cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract ED05-02: Diseases without borders: Partnering for prevention

During the 21st century, ongoing epidemics of cancer and other non‐communicable diseases can be anticipated with a high degree of certainty. The 20th century saw the rise of pandemics of non‐communicable diseases, matching the burden of morbidity and mortality that had come with wellrecognized epidemics of infectious disease. These pandemics, including lung cancer and other cancers, coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were driven by causal factors with global reach: cigarettes and high‐fat and high‐calorie diets, for example. Beginning in the mid‐20th century, epidemiological studies provided evidence that identified major causes of these epidemics and led to the start of disease control programs that are still in progress. Experience gained in addressing these epidemics led to evidence‐based strategies at levels ranging from interventions with individuals to programs with global reach. Now, rates of these same chronic diseases are rapidly increasing in low‐ and middle‐income countries where they were previously uncommon. Some of the increase reflects the spread of already well characterized risk factors, including smoking, high‐fat and high calorie diets, and obesity. This presentation focuses on research approaches to non‐communicable diseases that will provide insights into factors driving the rising occurrence of these diseases around the world, while also offering evidence that can be quickly used to guide the development of control strategies. The presentation will cover historical patterns of disease occurrence, the global factors driving these epidemics, and the policy approaches to their control. Emphasis will be given to epidemiological study designs that can provide the evidence base needed for planning control programs, including multi‐country studies which come with multiple design and implementation challenges. Examples will be drawn from the multi‐country studies carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), similar studies on the risks of tobacco smoking and air pollution, and pooling projects on cancer and cardiovascular disease. Beyond the conduct of research, capacity building may be needed to develop capability to carry out multi‐country protocols. Diverse models for capacity building have been applied; now distance‐based approaches can facilitate the reach of academic institutions for training researchers. Networks of researchers can also be established as the internet now has true worldwide reach. Implementation of control programs remains a major barrier to disease control; unfortunately, the generation of research evidence does not necessarily lead to sound, evidence‐based policies. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):ED05-02.
The function of p75NTR in glia

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75 NTR ) is expressed on many cell types and can influence a variety of cellular functions. This receptor can mediate cell survival or cell death, can promote or inhibit axonal growth and can facilitate or attenuate proliferation, depending on the cell context. The emerging picture regarding p75 NTR indicates that it can partner with different coreceptors to dictate specific responses. It then signals by recruiting intracellular binding proteins to activate different signaling pathways. The function of p75 NTR has mainly been studied in neurons; however, it is also expressed in a variety of glial populations, especially during development and after injury, where its roles have been poorly defined. In this review, we will examine the potential roles for p75 NTR in glial function.
Automated method for the determination of boron in water by flow-injection analysis with in-line preconcentration and spectrophotometric detection

A sensitive, automated method for the determination of boron in water samples is described, involving flow injection with on-line ion-exchange preconcentration and spectrophotometric detection of the azomethine-H—boron complex. The method is applicable to various water samples and is free from interferences, even in coloured samples. Detection limits of 5 μg l−1 at 20 samples h−1 and 1 μg l−1 at 10 samples h−1 with relative standard deviations of < 10% at 1–10 μg l−1 and < 5%at 10–200 μg l−1 levels of boron were achieved. The recoveries for spiked natural water samples ranged from 96 to 101%. The method compares favourably with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.
Algorithm for the detection and isolation of systemic measurement errors in vision based/aided navigation systems

This paper introduces a new test statistic that can detect systematic errors in vision systems. This can be used for integrity monitoring of vision navigation systems. Current integrity monitoring methods look for agreement among the measurements from a camera. This method looks for agreement between separate cameras. If the measurements do not agree then a parameter of one of the cameras has changed resulting in a systematic error. An example of the usefulness of this test statistic is shown with a Monte Carlo test.
Three‐dimensional observations from MODIS and CALIPSO for ocean responses to cyclone Nargis in the Gulf of Martaban

[1] Satellites measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Aqua and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) are used to study physical, optical, and biological changes in the Gulf of Martaban following the passage of cyclone Nargis during early May of 2008. The shortwave infrared (SWIR) atmospheric correction algorithm has been used to derive ocean optical and biological properties from MODIS. Following the passage of cyclone Nargis, a significant increase of surface sediment concentration is observed with considerably enhanced normalized water-leaving radiance at the red and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths in the Gulf of Martaban and along the mouths of the Ayeyarwady River. It is estimated that, before and after cyclone Nargis, the average total suspended matter (TSM) in the Gulf of Martaban increased from 24 mg/l to 31 mg/l, while the TSM value nearly tripled from 12 mg/l to 34 mg/l along the mouths of the Ayeyarwady River. The CALIPSO measurements also show that, before cyclone Nargis, the sediment concentration in the region increases with depth in the water column, while after cyclone Nargis the sediment vertical profile becomes relatively uniform in the upper 50 m depth due to wind-driven vertical mixing and entrainment.
Effect of burn depth upon oedema formation and albumin extravasation in rats

Studies to determine the influence of burn depth upon albumin extravasation and oedema formation were conducted in 90 Sprague-Dawley rats. Oedema formation and protein leakage were studied at 30 min, 3 h and 12 h after injury. The burns were induced with a constant temperature heating element designed to produce tiny (02 per cent) non-contact radiant heat burns (Fig. 1). The depth of the burn was controlled by varying the exposure time (8, 12, 16 and 24 s). Oedema occurred rapidly and was of similar magnitude for all burn depths at 30 min and 3 h after injury but it was more marked in the deeper burns at 12 h (P < 0-01). RISA1311 extravasation was more prominent in the 24-s than in the 8-s burn at 30 min after injury (P < 0-01) but no significant differences between burns of different depths were detected thereafter (Fig. 5). No oedema or RISA131I leakage occurred in areas distant to the burn. On the basis of these studies it seems unimportant for the purpose of fluid resuscitation and protein replacement in burned victims, to differentiate between partial- and full-thickness injuries.
Interpretation of Passive Current Maxima During Polarization of Stainless Steels

Abstract The occurrence of passive current maxima during the anodic polarization of stainless steel in sulfuric acid solutions has been investigated using electrochemical and electron microprobe te...
Sequential postoperative assessment of left ventricular performance with gated cardiac blood pool imaging following aortocoronary bypass surgery

The comparative effects of normothermic intermittent ischemic arrest (IIA) and cardioplegia (C) on left ventricular (LV) performance were assessed by gated cardiac blood pool imaging in 57 patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass surgery. In 34 patients, IIA was employed; 23 patients received C. Patients were studied preoperatively, sequentially in the immediate postoperative period at 30-minute intervals, and at 1 week after the operation. C and IIA groups did not differ in mean (± SEM) age, anginal class, number of diseased vessels, previous myocardial infarction, or preoperative ejection fraction (EF) (50 ± 3% vs 50 ± 2% [p = ns]). Aortic cross clamp time was greater with C than IIA (50 ± 5 minutes vs 28 ± 3 minutes [p = 0.001]). During the six sequential postoperative studies, transient LV dysfunction (≥ 7% decrease in absolute EF) was observed in 10 patients receiving C and in 16 patients receiving IIA. By time of discharge, 24 of 26 patients had returned to preoperative EF. Mean EF at discharge in the cardioplegia group did not differ compared to preoperative EF; in the IIA group, EF increased compared to preoperative EF (50 ± 2% vs 55 ± 2% [p < 0.01]). These data suggest that in patients with normal preoperative LV performance both C and IIA afford satisfactory myocardial preservation during aortocoronary bypass surgery.
Digging with Experimental Pick and Computational Shovel: a New Addition to the Histidine Kinase Superfamily

Experimental microbiology in the postgenomic era has survived the first wave of uncertainty: a perspective of being replaced by in silico microbiology. Although it is clear now that experimental science is irreplaceable, we are facing yet another wave: the frustration of having a half million microbial genes in databases but lacking simple ways of getting biologically relevant information. Therefore, it is reassuring to see some clear water between the waves: examples of experimental research that takes advantage of a comparative genomic approach one step at a time. The paper by Karniol and Vierstra in this issue (10) describing a new family of histidine kinases shows how the use of simple bioinformatics tools by microbiologists can (i) identify new targets for experimental work and (ii) provide important feedback for improving these tools.
The global virtual water trade network

[1] While some countries have substantial supplies of freshwater, others need to import water to sustain their populations. Because food products contain significant amounts of water, global trade in food effectively moves water from one country to another in a “virtual water trade.” Konar et al. consider the global virtual water trade as a weighted complex network. The nations that participate in international food trade correspond to the nodes, and the links represent the flow of virtual water; weights are assigned to the links based on the volume of virtual water traded. They found that the number of trade connections follows an exponential distribution. There is a global hierarchy in which nations that trade large volumes of virtual water are more likely to link to other nations that trade large volumes of water. Several nations play a critical role in this network. For instance, the United States is the dominant exporter of virtual water, and Japan is the dominant importer. Furthermore, trade volume follows a power law relationship with the number of trade partners of each nation: The more trading partners a country has, the more virtual water it trades. The study could help in global water resource management; for instance, water-scarce nations could consider increasing their access to virtual water resources by increasing the number of nations with which they trade food. (Water Resources Research, doi:10.1029/2010WR010307, 2011)
The Consistency of the U.S. Supreme Court's "Pro-State" Bloc

This article examines the bloc of U.S. Supreme Court justices that produced the "pro-state" decisions in United States v. Lopez, Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida, and Printz v. United States. We are concerned primarily with the bloc's coherence and consistency across other cases of interest to state governments over the 1994-1996 terms. The labeling of individual justices and the Court in general as "pro-state" depends in part on the cases subjected to analysis; the greater the inclusiveness of the list of "cases of interest to the states, "the more the bloc seems to fray and the less coherent the Court's direction.
Kinetics of UV/O2 Cleaning and Surface Passivation: Experiments and Modeling

Removal of adsorbed organic contaminants from Si surfaces by reaction with molecular O3 and photo-generated atomic oxygen species in a UHV-compatible photochemical reactor was investigated. Treatment of contaminated wafers with externally generated O3 at 25°C was effective in removing adsorbed organics, but surface cleaning rates were enhanced by simultaneous 254-nm UV irradiation of the reactor contents. In situ photo-generation of O3 and atomic oxygen species by 185- and 254-nm irradiation of O2 gave comparable results. A simplified gas-phase kinetics model describing O3 generation by a low-pressure Hg lamp was developed and used to gain insight into the effects of relative humidity and O2 partial pressure on steady-state O3 concentrations.
Differential gene expression detection and sample classification using penalized linear regression models

Differential gene expression detection and sample classification using microarray data have received much research interest recently. Owing to the large number of genes p and small number of samples n (p >>n), microarray data analysis poses big challenges for statistical analysis. An obvious problem owing to the 'large p small n' is over-fitting. Just by chance, we are likely to find some non-differentially expressed genes that can classify the samples very well. The idea of shrinkage is to regularize the model parameters to reduce the effects of noise and produce reliable inferences. Shrinkage has been successfully applied in the microarray data analysis. The SAM statistics proposed by Tusher et al. and the 'nearest shrunken centroid' proposed by Tibshirani et al. are ad hoc shrinkage methods. Both methods are simple, intuitive and prove to be useful in empirical studies. Recently Wu proposed the penalized t/F-statistics with shrinkage by formally using the 1 penalized linear regression models for two-class microarray data, showing good performance. In this paper we systematically discussed the use of penalized regression models for analyzing microarray data. We generalize the two-class penalized t/F-statistics proposed by Wu to multi-class microarray data. We formally derive the ad hoc shrunken centroid used by Tibshirani et al. using the 1 penalized regression models. And we show that the penalized linear regression models provide a rigorous and unified statistical framework for sample classification and differential gene expression detection. Availability: For the computer programs, detailed analysis results and R functions for the proposed methods, please see http://www.biostat.umn.edu/~baolin/research/L1C-mc.html Contact: baolin@biostat.umn.edu Supplementary information: http://www.biostat.umn.edu/~baolin/research/L1C-mc.html
Radio Source Counts and Redshifts in Steady State Cosmology

THERE appears to be continuing confusion as to whether or not counts of extragalactic radio sources are compatible with the steady state theory. Ryle and Clarke1 found considerable discrepancies between the observed counts and those predicted on the basis of steady state. Hoyle2 argues that the source counts are in agreement with the steady state theory except for a deficiency of only 5 sources per steradian at the bright end. I present here an explicit derivation of source counts expected in the steady state on the basis of identifications and redshifts of a complete sample of radio galaxies and quasi-stellar sources.
Update on assessment activities. United States perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to present an update on biomedical technology assessment activities from a United States perspective. In 1985, I described in detail (a) a primary vehicle for technology assessment--the Consensus Development Program (CDP) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)--and also discussed, in a second paper, (b) the transfer of consensus-enhanced scientific information and some of its impact on U.S. medical practice. Here, I focus on what has transpired during the past year: the changes in the climate in which U.S. technology assessment efforts are being conducted, the consequences of these changes, and the challenges that they pose for all concerned with the provision of quality health care. The first part of this paper centers on the broader framework within which technology assessment plays a role in the United States. Later, it addresses the specific technology assessment and transfer activities in which the NIH is engaged.
Cis-Active RNA Elements (CREs) and Picornavirus RNA Replication

Our understanding of picornavirus RNA replication has improved over the past 10 years, due in large part to the discovery of cis-active RNA elements (CREs) within picornavirus RNA genomes. CREs function as templates for the conversion of VPg, the Viral Protein of the genome, into VPgpUpU(OH). These so called CREs are different from the previously recognized cis-active RNA sequences and structures within the 5' and 3' NTRs of picornavirus genomes. Two adenosine residues in the loop of the CRE RNA structures allow the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 3D(Pol) to add two uridine residues to the tyrosine residue of VPg. Because VPg and/or VPgpUpU(OH) prime the initiation of viral RNA replication, the asymmetric replication of viral RNA could not be explained without an understanding of the viral RNA template involved in the conversion of VPg into VPgpUpU(OH) primers. We review the growing body of knowledge regarding picornavirus CREs and discuss how CRE RNAs work coordinately with viral replication proteins and other cis-active RNAs in the 5' and 3' NTRs during RNA replication.
Understanding suicide and disability through three major disabling conditions: Intellectual disability, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis.

Background Disability is not a category of disease but rather relates to the physical, sensory, cognitive, and/or mental disorders that substantially limit one or more major life activities. These functional limitations have been found to be predictive of suicide, with psychiatric comorbidities increasing the risk for suicide. Enormous gaps exist in the understanding of the relationship between disability and suicide. Objective We reviewed the current literature addressing the prevalence of and risk factors for suicide among persons with three major disabling conditions and identify priorities for future research. Methodology We performed a literature review investigating the relationship between three major disabilities (intellectual disability, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis) and suicide. To ensure thorough evaluation of the available literature, we searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar with terms including “suicide,” “disability,” “intellectual disability,” “spinal cord injury,” “multiple sclerosis,” and permutations thereof. By this method we evaluated 110 articles and included 21 in the review. Results Suicide rates are significantly higher among persons with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury than in the general population. A more nuanced picture of suicide rates and risk factors exists for the intellectual disability population, in which it appears that rates of suicide risk factors are higher than among the general population while suicide rates may be lower. The highest rates of suicide are reported among study populations of persons with multiple sclerosis, followed by persons with spinal cord injury, and then individuals with intellectual disability. Conclusions Suicide among persons with disabilities is a complex and pressing public health concern. Urgent research priorities include (1) valid estimates of suicide rates among persons with disabilities by age cohort; (2) assessment of the predictive importance of suicide risk factors; and (3) determination of best practices in preventing suicide. Working toward these objectives will reduce the unacceptable burden of this preventable cause of death and help children and adults with disabilities to lead happier, healthier, and longer lives.
Amelioration of Chronic Murine Colitis by Peptide-Mediated Transduction of the IκB Kinase Inhibitor NEMO Binding Domain Peptide

The NF-kappaB family of transcription factors is a central regulator of chronic inflammation. The phosphorylation of IkappaB proteins by the IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex (IKKalpha, IKKbeta, and NF-kappaB essential modulator or NEMO) is a key step in NF-kappaB activation. Peptides corresponding to the NEMO binding domain (NBD) of IKK blocks NF-kappaB activation without inhibiting basal NF-kappaB activity. In this report, we determined the effects of the IKK inhibitor peptide (NBD) in a model of spontaneously occurring chronic murine colitis, the IL-10-deficient (IL-10(-/-)) mouse. Using a novel cationic peptide transduction domain (PTD) consisting of eight lysine residues (8K), we were able to transduce the NBD peptide into cells and tissues. In a NF-kappaB reporter system, 8K-NBD dose-dependently inhibits TNF-induced NF-kappaB activation. Furthermore, 8K-NBD inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB family members. In NF-kappaB(EGFP) knock-in mice, 8K-NBD inhibited LPS-activated NF-kappaB (EGFP activity) in the ileum but did not inhibit basal NF-kappaB in Peyer's patches. IL-10(-/-) mice treated systemically with 8K-NBD demonstrate amelioration of established colitis, decreased NF-kappaB activation in the lamina propria, and a reduction in spontaneous intestinal IL-12 p40, TNF, IFN-gamma, and IL-17 production. These results demonstrate that inhibitors of IKK, in particular a PTD-NBD peptide, may be therapeutic in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Physician recertification and outcomes assessment.

Physician recertification poses a unique challenge to member boards of theAmerican Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) charged with the responsibility of credentialing physicians. The key issue that emerges in recertification programs is how to evaluate performance in practice. Although some test of knowledge may be appropriate, an evaluation of clinical performance has become essential in recertification programs. To meet this challenge, ABMS boards have adopted methods to evaluate performance in practice. However, regardless of the methods chosen, criteria are needed to serve as standards. This article considers the application of outcomes assessment in the definition of standards for recertification. When direct outcome assessment may not be possible, outcome-validated process measures may provide a suitable alternative.
HIV-1 Transmission Biology: Selection and Characteristics of Infecting Viruses

Individuals with recent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) acquisition are likely to be a major source for other new infections because they have a high level of plasma virus, and the circulating virions possess unique properties that are highly suited for transmission. The acute infection period, however, presents a unique "window of opportunity," because there are a limited number of genetic variants. Studies aim to elucidate the nature of the transmitted viruses and understand the mechanisms that inhibit the majority of variants present in the chronically infected partner from establishing a productive infection in the naive host. Greater understanding of these issues may open promising new ways to effectively block HIV-1 transmission.
Primary Peptide Folding Dynamics Observed with Ultrafast Temperature Jump

An ultrafast laser temperature jump (T-jump) induces folding and unfolding of Wh5 (see picture), the shortest possible α-helical peptide. Using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, the folding time of this peptide was found to span from less than one nanosecond to a few nanoseconds, redefining the meaning of ultrafast dynamics in protein and peptide folding.
Synthesis of TiO2 nanotube films via pulsed laser deposition followed by a hydrothermal treatment

Titanium dioxide nanotube (TNT) films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of P25 and P90 TiO2 nanoparticles onto stainless steel foils followed by a hydrothermal treatment (HT). Heating the PLD films in a TNT precursor solution at 150°C resulted in a well-adhered dense mat of TNTs that were ∼10 nm in diameter with a pore size of ∼4 nm. The TiO2 nanotube films were characterised by SEM, TEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy.
Water Resource Implications of 18O and 2H Distributions in a Basalt Aquifer System

Ongoing decline of water levels in the confined basalt aquifers of the Pullman-Moscow Basin of Washington and Idaho has prompted study of the timing, amount and distribution of recharge to the system. Previous radiocarbon ages indicate residence times on the order of 103 years and greater and suggest a low rate of recharge to the lower basalt aquifer since the end of Pleistocene time. By contrast, more recent hydrodynamic flow modeling studies invoke a larger Holocene recharge rate through the unconfined loess unit to the upper and lower basalt aquifers, which implies relatively short residence times (102 years). Stable isotopes were used to independently assess contrasting recharge models by comparing 18O/16O and D/H ratios of late-Holocene shallow ground water and deep ground water. Linear regression of local precipitation ratios yields δD = 6.9 δ18O −18.5. There is no evidence of fractionation of ground water ratios by recharge processes or water-rock interactions. Deep basalt ground water δ18O values are depleted by 0.4 to 4.9 per mil relative to shallow, recently recharged ground waters and have δ18O values statistically distinct from waters sampled from other stratigraphic units. These findings suggest that the deep waters in the basin were not precipitated under current climate conditions and that aquifer recharge rates to the deep basalt aquifer are substantially lower than have been recently estimated. This in turn suggests that a sustainable ground water exploitation scheme must reduce reliance on the deep ground water resource.
A survey on dynamic Web content generation and delivery techniques

While Web applications serve personal needs and business functions almost in every area, the responsiveness and performance of Web applications is the key factor to their success. With continuous innovation on Web technology, Web sites have evolved from document Web to application Web and further to service Web recently. During the evolution course, Web sites serving dynamic content started to grow exponentially to dominate the area. Dynamic pages require servers to generate the response content per-user request before delivering it back to the user, which introduces network traffic, server workload and results in extra latency. This drew tremendous efforts from both research and industry on how to accelerate the dynamic content generation and distribution in order to reduce the user perceived latency and improve the application performance, among which caching is a vital technology. This paper attempts to survey the innovative research and products recently published in this area and presents them in a road map style. It first examines the dynamic characteristics of Web applications and the inherent challenges for caching. Then the rest of this paper explores the varied acceleration solutions on content generation process and content delivery process, respectively, followed by the analysis of how different caching solutions fit Web applications of different characteristics. Finally it ends with the future trends on Web caching technique and a summary of the survey.
Materials and processes for Shuttle engine, external tank, and Solid Rocket Booster

The Shuttle flight system is composed of the Orbiter, an External Tank (ET) that contains the ascent propellant to be used by the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME), and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB). The ET is expended on each launch; the Orbiter and SRB's are reusable. It is the requirement for reuse which poses the exciting new materials and processes challenges in the development of the Space Shuttle. A brief description of the Space Shuttle and the mission profile is given. The Shuttle configuration is then described with emphasis on the SSME, ET, and SRB. The materials selection, tracking, and control system used to assure reliability and to minimize cost are described, and salient features and challenges in materials and processes associated with the SSME, ET, and SRB are subsequently discussed.
Protection against hypoxia-reoxygenation in the absence of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase in isolated working hearts.

+and ATP depletion and cytotoxicity. Recent work has demonstrated that hypoxia-reoxygenation of cardiac myocytes in vitro also causes peroxynitrite formation, PARS activation and cytotoxicity. In the present study, using hearts from genetically engineered mice lacking PARS, we have investigated whether the absence of PARS alters the functional response to hypoxia reoxygenation. Isolated work-performing mouse hearts were stabilized under the same loading condition (cardiac minute work of 250 mmHg·ml/min, an afterload of 50 mmHg aortic pressure and similar venous return of 5 ml/min, resulting in the same preload). After 30 min equilibration the hearts were subjected to 30 min hypoxia followed by 30 min of reoxygenation. At the end of the reoxygenation, in hearts from wild-type animals, there was a significant suppression in the rate of intraventricular pressure development (+dP/dt) from 3523 to 2907 mmHg. There was also a significant suppression in the rate of relaxation (-dP/dt) in the wild-type hearts from 3123 to 2168 mmHg. The time to peak pressure (TPP) increased from 0.48 to 0.59 ms/mmHg and the half-time of relaxation (RT1/2) increased from 0.59 to 0.74 ms/mmHg. In contrast, in the hearts from the PARS knockout animals, no significant suppression of +dP/dt (from 3654 to 3419 mmHg), and no significant increase in the TPP (from 0.462 to 0.448 ms/mmHg) were found, and the decrease in -dP/dt was partially ameliorated (from 3399 to 2687 mmHg) as well as the half-time of relaxation (from 0.507 to 0.55 ms/mmHg) when compared to the response to the wild-type hearts. The current data demonstrate that the reoxygenation induced suppression of the myocardial contractility is dependent on the functional integrity of PARS. ” 1999 Academic Press
Skull of the ankylosaur Niobrarasaurus coleu (Ankylosauria: Nodosauridae) from the Smoky Hill Chalk (Coniacian) of western Kansas

Abstract The skull of the nodosaurid Niobrarasaurus coleii (Mehl) is redescribed as the result of the discovery of additional material, including the partially crushed braincase. The bone surface shows moderate remodeling, but not to the point of sutural obliteration. The snout section suggests a long, narrow skull more similar to Pawpawsaurus than the broader Edmontonia. Nevertheless, the skull differs from other nodosaurs in the ornamentation of the bone surface and trapezoidal outline of the occipital condyle in posterior view.
A critical review on studies of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) sorption by building materials

The purpose of the investigation is to analyze the pros and cons of existing sorption models, as well as experimental methods. In addition, it summarizes existing sorption data in order to understand the phenomenon of VOC sorption on building materials better and to direct future research. We found that existing sorption models can be generally classified into either first order adsorption/desorption rate models or equilibrium-interface models. The adsorption/desorption rate models are simple and easy to use, but the model parameters have to be obtained from experimental data by curve fitting. The parameters of the equilibrium-interface models can be obtained through independent measurements, but lacking material property data and high computing costs hinder their applications. The sorption of VOCs on building materials is usually measured by the widely used small-scale chamber test method. The sink strength can be affected by the chemical properties of VOCs, physical properties of materials, and environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity and air velocity.
FALCAUSTRA LOWEI N. SP. AND OTHER HELMINTHS FROM THE TARAHUMARA FROG, RANA TARAHUMARAE (ANURA: RANIDAE), FROM SONORA, MEXICO

Seventy-four specimens of Falcaustra lowei n. sp. were recovered from the intestines of 9 of 42 (21%) Tarahumara frogs, Rana tarahumarae, from Sonora, Mexico. F. lowei is the 14th Nearctic species to be described and belongs to that group of species possessing a pseudosucker, namely F. catesbeianae, F. chabaudi, F. chelydrae, F. mexicana, and F. wardi. The new species can be readily differentiated from these by the arrangement of caudal papillae and length of spicules. Priority description of F. affinis is established and F. concinnae is removed from synonymy with F. affinis. In addition to F. lowei, 3 species of Digenea, Glypthelmins quieta, Haematoloechus breviplexus, Langeronia macrocirra; 1 species of Eucestoda, Ophiotaenia magna; 7 species of Nematoda, F. inglisi, Foleyellides striatus, Oswaldocruzia pipiens, Rhabdias ranae, Subulascaris falcaustriformis, Physaloptera sp. (larvae); and 1 species of Acanthocephala, an unidentified oligacanthorhynchid cystacanth, were found.
BNymble: more anonymous blacklisting at almost no cost (a short paper)

Anonymous blacklisting schemes allow online service providers to prevent future anonymous access by abusive users while preserving the privacy of all anonymous users (both abusive and non-abusive). The first scheme proposed for this purpose was Nymble, an extremely efficient scheme based only on symmetric primitives; however, Nymble relies on trusted third parties who can collude to de-anonymize users of the scheme. Two recently proposed schemes, Nymbler and Jack, reduce the trust placed in these third parties at the expense of using less-efficient asymmetric crypto primitives. We present BNymble, a scheme which matches the anonymity guarantees of Nymbler and Jack while (nearly) maintaining the efficiency of the original Nymble. The key insight of BNymble is that we can achieve the anonymity goals of these more recent schemes by replacing only the infrequent "User Registration" protocol from Nymble with asymmetric primitives. We prove the security of BNymble, and report on its efficiency.
Variations in normal bone-marrow pressures.

1. In the same bone, and under similar physiological conditions, the mean systolic marrow pressure in the diaphysis is significantly higher than the mean systolic marrow pressure in the epiphysis. 2. In the same bone, and under similar physiological conditions, the pulse pressure the diaphysis is significantly greater than the pulse pressure in the epiphysis. 3. There is a rhythmical fluctuation in the marrow pressure in the diaphysis and epiphysis which is synchronous with the phases of respiration. The fluctuations are most pronounced during forceful expiration.
Seize the Day to Implement Depression Guidelines.

This issue includes guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on screening for depression in children and adolescents and from the American College of Physicians on treating adults wi...
Nuclear-Structure Calculations for Cr 52 and Even Ni Isotopes

Employing ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{48}$ and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{56}$ as cores for ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{52}$ and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{60}$, respectively, the shell-model properties of these nuclei are described using the renormalized reaction matrix elements of the Hamada-Johnston nucleon-nucleon potential. For ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{52}$, the seniorities 2 and 4 of the ${{f}_{\frac{7}{2}}}^{4}$ configuration are mixed through intermediate states of other configurations in an attempt to explain the branching ratios from $J=6$ and $J=5$ levels to the low-lying $J=4$ levels; and also the effect of increasing the configuration space is explicitly studied. A qualitative agreement between the calculated and experimental spectra is found, and the wave functions thus obtained are not found to be suitable for the description of transition rates. For ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{60}$, the effect of including the additional ${g}_{\frac{9}{2}}$ orbital is also investigated. The calculated energy levels agree fairly well with the experimental levels, but the wave functions do not provide a satisfactory explanation for the observed transition rates. The even Ni isotopes are then described in the framework of the modified Tamm-Dancoff approximation (MTDA). The agreement for the energy levels for ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{60}$ between the shell-model and the MTDA results is of the same quality, but the MTDA result indeed shows an improvement over the shell-model results in describing the vibrational characteristic of the second excited ${2}^{+}$ state. The MTDA results for Ni isotopes appear to be fairly satisfactory.
Trigonometric Collocation for Computation of Harmonic Response of a Cracked Beam

Development of vibration-based structural health monitoring techniques requires the use of various computational methods to predict dynamic responses of damaged structures. The method described in this work is intended to be used for prediction of steady state harmonic responses for structures with fatigue cracks and may have several advantages over alternative techniques. The steady state response of the system at a given number of time points distributed over one vibration period is represented in terms of Fourier series containing higher frequency harmonics. Equations of motion are formulated in the form that allows for computation of Fourier coefficients for all terms in the series. Iterative procedure is used for determining the time of stiffness change in order to capture bilinear dynamic behavior. We present results of our research for applying the method to a simple model of a cantilever beam with a transverse crack.
Influence of variations of operating parameters on the functioning of a PEM electrolyzer and PEM fuel cell systems

The paper presents a mathematical model for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane “PEM” fuel cell and an Equivalent Electrical Model for a PEM Electrolyzer. The performance both of the fuel cell and the electrolyzer, depending on the developed model and taking all the losses as well as the double layer charging effect into account, is studied by varying the different operating parameters to evaluate their effect on the systems. In the fuel cell case, this will help in the development of regulation of the control or/and controlling systems to improve its performance. As for the electrolyzer, it will help in increasing the hydrogen production.
What is the biological reality of gene-environment interaction estimates? An assessment of bias in developmental models.

Background Standard models used to test gene–environment interaction (G × E) hypotheses make the causal assumption that there are no unobserved variables that could be biasing the interaction estimate. Whether this assumption can be met in nonexperimental studies is unclear because the interactive biological pathways from genetic polymorphisms and environments to behavior, and the confounders that can be introduced along these pathways, are often not delineated. This is problematic in the context of studies focused on caregiver–child dyads, in which common genes and environments induce gene–environment correlation. To address the impact of sources of bias in G × E models specifically assessing the interaction between child genotype and caregiver behavior, we provide a causal framework that integrates biological and statistical concepts of G × E, and assess the magnitude of bias introduced by various confounding pathways in different causal circumstances. Methods A simulation assessed the magnitude of bias introduced by four types of confounding pathways in different causal models. Unadjusted and adjusted statistical models were then applied to the simulated data to assess the efficacy of these procedures to capture unbiased G × E estimates. Finally, the simulation was run under null effects of the genotype to assess the impact of biasing sources on the false-positive rate. Results Common environmental pathways between caregiver and child inflated G × E estimates and raised the false-positive rate. Evocative effects of the child also inflated G × E estimates. Conclusions Gene–environment interaction studies should be approached with consideration to the causal pathways at play and the confounding opportunities along these pathways to facilitate the inclusion of adequate statistical controls and correct inferences from study findings. Bridging biological and statistical concepts of G × E can significantly improve research design and the communication of how a G × E process fits into a broader developmental framework.
Phonological Subcategorization, Infixation, and Relation-Specific Alignment

In the Phonological Subcategorization approach to infixation (Kiparsky 1986, McCarthy and Prince 1986, Inkelas 1990, Anderson 1992, Yu 2007), the position of an infix is determined by locating it at the appropriate edge of a particular phonological category, or “pivot”. Yu’s (2007) approach employs Generalized Alignment (McCarthy and Prince 1993) constraints to both specify the pivot category and locate the affix at the appropriate edge of the pivot. In this paper, we explore the consequences of replacing Generalized Alignment constraints with Relation-Specific Alignment (Hyde 2012, 2015, 2016) constraints in Yu’s Phonological Subcategorization framework. A Relation-Specific Alignment approach provides a solid foundation for the analysis of infixation. It retains the advantages that earlier Phonological Subcategorization approaches have over alternative approaches. For example, it avoids hyper-infixation, encompasses cases where infixes attach to prominent positions, and provides a general analysis of tmesis. Relation-Specific Alignment constraints also have several advantages over Generalized Alignment constraints, however. They simplify the specification of pivot categories, provide a uniform, general analysis of infixation and accent windows, and avoid Midpoint Pathology (Eisner 1997; Hyde 2012, 2015, 2016) effects.
Control of Photochemical Branching: Novel Procedures for Finding Optimal Pulses and Global Upper Bounds

Given the great progress in femtosecond laser technology — with amplitude, frequency and phase control of the electric field — the systematic design of optical pulse sequences to control microscopic atomic and molecular motion has become an inexorable topic of study. The problem may be formulated variationally as the search for the optimal pulse sequence (i.e. complex electric field amplitude, e(t)) which prepares a wavepacket such as to maximize the expectation value of an appropriate projection operator at some final time. For control of photofragmentation, for instance, the projection operator is equal to 1 for a particular chemical arrangement channel and 0 elsewhere. The optimization must be performed subject to the constraint that the wavepacket satisfy the time dependent Schrodinger equation in the presence of the field, leading to a mathematical structure of the type found in Optimal Control Theory (OCT). The first part of the paper provides the physical motivation for the definition of the objective functional. Then, the original objective, subject to the constraint of the TDSE, is transformed into an unconstrained, or modified objective and partitioned in a novel way following the work of Krotov. The partitioned form for the objective functional leads to a great deal of insight into the problem, as well as to a variety of remarkable new results. It is first used to introduce and contrast the necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal pulses. The partitioned objective is then used to derive a novel and remarkably efficient iterative algorithm to find optimal pulses. The new algorithm, which can be said to derive from the sufficient conditions of optimality, explicitly includes both linear and quadratic dependence of the objective on the field and the wavefunction, and as such is able to take macrosteps in the field at every iteration. In contrast, the usual gradient type methods include only the linear dependence of the objective on the field and the wavefunction; as a result they require a line search at each iteration and converge very slowly. Numerically, the new method several times more efficient than gradient type methods for the systems we have studied. In the last part of the paper the sufficient conditions for global optimality are used to obtain the first known upper bound on control of chemical reactions, subject to a penalty on the field energy. Although the upper bound is less than one (one represents 100% yield in the desired chemical arrangement channel) the discrepancy vanishes for zero penalty, consistent with 100% control of the channel from which the wavepacket exits.
Deformable model fitting with a mixture of local experts

Local experts have been used to great effect for fitting deformable models to images. Typically, the best location in an image for the deformable model's landmarks are found through a locally exhaustive search using these experts. In order to achieve efficient fitting, these experts should afford an efficient evaluation, which often leads to forms with restricted discriminative capacity. In this work, a framework is proposed in which multiple simple experts can be utilized to increase the capacity of the detections overall. In particular, the use of a mixture of linear classifiers is proposed, the computational complexity of which scales linearly with the number of mixture components. The fitting objective is maximized using the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, where approximations to the true objective are made in order to facilitate efficient and numerically stable fitting. The efficacy of the proposed approach is evaluated on the task of generic face fitting where performance improvement is observed over two existing methods.
A Roadmap to Successful Clinical Proteomics

Clinical proteomics has come a long way and is at a point where the expertise, technology, assays, and knowledge have matured sufficiently to begin enabling personalized and precision medicine. Although traditional laboratory medicine seems to be stuck in a bit of a rut, the field is now starting to take advantage of some of the approaches needed to monitor a person's dynamic state of health or disease. Unfortunately, these quantitative approaches have often been based on a “static” diagnostic model that focuses on a few basic protein changes describing what has happened, or genomic markers that might describe what possibly could happen in the future. Static markers are biomarkers that define a single disease entity or are used for a single clinical diagnosis are often limited; we can do better. Proteomics has the potential to determine the “dynamics” of an individual's health and this is the level of understanding we need to move toward. This requires an intimate knowledge and precise quantification of the important modified forms of proteins (proteoforms) within a proteome, and the recognition that proteoforms are dynamic and important to an individual's phenotype and crucial in determining the immediate present and potential future response to therapies. If we don't fully characterize and understand what we are measuring we could misdiagnose or lose an opportunity to have a biomarker(s) with a better selectivity toward a particular disease. This is also true for companion diagnostics. Unless the assays can capture the mechanism of the drug, which occurs most often at the proteome level, the assays could fail to guide good drug development and cause late stage failures of promising therapeutics, an increasingly acute problem for big pharmaceutical companies. We need to more fully map the proteins we are measuring and take advantage of their modified forms in our clinical …