic asthma and is currently being evaluated for use in a number of other atopic conditions including allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria. Clinical observations and mechanistic studies with omalizumab have shed new light on the multifaceted roles of IgE in immune homeostasis and in allergic disease.
The integrable Vakhnenko-Parkes (VP) and the modified Vakhnenko-Parkes (MVP) equations: Multiple real and complex soliton solutions

Abstract In this work, we show that the integrable Vakhnenko–Parkes (VP) equation passes the Painleve test and admits multiple real and multiple complex soliton solutions. We also present, for the first time, the modified Vakhnenko-Parkes (MVP) equation, show its complete integrability, and formally derive its multiple real and multiple complex soliton solutions. To achieve the goal set for this work, we introduce two complex forms of the simplified Hirota’s method, the first works effectively for the VP equation, and the other form is nicely applicable for the MVP equation. We believe that establishing the complex forms will shed light on complex solitons of other integrable equations.
Theoretical modeling of a phase change heat transfer problem with a pre-melted or pre-solidified region

Abstract Heat transfer problems involving phase change occur in a wide variety of engineering applications. Except a few simple cases, most phase change problems do not have an exact solution, and a number of approximate analytical methods have been developed. This paper presents a theoretical solution for a one-dimensional phase change problem that includes a pre-melted or pre-solidified length between the region of interest and a time-dependent temperature boundary condition. Such a scenario can occur in multiple engineering applications when the heating or cooling process is intermittent in time. The theoretical approach involves iteratively solving the coupled problem involving thermal conduction and phase change, utilizing a perturbation-based method for the phase change problem with a time-dependent boundary condition. The resulting theoretical solution compares well with numerical simulations. Results are used for analyzing the effect of geometry, thermal properties and other parameters on the nature of heat transfer and phase change in this problem of much technological importance. These insights may be helpful in analyzing and optimizing heat transfer in several applications such as phase change based cooling of Li-ion cells during intermittent operation.
Effects of Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health, and Relational Resilience on Perinatal Health

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during and prior to pregnancy has been linked to higher rates of pregnancy complications and early labor and delivery. However, to our knowledge, no studies have examined prenatal mental health problems and relational resilience as parallel mechanisms by which past-year IPV exposure impacts pregnancy and labor. The current study aimed to (a) examine the contribution of IPV exposure to pregnancy complications and early labor and delivery, controlling for childhood adversity, and (b) assess prenatal mental health and relational resilience as mediators of the effect of IPV exposure on pregnancy complications and early labor and delivery. We hypothesized that IPV would predict higher levels of mental health problems and lower levels of relational resilience, each of which would contribute to women's risk of labor complications such that fewer mental health problems and higher levels of relational resilience would each be associated with fewer pregnancy complications and early labor and delivery. Participants were (n = 76) interviewed during pregnancy and 6 weeks postdelivery. No direct effect of IPV exposure on either pregnancy complications or labor complications was found. Parallel indirect effects of IPV on labor via prenatal mental health, indirect effect size = -.09; 95% CI [-.224, -.011]; and relational resilience, indirect effect size = .13, 95% CI [.036, .329] were found. Brief, empirically tested IPV screens at prenatal clinics may help healthcare providers better identify IPV-exposed patients. Clinical interventions targeting prenatal mental health and relational resilience may help improve labor outcomes for IPV-exposed mothers.
Fertile Fathers of the Poor

This chapter outlines debates about wealth and poverty in late medieval and early modern Italy as the mercantile economy developed. In those debates, men who worked with money risked being labeled as predators whose greed led to the sterility and poverty of the community as they turned their back on Christian values. Some theologians and later humanists reevaluated the role of the merchants by focusing on both their intention and skills. Merchants were at times represented as selfish, greedy sodomites who performed unnatural sexual and financial acts, and at other times described as “fertile” men who contributed to their communities with both their children and wealth. Men active in the mercantile sector represented themselves as nurturing the weakest members of their city and serving as paternal figures, yet often these strategies continued to help the paternal figures more than those they described as needing their protection.
"I cannot live without my vape": Electronic cigarette user-identified indicators of vaping dependence.

Abstract Background Limited research has examined indicators of electronic cigarette (ECIG) dependence. Researchers have adapted ECIG dependence measures from cigarette smoking dependence measures, but few have examined unique aspects of ECIG dependence. This study used concept mapping, a mixed-methods approach to examine ECIG user-identified indicators of ECIG dependence. Methods In 2019, we recruited current ECIG users (n = 75; 52.9 % women; mean age = 33.2, SD = 9.9) from 25 states to complete an online study. Participants completed a brief survey and brainstormed statements (n = 216) completing the prompt: “Something specific that makes me think I am addicted to using my electronic cigarette/vaping device is…” After duplicate content was removed, participants sorted the final list of 93 statements by content similarity and rated statements on how true statements were for them (1 – Definitely NOT true to 7 – Definitely true). Multidimensional scaling analysis identified ECIG dependence thematic clusters. Results We identified ten themes: Craving, Negative Affect, Vaping as a Necessity, Therapeutic Effects, Preparedness, Attachment to Device, Impact on Daily Activity, Physical Withdrawal Symptoms, Monetary Cost, and Shame or Embarrassment. Those who had higher ECIG dependence scores and those who reported more frequent ECIG use had higher mean cluster ratings than those with lower ECIG dependence scores and who reported less frequent ECIG use. (ps Conclusions ECIG dependence has similarities to cigarette smoking dependence, but dependence indicators appear to be unique to ECIG use. Health professionals and the public should be aware of ECIG dependence risk and indicators.
Gamification as a Strategy to Improve Students’ Motivation and Engagement in Educational Environments at Engineering Courses: bibliographic

This abstract is related to a work in progress and the category is research. The continuous search for methods to spur students’ motivation and concentration at the diverse array of academic study fields has brought the need for innovations in the educational environment, in this context, it emerges the gamification concept. This work aims to identify the concept of gamification and its applicability specifically geared towards Engineering courses. To achieve this goal, a bibliographic review was carried out in two stages. The first one looked for studies that addressed the definition of techniques based on games in general, their relation with the teaching process and possibilities of use in educational environments, whether virtual or not. In a second moment, the work listed several job prospects of gamification directed specifically to the Engineering context. For this purpose, several repositories were mapped and 38 scientific papers were selected. Through the mapping of the literature it was possible to obtain a knowledge base on the subject and, from this, to trace the potentialities not yet fully explored in which one can glimpse a field for the continuity of the research.
MULTI-VESSEL SPONTANEOUS CORONARY ARTERY DISSECTION PRESENTING WITH CARDIAC ARREST

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) has emerged as an increasingly common etiology of myocardial infarction (MI). Although conservative therapy is recommended for stable patients, there is limited data to guide the management of unstable patients. A 48-year-old man with no cardiac risk
Parental Criminal Convictions and the Best Interest of the Child

Although the impact of mass incarceration on families is universally recognized, less analyzed is what, if any, the family law response should be. In particular, once the parent is no longer incarcerated, what weight should a parent’s criminal conviction be given in making determinations about the children of that parent? In Pennsylvania, where the author directs a family law clinic, the custody statute is hyper-criminalized. Since 1990, the Pennsylvania custody statute has had a rebuttable presumption of threat of harm attached to certain criminal convictions which were listed in the custody statute, but there were only 11 crimes enumerated in the statute. In 2010, Pennsylvania amended its custody statute to expand the list of crimes which create a rebuttable presumption of threat of harm to a child. If a party or household member of a party has been convicted of one of the crimes enumerated in the custody statute, that party may not be granted custody until a court has made an explicit finding that the party does not present a threat of harm to the child(ren). The central question this article seeks to address is as follows: are there good family law reasons for a presumption regarding criminal convictions in custody matters? By considering social science literature and legal sources, the article will evaluate the value of giving weighted consideration to certain crimes in determining the best interest of children. This article will also make recommendations regarding the weight that should be given to criminal convictions in making best interest custody decisions.
C3SRAM: An In-Memory-Computing SRAM Macro Based on Robust Capacitive Coupling Computing Mechanism

This article presents C3SRAM, an in-memory-computing SRAM macro. The macro is an SRAM module with the circuits embedded in bitcells and peripherals to perform hardware acceleration for neural networks with binarized weights and activations. The macro utilizes analog-mixed-signal (AMS) capacitive-coupling computing to evaluate the main computations of binary neural networks, binary-multiply-and-accumulate operations. Without the need to access the stored weights by individual row, the macro asserts all its rows simultaneously and forms an analog voltage at the read bitline node through capacitive voltage division. With one analog-to-digital converter (ADC) per column, the macro realizes fully parallel vector–matrix multiplication in a single cycle. The network type that the macro supports and the computing mechanism it utilizes are determined by the robustness and error tolerance necessary in AMS computing. The C3SRAM macro is prototyped in a 65-nm CMOS. It demonstrates an energy efficiency of 672 TOPS/W and a speed of 1638 GOPS (20.2 TOPS/mm2), achieving 3975 $\times $ better energy–delay product than the conventional digital baseline performing the same operation. The macro achieves 98.3% accuracy for MNIST and 85.5% for CIFAR-10, which is among the best in-memory computing works in terms of energy efficiency and inference accuracy tradeoff.
Presence of Borrelia miyamotoi infection in a highly endemic area of Lyme disease.

A series of cases in the Northeast of the US during 2013–2015 described a new Borrelia species, Borrelia miyamotoi, which is transmitted by the same tick species that transmits Lyme disease and causes a relapsing fever-like illness. The geographic expansion of B. miyamotoi in the US also extends to other Lyme endemic areas such as the Midwestern US. Co-infections with other tick borne diseases (TBD) may contribute to the severity of the disease. On Long Island, NY, 3–5% of ticks are infected by B. miyamotoi, but little is known about the frequency of B. miyamotoi infections in humans in this particular region. The aim of this study was to perform a chart review in all patients diagnosed with B. miyamotoi infection in Stony Brook Medicine (SBM) system to describe the clinical and epidemiological features of B. miyamotoi infection in Suffolk County, NY. In a 5 year time period (2013–2017), a total of 28 cases were positive for either IgG EIA (n = 19) or PCR (n = 9). All 9 PCR-positive cases (median age: 67; range: 22–90 years) had clinical findings suggestive of acute or relapsing infection. All these patients were thought to have a TBD, prompting the healthcare provider to order the TBD panel which includes a B. miyamotoi PCR test. In conclusion, B. miyamotoi infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis for flu-like syndromes during the summer after a deer tick bite and to prevent labeling a case with Lyme disease.
Social Problem-Solving and Suicidal Ideation Among Homeless Youth Receiving a Cognitive Therapy Intervention: A Moderated Mediation Analysis.

Abstract Despite the high prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among homeless youth, little research has examined how suicide prevention interventions influence suicide-related risk and protective factors, and ultimately produce positive outcome in suicidality in this population. Drawing on the Diathesis-Stress Model and the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, the current study examined whether participation in Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CTSP) moderated the mediation link between social problem-solving, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation among a sample of homeless youth experiencing suicidal ideation. Social problem-solving refers to a set of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral coping responses in the face of stressful situations, and it is identified as a potent protective factor in alleviating perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, and reducing suicidal ideation. Participants included 150 homeless youth (M age = 20.99, range = 18-24; 41% female) who were randomly assigned to Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CTSP) + Treatment as Usual (TAU) (n = 75) or Treatment as Usual alone (n = 75). Participants were assessed at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months post-baseline. Findings showed that perceived burdensomeness mediated the association of social problem-solving with suicidal ideation only among youth participating in the CTSP condition. These findings provide evidence to support the promising effects of CTSP in enhancing the protective effects of social problem-solving on suicidal ideation through the mediating effects of perceived burdensomeness. Findings also have implications for improving intervention effectiveness with a community-based population at high risk of suicide.
The Collateral Effects of Information in Auctions

This paper finds that the information environment at auctions impacts prices, liquidity and participation and has aggregate implications. Using data from real estate auctions, prices and liquidity decline in auctions with more opaque information environments. Increased opacity also induces greater home bias, shrinking the distance between the point of sale and the equilibrium buyer. Assets bought in more opaque information environments also earn lower realized returns, especially for less informed buyers. The effects of information are also felt beyond the auction setting. Increased auction opacity depresses local housing markets, increases the cost of credit and causes smaller firms to fail.
Fundamental Mathematical Skill Development in Engineering Education

Anecdotally, many students are disadvantaged by gaps in their High School and early college Algebra, Trigonometry and Geometry. The authors piloted a project developing a platform in Canvas with modules presenting select topics, using both material at the High School level in the public domain, and new tutorial videos to cover the assumed background knowledge at the college level. Post- and pre-tests were administered to control groups and treatment groups to determine the efficacy of the offerings. Statistical analysis showed that the implementation of the platform as part of the course did not improve student performance in the targeted topics. However, a number of interesting results emerged from the study regarding surprising areas of weakness and general student responses to teaching methods.
GROUNDED: The Localizing Ground Penetrating Radar Evaluation Dataset

Mapping and localization using surface features is prone to failure due to environment changes such as inclement weather. Recently, Localizing Ground Penetrating Radar (LGPR) has been proposed as an alternative means of localizing using underground features that are stable over time and less affected by surface conditions. However, due to the lack of commercially available LGPR sensors, the wider research community has been largely unable to replicate this work or build new and innovative solutions. We present GROUNDED an open dataset of LGPR scans collected in a variety of environments and weather conditions. By labeling this data with ground truth localization from an RTK-GPS / Inertial Navigation System, and carefully calibrating and time synchronizing the radar scans with ground truth positions, camera imagery, and Lidar data, we enable researchers to build novel localization solutions that are resilient to changing surface conditions. We include 108 individual runs totalling 450 km of driving with LGPR, GPS, Odometry, Camera, and Lidar measurements. We also present two new evaluation benchmarks for 1) Localizing in Weather and 2) Multi-lane Mapping, to enable comparisons of future work supported by the dataset. The dataset can be accessed at http://lgprdata.com.
Bridging the experiment-calculation divide: machine learning corrections to redox potential calculations in implicit and explicit solvent models

Prediction of redox potentials is essential for catalysis and energy storage. Although density functional theory (DFT) calculations have enabled rapid redox potential predictions for numerous compounds, prominent errors persist compared to experimental measurements. In this work, we develop machine learning (ML) models to reduce the errors of redox potential calculations in both implicit and explicit solvent models. Training and testing of the ML correction models are based on the diverse ROP313 dataset with experimental redox potentials measured for organic and organometallic compounds in a variety of solvents. For the implicit solvent approach, our ML models can reduce both the systematic bias and the number of outliers. ML corrected redox potentials also demonstrate less sensitivity to DFT functional choice. For the explicit solvent approach, we significantly reduce the computational costs by embedding the microsolvated cluster in implicit bulk solvent, obtaining converged redox potential results with a smaller solvation shell. This combined implicit-explicit solvent model, together with GPU-accelerated quantum chemistry methods, enabled rapid generation of a large dataset of explicit-solvent-calculated redox potentials for 165 organic compounds, allowing detailed investigation of the error sources in explicit solvent redox potential calculations.
Abortive Infection of Bacillus subtilis Bacteriophage PBS1 in the Presence of Actinomycin D

Abstract Actinomycin D caused the irreversible loss of PBS1 phage infectious centers and PBS1-mediated transductants. The loss of infectious centers occurred only within the first 4 min after the addition of phage to cells. Actinomycin did not inactivate free phage or inhibit phage adsorption. Electron micrographs indicated that phage adsorbed to cells in the presence of actinomycin ejected their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) normally. However, when cells were infected in the presence of actinomycin, 15 to 22% of their 32P-labeled DNA appeared in the medium, whereas only 1.5 to 7.2% of the 32P-labeled DNA appeared in the medium during normal infection. Neither 8-azaguanine nor chloramphenicol caused a similar loss of PBS1 infectious centers or transductants. Actinomycin also caused the loss of SP10 infectious centers but it had no effect on SP01 or 29 infections. We conclude that actinomycin causes abortion of PBS1 infection by inhibiting the uptake or retention of phage DNA into host cells. The immunity of SP01 and 29 infections to actinomycin probably reflects differences in the penetration mechanisms of these phages.
Assessing the real impact of 802.11 WLANs: a large-scale comparison of wired and wireless traffic

We compared the traffic from hosts connected to the network via a wired or wireless interface, emphasizing the impact of 802.11 on packet delay and loss. Our study uses only passive monitoring techniques, namely, inference from TCP header traces. This enabled us to study a population of several thousand hosts in a real production environment, in which more than 31 million TCP connections were made. Our first contribution is methodological. Passive methods always have some degree of uncertainty, and we overcome this limitation by mostly relying on relative differences between wired and wireless traffic. Our analysis revealed that wireless clients experienced substantially higher packet delay variability than wired clients but their loss rates are surprisingly similar. We found that both the number of unnecessary TCP retransmissions and, even more substantially, the number of interrupted connections are higher for the wireless LAN than for the wired LAN. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research effort to directly contrast wired and wireless traffic of a large production network
Trajectory planning and control for a five-degree-of-freedom biped locomotion system

In this paper, a study on a five-degree-of-freedom biped locomotion system is performed. The angles of the hip and knee joints for the biped walking gait were generated. Based on the dynamic model and joint trajectories of the walking gait, an adaptive inverse dynamics control scheme consisting of a control law and an adaptation law was used to control the biped motion. To improve the convergence of the estimated parameters, we modify the timing of applying the adaptation by incorporating a dead zone operation. Our simulation results show that the adaptive control technique can be effectively used for the biped locomotion system.
Inhibition of Inducible Liver Enzymes by Endotoxin and Actinomycin D

Abstract Berry, L. Joe (Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Dorothy S. Smythe, and Louise S. Colwell. Inhibition of inducible liver enzymes by endotoxin and actinomycin D. J. Bacteriol. 92:107–115. 1966.—Bacterial endotoxin at the ld50 level lowers liver tryptophan pyrrolase in mice, it prevents for 16 to 20 hr the induction of the enzyme by a concurrent injection of cortisone, it lowers significantly but does not prevent substrate induction, and it reduces the enzymatic activity promptly and significantly when administered during the course of hormonal induction. The ld50 amount of actinomycin D has a similar effect on tryptophan pyrrolase, except that its inhibition of induction by cortisone persists for a longer period of time. Endotoxin in the intact mouse induces tyrosine-α-ketoglutarate transaminase almost as well as cortisone, but not in the adrenalectomized animal, a fact that suggests induction of this enzyme is due to release of endogenous adrenal hormones. Actinomycin D, on the other hand, has an effect on this transaminase similar to that on tryptophan pyrrolase. The site of action of endotoxin and actinomycin D would appear to be similar for one of the two enzymes studied and different for the other, a relationship that requires a specificity difficult to imagine for a material as complex as endotoxin.
A class of $\mathbb {Z}^d$ shifts of finite type which factors onto lower entropy full shifts

We prove that if a ℤ d shift of finite type with entropy greater than log N satisfies the corner gluing mixing condition of Johnson and Madden, then it must factor onto the full N-shift.
Electron-phonon cooling in large monolayer graphene devices

We present thermal measurements of large-area (over $1000\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}{\mathrm{m}}^{2}$) monolayer graphene samples at cryogenic temperatures to study the electron-phonon thermal conductivity of graphene. By using two large samples with areas which differ by a factor of 10, we are able to clearly show the area dependence of the electron-phonon cooling. We find that, at temperatures far below the Bloch-Gr\"uneisen temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{BG}}$, the electron-phonon cooling power is accurately described by the ${T}^{4}$ temperature dependence predicted for clean samples. Using this model, we are able to extract a value for the electron-phonon coupling constant as a function of gate voltage and the graphene electron-lattice deformation potential.
Soft-decision decoding of Reed-Solomon codes on magnetic recording channels with erasures

A soft-decision Reed-Solomon decoding algorithm has been recently proposed by Koetter and Vardy, which provides significant coding gains by fully utilizing channel output reliability information. The algorithm converts this reliability information into a set of interpolation points and their multiplicities, and consists of three day steps: multiplicity matrix calculation, soft interpolation, and polynomial factorization. Large coding gains have been observed only for low-rate codes in additive white Gaussian noise channels, and with very high decoding complexity. Here we present a new suboptimal algorithm for computing the multiplicity matrix, discuss architectures for soft-decision decoders and evaluate the performance of the soft-decision algorithm on magnetic recording channels in the presence of erasures.
Assessment of Inhibition and Epileptiform Activity in the Septal Dentate Gyrus of Freely Behaving Rats During the First Week After Kainate Treatment

Mossy fiber reorganization has been hypothesized to restore inhibition months after kainate-induced status epilepticus. The time course of recovery of inhibition after kainate treatment, however, is not well established. We tested the hypothesis that if inhibition is decreased after kainate treatment, it is restored within the first week when little or no mossy fiber reorganization has occurred. Chronic in vivo recordings of the septal dentate gyrus were performed in rats before and 1, 4, and 7–8 d after kainate (multiple injections of 5 mg/kg, i.p.; n = 17) or saline ( n = 11) treatment. Single and paired-pulse stimuli were used to assess synaptic inhibition. The first day after kainate treatment, only a fraction of rats showed multiple population spikes (35%), prolonged field postsynaptic potentials (76%), and loss of paired-pulse inhibition (29%) to perforant path stimulation. Thus, inhibition was reduced in only some of the kainate-treated rats. By 7–8 d after treatment, nearly all kainate-treated rats showed partial or full recovery in these response characteristics. Histological analysis indicated that kainate-treated rats had a significant decrease in the number of hilar neurons compared to controls, but Timm staining showed little to no mossy fiber reorganization. These results suggest that a decrease in synaptic inhibition in the septal dentate gyrus is not a prerequisite for epileptogenesis and that most of the recovery of inhibition occurs before robust Timm staining in the inner molecular layer.
Photo effect based avalanche multiplication measurement in highly scaled SiGe HBTs

A new photo effect based technique for measuring the avalanche multiplication factor (M - 1) is proposed. The technique enables M - 1 measurement at high operating current densities required for high speed operation, where conventional techniques fail because of self-heating. Using the proposed technique, M - 1 was measured up to 24 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ on SiGe HBTs featuring 120 GHz peak f/sub T/. Implications for circuit applications are also discussed.
Symmetry Breaking in Graphs

A labeling of the vertices of a graph G, ` : V (G) !f1;:::;rg, is said to be r-distinguishing provided no automorphism of the graph preserves all of the vertex labels. The distinguishing number of a graph G, denoted by D(G), is the minimum r such that G has an r-distinguishing labeling. The distinguishing number of the complete graph on t vertices is t. In contrast, we prove (i) given any group i, there is a graph G such that Aut(G) » ia ndD(G )=2 ; (ii)D(G )= O(log(jAut(G)j)); (iii) if Aut(G) is abelian, then D(G) • 2; (iv) if Aut(G) is dihedral, then D(G) • 3; and (v) If Aut(G) » S4 ,t hen either D(G )= 2 orD(G) = 4. Mathematics Subject Classiflcation 05C,20B,20F,68R
THORACIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN FELINE PATIENTS WITHOUT USE OF CHEMICAL RESTRAINT

Computed tomography (CT) and thoracic radiography were performed in nonsedated, nonanesthetized, cats with thoracic disease. The final diagnosis was obtained with echocardiography, cytology, histopathology, necropsy, or response to therapy. For CT imaging, cats were in a positioning device using a 16 multislice helical CT system. Fifty-four cats had CT imaging of which 50 had thoracic radiography. The most common diagnoses were lung neoplasia, lower airway disease, and cardiomyopathy (nine each). Other disease groups included mediastinal mass (eight), infection (seven), trauma (four), and hernia (three). CT provided additional correct diagnoses in 28% (14/50) and additional information in 74% (37/50) of the cats. Additional correct diagnoses achieved only with CT were most common for cats with lower airway disease. The most common additional findings with CT were lung nodules (n=4), lung masses (n=4), bronchiectasis (n=4), and mediastinal lymphadenopathy (n=3). Survey CT led to a significant different diagnosis or different prognosis in 20 of the 50 cats that were imaged both modalities. Contrast CT was performed in 19 cats, most commonly in cats with lung neoplasia (n=6), a mediastinal mass (n=4) or an infection (n=3), and provided additional correct diagnosis in two cats not achieved with survey CT. Thoracic CT using a positioning device in diseased awake cats is feasible, safe, and clinically useful.
Your Phone Knows You: Almost Transparent Authentication for Smartphones

With the advent of ever more powerful smart phones, having bigger touch screens and a large assortment of exciting applications accessible through online app stores, people are using their phones to meet various ends, even critical tasks, like: mobile banking and mobile health-care, are being performed using smart phones. Although security of smart phones is vital, application-level security - in the form of end-user authentication - is often the only security mechanism that users adopt. We propose a transparent and adaptive authentication framework for smart phones that is built around the biological metaphor of how a pet recognizes its owner. Our proposed framework rids the user from remembering a strong secret and from inputting the secret via smart phone's small keypad time and again, while the pet metaphor helps assuage possible psychological issues related to the covert nature of the authentication method. We implemented a subset of our proposed framework on the Android platform and through data obtained from users, we show that the proposed framework has the potential to become effective, efficient, and popular.
TbPIF5 is a Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial DNA helicase involved in processing of minicircle Okazaki fragments

Trypanosoma brucei's mitochondrial genome, kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), is a giant network of catenated DNA rings. The network consists of a few thousand 1 kb minicircles and several dozen 23 kb maxicircles. Here we report that TbPIF5, one of T. brucei's six mitochondrial proteins related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA helicase ScPIF1, is involved in minicircle lagging strand synthesis. Like its yeast homolog, TbPIF5 is a 5′ to 3′ DNA helicase. Together with other enzymes thought to be involved in Okazaki fragment processing, TbPIF5 localizes in vivo to the antipodal sites flanking the kDNA. Minicircles in wild type cells replicate unidirectionally as theta-structures and are unusual in that Okazaki fragments are not joined until after the progeny minicircles have segregated. We now report that overexpression of TbPIF5 causes premature removal of RNA primers and joining of Okazaki fragments on theta structures. Further elongation of the lagging strand is blocked, but the leading strand is completed and the minicircle progeny, one with a truncated H strand (ranging from 0.1 to 1 kb), are segregated. The minicircles with a truncated H strand electrophorese on an agarose gel as a smear. This replication defect is associated with kinetoplast shrinkage and eventual slowing of cell growth. We propose that TbPIF5 unwinds RNA primers after lagging strand synthesis, thus facilitating processing of Okazaki fragments.
The world fertilizer situation

Abstract Cyclical changes in world market conditions pose a potentially serious problem for LDCs sometime in the early 1980s notwithstanding their efforts for greater self-sufficiency in the manufacture of fertilizer. The author discusses the present and future capacity of the fertilizer industry and its effect on the world market and therefore on fertilizer availability to LDCs. Using the forecasts of the Commission on Fertilizers and others as a basis, the author considers the implications for world fertilizer use and thus, food production. In particular, various aspects of the macro-economic fertilizer price/demand relationship are presented. The cyclical outlook differs widely among various projections considered but the author's own projections lead to a relatively pessimistic conclusion, i.e. that shortages of capacity after 1980 may be exacerbated by an explosion of demand and that although LDC importers will be relatively less vulnerable to world market fluctuations, they may still be dependent to a critical degree on imported materials.
H2O2-mediated oxidative stress activates NF-κB in lens epithelial cells

In the mammalian lens, intracellular oxidants produced by photo-oxidative processes and exposure to toxic chemicals constitute stresses that produce cellular oxidative damage, result in changes in gene expression, and are causally related to cataract formation. Currently, it is believed that H(2)O(2) is the major oxidant to which the lens is exposed. In this report, we examine the activation and regulation of the oxidant-sensitive transcription factor, NF-kappa B, by H(2)O(2)-mediated oxidative stress in lens epithelial cells. Lens epithelial cells treated with H(2)O(2) demonstrated at 1 h a strong activation of NF-kappa B which returned to basal levels by 2 h. Under proteasome inhibition using both MG132 and lactacystin, H(2)O(2)-mediated activation of NF-kappa B was prevented, implicating the involvement of proteasome degradation of I kappa B proteins as being necessary for this activation. However, Western blot analysis demonstrated no degradation of I kappa B-alpha, -beta, or -epsilon associated with H(2)O(2)-mediated NF-kappa B activation. In comparison, when cells were treated with the cytokine TNF-alpha, NF-kappa B was strongly activated and degradation of both I kappa B-alpha and -beta was observed. These results clearly demonstrate that H(2)O(2)-mediated oxidative stress activates NF-kappa B in lens epithelial cells, which may subsequently lead to changes in gene expression. The results also reveal that different signaling pathways in the activation of NF-kappa B in lens epithelial cells are utilized by H(2)O(2) and TNF-alpha. These different pathways of NF-kappa B activation may be required to effect specific NF-kappa B-dependent gene expression in response to these different stimuli.
Long-range scattering resonances in strong-field-seeking states of polar molecules

We present first steps toward understanding the ultracold scattering properties of polar molecules in strong electric field-seeking states. We have found that the elastic cross section displays a quasiregular set of potential resonances as a function of the electric field, which potentially offers intimate details about the intermolecular interaction. We illustrate these resonances in a ``toy'' model composed of pure dipoles, and in more physically realistic systems. To analyze these resonances, we use a simple WKB approximation to the eigenphase, which proves both reasonably accurate and meaningful. A general treatment of the Stark effect and dipolar interactions is also presented.
Structural components of reading time

Reading times were collected for sentences in passages in order to examine how cognitive resources are distributed among different components of reading. Multiple regression analyses indicated that most of the reading time variance was predicted by macrostructure processing which integrates information from different sentences, as opposed to microstructure processing which includes the processing of words, syntax, and propositions. Experiment 1 revealed that slower readers require more time than faster readers to perform microstructure processing, but no differences were found for macrostructure components of reading. Experiment 2 revealed that variations in reading goals influence macrostructure processing but not microstructure processing. These findings suggest that functionally separate reading skills may be involved in microstructure versus macrostructure processing.
Chain conformation of polystyrene in bulk by small‐angle X‐ray scattering

Small-angle x-ray scattering from solid solutions of different molecular weight fractions of partially brominated polystyrene in polystyrene has been studied. The results of this study indicate that polymer chains in bulk have a radius of gyration proportional to the square root of molecular weight, which is consistent with the random coil model. However, these radii are approximately 20% larger than the unperturbed radii deduced by light scattering in dilute solutions.
Measurement of small concentrations of gas in a low-pressure water vapor mixture

The objective of this study is to devise a convenient and accurate apparatus for in-situ determination of the nonabsorbable gas concentrationunder an absorber condition similar to an LiBr chiller
Use of mTOR inhibitors in the treatment of malignancies

Introduction: mTOR and its effectors are central regulators of cellular metabolism in malignant cells and control mRNA translation that ultimately leads to generation of mitogenic proteins. Efforts to target this pathway have been ongoing for over a decade and have had a substantial impact in the management of certain patients with solid tumors. Although activity of mTOR inhibitors has been established in several trials, inability to predict responses remains a limiting factor for the successful incorporation of these agents in the treatment of a variety of malignancies. Areas covered: Recent clinical findings are discussed and studies focused on advanced phase development of mTOR inhibitors are summarized. The emergence of precision medicine approaches and the effects that such approaches may have on prospective selection of patients for treatment with mTOR inhibitors are discussed. Also, potential approaches and future prospects to improve responses to mTOR inhibitors by modulating other parallel mitoge...
IDENTIFICATION AND DNA SEQUENCE OF A NEW H+-ATPase IN THE UNICELLULAR GREEN ALGA CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII (CHLOROPHYCEAE)

Insertional mutagenesis was used to identify genes involved in mating and/or zygote formation in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard. Approximately 800 insertionally mutagenized transformants were examined, and a single nonagglutinating mutant was identified. Plasmid rescue was used to clone a genomic fragment containing transforming DNA. This fragment was then used to identify the wild-type copy of the gene disrupted during mutagenesis. The wild-type gene is transcribed during all stages of the life cycle and, based on sequence similarity, encodes a P2-type proton transporting ATPase. The gene is referred to as Pmh1 for plasma membrane H+-ATPase. PMH1 displays the greatest sequence similarity to ATPases from two parasitic flagellates and a raphidophytic alga but not to the ATPase from a closely related green alga. We propose that PMH1 represents a distinct H+-ATPase isoform expressed in flagellates.
Photoisomerization of cis-1-(2-naphthyl)-2-phenylethene in methylcyclohexane at 77 K: no hula-twist.

The cis−trans photoisomerization of cis-1-(2-naphthyl)-2-phenylethene (c-NPEA and c-NPEB) was studied in methylcyclohexane glass at 77 K. The progress of the reaction was followed by fluorescence spectroscopy. Formation of the extended trans conformer (t-NPEB) is revealed by the growth of sharp vibronic bands on the broad structureless fluorescence spectrum of c-NPE. Principal component analysis with self-modeling of a matrix consisting of spectra generated by irradiation of c-NPE at different excitation wavelengths and spectra of t-NPE measured under the same conditions as a function of excitation wavelength reveals that the diabatic photoisomerization is a completely conformer-specific one-bond twist process: c-NPEB → t-NPEB. These observations are consistent with observations in solution at ambient temperature. They demonstrate unequivocally that free volume restrictions imposed by the amorphous glassy environment do not open a hula-twist process.