cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Right Ventricular Function by Transthoracic Echocardiography Following Aortic Valve Replacement

Background Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is a widely used clinical measure of right ventricular (RV) systolic performance. However, postsurgical changes in the pattern of RV contraction may limit the utility of TAPSE for assessing global RV function. We retrospectively examined pre- and postoperative TAPSE and RV fractional area change (FAC) in patients undergoing 3 different types of aortic valve replacement (AVR). Methods Fifty-two patients enrolled in the Placement of AoRTic TraNscathetER Valve Trial at our institution were randomized to receive open AVR or transcatheter AVR (TAVR) by either the transapical or transfemoral access routes. Thirty-seven of these patients had analyzable transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before and after AVR. Using M-mode echocardiography, TAPSE was measured in the apical four-chamber view. Using two-dimensional echocardiography, RV FAC was measured in the apical four-chamber view. Results The mean change in TAPSE was −0.7 ± 0.6 cm for open AVR (P = 0.002), −0.2 ± 0.4 cm for transapical TAVR (P = 0.26), and 0.1 ± 0.5 cm for transfemoral TAVR (P = 0.64). The mean change in RV FAC was −1 ± 5% for open AVR (P = 0.91), 2 ± 4% for transapical TAVR (P = 0.37), and 7 ± 10% for transfemoral TAVR (P = 0.07). Conclusions The normal pattern of RV contraction was unchanged by transapical and transfemoral TAVR, while open AVR led to a significant decrease in TAPSE with preserved RV FAC. Thus, RV FAC is a preferable method for assessing RV function in the postoperative patient.
Age-related differences in visual scanning at median-divided highway intersections in rural areas

The objective of this study was to examine age-related differences in visual scanning as drivers performed three separate maneuvers (going straight across, making a left and right turn) at two median-divided highway intersections with different crash frequencies. An on-road study was conducted with 60 drivers in three age groups: younger (18-25), middle-aged (35-55), and older (65-80). The study consisted of two between-subject (age and gender) and two within-subject variables (drive maneuver and intersection type). Drivers' behavior was measured by the proportion of time they visually sampled towards the left, right and rearview mirror, and by an entropy rate representative of randomness in visual scanning. The results showed that older and younger drivers do not utilize their full scanning range when compared to middle-aged drivers, as indicated by lower entropy rate and the tendency to check fewer areas before executing a maneuver through the intersections. This trend was more obvious during left and right turn maneuvers indicating a greater likelihood to miss an unexpected event. Older drivers had a significantly smaller proportion of visual sampling to the left and right during intersection negotiations when compared to younger and middle-aged drivers. Older and younger drivers checked the rearview mirror significantly less when compared to middle-aged drivers.
Thalamic Morphology in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Background Biomarkers are needed that can distinguish between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder to inform the ongoing debate over the diagnostic boundary between these two disorders. Neuromorphometric abnormalities of the thalamus have been reported in individuals with schizophrenia and linked to core features of the disorder, but have not been similarly investigated in individuals with schizoaffective disorder. In this study, we examine whether individuals with schizoaffective disorder have a pattern of thalamic deformation that is similar or different to the pattern found in individuals with schizophrenia.
Diagnosis of Congenital Coronary Artery Abnormalities by Echoca rdiography

Congenitai abnormalities of the coronary arteries arerarbut may resu t in imprtant morta ity and morb idtyfy not Vrecgnzed. This case report describes the clinicala presentaton, physiology, and ecocardiographic features of two types of congenital coronar artery abnormalities.
AC/AB Stacking Boundaries in Bilayer Graphene

Boundaries, including phase boundaries, grain boundaries, and domain boundaries, are known to have an important influence on material properties. Here, dark-field (DF) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging are combined to provide a full view of boundaries between AB and AC stacking domains in bilayer graphene across length scales from discrete atoms to the macroscopic continuum. Combining the images with results obtained by density functional theory (DFT) and classical molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrate that the AB/AC stacking boundaries in bilayer graphene are nanometer-wide strained channels, mostly in the form of ripples, producing smooth low-energy transitions between the two different stackings. Our results provide a new understanding of the novel stacking boundaries in bilayer graphene, which may be applied to other layered two-dimensional materials as well.
Transport and Heat Flux of the Florida Current at 27 degrees N Derived from Cross-Stream Voltages and Profiling Data: Theory and Observations

The variability in the volume transport of the Florida Current at 27°N has been observed from the voltage measured between a point 16 km east of Jupiter Inlet, Florida and Settlement Point, Grand Bahama Island by the use of an abandoned communications cable. The voltage is caused by the separation of electric charges in the ocean that are caused by the Florida Current crossing the Earth’s magnetic field (motional induction), by the electric currents induced in the ocean caused by time varying ionospheric and magnetospheric electric currents (geomagnetic induction), and by the voltage bias between the cable-ocean contacts caused by differences in the temperature, salinity and electrochemical state of the contacts. The geomagnetic-induced voltage was removed by the use of shore-based magnetic data and transfer functions. Changes in the voltage bias of the cable-ocean contact at Settlement Point were minimized by the use of a silver-silver-chloride electrode. The comparison of the daily mean motion-induced voltages with 137 daily profiling-derived transports, yields a voltage calibration factor of 24.42 + 0.56 Sv V -1 , a correlation squared of 0.94, and a root mean square misfit of 0.77 Sv (1 Sv = 10 6 m 3 s -1 ). The misfit is consistent with an error of 0.9 Sv in the voltage-derived transport estimated from the velocity and temperature profiling data, the electric current effects, and the profiling derived transport error. Hence the voltages accurately monitor the transport variations. The mean voltage-derived transports for the Florida Current at 27°N is 32.3 + 3.2 Sv based on 4862 daily mean values from 1969 to 1990. The annual variation has a range of 4.4 Sv. There is no evidence since 1969 for any long-term trend in the transport but there are numerous shorter term variations as large as 15 Sv lasting from days to months. The mean northward heat flux is 1.30 + 0.13 PW derived from 130 days of profiling the velocity and temperature of the Florida Current and assuming the North Atlantic has a southward, velocity-weighted temperature of 9.4 °C. The variations in heat flux are, essentially, due to the variations in transport because the velocity weighted temperature estimated by the profiling data has a nearly constant value of 19.1 ± 0 .6°C.
Sagnac-based rotation sensing with superfluid helium quantum interference devices

The Sagnac effect has played an instrumental role for the fundamental studies of relativity, and various devices that utilize this effect have been applied to many disciplines ranging from inertial navigation to geodesy and to seismology. In this context we present an overview of recent developments related to superfluid helium quantum interference devices. With the discovery of superfluid Josephson phenomena in He4, the device technology has been rapidly developing in the past 10 years. We discuss the underlying working principles of these interference devices and their applications. We focus on their use as sensitive rotation sensors based on the Sagnac effect coupled with the existence of a macroscopic quantum phase via particle–wave duality.
Ethnicity/Race, Use of Pharmacotherapy, Scope of Physician-Ordered Cholesterol Screening, and Provision of Diet/Nutrition or Exercise Counseling during US Office-Based Visits by Patients with Hyperlipidemia

Elevation of serum cholesterol, or hyperlipidemia, is recognized as one of the major modifiable risk factors in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. On a US population basis, there has been a downward trend in total- and LDL-cholesterol levels, and an increase in cholesterol screening. Nevertheless, previous research suggests that there remain racial/ethnic disparities in the access to and quality of care for hyperlipidemia. The aim of this study was to examine the extent of racial/ethnic disparities in the provision of pharmacotherapy, cholesterol screening and diet/nutrition or exercise counseling during US office-based physician-patient encounters (visits) by patients with hyperlipidemia. We examined data from the 2005 US National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for office-based visits for hyperlipidemia for patients aged ≥20 years in terms of prescribing for hyperlipidemia, and the ordering/provision of cholesterol testing, diet/nutrition counseling, and exercise counseling. Use of pharmacotherapy for hyperlipidemia varied by ethnicity/race (χ2, p<0.05). Physician-ordered/provided cholesterol screening occurred in 44.2% of all office-based visits; 46.5% for Whites, 35.4% for Blacks, and 30.3% for Hispanics (χ2, p< 0.05). Diet/nutrition counseling was ordered/provided in 39.7% of office-based visits; 40.4% for Whites, 32.6% for Blacks, and 39.0% for Hispanics (χ2, p<0.05). Exercise counseling was ordered/provided in 32.1% of office-based visits; 32.7% for Whites, 27.2% for Blacks, and 30.6% for Hispanics (χ2, p<0.05). These findings reveal a disparity in use of pharmacotherapy for hyperlipidemia, physicianordered/provided cholesterol screening, diet/nutrition counseling, and exercise counseling by ethnicity/race. Further research is required to discern, in greater detail, reasons for the observed differences reported, and to ensure equitable access to established standards of care.
The Sales Lead Black Hole: On Sales Reps' Follow-Up of Marketing Leads.

Abstract The sales lead black hole—the 70% of leads generated by marketing departments that sales representatives do not pursue—may result from competing demands on sales reps' time. Using the motivation–opportunity–ability framework, the authors consider factors that influence sales reps' pursuit (or lack thereof) of marketing and self-generated leads. The proportion of time that sales reps devote to marketing leads depends on organizational lead prequalification and managerial tracking processes (extrinsic motivation), as well as marketing lead volume (opportunity), and sales rep experience and performance (ability). Consistent with a person–situation framework, individual sales rep factors should also moderate the influence of organizational processes on lead follow-up. Data from 461 sales reps employed by four firms confirm that as sales reps' experience increases, their responses to managerial tracking of lead follow-up and marketing lead volume decrease; responses to the quality of the lead prequali...
Current inverse iteration software can fail

Inverse iteration is widley used to compute the eigenvectors of a matrix once accurate eigenvalues are known. We discuss various issues involved in any implementation of inverse iteration for real, symmetric matrices. Current implementations resort to reorthogonalization when eigenvalues agree to more than three digits relative to the norm. Such reorthogonalization can have unexpected consequences. Indeed, as we show in this paper, the implementations in EISPACK and LAPACK may fail. We illustrate with both theoretical and empirical failures.
The Harmonia of Bow and Lyre in Heraclitus Fr. 51 (DK)

(People do not understand how what is borne in different directions comes to be in agreement with itself; [for] a framework like that of the bow and the lyre turns back [on itself].)
An investigation of passive control methods for shock-induced separation at hypersonic speeds

The effectiveness of several passive control techniques on shock-induced boundary-layer separation at hypersonic speed was investigated. Two approaches for alleviating the turbulent separation losses were examined: porous surface mass transfer and surface grooving. A total of four perforated surfaces with varying porosities were evaluated, and three groove orientations with respect to the freestream direction were studied. A comparison of the results from passive control techniques with those from an 'uncontrolled' shock impingement showed that the porous surface with the greatest porosity provided the greatest reduction in the pressure rise across the oblique shock wave. The grooved surface tested were found to be not effective; each of the grooved configurations examined increased the peak pressure value.
Reflections on Elementary School Science.

There is a considerable discrepancy between research on effective practice and emerging trends in elementary school science. If we are to produce the world's best prepared graduates in science and mathematics by the end of the decade, our efforts must redirect current practice, for it is early patterns of behavior which often dictate future goals and aspirations. Teachers, administrators, and teacher educators must collaborate in efforts to strengthen curriculum reorganization, utilize multi-modal instructional practice, use time efficiently, integrate science across curricular boundaries, and develop evaluation practices which accurately measure desired student outcomes.
Tillage System by Planting Date Interaction Effects on Corn and Soybean Yield

Spring soil temperature and soil water content can be influenced by tillage system. If a tillage system and planting date interaction exists, planting on a single date, as is done in most tillage trials, could bias yield results. We tested for this interaction by comparing corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yields using strip tillage, no tillage, and disk-chisel tillage systems with planting dates determined by soil temperature and water content conditions within each tillage system. A 3-yr study (2002-2004) was conducted on a site near Newton, IA that had three soil types: Cumulic Hapludolls, Aquic Hapludolls, and Cumulic Haplaquolls. A split-plot design was used with tillage as whole plots arranged in four randomized complete blocks. Crops in all tillage system treatments were planted on three dates that comprised the split-plots. The criteria to determine the planting dates were soil temperature (>10°C for corn and >13°C for soybean for 12 consecutive hours) and soil water content (less than or equal to the lower plastic limit for any of the tillage treatments) at the 0.05-m depth. A planting date occurred for each of the tillage systems as these criteria were met. For both crops, the earliest date having these soil conditions occurred simultaneously for disk-chisel and strip tillage. The no-tillage plots exhibited these conditions between 4 and 28 d and between 6 and 15 d later for corn and soybean, respectively, than for the other tillage treatments. Corn planted with disk-chisel tillage yielded 0.8 Mg ha -1 more than the mean of the other two tillage treatments across years. Planting date affected corn yield only in 2003. For soybean, planting date affected yield. Soybean planted at the early planting date yielded 0.16 Mg ha - 1 more than the mean of the other planting dates across years. There was no interaction of tillage X planting date for yield of either crop. This research indicates that recommendations derived from existing tillage research using a common planting date are valid.
C-reactive protein causes downregulation of vascular angiotensin subtype 2 receptors and systolic hypertension in mice.

Background— Chronic elevations in circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with a greater risk of hypertension. Whether elevations in CRP cause hypertension is unknown. Methods and Results— Chronic, conscious blood pressure (BP) measurements were performed by radiotelemetry in wild-type CF1 control and CF1 transgenic mice expressing rabbit CRP (CF1-CRP) under the regulation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase promoter. Compared with controls, CF1-CRP mice had hypertension that was predominantly systolic, and the severity of hypertension varied in parallel with changes in CRP levels modulated by dietary manipulation. Mice that were hemizygous for the transgene with CRP levels of 9 μg/mL were also hypertensive, indicating that modest elevations in CRP are sufficient to alter BP. CRP transgenic mice had exaggerated BP elevation in response to angiotensin II and a reduction in vascular angiotensin receptor subtype 2 (AT2) expression. In contrast, the decline in BP with angiotensin receptor sub...
Radionuclide imaging of the injured spleen and liver

After the introduction of Tc-99m sulfur colloid and the gamma camera, radiocolloid liver-spleen imaging displaced angiography as the primary modality for diagnosing injury because of its sensitivity and non-invasiveness. A splenic defect may be nonspecific since it can be caused by a congenital variant. Specificity can be increased by awareness of common morphologic variations and judicious use of detector angulation to separate an overlapping left lobe. An increased incidence of overwhelming sepsis in postsplenectomy patients led to a more conservative approach to splenic injury, aided by sequential scintigraphy to demonstrate healing of traumatic defects. This decreased the significance of an initial false-positive scan that was caused by congenital variation, since the clinical "bottom line" was failure of a defect to enlarge or cause delayed rupture. Computed tomography (CT) is also a sensitive method of diagnosing injury or spleen and liver as well as other intraabdominal organs such as the kidneys. Its performance has not been compared to simultaneous multiorgan scintigraphy, an underutilized but very useful approach.
Modeling missing transverse energy in V + jets at CERN LHC

I discuss a method to model the instrumental response of the CMS and ATLAS detectors at high missing transverse energy to dominant standard model $V+\mathrm{\text{jets}}$ backgrounds, where $V$ is a $Z$, $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ or $W$, using multijet QCD events. The method is developed for new physics searches in early data at the LHC with minimal recourse to simulation.
Transcriptional repression is epigenetically marked by H3K9 methylation during SV40 replication

We have recently shown that T-antigen binding to Site I results in the replication-dependent introduction of H3K9me1 into SV40 chromatin late in infection. Since H3K9me2 and H3K9me3 are also present late in infection, we determined whether their presence was also related to the status of ongoing transcription and replication. Transcription was either inhibited with 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidizole (DRB) or stimulated with sodium butyrate and the effects on histone modifications early and late in infection determined. The role of DNA replication was determined by concomitant inhibition of replication with aphidicolin. We observed that H3K9me2/me3 was specifically introduced when transcription was inhibited during active replication. The introduction of H3K9me2/me3 that occurred when transcription was inhibited was partially blocked when replication was also inhibited. The introduction of H3K9me2/me3 did not require the presence of H3K9me1 since similar results were obtained with the mutant cs1085 whose chromatin contains very little H3K9me1. Our data suggest that methylation of H3K9 can occur either as a consequence of a specific repressive event such as T-antigen binding to Site I or as a result of a general repression of transcription in the presence of active replication. The results suggest that the nonproductive generation of transcription complexes as occurs following DRB treatment may be recognized by a ‘proof reading’ mechanism, which leads to the specific introduction of H3K9me2 and H3K9me3.
Parsing “Participation” in Action Research: Navigating the Challenges of Lay Involvement in Technically Complex Participatory Science Projects

Participatory action research (PAR) is widely recognized for its potential to improve environmental problem solving. However, PAR proponents and observers have paid relatively little attention to the ways in which lay participation complicates the research process. In this article, I examine the challenges presented by lay participation in the case of the Drift Catcher, a participatory air monitoring program in which community residents in the United States work with scientists from an environmental nongovernmental organization (NGO) to sample their own air for pesticides and then to use those data to press for social change. My findings suggest the need for a more nuanced understanding of “participation,” one that accounts for the technical complexity of a PAR project, other challenges, and the participants' organizational capacity. Successfully executing a participatory research project, especially one that produces politically controversial data, may require substantial capacity building to weather the...
Effect of coarctation on matrix content of experimental aortic atherosclerosis: relation to location, plaque size and blood pressure

Cynomolgus monkeys were fed an atherogenic diet for 6 months following surgically produced high-grade (n = 10) or mild (n = 16) mid-thoracic aortic coarctation. A diet-control (DC) group (n = 13) was fed the diet without coarctation. High-grade coarctation (HGC) resulted in 74.1% ± 8.3% stenosis by aortography prior to sacrifice and was associated with systolic brachial blood pressures of 143.3 ± 26.0 mmHg and gradients across the stenoses of 36.8 ± 23.6 mmHg. Mild coarctation (MC) resulted in stenoses of 50.9% ± 12.9%, brachial systolic pressures of 119.4 ± 25.7 and gradients of 12.5 ± 15.2 mm Hg (P < 0.01, P = 0.03 and P < 0.005, respectively, compared with HGC). When total plaque cross-sectional area exceeded 0.8 mmz, the entire arterial circumference was usually involved. HGC resulted in complete sparing or minimal plaque formation in sections distal to the stenoses compared with proximal sections (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between MC and DC animals in plaque location or size. Matrix content increased with plaque area regardless of degree of stenosis or sampling level (P < 0.01), but lesions with more than 75% matrix content were more numerous in distal than in proximal sections despite their smaller size. The number of plaques with greater than 75% matrix content was increased proximal to HGC (P < 0.04). Thus, distal location and plaque size were independent determinants of plaque matrix content and matrix content was increased proximal to HGC regardless of plaque size. Attempts to evaluate effects of various regimens and interventions on plaque composition need to take location and plaque size, as well as blood pressure differences, into account.
Tree transpiration varies spatially in response to atmospheric but not edaphic conditions

Summary 1. Measuring transpiration simultaneously in time and space can establish a better understanding of how to mechanistically scale spatiotemporal values. 2. This study tested the following predictions to falsify a tree hydraulic hypothesis of spatial variation in transpiration: (i) stands with larger trees will a have longer range and greater sill and nugget at a given vapour pressure deficit (D); (ii) the range, sill and nugget will decline faster with increasing D with larger trees; and (iii) soil moisture, texture and/or N levels will be correlated with transpiration. 3. We used cyclic sampling to efficiently collect spatial sap flux data from 144 trees in two forested stands in northern Wisconsin: an Aspen-dominated stand with small trees and a Maple–Pine-dominated stand with larger trees. 4. In the Maple stand, the range of spatial autocorrelation in half-hourly transpiration dropped from 80 to 20 m with increased D, whereas in the Aspen stand the range dropped from 55 to 35 m with a similar increase in D. 5. Differences in the range of spatial autocorrelation at a given D were driven by sapwood area, which is a function of tree size. 6. These results show that species and tree size as well as individual tree hydraulics drive spatial variability in transpiration with little additional variation explained by the measured edaphic conditions. 7. Scaling from individual tree transpiration to the landscape in time and space should incorporate atmospheric drivers in time and investigate other potential drivers of tree size in space such as light competition.
LSENS, The NASA Lewis Kinetics and Sensitivity Analysis Code

A general chemical kinetics and sensitivity analysis code for complex, homogeneous, gas-phase reactions is described. The main features of the code, LSENS (the NASA Lewis kinetics and sensitivity analysis code), are its flexibility, efficiency and convenience in treating many different chemical reaction models. The models include: static system; steady, one-dimensional, inviscid flow; incident-shock initiated reaction in a shock tube; and a perfectly stirred reactor. In addition, equilibrium computations can be performed for several assigned states. An implicit numerical integration method (LSODE, the Livermore Solver for Ordinary Differential Equations), which works efficiently for the extremes of very fast and very slow reactions, is used to solve the "stiff" ordinary differential equation systems that arise in chemical kinetics. For static reactions, the code uses the decoupled direct method to calculate sensitivity coefficients of the dependent variables and their temporal derivatives with respect to the initial values of dependent variables and/or the rate coefficient parameters. Solution methods for the equilibrium and post-shock conditions and for perfectly stirred reactor problems are either adapted from or based on the procedures built into the NASA code CEA (Chemical Equilibrium and Applications).
A context-specific latent inhibition effect in a human conditioned suppression task.

Three studies used a computer video game preparation to demonstrate latent inhibition in adult humans. In all studies participants fired torpedoes at a target spaceship by clicking the mouse. Conditioned stimuli (CSs) were presented in the form of coloured “sensors” at the bottom of the screen. Conditioning was conducted by pairing a sensor with an attack from the target spaceship. Participants learned to suppress their rate of mouse clicking in preparation for an attack. In Experiment 1 a total of 10 preexposures to the sensor CS, prior to conditioning, retarded acquisition of suppression. In Experiment 2 the effect of preexposure was shown to be context specific. Experiment 3 showed little generalization of the preexposure effect from one sensor CS to another. Experiment 3 also showed that preexposure did not make the sensor CS inhibitory. Comparisons with conditioned suppression procedures with animals and negative-priming procedures are briefly discussed.
Well–Being: Concepts and Measures

Well–being, or quality of life, is a continuing goal for individuals and a major criterion for the evaluation of governments and societies. As a research concept, however, it has been marked by persisting problems of definition and measurement and by uncertainties about its changing pattern over the life course. In this article, these issues are discussed; the concept of well–being is “unpacked” and a model of stocks and flows is described as applicable to the analysis of well–being. Finally, the concept of resilience is proposed as important for research on well–being in relation to age.
Biomaterials for Dentistry

Biomaterials are used in the oral cavity either to restore function, comfort, or aesthetics caused by developmental disorders, disease, or trauma. More elective procedures are being requested and performed purely for aesthetic purposes as the incidence of caries has dropped in certain population groups and as patients have become more aware of various restorative or cosmetic options. However, the replacement of diseased tooth structure or missing teeth accounts for the bulk of work in restorative dentistry. The instruments and materials used in the surgical aspects of oral, maxillofacial and periodontal surgery have much in common with medicine. This article will focus on those commonly used materials in the restoration of individual teeth or the replacement of missing teeth. Keywords: fillings; crowns; bridges; dentures; dental amalgam; resin composites; glass ionomers; prosthetic resin materials
MeCP2 dysfunction in Rett syndrome and related disorders

Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the X-linked gene encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), is a leading cause of mental retardation with autistic features in females. MECP2 mutations have also been identified in individuals with a variety of clinical syndromes, including mild learning-disability in females, neonatal encephalopathy in males, and psychiatric disorders, autism and X-linked mental retardation in both males and females. Furthermore, MECP2 duplications have been shown to cause a progressive postnatal neurological disorder. MeCP2 is a transcriptional repressor that binds to methylated CpG dinucleotides flanked by AT-rich segments and recruits a co-repressor complex, thereby altering chromatin structure. Subtle gene expression changes have been identified in Rett patients and mouse models; however, MeCP2 dysfunction has also been shown to cause abnormalities of RNA splicing, suggesting a complex molecular pathogenesis. Discovering which genes are misregulated in the absence of functional MeCP2 and demonstrating their role in causing neuronal dysfunction and disease manifestations are challenging but important steps for understanding the pathogenesis of Rett syndrome and related disorders.
Heterogeneous distribution of water in the Moon

The discovery of water in lunar samples in 2008 challenged the notion that the Moon's interior had lost all its volatiles. Since then, analyses of the water concentrations and isotopic compositions in lunar samples taken together suggest that the Moon is heterogeneously wet, which may lend clues to its origin.
Control of initialization bias in queueing simulations using queueing approximations

Investigates the use of analytical queueing approximations to assist in mitigating the effects of the initial transient period in steady-state GI/G/m queueing simulations. We investigate using queueing approximations to stochastically set the initial conditions of the simulation and we develop a new set of truncation heuristics based on GI/G/m queueing approximations. The new truncation heuristics are based on finding the truncation point in the simulation sample path which minimizes the mean squared error of the point estimator. Given that an approximation can be found, our methodology reduces the need for pilot runs and can easily be incorporated into a simulation, with significant results. We present the performance of the heuristics for replication deletion. The adaption to batch means is discussed. The result of our methodology is a less biased and less variable estimator of the expected wait time in the queue. We used the Extend simulation package for this research on a Macintosh Quadra 840AV.
Studies on the Lysine Requirement of Chicks

Abstract ALMQUIST and Mecchi (1942) were the first to study the lysine requirement of chicks. Their experimental diets contained 20 percent protein. The sources of protein used in the diets were zein, edestin, and mixtures of edestin and casein, and edestin and zein. Except for lysine, all deficiencies of essential amino acids in the diets were remedied by appropriate supplementation with pure compounds. The results of the investigation showed that the lysine requirement of chicks is approximately 0.9 percent of the diet. Grau, Kratzer and Asmundson (1946) reported that the lysine requirement of chicks is 0.96 percent of the diet. Sesame meal was used as the source of protein in the experimental diet, since except for lysine it is adequate in all essential amino acids. Grau (1948) concluded that the lysine requirement is correlated with the protein content of the diet. The lysine requirements at protein levels of 5, 10, 20, …
Possible Sequelae of Trauma and Somatic Disorder in Early Life

All children experience trauma. The age, state of development and constitutional factors will determine whether some children will have a traumatic effect. Trauma occurring before the age of three, at a time when the ego has not developed its synthetic and integrative functions, may be reproduced in later life as an isolated symptom, by selected sensations involved in a sensory imprint or screen sensation of the trauma as a simple recording. After the age of three, under the influence of a more mature ego, excessive traumatic stimuli will be integrated and elaborated in symptom formations as phobias or other conditions and extended as part of the total personality. Recurrence in later life is triggered by events related not only to the original experience, but also to the content of its elaboration.The earlier in life the trauma occurs, the more likely that somatic imprints of primitive physiological symptoms would result as an archaic, biological defense or screen sensations.Recurrent sensory imprints or...
Critical Depths for Higher Modes by Minimally-invasive Multimodal Surface Wave (MMSW) Method: Simulations and Field Test

A Minimally-invasive Multimodal Surface Wave (MMSW) geophysical testing method, which is a hybrid of surface and borehole seismic methods, was developed recently by the authors to measure more extensive multi-mode dispersion data and thus improve the accuracy of inversion profiles. The new MMSW method employs a borehole geophone at selected depths to record seismic waves from different source offsets on the soil surface. Presented in this paper is a procedure for estimating a range of optimum geophone depths to capture a given higher mode by the MMSW method. Stiffness matrix and finite-element-based numerical simulations of the MMSW method are performed to identify the relationships between critical geophone depths and apparent cutoff frequencies of higher modes. Specifically, it is shown for increasing velocity profiles that 1) at a given borehole sensor measurement depth, the apparent cutoff frequencies of higher modes increase with mode number, 2) at a given frequency, the critical geophone depth at which a higher mode will first become dominant increases with mode number, and 3) for a given higher mode, the apparent cutoff frequency decreases as measurement depth increases. A preliminary field test is conducted using a vertical geophone placed at five different depths while impacts are applied to the soil surface from 3.66 to 43.89 m from the borehole, with an impact spacing of 3.66 m. Dispersion images from the five geophone depths are superimposed to produce a dispersion image having three modes with improved clarity relative to the surface-only Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method. A comparison of the experimental and theoretical apparent cutoff frequencies for higher modes is used to validate the theoretical prediction of critical depths by the stiffness matrix method. Matching of experimental and theoretical apparent cutoff frequencies could provide additional optimization constraints to reduce the uncertainty of final inversion profiles.
Rehearsed Spontaneity and the Conventionality of Ritual: Disciplines of Şalat

In the anthropology of ritual, one productive area of debate has focused on how the formal and conventional character of ritualized behavior is linked to, or distinct from, informal, routine, and pragmatic activity. In this article, I engage and extend this debate by analyzing various understandings of the Muslim act of prayer (salat) among a women's piety movement in contemporary Cairo, Egypt. Rather than assume a priori that conventional gestures and behaviors necessarily accomplish the same goals, I inquire into the variable relationships assigned to rule-governed behavior within different conceptions of the self under particular regimes of truth, power, and authority. In the second half of the article, I link my analysis of ritual to issues of embodiment, emotions, and individual autonomy, examining parallel conceptions of salat that coexist in some tension in contemporary Egypt, [ritual, embodiment, emotions, discipline, subject formation, Islam]
Nutrient-sensitized screening for drugs that shift energy metabolism from mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis

Most cells have the inherent capacity to shift their reliance on glycolysis relative to oxidative metabolism, and studies in model systems have shown that targeting such shifts may be useful in treating or preventing a variety of diseases ranging from cancer to ischemic injury. However, we currently have a limited number of mechanistically distinct classes of drugs that alter the relative activities of these two pathways. We screen for such compounds by scoring the ability of >3,500 small molecules to selectively impair growth and viability of human fibroblasts in media containing either galactose or glucose as the sole sugar source. We identify several clinically used drugs never linked to energy metabolism, including the antiemetic meclizine, which attenuates mitochondrial respiration through a mechanism distinct from that of canonical inhibitors. We further show that meclizine pretreatment confers cardioprotection and neuroprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury in murine models. Nutrient-sensitized screening may provide a useful framework for understanding gene function and drug action within the context of energy metabolism.
A NEW SOCIOCULTURAL-CLINICAL APPROACH TO THE USE OF NARCOTIC ANTAGONISTS IN REHABILITATION OF OPIATE DEPENDENT PERSONS

In the 1960’s two chemotherapeutic approaches to opiate addict rehabilitation were introduced. Opiate maintenance clinics were once again tried--this time using the orally effective long acting synthetic opiate, methadone (Dole and Nyswander, 1965). At almost the same time Martin and colleagues at the Addiction Research Center, Lexington, Kentucky suggested the use of the synthetic opiate antagonist cyclazocine, an opiate blocking agent, as a useful chemotherapeutic adjunct in rehabilitation. It too was orally effective, potent and long acting. As a slightly agonistic antagonist, it caused dysphoric reactions during induction in some patients (Martin et al., 1965 and 1966; Martin, 1968). Methadone maintenance became enormously popular at this time and the antagonists were relegated to the role of a limited use research instrument.
Impacts of soil–aquifer heat and water fluxes on simulated global climate

Climate models have traditionally only represented heat and water fluxes within relatively shallow soil layers, but there is increasing interest in the possible role of heat and water exchanges with the deeper subsurface. Here, we integrate an idealized 50m deep aquifer into the land surface module of the GISS ModelE general circulation model to test the influence of aquifer-soil moisture and heat exchanges on climate variables. We evaluate the impact on the modeled climate of aquifer-soil heat and water fluxes separately, as well as in combination. The addition of the aquifer to ModelE has limited impact on annual-mean climate, with little change in global mean land temperature, precipitation, or evaporation. The seasonal amplitude of deep soil temperature is strongly damped by the soil-aquifer heat flux. This not only improves the model representation of permafrost area but propagates to the surface, resulting in an increase in the seasonal amplitude of surface air temperature of >1K in the Arctic. The soil-aquifer water and heat fluxes both slightly decrease interannual variability in soil moisture and in landsurface temperature, and decrease the soil moisture memory of the land surface on seasonal to annual timescales. The results of this experiment suggest that deepening the modeled land surface, compared to modeling only a shallower soil column with a no-flux bottom boundary condition, has limited impact on mean climate but does affect seasonality and interannual persistence.
Thermal decomposition of propoxyphene during GLC analysis

The decomposition products of propoxyphene during GLC were prepared on a larger scale by heating propoxyphene hydrochloride in the presence of glass wool They were identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy as two isomeric diphenylbutenes and two isomeric products formed by loss of propionic acid. On-column decomposition of propoxyphene can be prevented by injection of the compound in solution in a silylating agent.
Estimation for non‐negative time series with heavy‐tail innovations

For moving average processes where the coefficients are non-negative and the innovations are positive random variables with a regularly varying tail at infinity, we provide estimates for the coefficients based on the ratio of two sample values chosen with respect to an extreme value criteria. We then apply this result to obtain estimates for the parameters of non-negative ARMA models. Weak convergence results for the joint distribution of our estimates are established and a simulation study is provided to examine the small sample size behaviour of these estimates.
Enforcing isolation and ordering in STM

Transactional memory provides a new concurrency control mechanism that avoids many of the pitfalls of lock-based synchronization. High-performance software transactional memory (STM) implementations thus far provide weak atomicity: Accessing shared data both inside and outside a transaction can result in unexpected, implementation-dependent behavior. To guarantee isolation and consistent ordering in such a system, programmers are expected to enclose all shared-memory accesses inside transactions.A system that provides strong atomicity guarantees isolation even in the presence of threads that access shared data outside transactions. A strongly-atomic system also orders transactions with conflicting non-transactional memory operations in a consistent manner.In this paper, we discuss some surprising pitfalls of weak atomicity, and we present an STM system that avoids these problems via strong atomicity. We demonstrate how to implement non-transactional data accesses via efficient read and write barriers, and we present compiler optimizations that further reduce the overheads of these barriers. We introduce a dynamic escape analysis that differentiates private and public data at runtime to make barriers cheaper and a static not-accessed-in-transaction analysis that removes many barriers completely. Our results on a set of Java programs show that strong atomicity can be implemented efficiently in a high-performance STM system.
NUMERICAL MODELS | Convective Storm Modeling

Synopsis Numerical models have been central to a wide range of advances in the knowledge of convective storm dynamics. Many long-standing research findings emerged from carefully controlled sensitivity experiments in early, highly idealized model configurations. Over time, convective storm simulations have become increasingly realistic, thanks to decreases in grid spacing (permitting resolution of subcloud turbulent eddies), more sophisticated treatments of precipitation microphysics, and increased understanding of how often-neglected processes (e.g., radiative fluxes) may influence the conclusions from traditional idealized models.
NMFP: a non-negative matrix factorization based preselection method to increase accuracy of identifying mRNA isoforms from RNA-seq data.

The advent of next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has greatly advanced transcriptomic studies, including system-wide identification and quantification of mRNA isoforms under various biological conditions. A number of computational methods have been developed to systematically identify mRNA isoforms in a high-throughput manner from RNA-seq data. However, a common drawback of these methods is that their identified mRNA isoforms contain a high percentage of false positives, especially for genes with complex splicing structures, e.g., many exons and exon junctions. We have developed a preselection method called “Non-negative Matrix Factorization Preselection” (NMFP) which is designed to improve the accuracy of computational methods in identifying mRNA isoforms from RNA-seq data. We demonstrated through simulation and real data studies that NMFP can effectively shrink the search space of isoform candidates and increase the accuracy of two mainstream computational methods, Cufflinks and SLIDE, in their identification of mRNA isoforms. NMFP is a useful tool to preselect mRNA isoform candidates for downstream isoform discovery methods. It can greatly reduce the number of isoform candidates while maintaining a good coverage of unknown true isoforms. Adding NMFP as an upstream step, computational methods are expected to achieve better accuracy in identifying mRNA isoforms from RNA-seq data.
Expression of CCL20 in hapten challenged skin induces recruitment of hapten-primed CD8 T cells producing IL-17 into the skin (CAM1P.229)

Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is a CD8 T cell-mediated response to skin sensitization and challenge with hapten. Hapten-presenting endothelial cell (EC) activate hapten-primed CD8 T cells to produce IFN-γ and IL-17 in the challenge site. These cytokines stimulate the EC to produce CXCL1 and CXCL2 that direct required CXCR2+ leukocyte recruitment into the skin challenge site for elicitation of CHS. This study investigated mechanisms directing hapten-primed CD8 cell localization to the hapten presenting EC in the challenge site. In the draining lymph nodes of hapten sensitized mice, CD8 T cells expressing CCR6 produce IL-17 in response to hapten-presenting cells and CD8 T cells expressing CXCR3 produce IFN-γ. Hapten skin challenge induces CXCL9/10 and CCL20 expression within 1 h and hapten labeling of EC cultures induces CXCL9/10 and CCL20. Anti-CCL20 antibody given at the time sensitized mice are challenged with hapten reduces IL-17 and CXCL1, but not IFN-γ, expression in the skin challenge site. IL-17 and CXCL1, but not IFN-γ, expression is also reduced in the skin challenge site of sensitized TLR4-/- mice, that have low CHS responses despite wild-type levels of hapten-reactive IFN-γ and IL-17 producing CD8 T cells in the skin draining lymph nodes. These results suggest that TLR4 activation of hapten-presenting EC is required to induce the CCL20 expression directing hapten-primed CCR6+ CD8 T cells to the challenged skin site to mediate CXCL1 production and elicit CHS.