cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anti-Mullerian Hormone Protein-Altering Variants Are Associated With Hypertriglyceridemia in the General Population

We found 17 rare PCOS-specific functional protein-altering variants (PAVs) or mutations in the gene, AMH, that decrease the biologic activity of the encoded protein, anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), in the heterozygous state. Approximately 3% of European ancestry PCOS cases in our cohort of ~700 were affected. Our preliminary studies found evidence for a metabolic phenotype in both PCOS as well as their male first-degree relatives who were heterozygous carriers of these AMH PAVs. We performed this study to test the hypothesis that AMH mutations are associated with metabolic abnormalities in the general population. The Mount Sinai BioMe Biobank is an electronic health record (EHR)-linked biobank, containing anonymized whole exome sequences from 30,813 participants of diverse ancestries. We interrogated the sequence data to identify individuals with PCOS-related AMH PAVs. IRB-approval was obtained to review the linked EHR. Outcomes were the presence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), type 2 diabetes (hemoglobin A1C ≥ 6.5%), prediabetes (hemoglobin A1C 5.7% - 6.4%), elevated cholesterol (total cholesterol ≥ 200 mg/dL), hypertriglyceridemia (TG ≥ 150 mg/dL), and hypertension (≥2 blood pressure values ≥140/90, or administration of antihypertensive medications). Control subjects were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using propensity score matching (for sex, age, and BMI) with a 1:4 case:control ratio. A total of 292 individuals with AMH PAVs were identified, resulting in a combined 0.95% prevalence of AMH PAVs in an unselected population (1.07% in Europeans, 0.28% in African Americans, 0.54% in Hispanics, and 0.07% in Asians). After adjusting for age, BMI, and race/ethnicity, there was a statistically significant increased prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia in both women (OR 7.29, 95% CI 3.77-14.00) and men (OR 10.15, 95% CI 4.68-22.00) with AMH PAVs compared to sex-, age- and BMI-matched controls. There was also a statistically significant increased prevalence of elevated cholesterol in men with AMH PAVs compared to controls (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.15-5.34). There were no significant differences between individuals with AMH PAVs and matched controls with respect to the other outcomes. These findings suggest that decreased bioactivity of AMH is causally related to dyslipidemia in the general population. TG levels are elevated in both sexes, whereas increases in cholesterol are only seen in men. The mechanisms by which decreases in AMH bioactivity alter circulating lipid levels are of considerable interest since AMH has no known metabolic actions. It is possible that the putative metabolic effects of AMH are mediated by increases in circulating testosterone (T) levels that in turn alter lipid metabolism. Since T levels are not commonly available in EHR, future studies will be needed to investigate this hypothesis as well as to explore metabolic actions of AMH.
Atomic view of cosolute-induced protein denaturation probed by NMR solvent paramagnetic relaxation enhancement

The cosolvent effect arises from the interaction of cosolute molecules with a protein and alters the equilibrium between native and unfolded states. Denaturants shift the equilibrium toward the latter, while osmolytes stabilize the former. The molecular mechanism whereby cosolutes perturb protein stability is still the subject of considerable debate. Probing the molecular details of the cosolvent effect is experimentally challenging as the interactions are very weak and transient, rendering them invisible to most conventional biophysical techniques. Here, we probe cosolute-protein interactions by means of NMR solvent paramagnetic relaxation enhancement together with a formalism we recently developed to quantitatively describe, at atomic resolution, the energetics and dynamics of cosolute-protein interactions in terms of a concentration normalized equilibrium average of the interspin distance, [Formula: see text], and an effective correlation time, τc The system studied is the metastable drkN SH3 domain, which exists in dynamic equilibrium between native and unfolded states, thereby permitting us to probe the interactions of cosolutes with both states simultaneously under the same conditions. Two paramagnetic cosolute denaturants were investigated, one neutral and the other negatively charged, differing in the presence of a carboxyamide group versus a carboxylate. Our results demonstrate that attractive cosolute-protein backbone interactions occur largely in the unfolded state and some loop regions in the native state, electrostatic interactions reduce the [Formula: see text] values, and temperature predominantly impacts interactions with the unfolded state. Thus, destabilization of the native state in this instance arises predominantly as a consequence of interactions of the cosolutes with the unfolded state.
Surface-Modified Na(Ni0.3Fe0.4Mn0.3)O2 Cathodes with Enhanced Cycle Life and Air Stability for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Sodium layered-oxide cathodes show promise as an alternative to lithium layered oxides for grid-scale energy storage applications. Among the many sodium layered-oxide chemistries, O3-type structure...
Is it time for wider acceptance of e-textbooks? An examination of student reactions to e-textbooks

Purpose: This paper attempts to examine perceived benefits, barriers, and students’ reactions towards e-textbooks. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a survey of 105 undergraduate students in California. Undergraduate students were selected as the subjects of this study, because they are heavy users of textbooks for their course work. Findings: E-textbooks will complement our existing choices rather than substitute printed textbooks. While e-textbooks offer a number of benefits, they also produce many unanticipated challenges. A number of critical hurdles need to be solved before wider acceptance.
Caudate shape discrimination in schizophrenia using template-free non-parametric tests

This paper describes shape analysis of the caudate nucleus structure in a large schizophrenia study (30 controls, 60 schizophrenics). Although analysis of the caudate has not drawn the same attention as the hippocampus, it is a key basal ganglia structure shown to present differences in early development (e.g. autism) and also to present changes due to drug treatment. Left and right caudate were segmented from high resolution MRI using a reliable, semi-automated technique. Shapes were parametrized by a surface description, aligned, and finally represented as medial mesh structures (m-reps). Since schizophrenia patients were categorized based on treatment, we could test size and shape differences between normals, atypically and typically treated subjects. Statistical shape analysis used permutation tests on objects represented by medial representations. This allowed us to bypass the common problems of feature reduction inherent to low sample size and high dimensional feature vectors. Moreover, this test is non-parametric and does not require the choice of a shape template. The choice of medial shape representations led to a separate testing of global and local growth versus deformation. Results show significant caudate size and shape differences, not only between treatment groups and controls, but also among the treatment groups. Shape differences were not found when both treatment groups were grouped into one patient group and compared to controls. There was a clear localization of width and deformation change in the caudate head. As with other clinical studies utilizing shape analysis, results need to be confirmed in new, independent studies to get full confidence in the interpretation of these findings.
Using state space exploration and a natural deduction style message derivation engine to verify security protocols

As more resources are added to computer networks, and as more vendors look to the World Wide Web as a viable marketplace, the importance of being able to restrict access and to insure some kind of acceptable behavior even in the presence of malicious adversaries becomes paramount. Many researchers have proposed the use of security protocols to provide these security guarantees. In this paper, we develop a method of verifying these protocols using a special purpose model checker which executes an exhaustive state space search of a protocol model. Our tool also includes a natural deduction style derivation engine which models the capabilities of the adversary trying to attack the protocol. Because our models are necessarily abstractions, we cannot prove a protocol correct. However, our tool is extremely useful as a debugger. We have used our tool to analyze 14 different authentication protocols, and have found the previously reported attacks for them.
Computational Intelligence in Economics and Finance

Due to the ability to handle specific characteristics of economics and finance forecasting problems like e.g. non-linear relationships, behavioral changes, or knowledge-based domain segmentation, we have recently witnessed a phenomenal growth of the application of computational intelligence methodologies in this field. In this volume, Chen and Wang collected not just works on traditional computational intelligence approaches like fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms, but also examples for more recent technologies like e.g. rough sets, support vector machines, wavelets, or ant algorithms. After an introductory chapter with a structural description of all the methodologies, the subsequent parts describe novel applications of these to typical economics and finance problems like business forecasting, currency crisis discrimination, foreign exchange markets, or stock markets behavior.
4-1BB as a Therapeutic Target for Human Disease

4-1BB (CD137) is being thought of as an attractive target for immunotherapy of many human immune diseases based on encouraging results with 4-1BB agonistic antibody treatment in mouse models of cancer, autoimmune disease, asthma and additionally as a means to improve vaccination. In this review, we will summarize the results of basic research on 4-1BB and 4-1BB immunotherapy of disease and provide some potential mechanistic insights into the many stimulatory and regulatory functions of 4-1BB.
Probability distribution of low‐altitude propagation loss from radar sea clutter data

[1] This paper describes the estimation of propagation loss and its statistical properties on the basis of observations of radar sea clutter data. This problem is solved by first finding an ensemble of relevant refractivity model parameters, and each refractivity model is weighted according to its data likelihood function. A parabolic equation propagation model is used both in mapping from environmental model to radar clutter data and also when mapping to propagation loss. Two different methods are then used for mapping from a statistical description of refractivity parameters to a statistical description of propagation loss. In the first approach, all of the sampled models explored in the inversion are used to give a statistical description of propagation loss. Alternatively, the environmental model is sampled from the probability for the refractivity model parameters and then mapped into propagation loss. This can be done efficiently if we are using the one-dimensional marginal distributions instead of the full distribution for the environmental parameters.
From Central Asia to London: The Stein Collection of Manuscripts

In 1941, just before World War II began, some 30,000 volumes of rare books were shipped from China to the United States for safekeeping and microfilming. This was an important event in the history of Sino-American cultural relations and also for international sharing of Chinese rare resources, yet very few people know the story of how these rarities were able to cross the Pacific Ocean during a time of world crisis. Twenty-six years later, I recalled this incident in an article in memory of the late Dr. T. L. Yuan revealing how Irisked my life in order to accomplish this difficult mission.1 In that account, I mentioned how an accident made this shipment possible and how the last shipment reached the States was a puzzle, since the vessel supposedly carrying it was reported to have been captured by the Japanese navy. Today, over fifty years later, it still remains a mystery.
A Counter-Reply to Professors Bankman and Weisbach

In “A Critical Look at the Economic Argument for Taxing Only Labor Income,” I challenge the tax substitution argument, which according to accepted wisdom fairly establishes that it is best to tax only labor earnings. A portion of Critical Look is directed at Professors Bankman and Weisbach’s application of tax substitution reasoning in two recent articles concerning the choice between income taxation and consumption taxation (which they equate, for purposes of their analysis, to labor-earnings-only taxation). Bankman and Weisbach have now issued a reply to Critical Look. In this counter-reply, I respond to their most important points.
Development of the reproductive apparatus of the land planarian Rhynchodemus sylvaticus (Turbellaria: Tricladida) and its significance for classification in the genus

Seven specimens of Rhynchodemus sylvaticus (Leidy) collected from a variety of localities in the US and having variously developed copulatory organs are believed to represent stages in the development of the copulatory apparatus. Four specimens were juveniles with under-developed male components, one specimen had a well-developed female atrium and small male component, and two specimens were mature with a male organ twice the size of the female part. In early stages, the male component had sperm ducts, seminal vesicle, and narrow atrium; more mature stages had a considerable elongated atrium with thick folds in its muscula- rized wall, a massive muscular bulbus; and a sigmoid ejaculatory duct opening into the large bulbar cavity. Morphological features of mature male copulatory organs in all species of the genus Rhynchodemus are basically similar whereas external body features (color and number of dorsal stripes) of these same species differ.
Molecular Orientation Study of the Drying of Latex in Real Time Using the Variable-Angle Attenuated Total Reflectance Technique

The changes in orientation of polymer chains during the drying of latex have been studied. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FT-IR ATR) technique was used to obtain dichroic ratios. The variable-angle ATR technique was used to profile the dichroic ratio changes at different depths in the films. Using the dichroic ratio and the Hermans orientation function, it was possible to monitor the orientation changes of the polymer chains during latex drying in real time. New insights into the film formation process during the different stages of drying and condensation were obtained.
Improved Test for IgM Antibody to Epstein-Barr Virus Using an Absorption Step with Staphylococcus aureus

The determination of levels of IgM antibody to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) capsid antigen was improved by absorbing unfractionated test serum with Staphylococcus aureus cells containing protein A. Nonspecific background fluorescence was significantly decreased, thus facilitating the reading of slides and the detection of specific fluorescent reactions in serum with low levels of this IgM antibody. Moreover, the inclusion of the absorption step eliminated false-positive reactions caused by the presence of rheumatoid factor in serum and shortened the time needed for the incubation of test serum with the EBV-infected cell smear. This improved antibody test should facilitate the laboratory diagnosis of acute EBV infections, including unaccompanied by a heterophil antibody response.
Divergence of the F1-ATP synthase complex in the ice worm, Mesenchytraeus solifugus (Annelida, Clitellata, Enchytraeidae)

The F1-ATP synthase complex constitutes the catalytic component of F1F0-ATP synthase, the primary ATP synthetic enzyme in the cell. Previous studies indicate that the glacier ice worm, Mesenchytraeus solifugus, maintains unusually high ATP levels that continue to rise as temperatures decline, suggesting that molecular changes within ice worm F1-ATP synthase subunits may contribute to this energetic anomaly. In this report, we compared ice worm F1-ATP synthase subunits (α, β, γ) with homologues across metazoan phyla (arthropod, chordate, nematode) and among a group of clitellate annelids (Enchytraeus albidus, Enchytraeus buchholzi, Lumbriculus variegatus, Theromyzon tessulatum). Amino acid alignments indicated that ice worm F1-ATP α and F1-ATP β subunits share strong sequence homology with their mesophilic counterparts, respectively, but that ATP γ has diverged more rapidly. Moreover, F1-ATP α and F1-ATP β displayed amino acid compositional changes consistent with trends observed in other cold adapted proteins, while F1-ATP γ diverged in unexpected directions (e.g., gains in size, charged residues). Several ice worm-specific amino acid substitutions map to positions near the F1-ATP β catalytic site while others occur near subunit contact sites.
Statistical thermodynamics of ABA block copolymers. II

A microstructural model for the phase-separated states of ABA triblock copolymers is proposed. It postulates the simultaneous existence of three phases: pure A, pure B, and a mixed region. Incorporation of the mixed region distinguishes this treatment from all other theories and is responsible for considerable flexibility in the model without increased numbers of parameters. Calculations of free energy changes required to establish specific microstructures permit the prediction of a favored one from among five possibilities: discrete spheres of A (or B), discrete cylinders of A (or B), and lamellae.
A review of vessel extraction techniques and algorithms

Vessel segmentation algorithms are the critical components of circulatory blood vessel analysis systems. We present a survey of vessel extraction techniques and algorithms. We put the various vessel extraction approaches and techniques in perspective by means of a classification of the existing research. While we have mainly targeted the extraction of blood vessels, neurosvascular structure in particular, we have also reviewed some of the segmentation methods for the tubular objects that show similar characteristics to vessels. We have divided vessel segmentation algorithms and techniques into six main categories: (1) pattern recognition techniques, (2) model-based approaches, (3) tracking-based approaches, (4) artificial intelligence-based approaches, (5) neural network-based approaches, and (6) tube-like object detection approaches. Some of these categories are further divided into subcategories. We have also created tables to compare the papers in each category against such criteria as dimensionality, input type, preprocessing, user interaction, and result type.
Two-Stage Optimization, Tax Rates, and Saving: Some Time Series Evidence

Orthodox consumption (saving) functions typically regard income (or wealth) as exogenously determined. Yet the "representative agent" may be regarded as a labor supplier, an asset portfolio manager, and a consumer. In this interpretation, "income" is a discretionary variable whose optimal values emerge as a result of a constrained optimization procedure, a process that, inter alia, takes account of the prevailing income-tax structure. Given the optimal income flow, the agent qua consumer then determines his (her) optimal consumption-saving pattern. This stage-two optimization process is also influenced by the prevailing tax structure. This article develops the logic of the two-stage optimization model and provides some time series evidence relating to both stages.
Localization Effects in Semiconductor Superlattices

We investigated two novel effects utilizing localization properties of semiconductor super-lattices. First, a phenomenon which consists of optically induced effective mass change due to carrier localization in semiconductor superlattices is investigated. It is shown that an optical field can achieve conductivity changes in a manner similar to a dc electric field. A possible application as a nonabsorbing differential optical detector/switch is considered. Second, radiative recombination of the excitonic states in semiconductor superlattices with an applied electric field is studied theoretically. It is shown that when the electron-hole Coulomb interaction energy exceeds the miniband width, a coherent excitonic state is created whose oscillator strength surpasses the oscillator strength of a single quantum well by orders of magnitude. It is also demonstrated that a small external field can split the coherent state into isolated well states and thus severely deplete the oscillator strength of the exciton. This opens the possibility of modulating and switching of superradiance in semiconductor devices.
The differential effect of serum cholesterol, blood pressure and weight on the incidence of myocardial infarction and angina pectoris

Abstract The results of 15 yr of follow-up of white males at risk in the Los Angeles Heart Study are reported. The total number of new cases of coronary heart disease is divided into 2 groups: (i) persons who were diagnosed myocardial infarction, or sudden death (MI), and (ii) persons who were diagnosed as angina pectoris (AP). The risk factors studied were age, serum cholesterol level, blood pressure and wt. index. Two techniques of analysis, the classical method and discriminant function analysis, are used and compared. In both methods of data analysis high serum cholesterol is clearly associated with the development of MI. None of the 3 factors studied had an appreciable influence on AP.
THE HIV-1 MATRIX DOMAIN OF GAG IS REQUIRED FOR VPU RESPONSIVENESS DURING PARTICLE RELEASE

Abstract HIV-1 viral protein U (Vpu) facilitates virus particle release. To determine whether Gag is sufficient for generation of a target for Vpu-mediated particle release, we expressed HIV-1 Gag protein in the absence of the other viral genes. The resulting particles were still Vpu responsive. Mutational analysis of Gag indicated that the matrix domain (MA) is required for Vpu responsiveness. However, additional mutations in other domains of Gag, which affect the formation of stable virus particles, also abrogate Vpu responsiveness on total Gag release. Coexpression of the wild-typegaggene and agagmutant lacking the MA domain renders the MA−mutant Vpu responsive. This indicates that Gag molecules lacking MA are still incorporated into particles through association with wild-type Gag molecules and that the resulting composite particles are sufficient for Vpu-mediated exit.
Effect of tribochemistry on lubricity of DLC films in hydrogen

Abstract This paper presents the results of a systematic study demonstrating how controlled or targeted tribochemistry can lead to super-low friction and wear in diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. Specifically, how hydrogen can lead to dramatic reductions in the friction and wear of hydrogen-free DLC films which otherwise experience high friction and severe wear losses. When sliding tests are performed with a hydrogen-free DLC film in an inert gas (like Ar), the friction coefficients were in the range of 0.4 to 0.7 and it wore out rather quickly. However, when the same tests were run under the 1333 Pa partial pressure of hydrogen, the friction coefficients were reduced by factors of more than 10 and the wear damage became very difficult to quantify. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analyses provided strong chemical evidence that the sliding contact surfaces of these films underwent tribochemical reactions with hydrogen effectively passivating dangling bonds of surface carbon atoms, which is believed to be responsible for ultralow friction and wear. In an effort to rule out the possibility of contamination and confirm the pivotal role of hydrogen in lubricity of DLC films, we ran similar tests with the same hydrogen-free DLC in deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) and achieved essentially the same level of reduction in friction. TOF-SIMS clearly confirmed the formation of a deuterium-rich tribofilm on rubbing surfaces thus confirming the critical role of tribochemistry in super-low friction and wear of DLC.
Cross section of some reactions of 99Tc with 14.1 MeV neutrons

An activation method was employed to determine the cross sections of reactions of 99Tc with 14.1 MeV neutrons. The following cross sections were measured: σ(n, p) = 7.0±1.1 mb, σ(n,α) = 2.02±0.22 mb and σ(n, n′) = 41.3±6.6 mb. Upper limits were placed on the following cross sections: σ(n, pα) < 1.0 mb, and σ(n, n′α) < 1.0 mb. A value of 7.2±2.2 mb was obtained for the cross section for the (n, 2n) reaction on 14N. The nitrogen was present along with technetium in the target material ammonium pertechnetate. The observed σ(n, p) agrees well with the value of 6.3 mb, from the semi-empirical predictions of Gardner, Yu and Rosenblum, but the predicted value for σ(n, α) is 5.4 mb. It is suggested that the observed σ(n, α) of 99Tc represents a partial cross section to the ground state of 96Mo, and that there exists a so far unobserved isomeric state of 96Nb with a short half-life that primarily decays by β− emission to 96Mo. The (n, α) cross section to this state is estimated to be about 3 mb.
Anatomy of antenno-cerebral pathways in the brain of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta

In the moth Manduca sexta, the number and morphology of neuronal connections between the antennal lobes and the protocerebrum were examined. Cobalt injections revealed eight morphological types of neurons with somata adjacent to the AL neuropil that project in the inner, middle, and outer antenno-cerebral tracts to the protocerebrum. Neurons innervating the macroglomerular complex and many neurons with fibers in the inner antennocerebral tract have uniglomerular antennal-lobe arborizations. Most neurons in the middle and outer antenno-cerebral tracts, on the other hand, seem to innervate more than one glomerulus. Protocerebral areas receiving direct input from the antennal lobe include the calyces of the mushroom bodies, and circumscribed areas termed “olfactory foci” in the lateral horn of the protocerebrum and several other regions, especially areas in close proximity to the mushroom bodies. Fibers in the inner antenno-cerebral tract that innervate the male-specific macroglomerular complex have arborizations in the protocerebrum that are distinct from the projections of sexually non-specific neurons. Protocerebral neurons projecting into the antennal lobe are much less numerous than antennal-lobe output cells. Most of these protocerebral fibers enter the antennal lobe in small fiber tracts that are different from those described above. In the protocerebrum, these centrifugal cells arborize in olfactory foci and also in the inferior median protocerebrum and the lateral accessory lobes. The morphological diversity of connections between the antennal lobes and the protocerebrum, described here for the first time on a single-cell level, suggests a much greater physiological complexity of the olfactory system than has been assumed so far.
Twenty Five Years of Stochastic Canonical Equation K39 for Normalized Spectral Functions of Ace-Symmetric Matrices

To provide an introduction to classical modern techniques of the theory of stochastic canonical equations, we examine the first stochastic canonical equation, which was found in [Gir12] twenty five years ago. In this chapter we will consider symmetric matrices Ξ n with random entries. In the general case, the entries of the random matrix \( {\Xi _n} = (\xi _{ij}^{(n)}) \) have an arbitrary form and their expectations may not be equal to zero. If the entries \( \xi _{ij}^{(n)},\;i \ge j,\;\;i,j = 1,\; \ldots ,\;n \) of the symmetric random matrix Ξ n are independent, then it follows then from the main theorem of the theory of random matrices that the normalized spectral function µ n (x) of such a matrix can be approximately replaced by the nonrandom spectral function Eµ n (x) (see [Gir12, pp. 217–219]). The main problem is to find all limit of spectral function Eµ n (x). Without any additional assumptions for random variables \( \xi _{ij}^{(n)} \) this problem seems trivial, since any distribution function can be a limiting function. We shall make the following assumptions, which are not too restrictive and are confirmed by numerous problems: the random variables \( \xi _{ij}^{(n)} \) are equal to asymptotically constant entries \( a_{ij}^{(n)} + \nu _{ij}^{(n)},\;i, j = 1, \ldots , n, where a_{ij}^{(n)} \) are nonrandom variables, \( \nu _{ij}^{(n)},\;i, j = 1, \ldots , n \) are infinitesimal and the vector rows of the random matrices (a ij + v ij ) are asymptotically constant. It was proved in [Gir12, p.241] that the normalized spectral function of the ACE-matrix (a ij + v ij ) for large n approaches the normalized spectral function of the matrix (a ij + γ ij ) where γ ij , i > j, are infinitely divisible independent random variables with the characteristic functions exp {E exp(isv ij ) - 1}. In this chapter, we show that it is possible to get a canonical equation for the Stieltjes transformations of the limit spectral functions of the matrix (a ij + γ ij ).
U.S. Dollar Demand of Private Nonbank Foreigners

This study attempts to establish the determinants of foreigners' holdings of U.S. dollars. Based upon a transactions demand model and a portfolio selection model, private nonbank foreigners' holdings of short-term U.S. dollar assets, both in the Eurodollar market and in the United States, are analyzed. The most significant empirical finding is that trade is consistently of major importance in explaining quantities of dollars held. Heretofore, dollars held in the Eurodollar market have largely been considered portfolio choices selected on the basis of relative risks and returns. This study indicates, however, that even dollars held in the Eurodollar market are affected more by volume of dollar trade than by any other explanatory variable.
All-Trans Retinoic Acid-Induced Pseudotumor Cerebri during Induction Therapy for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia: A Case Report and Literature Review

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a derivative of vitamin A, is an essential component in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Though considered to be a relatively safe drug, use of ATRA can lead to several side effects such as retinoic acid syndrome and pseudotumor cerebri (PC). PC is a rare disorder characterized by neurologic and ocular signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, but with normal cerebrospinal fluid composition and normal brain imaging. Most of the previous studies suggest that PC, as a complication of ATRA therapy, occurs predominantly in the pediatric age group. Herein, we report a rare case of ATRA-induced PC in a 38-year-old woman undergoing induction treatment for APL. Symptoms improved with discontinuation of ATRA and treatment with acetazolamide. Concomitant administration of medications such as triazole antifungals which influence the cytochrome P-450 system can exacerbate this potential complication of ATRA. In this paper, we also review the current literature, provide a descriptive analysis of clinical features, and discuss the principles of management of ATRA-induced PC.
A new scheme for multi-dimensional line transfer—I. Formulation and 1-D results☆

Abstract A new approach to solving non-LTE radiative transfer problems is presented that uses, as much as possible, iterative algorithms that yield the answer with an effort that scales linearly with the number of zones, number of frequencies, etc. A general description of the approach is given, including the transfer methods for 2-D and the manner of treating the atomic kinetics for a general multi-level atom. Most of the paper is devoted to a description of an iterative method for treating the frequency coupling implicit in line formation with either complete or partial frequency redistribution. This method, which is a double-splitting iteration, is a relaxation method, so that in the limit the exact implicit equations are obeyed. This procedure is combined with Orthomin acceleration. Numerical examples show that good convergence is obtained for the accelerated scheme over a wide range of line-formation parameters. A convergence analysis of the double splitting method and other recently proposed methods shows that the present method is as good as the best of the others, and has some advantages in terms of ease of use and adaptability to multi-D and to partial redistribution.
Incise drape adhesion and the adherence to principles of surgical site infection prevention: commentary on an article by Gary L. Grove, PhD, and Chou I. Eyberg, MS: "Comparison of two preoperative skin antiseptic preparations and resultant surgical incise drape adhesion to skin in healthy volunteers".

There are few issues that can compromise a patient outcome as severely as a nosocomial infection. This complication may manifest as a mild and annoying cellulitis or as a severe and life-threatening surgical site infection. It has the potential to compromise and even take the life of any individual undergoing surgery. Although the threat of surgical site infection remains ever present, an emerging paradigm shift of surgical site infection prevention and control is evolving. In the 2001 assessment of the current state of infection in surgical procedures in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 22% of all health-care-associated infections were surgical site infections. Approximately 290,000 surgical site infections occurred annually in the United States, resulting in $1 billion to $10 billion in direct and indirect medical costs. Approximately 8000 patient deaths were associated with these infections. One of the most heavily represented procedure types in the surgical site infection data was orthopaedic procedures. According to unpublished CDC data, an estimated 14 million operative procedures in the United States were reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) in 2002. Surgical site infections were the second most common type of health-care-associated infection, accounting for 17% of all such infections among hospitalized patients. The proportion was similar in data reported to the NHSN by hospitals in 2006 to 2008, and the overall rate of surgical site infections was 1.9%1. Nevertheless, in spite of increasing national scrutiny and public reporting of surgical site infection rates, the 1999 CDC Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection2 only …
Hydrolysis of chlorostilbene oxide II. Modeling of hydrolysis in aquifer samples and in sediment‐water systems

The disappearance kinetics of 4-chlorostilbene oxide (CSO) were determined in aquifer samples and in sediment-water systems to derive kinetic expressions that describe heterogeneous effects. Disappearance rate constants were determined in heterolytic systems and compared with those obtained in distilled water to delineate the effect of solids on the kinetics of hydrolysis. In both neutral and acid hydrolysis studies, the sorption-desorption rates of CSO were faster than the hydrolysis rates in either the aqueous or sediment-sorbed phases. Both dissolved and sorbed CSO hydrolyzed at either neutral or acidic pHs. Above pH 5, where neutral hydrolysis dominates, the hydrolysis rate constant of CSO in sterile sediment-water systems was the same as in distilled water. This suggests that sorption neither retards nor promotes the neutral hydrolysis pathway. At pHs below 5, where acid hydrolysis dominates, the pseudo-first-order hydrolysis rate constant was lower for the sorbed fraction than the rate constant in distilled water at the same pH. This indicates that hydrolysis rate constant in the sorbed phase is slower than that in the bulk aqueous phase. Kinetics of hydrolysis were studied in raw sediment samples and samples sterilized by heat or with formalin to distinguish between abiotic and biotic hydrolysis processes. Above pH 5, the hydrolysis rate constants were larger in nonsterile systems when compared with the rate constants in the sterile systems, suggesting that both biotic and abiotic pathways contribute to the disappearance of CSO. Below pH 5, the hydrolysis rate constants were, within experimental error, the same in the sterile and nonsterile systems. In aquifer samples, the average disappearance rate constant of CSO was 0.85 (±0.11) × 10−4 min−1, which is about the same as the rate constant in distilled water. These results suggest that there is no heterolytic enhancement of the neutral hydrolysis rate constant by the aquifer materials.
Growth and development of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), on bolls of cotton grown in enriched carbon dioxide atmospheres

The pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), was reared on the bolls of cotton plants grown in CO2-enriched (649 μl/liter) and ambient CO2, (371 μl/liter) chambers and in two open field plots, one with free-air CO2 enrichment (522 μl/liter) and one without enrichment (ambient CO2, 360 μl/liter). The effects of increased CO2 levels on growth and development were examined. There was no difference in pupal weights of pink bollworm raised on CO2-enriched cotton compared with those raised on ambient CO2 cotton (26.80 versus 26.64 mg, respectively). Also, there was no difference in developmental time (21-27 d). Analysis of percent seed damage by larvae showed no differences between CO2- enriched and ambient CO2 cotton. These results were attributed to the nutritional qualities of the seed remaining the same (specifically the carbon/nitrogen ratio) despite CO2 and photosynthetic changes in the plant.
The Reclamation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam

Abstract The ecologically sound disposal of scrap plastic materials is a matter of great concern and one that is certain to gain importance in the future. As amounts of scrap continue to grow and as disposal sites for landfill are unavailable, the disposal problem may well become acute. One area of particular concern is the disposal of scrap urethane foam.
Clearing the air on the "smoker's paradox".

Among behavioral risk factors for adverse health outcomes, smoking stands alone in its public health impact, accounting for nearly 500,000 (or 1 in 5) deaths in the United States annually [(1)][1]. In the aftermath of many well-chronicled legal battles with the tobacco industry, the causality
Plasma testosterone in nursing home men

Abstract Plasma testosterone (T) was measured at 8–9 a.m. in 44 men chronically institutionalized in a Veterans Administration Nursing Home, and correlated with an extensive clinical data base (including age, diagnoses, drugs, laboratory tests, anthropometric measurements, and mortality during the year after the T analysis). Age averaged 76.4 years (range 60–95). Plasma T was below the lower limit of the normal range for healthy young men (i.e. less than 300 ng/dl) in 46% of the men studied. Samples containing low T (less than 300 ng/dl) also contained subnormal unbound T, but normal concentrations of thyroxine and cortisol. Of the low T samples, 45% contained elevated LH, FSH or both (over 20 mU/ml), and the remaining 55% contained LH and FSH levels below this threshold, these two subgroups representing peripheral and central hypogonadism respectively. Plasma T was significantly (p
Color Vision, Cones, and Color-Coding in the Cortex

Color processing begins with the absorption of light by cone photoreceptors, and progresses through a series of hierarchical stages: Retinal signals carrying color information are transmitted through the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN) up to the primary visual cortex (V1). From V1, the signals are processed by the second visual area (V2); then by cells located in subcompartments ("globs") within the posterior inferior temporal (PIT) cortex, a brain region that encompasses area V4 and brain regions immediately anterior to V4. Color signals are then processed by regions deep within the inferior temporal (IT) cortex including area TE. As a heuristic, one can consider each of these stages to be involved in constructing a distinct aspect of the color percept. The three cone types are the basis for trichromacy; retinal ganglion cells that respond in an opponent fashion to activation of different cone classes are the basis for color opponency (these "cone-opponent" cells increase their firing rate above baseline to activation of one cone class and decrease their firing rate below baseline to activation of a different cone class); double-opponent neurons in the V1 generate local color contrast and are the building blocks for color constancy; glob cells elaborate the perception of hue; and IT integrates color perception in the context of behavior. Finally, though nothing is known, these signals presumably interface with motor programs and emotional centers of the brain to mediate the widely acknowledged emotional salience of color.
Papillomavirus E7 Oncoproteins Share Functions with Polyomavirus Small T Antigens

Many of the small DNA tumor viruses encode transforming proteins that function by targeting critical cellular pathways involved in cell proliferation and survival. In this study, we have examined whether some of the functions of the polyomavirus small T antigens (ST) are shared by the E6 and E7 oncoproteins of two oncogenic papillomaviruses. Using three different assays, we have found that E7 can provide some simian virus 40 (SV40) or murine polyomavirus (PyV) ST functions. Both human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) and bovine papillomavirus (BPV1) E7 proteins are capable of partially substituting for SV40 ST in a transformation assay that also includes SV40 large T antigen, the catalytic subunit of cellular telomerase, and oncogenic Ras. Like SV40 ST, HPV16 E7 has the ability to override a quiescence block induced by mitogen deprivation. Like PyV ST, it also has the ability to inhibit myoblast differentiation. At least two of these activities are dependent upon the interaction of HPV16 E7 with retinoblastoma protein family members. For small T antigens, interaction with PP2A is needed for each of these functions. Even though there is no strong evidence that E6 or E7 share the ability of small T to interact with PP2A, E7 provides these functions related to cellular transformation. IMPORTANCE DNA tumor viruses have provided major insights into how cancers develop. Some viruses, like the human papillomaviruses, can cause cancer directly. Both the papillomaviruses and the polyomaviruses have served as tools for understanding pathways that are often perturbed in cancer. Here, we have compared the functions of transforming proteins from several DNA tumor viruses, including two papillomaviruses and two polyomaviruses. We tested the papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncoproteins in three functional assays and found that E7 can provide some or all of the functions of the SV40 small T antigen, another well-characterized oncoprotein, in two of these assays. In a third assay, papillomavirus E7 has the same effect as the murine polyomavirus small T protein. In summary, we report several new functions for the papillomavirus E7 proteins, which will contribute new insights into the roles of viruses in cancer and the cellular pathways they perturb in carcinogenesis.
Who Will Retweet This? Detecting Strangers from Twitter to Retweet Information

There has been much effort on studying how social media sites, such as Twitter, help propagate information in different situations, including spreading alerts and SOS messages in an emergency. However, existing work has not addressed how to actively identify and engage the right strangers at the right time on social media to help effectively propagate intended information within a desired time frame. To address this problem, we have developed three models: (1) a feature-based model that leverages people's exhibited social behavior, including the content of their tweets and social interactions, to characterize their willingness and readiness to propagate information on Twitter via the act of retweeting; (2) a wait-time model based on a user's previous retweeting wait times to predict his or her next retweeting time when asked; and (3) a subset selection model that automatically selects a subset of people from a set of available people using probabilities predicted by the feature-based model and maximizes retweeting rate. Based on these three models, we build a recommender system that predicts the likelihood of a stranger to retweet information when asked, within a specific time window, and recommends the top-N qualified strangers to engage with. Our experiments, including live studies in the real world, demonstrate the effectiveness of our work.
Community Development Operation

N EARLY every citizen, from the inhabitant of the smallest hamlet to the resident of one of our great metropolises or from the individual voter to a member of Congress, supports the concept of community development in its broadest sense. It is when we talk about how it is to be brought about and what kind of development we want that the sparks begin to fly. One could marshall volumes of statements by distinguished leaders across this land on the need for community development and changes in our economic and social institutions [42, p. 70]. The rapid rate of technological change, the lag in the modification of our community institutions, the changing interpretation of our values with our more affluent society, and the greater acceptance of the concept that an individual is partially the product of his environment-all make the need self-evident. The problems of delinquency, crime, slaughter on the highways, sanitation, housing, education, medical and recreation facilities, the socially isolated, culturally deprived, and underemployed further reinforce such statements. For these reasons, I shall make this phase brief, because I feel that there are now more critical considerations involved in making community development operational than in convincing leaders of its importance.
Group Development in Self-Help Groups for College Students:

The applicability of Bednar, Melnick, and Kaul's model of early group development to college student self-help groups was examined. Research participants were 101 undergraduates who met in high-structure or low-structure groups for four weekly sessions. Dependent variables included importance of performing group behaviors, ownership of group functioning, and perceived group cohesion. As hypothesized, a path analysis revealed that (a) amount of group structure was positively related to the importance of performing group member behaviors and negatively related to ownership of group functioning, (b) importance of performing group behaviors was positively related to group cohesion, and (c) early group cohesion was positively related to later ownership ofgroup functioningand later group cohesion. These results support several aspects of the tested model of early group development.
PERFORMANCE CONTINGENT PROTECTION

In this paper we ask how to construct a tariff or quota schedule which depends on the behavior of a domestic monopsonistic monopolist in order to achieve the best tradeoff between two objectives of a government. We consider various political and economic tradeoffs which could face the policy maker: aggregate welfare versus industry profits, output and imports; and trade barrier revenue versus industry profits and domestic price. In all cases considered, performance contingent protection which takes the form either of a tariff which depends on domestic output or a quota which depends on the price charged is generally superior to a fixed tariff or quota and is sufficient to achieve optimality.
Inclusion relations between outhostochastic matrices and products of pinching matrices

Let be the set of all n×n orthostochastic matrices and the set of finite products of n×n pinching matrices. Both sets are subsets of Ω n , the set of all n×n doubly stochastic matrices. We study the inclusion relations between and in particular we show that .