cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural Synchrony in Schizophrenia

Basic neuroscience research suggests that neural assemblies communicate with each other in the temporal domain and rely on the coincidence of neural activity to detect phasic relationships between groups of neurons. Clinical neuroscience research suggests that communication and coordination failures between different brain regions may account for a wide range of problems in schizophrenia, from psychosis to cognitive dysfunction. This theme issue presents: an overview of time-frequency analyses that are used by clinical neuroscientists studying neural oscillations in schizophrenia; a comprehensive review of the literature on schizophrenia and neural asynchrony; data supporting dysfunction of both the GABA and glutamate systems in contributing to neural synchrony dysfunction in schizophrenia; and an example of how neural activity oscillating at different frequencies can form a code, which when disrupted could account for various symptoms of the illness. These papers illustrate approaches to translational neuroscience that will increase our understanding of schizophrenia and provide neurobiological endpoints for developing novel treatments.
Mathematical models of marrow cell kinetics: differential effects of protracted irradiations on stromal and stem cells in mice.

Abstract It is known that hematopoiesis is supported by bone-marrow stem cells, but those cells must seed and grow on a stromal microenvironment. Typically, studies have shown that a surviving fraction of about 30 hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) (i.e., about 0.04%) correspond to the LD 50 , although other studies have shown that marrow can repopulate from a single viable cell under strong regiments of antibiotics and infusions of irradiated blood elements. Purpose: This paper describes comparisons between our results (from maximum-likelihood estimation techniques for cellular damage, repair, and compensatory repopulation) and published experimental data on marrow stromal cells. Methods and Materials: After biophysical consideration of the rate constants that were derived by maximizing the likelihood function (a consideration necessary to extend the model to cell populations not indicated by the model as "critical" for recovery), the rate constants for cellular damage to stem cells are fitted to experimental data. Rate constants for repair and proliferation of stem cells are assigned based on published data on repair/proliferation halftimes, and these assignments affect the evaluation of the rate constants for cellular damage. From the two models, that is one for "critical" cells (having radiosensitive and repopulation characteristics similar to stromal cells) and another for stem cells, effects on two cell populations of different radiosensitivities and repopulation rates can be demonstrated for complex schedules of protracted irradiations which could reduce either cell population below a critical need for marrow repopulation. Results: Our analysis of animal mortality data has indicated that recovery of an animal from potentially lethal irradiation is dominantly regulated by cells with survival and repopulation characteristics similar to those of stroma cells. Conclusion: In contrast to the surviving fraction of hematopoietic stem cells, it appears that the probability of an animal's recovery is high if the "critical" population of cells is above 1% (our "best" maximum likelihood estimate, from mouse data, with the corresponding lower confidence bound at about 0.2%). Of course, a few stem cells—perhaps only one—must maintain a potential for repopulation of blood and marrow.
Coordination mechanisms for multi-agent manufacturing systems: applications to integrated manufacturing scheduling

The advent of information technology (IT) has made today's manufacturing systems increasingly distributed. Typically such a system consists of a complex array of computer-based decision units, controllers and databases. Rather than dealing with each component individually, it is necessary to have a new paradigm for management of manufacturing systems, so that all the components and their operations can be managed in an integrated fashion. The multi-agent framework presented in this paper is such a paradigm for achieving system integration. The authors specifically emphasize the coordination mechanisms needed for ensuring the orderly operations and concerted decision making among the components-i.e., agents-of the manufacturing systems. The application of the framework to a printed circuit board manufacturing system and the performance results are also described.
Increased Expression of Ca2+-Sensitive K+ Channels in Aorta of Hypertensive Rats

Abstract Potassium efflux through Ca 2+ -sensitive K + channels (K Ca channels) is increased in arterial smooth muscle cells from hypertensive rats, but the molecular mechanism is unknown. The goal of this study was to compare the levels of K Ca channel current between aortic smooth muscle cells from adult Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and then use Western blot methods and ribonuclease protection assays to examine the expression and mRNA levels for the K Ca channel in these same vascular tissues. Whole-cell patch-clamp methods indicated a larger component of K Ca channel current, sensitive to block by iberiotoxin (100 nmol/L), in single aortic smooth muscle cells from SHR compared with WKY. Subsequent Western blot analysis using a site-specific antibody (anti–α 913–926 ) directed against the S9/S10 linker of the α-subunit of the K Ca channel revealed a 125-kD immunoreactive band in lanes loaded with either WKY or SHR aortic muscle membranes. The immunoreactive density of this band, which corresponded to the known molecular size of the α-subunit, was 2.2-fold greater in lanes loaded with aortic smooth muscle membranes from the hypertensive animals. However, despite this evidence for an increased expression and functional enhancement of K Ca channels in aortic smooth muscle membranes of SHR, ribonuclease protection assays with a 32 P-labeled riboprobe targeted against the S9/S10 linker of the K Ca channel α-subunit revealed no difference in mRNA levels for the α-subunit between WKY and SHR aortic tissue. These findings provide initial evidence that (1) an increased expression of K Ca channels may be a mechanism for the enhanced K Ca current in aortic smooth muscle membranes of SHR, and (2) the upregulation of K Ca channels in arterial muscle membranes during hypertension, which is regarded as a homeostatic mechanism for buffering vascular excitability, may rely on post-transcriptional events.
Wollaston's Early Critics

Some of the most forceful objections to William Wollaston's moral theory come from his early critics, namely, Thomas Bott (1688–1754), Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746), and John Clarke of Hull (1687–1734). These objections are little known, while the inferior objections of Hume, Bentham, and later prominent critics are familiar. This fact is regrettable. For instance, it impedes a robust understanding of eighteenth-century British ethics; also, it fosters a questionable view as to why Wollaston's theory, although at first well received, soon faded in esteem among philosophers. This paper gives Wollaston's early critics some of the attention they deserve. It reconstructs some of their objections to Wollaston's philosophy, addresses replies to those objections, and shows that despite some minor flaws, the objections succeed. A fact that becomes clear is that Wollaston's philosophy had suffered devastating criticism years before Hume wrote anything against it.
Impact of temperature on hard disk drive reliability in large datacenters

When datacenters are pushed to their limits of operational efficiency, reducing failure rates becomes critical for maintaining high levels of healthy server operation. In this experience report, we present a dense storage case study from a large population of servers housing tens of thousands of disk drives. Previous studies have presented divergent results concerning correlation between temperature and hard disk drive failures. In our paper, we specifically establish correlation between temperatures and failures observed at different location granularities: a) inside drive locations in a server chassis, b) across server locations in a rack and c) across multiple racks in a datacenter. We also establish that temperature exhibits a stronger correlation to failures compared to the correlation of disk utilization with drive failures. Thus, we show that temperature-aware server and datacenter design plays a pivotal role in datacenter reliability. Following our case study, we present a reliability model for estimating hard disk drive failures correlated with the datacenter operating temperature. We use a physical Arrhenius model with empirically derived coefficients for our model. We show an application of the model for selecting the datacenter inlet temperature setpoint for two different server storage configurations. Finally, with the help of a datacenter cost discussion, we highlight the need to incorporate reliability-aware datacenter design for increased efficiency in large scale datacenters.
Twelve Minute light variations in the peculiar star HD 101065

The magnetic star HD101065 (Przybylski's star) is known for its peculiar spectrum dominated by rare earth lines. Recently, it has been discovered to exhibit periodic 12.141 ± 0.003 min. light variations of amplitude near ± 0.015 mag. in B (Kurtz and Wegner 1979). Several lines of argument suggest an effective temperature near 7400 K, which could relate HD101065 to the δ Scuti instability strip. Such rapid variability is unprecedented in normal, Am and Ap stars. If HD101065 is near the main sequence, the short timescale of variability seems to create a number of problems, not only for pulsation theory, but also for current ideas on the diffusion mechanism of metal enhancement.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Related Pathological Processes

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Related Pathological Processes The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a pivotal role in lipid and protein biosynthesis as well as calcium store regulation, which determines its essential role in cell function. Hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, perturbation of redox status and aberrant calcium regulation can all trigger the ER stress response, which is mediated through three main sensors, namely inositol requiring element-1 (IRE-1), protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). This review explores the interaction of ER stress and ER stress-associated pathological processes, including inflammation, apoptosis, aberrant autophagy, mitochondrial dysfunction and hypoxic responses. In addition, the correlation of ER stress with lipid and calcium homeostasis and dysregulation, and its role in disease development is also presented. Improved understanding of ER stress and its cofactors in pathological processes may provide new perspective on disease development and control.
Interaction of an insecticide with larval density in pond‐breeding salamanders (Ambystoma)

SUMMARY 1. Amphibian populations residing in or near agricultural areas are often susceptible to pesticide contamination. Recent evidence suggests that the effects of pesticides on amphibians often exceed those estimated in laboratory toxicity tests because other environmental factors (e.g. predators, resource abundance) can influence pesticide toxicity. 2. To examine the effects of an insecticide (carbaryl) on two species of Ambystoma salamanders experiencing the natural stress of competition, we manipulated chemical concentration (control, 3.5 and 7.0 mg L )1 ) and larval density (low and high). We determined the effect of treatments on snout-vent length (SVL), growth rate, lipid reserves, time to metamorphosis, per cent survival and per cent metamorphosis. 3. Carbaryl negatively affected all response variables of Ambystoma maculatum significantly, and significantly reduced survival and metamorphosis of A. opacum. Increased density significantly influenced SVL, lipid reserves, growth rate and metamorphosis of A. maculatum. 4. The effects of carbaryl and increased density on per cent metamorphosis were nearly additive, but were generally less than additive on other variables. 5. The negative effects of chemical contamination on salamanders were likely because of pesticide-induced reductions of food resources, as zooplankton abundance decreased by as much as 97% following carbaryl application. 6. Our study demonstrates the importance of the interactive effects that chemical contamination and natural environmental factors have on salamanders.
On the tightness of a recent set invariance condition under actuator saturation

A sufficient condition for an ellipsoid to be invariant was obtained recently and an LMI approach was developed to find the largest ellipsoid satisfying the condition. This condition was later shown to be necessary for the single input case. This paper is dedicated to the multi-input case. We will examine the conservatism of the condition for multi-input systems. Our investigation is conducted by studying the optimal solution to a related LMI problem. A criterion is presented to determine when the condition is not conservative and when the largest invariant ellipsoid has been obtained by using the LMI method.
Risk perception of food safety and behavioral intentions to read food safety labels

Food safety incidents occur frequently in China. Chinese people’s health is at risk due to the variety of Chinese food safety problems. The Chinese government has enacted many programs and policies to address this issue. The purpose of this study was to understand how Chinese college students perceive these food safety risks and what motivates them to take preventative measures toward reducing their risk. To better understand Chinese college students’ perception and their behavioral intention related to food safety, this study tested the relationships between threat appraisal (severity and vulnerability) of food safety and behavioral intention to read food-safety labels and buy food with food safety labels, coping appraisal (response efficacy and self-efficacy) and behavioral intention to read food-safety labels and buy food with food safety labels in Protection Motivation Theory. Chinese students in a large Midwestern university were recruited via an email invitation to take an online survey asking about their perception of food safety in China and their intentions to read food-safety labels and buy food with food safety labels. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0. Positive relationships were detected between severity, vulnerability, response efficacy, self-efficacy and behavioral intention. Severity was the strongest factor (β= .365, p< .01) that influenced behavioral intention in this study after controlling for knowledge and mass media dependence. These outcomes suggested that Chinese college students’ intentions to read food-safety labels and buy food with food safety labels were increasing as their perception about food safety went up. Meanwhile, they were
Diagnostic implications of informant disagreement for manic symptoms.

Abstract Objective: This study examines diagnoses that occur in an outpatient sample when both parent and teacher endorse significant manic symptoms and when only a parent observes them. We hypothesized that the diagnosis of mania/bipolar (BP) disorder would occur when there is parent/teacher concordance on high mania symptom scores. Methods: Subjects were 911 5–18-year-old psychiatrically diagnosed youths with caregiver and teacher completed Child Mania Rating Scales (CMRSs) and Achenbach parent and teacher forms. Parent–teacher concordance on the CMRS was defined as both informants ≥75 percentile on the CMRS; discordance on the CMRS was defined as parent ≥75 percentile and teacher ≤25 percentile. Logistic regression examined factors associated with a child's parent and teacher ratings concordant for high CMRS total scores. Results: Correlation between parent CMRS (CMRS-P) and teacher CMRS (CMRS-T) scores was r=0.27 (p<0.000). Correlation between the CMRS-P and the Child Behavior Checklist “bipolar/dysre...
Analysis of Electrolyte Polarization in Polycrystalline Sodium β‐Alumina by a Complex Admittance Method

The polarization behavior of lithia-stabilized sodium ..beta..''-alumina in the form of polycrystalline pressed and sintered specimens was studied at 100 to 400/sup 0/C by observing the isothermal values of the complex admittance from approx. = 5 Hz to 500 kHz. Analyzing these data in the complex admittance plane in terms of an equivalent circuit for the system made it possible, when ion-blocking electrodes were used, to distinguish the separate contributions of the grain boundaries and the bulk crystals to the total electrolyte resistance. These results gave activation energies of 0.32 to 0.41 eV for the grain-boundary resistance and 0.11 to 0.14 eV for the bulk resistance. The prefactors in the Arrhenius expressions for these resistances appeared to be more sensitive to factors such as specimen composition, microstructure, and specimen preparation conditions than are the activation energies.
SDF-1α Degrades whereas Glycoprotein 120 Upregulates Bcl-2 Interacting Mediator of Death Extralong Isoform: Implications for the Development of T Cell Memory

After a primary immune response, T cell memory occurs when a subset of Ag-specific T cells resists peripheral selection by acquiring resistance to TCR-induced death. Recent data have implicated Bcl-2 interacting mediator of death (Bim) as an essential mediator of the contraction phase of T cell immunity. In this article, we describe that stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) ligation of CXCR4 on activated T cells promotes two parallel processes that favor survival, phospho-inactivation of Foxo3A, as well as Bim extralong isoform (BimEL) degradation, both in an Akt- and Erk-dependent manner. Activated primary CD4 T cells treated with SDF-1α therefore become resistant to the proapoptotic effects of TCR ligation or IL-2 deprivation and accumulate cells of a memory phenotype. Unlike SDF-1α, gp120 ligation of CXCR4 has the opposite effect because it causes p38-dependent BimEL upregulation. However, when activated CD4 T cells are treated with both gp120 and SDF-1α, the SDF-1α–driven effects of BimEL degradation and acquired resistance to TCR-induced death predominate. These results provide a novel causal link between SDF-1α–induced chemotaxis, degradation of BimEL, and the development of CD4 T cell memory.
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva: Clinical and Genetic Aspects

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a severely disabling heritable disorder of connective tissue characterized by congenital malformations of the great toes and progressive heterotopic ossification that forms qualitatively normal bone in characteristic extraskeletal sites. The worldwide prevalence is approximately 1/2,000,000. There is no ethnic, racial, gender, or geographic predilection to FOP. Children who have FOP appear normal at birth except for congenital malformations of the great toes. During the first decade of life, sporadic episodes of painful soft tissue swellings (flare-ups) occur which are often precipitated by soft tissue injury, intramuscular injections, viral infection, muscular stretching, falls or fatigue. These flare-ups transform skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and aponeuroses into heterotopic bone, rendering movement impossible. Patients with atypical forms of FOP have been described. They either present with the classic features of FOP plus one or more atypical features [FOP plus], or present with major variations in one or both of the two classic defining features of FOP [FOP variants]. Classic FOP is caused by a recurrent activating mutation (617G>A; R206H) in the gene ACVR1/ALK2 encoding Activin A receptor type I/Activin-like kinase 2, a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type I receptor. Atypical FOP patients also have heterozygous ACVR1 missense mutations in conserved amino acids. The diagnosis of FOP is made by clinical evaluation. Confirmatory genetic testing is available. Differential diagnosis includes progressive osseous heteroplasia, osteosarcoma, lymphedema, soft tissue sarcoma, desmoid tumors, aggressive juvenile fibromatosis, and non-hereditary (acquired) heterotopic ossification. Although most cases of FOP are sporadic (noninherited mutations), a small number of inherited FOP cases show germline transmission in an autosomal dominant pattern. At present, there is no definitive treatment, but a brief 4-day course of high-dose corticosteroids, started within the first 24 hours of a flare-up, may help reduce the intense inflammation and tissue edema seen in the early stages of the disease. Preventative management is based on prophylactic measures against falls, respiratory decline, and viral infections. The median lifespan is approximately 40 years of age. Most patients are wheelchair-bound by the end of the second decade of life and commonly die of complications of thoracic insufficiency syndrome.
Host Plants of the Tarnished Plant Bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) in Central Texas

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), has taken on added importance as a pest of cotton in the Cotton Belt after successful eradication efforts for the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman). Because the Southern Blacklands region of Central Texas is in advanced stages of boll weevil eradication, blooming weeds and selected row crops were sampled during a 3-yr study to determine lygus species composition and associated temporal host plants. L. lineolaris was the sole lygus species in the region. Thirteen previously unreported host plants were identified for L. lineolaris, of which 69% supported reproduction. Rapistrum rugosum L. Allioni and Ratibida columnifera (Nuttall) Wooton and Standley were primary weed hosts during the early season (17 March to 31 May). Conyza canadensis L. Cronquist variety canadensis and Ambrosia trifida L. were primary weed hosts during the midseason (1 June to 14 August) and late-season (15 August to 30 November), respectively. Sisymbrium irio L. and Lamium amplexicaule L. sustained L. lineolaris populations during the overwintering period (1 December to 16 March). The proportion of females and numbers of nymphs found in R. rugosum, C. canadensis, A. trifida, and S. irio suggests these weeds supported reproductive adults during the early, mid-, and late season and overwintering period, respectively. Medicago sativa L. was the leading crop host for L. lineolaris; Glycine max L. Merrill did not yield L. lineolaris. Few L. lineolaris were collected in Gossypium hirsutum L. These results provide a more comprehensive assessment of host plants contributing to L. lineolaris populations in central Texas.
H2 Mole Fraction Measurements in a Microwave Plasma Using Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering Spectroscopy

In an effort to provide insights into the thermochemical composition of a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) reactor, the mole fraction of H2 is measured at various positions in the plasma sheath, at pressures of 10 and 30 Torr, and at plasma powers ranging from 300 to 700 W. A technique is developed by comparing the Q(1)01 transition of experimental and theoretical spectra aided by the Sandia CARSFT fitting routine. Results reveal that the mole fraction of H2 does not vary significantly from its theoretical mixture at the parametric conditions examined. Furthermore, the ν″=1→ν′=2 vibrational hot band was searched, but no transitions were found. An analytical explanation for the increase in the temperature of H2 with the introduction of N2 and CH4 is also presented. Finally, because the mole fraction of H2 does not appear to deviate from the theoretical composition, the rotational and translational modes of H2 are shown to be approximately in equilibrium, and therefore, the rotational temperatures may be used to estimate the translational temperatures of H2.
Deformation-invariant sparse coding for modeling spatial variability of functional patterns in the brain

For a given cognitive task such as language processing, the location of corresponding functional regions in the brain may vary across subjects relative to anatomy. We present a probabilistic generative model that accounts for such variability as observed in fMRI data. We relate our approach to sparse coding that estimates a basis consisting of functional regions in the brain. Individual fMRI data is represented as a weighted sum of these functional regions that undergo deformations. We demonstrate the proposed method on a language fMRI study. Our method identified activation regions that agree with known literature on language processing and established correspondences among activation regions across subjects, producing more robust group-level effects than anatomical alignment alone.
On the Concepts of Function and Dependence

This paper briefly traces the evolution of the function concept until its modern settheoretic definition, and then investigates its relationship to the pre-formal notion of variable dependence. I shall argue that the common association of pre-formal dependence with the modern function concept is misconceived, and that two different notions of dependence are actually involved in the classic and the modern viewpoints, namely effective and functional dependence. The former contains the latter, and seems to conform more to our pre-formal conception of dependence. The idea of effective dependence is further investigated in connection with the notions of function content and intensionality. Finally, the relevance of the distinction between the two kinds of dependence to mathematical practice is considered.
On Almost Periodic Stochastic Difference Equations

In this paper almost periodic random sequence in mean is defined and investigated. It is then applied to study the existence and uniqueness of the almost periodic solution of a semi-linear system of stochastic difference equations of the form: $$\displaystyle\begin{array}{rcl} X(n + 1) = A(n)X(n) + f(n,X(n)),\,n \in \mathbb{Z}_{+}\,,& & \\ \end{array}$$ by means of exponential dichotomy.
Hematopoietic Growth Factors

Several recombinant human hematopoietic growth factors are approved and in clinical use but not all are approved for use in children with cancer. Here we review the evidence-based guidelines for neutrophil stimulating factors granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as well as evidence regarding erythropoietins and platelet growth factors interleukin-11 (IL-11) and thrombopoietin (TPO)-receptor agonists. Among these hematopoietic growth factors, only G-CSF and GM-CSF are approved in children with cancer; we review the evidence regarding their use in different clinical scenarios as well as the appropriate timing and dose of therapy. Evidence regarding the current status of the other hematopoietic cytokines in regard to pediatric oncology patients is also reviewed.
Application of a Piston Radiation Model to Liner Nonuniformities and Rigid Splices

The modeling of non-uniformities on the surface of aero-engine acoustic liners is investigated using a recently developed piston radiation formulation. The analytical approach consists in representing the duct wall discontinuities by fictitious vibrating pistons that radiate sound into the duct. The piston sound radiation model is based on a closed form Green’s function derived for circular lined ducts with convective flow. Liner splices of different sizes can be discretized using small rectangular shaped pistons. Then, the velocity (or strength) of every individual piston source can be computed in order to represent the appropriate boundary condition along the surface of the non-uniformity. In this process, it is required to also account for the interaction among all the pistons in the discretization. Both rigid and soft wall liner non-uniformities will be considered in the analysis. Rigid splices are usually present in aero-engine inlets due to the structural beams that separate adjacent liner panels. They are considered to be of concern since they scatter acoustic energy into lower order circumferential modes that are more poorly controlled by the liner. In addition, it is obvious that the rigid surface of these strips reduces the effective acoustic treatment area. Soft wall non-uniformities can be due to liner repairs or segmented impedance patterns such as the newly conceived checkerboard liners. A few numerical results are presented in order to illustrate the modeling approach for some of these applications. In the case of the rigid splices, a typical aero-engine configuration with two axial hard stripes will be presented. In addition, the formulation for the soft wall splices will be illustrated by simulating a simple circumferentially segmented checkerboard liner pattern.
Outcomes of cervical cancer and positive para-aortic lymph nodes in the modern era of chemoradiation

Objective Patients with cervical cancer with positive para-aortic lymph nodes have a poor prognosis. Our primary aim was to describe outcomes among this subgroup in the era of modern chemoradiation. Methods Patients with histologically confirmed cervical cancer metastatic to their para-aortic lymph nodes diagnosed between 1998 and 2011 and treated with curative intent were included in this analysis. Surgicopathologic, demographic, and outcome data were collected. Descriptive and survival statistics were generated to evaluate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) and to compare outcomes by treatment. P values were generated using both Wilcoxon and log-rank methods and listed respectively. Results The median PFS was 19 months. The median OS was 23.4 months. The median PFS for radiation only was 14 months and for chemoradiation was 20 months (P = 0.27 and 0.60, respectively). There was no difference in median OS for the radiation-only group versus chemoradiation. The median OS stratified by stage was 32 months (stage I), 21 months (stage II), 19.4 months (stage III), and 19.8 months (stage IV; P = 0.17 and 0.22). Conclusions Our study shows a median OS of 23 months, which is less than what was documented in the literature. Despite the use of modern chemoradiation therapy, most of the cohort died within 3 years. The low OS presented in our study highlights the limitations of the current treatment regimens and the need for identification of for more effective therapy.
Notch signalling regulates asymmetric division and inter-conversion between lgr5 and bmi1 expressing intestinal stem cells

Rapidly cycling LGR5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) located at the base of crypts are the primary driver of regeneration. Additionally, BMI1 expression is correlated with a slow cycling pool of ISCs located at +4 position. While previous reports have shown interconversion between these two populations following tissue injury, we provide evidence that NOTCH signaling regulates the balance between these two populations and promotes asymmetric division as a mechanism for interconversion in the mouse intestine. In both in vitro and in vivo models, NOTCH suppression reduces the ratio of BMI1+/LGR5+ ISCs while NOTCH stimulation increases this ratio. Furthermore, NOTCH signaling can activate asymmetric division after intestinal inflammation. Overall, these data provide insights into ISC plasticity, demonstrating a direct interconversion mechanism between slow- and fast-cycling ISCs.
Kindliche Arthrosen als Folge enchondraler Schädigungen Am Beispiel von Erfrierungen, der Kashin-Beck-Erkrankung, Rattenbissen und anderen Ursachen

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die radiologische Gleichartigkeit enchondraler Wachstumsschadigungen im Rahmen von Erfrierungen, der asiatischen Kashin-Beck-Erkrankung und (Ratten-)Bissverletzungen darzustellen. Alle 3 Krankheitsbilder zeigen Veranderungen, die mit einer lokalen Schadigung enchondraler Ossifikationszonen in Verbindung zu bringen sind. Zu diesen Ossifikationszonen zahlen auch die sog. “Akrophysen”. Das sind Wachstumszonen, die nicht zwischen Epi- und Metaphyse liegen, sondern am Rande der Wachstumszentren bzw. in den nichtepiphy-sialen Enden der kleinen Rohrenknochen. Das radiologisch ahnliche Erscheinungsbild deutet darauf hin, dass Erfrierungsschaden, die in China endemische Kashin-Beck-Erkrankung, aber auch Rattenbissverletzungen gleiche atiologische Ursachen haben. Die Lokalisationen der Veranderungen sind allerdings unterschiedlich. Erfrierungen treten vorwiegend akral auf und befallen nebeneinanderliegende Gelenke. Die Kashin-Beck-Erkrankung ist dagegen diffuser verteilt. Bei all diesen Krankheitsbildern konnen sich im weiteren Verlauf Sekundararthrosen entwickeln. Aufgrund von Magnetresonanztomographien kann eine “Akutdiagnose” gestellt werden. Dies konnte in Zukunft eine therapeutische Beeinflussung des Krankheitsverlaufes erlauben.
Lack of maternal influence of lamb consumption of locoweed (Oxytropis sericea)

Locoweeds ( Oxytropis and Astragalus spp.) are toxic plants found on many rangelands. Preferences for locoweed are learned ; livestock often initially reject the plant, but learn to eat locoweed after continued exposure. Maternal influences are important in shaping diet selection in young animals. We studied the influence of ewe consumption of locoweed on lamb selection of the plant. Twenty-four ewes were divided into three treatment groups (n = 8) : 1) ewes conditioned to eat locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) and avoid sodgrass (Poa pratensis) (Loco+Sod-) ; 2) ewes conditioned to avoid locoweed and eat sodgrass (Loco-Sod+) ; and 3) ewes conditioned to eat sodgrass and not exposed to locoweed (Loco0Sod+). A control group (n = 8) was composed of orphan lambs with no maternal influence (Orphans). All ewes were exposed to locoweed and(or) sodgrass without their lambs for 1 wk. Lambs were exposed to either locoweed or sodgrass with ewes for 5 min/d for 6 d. After weaning, lambs were tested for preferences by offering both locoweed and sodgrass for 3 min/d for 5 d ; lambs were then offered only locoweed for 5 min/d for 5 d. Sodgrass was preferred by lambs. Lambs in the Loco+Sod- treatment group tended (P =.06) to take more bites of locoweed than lambs in the Loco0Sod+ group. Also, lambs in the Loco0Sod+ and Loco-Sod+ groups tended (P =.07) to take fewer locoweed bites compared with Orphans. Even though these results tended towards significance, the magnitude of the effect was small. There were no treatment effects when locoweed was offered alone. Although exposure with the mother did not strongly influence lambs to eat (or avoid) locoweed, all lambs ate some locoweed during testing. Short-term maternal influence does not seem to be sufficient to condition a preference for locoweed in lambs.
Integrated scheduling and control of a polymerization reactor with online closed-loop implementation

Abstract Scheduling and control problems are traditionally solved sequentially. However, integration of both problems can result in a better overall performance. A main challenge in the integration is the solution to the derived mixed-integer dynamic optimization (MIDO) problem. To overcome the challenge, we present a novel integration method, which simultaneously determines the PI controller design and the scheduling decisions. The method decomposes the MIDO problem. The dynamic optimization for each transition can be solved independently offline. A set of controller candidates are generated and stored. Then the integrated problem is transformed into a mixed-integer nonlinear fractional programming problem of scheduling with controller selection. This problem can be efficiently solved to the global optimaity by the Dinkelbach's algorithm.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Pharmacotherapy—Past, Present, and Future: A Review of the Changing Landscape of Drug Therapy

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobiological disorder in children. Efficacy of pharmacotherapy in treating ADHD symptoms has generally been considerable with at least three-fourths of individuals benefiting from pharmacotherapy, typically in the form of stimulants. In this review, we begin by briefly reviewing the history of pharmacotherapy in relation to ADHD, before focusing (primarily) on the state of the field on themes such as biophysiology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacogenomics. We conclude with a summary of emerging clinical and research studies, particularly the potential role for precision therapy in matching ADHD patients and drug types.
Analysis of Protein-protein Interaction Interface between Yeast Mitochondrial Proteins Rim1 and Pif1 Using Chemical Cross-linking Mass Spectrometry.

Defining protein-protein contacts is a challenging problem and cross-linking is a promising solution. Here, we present a case of mitochondrial single strand binding protein Rim1 and helicase Pif1, an interaction first observed in immuno-affinity pull-down from yeast cells using Pif1 bait. We found that only the short succinimidyl-diazirine crosslinker or formaldehyde captured the interaction between recombinant Rim1 and Pif1. In addition, Pif1 needed to be stripped of its N-terminal and C-terminal domains, and Rim1’s C-terminus needed to be modified for the cross-linked product to become visible. Our report is an example of a non-trivial analysis, where a previously identified stable interaction escapes initial capture with cross-linking agents and requires substantial modification to recombinant proteins and fine-tuning of the mass spectrometry-based methods for the cross-links to become detectable. We used high resolution mass spectrometry to detect the cross-linked peptides. A 1:1 mixture of 15N and 14N-labeled Rim1 was used to validate the cross-links by their mass shift in the LC-MS profiles. Two sites on Rim1 were confirmed: 1) the N-terminus, and 2) the K29 residue. Performing cross-linking with a K29A variant visibly reduced the cross-linked product. Further, K29A-Rim1 showed a five-fold lower affinity to single stranded DNA compared to wild-type Rim1. Both the K29A variant and wild type Rim1 showed similar degrees of stimulation of Pif1 helicase activity. We propose structural models of the Pif1-Rim1 interaction and discuss its functional significance. Our work represents a non-trivial protein-protein interface analysis and demonstrates utility of short and non-specific cross-linkers.
Integration Algorithm for Frictional Materials Including Plasticity, Damage and Rate Effects

A new unified model for the description of frictional materials was developed [1], whose basic idea is to fully describe the viscoelastic-plastic-damage behavior of frictional materials, with a representation of the rate effects on the entire stress-strain curve. This paper presents a time-integration algorithm for the model in the case of biaxial compression.
Optimizing Active Surveillance

Active surveillance is evolving as a management strategy for favorable-risk prostate cancer. Further study is needed to determine the safety of surveillance for specific subgroups of patients, and to clarify the role of genomic markers and image-guided biopsy.
Nasal High Flow: Novel Approach for Ventilatory Assist During Sleep

An open nasal cannula system for delivering warm and humidified air or oxygen at higher flow rates (2–50 l/min) has been shown to assist ventilation and outcomes in the acute setting in adults and in children. Nasal high flow (NHF) has been extended to assist ventilation during sleep and to treat sleep-disordered breathing. This chapter reviews the medical and technical requirements needed to use NHF during sleep and NHF’s effect on disordered breathing during sleep. The reason for this review is the promise of NHF becoming an alternative to conventional ventilatory assist such as nocturnal oxygen, positive pressure support, and nocturnal ventilation, all of which are hampered by a low adherence, leaving a majority of patients insufficiently treated.
Image model control of image processing

In the remote control of distant robots by a human operator, even if the robotic manipulator and/or mobility device has vision or other senses, problems arise involving control, communications, and display. The communication restrictions and especially severe bandwidth limitations suggest that transmitting large numbers of videocamera pictures frame by frame may not be the most expeditious means of providing display feedback to the human operator. A design is presented, suggested by the top-down scanpath theory of human vision, that provides for model control of image processing at the distant space-station site. Some early studies of image processing algorithms operating under model control are presented. >
Environmental Health: Overview

Environmental health sciences is that discipline of public health that seeks to identify factors outside the body, which impact overall health, and then transmits that knowledge to the public and health-care workers to improve the health of the public. Environmental factors include not only food, water, and air, but also physical agents such as temperature and radiation, biologicals including bacteria and fungi, chemicals including PCBs and food coloring, and social agents such as violence and depression. Examining issues of susceptible populations via environmental justice and children's environmental health are specific foci.
Risk alleles of genes with monoallelic expression are enriched in gain-of-function variants and depleted in loss-of-function variants for neurodevelopmental disorders

Over 3000 human genes can be expressed from a single allele in one cell, and from the other allele-or both-in neighboring cells. Little is known about the consequences of this epigenetic phenomenon, monoallelic expression (MAE). We hypothesized that MAE increases expression variability, with a potential impact on human disease. Here, we use a chromatin signature to infer MAE for genes in lymphoblastoid cell lines and human fetal brain tissue. We confirm that across clones MAE status correlates with expression level, and that in human tissue data sets, MAE genes show increased expression variability. We then compare mono- and biallelic genes at three distinct scales. In the human population, we observe that genes with polymorphisms influencing expression variance are more likely to be MAE (P<1.1 × 10-6). At the trans-species level, we find gene expression differences and directional selection between humans and chimpanzees more common among MAE genes (P<0.05). Extending to human disease, we show that MAE genes are under-represented in neurodevelopmental copy number variants (CNVs) (P<2.2 × 10-10), suggesting that pathogenic variants acting via expression level are less likely to involve MAE genes. Using neuropsychiatric single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and single-nucleotide variant (SNV) data, we see that genes with pathogenic expression-altering or loss-of-function variants are less likely MAE (P<7.5 × 10-11) and genes with only missense or gain-of-function variants are more likely MAE (P<1.4 × 10-6). Together, our results suggest that MAE genes tolerate a greater range of expression level than biallelic expression (BAE) genes, and this information may be useful in prediction of pathogenicity.
The Topology of Change Foundations of Probability with Black Swans Dedicated to the Memory of Jerrold Marsden

Classic probability theory treats rare events as ‘outliers’ that are often disregarded and underestimated. Yet in a moment of change rare events can become frequent and frequent events rare. We therefore postulate new axioms for probability theory that require a balanced treatment for rare and frequent events, based on what we call “the topology of change”. The axioms extend the foundation of probability to integrate rare but potentially catastrophic events or black swans: natural hazards, market crashes, catastrophic climate change and major episodes of species extinction. The new results presented in this article include a characterization of a family of purely finitely additive measures that are—somewhat surprisingly—absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure. This is a new development from an earlier characterization of all the probabilities measures implied by the new axioms as a combination of purely finitely additive and countably additive measures that was first established in Chichilnisky (2000, 2002, 2009b) and the results are contrasted here to the work of Kolmogorov (1950), De Groot (1970), Arrow (1971), Dubins and Savage (1965), Savage (1972), Von Neumann and Morgernstern (1944), and Herstein and Milnor (1953).
Ag conductive bridge RAMs for physical unclonable functions

We are presenting a method to design reliable physical unclonable functions (PUFs), with silver based conductive-bridge random access memory (CB-RAM) arrays, to protect the internet of things (loT). The arrays that we fabricated in our pilot line, and characterized, operate at extremely low power which is highly desirable for security applications, and to protect cryptographic primitives. The experimental data presented in this work supports the selection of the programming voltage, the Vset, as the parameter, to generate PUF challenge-response pairs (CRP). The median Vset voltage at 0.12V is orders of magnitude lower than other non-volatile memory technologies, which can reduce the threat of side channel analysis. The level of stability, cell to cell, of the Vset that we characterized is acceptable when combined with methods based on ternary states, and resulted in low CRP error rates. Built-in-self-test capability (BIST) is used to differentiate unstable cells of the array, that carry the state “X”, from the solid cells carrying the states “0” and “1”, which are capable of generating reliable PUF CRPs. The use of machine learning algorithms can also compensate for the temperature drifts, noise, aging, and measurement instabilities normal variations. This research work is currently used to finalize and design a prototype with a custom state machine, and FPGA. We will fabricate various CB-RAM samples to optimize the quality of the PUFs.
Micro-scale modeling of interface-dominated mechanical behavior

A micro-scale interface dislocation dynamics approach to model the mechanical behavior of crystalline nanolaminates is presented. To circumvent the exhaustive atomistic modeling of interfaces and dislocations in nanolaminates, an atomistically informed dislocation dynamics model was developed in which interfaces are categorized using a geometrical interface classification scheme and the interface-dominated mechanical response is related to nucleation, glide, and reactions of lattice and interface dislocations at/within/across interfaces. We show that such a scheme is effective in mapping the structure–property relations of various types of interfaces.
Observed Agulhas Current Sensitivity to Interannual and Long-Term Trend Atmospheric Forcings

AbstractOf the interannual variance of the Agulhas Current transport, 29% can be linearly related to six modes of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric variability. Agulhas Current transport is quantifie...
Metal Oxide-Assisted PEDOT Nanostructures via Hydrolysis-Assisted Vapor-Phase Polymerization for Energy Storage

The diversity of nanostructures obtained from organic polymerization is limited when compared to the huge amount of documented inorganic nanostructures. In this paper, we elucidate a synergistic mechanism between in situ inorganic salt hydrolysis and vapor-phase polymerization for the metal oxide-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) hybrid nanostructure growth. The steady state polymer growth and kinetically controlled hydrolysis enables homogeneous deposition of high-aspect-ratio crystal phases such as β-FeOOH, TeO2, and SnO2 coated by a conducting polymer. By controlling the hydrolysis kinetics, the hybrid material is synthesized in one step with morphologies controlled from 1D nanofibers to 2D nanoflowers and nanostructures from monolithic to core–shell. This fundamental understanding of the connection between hydrolysis and polymerization allows the future development of nanostructured inorganic, polymeric, and inorganic–organic hybrid materials. Enabled by this study, electrodes for energy storag...