cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discrete tomography by Bayesian labeling with its efficient algorithm

In inverse reconstruction, there are often cases where the volume or image to be reconstructed takes only a finite number of possible values. By explicitly modeling such information, discrete tomography aims to achieve better reconstruction quality and accuracy for these cases. The paper attempts to develop a framework for a general discrete tomography problem. The approach starts with an explicit model of the discreteness using a Bayesian formula. Class label variables are defined to denote the probabilities of each object point belonging to one particular class. The reconstruction then becomes the problem of assigning labels to each object point in the volume (3D) or image (2D) to be reconstructed. Unsurprisingly, this Bayesian labeling process resembles a segmentation process whose goal is also to estimate a discrete-valued field from continuous-valued observations. An expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is developed to estimate the class label variables. By introducing another set of variables, the EM algorithm iteratively alternates the estimations of these two sets of variables. A linear equation is finally derived, composed of two terms. One accounts for the effect of the discreteness, and the other represents the integral property of the projection in tomography. This linear equation reveals a very interesting relationship between the discrete tomography and ordinary tomography, suggesting that the ordinary tomography may be treated as a special case of discrete tomography where the discreteness term is neglected. Solving the linear equation is usually very computational. This paper, however, derives an efficient algorithm by using concepts developed previously in the rho-filtered layergram method for conventional tomography. With the proposed high-pass filter, the solution for the linear equation can be computed very efficiently in the Fourier domain. In case the class values are unknown in advance, another level of EM algorithm is invoked to estimate these class values. The paper also discusses a Markov random field (MRF) model for non-stationary a priori probability, encouraging the local regularity and smoothness in the reconstruction. The experimental results demonstrate that discrete tomography using the proposed method improves the reconstruction quality greatly, especially when fewer projections are given.
Secreted amyloid precursor protein α selectively suppresses N-methyl-d-aspartate currents in hippocampal neurons: involvement of cyclic GMP

Abstract The secreted form of β -amyloid precursor protein (sAPP α ) is released from neurons in an activity-dependent manner; data suggest sAPP α may play roles in regulating neuronal excitability, plasticity, and survival. In cultured hippocampal neurons sAPP α can suppress elevation of [Ca 2+ ] i induced by glutamate and can protect neurons against excitotoxicity. We now report whole-cell patch-clamp data from studies of cultured embryonic rat hippocampal neurons which demonstrate sAPP α selectively suppresses N -methyl- d -aspartate currents without affecting currents induced by α -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate or kainate. sAPP α suppressed N -methyl- d -aspartate current rapidly and reversibly at concentrations of 0.01–1 nM. Suppression of N -methyl- d -aspartate current by sAPP α is apparently mediated by cyclic guanosine monophosphate because 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate suppressed N -methyl- d -aspartate current in a manner similar to sAPP α , and two different inhibitors of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase prevented sAPP α -induced suppression of N -methyl- d -aspartate current. In addition, okadaic acid prevented suppression of N -methyl- d -aspartate-induced current suggesting the involvement of a protein phosphatase in modulation of N -methyl- d -aspartate current by sAPP α . These data identify a mechanism whereby sAPP α can modulate cellular responses to glutamate, and suggest important roles for sAPP α in the various physiological and pathophysiological processes in which N -methyl- d -aspartate receptors participate.
Measurement of Binding Constants for Protein-DNA Interactions by DNA-Cellulose Chromatography?

We describe the application of DNA-cellulose chromatography to the determination of binding constants for the nonspecific interaction between proteins and DNA. The method involves loading a small DNA-cellulose column to a low binding density and subsequently eluting the protein with buffer at a constant salt concentration. The elution is conveniently followed by monitoring the protein fluorescence of the eluate. From the shape of the elution profile, the binding constant for the interaction can be calculated. Employing columns containing double-stranded calf thymus DNA-cellulose, we have measured binding constants in the range of 10(4) to 10(6) M-1. Extension of this range is possible by varying the amount of DNA on the column. For lac repressor, agreement between our measurements and those of Revzin, A., and von Hippel, P.H. [(1977) Biochemistry 16 (second of five papers in a series in this issue)], who employ an absolute boundary sedimentation method, is good. The column method should be useful for the rapid screening of the effect of a large number of variables on protein-DNA binding constants.
Drug use and misuse in operant pain patients.

Abstract Psychiatric patients with pain problems and hospitalized patients referred for psychiatric consultation received a computer interview which covered the problem areas of pain and drug use. Individuals whose pain seemed to lack medical origin and resolution, who terminated activity at pain onset, and who usually required others to assist them during pain episodes, were classified as operant pain patients. The drug use and misuse of these patients were compared to that of non-operant pain patients, as well as to non-pain psychiatric patients. The operant group was found to have a greater proportion of drug users, to use a greater overall quantity of drugs and to misuse these drugs to a greater extent. Implications for treatment are discussed.
Phase Characteristics of a U-22Pu-4Am-2Np-40Zr Metallic Alloy Containing Rare Earths

Metallic fuel alloys consisting of uranium (U), plutonium (Pu), and zirconium (Zr) with minor additions of americium (Am) and neptunium (Np) are under evaluation for potential use to transmute long-lived transuranic actinide isotopes in fast reactors. The current irradiation test series design, designated Advanced Fuel Cycle-2 (AFC2), includes minor additions of rare earth (RE) elements to simulate expected fission product carryover from the electrochemical molten salt reprocessing technique. The as-cast fuel alloys have been investigated for phase and thermal properties; specifically, enthalpies of transition, transition temperatures, and room temperature phase characteristics. Results and observations related to these characteristics for the “fresh” fuel alloys are provided. The alloy compositions are based on a U-22Pu-4Am-2Np-40Zr alloy, along with additions of 1.3 and 1.9 at.% RE (at the expense of uranium where RE denotes rare earth alloy of cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, and neodymium). Phase behavior and associated transitions have been compared to available U-Pu-Zr ternary diagrams with acceptable agreement. Enthalpies of transition were deconvoluted from heating and cooling thermal traces for relatively reliable values. The RE additions to the base alloy have a minimal influence on the room temperature phases present and phase transition temperatures, but the room temperature phases present did impact the enthalpies of transition.
Disruption of a Behavioral Sequence by Targeted Death of Peptidergic Neurons in Drosophila

The neuropeptide eclosion hormone (EH) is a key regulator of insect ecdysis. We tested the role of the two EH-producing neurons in Drosophila by using an EH cell-specific enhancer to activate cell death genes reaper and head involution defective to ablate the EH cells. In the EH cell knockout flies, larval and adult ecdyses were disrupted, yet a third of the knockouts emerged as adults, demonstrating that EH has a significant but nonessential role in ecdysis. The EH cell knockouts had discrete behavioral deficits, including slow, uncoordinated eclosion and an insensitivity to ecdysis-triggering hormone. The knockouts lacked the lights-on eclosion response despite having a normal circadian eclosion rhythm. This study represents a novel approach to the dissection of neuropeptide regulation of a complex behavioral program.
Stomatal response to blue light: water use efficiency in sugarcane and soybean*

Abstract. The significance of blue light-stimulated stomatal conductance for carbon assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (g), intercellular CO2 (Ci), stomatal limitation of A (L), transpiration (E) and water use efficiency (W = A/E), was determined in a C4 and a C3 species. W and L were evaluated for steady-state gas exchange with constant, saturating red light (As, gs, Es), and for the integrated gas exchange above the steady state baseline induced by a single, brief pulse of blue light (Ap, gp, Ep). Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid), a C4 grass, and soybean (Glycine max) a C3 dicot, were compared. Sugarcane exhibited typical C4 behaviour, with A saturing at Ci of ca. 200 μmol mol−1, compared to >500 μmol mol−1 in soybean. Steady-state W was also considerably higher in sugarcane. The extent of stomatal opening in response to a blue light pulse, from baseline (gs) to the maximum value of conductance during the opening response (gm), was similar in the two species. More rapid opening and closing of stomata in sugarcane resulted in a smaller integrated magnitude of the conductance response (gp) than in soybean. At the peak of the blue light response, both species exhibited similar levels of L. During the response to the pulse of blue light, A and Ci increased and L decreased to a greater extent in sugarcane than in soybean. As a result, the gas exchange attributed to the stomatal response to blue light exhibited a higher ratio of Ap to Ep (Wp) in sugarcane than in soybean. This Wp was lower in both species than was the Ws associated with the steady state gas exchange. The two species did not differ in the rate of induction of photosynthetic utilization of elevated Ci. The greater stimulation of A in sugarcane was attributed to its C4 attributes of greater carboxylation efficiency (slope of the A versus Ci relationship), lower gs and prevailing Ci,s, and greater Ls under steady-state red illumination. Despite saturation of A at low levels of Ci in C4 species, the gas exchange attributed to the stomatal response to blue light decreased L and contributed considerably to carbon acquisition, while maintaining the high level of W associated with C4 metabolism.
Electrophysiology of the Insect Dorsal Ocellus : III. Responses to flickering light of the dragonfly ocellus

The ERG of the dragonfly ocellus has been analyzed into four components, two of which originate in the photoreceptor cells, two in the ocellar nerve fibers (Ruck, 1961 a). Component 1 is a sensory generator potential, component 2 a response of the receptor axons. Component 3 is an inhibitory postsynaptic potential, component 4, a discharge of afferent nerve impulses in ocellar nerve fibers. Responses to flickering light are examined in terms of this analytic scheme. It has been found that the generator potential can respond to higher rates of flicker—up to 220/sec.—than can the receptor axon responses, the postsynaptic potential, or the ocellar nerve impulses. The maximum flicker fusion frequency as measured by fusion of the ERG is that of the sensory generator potential itself.
The effect of late money on betting market efficiency

This article is an analysis of the price movements in a speculative market at closing. Specifically, we look at 1644 US horse races and analyse the change in betting pool totals and their suggested probabilities to confirm that late wagers on average come from more informed bettors. Almost 40% of all wagering dollars enter betting pools in the last minute of wagering. This ‘late’ money is found to increase efficiency and itself is the best prediction of the true win, place and show probability of a horse. A clustered tobit regression shows that late increases in the betting share on a specific horse increase net returns.
The effectiveness of visual programming for model building in middle school

The National Center of Educational Statistics (LACES) documents a troubling downward trend starting in the eighth grade in conceptual reasoning, scientific investigation, and practical reasoning. The data indicate no improvement in the eighth grade scores and by the time these students reach the 12th grade the data show a downward turn. The downward trend implicates the type of curriculum being taught in the middle school. Middle school students learn how to use reasoning in the abstract, not in the context of real-world problems. Modeling and simulation software is a possible way out of this dilemma by learning about potential implications of todaypsilas actions on tomorrowpsilas outcomes. However, programming can present a huge obstacle for middle school teachers who want to integrate model building into their curriculum. To overcome this hurdle we introduced StarLogo, which uses an interface that simplifies programming making it accessible even for novices. StarLogo makes building programs as easy as dragging color-coded puzzle-piece like statements together. The paper reports on a usability study that investigated the effectiveness of the visual programming language of StarLogo from two perspectives. Did the visual interface make programming useful for middle school teachers and effective as a teaching platform?
Control of strength and toughness of ceramic/metal laminates using interface design

The fracture strength and toughness of alumina can be increased by lamination with strategically placed nickel layers and by controlling the geometry of the interfaces. This paper describes the interface design of a ceramic/metal bonded system produced by changing the surface topography of the interface between the metal and ceramic layers in order to vary the strength of bonding. The tortuosity of the interface is described quantitatively using fractal geometry. Experiments and models of single ductile layer laminates show that the work of fracture of ductile layers which contribute to the increment of toughness of ceramic/metal laminates is dependent on the tortuosity of the interface. The more tortuous the interface, the stronger the laminate; the smoother the interface, the tougher the laminate. The results are used to design a ceramic/metal multilayer composite. The strength and toughness of the laminates can be controlled by the tortuosity of the interface and characterized using the fractal dimension.
Genetic and morphological variation over space and time in the invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta

Social insects are among the most successful and damaging of invasive taxa. We studied spatial and temporal variation in two traits, colony genetic structure and worker mass, associated with social insect success in the introduced fire ant Solenopsis invicta. Our aim was to determine if changes in social structure occurred over time and if variation in worker size was related to worker genotype. We sampled 1139 workers from five multiple-queen S. invicta nests on six dates over a one-year period. The genotypes of workers were determined at ten microsatellite loci and at the selected locus general protein-9 (Gp-9). We found little evidence for genetic differentiation of workers sampled from distinct nests or from different dates at the microsatellite loci. However, worker Gp-9 genotype frequencies varied among nests and over time. In addition, worker mass was affected by nest-of-origin, sampling date, ploidy level, and Gp-9 genotype. Our results suggest that large numbers of queens contribute to the production of workers in introduced S. invicta nests throughout the year. Colony boundaries are semi-permeable, although the among-nest variation in Gp-9 genotype frequencies and worker mass does suggest that boundaries are present. In addition, selection operating on Gp-9 genotype depends on nest environment. Finally, worker mass is affected by both endogenous and exogenous factors in S. invicta. Overall, our data suggests that the key traits of colony social structure and worker size reflect the effects of variable selection in invasive social insects.
Image partition boundary coding

This paper introduces two image partition boundary coding models that are composed solely of binary decisions. Because of their simplified decision structure, the models can take advantage of various accelerating schemes for binary arithmetic coding. The number of decisions necessary to describe a partition using either model varies between one and two per pixel location and is proportional to partition complexity. The first model is a binary decomposition of Steve Tate's neighboring edge model. The decomposition employs boundary connectivity constraints to reduce the number of model parameters. The constraints also reduce the number of descriptive decisions to just over one per pixel for typical partitions. A theoretical zero order entropy bound of 1.6 bits per pixel also results. The second model represents a partition as a sequence of strokes. A stroke consists of one or two three-way chains. Chain termination is accomplished without redundant boundary traversal by using a special termination decision at encounters with previously drawn chains. Chain initiation decisions are also conditioned on previously drawn edge patterns. Chain direction decisions are conditioned via a boundary state machine. The paper compares object based boundary coding and pixel based coding, placing the new coders into the latter category. A technique for determining the appropriate application domain of pixel based codes is developed. The new coding models are placed into context with previous pixel based work by the development a new categorization of image partition representations. Four representations are defined, the map coloring, the edge map, the outline map, and the perimeter map. Experiments compare the new methods with other pixel based methods and with a canonical object based method.
GIG network and application system performance analysis using extreme value theory

The performance of the Global Information Grid (GIG) and its heterogeneous network systems is a difficult problem facing GIG engineers in terms of characterizing end-to-end performance and defining service level agreements (SLA) between numbers of organizations. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Enterprise Wide Systems Engineering (EWSE) program management office, within Office of the Secretary of Defense - Network Networks and Information Integration (OSD-NII), is chartered to confront these issues. As the GIG continues to evolve in design and complexity, engineers will need to design robust end-to-end services and network/communications architectures to support the DoD and Intelligence communities. In order to attack these problems, the use of a modeling and simulation methodology (M&S) becomes a cost effective way to determine performance of complex system such as the GIG. The use of tools such as the Joint Communications Simulation System (JCSS) and OPNET Modeler are a few methods for studying the GIG from an end to end perspective to obtain performance metrics such that SLApsilas can be negotiated by DISA Enterprise Wide systems Engineering (EWSE) programs and its customers. Along with the M&S methodology, certain mathematical theories are employed to support these analyses. In this paper, Extreme Value Theory (EVT) is introduced and used in our analysis. EVT is commonly used in the IT industry to analyze the systempsilas performance, in particular the systempsilas robustness and scalability. The analysis employing the EVT is very helpful in identifying the problems generated by the system in extreme cases, therefore reducing the variable space required for discrete event simulations (DES).
On Secure Multi-Copy Based Routing in Compromised Delay Tolerant Networks

Routing in delay tolerant networks (DTNs) is challenging due to their unique characteristics of intermittent node connectivity. Different protocols (single-copy, multi-copy, erasure-coding-based etc.) utilizing store-carry-and-forward paradigm are proposed to achieve routing of messages in such environments by opportunistic message exchanges between nodes that are in the communication range of each other. The sparsity and distributed nature of these networks together with the lack of stable connectivity between source destination pairs make these networks vulnerable to malicious nodes which might attempt to learn the content of the messages being routed between the nodes. In this paper, we consider DTNs in which malicious nodes are present, to which we refer to as compromised DTNs. We discuss and analyze the effects of presence of malicious nodes in the compromised DTN on routing of messages. We propose a two period routing approach which aims to achieve desired delivery ratio by a given delivery deadline in presence of malicious nodes. Our results show that, with proper parameter setting, the desired delivery ratio by a given delivery deadline can be achieved most of the time by the proposed method.
Celiac disease presenting as a paraneoplastic syndrome in a patient with synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancers.

Objective Celiac disease is characterized by gluten intolerance and commonly manifests with unexplained diarrhea, abdominal distention and weight loss. Infrequently, patients present with vague, non-specific symptoms which often delay diagnosis and treatment. Case A 52-year-old female with a history of synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancers, previously treated with surgical resection, staging and pelvic irradiation, presented with progressive paresthesias in her extremities. Extent of disease work-up was unremarkable. Neurologic evaluation suggested celiac disease which was later proven by duodenal biopsy. Conclusion The development of new or worsening neurologic symptoms in the cancer patient requires a thorough evaluation especially to exclude metastatic disease and/or paraneoplastic syndromes. Once neoplastic processes are excluded, celiac disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with unexplained neurologic dysfunction.
ALGEBRAIC ENERGY SPECTRA IN STOCHASTIC PROBLEMS FOR THE INCOMPRESSIBLE NAVIER-STOKES EQUATION; RELATION TO OTHER NONLINEAR PROBLEMS

We use the Wiener-Hermite expansion based on the integral of the white noise process (Feynman path integral) to represent nonlinear, but near to Gaussian, processes. The energy transfer function is examined and, for the equilibrium 5/3-law energy spectrum, it is seen that the dependence on k 0, the energy range wavenumber, drops out so that changes in the energy spectrum must be algebraic. This surprising result follows from the fact that the pressure term emphasizes the enormous region of phase space available for transfer, of order the large wavenumber k, compared with the small region in the vicinity of the energy spectrum peak. The discussion thus gives, to the author’s knowledge, the first explanation of the spectrum which goes beyond simple dimensional analysis (and assumptions concerning appropriate, influencing parameters). Applications to more general nonlinear stochastic problems are briefly discussed.
Improving lookup latency in distributed hash table systems using random sampling

Distributed hash table (DHT) systems are an important class of peer-to-peer routing infrastructures. They enable scalable wide-area storage and retrieval of information, and will support the rapid development of a wide variety of Internet-scale applications ranging from naming systems and file systems to application-layer multicast. DHT systems essentially build an overlay network, but a path on the overlay between any two nodes can be significantly different from the unicast path between those two nodes on the underlying network. As such, the lookup latency in these systems can be quite high and can adversely impact the performance of applications built on top of such systems. In this paper, we discuss a random sampling technique that incrementally improves lookup latency in DHT systems. Our sampling can be implemented using information gleaned from lookups traversing the overlay network. For this reason, we call our approach lookup-parasitic random sampling (LPRS). LPRS converges quickly, and requires relatively few modifications to existing DHT systems. For idealized versions of DHT systems like Chord, Tapestry, and Pastry, we analytically prove that LPRS can result in lookup latencies proportional to the average unicast latency of the network, provided the underlying physical topology has a power-law latency expansion. We then validate this analysis by implementing LPRS in the Chord simulator. Our simulations reveal that LPRS-Chord exhibits a qualitatively better latency scaling behavior relative to unmodified Chord. The overhead of LPRS is one sample per lookup hop in the worst case. Finally, we provide evidence which suggests that the Internet router-level topology resembles power-law latency expansion. This finding implies that LPRS has significant practical applicability as a general latency reduction technique for many DHT systems. This finding is also of independent interest since it might inform the design of latency-sensitive topology models for the Internet.
Cognitive reserve in ageing and Alzheimer's disease

The concept of cognitive reserve provides an explanation for differences between individuals in susceptibility to age-related brain changes or pathology related to Alzheimer's disease, whereby some people can tolerate more of these changes than others and maintain function. Epidemiological studies suggest that lifelong experiences, including educational and occupational attainment, and leisure activities in later life, can increase this reserve. For example, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is reduced in individuals with higher educational or occupational attainment. Reserve can conveniently be divided into two types: brain reserve, which refers to differences in the brain structure that may increase tolerance to pathology, and cognitive reserve, which refers to differences between individuals in how tasks are performed that might enable some people to be more resilient to brain changes than others. Greater understanding of the concept of cognitive reserve could lead to interventions to slow cognitive ageing or reduce the risk of dementia.
A New Species of Enaphalodes Haldeman from Florida (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) with Review of Genus, Synonymy, and Key to Species

Abstract A new species of Enaphalodes, E. archboldi Lingafelter and Chemsak, is described from Archbold Research Station, Highlands County, Florida. This localized species has been confused with A. rufulus (Haldeman), a widespread species, which it resembles. Romaleum decipiens Bates is designated as a new synonym of E. atomarius (Drury). Romaleum cylindricum Knull is designated as a new synonym of E. cortiphagus (Craighead). Diagnoses, habitus photographs and drawings, and a key to the nine recognized species of Enaphalodes are provided.
Avoiding the clamp during off-pump coronary artery bypass reduces cerebral embolic events: results of a prospective randomized trial

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a clampless facilitating device (CFD) to perform proximal aortocoronary anastomoses would result in a lower incidence of cerebral embolic events compared with a partial clamping strategy during off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB). After epiaortic ultrasound confirmed the mild aortic disease (Grades I and II), 57 patients were randomly assigned to have proximal anastomoses using a partial-occluding clamp (CL, n = 28) or a CFD [Heartstring (HS), n = 29] (Maquet Cardiovascular LLC, San Jose, CA). Solid and gaseous emboli in the middle cerebral arteries were detected using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. The mean number of proximal anastomoses was similar between groups 1.93 ± 0.72 (CL) and 1.72 ± 0.70 (HS) (P = 0.28). The mean number of gaseous plus solid emboli was greater in the CL group than the HS group (90.0 ± 64.0 vs. 50.8 ± 36.6, P = 0.01). Emboli were fewest in patients undergoing HS anastomoses using the suction device. The number of intraoperative cerebral emboli was proportional to the number of proximal anastomoses in the HS groups, but independent of the number of proximal anastomoses in the CL groups. Among patients with a low burden of aortic atherosclerosis, partial clamping of the ascending aorta during OPCAB was associated with more cerebral embolic events compared with an anastomosis with a CFD.
Separation of hemagglutinating and non-hemagglutinating variants of Coxsackie A-21 virus.

SummaryCoxsackie A-21 virus (strain 48560) lost the capacity to agglutinate human erythrocytes after passage in KB or HeLa cell cultures. Hemagglutinin could be retained by passage at high dilution in such cells. By adsorption onto erythrocytes it was possible to separate distinct hemagglutinating (HA+) and non-hemagglutinating (HA-) particles. It was found that malignant cells favored multiplication of the HA- particles, whereas primary human embryonic epithelial cells and semi-continuous diploid human embryonic fibroblastic cells favored growth of the HA+ particles.
A physical 3-D analytical model for the threshold voltage considering RDF

Scaling of technology leads to both a countable number and random position of dopants in the channel region (Fig. 1), known as random dopants fluctuations (RDF), which affects vital device and circuit performance parameters (delay, transconductunce, etc). RDF causes large variations of performance between similar transistors on the same die. The variations of the threshold voltage have been ruminated and examined not only experimentally but also numerically, through the use of 3D atomistic level simulators [1]-[2]. However, existing simulation methods and analytical models for RDF fail to meet the requirements for small computational time and accuracy simultaneously. In this paper we propose a fast and accurate analytical model and a corresponding simulator which captures the 3-D effects.
Child and Maternal Factors That Influence Child Blood Pressure in Preschool Children: An Exploratory Study

Abstract Purpose Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults and children and has its origins in childhood. While the prevalence of hypertension in children is estimated to be 2 to 5%, instance elevations in blood pressure readings (BPRs) in school-age children and adolescents are more common, track to adulthood, and are an independent risk factor for CVD. Less information is available about BPR in the preschool period and what child factors could influence those BPR. The primary aims of this exploratory study were to determine child blood pressure (BP) levels and determine effect sizes of the relationships between child and maternal factors that can influence child BP. Methods A convenience sample of 15 rural and 15 urban children enrolled in Head Start programs (13 males; 14 females; all black) with ability to understand and speak English and with mothers who gave consent and could understand, read and speak English were enrolled. Mothers completed demographic information about their child including, gender, birth history and age. Height, weight, waist circumference and BP were measured in the mothers and the children. Children gave saliva specimens for cortisol and C-reactive protein. Results Over 37% of the children had elevated BPR with over 20% at or above the 95th percentile. Effect sizes of relationships ranged from very small to large. Conclusion Elevations in BPR may be seen as early as preschool. It is important to examine factors, both child and maternal that influence BP.
Surfactant concentration and end effects on foam flow in porous media

Foaming injected gas is a useful and promising technique for achieving mobility control in porous media. Typically, such foams are aqueous. In the presence of foam, gas and liquid flow behavior is determined by bubble size or foam texture. The thin-liquid films that separate foam into bubbles must be relatively stable for a foam to be finely textured and thereby be effective as a displacing or blocking agent. Film stability is a strong function of surfactant concentration and type. This work studies foam flow behavior at a variety of surfactant concentrations using experiments and a numerical model. Thus, the foam behavior examined spans from strong to weak. Specifically, a suite of foam displacements over a range of surfactant concentrations in a roughly 7 μm2, one-dimensional sandpack are monitored using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Sequential pressure taps are employed to measure flow resistance. Nitrogen is the gas and an alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS 1416) in brine is the foamer. Surfactant concentrations studied vary from 0.005 to 1 wt%. Because foam mobility depends strongly upon its texture, a bubble population balance model is both useful and necessary to describe the experimental results thoroughly and self consistently. Excellent agreement is found between experiment and theory.
Restoration of Thymus Function with Bioengineered Thymus Organoids.

The thymus is the primary site for the generation of a diverse repertoire of T-cells that are essential to the efficient function of adaptive immunity. Numerous factors varying from aging, chemotherapy, radiation exposure, virus infection and inflammation contribute to thymus involution, a phenomenon manifested as loss of thymus cellularity, increased stromal fibrosis and diminished naive T-cell output. Rejuvenating thymus function is a challenging task since it has limited regenerative capability and we still do not know how to successfully propagate thymic epithelial cells (TECs), the predominant population of the thymic stromal cells making up the thymic microenvironment. Here, we will discuss recent advances in thymus regeneration and the prospects of applying bioengineered artificial thymus organoids in regenerative medicine and solid organ transplantation.
Oxygen Pathways and Allostery in Monomeric Sarcosine Oxidase via Single-Sweep Free-Energy Reconstruction.

Monomeric sarcosine oxidase (MSOX) is a flavoprotein D-amino acid oxidase with reported sarcosine and oxygen activation sites on the re and si faces of the flavin ring, respectively. O2 transport r...
Taxonomic Revision of the North American Badger, Taxidea taxus

The taxonomy of Taxidea taxus is reviewed based on a study of approximately 1000 specimens. Four Recent subspecies are recognized. Their distributions are mapped. Clinal variation in T. t. taxus is discussed. Synonymies are provided, and comments on sexual dimorphism, individual variation, nomenclature, type-localities, speciation, and zoogeography are included.
Application of FAHP to Torpedo Operational Effectiveness Evaluation

Torpedo system is a complex system with many fuzzy or uncertain factors,which to a certain extent lead to fuzzy operational effectiveness of torpedo.Traditional evaluation methods ignore this problem,inevitably resulting in a certain risk in the evaluation results.We introduce fuzzy analytic hierarchy process(FAHP) into the operational effectiveness evaluations of several types of torpedoes to reduce the risk of evaluation results,decompose a complex problem into a series of fuzzy factors,then determine the relative importance of each factor in every level by pair-wise comparison,and finally determine the sequence of the factors according to their relative importance,conclusions show that the evaluation results obtained by the proposed methods is more safety and reliable.
Research on genetic crossover for VLSI standard cell placement by comparing

The success of genetic algorithm is its evolutionary mechanism,including crossover and mutation. Crossover has a decisive influence on overall performance of genetic algorithm,so it has become a key factor in the design of genetic algorithm for large-scale problem. We first briefly introduce VLSI standard cell placement problem and its chromosome coding,present basic idea of four major kinds of crossover and their algorithm steps respectively,and improve the cycle crossover. By using standard test examples,we conduct experiments on the performance of these four kinds of crossover for further comparing,analyze the correlation of their characteristics and performance,and then summarize the idea for designing highperformance crossover. Experimental results of the improved method named length-limited cycle crossover verify the validity of this idea.
A conceptual model for training group therapists.

(1978). A Conceptual Model for Training Group Therapists. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 445-452.
Productivity Convergence: Productivity Performance on the Industry Level among the Advanced Industrial Countries

Sectoral Level Performance and Comparative Advantage Chapter 5 established that the aggregate productivity levels of advanced economies converged on the leader, the United States, from about 1950 through 1980. The question remained, however, What was the source of this aggregate convergence? In Section 7.2 we examine the extent to which labor productivity at the industry level converged among OECD economies. We also examine the role of changes in employment mix. In Section 7.3 we consider the role of technological gains and capital formation in labor productivity growth. Section 7.4 surveys the more recent literature on this subject, including Bernard and Jones (1996a, 1996b), among others. Concluding remarks are provided in Section 7.5. Some industries produce more value added per worker than others, owing to the use of large amounts of capital or skilled labor or of advanced technology. It is possible for countries to have the same labor productivity at the industry level but nevertheless to have different levels of aggregate productivity because one economy’s employment mix is shifted toward the high value– added sectors. One of the leading models of international trade, the Heckscher-Ohlin model, predicts that this will be the case among fairly similar countries, such as those in the OECD. Thus aggregate convergence can result from labor productivity converging at the industry level and/or from employment mixes becoming more similar.
Decoherence under a heat flux near the superfluid transition in 4He

Measurements of heat transport at the transition from perfect thermal superconductivity to nonlinear heat diffusion in pure 4 He provide a very sensitive probe of matter wave coherence. Superfluid heat transport is proportional to the product of the superfluid density and the superfluid velocity, which are both directly related to the superfluid order parameter. From dynamic scaling theory, the correlation length near the superfluid transition provides a measure of the length over which phase fluctuations of the order parameter persist. Our measurements suggest that both the hydrostatic pressure variation within the liquid helium column, together with the heat flux Q, limit the otherwise divergent correlation length near the superfluid transition. Future measurements planned for the microgravity laboratory will provide the fast extensive experimental test of a renormalized, field theoretic description of heat transport near the superfluid transition. It will also provide a conclusive experimental study of the influence of hydrostatic pressure effects and dynamical effects on the correlation length. A new class of microgravity experiments is proposed that will permit measurements to within 10 pK of the superfluid transition temperature, allowing an entirely new class of ultra-accurate scientific investigations to be performed.
The Role of HDAC10 in γ-Globin Gene Regulation

HDACs (histone deacetylases) are enzymes that cause chromatin modifications through deacetylation of histones and the recruitment of repressor complexes to mediate gene silencing. To explore this mechanism further, experiments were performed to determine if HDACs are involved in drug-mediated γ-globin gene induction. When human K562 cells were treated with the γ-globin inducer sodium butyrate, we observed 1.8-fold increase in HDAC10 transcription compared to untreated cells. This provided indirect evidence that HDAC10 may be involved in γ-globin gene regulation. To further understand the mechanism, enforced expression experiments using 10–50 μg of the expression plasmid pCMX-HDAC10 and the pCMX empty plasmid were performed by transient transfection of K562 cells via electroporation. Total RNA was isolated and subjected to reverse transcription followed by real time quantitative PCR using gene-specific primers to measure endogenous γ-globin gene levels. Enforced expression of HDAC10 resulted in dose-dependent silencing of γ-globin gene expression. To gain further evidence for a role of HDAC10 in regulating γ-globin gene expression, we performed siRNA knockdowns using SMARTpool-siHDAC10 (Dharmacon) at four concentrations (80nM–320nM) using Oligofectamine (Invitrogen). The γ-globin gene levels were not changed significantly by the siRNA treatment. We next performed enforced expression of HDAC10 in a K562 stable line established using the pGL4.17-Luc2-neo as a base vector in which the expression of luciferase reporter was driven by the Gγ-globin promoter (−1500 to +36). Control stable lines were also established with the empty vector. Preliminary studies of HDAC10 siRNA treatment of the KGγ-CRE stable lines produced a 1.2 fold increase in γ-globin gene activity. These results suggest that HDAC10 may play a role in γ-globin gene regulation during the adult development. Understanding novel mechanisms of γ-gene regulation will expand capabilities to develop therapeutics for sickle cell patients.
Metal additive manufacturing for microelectromechanical systems: Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V)-based nanopositioning flexure fabricated by electron beam melting☆

Abstract Three dimensional printing (3D printing) or additive manufacturing is a promising approach for construction of small-sized, complex structures in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This paper reports the design, fabrication and testing of an XY nanopositioning flexure made up of Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) created for the first time through electron beam melting (EBM), also known as electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM). Titanium alloys present attractive characteristics including high biocompatibility, distinct strength and corrosion resistance. However, it has been difficult to machine titanium alloys through conventional processes. The use of additive manufacturing has enabled us to build a multi-dimensional nanopositioning flexure with amplified mechanical displacement and improved bandwidth contained in a compact structure. We first characterized mechanical properties of EBM-printed Ti-6Al-4V cantilevers and compared the results with those of bulk metal cantilevers. Due to the porous surfaces, the printed cantilevers acted as a softer material with an averaged Young’s modulus of 41 GPa when considering only the outermost dimensions. By introducing inner widths of 0.51–0.53 mm for the CAD-designed beam width of 0.7 mm, we calculated a Young’s modulus of 90–120 GPa, which is comparable to 108–120 GPa reported in literature for bulk Ti-6Al-4V. With the completion of the initial characterization, fabrication of the flexure was then undergone and successfully carried out. Mechanical levers printed within the flexure amplified an actuation from a piezoelectric actuator by a factor of six to displace a positioning platform supported by the network of parallel supporting beams. The maximum displacement of 47.4 μm was obtained at the driving voltage of 150 V. The resonant frequencies measured for the x and y axes were almost identical 1854 Hz and 1858 Hz, respectively. A digital PID controller enabled laser-based dynamic positioning of the stage. For triangular sweeps at 16 Hz and 122 Hz, the positioning error was within 200 nm and 500 nm with time delays of 0.85 ms and 2.48 ms, respectively.
Emerging Clinical Applications of 4D Flow MR in the Heart and Aorta

Review the current literature, focusing on potential clinical applications of time-resolved 3-dimensional phase contrast imaging (4D flow) in the thorax. Magnetic resonance imaging has become an important diagnostic tool in the evaluation of the heart and great vessels, complimenting echocardiography in routine clinical practice. Advances in 4D flow now allow for comprehensive modeling of blood flow in the thorax in a single ECG-gated and respiratory-gated volumetric acquisition. 4D Flow modeling of preferential flow through shunts, eccentric jets related to valvular disease, helical flow in aneurysms, shear wall stress around atherosclerotic plaque, and pulse wave pressures within the aorta is now possible, and may lead to improved prognostication and management of complex cardiovascular pathology. The physiologic data obtained with 4D flow MR has provided new insight into a wide range of cardiovascular pathology, from congenital heart disease, bicuspid aortopathy, and aortic coarction to aortic aneurysms, atherosclerotic plaque, and aortic dissection.
Sympathetic modulation of electrical activation in normal and infarcted myocardium: implications for arrhythmogenesis

The influence of cardiac sympathetic innervation on electrical activation in normal and chronically infarcted ventricular myocardium is not understood. Yorkshire pigs with normal hearts (NL, n = 12) or anterior myocardial infarction (MI, n = 9) underwent high-resolution mapping of the anteroapical left ventricle at baseline and during left and right stellate ganglion stimulation (LSGS and RSGS, respectively). Conduction velocity (CV), activation times (ATs), and directionality of propagation were measured. Myocardial fiber orientation was determined using diffusion tensor imaging and histology. Longitudinal CV (CVL) was increased by RSGS (0.98 ± 0.11 vs. 1.2 ± 0.14m/s, P < 0.001) but not transverse CV (CVT). This increase was abrogated by β-adrenergic receptor and gap junction (GJ) blockade. Neither CVL nor CVT was increased by LSGS. In the peri-infarct region, both RSGS and LSGS shortened ARIs in sinus rhythm (423 ± 37 vs. 322 ± 30 ms, P < 0.001, and 423 ± 36 vs. 398 ± 36 ms, P = 0.035, respectively) and altered activation patterns in all animals. CV, as estimated by mean ATs, increased in a directionally dependent manner by RSGS (14.6 ± 1.2 vs. 17.3 ± 1.6 ms, P = 0.015), associated with GJ lateralization. RSGS and LSGS inhomogeneously modulated AT and induced relative or absolute functional activation delay in parts of the mapped regions in 75 and 67%, respectively, in MI animals, and in 0 and 15%, respectively, in control animals (P < 0.001 for both). In conclusion, sympathoexcitation increases CV in normal myocardium and modulates activation propagation in peri-infarcted ventricular myocardium. These data demonstrate functional control of arrhythmogenic peri-infarct substrates by sympathetic nerves and in part explain the temporal nature of arrhythmogenesis.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates regional control of conduction velocity in normal hearts by sympathetic nerves. In infarcted hearts, however, not only is modulation of propagation heterogeneous, some regions showed paradoxical conduction slowing. Sympathoexcitation altered propagation in all infarcted hearts studied, and we describe the temporal arrhythmogenic potential of these findings.Listen to this article's corresponding podcast at http://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/sympathetic-nerves-and-cardiac-propagation/.